180: Chapter 180: A resident physician got first place in the entire province? That's outrageous!
The high-speed train arrived at Beijing South Railway Station punctually at 11:03 AM.
Lu Chen closed his textbook, tossed the milk carton into the trash can, picked up his duffel bag, and got off the train.
The platform was surging with crowds. Beijing South Railway Station was on an entirely different scale compared to the Jiangcheng station; it took nearly five minutes just to walk through the exit passageway.
As he walked, Lu Chen took out his phone and navigated according to the address on the training notice.
The training base was in the Xicheng District, about a forty-minute drive from Beijing South Railway Station.
He hailed a car, and after getting in, he first sent a message to Director Li Sen.
"Lu Chen: Director Li, I have arrived in Beijing."
Director Li Sen replied very quickly.
"Director Li Sen: Good, get some rest, and don't be late for the registration this afternoon."
Then he sent another message to Shen Xiaoning.
"Lu Chen: I've arrived."
Shen Xiaoning's reply was almost instantaneous.
"Xiao Ning: That's great! Is it hot in Beijing? Have you eaten lunch?"
"Xiao Ning: Did you eat the snacks?"
"Xiao Ning: You must not skip them; bread gets dry if left for too long!"
"Xiao Ning: And that chocolate, you must eat it on the way, otherwise it won't taste good once it melts!"
Lu Chen glanced at the paper bag; the chocolate was indeed already a bit soft.
"Lu Chen: I'm eating it now."
"Xiao Ning: Really?"
"Lu Chen: Really."
He did indeed unwrap a piece of chocolate and put it into his mouth.
Then he put his phone down and looked out the car window.
The streets in Beijing were much wider than in Jiangcheng, and there were more cars on the road.
High-rises were dense, and the skyline was fragmented.
Forty-two minutes later, the car stopped in front of a gray-white building complex.
There were a few lines of text on the bronze plaque at the entrance.
National Emergency and Trauma Medicine Training Center.
Lu Chen got out of the car and stood at the entrance for two seconds.
Then he picked up his duffel bag and walked inside.
There were already quite a few people in the lobby.
They all looked like young doctors, standing together in twos and threes chatting.
Lu Chen swept a glance and noticed that most of these people were around thirty years old, and a few even looked close to forty.
There were almost no faces younger than his.
The registration desk was on the right side of the lobby, with two staff members sitting behind a long table.
Lu Chen walked over and handed over his documents.
"Jiangcheng City Central Hospital, Emergency Department, Lu Chen."
The staff member took the documents, searched for his name on the list, and then verified the information.
"Lu Chen, Resident Physician, right?"
"Yes."
The staff member's movements paused for a moment.
She looked up at Lu Chen, then looked down at the information on the list again, her eyes filled with a hint of uncertainty.
"You are a Resident Physician?"
"Yes."
The staff member didn't say anything more, and the paperwork was handled very efficiently.
She handed him his student ID, course schedule, accommodation arrangements, and a file folder.
"Room 302 in Building 7, a double room. Your roommate hasn't arrived yet. The welcome meeting is at 2:00 PM in the No. 1 Lecture Hall."
"Okay, thank you."
Lu Chen took his things and turned to walk out.
When he reached the middle of the lobby, a voice came from behind him.
"Wait a moment."
The voice wasn't loud, but there was a distinct sense of scrutiny in the tone.
Lu Chen turned his head.
A man wearing a dark blue polo shirt was standing three meters away, holding a cup of coffee, and was sizing him up from head to toe.
He looked to be in his early thirties, was on the thin side, had his hair styled very neatly, and the student ID hanging on his chest had two lines of text written on it.
Shanghai Ruihua Hospital, Emergency Department.
Chen Hao.
"You're the one from Jiangcheng?"
Chen Hao's gaze swept over Lu Chen's student ID and stopped on the words "Resident Physician."
"Yes."
Chen Hao walked two steps closer with his coffee, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"Resident Physician?"
He emphasized the four characters "Resident Physician" heavily.
A few students nearby heard the commotion, and their gazes turned toward them simultaneously.
"This training program is national-level, a selection of elite emergency personnel from across the country; each province doesn't have many spots."
