This doctor is already middle-aged, and he's only just started practicing medicine.

Chapter 206 The National Competition Begins!
Even if an ordinary person tries to showcase themselves, it is difficult to enter the public eye and the view of most people. Even internet celebrities need a certain amount of luck.

Therefore, it is extremely easy for an insignificant person to deliberately conceal and erase their presence.

Lu Cheng is just a nobody, just a small emergency room doctor. No matter how extraordinary he is now, only a few people in the emergency room can truly understand him.

For more than a month, Lu Cheng's daily routine was very regular.

If there's a shift to take, then take that shift; if there's a standard surgery performed by Director Du Qiang in the department, then perform that standard surgery; if there's a patient to be referred, then refer them!

When he's not on duty, he either teaches or goes to Jilin City to conduct experiments; he doesn't cause any trouble.

Therefore, Lu Cheng's life and work rhythm became flat and no longer affected by anyone.

More importantly, the leaders of Longxian People's Hospital talked to Lu Cheng several times, but Lu Cheng did not budge.

Moreover, with the state's selection process already completely finished and Lu Cheng's presence becoming increasingly weak, no one was keeping an eye on him.

December 18th, Friday, weather: cloudy.

Jilin City is located in a mountainous area with a biting wind and very cold winters.

However, in the animal testing laboratory, Lu Cheng and Tong Yuan'an were all wearing a thin long-sleeved shirt and an isolation suit.

After stepping out of a modern operating room, Lu Cheng took off his mask, smiled, and said, "Teacher Tong, everyone, that's about it. You've all seen the test data from just now."

“You have indeed mastered these techniques, and your data is even better than mine.”

"Now you understand, right? I'm just a lucky slacker."

Lu Cheng checked his skill point balance: 154.6 points!
A month has passed, and the increase is only eighty, a record low.

If Lu Cheng used all these skill points, he would have a chance to continue to keep these older brothers and "teachers" in check, but Lu Cheng felt it was unnecessary.

Lu Cheng's basic suturing skills are not as good as these guys', so his overall data is lower than the data they obtained using techniques, which is quite normal.

Tong Yuan'an, with a stern face, surveyed the room: "Aren't you going to call everyone? Xiao Lu has been teaching you wholeheartedly and without reservation."

"The student surpasses the teacher and then turns their back on them?"

Hu Yi, being the youngest and closest in age to Lu Cheng, was the first to completely lower his tone, almost fawningly asking, "Teacher Lu, where would you like to press later?!"

"Teacher Lu, you must be joking!"

"Luck is also a part of absolute strength. You've worked hard this past month." Xie Ziyuan has a handsome appearance, a well-proportioned figure, a pleasant voice, and a rather straightforward personality.

In contrast to Xie Ziyuan, Han Yunshen's appearance is more technically inclined.

Han Yunshen is 1.8 meters tall and has an absolute air of strength!

Han Yunshen's tone was a little hesitant and distorted: "Teacher Lu, I will definitely remember your kindness and care, and I will never forget it."

Lu Cheng listened without expression, because Han Yunshen had used this tone many times. This person's personality was as unrestrained and unconventional as his own appearance: "Ahem."

"Teacher Han, Teacher Xie, didn't we agree before that you would call me Xiao Lu and I would call you brother?"

“If you insist on calling me that, then we’ll each call you by our own names. From now on, I’ll call you professor or teacher.”

The two looked at Tong Yuan'an; Tong Yuan'an was the real 'big brother'!

Tong Yuan'an also learned the skills, but because Tong Yuan'an had taught Lu Cheng things before, he did not change his address.

"Forget it, forget it, you young people can do it yourselves."

"We have a batch of results for both the control and experimental groups of vascular and nerve suturing, and they are ready for review."

"I'll do my thing, you guys do yours, just don't get arrested!" Tong Yuan'an got up and left.

As soon as Tong Yuan'an left, the very sensible Han Yunshen walked up behind Lu Cheng and started massaging Lu Cheng's shoulders: "Brother Lu, what are we eating later?"

"How about I get you a chick to nourish you?"

"We're flying to Chengdu for a competition tomorrow. See you next time, it'll be several days."

Xie Ziyuan felt a little disgusted by Han Yunshen's words, but since Han Yunshen had already lowered his guard, he also took the initiative to say, "Brother Lu, since Brother Tong isn't here, let's have some freedom."

