Chapter 45

The chicken wasn’t cooked, so in the end, Yu Jiaxiao returned to the stove and stir-fried it for a bit longer. 

The beef was so tough that it was harder to chew than a rag, and Yu Jiaxiao’s jaw hurt from the effort. 

As for the rib soup, she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but the taste was strange, as if it had been cooked with a rag. 

The crab, on the other hand, was a luxury item bought with Chu Weidong’s card, costing 588 yuan each. It was naturally delicious on its own, and since it was simply steamed, Lin Yuxi didn’t have much room to mess it up, so it turned out fine. 

Lin Yuxi’s confidence was completely shattered. She couldn’t figure out what went wrong: “I clearly followed the recipe.” 

“Forget it, forget it.” Yu Jiaxiao patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. “Maybe you’re just destined to be a pampered rich lady who enjoys life. Give up on cooking.” 

Lin Yuxi:  

“By the way, you didn’t take any of the designer bags from your old place?” Yu Jiaxiao had been rummaging through her wardrobe earlier. 

Lin Yuxi, cracking open a crab, looked unconcerned. “I never used those bags anyway, and besides, there’s no room here to store them.” 

“You should have given them to me! I have plenty of space!” Yu Jiaxiao nearly jumped up. “I would’ve spread them all over my bed and slept among them!” 

Lin Yuxi hesitated for a moment, then picked up a piece of crab leg meat from the table and fed it to her. 

“Zhou Yanjing gave me that villa. If you want anything, you can go take it yourself.” 

“Well, at least he still has a conscience!” Yu Jiaxiao felt pleased and asked while chewing on the crab meat, “By the way, how much is that villa worth?” 

Lin Yuxi wasn’t sure and casually replied, “Probably a few hundred million.” 

Yu Jiaxiao slid off her chair and smoothly dropped to one knee in front of her, taking Lin Yuxi’s hand and planting a kiss on it with a deep, affectionate expression:  

“Dear, would you be willing to keep me forever?” 

“No.” Lin Yuxi was cold and merciless. “Unless you wash the dishes.” 

“No problem!” Yu Jiaxiao bounced up and headed off to do it. 

Lin Yuxi had taken a day off to move, and the next morning, she returned to work on time. As she was briefing her colleague on duty, she noticed that the atmosphere seemed a bit off. 

People were looking at her, and when she glanced back, they quickly averted their eyes. 

After finishing the rounds, she saw Xiao Cui, who immediately asked, “Why didn’t you wear your peace-lock necklace today?” 

“I’m not wearing it anymore.” Lin Yuxi asked, “Did something happen yesterday while I was away? Everyone is looking at me strangely.” 

“Nothing much, just that.” Xiao Cui hesitated, “You didn’t pass your intermediate title promotion assessment.” 

“Why?” Lin Yuxi was surprised. 

She had submitted her application materials long ago. Her work experience met the requirements, and her research papers and performance records were all solid. 

With her qualifications and professional abilities, it was unreasonable for her not to pass. 

“They said there were limited slots this year, and our department only got one.” Xiao Cui gave a sideways glance, “Su Cheng passed.” 

Su Cheng clearly knew what they were talking about and smugly tilted her head with a triumphant expression. 

Xiao Cui: “Your mouth’s crooked.” 

Su Cheng hurriedly pulled out a mirror and checked her reflection, realizing nothing was wrong. 

Once she understood Xiao Cui was messing with her, she was so angry her face flushed, but soon she returned to her smugness. 

“I got promoted because I’m better than you. Jealousy won’t help you. Out of the kindness of my heart, I won’t hold it against you two since you must be feeling pretty down right now.” 

Lin Yuxi ignored her. After Su Cheng left, two older colleagues came over to comfort her. 

“We all know that you should’ve been the one promoted. But there’s nothing we can do. It’s just that Su Cheng’s great-uncle is the hospital director.” 

“Don’t worry, next year it’ll be your turn for sure.” 

Lin Yuxi replied, “Next year, Xiao Cui and Dr. Chen will also be eligible for promotion to attending physician. Who do you think will go first?” 

Although Dr. Chen didn’t have a director uncle, his father-in-law was Zhang, the head of the medical affairs department, which is responsible for promotions. Naturally, Zhang would prioritize his son-in-law. 

Everyone understood this reasoning, so the colleagues fell silent. 

Xiao Cui whimpered, “We’re doomed! How come our department is full of people with powerful connections? Only the two of us have no backing. Next year it’ll be Dr. Zhang, and the year after, maybe the chief’s nephew. When will it ever be our turn?” 

In the afternoon, Doctor Yuan had a surgery. Afterward, Lin Yuxi went to see him. 

“Doctor, why didn’t I pass the promotion assessment?” 

As expected, she was brushed off with formalities. 

“Lin Yuxi, your abilities are beyond question. If it were up to me alone, your promotion would be a sure thing. But the problem is, I don’t have the final say.” 

Doctor Yuan sipped his tea, speaking righteously. “Our hospital had limited slots this year, and the others promoted have more seniority than you. According to the hierarchy, it’s only fair that they go first, don’t you agree?” 

“And what about Su Cheng?” Lin Yuxi asked. “We joined the hospital at the same time. Her qualifications are the same as mine, but her skills and performance are not. What’s the reason for promoting her ahead of me?” 

“You can’t say that. Just because she’s not as good as you in some areas doesn’t mean she’s not a great doctor. You’re both excellent, so what’s the difference if she goes first? It’s her turn this year, and next year, it’ll be yours.” 

Lin Yuxi had always been calm, never vying for anything in the department. Even when she was treated unfairly, she remained composed. Doctor Yuan assumed she was easy to control, but this time, Lin Yuxi pushed back: 

“If it doesn’t matter who goes first, then why isn’t it me?” 

Her question caught him off guard, and his tone turned unpleasant: “I’ve said it before you’re too proud, always wanting to stand out. There’s only one slot; why should it go to you first? Look at how humble Su Cheng is.” 

“Because she’s not qualified.” Lin Yuxi didn’t hold back this time. “She’s the first graduate from a third-tier university to join our hospital. I won’t comment on her alma mater’s educational standards, but in the past two years, how many mistakes has she made? How many medical incidents?” 

“She should be more humble. She couldn’t even handle a level-one foreign body removal surgery, which led to a bacterial infection in the patient. If you hadn’t covered for her” 

“How dare you talk to me like that!” Doctor Yuan slammed the table, pointing at her angrily. “Let me tell you, if you keep this attitude, you won’t get promoted next year either! I’m putting it on the record today!” 

Lin Yuxi pressed her lips together. 

As long as Doctor Yuan held his position, her path to promotion would be filled with obstacles. 

He sneered, “You better reflect on yourself! Now get out!” 

As she walked out of the office, she ran into Su Cheng. 

“You got scolded by the director, didn’t you?” Su Cheng crossed her arms smugly. “You always act so high and mighty in front of me, but now I’m ahead of you. Show me some respect from now on.” 

Lin Yuxi calmly placed her hands in her coat pockets and looked at her indifferently: “The director and the hospital director may help you get promoted to attending physician, but can they guarantee you’ll be promoted to associate chief physician or even chief physician? It’s good to have connections, but in the end, a doctor’s true value lies in their skills. 

 Doctor Yuan won’t be in charge of ophthalmology forever, and the hospital director will retire one day.  

You’d better work on improving your professional competence. People can help you for a while, but not for a lifetime.” 

Su Cheng flushed with anger. “You’re just jealous that I got promoted first! As long as the hospital director is my great-uncle, I’ll always be above you. If you have the guts, go find yourself a powerful backer too!”