Among those who converse and laugh are men of great learning; among those who come and go, there are no unlettered commoners.

Friday after work.

Section Chief Duan had already arranged with Luo Hao to catch a ride in his car to the provincial capital.

Luo Hao did not forcefully refuse the Chief’s kindness; in his view, these were trivial matters, and it was best to go with the flow. As for the time Zhou Tianci mentioned that he could get a discount on a car, Luo Hao had long since forgotten about it.

Chen Yong tagged along as well, claiming he had tasks to complete for the dating website in the provincial capital.

"Xiao Luo, when I was in Anzhen, every time I chatted with Director Cui, he would bring you up. He mentioned how good your mother’s braised pork was and how tasty the Xiangshui rice was. It’s clear that the two of you have a real friendship."

"Our relationship is indeed quite good. Back when we were in school, he came back with me twice during breaks."

"Director Cui is young and promising; he became a deputy director at Anzhen before even turning 30. I noticed that there are very few directors under 40 there; I suppose Director Cui must be exceptionally talented." Section Chief Duan stopped abruptly mid-sentence.

Cui Mingyu was already a deputy department head at a top-tier national specialty hospital; his future was bright. Luo Hao, however, was "merely" a minor clerk in the medical affairs department of the Donglian City Mining General Hospital. Although they were close—roommates, even—they were now worlds apart. Realizing he had spoken out of turn, the Section Chief kept his thoughts to himself.

"His skill level? It’s just average, I suppose," Luo Hao said casually while driving. "When we were in school, we hung around the operating rooms. The head nurse was terrifying, but I was the one who handled her."

"Ah?!" Section Chief Duan and Zhou Tianci were stunned.

"The operating room head nurse is the most ferocious mythical beast in legend. Never mind students like us, even regular doctors, department heads, and even academicians are afraid of her."

"Xiao Luo, you must be joking. How could an academician be afraid of a head nurse?" Section Chief Duan laughed.

"One time, after a surgery, my mentor and I went out to grab a bite. He got a call saying there was an emergency consultation in the OR, so he took me with him to change into scrubs." Luo Hao began to gossip. "After changing, my mentor poked his head out to see if the head nurse was in the hallway. Only after confirming she wasn't there did he signal me to go in."

"!!!"

"!!!"

"It turned out we ran into her anyway. My mentor immediately apologized to her, ha-ha-ha." Luo Hao burst into laughter at the memory of his mentor’s flustered state.

"Is that for real? An academician is no ordinary person," Zhou Tianci muttered.

"The operating room has its own rules, and the head nurse is the one who enforces them; the mentors have to respect that," Luo Hao said. "Later, I got close with the head nurse, so I was the one who brought Old Cui into the OR."

"Tsk, tsk," Zhou Tianci clicked his tongue.

"We were young, so we did all the work, including holding retractors. There’s an advantage to being young and strong in the medical field. I once heard an anesthesiology mentor say that back in the eighties, every department scrambled for young, strong interns."

"Why?"

In the eyes of Section Chief Duan and Zhou Tianci, anesthesiology had nothing to do with physical strength. Could the legendary "brute force anesthesia" actually exist?

"Back then, our hospital only had three ventilators. If there were dozens of general anesthesia surgeries in a day, the ventilators weren't enough. So, someone had to manually squeeze the anesthesia bag from start to finish, or the patient would stop breathing."

No ventilators! General anesthesia without ventilators?! Although they weren't in the medical field, they knew what ventilators were. Because of the pandemic a few years ago, they even knew about ECMO. Top-tier hospitals back then didn't have ventilators for surgeries? It was terrifying and completely unimaginable.

"Squeezing the bag for seven or eight hours at a time—even with three or four people rotating, it was exhausting. That’s why the anesthesiologists back then were all as strong as oxen; if you weren't physically fit, you couldn't do the job."

"There’s a connection like that?" Section Chief Duan was left speechless.

