Chapter 758 - 377: Preparing for Conclusion!~

The altitude in Xiangzhou Ji City might be high, but it still can't hold back June's scorching heat.

Even the air feels dry and hot.

Inside the Haidilao hotpot restaurant, Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu take off their jackets and hand them to the waiter.

Across from Mu Nanshu, Xie Yuan'an bites on a hair tie as she puts her hair up: "Mumu, your husband is really busy. Haven't seen him in ages."

"If it weren't for Xiao Ni and Brother Zhang going to Han City this time, were you planning to keep hiding your man in a golden house?"

It's mid-June, and Lu Cheng isn't on duty today.

So he invited everyone from the lab out for a meal together.

Lu Cheng can't be bothered to respond to Xie Yuan'an, and instead looks at Zhang Xibei: "Brother Zhang, Han City is an especially important stop for our team."

"So we'll have to trouble you to go ahead of time and pave the way for us."

"We'll be counting on you and Ni Xixin."

Zhang Xibei has no objections to going to Han City early to set up the experiment, but he's tangled up over one question:

"Lu Cheng, is Dai Linfang really not going back to Han City?"

"If he stays in this Ji City forever, isn't that a bit of a waste of his talent?"

Dai Linfang has a PhD, and a pretty good one at that. Zhang Xibei feels Xiangzhou People's Hospital doesn't really deserve someone of his caliber.

"Everyone has their own aspirations."

"Xiangzhou is my hometown, and I don't personally have some grand ambition to 'build up' my hometown." A faint smile tugs at Lu Cheng's lips.

"But I'm happy to see other aspiring people come here, develop, and settle down."

"So I haven't tried to persuade Dai Linfang anymore either!"

"All feasts come to an end; forcing people against their will is definitely wrong."

As Lu Cheng speaks, his gaze consciously or unconsciously drifts toward Xie Yuan'an.

Ni Xixin and Zhang Xibei also look over at Xie Yuan'an without really meaning to.

Whether or not Dai Linfang goes to Han City—besides Lu Cheng being able to talk to him—there's one other person whose opinion is crucial.

Even though Dai Linfang hasn't been in the project group for long, he's already become one of the indispensable "founding shareholders."

"Why are you all looking at me? I will be going back to Han City."

Xie Yuan'an speaks up first to state her stance. Her EQ might catch a bit of a cold, but her IQ is fine.

"Dai Linfang has his own considerations. I can't persuade him either."

Ni Xixin quickly asks, "So are you two together now?"

When Ni Xixin eats melon gossip, both her eyes and her gestures get pretty suggestive…

A faint blush creeps onto Xie Yuan'an's face. She shakes her head: "We haven't really settled anything yet. My dad doesn't agree for now either."

Mu Nanshu gets along very well with Xie Yuan'an: "Sister Xie, you're already over thirty and you still listen to your dad?"

Xie Yuan'an replies calmly, "Dai Linfang says he wants to develop his career in Ji City. I can't just run from Han City to Ji City for him, can I?"

"I'm not from Xiangzhou anyway."

One big reason Mu Nanshu followed Lu Cheng back to Ji City is that Mu Nanshu is originally from Xiangzhou.

Going back home to develop is a perfectly natural reason.

Xie Yuan'an, on the other hand, has zero desire to come to this godforsaken place where not even birds bother to shit.

"You guys don't even want to stay here yourselves." Xie Yuan'an doesn't know if she's just comforting herself or deliberately giving herself a way out.

Lu Cheng reaches out and cuts off the topic: "Alright, let's not talk about other things."

"Right now… our main task is to gradually expand from Xiangzhou to Han City."

"My suggestion is that the animal trial unit goes first."

"That's very important."

"Han City's medical development is excellent, and the market volume for animal models will be much bigger."

"With that as a foundation, Brother Zhang and Ni Xixin, your personal incomes will be more secure in the future."

"Only talking ideals and not talking money is just playing rogue."

"You've put in so much effort and time in the early stage; it's about time you got something back."

Mu Nanshu chimes in, "Everyone order first—let's talk while we order."

After tying up her hair, Xie Yuan'an says, "Lu Cheng, people have already started trying to poach Zhang Xibei and Ni Xixin in private."

"You'd better be careful."

"Especially the professors from Anesthesiology—they're very interested in that local anesthesia puncture device we're working on."

"Some of them even want to intercept it halfway."

As soon as Zhang Xibei hears this, he hurriedly says, all honest and upright, "I haven't leaked anything."

Lu Cheng smiles and says, "Brother Zhang, don't be nervous. If you suspect someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't suspect them."

"I also believe you're not short-sighted. In our project group, nobody's going to do something as foolish as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs."

"Not long ago, I had in-depth discussions about the local anesthesia device with Professor Gu from Huashan Hospital and several other professors in China."

"Right now, things are not at a stage where someone can just swoop in and intercept it and expect to succeed."

"Local differential anesthesia… for hand surgery, it's a powerful weapon."

"So on this project, Professor Xie Xiao's team will be going all out in Han City to follow up."

Lu Cheng sounds very confident.

If Lu Cheng were still the unknown nobody he was a year ago, he might worry about his work being stolen.

But Lu Cheng today is not who he was back then—now he has serious backing.

If Huazhong Union Hospital could just sit there and let its scientific research achievements be stolen, it might as well disband early.

"Xie Yuan'an, you should go back together with Ni Xixin and the others when the time comes."

"Zhang Xibei and Ni Xixin aren't from Han City, so we'll have to trouble you as the local host to arrange their accommodation."

"And with you there, things will be much easier when they look for a lab."

Xie Yuan'an readily agrees: "No problem, leave it to me."

After speaking, Xie Yuan'an glances at Mu Nanshu, who's completely focused on ordering: "Mumu, do you want to go back for a bit and give a mid-year work report?"

"You've been out for almost a year now."

Mu Nanshu's voice is light and floaty: "No need. The admin office called me specially some time ago, wrote down what I needed to report, and then… nothing followed up!"