October in Miami was scorching hot.
And inside the residents' lounge on the third floor of the Orthopedics Center at Miami Jackson Memorial Hospital, as Chen Yu reached his final sprint, the atmosphere in the room erupted like a volcano, reaching a fever pitch.
Amidst ragged gasps, Chen Yu collapsed onto his colleague, Lexi Jones, an immense emptiness and exhaustion washing over him.
Lexi's right hand caressed Chen Yu's broad back. Suddenly, she said, "Chen, let's get married."
Chen Yu's body twitched unnaturally, but he remained silent and still.
Lexi shoved Chen Yu, who was pretending to be asleep, and sat up.
She had a gorgeous figure and delicate, captivating wheat-colored skin. With her well-defined features, curly brown hair, and mixed Latina heritage, she was stunningly beautiful.
"Chen, I'm serious. We've been like this for two years. I feel like we should move to the next stage."
Lexi turned her head and stared intently at Chen Yu.
Chen Yu rolled over and looked at Lexi with a hint of exasperation, his mind racing.
After a long moment, Chen Yu decided to be honest. "Lexi, I'm not ready. You know I hate marriage, and the reason is..."
Before he could finish, Lexi cut him off.
She shrugged, her face full of disdain. "I know, you have a terrible family. But who doesn't?"
Just then, a series of urgent knocks on the door saved Chen Yu.
"Chen, damn it, I know you're in there! Get out here! I need you to tell me why!"
The voice belonged to a man, deep and resonant.
Lexi's expression changed slightly. It sounded like their attending physician, Matthew Davis.
Chen Yu scratched his head. 'Looks like another big problem has arrived.'
The door flew open and Matthew, muscular and still wearing his surgical cap, stormed in, ignoring the two of them getting dressed. "Chen, you were all set to stay, so why the sudden resignation? Tell me, was it Old Dale from Baptist Hospital? I saw him making eyes at you at the charity gala."
"What? You're resigning?"
Lexi, who was pulling on her top, shrieked, "You refuse to marry me, and now you're resigning too? What the hell are you trying to do?"
The furious Matthew froze.
"Wait!"
"Marriage? You two?"
He looked at them with a strange expression, about to instinctively say congratulations, but he swallowed the words. Instead, he pointed an angry finger at Chen Yu and roared, "That's right! Why did you refuse Lexi? And why are you resigning?"
"Speak!"
they both roared in unison.
"I just remembered I have a patient to check on."
Grabbing his pager, Chen Yu fled the lounge as if escaping for his life.
「Three days later.」
Chen Yu walked out the main doors of the Orthopedics Center, carrying a box of his personal belongings.
He glanced back.
Chen Yu had spent a full five years here.
How many five-year periods does a person get in a lifetime? And these were the five years of his prime, in his twenties and thirties.
And before that, there was four years of undergrad and four years of medical school. He'd shouldered six hundred thousand in loans and endured a horrific work schedule of over 100 hours a week. After all that struggle, he had finally made it, becoming a respected orthopedic attending physician.
So what came next should have been enjoying life: leisurely shifts at the clinic, hammering on some bones in the operating room, and collecting a high salary of over a hundred thousand US dollars a year. He could have driven a luxury car, lived in a lavish apartment, and enjoyed all the pleasures this dazzling world had to offer.
But after thinking it over and over, Chen Yu had still decided to resign and pursue his dream.
Through the curtain wall of glass, Chen Yu saw Lexi on the second floor.
She hadn't come to his farewell party earlier.
'She's probably still mad at me.'
Chen Yu sighed, turned, and walked away with firm steps.
Chen Yu knew the road ahead would not be easy.
Chasing a dream comes at a price!
...
Okay, so maybe it wasn't as dramatic as all that.
It was just a resignation, after all.
Chen Yu could come back to work anytime he wanted. After all, the United States was desperate for doctors.
As for Lexi...
Chen Yu grinned, considering whether he should stop by the supermarket later to buy some groceries, cook a big meal, and properly apologize to her.
After all, the two of them still lived in the same apartment.