Chen Hao's speaking pace wasn't fast, but every word carried a condescending tone.
"I remember the application requirements stated very clearly that it requires an Attending Physician title or above, or a senior Resident Physician with outstanding performance."
He paused for a moment, looking at Lu Chen.
"How long have you been employed?"
"Almost three months."
Chen Hao almost dropped his coffee.
"Three months?"
The expressions of the surrounding students also changed.
Some people started whispering.
"A Resident Physician of three months is here to participate in national-level training?"
"Jiangcheng City Central Hospital? What level of Hospital is that?"
"A provincial Grade A tertiary Hospital, I guess, but that doesn't mean they should send a three-month Resident Physician."
"Could it be a nepotism hire?"
These words weren't spoken loudly, but under the echo effect of the lobby, every word was heard clearly.
Chen Hao seemed very satisfied with these discussions and took another sip of coffee.
"I'm not targeting you personally; I just feel that such training opportunities are very precious and should be attended by people who truly have the ability."
He paused.
"Does Jiangcheng City Central Hospital have no one else?"
Once this sentence came out, the surrounding discussions grew louder.
Lu Chen stood where he was, his expression unchanged.
He just looked at Chen Hao and then spoke.
"There is another point in the application requirements you mentioned."
"What?"
"Those who rank in the top three in the provincial Emergency Department skills assessment can directly obtain the recommendation qualification."
Chen Hao frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Lu Chen pulled a piece of paper out of the file folder.
That was his recommendation material, and the top line was strikingly printed with a few words.
Provincial Emergency Department skills assessment, total score for theory and practical operation, first place.
Total score 178, the highest in the entire event.
Chen Hao looked down at that paper.
Then the corners of his mouth stiffened.
The surrounding discussions disappeared in an instant.
It was quiet for about three seconds.
A student standing nearby watching the commotion whispered.
"First in the province?"
"And a Resident Physician took first place in the province?"
"That's just too absurd."
Chen Hao's complexion was a bit unnatural.
He pulled back the hand holding the coffee cup, his lips moved, as if wanting to say something.
But in the end, he just let out an "Hmm" and turned to walk away.
His posture while walking away was still composed, but his pace was clearly much faster than before.
Lu Chen put the recommendation material back into the file folder and continued to walk out with his duffel bag.
When he reached the entrance of the lobby, a voice came from the side.
"Young man."
Lu Chen turned his head to look.
A man in his fifties was standing at the corner of the corridor, thin, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, and dressed in a very plain gray jacket.
He didn't have a student ID hanging on his chest, but instead wore a gold brooch with the Training Center's logo engraved on it.
"What is your name?"
"Lu Chen."
"Which Hospital are you from?"
"Jiangcheng City Central Hospital, Emergency Department."
The man pushed up his glasses, his gaze lingering on Lu Chen for a few seconds.
"First in the provincial assessment?"
"Yes."
The man didn't ask anything else, just nodded slightly.
Then he turned and walked into the depths of the corridor.
Lu Chen didn't know this person.
But he could feel that the other person was not an ordinary staff member.
That kind of scrutinizing gaze was very heavy; it was the look of someone who had seen big scenes.
However, Lu Chen didn't think too much about it.
He followed the signs to find Building 7, went up to the third floor, and opened the door to Room 302.
The room was not big, but it was very clean.
Two single beds, two desks, and a bathroom.
The window faced south, and the lighting was good.
Lu Chen placed the duffel bag on the bed on the left and simply organized his things.
Then he took out the course schedule and glanced at it.
2:00 PM: Welcome meeting and opening ceremony.
4:00 PM: Student symposium.
7:00 PM: Free time.
9:00 AM tomorrow: Anatomy practical class.
2:00 PM tomorrow: Pathophysiology special lecture.
9:00 AM the day after tomorrow: Advanced Trauma Life Support practical.
The courses were packed, and they were all solid material.
Lu Chen noticed that there was a parenthesis after the anatomy class tomorrow morning, with four characters written inside.
Cadaver dissection.
Not a model, not a simulator, but real gross anatomy.
He put the course schedule away and glanced at the time.
12:15 PM.
There was still over an hour until the welcome meeting.
Lu Chen took out his textbook and continued reading.