Rebirth of a Doctor Without Regrets

Chapter 126 The Rehired Old Director

The sun shines brightly in front of the gate of Chung Hsin University Second Affiliated Hospital.

Li Renzhong stood alone at the entrance of the Second Hospital, and passing patients would subconsciously glance at him.

He had one year left in his three-year residency program, but in response to the call to support cardiac surgery, he volunteered to return to cardiac surgery to help.

On his first day, Director Lin Gaoming assigned him an important task: to go to the gate of the hospital to greet the old director, Zhu Haiming, who had been rehired.

Zhu Haiming was once a legendary figure in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Chung Hsin University Second Affiliated Hospital, where he single-handedly built the foundation of the department.

Lin Gaoming and Bai Cen were his capable assistants back then, and they enjoyed great prestige in the provincial political and ideological field.

Two years ago, he retired due to age and health reasons, and since then he has lived a secluded life, rarely going to the hospital.

The fact that Dean Chen has personally rehired him demonstrates the urgency of this competition for the provincial-level cardiothoracic disease center qualification.

Li Renzhong straightened his white coat and stood upright at the gate of the courtyard.

The young doctor was always a little nervous when meeting industry bigwigs, and had to constantly suppress the urge to ask for their autographs.

About ten minutes later, a black sedan slowly drove into the hospital gate and came to a steady stop in front of him.

The car door opened, and an elderly man with gray hair but a sprightly demeanor stepped out. He was wearing a navy blue executive jacket, his back was slightly hunched, but his steps were still very brisk.

Li Renzhong quickly stepped forward, a respectful smile plastered on his face: "Director Zhu, hello, I am Li Renzhong from the Department of Cardiac Surgery. Director Lin asked me to come and pick you up."

Zhu Haiming sized him up, and when he saw that his name tag said "resident physician," his expression instantly turned cold, as if he were quite displeased: "What is Lin Gaoming up to? I came back, and instead of coming in person, he sent a resident to deal with me?"

Before he finished speaking, he flung away Li Renzhong's outstretched hand that was trying to help him with his luggage, turned around and walked towards the inpatient department. His steps were quick and steady, not at all like a man in his seventies.

Li Renzhong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed, explaining as he went, "Director Zhu, everyone's schedules are full right now, and Director Lin is also in surgery, so he really can't get away. That's why he sent me—"

Zhu Haiming ignored him and kept walking, leaving Li Renzhong behind again.

As he entered the cardiac surgery area of ​​the inpatient ward, he noticed a crumpled tissue and an empty mineral water bottle scattered on the ground, clearly discarded by a patient who had just visited.

His face grew increasingly grim. He stopped and pointed at the trash: "Look at this! This is the department Lin Gaoming manages? He can't even keep the lobby clean. How can patients feel at ease seeing this mess?"

Back when I was there, there wasn't a speck of trash on the floor; even the walls were so polished you could see your reflection in them!

Li Renzhong quickly stepped forward, bent down to pick up the trash, and threw it into the nearby trash can, nodding and smiling apologetically: "You're right, Director Zhu, it was our oversight. I'll report it to the department and we'll definitely strengthen sanitation management."

Zhu Haiming snorted and continued walking forward, encountering several nurses he recognized along the way who greeted him.

Zhu Haiming simply waved his hand, his tone indifferent, and turned to continue walking forward, showing no intention of exchanging pleasantries.

These nurses are now middle-aged, with fine lines around their eyes, no longer looking as young as they once did.

After the nurses had walked away, he stopped and looked at their backs, muttering in disappointment, "Lin Gaoming is really useless!"

Over the years, we haven't even been able to hire a few young and pretty nurses. Back when I hired these girls, they were all so fresh and beautiful!

Li Renzhong followed behind, his lips twitching. He could only nod in agreement, but he was speechless inside.

The old director had just returned and hadn't even entered the department yet when he had already scolded Director Lin several times. It seems the department is going to be quite lively in the coming days.

The two walked to the cardiac surgery office area, turned a corner in the corridor, and saw an unused office.

The door was open, and you could see that it was filled with daily necessities and office supplies.

This was the director's office that had been left vacant after another chief physician, Bai Cen, left for another job, and was later used as a temporary warehouse.

Looking at the mess inside, Zhu Haiming sighed heavily, "What a pity about this office! It's being used as a warehouse now! Lin Gaoming, Lin Gaoming, you have no sense of teamwork at all; you've even ruined a decent office like this!"

Li Renzhong had heard about this mess in the department before and didn't know what to say. "Yes, yes, Director Zhu, you're right. We'll definitely clean up this office when we have time."

Zhu Haiming didn't say anything more, turned around and walked straight to Lin Gaoming's director's office. Li Renzhong jogged all the way to catch up.

At that moment, Lin Gaoming had just finished a level-four surgery, took off his surgical gown, took a quick shower, and rushed back to his office.

As soon as I entered, I saw Zhu Haiming leaning against the window, a cigar between his fingers, surrounded by smoke.

The cigar box he kept in the drawer had been opened and placed on the table.

Li Renzhong stood aside, looking at Lin Gaoming with a helpless expression, and gently shook his head to indicate that he had done his best.

Lin Gaoming was taken aback for a moment, then reacted, a respectful smile appearing on his face as he quickly stepped forward: "Director Zhu, you've finally arrived! Welcome back to the hospital to inspect our work. Thank you for your hard work this time."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the cigar in Zhu Haiming's hand: "Director Zhu, our hospital has a rule that smoking is prohibited throughout the hospital, you see—"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Haiming raised his eyelids slightly and exhaled a puff of smoke: "No smoking? Then why do you keep so many cigars in your office? Are they just for show?"

Lin Gaoming's smile remained unchanged. He did not refute, but simply stepped forward, gently closed the cigar box, and put it back in the drawer. He said with a smile, "Old Director, we invited you back this time because we hope you can come out of retirement and help us."

Our hospital is currently vying for provincial-level cardiothoracic disease center certification, and cardiac surgery is the core department. With you here, we feel more confident. If you'd like, you can join my treatment team, and we can work together to help our hospital obtain the certification.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Haiming waved his hand firmly, saying, "Hmph! If I'm helping, it'll be for Xiao Chen. I don't want to join your treatment team."

Although Lin Gaoming was not Zhu Haiming's student back then, he was still his junior.

For a doctor, who is sensitive to hierarchy, it can be a bit awkward to be an assistant to a junior.

Lin Gaoming had anticipated this response and nodded with a smile: "Alright, then we'll do as the old director says. Arrange things however you wish. You can familiarize yourself with the department first, and let me know if you need anything."