CHAPTER 114: 114 LIES

"What do you think Director Zhou and the others meant by what they said today?" Liu Banxia pulled Liang Xiaolin aside after dinner.

"How would I know what they meant? I need to sleep; I’m so tired today," Liang Xiaolin said, and started to walk away.

"Oh, come on, you must know what’s going on; otherwise, you wouldn’t be even a tiny bit curious," Liu Banxia grabbed her arm.

"Why are you so annoying?" Liang Xiaolin sighed helplessly.

"The hospital is planning to establish a Trauma Emergency Center; otherwise, they wouldn’t have cleared out several floors of the new inpatient building. If it were just a normal emergency department, do you think Director Zhou would be personally seeing patients?"

"Everyone else in the hospital had already guessed it, and many are trying to transfer to the emergency department. Weren’t you usually so clever? Where did all that astuteness go?"

Though Liang Xiaolin teased him, Liu Banxia didn’t mind at all; his mind was completely captivated by this Trauma Emergency Center idea.

Of course, he knew the difference between a Trauma Emergency Center and an emergency department. It wasn’t just about the size; the intrinsic value was vastly different too.

He was a normal person, with his own ambitions. If the hospital’s status really improved during his year as chief resident, then the prestige of his position would rise significantly too.

"Your intel is quite impressive. Let me ask you something else: what do you think my chances are if I apply for Director Zhou’s graduate program?" Liu Banxia asked with a cheerful smile.

Liang Xiaolin was startled and frowned, "There’s a chance, I guess? I think Director Zhou approves of you. Why are you asking me about something so important? I can’t help you."

"Wasn’t it you who suggested it? If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have even thought about it. You can’t just bring it up and not take responsibility, can you? You have to see this through," Liu Banxia said gloomily.

"Oh my goodness, I was just joking! I didn’t expect you to take it to heart," Liang Xiaolin said, feeling a little guilty.

"You shouldn’t joke about such things! What am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Liu Banxia’s eyes were sparkling.

"Don’t count on me; I can’t help," Liang Xiaolin said, taking a step back.

There were some things she couldn’t say outright. She had indeed heard some news, but she couldn’t tell this clueless fellow directly; he had to figure it out himself. She really didn’t know how this blockhead had managed to catch Director Zhou’s eye.

"You two haven’t gone to bed yet? We have to get up early tomorrow," Shi Lei said, walking over.

"Ah, we were just waiting for you, sir! Have a seat. I’ll get you some food," Liu Banxia chirped, then hurried off to fetch it.

"What’s with him? Did he get a shock? Or has an imposter replaced him?" Shi Lei asked curiously.

"He’s thinking about applying to Director Zhou’s graduate program. He’s feeling really unsure of himself about it," Liang Xiaolin explained.

Shi Lei chuckled, "Let him puzzle it out himself. We can’t let him have it too easy."

"Dr. Shi, you know about it too?" Liang Xiaolin asked in surprise.

"Isn’t it obvious? When has the Director ever paid so much attention to residents?" Shi Lei replied casually.

"Have you ever thought that if he really becomes Director Zhou’s graduate student, wouldn’t he be your junior disciple brother then?" Liang Xiaolin blinked with a knowing look.

"Uh... That seems to be true," Shi Lei mumbled, looking quite troubled.

The thought that Liu Banxia might become that pain-in-the-neck junior disciple brother made him feel that his future days would likely be even tougher.

Liu Banxia hurriedly brought the food over, then silently watched Shi Lei eat, a brilliant smile on his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shi Lei asked.

"I just realized our boss is looking more and more handsome," Liu Banxia replied sincerely.

"Thank you," Shi Lei said and continued eating.

He felt he had to ignore Liu Banxia’s intense gaze, or he’d be tricked into spilling the beans again.

"Boss, now that they’re building a Trauma Emergency Center, should we try to get Old Wang over too?" Liu Banxia mentioned, seemingly casually.

"I’ve discussed it with them, but they..." Shi Lei stopped midway, realizing Liu Banxia had successfully tricked him into talking again.

He glanced resentfully at Liu Banxia. This kid is impossible to guard against! Liu Banxia looked back at him with equal resentment. His own boss, hiding such crucial intel from him!

Liang Xiaolin found it quite amusing. So this was how these two usually interacted.

"Stop probing into things that are none of your business. Just focus on your work. Let me eat in peace, alright?" Shi Lei relented.

"Alright. But next time we’re off, you have to treat me to a feast of big bones at Sister Li’s. No, one meal isn’t enough, at least two," Liu Banxia insisted.

"Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you know! Are you a pig?" Shi Lei said irritably.

Liang Xiaolin began to laugh again, "Great minds think alike! You haven’t seen him at mealtime. At least a pound of rice, topped with such a thick layer of beef and potato stew."

She didn’t just say it; she also gestured with her fingers to show the thickness.

"Man is iron, food is steel; how can one go without eating? With your small build, if you don’t eat more, how will you handle a complex heart surgery in the future?" Liu Banxia retorted, unconcerned.

"Anyway, once you enter this profession, you basically say goodbye to being beautiful or handsome. When you have time, you could try yoga or something. I have a patient who teaches it; you might even get a discount."

Liang Xiaolin rolled her eyes at him. "That doesn’t mean you should just keep eating! Dr. Shi only eats a little more than half of what you do."

"This is between you two; why drag me into it?" Shi Lei interjected quietly.

"Dr. Shi, I was speaking up for you!" Liang Xiaolin protested.

Shi Lei continued eating, smiling without saying a word.

Liang Xiaolin fumed silently. And here she’d thought Shi Lei was an honest person; turns out he wasn’t much better than Liu Banxia. She blinked. "Dr. Shi, perhaps before long, you and Dr. Liu will become fellow disciple brothers."

Hearing Liang Xiaolin say this, Liu Banxia, who had been enjoying the spectacle, raised his eyebrows, his eyes beginning to gleam. That gaze of his almost melted Shi Lei.

"Doctor Liang, haven’t you noticed you’ve changed? You’ve been led astray by this fellow," Shi Lei said, looking at Liang Xiaolin and shaking his head with great regret.

Liang Xiaolin was about to explode. How could she be led astray by that fellow? How could she become like him? She was always the victim!

Yet, for some reason, thoughts that should have felt perfectly righteous now made her feel a bit unsure. It seemed, perhaps, probably... her personality really had changed. Her mom, dad, and grandpa had all said so when she last went home.

Had she really changed?