Rebirth of a Doctor Without Regrets

Chapter 144 Returning Home in Glory

Wu Deyang submitted a leave slip to his department, stating that an elderly family member was unwell and he needed to return to his hometown to take care of them for a few days.

Normally, the hospital is working hard to obtain the qualification to build the center, and the staff of the cardiac surgery department will not be granted leave.

However, Lin Gaoming knew that he had many tricks up his sleeve and that he needed to go back to the county to take care of some things, so he helped him get leave.

Wu Deyang was originally from Shuxian County, Jilin Province. He spent ten years of his life at the county's coal mine general hospital.

Back then, the coal mine general hospital was one of the top public institutions in the county, offering a stable and respectable job with top-notch salaries and benefits even in a small county town.

He worked his way up from residency training to full-time employment, gradually becoming a key member of the department. He thought he would be rooted in this small world for the rest of his life.

However, the overall profitability of the coal mine deteriorated, and welfare benefits also declined sharply.

Of course, he was unwilling to accept this. Seeing his peers either crowding into the provincial capital or rising to leadership positions, he couldn't suppress his competitive desires and ambitions.

He didn't want to be trapped in a small county town for the rest of his life, nor did he want to live his life bearing the title of a county hospital doctor.

In order to get into the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chunda University in Chuncheng, the provincial capital, he went around asking for connections and finding ways to get in. He emptied his savings of many years and even shamelessly borrowed money to finally get in through the back door of social recruitment.

He squeezed out several competitors and secured that precious job opening.

On the day he was about to leave, the leaders of the Coal Mine General Hospital took turns trying to persuade him to stay and offered him better treatment, but Wu Deyang did not hesitate at all.

His colleagues surrounded him with envy, saying that he had finally achieved great success and would become an expert at a major provincial hospital with a limitless future.

Five years have passed, and he is about to turn forty, but he is still just an inconspicuous attending physician at Chunda No. 2 Hospital.

He lacks impressive research achievements and exceptional surgical skills; he is less experienced than senior attending physicians and less driven than younger resident physicians.

He received a fixed salary every month, lived in a rented small house, and made a meager living, far from the glamorous life of a provincial expert that everyone had imagined back then.

Whenever he thinks of these things, Wu Deyang can't help but sigh, a bitter self-mockery appearing on his lips.

He did everything he was supposed to do, and he even tried his best to do things he shouldn't have done. What else could he do?

He walked to the hospital parking lot and looked at the old Volkswagen Sagitar that he had owned for five years in the corner.

It was the same car that came from Shuxian back then. The body was covered with scratches, the paint was already dull, and the interior was worn white. It looked extremely shabby among all the new cars.

If he were to drive this car back to Shuxian, those colleagues who envied him back then and his former superiors who valued him would probably laugh at him behind his back, seeing that he was still in such a shabby state after five years.

Not to mention begging others to help refer patients.

"No, I absolutely can't lose face like this." Wu Deyang looked at his savings, gritted his teeth, and immediately decided to rent a car from a nearby rental shop.

He didn't dare rent overly luxurious cars, such as Mercedes-Benz or BMW 7 Series, which cost millions. As an attending physician, he simply couldn't afford them. Anyone with eyes could tell they were rented, and it would easily expose him.

After careful consideration, he chose a black BMW X3, which was reasonably priced, respectable enough without being ostentatious, and just right for the status and style of a key member of a provincial hospital.

After completing the car rental formalities, Wu Deyang changed into a neatly pressed casual suit, put on sunglasses, and sat in the spacious driver's seat.

Touching the smooth leather seats, the inferiority complex in my heart dissipated slightly, and I finally felt more confident returning home in glory.

He stepped on the gas and sped off toward Shuxian, pondering how to bring it up with his old boss, Hao Linjie.

He wanted to achieve his goal of referral without revealing his true intentions.

After a two-hour drive, we soon arrived at Shuju Coal Mine General Hospital.

The familiar campus, the mottled buildings, and the coal miners in their work clothes coming and going—everything is much the same as it was five years ago, yet it all feels strange.

Wu Deyang slowly parked the rented BMW X3 in the parking lot at the main entrance of the hospital, deliberately choosing the most conspicuous spot.

As soon as I turned off the engine and got out of the car, several familiar figures came to greet me.

The person in the lead was none other than his former direct superior, Hao Linjie, the director of the cardiology department.

Hao Linjie's hair had turned even whiter, and his belly was rounder than before.

Behind him were two resident doctors in their early thirties who looked somewhat familiar; they were the juniors that Wu Deyang had mentored years ago.

"Deyang, we've been waiting for you to come back!"

Hao Linjie walked up with a smile, patted his arm, and glanced at the BMW X3 next to him.

"Wow, Wu, you've really upgraded in just a few years! That BMW must have cost close to 500,000, right?"

The two young doctors behind her also came up, calling her "Teacher Wu" repeatedly, their eyes full of envy.

The way the young people admired him instantly filled Wu Deyang with vanity, and he straightened his back even more.

He waved his hand and said with feigned modesty, "Director Hao is joking. It's just a car for getting around. The provincial capital is big, and public transportation isn't very convenient. I can't do without a car."

Hao Linjie patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "We're old acquaintances. You wouldn't come back without a reason, so you must have missed me, right? Just tell me what's wrong, and I'll do my best to help if I can."

Wu Deyang was delighted; the people in the county were indeed simple and kind.

"Director Hao understands me best. To be honest, I came back this time to discuss the transfer of patients with you."

Our cardiac surgery department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chunda University is currently short of cases. We hope that Director Hao can give us some consideration and prioritize transferring complex cardiothoracic patients that cannot be treated in the county to our hospital.

Upon hearing this, Hao Linjie scratched the back of his head: "Your request is a bit strange. I know that several major hospitals in your city are vying for the qualification of provincial-level cardiothoracic disease centers. Some time ago, leaders from the Municipal Health Commission had already spoken to you about it."

"We've already made all the arrangements here, you didn't need to come all the way back to find me. Just follow the procedures, and we'll definitely transfer anyone who needs to be transferred to your Second Hospital."

Upon hearing this, Wu Deyang was at a loss for words.

He can't exactly say that what he wants isn't a normal referral at all, but rather a difficult patient who deliberately conceals their medical history and hides hidden risks, can he?

If he were to say such things directly, regardless of who he was targeting, a senior doctor like Hao Linjie would most likely turn on him and accuse him of violating medical ethics.

More importantly, you have to pay people to do this kind of thing, but where are you going to find that money?

Wu Deyang's mind raced as he tried to find a plausible excuse.

Just then, heavy footsteps suddenly came from the other side of the parking lot, accompanied by anxious shouts.

"Director Hao! Director Hao! Don't go!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a simply dressed, overweight middle-aged man carrying a black plastic bag rushing toward them, looking both frightened and anxious.

Wu Deyang subconsciously took half a step back.

Medical disputes?

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