Chapter Nineteen: Thirty Thousand

Shaking her head, she said, “That’s not the issue.” Hearing this, Zhang Qingfan immediately looked at Lu Hao with a wary expression. “Dr. Lu, I only want to learn medicine from you. I have no other intentions. Please don’t misunderstand… I…”

Lu Hao scratched his ear. “Alright, I think you’re the one who’s misunderstood.”

“I’ll teach you, but regardless of whether you master it or not, you need to pay tuition. After all, knowledge shouldn’t be given away lightly.”

She looked at Lu Hao earnestly and replied, “Of course, that’s perfectly fine. Don’t worry, you’ll definitely be compensated. As long as you truly have the skills.”

Lu Hao nodded. “That’s more like it.”

“I’ll give you a price so you’re aware—if you want to learn these things from me, you’ll need to pay at least thirty thousand yuan. And that’s already a discounted rate, considering you’re sincerely eager to learn.”

She nodded seriously. “Alright, no problem. I can afford that. I just hope you’ll teach me honestly.”

At that, Zhang Qingfan tossed her head, her jet-black hair swaying, and her mood soared with happiness. It was as if she’d just acquired a priceless treasure.

If she could truly learn the needle technique in traditional medicine that Lu Hao used, she might one day become one of the country’s top doctors.

With a smile, she said, “Come on, since you’ve agreed to teach me, let me treat you, my teacher, to a meal. What do you say?”

“Auntie, you should come with us too. What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiulan quickly shook her head and waved her hands. “No, no, I really won’t go. You two go together, that’s just fine.”

The more she looked at Zhang Qingfan, the more she liked this girl—she’d make a fine daughter-in-law.

Lu Hao glanced at Zhang Qingfan and said, “My mother probably wouldn’t enjoy those places. Let’s just the two of us go.”

Zhang Qingfan nodded. “Alright, I drove here, so I’ll take you.”

And so, the two of them left together.

Lu Hao soon noticed that Zhang Qingfan’s car was a Range Rover costing several hundred thousand, nearly a million yuan. Moreover, she drove with practiced ease, showing she was no stranger to being behind the wheel.

A family that bought her a Range Rover as soon as she started working—no wonder she could so easily agree to pay thirty thousand yuan. Her background was clearly extraordinary.

No doubt, wherever she chose to dine wouldn’t be cheap, either.

Sure enough, before long, the black Range Rover pulled up outside a foreign restaurant called “One Thousand and One Nights”—a Middle Eastern establishment with an Arabian flair.

The exterior walls were predominantly white, adorned with tiles of various shapes and gold embellishments that made the restaurant look incredibly luxurious.

Seeing Lu Hao’s expression, a hint of pride flickered across Zhang Qingfan’s face.

“Well, what do you think? Not bad, right? I always bring my good friends here. Their hand-grabbed lamb is simply extraordinary, and their Arabian dishes use spices imported from India—they’re delicious.”

Standing before the restaurant, Lu Hao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Having money really did make life easier—you could even dine in such grand places.

He smiled. “Not bad at all. I’ve never eaten anywhere like this before. Let’s go in and take a look.”

As they reached the entrance, Lu Hao noticed that most of the servers were locals; there were hardly any actual Middle Easterners—if any at all. The staff wore red, gold-embroidered uniforms, even their shoes were leather boots, all looking quite expensive.

Compared to his own bargain-bin attire, Lu Hao felt rather out of place.

Zhang Qingfan smiled, leading the way. “Come on, let’s go inside and see if the food suits your taste.”

As she walked ahead, Lu Hao hesitated and slowed his steps.

Zhang Qingfan, dressed head to toe in designer brands with an air of elegance, was also a regular at the restaurant. She slipped inside with ease.

But when Lu Hao tried to follow, a server stopped him at the door.

The server gave Lu Hao a once-over and immediately judged him as someone who couldn’t afford to eat there.

The restaurant had its rules: servers had to keep out beggars or anyone who seemed odd, lest they disturb the affluent clientele. After all, the guests here were all wealthy, and offending them meant offending money itself.

The server looked down at Lu Hao coldly. “Hey, did you make a reservation? Do you have a ticket? If not, you can’t come in.”

Startled, Lu Hao pointed to Zhang Qingfan’s receding figure. “No, but I’m with my friend—she should have one.”

The server sneered. “Don’t make me laugh. Do you look like you belong in the same league as that lady?”

“Are you here to cause trouble?”

After all, in places like this, it was usually men treating women—rarely the other way around. The food was so expensive that most patrons were bosses dining with their mistresses. Many wives didn’t even have the privilege to eat there.

Lu Hao shook his head. “That’s really not the case, I…”

The server, after confirming Lu Hao was wearing off-brand clothes, became even more brazen—working long enough in such a luxury restaurant, one inevitably developed a sense of superiority.

“Alright, enough. There are dozens like you I throw out every day. Don’t make me get rough—get lost.”

Lu Hao was stunned. This was a textbook case of looking down on people.

He’d only ever seen videos about this kind of thing online—salespeople at luxury boutiques judging customers by their appearance and sometimes being openly rude. He’d always thought those were just staged.

He never imagined he’d experience it himself.

Lu Hao’s patience snapped, and he retorted firmly, “Watch your mouth. I came here to eat. You can’t refuse me just because of how I’m dressed.”

The server cursed angrily, “Nonsense! If you don’t leave, I’ll really hit you!”

He was in a foul mood, having just been scolded by his boss, and was itching to vent his frustration. Now that Lu Hao had wandered into his line of fire, he was ready to unleash it.

With that, the server shoved Lu Hao hard.

The server had some connections in the restaurant and a bit of a temper. “So you really are here to cause trouble? I’ll teach you a lesson!”

But to his surprise, despite the full-force push, Lu Hao stood firm as a mountain—completely unmoved.