"Exactly. My mentor said that back then, there wasn't a single CT scanner in the whole country. In the late seventies, the US donated a few to the Imperial Hospital. Look at it now—people on Zhihu even ask if CT scans are being used too indiscriminately in China."

"..."

"..."

"Back then, Old Cui and I basically slept in the OR. Whenever there was a surgery, we’d crowd around to see if they’d let us participate. Being young, good-tempered, diligent, and smooth-talking, I ended up participating in more surgeries than Old Cui."

Listening to Luo Hao "brag" about himself, Zhou Tianci felt a strange sensation. It wasn't disdain or contempt, but pity. According to Luo Hao, the now-prestigious Director Cui of Anzhen used to be his little sidekick tagging along in the OR. But now? The more Luo Hao boasted, the more pathetic his current situation seemed. People always brag about what they lack.

"I saw that everyone at Anzhen respects Director Cui quite a lot," Section Chief Duan noted.

"Ha, has he changed his personality?"

"Hm?" The Section Chief paused. "What do you mean?"

"Old Cui used to have his eyes fixed on the back of his head, and his mouth was as sharp as a chili pepper. He had zero emotional intelligence."

"..."

"There was a female professor in our ENT department, nicknamed 'Spicy Girl,' whose hands were steady, precise, and ruthless. Once, when Old Cui was assisting her, he made a joke and was kicked out of the room by the professor. She was so angry she pointed at his nose and told him if she ever saw him in the OR again..." Luo Hao roared with laughter.

Section Chief Duan and Zhou Tianci were stunned. At Anzhen, Director Cui Mingyu was a very special presence. Putting his high skill level aside, everyone treated him with a unique sense of respect. Compared to that, Luo Hao seemed a bit "overshadowed." The Section Chief assumed it was just youthful insecurity, a need to compare oneself to a former close friend. But Luo Hao didn't seem to realize the difference between the Mining General Hospital and Anzhen.

Even though he thought this, the Section Chief didn't voice it. If it weren't for Luo Hao’s connections, his grandson’s surgery wouldn't have gone so smoothly. Although he had influence in Donglian City, he was a nobody in the capital. He owed Luo Hao a massive favor, so he had no intention of "exposing" Luo Hao's petty thoughts. Men were all the same—they feared their brothers would suffer, but feared even more that their brothers might succeed. It was only natural for Luo Hao to be jealous of Cui Mingyu’s success.

It was late by the time they reached the provincial capital.

"Xiao Luo, let’s grab a bite together. Just a simple meal. We have some business at 'Private Custom' tonight, so we won't be able to take you."

"'Private Custom'?"

"It’s a club, not the movie directed by Feng," Zhou Tianci said with a slight smile. It was obvious that Luo Hao had no idea what a high-end club like that was, let alone having ever been to one.

"No, no, I’ll rest early tonight. I have to take the car for maintenance tomorrow and head back. Director Wen admitted two patients who need surgery soon, so I have to..."

"Xiao Luo, one always has to eat."

"I have a bit of social anxiety. I can't eat when there are too many people. Sorry, Section Chief Duan," Luo Hao said with a gentle smile.

Luo Hao’s refusal was firm, and the Section Chief didn't press him. He couldn't drink, he couldn't socialize—how was he ever going to climb the ladder? His assessment of Luo Hao dropped a few notches. In his view, Luo Hao was currently relying on old school ties to secure high-end medical resources, but as time passed and those ties faded, that wouldn't last. He decided he would have to cultivate his relationship with Director Cui at Anzhen himself. If Luo Hao didn't want to come, so be it.

"Xiao Luo, let me arrange a hotel for you then."

"No need, I’ve already booked a place. I appreciate the gesture, Section Chief." Luo Hao refused again.

After dropping off Section Chief Duan and Zhou Tianci, Luo Hao waved goodbye. The Section Chief watched him drive off in the Peugeot 307 and shook his head slightly.

"Section Chief, I offered to pick you up, but you wouldn't let me. I thought you were coming by high-speed rail, so I sent someone to wait at the station. But look at this..." a coal boss said, looking awkward.

