Chapter 45: Preparing to Give a Gift

Today is already September 8th, and the military training will conclude on September 15th.

"Miss Cai, regardless of whether they are male or female, anyone wishing to pursue someone of the opposite sex must cater to their preferences. Just think about what Young Master Zhou likes."

Lin Tuo, acting in his capacity as a counselor, was once again offering counsel to Cai Yameng.

Unlike those wealthy heiresses who frequented upscale western restaurants or grand establishments, Cai Yameng ate in the campus cafeteria just like any ordinary person.

As a single man who had never been in a relationship, Lin Tuo scoured the internet for advice and strategies from dating gurus to serve as Cai Yameng's tactician.

Cai Yameng nibbled on her food in small bites, pondering what might capture Zhou Chen's interest.

Ordinary gifts would not interest Zhou Chen, nor would he accept them, especially coming from her.

Therefore, whatever she decided to give must be a treasure that Zhou Chen would find hard to refuse.

Cai Yameng fell into deep thought.

Through her grandfather, Cai Yameng already knew that Zhou Chen was no ordinary person, but a practitioner of cultivation.

Naturally, he would look down upon the mundane items of the secular world.

Thus, her only option lay in the artifacts of the cultivation realm.

Yet, where should one acquire treasures from the cultivation world?

Although she was a young lady of the Cai family, she had never practiced ancient martial arts.

She retrieved her phone and opened her sparse contact list.

Cai Yameng knew a younger female cousin from the Cai family who was a practitioner and, like her, studied at Beijing University. Perhaps she had channels to acquire treasures of the cultivation realm.

"Hello! Big Sis Yameng, what a pleasant surprise to actually receive a call from you," a lively voice sounded from the other end of the line.

Cai Yameng said, "Shasha, I have something I'd like to ask you. Where are you? Let's meet up and talk."

"I seem to remember we added each other on WeChat around the Chinese New Year. Send me your location, and I'll drive over."

Before long.

A pink supercar pulled up outside the cafeteria, its exterior breathtakingly cool and flashy.

At any other university, it would undoubtedly draw a massive crowd of onlookers.

However, in a place like Beijing University, where hidden dragons and crouching tigers abounded, second-generation wealthy heirs were as numerous as carp crossing a river, and luxury supercars like Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Maseratis were a common sight.

A pair of exceptionally fair, long legs stepped out from the vehicle, displaying well-proportioned muscle tone and the healthy beauty characteristic of a woman.

Sporting sneakers, long legs, denim cut-offs, a crop top paired with a light jacket, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, she radiated youthful vitality.

"Big Sis Yameng!" Cai Shasha called out to Cai Yameng standing at the cafeteria entrance.

Cai Yameng got into the passenger seat of Cai Shasha's car, and they drove off towards the campus gates.

Some male students sighed with emotion, "There goes another wealthy campus belle. What a pity she left so quickly, otherwise getting her WeChat would have been nice."

"I advise you not to harbor any thoughts about her; she's an absolute little devil."

"Remember Han Wenqiang? The guy who changes girlfriends every single day, tall, handsome, and rich? Just two days ago, he had his balls kicked to pieces by this little devil, and he's probably still in the ICU."

"So you'd better know your own worth. A little devil like that isn't someone we can tame."

...

Dream Garden.

This was an upscale afternoon tea restaurant located near Beijing University.

"Eh? Big Sis Yameng, how did you suddenly become interested in matters of the cultivation realm?" Cai Shasha asked curiously, nibbling on a dessert.

Without answering, Cai Yameng asked instead, "During the week and a half you've been in Beijing, do you know of any place that sells items from the cultivation world?"

Cai Shasha replied, "Panjiayuan is a place for trading antiques, and I've heard there is also a dark market there, which serves as a trading bazaar for practitioners."

"However, its reputation is poor, and there are too many scammers asking exorbitant prices. If you want to acquire genuine treasures from the cultivation world, you have to rely on your own ability to identify items."

"Big Sis Yameng, you aren't a practitioner, so you really shouldn't go to such places; it's too easy to get scammed. Tomorrow evening, Yunmei Auction Company is holding a fairly large auction, and the items up for bid should include treasures from the cultivation realm."

