This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

The meeting place was a teahouse that had been open for many years near the hospital.

The place is not secluded; it's on the ground floor facing the street, and you can see who's sitting inside just by looking through the glass.

There weren't many customers on a weekday afternoon.

Zhou Cheng arrived ten minutes early and chose the innermost table, placing his phone on his right.

He didn't bring Lin Feng.

The hospital's legal department initially suggested sending someone to accompany him, but ultimately accepted Zou Liqian's suggestion to keep their distance and only leave someone nearby.

Since the other party has taken the initiative to propose a meeting, they are likely to be wary. If too many people show up at the beginning, it is very likely that you will not be able to get a single useful question.

Five minutes after the agreed time, a man in his forties walked into the teahouse.

He was wearing a dark-colored tracksuit, was slightly overweight, and had his hair neatly combed. He wasn't carrying any items that could reveal his identity.

After entering, he first scanned the first floor and quickly found Zhou Cheng, a smile immediately appearing on his face.

"Professor Zhou, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Just arrived."

The man pulled out a chair, sat down, and instead of introducing himself immediately, he poured himself a cup of tea, smelled it, and then smiled and said, "I've been here before. The tea is so-so, but it's quiet."

"What is your name?"

"His surname is Sun."

"Sun what?"

The man looked up at Zhou Cheng, his smile unchanged. "A mere errand boy, his name doesn't matter."

Zhou Cheng did not press the matter further.

The person who takes the initiative to ask him out must truly understand the importance of a name.

The fact that the other party was unwilling to leave their full identity already indicates that this conversation will not take place in any formal manner.

"The text message said that public handling wouldn't benefit anyone," Zhou Cheng said directly. "Who does 'everyone' refer to here?"

The man surnamed Sun picked up his teacup, blew on it gently, and said, "Professor Zhou gets straight to the point in clinical practice, and he does the same when discussing business."

"Time is limited."

"Then let me be more direct." The man put down his teacup. "The recent controversies have gone too far. The technology is suspended, the academic society is publishing papers, the grants are being audited, the journals are being questioned. If this continues, it won't benefit you, the hospital, or Director Zou, especially Director Zou, as this year is a crucial time."

Zhou Cheng looked at him. "Whom do you represent?"

"I don't represent anyone."

"Then what makes you decide who benefits?"

The man chuckled. "The industry is only so big. Some things don't require formal authorization from anyone. We're all in the medical field; we'll run into each other all the time. If things really escalate to the point where no matter who wins, it's the industry's reputation that suffers."

"What's damaging the industry's reputation now—the four cases of complications, or our public disclosure of the complications?"

The smile on the other person's face paused for a moment, then quickly returned.

"Professor Zhou, I'm not here to discuss technical details. I've read your debriefing report. You've taken responsibility for what you should have taken, and you've made the necessary corrections. The matter can be left at this point. There's no need to continue disclosing the subsequent multi-center reviews to the public, and there's no need to trace the source of each document from the association. Let's leave some room for maneuver, and the relevant training and meeting arrangements will naturally resume gradually."

Zhou Cheng said calmly, "Who can restore them?"

"No one can decide everything," the man replied quickly, "but many things come together quickly and disappear just as fast."

"What are the conditions?"

"There are no conditions to discuss."

"So why did you come today?"

The man picked up his teacup, took a sip, and did not answer immediately.

A bus was parked on the side of the road outside the window. Several passengers got off with umbrellas, and a blurry figure flashed across the glass.

After the bus drove away again, he slowly said, "Some of the conclusions in the review report can be expressed in a more prudent way."

Which part?

"For example, if there are flaws in the training system, it could be changed to a deviation in the understanding and execution of technology by the grassroots centers. Another example is the common decision-making problem in the four cases of complications. This conclusion is based on a limited sample size and can be considered as a hypothesis rather than a definite fact. Also, there is no need to link the academic documents and project disputes in your prepared follow-up analysis."

