Cen Zhengnian patted her head gently. “Graduating is a big event, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

Chu Xia hadn’t asked Cen Zhengnian to come; she had just informed him about her graduation and her assignment to the affiliated hospital.

Cen Zhengnian, understanding the importance of the day, had arranged to take leave from work and finish his tasks in advance to free up the day for her graduation ceremony.

However, he kept this from Chu Xia; today, she only needed to focus on enjoying her graduation.

The weather had started to warm up, and with the sun rising higher, Cen Huai’an and Zhang Lu were feeling the heat and had stopped taking photos to run to the shade and drink water.

Cen Huai’an was gulping down water, not wanting to hear the word “photo” anymore.

He was afraid Zhang Lu might drag him to another spot for more pictures.

Zhang Lu, having finished her water, still felt hot and fanned herself with her hand. “I want an ice lolly.”

“There’s a place selling them on campus, just up ahead,” Chu Xia said as she stood up and led the children.

She wanted an ice lolly too.

After getting ice lollies from the small shop, everyone had one in hand, with Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian also carrying a bunch of flowers.

Without an umbrella, Chu Xia was careful to stay in shaded areas to avoid the sun, walking from one shady spot to another.

Zhang Lu asked, “Aunt Chu, what are you doing?”

“Trying to avoid the sun. It’s too hot.”

Zhang Lu responded, “I want to avoid it too!”

Jiang Weixi echoed, “I want to avoid it too!”

Chu Xia walked in various irregular paths, and Zhang Lu and Jiang Weixi followed, laughing and treating it like a new game, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Chu Xia still had some luggage in her dorm.

Although not much, it needed to be packed up to take home.

Cen Zhengnian, Cen Huai’an, and the others went upstairs to help.

The girls’ dorm was very chaotic, with luggage and items to be discarded everywhere, and girls were constantly moving through the stairwell.

Today, the dorm supervisor didn’t allow male students inside.

They were busy downstairs in the empty space, helping with cleaning and finding useful items.

All unwanted items from the dorm were discarded there.

Other girls in the dorm were also packing. Everyone looked cheerful and chatted, but there was a sadness of impending separation in their eyes.

Chu Xia and Cen Zhengnian packed her belongings and placed them at the door.

Since the dorm was small and filled with too many things, others didn’t come in.

Chu Xia turned back to the dorm to say goodbye to each of her roommates.

There were eight of them, and although they had their conflicts, at this moment, those disputes seemed less significant.

However, if there were truly problematic individuals in the dorm, they wouldn’t easily forgive.

“From now on, may everyone have a bright future. Until we meet again!” Chu Xia waved to Yang Jin and the others.

Yang Jin and the others also waved back. “Until we meet again!”

After graduation, it was time to report to the affiliated hospital.

However, there was no rush; the reporting date wasn’t yet due, so Chu Xia rested at home for several days.

On a summer day, with a fan blowing, Chu Xia lounged on the sofa, eating watermelon and watching TV.

Life felt very comfortable.

Since deciding to go to university and throughout her studies, Chu Xia had always worked hard, never letting up.

Now that she had graduated, she could finally take a breather.

“Mom, I’m back,” Cen Huai’an said as he came home from school.

As he opened the door, a wave of heat from outside followed him in.

He changed into slippers and saw Chu Xia eating watermelon. “Is there more watermelon?”

“It’s in the kitchen. You can cut it yourself,” Chu Xia pointed toward the kitchen and added, “You’re sweating a lot. Don’t wash your face directly with cold water.”

“I know, Mom!” Cen Huai’an called back from the kitchen.

Soon, he came out with half a watermelon and a spoon, sitting on the sofa next to Chu Xia.

He said, watching the historical drama on TV, “Mom, our teacher said students who win a second prize or higher in the competition can attend the summer camp at Jinghua University.”

Chu Xia straightened up, her eyes moving from the TV to Cen Huai’an’s face. “That’s great! You can attend and gain more experience.”

Cen Huai’an knew his parents would support him, but hearing Chu Xia’s encouragement still filled him with joy.

“The teacher said there’s no fee for the summer camp, but students need to cover their own accommodation and travel expenses. The school has arranged everything; participants just need to give the money to the teacher.”

Cen Huai’an looked up at Chuxia with a serious expression and said, “Mom, take me to withdraw the money from my savings book. I’ll pay for the summer camp myself.”

Cen Huai’an had saved quite a bit of money in his small piggy bank over the years, accumulating a substantial amount from his New Year’s money.

He didn’t spend extravagantly and had enough red flower tokens to exchange for things he wanted.

Therefore, Chuxia hadn’t insisted on paying for him and agreed, “Okay, I’ll take you tomorrow.”

At the Fourth Middle School.

Zhang Lu’s teacher had also mentioned the summer camp.

Zhang Lu loved participating in such activities; they allowed her to see new things and make many new friends.

She wondered if An’an would be going too; if he did, they could be companions.

Zhang Lu filled out the summer camp application form.