"A friend is here in the provincial capital for business—said he needed car maintenance—so I just caught a ride," the Section Chief replied helplessly.

"A Peugeot 307 needs to come to the provincial capital for maintenance?"

"Ha-ha, I don't get it either. Oh, right, Boss Lou, didn't you say you had a 4S dealership that could offer a discount? Let my friend take a look tomorrow and give him a discount. That young man did me a huge favor."

As the others headed upstairs, one of the coal bosses stared in the direction Luo Hao had left, motionless.

"Boss Lou, let's go," another urged. "The Section Chief is talking about your dealership tomorrow."

"Ah? Oh." Boss Lou frowned and turned around.

"What, you’re not planning on squeezing money out of him for that, are you? Giving a discount is doing him a favor; I’d bet you’d rather just give him a car for free," one joked.

"No, no, no. I just felt like there was something wrong with that car," Boss Lou said, puzzled.

"Indeed, you might still see a 2000-model Santana on the road, but a beat-up Peugeot 307 like that is rare."

Boss Lou remained silent.

"Boss Lou, what exactly is the problem?" Zhou Tianci asked, his tone slightly stiff and unhappy. He glanced at the Mercedes Brabus parked outside and felt a touch of disdain. These coal bosses had a bit of money and were acting like they were somebody.

"When your friend started the car earlier, the engine sound wasn't right. I have a feeling that car was modified."

"Modified? The engine? He’s just an ordinary civil servant; he can’t afford modified cars," Zhou Tianci dismissed, knowing nothing about such things.

"Heh, I must have heard it wrong, heard it wrong," Boss Lou apologized with a laugh.

The topic was dropped, and the group resumed their socializing. Once upstairs, the coal bosses sat near the food. Seeing the Section Chief chatting happily with the guest from the capital, one asked, "Old Lou, you’ve been into cars for years; you definitely wouldn't hear wrong. What engine was in that Peugeot?"

"I’m getting old, my ears aren't what they used to be," Boss Lou sighed, then whispered, "I heard the roar of a Lamborghini."

"Ha, stop joking. A Lambo engine inside a Peugeot shell? This guy is low-key, sure. But even if he has money to burn, the public security is so good these days that he wouldn't need to be *that* low-key. He could just drive a Lambo out in the open!"

"I heard wrong, I heard wrong," Boss Lou said with a confused look.

He had seen modified cars before, and he’d played with them too. Normally, any modification only made the car more expensive. For instance, a celebrity recently modified a new RS Q8 into a standard Q8, and the cost was so high it was like buying another Q8. But that was the limit of what he’d seen. He had never seen anyone stuff a Lambo engine into a Peugeot 307 shell. It must have been his imagination.

The meal was pleasant, followed by networking at the "Private Custom" club. The young hostesses were refined and adept at social interaction. The party didn't break up until 1:30 AM. After the guest from the capital left, the Section Chief stretched. Zhou Tianci, still lingering on the faint, sweet scent of the club, felt reluctant to leave. He thought to himself that Luo Hao really didn't know how to enjoy life, insisting on going back so early.

Seeing the Section Chief move, Zhou Tianci immediately pushed those thoughts aside. "Leader, are you tired?"

"A little. Boss Lou, take us to rest," the Section Chief said.

"You got it."

"Boss Lou, be careful with the standard of the hotel. A while ago, someone was spotted at a five-star hotel and it caused some trouble. Just a standard Home Inn or Hanting is fine; don't be too flashy," Zhou Tianci instructed.

"Don't worry, we aren't going to a hotel," Boss Lou explained. "I have a house in the provincial capital. You’ll stay at my place."

The Mercedes Brabus was spacious and comfortable—a hundred times better than the Peugeot 307 Luo Hao had driven. They reached a riverside villa district in the city center. Even in the middle of the night, the security guards at the gate were diligent. After verifying the owner's identity, they saluted and let them through.

"Boss Lou, this is a great location, and the property management is excellent," the Section Chief praised.