After listening quietly, Zhou Cheng said, "Turning the training deficiencies into grassroots implementation deviations is tantamount to pushing the responsibility back to Linjiang City."

"You can't say we're pushing it away," the man said. "The fact that the indications for treatment are being expanded at the grassroots level and that imaging technology is being underutilized is also true."

"It's true, so it's already written in the report."

"Now that it's written, adjusting the priorities is fine."

There's a problem.

Zhou Cheng's tone didn't become more forceful, but his reply left no room for interpretation.

The man looked at him for a few seconds, then slowly leaned back in his chair. "Professor Zhou, many things are not just about right or wrong on an academic level."

"Clinical conclusions must first be right or wrong."

You are still young.

"It has nothing to do with age."

"Of course it's related." The man's smile faded slightly. "At Director Zou's age, you should know better than me what the election for academician means to him. The wording you're insisting on now might not save one more patient, but it will make the review experts have doubts about the entire team."

"Clearly defining the conditions for cessation can reduce similar risks."

"The rectification has already been done, and it's enough for internal staff to know. Why make the responsibility so heavy?"

"Because other hospitals need to know where the problem came from."

"Other hospitals are only concerned with how to avoid this in the future; nobody cares about which statement bears the responsibility."

Zhou Cheng did not answer immediately, but instead reached for the teapot and added some water to his cup.

The tea in the pot had cooled down a bit, and the tea leaves had sunk to the bottom of the cup, their color much darker than when they first started.

Zhou Cheng paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Who sent you to discuss these matters?"

"I told you, nobody asked me to come."

"The revisions you just proposed are completely consistent with the statements in the documents of the three academic societies."

The man's eyes flickered slightly, a very subtle change, but it did not escape Zhou Cheng's notice. "The opinions of those who have studied this subject have common ground."

Zhou Cheng laughed. "Even the incorrect place names are shared?"

The table fell silent. The man surnamed Sun didn't touch his teacup again. After a few seconds, he chuckled and said, "Professor Zhou is here today to try and get information out of me."

"You're not here for tea either."

"Have you found the source of the document?"

"no."

"Then don't take speculation as evidence."

"That's why I'm asking you."

The man's politeness gradually faded, and for the first time, his gaze became serious.

"All I can tell you is this: if this investigation continues, it will likely find nothing in the end. The association's documents have been discussed by the expert panel, and everyone can claim they were merely offering their opinions. The forum accounts could be held by students, secretaries, or people who have long followed the industry. It's perfectly normal for someone to raise questions during the review phase. You're unlikely to find someone sitting in an office issuing orders."

"Do you know no, or are you sure you don't?"

Is there a difference?

"have."

"It doesn't apply to your current situation."

Zhou Cheng looked at him. "Do you know Director Zou's competitors this year?"

"I know many experts."

"Who asked you to convey these messages?"

"Nobody invited me."

"So what do you get out of it?"

The man was silent for a moment, then picked up the cup again, but did not drink it.

"Professor Zhou, there doesn't necessarily have to be a direct interest between people. Some people owe favors, some want to learn to stop causing trouble, and some just feel it would be a pity if Director Zou lost the election because of the students. If you trace every relationship to the end, you'll only find that everyone did something, but no one made a decision."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at his watch. "I've delivered my message. How you write the report and whether you release the follow-up data is up to you. But there's something I still want to remind you: if Director Zou doesn't get elected this time, no one will say it's academic competition; they'll just say his student made a mistake at a crucial time."

Zhou Cheng asked, "Is this a reminder or a threat?"

"It's true." The man stood up and placed the tea money on the table under his cup. "You're even better off not seeing me today."

He turned and walked towards the door, but paused again just before leaving the teahouse. He didn't turn back. "In the medical field, sometimes the conclusions aren't as important as you think. What's important is whether people are willing to accept them."

This is the latest chapter.