Zhang Yang’s cooking skills were genuinely impressive.
He had already shown them off at Mi Xue’s family home, earning high praise from Wu Fenglan and the others; even Mi Zhiguo, who was initially opposed to him, couldn't fault Zhang Yang’s culinary talent.
Dish after delicious dish was placed on the table, immediately attracting the hungry gazes of the wolves.
As soon as they began eating, Hu Xin and Gu Cheng charged ahead, and even the two girls, Nannan and Xiao Dai, abandoned all pretense of reserve, joining the fray for food. Only Zhang Yang and Mi Xue exchanged a look, shaking their heads helplessly.
This was their turf; they had to accommodate the guests first.
After a satisfying meal accompanied by drinks, Hu Xin sprawled back on the sofa, contentedly chewing on a toothpick.
This guy was the true gourmet; nearly a third of that enormous spread had vanished into his stomach.
“So comfortable! Zhang Yang, why didn’t you come back sooner? This is infinitely better than the boxed meals we’ve been eating. With those boxes, sometimes we even have to wait for the food to cool down before we can touch it!”
Hu Xin said this with deep feeling, and Gu Cheng nodded in agreement. Nannan and Xiao Dai remained silent; they understood the implication.
Zhang Yang smiled gently. “Hardship for the deserving, those who endure the bitterest cup will rise above others. I believe both of you will certainly make something of yourselves in the future. If any good projects come up, I’ll introduce them to you!”
Zhang Yang knew what Hu Xin meant by that comment. He was genuinely surprised and very gratified by how hard and earnestly they had thrown themselves into their work from the start.
Only Mi Xue seemed slightly bewildered. Right after Zhang Yang finished speaking, she immediately asked, “Why wait for the boxed meals to cool down? Wouldn't it be better to eat them while they’re hot?”
Everyone looked at her, which only made Mi Xue more confused.
Gu Cheng suddenly let out a wry smile and spoke slowly, “Of course, it’s better to eat them hot. We know that. But when we get swamped with work, there’s no time until everything is done, and by then, the food has gone cold!”
The work over the last few days had given Gu Cheng and Hu Xin a thorough taste of life’s harshness.
However, they didn't regret it; all they felt was gratitude—gratitude toward their parents for working so hard to raise them. They finally understood what true toil meant.
And thanks to Zhang Yang, while they would still be working hard, the money they earned would be significantly less without him.
They were extremely satisfied with their current jobs. Both were the kind of people without connections, and finding work after graduation was incredibly difficult. Being able to earn money now made them truly content.
“Us too. Sometimes we eat so late, and even when we’re starving, we just have to sit there and watch everyone else eat!” Nannan chimed in. They had never worked part-time before; this experience had opened their eyes completely.
Mi Xue was speechless. Apart from some minor hardships following her grandparents when she was little, she had never truly suffered.
In fact, even the hardships of her childhood were minimal, as both her parents were dual-income workers and intellectuals—a highly enviable setup in those times. Her parents often brought home treats and nice clothes for her and her brother while they were working outside.
The love of parents for their children is always the same.
Mi Xue fell silent, her cheeks flushing slightly. She finally understood what Hu Xin meant about eating cold boxed meals. They were too busy to eat; the sheer difficulty of being too busy even to take a meal spoke volumes about how hard they worked.
The moment Hu Xin mentioned it, Zhang Yang understood, just as Nannan and Xiao Dai already knew; only Mi Xue hadn't grasped the situation.
Furthermore, Zhang Yang’s offer to introduce them to projects in the future was sincere.
Seeing their hard work, Zhang Yang was willing to continue helping them. Based on his experience in his previous life, introducing just a few good projects could benefit them endlessly.
Of course, succeeding truly depended on their own efforts; Zhang Yang couldn't offer continuous support forever.
The group of friends chatted for a long time before they finally departed.
After that, the difficult topics were dropped, and Hu Xin spent most of the time recounting funny anecdotes from their jobs.
Their main tasks involved hauling and delivering goods, all within the city limits. Meeting so many people led to countless amusing stories, which made the girls roar with laughter.
Gu Cheng shared several tales too. He mentioned one time when he was so exhausted that he pulled over just to nap for a bit. He was woken up by a traffic officer, who, upon learning he was a student working during the summer break, showed leniency and didn’t ticket him, which moved him deeply. He had parked in a no-stopping zone.
Xiao Dai and Nannan also shared a lot. Working in restaurants, they had witnessed all kinds of customers, some so outlandish they never could have imagined them—people completely plastered, passed out under the tables, showing what true drunkenness looked like.
They chatted late into the night before leaving. They promised to meet again in two weeks; everyone was too busy now for the daily gatherings they used to have.
“Zhang Yang, I want to get a job too!”
After seeing them off and returning home, Mi Xue whispered this to him.
Zhang Yang paused slightly, then shook his head with a gentle resignation. He understood that Mi Xue had been stirred by what Hu Xin and the others had said. Their lives were certainly richer than school life when they first started working.
But it was also harder. Although they hadn't brought it up again, Zhang Yang knew they had all gone through an initial period of agony; they were only just adapting now.
He felt the same way; his first job after his previous life had been equally grueling.
“Working isn’t as simple as you imagine, and you don’t need to work to earn money!”
Zhang Yang sighed softly. He knew what was on Mi Xue’s mind, but he still tried to persuade her.
