But Luo Ziling quickly laughed. "We’re not planning to get engaged!"
"Oh?! Why not?" Zhao Guosheng was quite surprised.
"It’s still early. I’m only a sophomore, just twenty-one. Still a few years from the legal marriage age. It’s way too early to be thinking about marriage now."
After hearing Luo Ziling’s explanation, Zhao Guosheng smiled and then said, "Looks like Old Sir Yang is really fond of you, Ziling."
"I’m good-looking, I appeal to men and women, old and young!" Luo Ziling chuckled again.
"All those old masters praise you to the skies!" Zhao Guosheng said with some emotion. "I honestly haven’t seen a youngster who’s this popular. You’re the one and only."
Luo Ziling shook his head. "I know medicine, and I’m pretty good at it. They all have health problems, I just treat them, that’s all. While I’m treating them, we chat a bit—it’s nothing much."
After silently cursing "little fox," Zhao Guosheng went on with a smile: "There are plenty of skilled doctors, but no one else enjoys the honors you do. Oh right, I heard Chen Ruchang’s condition is already very serious. Why hasn’t he invited you to treat him?"
"He did invite me, but I turned him down!" Luo Ziling answered bluntly. "Because it’s just a trap they set, a pit for me to fall into."
"Oh?!" Zhao Guosheng was a bit surprised that Luo Ziling put it so directly. "There’s actually something like that?"
"The Chen Family has tried to take my life many times. For people who want me dead, no matter how good my medical skills are, I won’t treat them." After stressing that again, Luo Ziling asked Zhao Guosheng what he thought about Chen Ruchang’s serious illness.
The initiative in the conversation fell into Luo Ziling’s hands, and Zhao Guosheng was a bit unsure how to answer his question.
Luo Ziling’s question was too sensitive. He had to think carefully about how to respond.
But after recalling what Luo Ziling had just said, Zhao Guosheng immediately replied, "I don’t know if you, Ziling, believe in the cycles of Heaven’s way."
"Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t."
"Sometimes the ways of the world are just that mysterious—good begets good, evil meets retribution really does exist. Do too many things against your conscience, and bad luck will come knocking." After saying that, Zhao Guosheng added with a double meaning, "’Those who follow the Way gain much help, those who lose the Way have little help’—that’s a lesson summed up by the ancients, and sometimes it really comes true."
"Sounds like a lot of people don’t think highly of the Chen Family." Luo Ziling smiled with a sly look.
After a small smile, Zhao Guosheng said self-deprecatingly, "It’s all in the past now."
"Seems like no one really has much affection for the Chen Family." Luo Ziling said again, very seriously, in almost the same vein.
Those words from Luo Ziling struck a chord in Zhao Guosheng, and he couldn’t help asking, "Is that their attitude?"
"’When a wall falls, everyone pushes it’—that’s an old saying too, right?" Luo Ziling once again smiled slyly.
Zhao Guosheng glanced at Luo Ziling twice and didn’t ask anything more.
He had already read a lot between the lines in Luo Ziling’s double-edged words.
He’d learned what he needed to know, so there was no need to ask more.
Zhao Guosheng believed that Luo Ziling was talking this way on purpose to let him in on things, so he wouldn’t have to keep probing.
"I’m sure you, Ziling, will have even more brilliant moments. I’ll be waiting to watch your outstanding performance!" Zhao Guosheng gave Luo Ziling a thumbs up.
Zhao Guosheng didn’t ask him anything else, which surprised Luo Ziling a little.
He also let out a breath of relief.
He found it strange that Zhao Guosheng was asking about these matters, but he also understood that Zhao Guosheng must be feeling rather anxious, otherwise he wouldn’t bring them up.
Luo Ziling also knew that Zhao Guosheng wanted to use this conversation to get closer to him.
After chatting for over half an hour, Luo Ziling stood up to take his leave, saying he didn’t want to keep Zhao Guosheng from his work.
Zhao Guosheng didn’t try to keep him, just told Luo Ziling that if he had time, he could drop by more often.
Sitting around every day for too long brings all sorts of health problems. One really does need to learn the way of keeping fit.
Luo Ziling didn’t refuse.
When leaving Zhao Guosheng’s office, Zhao Guosheng walked him out.
As they reached the door, Luo Ziling saw an elderly man, about the same rank as Zhao Guosheng, walking toward them.
Seeing Luo Ziling and Zhao Guosheng standing together, he immediately called out a greeting.
Zhao Guosheng made the introductions for them.
Only then did Luo Ziling realize that the man in front of him was Zhou Rongsheng, whom he’d heard people mention several times.
Curious, he couldn’t help looking him over a couple more times.
Zhou Rongsheng recognized Luo Ziling at once and greeted him warmly, showering him with praise as a promising young talent.
When he heard that Luo Ziling had come to treat Zhao Guosheng, Zhou Rongsheng immediately said, "My health acts up all the time too. I’ve gone to the hospital for tests and treatment, but the results aren’t very satisfactory. I’ve heard Luo’s medical skills are truly exceptional—could I find a time to ask you to help treat me as well?"
"No problem!" With Zhou Rongsheng being so proactive and cordial, of course Luo Ziling wouldn’t turn him down.
He needed to figure out which family Zhou Rongsheng had sought Phoenix out for.
After a few polite words, Zhou Rongsheng talked with Zhao Guosheng about a few not-so-important matters, then took his leave on some pretext.
After Zhou Rongsheng left, Zhao Guosheng looked at Luo Ziling thoughtfully.
"Wasn’t General Zhou here to see you?" Luo Ziling asked in surprise, watching the direction Zhou Rongsheng had gone.
"It might be that he was here for you!" Zhao Guosheng smiled with a playful look. "He wasn’t here for me. The few things he mentioned were completely trivial, not worth him coming in person."
"I’m overwhelmed by the favor!" Luo Ziling chuckled. "Being valued by so many of you, being treated differently by you all, I’m about to start floating when I walk!"
Zhao Guosheng gave Luo Ziling another couple of looks and didn’t say anything more.