Chapter 265: Before Internship

Chapter 265: Before the Internship

Ye Xiaoxiao greeted the two, and there was nothing left of hers in the dorm.

She likely wouldn’t be staying the rest of the time anyway.

Xia Li, however, enthusiastically invited Ye Xiaoxiao to stay, "You can crash with me."

"I’ll just stay off-campus," Ye Xiaoxiao replied.

"Don’t rush off," Tang Xiuxiu chimed in. "You’ve finally come back, and we don’t have anything else to do today. We’ve gotta grab a good meal out."

Tang Xiuxiu’s idea made sense, and no one else objected.

"Alright then, let’s find a small restaurant. My treat."

Ye Xiaoxiao was flush with cash and didn’t mind spending.

Money was never tight overseas, let alone now that she was back in the country.

Wang Jiao looked at Ye Xiaoxiao’s collared short-sleeve shirt and jeans with envy. "How’s it abroad? Way better than here, huh?"

"Pretty similar—just skyscrapers and traffic," Ye Xiaoxiao replied.

"You won’t get another shot like this," Wang Jiao pressed. "Didn’t you buy more souvenirs while you were there?"

"Too much to haul back, so I didn’t buy much."

Ye Xiaoxiao had already noticed Wang Jiao. After two years apart, the other girl looked more like she’d gotten a foreign makeover. She wore a black earring and had several small braids in her hair.

It would’ve been normal during the ‘90s alt scene, but now it seemed a bit too avant-garde.

Wang Jiao gave Ye Xiaoxiao crap for missing out.

"If we’re eating, let’s head out soon. I have something to do tonight."

He Jing asked, "What do you have to do tonight? We’re about to start internships this semester. Why not move back to the dorm so we can discuss it?"

"My internship will definitely be in Beijing. I don’t need the school to arrange it—I’ll have my parents use connections to find me a spot."

She meant she’d pull strings.

He Jing advised kindly, "Even if your parents can arrange it, you’ve gotta actually know your stuff. If you can’t even stick a needle right, who’d dare let you perform surgery?"

"Not your problem," Wang Jiao replied. "There’ll definitely be a mentor guiding me. It’s not like I’ll be thrown straight into surgery. Besides, needles are the nurses’ job—not mine."

He Jing couldn’t persuade her and could only shake her head helplessly.

"Let’s go now then," Ye Xiaoxiao suggested. "If your guys are around, they can join us too."

"He’s too busy bro-ing out at the start of the semester. No time for me," Tang Xiuxiu said. "Let’s just go by ourselves."

He Jing added, "Shaoming isn’t on campus. He’s already got a job."

Ye Xiaoxiao had forgotten that Liu Shaoming was a senior. "He’s in Beijing?"

He Jing nodded. "Yes, so I’m aiming for Beijing too."

He Jing ranked in the top ten of her grade, so she’ll probably be assigned to an internship placement in Beijing.

For many, where they intern often determines where they stay, since getting reassigned takes both personal capability and some connections.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "With your excellent grades, you’ve got a good shot."

Once everyone in the dorm had packed up, the group walked off campus.

Although Ye Xiaoxiao hadn’t been back for two years, the small restaurants here remained unchanged, though a few new ones had popped up.

Tang Xiuxiu ducked into an alley with her and found a restaurant inside.

"This one opened last year. The owner’s cooking is amazing, especially the boiled fish," she said.

After finding seats, Ye Xiaoxiao went to grab the menu. "Get whatever you want."

She planned to treat herself after two rough years abroad.

While waiting for the food, the group continued chatting.

Xia Li: "Can’t believe how fast time flies. In the blink of an eye, four years have passed. Is anyone planning to go for grad school, or will you jump right into work after graduation?"

Tang Xiuxiu: "We’ll see. If my assigned unit isn’t good, I’ll go for grad school."

Tang Xiuxiu’s family was comfortable, so money wasn’t an issue.

The others all chose to jump right into work.

Wang Jiao: "I can’t stand living at home. Once I find a job, I’ll move out. That’s the freedom I want."

As for Li Meiru, she was even more desperate to start working, having never returned home.

Her parents had written to her a few times but never actually came looking for her.

Li Meiru was desperate to get away from her family.

She wanted to go somewhere far away, where her family could never find her.

"I’ll go for grad school," she added.

But even while preparing, Ye Xiaoxiao would still work at Rende Pharmacy, which counted as employment.

After years as roommates, the others still couldn’t figure out Ye Xiaoxiao’s family background.

She said she was from the country, but everything she did since arriving at school seemed not what you’d expect from someone from the country.

As they chatted, the owner started bringing out the food.

Tang Xiuxiu: "Since it’s just the start of the semester, let’s hold off on drinks today. But we’re getting wasted at graduation."

"Absolutely."

Xia Li was all for it.

...

Normally, the semester would start with collecting textbooks and figuring out our schedules.

This year, the medical school held a meeting for the fifth-year students.

The dean mentioned the returning exchange students and the upcoming internships during the meeting.

"Over the next month, the school will gradually arrange for students to begin their internships at their assigned workplaces. We hope everyone will take this work seriously, building a strong foundation for future employment and strengthening their resumes."

After the dean's speech, the students felt a bit nervous.

Only the students from the Traditional Chinese Medicine class remained remarkably unfazed.

Qu Miao even had time to chat with Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Can I intern at Rende Pharmacy?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Sure, Rende Pharmacy is a legitimate company and can provide internship documentation."

Qu Miao: "Then I'll go with Rende Pharmacy and stay there after graduation."

His mind was made up.

Others who had worked part-time at Rende Pharmacy with Qu Miao, though they thought it was a good place, couldn't bring themselves to leave state-owned units for a private enterprise.

Most people preferred to work at large hospitals—it carried more prestige.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Great. If you want to pursue postgraduate studies, you can study for the exams while on the job, and all expenses can be reimbursed by Rende Pharmacy."

Qu Miao nodded calmly. Regarding postgraduate studies, he only said, "Maybe later."

In truth, he had already learned a lot from the TCM doctors at Rende Pharmacy.

Postgraduate studies might boost his credentials, but they wouldn’t necessarily provide more practical knowledge than what he had already gained.

After the meeting, students headed to their respective classes.

Zhang Kaining threw an arm around Qu Miao’s shoulder. "Great! If you go to Rende Pharmacy, we’ll be colleagues."

Qu Miao shrugged off his hand.

Zhang Kaining took the hint and pulled back.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "You've lost your baby fat. You're not as cute as before."

Zhang Kaining: "What kind of comment is that? This is real masculinity. That was just a phase."

Ye Xiaoxiao: [silence]

What an ego.