"How about we go eat at that duck place later?"

"That restaurant's food is still pretty good."

Lu Cheng took out his phone and said, "I need to check with my wife first and see if she's going."

"Your sister-in-law is in Ji'an too? Why don't you invite her along?" Xie Ziyuan asked hurriedly.

Han Yunshen patted Xie Ziyuan on the shoulder and said seriously, "What sister-in-law? That's the boss. Brother Lu's boss!"

Lu Cheng realized one thing: a person's personality and temperament have little to do with their status or position; what matters is whether you can break through the defenses of their status.

To outsiders, Xie Ziyuan and Han Yunshen are both associate professors at Xiangya Hospital, and they appear very aloof and refined.

Who would have thought that Han Yun Shen was such a shameless clown who could change his gender just by joking?

Xie Ziyuan is slightly more normal, but he has a bit of social anxiety. Whenever he is with someone of higher status than him, Xie Ziyuan will stutter a little.

It's much better now. I heard that when Xie Ziyuan was doing his doctoral studies, he had a slight lisp when he spoke to his professors.

"Hey guys, my wife said she's going, and she'll be bringing a close friend, Xie Yuan'an from Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Do you think that's convenient for you?"

"If it's inconvenient, we can sit at two tables," Lu Cheng asked.

"Convenient, of course it's convenient!" How could Han Yunshen and Xie Ziyuan say it wasn't convenient?
The two of them knew perfectly well that Lu Cheng's production rate was even higher than that of a high-producing sow.

This is precisely Lu Cheng's most productive age, and who knows what kind of 'longer duration and thicker girth' suturing technique he might come up with next.

If, by any chance, Lu Cheng were to develop such a suturing technique, he would be the god of middle age and a friend to women.

Compared to Han Yunshen and Xie Ziyuan, Hu Yi, the chief physician, appeared 'calm and composed,' an honest man who neither sold his treasures nor tried to curry favor with Lu Cheng.

……

Xie Yuan'an and Han Yunshen's group were meeting for the first time, or were they traveling together.

So with just a few introductions, Xie Yuan'an became acquainted with several people and started talking about things within their profession.

For example, we talked about industry leaders, the development direction of the industry, and the microsurgical skills competition that was held a few days ago.

Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu, on the other hand, discussed Mu Nanshu's topic separately.

Although Mu Nanshu is away, he still needs to apply for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Fund next year. The proposal is ready, but whether he will be successful depends on many factors.

After Xie Yuan'an and the others had been chatting for a while, the topic suddenly shifted to Lu Cheng, one of the listeners.

Han Yunshen's expression was particularly unsettling at this moment. His already expressive features were now even more unrestrained, almost grotesque: "Dr. Xie, are you saying that just two months ago, Lu Cheng was still a complete novice?"

"Did he do all of this in the last two months?"

"Chuo?"

Although Xie Yuan'an didn't understand the last sentence, she understood the meaning of the preceding sentences. At this moment, Xie Yuan'an felt at ease: "Yes, it's just that incredible."

"This world is just so unreasonable."

"Before, I only heard from Xiao Mumu that her boyfriend was very talented, but that was all I heard."

"It was only after that that I gained real insight."

"Now look what's happened, I've been dragged into this mess, and I've been reduced to half a generation younger."

Mu Nanshu asked, puzzled, "What does '0.5 generation' mean?"

Xie Yuan'an did some elementary school math: "If I call you Little Mu Mu and him Teacher Lu, wouldn't that average out to 0.5 generations?"

Even another usually obedient listener laughed at this algorithm. Hu Yi said, "Then Dr. Xie, you're 0.5 generations above us? How should we address you then?"

Han Yun Shen, that slut, blurted out: "A middle-aged woman..."

Han Yunshen's words made Xie Yuan'an's face darken; that address was just too awful.

At over thirty years old, she certainly knew what "a woman past her prime" meant, but Xie Yuan'an wasn't shy or blushing: "Let's still treat each other as equals."

"It's not appropriate to directly discuss seniority within academia! Otherwise, it would create chaos among senior and junior disciples."

Han Yunshen and the others agreed to Xie Yuanan's suggestion, nodded, and then changed the subject!
Xie Ziyuan said, "Dr. Xie, there are rumors in the industry that your Peking Union Medical College Hospital also has original nerve suturing techniques. Do you know them? Could you demonstrate them sometime?"