"I bought it a few years ago and rarely stay here. I have the property management clean it twice a week, so it’s quite clean. Staying at home is cleaner and less of a headache than a hotel. Five-star hotels aren't what they used to be; I heard they can't even use hose-style showerheads anymore..." He stopped when he saw the Section Chief’s blank expression, realizing he wasn't familiar with that kind of gossip.

Soon, Boss Lou pointed to a three-story villa nearby. "That's the one."

The Section Chief nodded. The villa was right by the river, adjacent to a two-story villa that looked like something out of Iron Man’s home—two massive flat levels joined together with a huge yard. Even though it was nearly winter, the grass in the yard was lush and green, and combined with the vast, dark river, it was a breathtaking sight.

"This house is incredible. It’s like the whole river belongs to them," Zhou Tianci said with envy.

"Heh, I heard that’s the private residence of a real estate developer."

As they passed the "Iron Man villa," the Section Chief suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!"

"What is it, Section Chief?"

"Inside... inside..." The Section Chief looked surprised, stuttering slightly.

"Hm?" Boss Lou’s driver slowed down without being asked.

Boss Lou and Zhou Tianci looked through the gaps in the evergreen trees, and they froze. Someone was slowly driving the familiar Peugeot 307 out of the yard.

Uh... The Iron Man villa, right by the river, in the middle of the night, and that beat-up Peugeot 307. These mismatched elements combined to form the scene before them. Was that Luo Hao? Looking through the dim light, the person in the driver's seat of the car pulling out of the garage was not Luo Hao.

Boss Lou suddenly remembered something, and his skin crawled. The other driver noticed he was being watched, quietly accelerated, turned, and disappeared into the night.

"Was that Xiao Luo’s car?" the Section Chief muttered.

"It... it seems so," Zhou Tianci replied in a daze. He never expected to see Luo Hao’s "junk" car in the most high-end villa district in the provincial capital.

The interior of the Brabus was deathly quiet. Everyone was silent, as if they had seen a ghost. As the Brabus pulled into the yard, the Section Chief shook his head, a wry smile on his lips.

After washing up, Zhou Tianci couldn't fall asleep. He went out to see Boss Lou off. "Boss Lou, was there something strange about that car?"

Boss Lou nodded. "I think I heard a friend mention a few days ago that a major client was coming for maintenance, and they specifically flew in engineers from Germany."

"Germany?!" Zhou Tianci was shocked.

"I suspect—and this is just a guess," Boss Lou said, pulling out his phone, "that it’s not that the Lambo engine can't be repaired here, but because of patents, they usually don't touch it. Maintenance requires engineers from Germany."

Zhou Tianci’s hands went numb.

"Sorry to call so late, hope I didn't ruin your night," Boss Lou said into the phone, his voice low and cheerful as he walked into the yard. "I’m at the shop. The major client we talked about the other day is here for maintenance today."

In the empty night, Zhou Tianci heard the voice coming from the other end of the line. Everything matched perfectly. But he couldn't believe Luo Hao’s "junk" car had such prestige.

"It’s a modified Peugeot 307, right? Young people these days sure know how to play, and they’re so low-key," Boss Lou asked casually.

"Huh? How did you know?"

"Ha, I’m coming over to the shop to see it for myself. Wait for me." Boss Lou hung up the phone without another word.

"Mr. Zhou, it is that car."

"I’ll go with you," Zhou Tianci said, his soul seemingly absent. He never dreamed that Luo Hao driving a piece of junk meant he needed German engineers to fly in for maintenance.

Boss Lou and Zhou Tianci got back into the Brabus. Boss Lou patted the leather armrest. "This car cost over 13 million. Most people don't even know which Mercedes model it is. It’s a top-tier luxury car." He added sheepishly, "At least in the provincial capital, it is."

"But it’s nothing compared to those who truly play with modified cars. Mr. Zhou, your friend is incredibly generous. Putting a Lambo’s heart into a Peugeot shell—that’s quite a hobby... ha-ha."

