Life Through the Ame Chapter 156: Introduction

Night had fallen.

At the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, the banquet hall had been ticulously arranged for an upscale cocktail party.

Uniford waitstaff—both male and female, all good-looking—moved gracefully through the crowd, providing impeccable service to the guests.

n in tailored suits and won in elegant evening gowns gathered in small groups, champagne in hand, engaging in lively conversation.

"Adam, let

introduce you. This is Professor Jas Mudd from Columbia University's dical School."

Leonard led Adam to a Black professor and made the introductions. "Jas, this is Adam Duncan, my good friend, a bestselling author, and a future student at Columbia's dical school."

"Professor Mudd, it's a pleasure to et you," Adam greeted politely.

"Likewise, Mr. Duncan," Jas replied with a smile. "I have to say, I'm really curious. Leonard here has such a terrible temper—none of us old guys can stand him. How did soone as young as you manage to beco his friend?"

"Damn it!"

Leonard cursed playfully. "I have a bad temper? Who was the one always looking for a fight back in the day?"

"Who, ?"

Jas feigned confusion. "Wasn't that you?"

"It was ?"

Leonard shot him a threatening look. "Want to test that theory right now?"

"Okay, okay."

Jas shrugged and turned to Adam. "Leonard and I were classmates in d school. I chose to stay and teach at our alma mater, while he stayed on the front lines in the hospital. Back in the day, we were the 'twin stars' of Columbia d."

"Oh, give

a break."

Leonard scoffed. "I might have barely qualified as a hero, but you? Please."

Adam watched their friendly banter with amusent, enjoying their dynamic.

It was clear that Leonard and Professor Jas Mudd had a close relationship.

And it made sense. Whether in the East or the West, the bond between classmates was special—one of the purest forms of friendship.

Back then, before anyone had made a na for themselves, they still carried a touch of idealism. But once they graduated and entered the professional world—climbing the ladder, making money, navigating endless competition—they began to cherish those simpler tis even more.

Of course, dical school was unique in its own right. The dical profession was competitive from the very start—it had to be.

Without an unshakable sense of confidence and ambition, how could a doctor handle the responsibility of life and death?

Sotis, even the slightest hesitation could an the difference between a patient surviving or dying.

The emotional impact of watching life slip away under your hands required a ntal fortitude that few possessed.

That's why top doctors tended to be exceptionally self-assured—bordering on arrogant. They trusted no one but themselves.

This personality trait was naturally selected from the mont they entered dical school. Over ti, rigorous training reinforced it, pushing them toward the ultimate mindset: *I'm the best, and the rest of you are just amateurs.*

Of course, skill had to back up the attitude. Otherwise, they weren't *the best*—they were just *fools.*

And in dicine, there was no room for self-deception. One major surgery was all it took to separate the truly talented from the pretenders.

If a doctor believed they were the best, it was because they had the skills to prove it.

The intense competition fostered a distinct culture in dical school. But that didn't an classmates saw each other as enemies.

Compared to the ruthless competition for top positions across the country—where failure often ant leaving to start over elsewhere—the rivalry between d school peers was almost friendly by comparison.

This kind of realization wasn't obvious to students in their early years. But for soone like Leonard, who had been in the field long enough to hit career roadblocks, those days of competing purely to hone their skills probably felt like a nostalgic fairy tale.

Still, judging by the way Leonard and Professor Mudd interacted, their friendship had been strong since d school. Otherwise, even if old classmates remained sowhat close, they wouldn't share this level of camaraderie.

After all, dical school was highly competitive, but friendships were still based on chemistry. If two people hit it off, their rivalry beca more of a friendly challenge than a cutthroat battle.

At the end of the day, New York was a massive city with countless hospitals. Surely there was room for both friends to thrive.

"So, Adam," Jas turned his attention to him after a bit more playful arguing with Leonard, "you're a bestselling author. What made you decide to go to dical school?"

Adam half-joked, half-serious: "I've always admired the nobility of saving lives. No amount of money can compare to that."

"This isn't just talk," Leonard chid in. "Adam has had this dream since he was a kid. When he applied for college, he chose Columbia's biology program. He even volunteered at NYU dical Center. He's already passed the MCAT and is applying to Columbia d this year. He had all these goals lined up long before he beca a bestselling author."

"That's impressive."

Jas nodded in approval.

"And that's not all," Leonard added. "After becoming a bestselling author, he even spent his own money on dical equipnt and practiced surgery through hunting. He's been doing it for three years now. I'd bet anything that he'll be the best student in this year's class."

"Now *that's* remarkable."

Jas looked at Adam with newfound respect.

Having a childhood dream, setting clear goals, and working toward them step by step—that was admirable, but not unheard of.

Doctors had high incos and prestigious status; even children understood that. Plenty of people aspired to beco doctors, far more than those who dread of becoming scientists.

That wasn't anything special.

But to actually *spend* money after making it big—to buy dical equipnt and practice surgical skills through hunting? That was *exceptionally* rare.

After all, without financial resources, it wouldn't even be an option.

In this mont, money once again demonstrated its unique power.

Jas could imdiately tell that when Adam spoke of saving lives, he truly ant it.

He wasn't just saying the right words while secretly prioritizing wealth and status.

Even in a country where people openly pursued financial success, true passion still carried weight.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say Adam is the *best* in this year's class," Jas said thoughtfully, "but he's definitely one of the top candidates."

"Huh?"

Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying there's soone even better this year?"

He knew Jas too well. If his old classmate wasn't outright agreeing that Adam was the best, there had to be a reason.

And since Jas was a professor at Columbia d and involved in admissions, he had access to far more insider information than Leonard, who worked on the front lines in a hospital.

Clearly, there was sothing—or soone—he knew that Leonard didn't.

(End of chapter.)