C2

Zachary's face betrayed his hesitation, but he covered it with an excuse. "Grandpa, didn't I tell you about my internship at the big hospital? It's been hectic. I hardly have time to eat."

"Oh, is that so? Then make sure you give it your all. Learn everything you can from those doctors—they're top-notch at the big hospitals."

Zachary's heart twisted. He had been let go from Centinela Hospital and even expelled from Medical University. Yet, he dared not reveal any of this to his grandfather. Swallowing his sense of defeat and sadness, he steered the conversation elsewhere. "How are things at home, Grandpa?"

"Things are fine," his grandfather replied with a robust laugh. "It's just that my little clinic is getting quieter. Folks around here are losing faith in traditional Chinese medicine. I'm not sure how much longer it'll last."

"Grandpa, after I graduate, I'll come back home to help you run the clinic," Zachary said, his fists clenched with determination.

The clinic was a cherished family legacy, and he couldn't let it end with him.

"Son, you can't risk your future for my humble clinic. There's no future in it for you. But it warms my heart that you care."

"Grandpa..."

"Take my advice," his grandfather insisted earnestly, "focus on your internship. And make sure to keep studying our family's medical book."

Once the call ended, Zachary's mood sank even further.

His family had practiced traditional Chinese medicine for generations, and he had grown up learning its ways from his grandfather. He had chosen to study TCM in college, hoping to one day revive the family clinic and honor their medicinal heritage.

He had always been more diligent in his studies than others, aware that he lacked the connections they had. For him, education was the only way forward.

Entering Medical University had filled him with hope, but his dream quickly turned sour when a few days into his internship, a well-intentioned act of heroism backfired.

His aspirations were lofty, but reality was unforgiving.

Losing his place at the university meant all his efforts had been in vain.

Yet, he refused to abandon his pursuit of medicine.

Zachary's grip tightened as he inhaled deeply. No matter the obstacles, he couldn't give up. If it came down to it, he'd seek mercy from that influential person tomorrow.

Zachary carefully opened the medical tome his grandfather had given him, immersing himself in its study.

The book was written in an archaic script, its language obscure and challenging to comprehend.

Zachary would often take the time to delve into the pages. His innate intelligence, coupled with dedicated research, had allowed him to glean a wealth of medical knowledge that proved to be invaluable.

Ding.

His phone rang out once more. Zachary checked the caller ID, his expression softening. "Lydia, you're still up? Calling this late, you must be missing me, huh?"

The caller was his girlfriend, Emma, also a student at the Medical University but in a different program.

Her response was a cold, "Where are you?"

Emma's chilly demeanor caught Zachary off guard. Her calls were typically gentle and caring, filled with inquiries about his day and reminders to eat on time. But today, her tone was curt and detached. Holding back his confusion, he replied with feigned nonchalance, "I'm in my dorm, just resting. What's up?"

"Resting? I heard you disobeyed Centinela Hospital's policies, almost caused a deadly mistake, and were fired. And the university expelled you too!" Emma's voice was frosty.

Stunned, Zachary managed to say, "You know about that?"

"It's the talk of the entire school. How could I not?" Emma retorted.

"I followed the hospital's regulations. I was saving a life," Zachary defended himself.

"You almost took a life. Don't play the hero. If you were really saving them, why would the hospital let you go?" Emma interrupted, her voice tinged with scorn. "Even if you were trying to help, you're expelled now. What's your plan?"

Zachary's head drooped, his spirit deflated. "I don't know."

His initial enthusiasm to help had backfired in a way he never anticipated.

"Figures you'd have no idea," Emma remarked, her voice filled with predictable disdain.

"I was just trying to do the right thing—to save a life. How is that wrong?" Zachary couldn't understand. The core of a doctor's mission was to save lives, and that was all he aimed to do.

"At this point, what does being right or wrong even matter?" Emma asked coldly. "You're expelled, with no job in sight. What about our future?"

Zachary's head sank even lower, his voice tinged with helplessness and sorrow. "I don't know."

"Do you have anything else to say besides 'I don't know'?" Emma's voice was laden with disappointment. "No job, no money—how are we ever going to buy a house? Are we expected to squeeze into a cramped rental indefinitely?"

"I won't let you suffer," Zachary insisted, unable to bear the thought of his girlfriend sharing his hardships. But the stark reality was inescapable: without a job, there would be no income. In Zoplus, with its exorbitant living costs, their future was daunting.

It was more than just a rough patch.

Emma's exasperation with Zachary was evident. "What good are words? You've crossed a powerful figure, and he's still after you. Are we supposed to spend our lives dodging him, forever in hiding?"

"Won't they ever let up?" Zachary felt a cold dread settle over him. Being expelled from Medical University was bad enough, but the ongoing pursuit suggested they wouldn't rest until he was driven to despair.

Emma inhaled sharply, her expression steely. "I've made up my mind. You've condemned their son to a life in a wheelchair; they'll never forgive that. Hiding out in the countryside might throw them off your trail. But I've lived in Zoplus my whole life—I can't adjust to country living."

Zachary clenched his phone, his jaw set. "I'll figure out a way to stay in Zoplus. Tomorrow, I'll beg that Big Shot for mercy. If all else fails, I'll work construction."

It was the only plan he could muster.

The thought of retreating to the countryside without a fight was unbearable; he couldn't face his grandfather if he gave up.

Emma's mouth curled in a sneer. "It's futile, no matter what you do. They'll never give up, even if you change professions. Are you ready to be a laborer for life? I'm graduating soon, and I'm determined to be a doctor at a prestigious hospital, saving lives. If I follow you to the countryside, I'd be giving up the life I've planned for myself. I can't bear the hardships of rural life."

Zachary's voice carried a heavy blend of defeat and sorrow. "Lydia, I'm sorry. I truly didn't foresee things turning out this way."

He was starting to understand what the director meant by saying that his only chance for survival lay in returning to the countryside.

He had offended someone with clout; a single word from them, and there would be no place for Zachary in Zoplus.

"Apologizing to me is pointless, Zachary. I have no intention of trailing after you to the countryside to live a hard life, laboring in the fields daily, clad in dirt-smeared clothes," Emma said, her breath deepening as she braced herself for a momentous decision. "Let's break up."