Cai Yameng frowned: "Yunmei Auction Company?"

Cai Shasha explained, "It's a very mysterious company said to be backed by one of the major families in Beijing, with influence no less than our Cai family. The clients this company serves are basically upper-class members of society, and attending the auction requires meeting certain conditions."

"I've heard they have auctioned quite a few cultivation treasures in the past, and these items are personally authenticated by practitioners, so there's no forgery."

Cai Yameng nodded, "How does one attend?"

Cai Shasha said, "Just go directly; someone will check our identities. The Cai family still holds some status in Yanhuang, so they will let us participate."

"However... Cousin, Second Uncle's current condition... cough, cough, do you have enough money on you?"

Everyone in the Cai family knew that Cai Yameng's father, Cai Tianze, was suffering from cancer.

Therefore, Cai Shasha was somewhat concerned that Cai Yameng might not have much money on hand, given that a single auction item at that level easily cost hundreds of millions.

Cai Yameng had hardly spent any money since childhood, and the allowance she had saved up over the years amounted to several hundred millions.

Moreover, since she intended this as a gift for Zhou Chen, both her father and her grandfather would undoubtedly support her.

"Pick me up tomorrow then; I will attend as well."

...

The next day.

After Zhou Chen finished lunch in the cafeteria, Zhang Bingnan, clinging to him like a stubborn plaster, bombarded him with questions about traditional Chinese medicine while taking notes in a small notebook.

"I encountered a very strange patient this morning. She said her diet and daily routine are both regular, so why does she still have endocrine disorders?"

Zhou Chen replied, "Ingesting excessive hormones can also lead to endocrine disorders. Ask her what kind of medication Western medicine prescribed."

"Ah, I see."

Seeing that Zhang Bingnan was about to ask another question, Zhou Chen quickly stood up: "Alright, it's time to head to the hospital for my clinic hours."

On the way to the hospital, Zhou Chen asked Zhang Bingnan, "You've changed into a dress today. Why aren't you wearing casual clothes?"

Previously, Zhang Bingnan always wore loose casual clothing underneath her white lab coat.

Today, however, she had switched to a summer dress that was form-fitting and very aesthetically pleasing.

"Yunmei Auction Company is holding an auction tonight, and I heard there is a millennium-old ginseng root. Grandpa asked me to find a way to secure it."

Hearing this, Zhou Chen felt a stir in his heart.

If rare medicinal herbs like a millennium-old ginseng existed, it implied that items belonging to practitioners might also be present!

Even if nothing else, a thousand-year-old ginseng alone made it worth his while to check out.

His own grandfather also possessed a thousand-year-old ginseng. Although ginseng was not a spiritual material, it could nourish vital energy and blood, offering no small benefits to a low-tier practitioner like himself.

Knowing the price would certainly be exorbitant, Zhou Chen prepared to target patients who came to him seeking cures for terminal illnesses.

Huaxin Hospital.

Following his clinic sessions over the past few days, Zhou Chen's reputation in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department of Huaxin Hospital had skyrocketed.

Especially among some of the elderly residents of Beijing, who, within their social circles, praised Zhou Chen as if he were a celestial medical spirit descended from the heavens.

The Celestial Medical Spirit Official was a deity within the Yanhuang mythological system, much like how people referred to the top scorer in the imperial examinations as the incarnation of the Literary Star.

Their recognition of Zhou Chen's medical skills was so profound that the queue for his appointments was fully packed every day, leaving even the chief physician of the TCM department with scarcely any visitors.

"Look quickly, that young man is the divine physician descended as the Spirit Official!"

"Little divine physician, take a look at my lower back; it's been aching for over ten years!"

"I heard he can even cure cancer, though I wonder if that's true or false."

"It definitely can't be true. No matter how brilliant medical skills are, they can't possibly reach the level of curing cancer!"

Zhou Chen picked up the white lab coat hanging from the coat rack nearby; this was the exclusive work attire designated for Zhou Chen as the honorary physician of the TCM department.

Due to his insufficient educational background and lack of a medical practitioner's license or related credentials, Zhou Chen lacked executive authority and could only hold an honorary title.