After all, he was a man, and naturally, he didn't want his woman out enduring hardship. Besides, money wasn't an issue for them. Even without him, Mi Xue’s family would support her through university and arrange a comfortable job for her afterward.
“I know, I’m not going out to work to earn money. I don’t want to be a canary in a gilded cage!”
Mi Xue shook her head, which made Zhang Yang freeze for a moment.
A canary in a gilded cage—that was a story he had once told her, and now she was using it as a reason to refute him.
“You can, but you must find a legitimate company. Don't go to some small outfit!”
After thinking it over, Zhang Yang finally nodded his agreement. It wouldn't hurt Mi Xue to get out and gain some experience; her thinking was genuinely too pure, still childlike. Seeing the outside world would help her mature.
“You agreed! That’s wonderful!”
Mi Xue immediately cried out in delight and threw herself into Zhang Yang’s arms, giving him a passionate kiss.
The next morning, Mi Xue was already buying newspapers to search for jobs. Seeing her enthusiasm, Zhang Yang couldn't bring himself to disturb her.
In the morning, Zhang Yang headed straight to the hospital. He had started calculating his makeup time yesterday; he had taken twenty days off, meaning he owed three extra days that he needed to make up.
The moment he arrived at the hospital today, he noticed many people watching him.
After parking, Zhang Yang instinctively looked back. He was still unaware that he had become the biggest celebrity at the Third Hospital, the most talked-about figure currently.
As an intern, Zhang Yang didn’t have to hold regular clinic hours. He had only come to Obstetrics and Gynecology to help the hospital resolve those two difficult patient cases. Wang Guohai was now reluctant to let Zhang Yang leave, so he hadn't mentioned the other patient case. Once Zhang Yang cured these two patients, Wang Guohai would lose any justification for keeping him around.
Zhang Yang himself knew nothing of this and assumed he would be in Gynecology for a while longer.
“Good morning, Dr. Zhang!”
“Morning!”
On his way to the office, at least five or six young women had greeted him; he didn't recognize any of them, which only deepened his confusion.
It was clear from their appearance that these young women were either intern nurses or intern doctors, as they all wore intern badges.
Zhang Yang could now distinguish between the hospital veterans and the interns.
“Dr. Zhang, we are very sorry about yesterday!”
As soon as he entered the office, he ran into a few 'acquaintances’—relatively speaking, they were acquaintances. They were the four interns (three women and one man) who had doubted him yesterday.
“It’s fine, I didn’t take it to heart!”
Zhang Yang smiled, then went to change. He was different from the other interns; he arrived right on time, unlike some who came half an hour early to make a good impression.
After changing, the eyes of those girls lit up again. Zhang Yang in his white coat looked like a completely different person compared to when he wore casual clothes.
Liu Cheng glanced at the female colleagues beside him, whose eyes were fixed on Zhang Yang, feeling a slight pang of jealousy. Still, he walked over and offered proactively, “Dr. Zhang, we want to apologize for yesterday. Could you give us a chance? We’d like to treat you to lunch!”
This was the decision they had reached after consulting together.
They were now acutely aware of Zhang Yang’s influence within the hospital. They genuinely feared that Zhang Yang might hold a grudge, a resentment that wouldn't need to be voiced much—a simple mention to Director Wang could cause them serious trouble.
After much deliberation, they decided to invite him to lunch; treating people to meals was a popular custom these days anyway.
Since Liu Cheng was Zhang Yang’s alumnus and a senior, the task of inviting him fell to him. He secretly wished the girls would do the asking, but the vote was three to one, and any objection from him was overruled.
Zhang Yang thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m sorry, I might not have time at noon!”
He wasn’t thinking deeply about it; he assumed it was just colleague enthusiasm. Unfortunately, he truly had no time at lunch; he needed to go back and check on how Mi Xue’s job search was going.
He also needed to stop by the post and telecommunications office to buy another mobile phone. Mi Xue didn’t have one, which was fine when they were together, but felt inconvenient when they were apart.
With Zhang Yang’s current net worth, buying a few extra phones was no issue at all.
“Is that so!”
Disappointment flickered across Liu Cheng’s face, and the girls behind him looked disheartened, even a little anxious.
One of the girls suddenly stepped forward, seeming to gather her courage. After taking a deep breath, she asked Zhang Yang, “What about in the evening, Dr. Zhang? Are you free tonight?”
“I can do the evening, but may I bring my girlfriend along?”
Zhang Yang nodded with a smile. The girl paused briefly, then quickly nodded her assent. Liu Cheng and the other two girls also visibly relaxed.
Yesterday was too exhausting; I fell asleep right after finishing the word count, and I slept for a long time.
Today, Little Yu is taking a rest day for the guaranteed updates; this chapter doesn’t count, and yesterday’s guarantee hasn’t been fully delivered yet. I’ve been furiously typing nonstop, it’s really wearing me out; I’ll erupt with more tomorrow.
To address a question many readers are asking: Zhang Yang’s father and Young Master Su’s father will not be reappearing for a short while. I won’t elaborate on the reasons, please bear with me, I'll bring them back after this period.
Also, readers who have finished the update can check out Little Yu’s old book, Super Gold Hand—an urban collection novel about stone gambling, already completed at over four million words. It’s long enough for you all to binge!