Xie Yuan'an nodded and then shook her head: "I've heard of it, but I haven't had any contact with it."

"I just haven't had time to get in touch with them. I'm really sorry."

Mu Nanshu chimed in, "Xie Yuan'an came here in October to learn suturing techniques, and she spends very little time at the hospital."

"This rumor started circulating at the end of September, so it's normal that she didn't know about it."

Xie Ziyuan stroked his chin and said with a smile, "Actually, I'm very curious. They're both sewing techniques, so which one is better?" Xie Yuan'an and Xie Ziyuan are from the same clan, and they directly compared their ages, saying, "Brother Yuan, I don't know either, but based on my feeling, the quality of the techniques you learned might be slightly better."

"Although I haven't seen the specific sutures, I have seen the test data."

"The techniques you use are on average about five percent better."

Xie Ziyuan immediately frowned: "The average advantage is only five percent? That person's skill level has a big impact on the result."

"Then we need to be careful."

Lu Cheng said, "Brother Xie, five percent is already very good. Maybe Teacher Xie Yuan'an is just being modest."

Lu Cheng had never seen the suturing techniques of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, but anything that could be called a suturing technique was extraordinary.

For example, the Tang method has been clinically validated over many years and remains highly effective, and it is a commonly used suturing technique in clinical practice.

"That's true." Xie Ziyuan didn't ask any further questions.

After chatting for a while longer, the dinner party came to a temporary end.

Xie Yuan'an still needs to take the high-speed train back to Wuhan to make some preparations before setting off for Chengdu tomorrow. Xie Ziyuan and the others are in a similar situation, but their itineraries are different, and since they have only just met, there is no reason for them to travel together.

Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu only saw Xie Yuan'an off at the high-speed rail station, while Xie Ziyuan and the others traveled on their own.

On the way back, Mu Nanshu said, "Sister Xie sent me a message to express her gratitude, asking me to convey her thanks to you in person. She will try her best not to disappoint your high expectations of her."

Mu Nanshu was reading a message aloud, but her tone carried a hint of jealousy.

Lu Cheng said with a smile, "The main reason is that I don't know anyone else. Otherwise, I shouldn't have asked Xie Yuan'an to participate in the competition."

"Why?" Mu Nanshu asked.

"She was perfectly innocent, but this girl has no idea how to handle interpersonal relationships, making it seem like she's not innocent at all," Lu Cheng said as he turned the steering wheel.

"There's someone in my family who seems to carry yeast with him, which makes him prone to producing vinegar."

Mu Nanshu raised her chin: "You're overthinking it..."

"I was just thinking that some people, when they get busy, not only forget my birthday, but also don't give me a gift, nothing at all," Mu Nanshu muttered.

Lu Cheng was truly speechless at this.

He really didn't expect that he would actually forget Mu Nanshu's birthday!
Admittedly, Mu Nanshu wasn't in Long County in October; Xie Yuanan had summoned him to Han City. Also, Lu Cheng was on the day shift that day, so he had no chance to escape.

But Lu Cheng never mentioned this during their conversation, so he had no choice but to accept his fate.

The next day, I added a happy birthday message, and those who were going to be disappointed were disappointed.

Although Lu Cheng made up for it the next day and said he had prepared a birthday gift for Mu Nanshu, Mu Nanshu reneged on the promise.

A gift is only a birthday gift if it is given on the actual birthday. Does that mean you can't receive gifts on your birthday?

Lu Cheng said, "Fine, it's my fault. What do you want in return for giving me a chance to erase this terrible stain on my record?"

"I won't tell you!" Mu Nanshu said.

"Give me a chance, boss?" Lu Cheng continued to plead.

"Okay, I'll let you know when I've thought it through."

"By the way, are you sure you've thought it through? You're not going to participate in tomorrow's competition?"

“Now that you have several competitors, you may not be able to achieve very good results,” Mu Nanshu changed the subject.

Lu Cheng said, "I'm not going. You can just say I'm not going and then I'm not going?"

Mu Nanshu asked, "So what are you planning to do? Watch the game online?"

"I'm not even going. Why would I watch the competition online? I'll just keep working on my project and collecting data. Who wins or loses isn't that important." Lu Cheng thought seriously for a moment before saying:
"What I need to consider is, if I go to the state hospital, although it will be more convenient to do my research, what surgeries can I have in the emergency department?"