"They say 'only the wise converse with the wise, and only the refined visit the refined.' Anyone who can be friends with you must be top-tier."

Every word Boss Lou said left Zhou Tianci silent. Ten seconds later, Zhou Tianci asked, "Boss Lou, how much would it cost to modify a car like that?"

"With modified cars, there's no ceiling. I’ve seen one that cost over 80 million." Boss Lou sighed. "Someone messed up a Bugatti Veyron; it hurt to even look at it."

"And that Peugeot?"

"I haven't seen the internal structure, but conservatively, it’s not under ten million."

Zhou Tianci shuddered. Luo Hao came to the provincial capital, stayed in the most high-end Iron Man villa, and drove a low-key, ten-million-dollar modified car. How many more secrets did he have?!

When they arrived at the 4S shop, Zhou Tianci glanced at it and saw it was an Audi dealership. He asked, confused, "Boss Lou, why Audi?"

"Audi acquired Lamborghini. Since the engine is a Lambo’s, I figured the maintenance should be done at an Audi 4S shop."

Zhou Tianci was dumbfounded. He didn't know the inside story—he knew Lamborghini was a top-tier luxury car, but he didn't know it was owned by Audi.

It was nearly 3:00 AM, but the Audi dealership was brightly lit. A plain-looking Peugeot 307 sat in the middle, surrounded by various shining luxury cars. Perhaps it was psychological, but in that moment, Zhou Tianci felt the 307 didn't look inferior to the others at all. In fact, its understated, luxurious, and meaningful air was even more startling—it seemed a step above the rest.

As he stared at the car, his mind drifted to Director Cui Mingyu. Was everything Luo Hao said true? A thought suddenly popped into his head, giving him a fright. *Impossible, impossible, absolutely impossible.*

*Only the wise converse with the wise?* That phrase seemed to fit Luo Hao perfectly.

Several foreigners began the maintenance. Although the license plate was covered with a black cloth, Zhou Tianci could tell it was Luo Hao’s car. Boss Lou, knowing his cars, explained the inner workings to Zhou Tianci with awe. Aside from the Peugeot shell, the car was built with world-class components. In Boss Lou's words, it wouldn't be any less capable than a Ferrari on a racetrack. The owner had just put a lot of effort into disguising a top-tier luxury machine as an ordinary car; those who didn't know better would never see it.

Zhou Tianci was completely numb. He stared at that "ordinary" junk car, struggling to recall if he had been rude to Luo Hao along the way. Even though they were childhood friends, Zhou Tianci had accepted reality. Regardless of how the car came to be, he had to be respectful—respectful, and then respectful again—to Luo Hao. At the very least, he couldn't bring trouble upon himself. Zhou Tianci warned himself again and again.

...

...

Luo Hao slept soundly that night. He woke up feeling refreshed. After sending a message to Liu Haisen, he began to wash up. Chen Yong’s message arrived as well—he had finished his business last night and was heading straight to the First Affiliated Hospital to wait for him.

Liu Haisen replied quickly, telling Luo Hao to come straight to the hospital. Although it was the weekend, he was very enthusiastic when he heard Luo Hao wanted to "visit."

The car was still in maintenance; the head of the property management company Luo Hao owned had taken it away. Luo Hao wanted to stay low-key, so he refused the head’s offer of a car and hailed a ride-share to the First Affiliated Hospital.

From a distance, Luo Hao saw Chen Yong. The guy looked like he hadn't slept all night, with dark circles under his eyes, though his spirits were high, perhaps even a bit manic. Luo Hao wasn't interested in Chen Yong's private life, so he called him over to find Liu Haisen.

Visiting the First Affiliated Hospital to see the "superior hospital's" advanced features was fine, but Luo Hao was still hesitating about whether to make this his next step.

"This is our emergency building. That side is the pediatric emergency, so we won't go there," Liu Haisen introduced.

Luo Hao smiled slightly. It seemed it wasn't just him who didn't want to work in pediatrics—even Teacher Liu didn't even want to look at it.