Tang Song, who was seated behind her, saw her actions and took out the form he had tossed aside, filling out every item on it with a serious expression.

When Zhang Lu finished filling out the form and stood up to hand it to the teacher, Tang Song grabbed the back of her shirt.

Zhang Lu turned around, puzzled. “What’s the matter?”

Tang Song handed her his form and asked, “Can you submit this for me too?”

Zhang Lu’s face lit up with a big smile. “You’re going to the summer camp too! I am going as well. We can go together!”

She took Tang Song’s form and walked towards the teacher’s desk, not hearing Tang Song’s soft “mm-hmm” in response.

When she returned, Liu Hongyu, who was sitting next to Tang Song, looked at them enviously. “You guys are so lucky!”

Zhang Lu looked at him and wagged her finger. “You’re mistaken. It’s not luck; it’s skill! Liu Hongyu, since the city competition, you’ve been resentful. If you don’t put in more effort, you might not even pass the school’s selection, let alone get a prize at the city competition!”

Liu Hongyu was hit by the truth.

He felt envious of Zhang Lu and Tang Song’s achievements and regretted his poor performance on the exam day, wondering why they could participate in the national math competition while he couldn’t.

He buried his face in his arms in shame.

Zhang Lu huffed and patted Tang Song’s desk. “If he says things like that again, don’t hold back.”

Tang Song looked at Zhang Lu’s carefree face and nodded. “Okay.”

When Chuxia went to the affiliated hospital to check in with the necessary documents, it happened to be a rainy day.

Fortunately, the affiliated hospital was close to the family quarters.

She wore a raincoat, wrapped the documents in a layer of rain cloth, and carried an umbrella.

When she arrived at the hospital, her feet and lower legs were wet from the rain, but the rest of her was dry.

As she stood at the hospital entrance, closing her umbrella and packing up her raincoat, a boy holding a large black umbrella rushed in.

He shook his umbrella vigorously, sending the raindrops splattering towards Chuxia.

Even though Chuxia quickly moved away, she still got splashed with rainwater.

She checked the documents in her hand, relieved that she hadn’t yet removed the rain cloth; otherwise, the water would have gotten onto the documents.

Chuxia took out a handkerchief, wiping the water from her face, and frowned at the boy. “Excuse me, could you be a bit more careful when closing your umbrella? The rainwater splashed onto me.”

The boy looked at the water on Chuxia and immediately smiled. “Sorry, I’m in a hurry to the hospital and didn’t pay attention.”

Without waiting for Chuxia’s reply, he took his umbrella and went inside.

Chuxia found his actions and demeanor unpleasant, but she was in a hurry to check in and quickly wiped the rain cloth and headed into the hospital to find the HR department.

Not familiar with the hospital’s layout, Chuxia eventually asked a nurse and found the HR department.

When she knocked and entered, she saw the same boy who had splashed her earlier.

Chuxia’s smile vanished instantly.

The boy looked surprised too, but neither said anything.

They exchanged a brief glance and then looked away.

“Are you here to check in too?” the HR staff asked as they extended a hand. “Please give me your documents.”

Chuxia put on a smile again and handed over her documents.

“Luo Chuxia. All right, the new arrivals are complete. There are only you two left, both in the Traditional Chinese Medicine department. Follow me.”

Chuxia glanced at the boy and thought, “How unlucky!”

After the HR staff checked their documents, they were taken to a conference room where many people had already gathered.

“Wait here for a while. The director will come to give you a meeting.”

This was part of the new hire orientation.

Chuxia had previously learned about the process from others and quietly found a seat.

After a long wait, the director finally arrived.

He said a few words of encouragement and quickly left, called away by the nurse.

Next, the HR staff guided Chuxia and the boy through the hospital, introducing them to the department heads who would arrange their assignments.

Chuxia and the boy were assigned to Dr. Lin, a doctor in his fifties and the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.

Dr. Lin looked at them with a neutral expression. “How long have you been in contact with Traditional Chinese Medicine?”

Chuxia explained that she had only studied it formally in college and had previously self-studied.

The boy, with a cheerful face, said, “I also started studying in college, but Director, my college performance was…”

“This isn’t relevant. What matters here is your personal abilities. Luo Chuxia, Cheng Jun, you’ll be interning with Dr. Yan.”

New hires aren’t immediately allowed to treat patients; they must first go through an internship to assess their performance before being assigned specific duties.

Dr. Yan, compared to Dr. Lin, was much kinder and greeted Chuxia and Cheng Jun with a smile. “Ah, finally, two new recruits. You’re both graduates of formal TCM programs and have potential. Work hard.”

Chuxia nodded, “Yes.”

Cheng Jun, who clearly enjoyed pleasing superiors, smiled widely and said to Dr. Yan, “Don’t worry, sir. I will follow your instructions and work hard during the internship to meet your and the hospital’s expectations.”

Dr. Yan patted his shoulder. “Good, you have a high level of awareness.”