He put his things in the car, and his phone rang.
Seeing the number, Chen Yu frowned slightly.
"Mom."
Chen Yu answered the call.
His mother's hoarse voice came through the phone. "Son, it's me! How have you been lately? It's already cold enough to wear winter coats here in Chicago. How about where you are? Has the temperature dropped?"
"Mom, I'm in Miami," Chen Yu sighed in exasperation. "If you have something to say, just say it. I'm driving right now."
"Driving?"
Her voice sounded panicked on the other end. "Then you need to pull over right away! It's not safe to talk on the phone while driving."
Chen Yu waited a moment before replying, "Okay, I've pulled over. What's on your mind?"
There was a moment of silence on the line, then she spoke cautiously, "Son, the anniversary of your father's death is in a week. Are you coming back this year? I know you were busy with work and couldn't make it the last two years. But you've graduated this year, right? You should have time."
By the end, her voice was barely a whisper.
Chen Yu's free left hand clenched into a fist unconsciously.
"Mom, take care of yourself. Don't forget to take your medicine on time. I've got something to do, so I have to go."
With that, he quickly hung up the phone.
Sitting in his car, Chen Yu looked at his reflection in the rearview mirror.
Soft, medium-length hair framed a face with strong, square features—a trait he'd inherited from his mixed-race father.
'Believe in yourself. You can do this. After all, you're a man with a System now.'
Chen Yu grinned, revealing a set of neat teeth. Then he took out his phone and dialed a number he had saved a long time ago.
"Hello, is this the Miami Heat? My name is Chen Yu. I'm an orthopedic surgeon, and I'd like to make an appointment to see your Dr. Ron Kap."
「October.」
The new NBA season was already in full swing.
This year, a cloud of gloom hung over Miami.
Their star player, Alonzo Mourning, had returned from winning an Olympic gold medal with the Dream Four Team, only to be diagnosed with a severe case of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis at the beginning of the month.
The Pioneer was reporting that Miami was about to lose its number one star.
And it was true. As a doctor himself, Chen Yu certainly knew how troublesome this disease was. The best—or rather, the only—option was a kidney transplant.
But the organ transplant system in the United States was a massive headache that every attending physician complained about.
Perhaps because the season had just started and everyone was busy with training camp, it wasn't until November 1st—the day of Miami's season opener—that Chen Yu finally received a call. He was told that Ron Kap could spare half an hour in the afternoon to speak with him.
Wearing the expensive suit Lexi had bought for him, Chen Yu drove to the American Airlines Arena early.
Today wasn't just the season opener; it was also the day the Mastermind, Riley, was going for his 1,000th career win—assuming the Heat won, of course.
On such an important day, Chen Yu needed to leave ahead of time to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
Having lived in Miami for five years, Chen Yu was something of a Heat fan. He even had season tickets and was no stranger to the American Airlines Arena.
But this was his first time in the office area.
After three full cups of coffee in the waiting area, the blonde receptionist—who had been coming over every five minutes to refill his cup as an excuse to chat him up—finally came to tell Chen Yu that Mr. Kap was ready to see him.
As she passed by, she slipped him a business card with a fiery gaze.
Handsome, stylish, a high-earning and respected doctor—she had every reason to show her interest.
Chen Yu entered the office.
The office wasn't large. It was lined on both sides with cabinets overflowing with all sorts of files and documents. In the corner stood a medical skeleton, and half of one of its arms was sitting on Kap's desk.
'Maybe he uses it to scratch an itch?'
Ron Kap was in his fifties, with a red nose and thinning, messy hair. He stood up, shook Chen Yu's hand, and invited him to sit down before his attention returned to Chen Yu's resume and documents.
Among them were two letters of recommendation.
One was from Professor Joseph, a department chair at UCSF, the University of California, San Francisco.
The other was from Jonathan, the Head of Orthopedics at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Ron Kap put down the resume and looked at Chen Yu with a puzzled expression.
"Chen, you have a stellar resume. Flawless, you could say. But I don't understand—why do you want to apply to be a team doctor?"