"We need to find a few reasonable diseases and conduct research on them in advance."

"I don't want to go there and become a mascot."

Mu Nanshu said, "Why not a spleen-preserving surgery? Hasn't this procedure already been registered?"

"Where am I supposed to find so many ruptured spleens to save every day?"

"Besides, after these few projects are finished, we'll have no more projects to work on. Projects originate from clinical practice and return to clinical practice. I need to think carefully about what to do next."

"Otherwise, they'll just be hanging around on the fringes, never getting into the real stuff."

"Functional reconstruction techniques for functional impairments are currently a promising area of ​​competition."

Mu Nanshu frowned slightly: "But functional impairment isn't an emergency, is it?"

Lu Cheng thought for a moment and replied, "That's not necessarily true."

"Functional impairment is usually a complication of emergency injury. If we can resolve the subsequent problems of functional impairment before complications occur, wouldn't that be prevention?"

“That’s a bit difficult,” Mu Nanshu replied.

"What isn't difficult to do? Once you have a direction, it's easier to continue working."

Lu Cheng yawned and then asked, "Are you coming back to Long County with me, or staying in Ji City?"

"I'll just wait for you in Jilin City. You'll come over anyway after your shift tomorrow."

"Professor Chen and Professor Tong are still here on the research project, and we also have other things to do."

"Oh, right."

"Lu Cheng, you absolutely must be in Ji City on Monday!" Mu Nanshu said. "Zhang Xibei is coming!"

Lu Cheng's spirits lifted: "I wasn't on duty on Monday. Has Brother Northwest finally come to his senses?"

Mu Nanshu said, "He's just here to take a look; he might not make a decision."

"But our trip to WZ City at the beginning of the month definitely had an effect."

Lu Cheng said, "Okay, I'll definitely be back on Sunday!"

After starting to work on the project, Lu Cheng gradually realized the importance of having a leading expert in animal experimental models.

If Zhang Xibei can indeed bring clinical models into the animal laboratory, Lu Cheng's suturing techniques can be mastered more quickly, and derivative papers can be generated, making technical learning more professional. In that case, the transition from animal experiments to clinical trials will be more logical and well-founded.

Although Shaanxi Province is far away, Lu Cheng wasn't busy lately, so the two of them took a break and made a trip to Shaanxi Province.

It's been effective so far.

Mu Nanshu glanced at Lu Cheng and said, "My parents want us to choose a time for our engagement. What do you think?"

Lu Cheng said, "It'll be during the Chinese New Year, when all our relatives and friends will be there."

"I think the sooner I bring you here, the better. It's a bit cold to sleep alone."

"Don't hit my steering wheel!" Lu Cheng suddenly raised his voice.

Mu Nanshu lowered her head slightly: "Who told you to be so unserious?"

"That's the truth. I feel like I've accumulated some experience myself, and I'm not that far behind you."

"Once these projects are completed, my contract in Xiangzhou will expire, and then I'll head over to Union Hospital."

“Everything will fall into place naturally.” Lu Cheng said formally.

"And what about your associate professorship?" Mu Nanshu asked.

"The evaluation will be next year... The written test will be in May or June, followed by an interview and a practical exam... It should be fine." Lu Cheng looked at his panel.

The current comprehensive ability assessment already qualifies one as an associate chief physician, and the required level will only be higher in the future.

Although the title of associate chief physician is not obtained through a professional title assessment, my abilities are not bad even if I am not in a top-tier institution.

"You don't have any articles?" Mu Nanshu asked, somewhat conflicted.

Lu Cheng glanced at Mu Nanshu: "I do. You don't think Brother Xie Ziyuan and the others are that insensible, do you?"

"The papers for promotion to associate professor can be easily written at Xiangzhou People's Hospital."

Mu Nanshu was taken aback upon hearing this: "That's true, I had almost forgotten about them. You still have other people helping you now."

Lu Cheng said in a low voice, "You're the only one who helped. The others were just there for personal reasons."

"I'm not blaming anything, this is just the basic rule of how society works. Unless it's someone close to you, outsiders won't care whether you live or die."

"If you have resources, go and exchange them; if you don't, you can only wait to die."

(End of this chapter)