Chapter 16: Connections

Translator: Larbre Studio

Editor: Larbre Studio

After changing into the uniform, An Xiaoyan walked to the designated pharmacy. There were many rows of medicines, and many of them were labeled in English. After several years without touching these things, it felt like he was separated from the world.

Several people in the pharmacy were stacking the cart with medicine. When they saw An Xiaoyan, they came forward to greet him warmly.

“I haven’t heard that we’re going to have a newcomer here, there’s no announcement on it,” one of them said.

“Hey, new guy, which school did you graduate from?” another man shouted.

An Xiaoyan did not know how to answer. Should he say A University? But he did not graduate and had no certificate as proof.

What happened four years ago was well concealed. Nobody who graduated from A University knew An Xiaoyan.

“Certainly not as good as yours. What do I need to do?”

The person standing opposite was obviously unhappy with the newcomer’s avoidance of the topic. But he was convinced that this newcomer’s education was certainly not as good as theirs, otherwise, he would have told them the school.

“Familiarize yourself with the medicine on each shelf first, then you can start packing the medicine slowly.”

An Xiaoyan nodded and surveyed each row, holding a pen and paper.

After walking through just a single row, he had written down half a page of English words in his notebook. He had a vague memory for some of the words that simply faded away through the years, but not all.

“I don’t know some words here. Do you have a dictionary here?”

An Xiaoyan walked up to a person who was wearing the same uniform.

The staff was clearly impatient, “Use your phone to look it up. There is no dictionary here. After all, everyone knows these words.”

“Okay, I see. Thank you.”

An Xiaoyan returned to the shelf and looked at it again, thinking about buying a dictionary on his way home that night.

That staff sneered at him.

What kind of person did the company just recruit? He doesn’t even know the names of the medicine. What if he made a mistake?

At noon break, An Xiaoyan noticed the strange atmosphere. When he walked around with his tray, everyone avoided him as if he was carrying a plague.

He took a seat at random and ate in silence. The contemptuous look shot at him made him a little uncomfortable.

After his meal, An Xiaoyan tried to calm himself down and went back to study the medicine. Just as he walked to the office, the door opened slightly, and the conversation inside made him stopped in his tracks.

“Did the newcomer get in through the back door? Today he asked me for a dictionary. He said he wanted to look up the words. Gosh. It’s strange how he can be recruited without knowing the names of the medicine.”

An Xiaoyan recognized the voice. He was the man whom he asked that morning. He listened quietly as he wondered what else they would say about him.

“Oh well, in recent years, it’s all about connections. If someone has a rich father, they can even be a director at the hospital across the street.”

Hearing this, the pen in An Xiaoyan’s hand fell to the ground by accident and rattled the people inside. They stopped gossiping immediately. And when they saw An Xiaoyan, they dispersed and returned to their own positions as if they had nothing to do with the conversation just now.

An Xiaoyan picked up the pen from the ground, and his heart felt like it was pinned down by a stone. These people were gossiping about people even though they did not work in the same place. Did Liu Cheng know that people were talking behind his back?

Although Liu Cheng run the hospital owned by his family, he was qualified. Even if his family did not own the hospital, he would have no difficulty being a good doctor himself.

Just before leaving work, Liu Cheng came to the pharmacy. As soon as he entered the door, he saw An Xiaoyan staring at the medicine.

“How do you feel about your first day?”

An Xiaoyan put down the pen and paper in his hand and shook his head helplessly, “There are too many that I don’t know. And for those I do know, I only have a vague impression.”

“It’s okay. Take your time. These medicines have just been introduced to China in recent years. It’s normal not to know them, you just need to learn. It’s time to get off work. I’ll give you a ride home.”

An Xiaoyan did not want to bother Liu Cheng, and Liu Cheng knew it very well. Thus, he simply dragged An Xiaoyan out without giving him a chance to say “No”.

“Is it okay for you to come to the pharmacy just like this? After all, it’s not your own company.”

“Yan Zi, the majority of the medicine from our hospital comes from here. I personally am on friendly terms with the boss of this pharmacy, too. You don’t have to be so polite to me. If you have any difficulties, just tell me. There’s nothing embarrassing about it. There’s no need for it between us.”

Seeing the solemn look on Liu Cheng, An Xiaoyan nodded in acknowledgement.

There were many cars on the road during the rush hour, and the traffic was very congested. By the time Liu Cheng drove An Xiaoyan home, it was almost dark outside.

An Xiaoyan wanted to ask Liu Cheng to stay for dinner, but Liu Cheng refused insistently, saying that he needed to attend to something back home.

Watching An Xiaoyan walk into the house, Liu Cheng turned around and a man was staring at him.

“Director Liu, my master would like to invite you to come over and discuss something.”

Liu Cheng had no impression of the man standing in front of him. However, he could feel that the man knew who he was. He had a bad feeling about this.

“Can you tell your master for me that it’s not very convenient today? Can we talk about it some other day?”

Chen Chen frowned unknowingly, “Director Liu, don’t make things difficult for me.”

Before Liu Cheng could refuse, several bodyguards dressed in black showed up behind Chen Chen. It seemed that the other party came prepared. It was impossible for him to dodge the invitation.

“Lead the way.”

Chen Chen nodded and gestured to a bodyguard next to him. The bodyguard searched Liu Cheng and found his car key, then went into his car. Liu Cheng had no choice but to ride with Chen Chen.

“May I ask if I have met your master before?” Liu Cheng was not keen on entertainment. Although he enjoyed company, he would at most meet his friends in a restaurant and avoid extravagant occasions.

“You will know it when you get there.”

Chen Chen did not answer the question. Liu Cheng had to look out of the window to kill time.

After making several turns, the car stopped in front of a high-class club. After getting out of the car and smelling the air around, Liu Cheng’s facial expression revealed his awkwardness.

“Is that where your master has a discussion?”

Chen Chen did not reply, bowing to indicate that the discussion would be held inside.

Liu Cheng followed him in. The half-naked beauty in the room glared at him from time to time with many of them leaning on him. Until he got into the elevator, he felt more at ease.

The elevator stopped on the tenth floor. Chen Chen stopped at a door and gestured to Liu Cheng to enter the room.

He opened the door, and it was a presidential suite. Liu Cheng went inside and saw a tall man standing in front of the landing window.

Only a small light was turned on, the whole room looked dark and Liu Cheng could not see the man’s face.

“Excuse me, what can I do for you?”

Gu Jun reached out his hand and put out the cigarette in the ashtray next to him. Then he turned to Liu Cheng. But instead of directly getting to the point, he took a glass from the table, poured some wine and handed it to Liu Cheng.

As Gu Jun’s hand stopped in mid-air, Liu Cheng politely took the wine glass.

“Liu Cheng, right?”

“Yes, you know me?”

Gu Jun gave a sneer, “Come to think about it, we do have some connections.”