The Zuimo Court District, just west of West University Road, sat directly across the street from Binhai University. It was a low-density residential complex with lush greenery, mostly composed of six- and seven-story buildings.
In Apartment 701 of Building 9, Unit 1, Yan Feifan took a quick tour. It was a four-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bathroom apartment, complete with a loft and a rooftop terrace. Fully furnished with all necessary appliances, it was move-in ready.
"Mr. Wang, you aren’t giving me this apartment, are you?"
Wang Chuan looked at Yan Feifan’s disbelieving face and slowly explained, "This apartment’s market value is over twenty million."
"It’s right across the road from Binhai University and less than a ten-minute drive from the Affiliated Hospital. It’s also zoned for the Binhai University Affiliated High School and its elementary school."
"Apartments here are always in high demand but rarely on the market!"
After a brief pause, he stressed, "For now, this apartment is just being lent to you and your sister. Think of it as compensation for the three hours you spend commuting every day."
"If..."
Wang Chuan gave a sly smile and said enticingly, "If you can make great strides under my tutelage and successfully complete Yanyan’s facial reconstruction surgery within three years..."
"...then this apartment is all yours!"
"It all comes down to whether you have the confidence, perseverance, and skill!"
"Deal! Let’s high-five on it and sign an agreement!"
Wang Chuan was taken aback, seeing how readily Yan Feifan agreed—his eyes gleaming, his right hand already raised for a high-five.
"You agreed that easily?"
Yan Feifan nodded. "The chance to earn a property worth over twenty million in just three years? That’s definitely worth grinding myself into the ground for."
"Plus, I won’t have to squeeze onto that damned subway and bus every day. I can use all that saved time for medical practice and studying. I couldn’t ask for anything more."
"Getting to do what I love while scoring an unbelievably good deal? Only an idiot would say no."
Yan Feifan wiggled the hand he was still holding up. "Mr. Wang, you aren’t going to back out, are you?" he urged.
Wang Chuan’s heart pounded with excitement. "Yan Feifan, if you can really restore Yanyan’s face perfectly within three years..."
"Never mind this apartment, I’d even..."
Noticing Yan Feifan’s eyes starting to gleam again, Wang Chuan quickly bit back the other promises he was about to make.
He confirmed one more time, "Yan Feifan, I said *three* years, right?"
"I know. Three years!"
Yan Feifan pushed his luck. "So, Mr. Wang... if I fulfill the agreement ahead of schedule, is there an extra bonus?"
Mr. Wang’s expression soured. "Yan Feifan, overestimating your abilities is not a good thing," he said, displeased.
"Frankly, if you could do it in five years, I’d be waking up from happy dreams."
Yan Feifan gave his hand another little shake. "Mr. Wang, just you wait and see what I can do."
"Now, how about that high-five?"
Wang Chuan raised his hand and solemnly slapped it against Yan Feifan’s three times.
Seeing Yan Feifan looking utterly ecstatic, as if he’d just won the lottery, Mr. Wang felt a little miffed. "If I’d known it would be this easy to win you over," he grumbled, "I wouldn’t have had to agree to so many of Mr. Qin’s demanding conditions."
Yan Feifan surveyed the apartment and couldn’t help but grin. "Mr. Wang, it’s just that the prize is too big to resist."
"It completely floored a guy like me from a humble background."
"Besides, restoring Yanyan’s face is a huge challenge. Since there’s a real chance to do it, of course I’m willing to take it on."
"What’s more, the various delicate techniques of plastic surgery can be integrated and applied to other types of surgery as well."
Mr. Wang nodded in agreement. "Master one thing, and the rest will follow. That’s especially true for a practical skill like surgical technique."
"Yan Feifan, I’m not exaggerating..."
With a proud expression, Mr. Wang declared, "Once you’ve truly mastered our plastic surgery’s delicate techniques, even operations that demand extreme precision and have zero margin for error—like ophthalmic or deep cranial surgeries—will feel like a piece of cake. It’ll be as easy as taking something out of your pocket."
He added, "Of course, that’s assuming you have a sufficiently deep understanding of the anatomy of the eye and the brain."
"For someone like you, with your photographic memory, that shouldn’t be much of a problem at all."
Yan Feifan gave a self-satisfied smile and suddenly asked, "Mr. Wang, considering our relationship now... what about that whole thing with Zhao Yuqi’s plastic surgery?"
Mr. Wang simply waved a hand dismissively. "The buzz online has died down. Zhao Yuqi doesn’t want to take us to court either, since the truth would come out."
"We issued an apology, paid a token amount in compensation, and that was the end of it."
"Speaking of which, if it weren’t for that incident, I never would have known you could identify all her cosmetic procedures just from a high-definition, bare-faced photo."
He stared into Yan Feifan’s eyes and asked with curiosity, "Yan Feifan, how exactly did you do it?"
Yan Feifan thought for a moment, then said with some hesitation, "It’s nothing special, really. I just see a certain area, and it feels... off. Not quite harmonious. Then I know it’s been worked on."
Mr. Wang let out a soft "oh." "Your understanding of facial structures must be bone-deep. It makes sense you’d be able to spot the discrepancies at a glance."
Just then, a thought occurred to Yan Feifan. "Mr. Wang," he asked, "didn’t you say before that you didn’t believe anyone could do that?"
"What made you change your mind?"
Mr. Wang gave a slightly guilty smile and offered a vague explanation. "An internal leak would have been a serious matter, so of course, I had to conduct a thorough investigation."
"The investigations showed that the parties involved had no connection to you or your sister, so a leak was impossible."