Healing Doctor

Chapter 803 A Natural Success

Ji Xiang's life remained unchanged; the competition on the other side of the ocean seemed to have nothing to do with him.

A few days later, Ji Xiang went to the airport to pick up Dean Shen and Director Bai, taking advantage of the time that would have been spent with the surgery.

In the past, Ji Xiang would not have gone to pick someone up at the airport, but a recent experience of empathy has quietly changed Ji Xiang.

This is part of healthcare; although it's invisible and intangible, it can change efficiency. In Ji Xiang's mind, this part is already considered a catalyst.

Even after arriving, Ji Xiang remained somewhat awkward, unsure of what to say.

Looking at the young and inexperienced Ji Xiang, Director Bai smiled as if he were seeing his younger self.

After sending Dean Shen back, Director Bai readily kept Ji Xiang and invited Director Liu to go to Qiyang Barbecue for a chat.

Ji Xiang didn't hide anything and told the whole story of the patient who had recently called Director Bai for help.

"Director Bai, what do you think?"

These words were spoken directly to him, which made Director Bai look at Ji Xiang with new respect.

Indeed, Ji Xiang's question was somewhat inappropriate, but since he asked it that way, he was treating himself as a life mentor, so the situation was naturally different.

"Meng Qingfei is talking nonsense. He's just an ordinary doctor, how much could he possibly know? He's like someone who only sees a part of the whole picture through a tube," Director Bai said with a slight smile.

Director Liu smiled too; people in different positions naturally see things differently.

"Order some skewers!" Director Bai wasn't in a hurry and told the owner of Yiyang to start ordering everything.

"I'm not used to eating there. Every time I eat Western food, I want to use chopsticks."

"You weren't used to it when you were studying in Canada?" Director Liu asked.

"How could I possibly get used to it? Let alone chopsticks, I'm really not used to drinking water. I got used to drinking bottled water in Canada, and I haven't learned anything else," said Director Bai.

"Oh?" Director Liu had never heard Director Bai mention anything similar.

Back then, when Director Bai went abroad, he and Liu Zhi tinkered with their abandoned World of Warcraft account, which had been sitting idle for more than half a year. They had no time to talk about foreign customs and culture.

"Before I went there, I thought the drinking water standards abroad were top-notch, but after I got there, I realized that wasn't the case at all."

Director Liu looked at the menu with a smile, but he had never heard of this before.

"The tap water is supposed to be drinkable, but when I fill a cup, it's just full of foam, like I've put laundry detergent in it. I feel like if I drink this for a while, I'll develop some kind of inner elixir!"

The inner elixir is gallstones; Ji Xiang knows this reference.

Ji Xiang smiled as he listened to Director Bai gossip.

After ordering, Director Bai said leisurely, "Xiao Ji, let me give you an example of what you're talking about. When I first started working here, the funeral industry was different from what it is now. In the south, there were morgues in hospitals, called 'taipingjian,' which means 'peaceful and safe.' I don't know when they abolished 'taipingjian' here."

Ji Xiang remembered Director Liu gossiping to him about the morgue from back then, but he didn't pay attention to whether Director Bai had mentioned the existence or non-existence of a morgue.

"Back then, there were still morgues. When the deceased's family wanted to find someone to calculate an auspicious date, it was always between 7 and 9 in the morning. When the morgue was open, there would be a lot of family members, with people playing music, singing, and scattering paper money. When the morgue tried to communicate with them, the person simply said, 'The person is already dead. Why are you making a big fuss over them?' That shut down all their arguments."

Moreover, in China, there's a strong emphasis on respecting the deceased, so anything said at this time can be problematic.

Ji Xiang put himself in the shoes of the person in question and nodded; such matters were indeed difficult to manage.

"Xiao Ji, let me ask you a question," Director Bai said with a smile. "If you were the director of the medical affairs department, how would you manage it?"

Ji Xiang quickly shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

"The old head of the medical affairs department didn't know how to manage it either. Later, we had a meeting and learned a trick."

Director Bai kept Ji Xiang in suspense for a moment, but didn't make things difficult for him. He then said, "The old director of the medical department found a big shot in the Assistant Secretary. You know the Taoist Association is also in the Assistant Secretary."

Ji Xiang was slightly taken aback, not expecting that the hospital morgue would be connected with Xie Zheng.

"I contacted the president of the Taoist Association, and since then, the auspicious days calculated by the Taoist priests no longer include the Chen hour (7-9 AM), so the hospital has become much quieter."

"..."

Ji Xiang remained silent.

It does look very complicated; seemingly unrelated things are actually connected.

It is indeed impossible to solve problems without a certain amount of social experience.

This is only possible because it's a provincial capital, with Taoist temples and Taoist priests, so it's considered "formal." If it were in a rural area, finding those so-called geomancers wouldn't be so easy.

However, Ji Xiang thought again that even if they were geomancers, Director Bai should have a way to find them.

Moreover, experience is one part, and social status is another.

Similar to how Director Bai can summon the dean of studies from the neighboring university with a simple phone call, this time it's about contacting Xie Zheng to resolve matters related to analyzing birth charts and choosing an auspicious date.

Ji Xiang felt a headache coming on just thinking about all this mess.

"Xiao Ji, this is all our medical affairs department's work." Director Bai didn't know why Ji Xiang was thinking so much, but he said with a smile, "To safeguard clinical work."

"Ha!" Ji Xiang laughed out loud.

But then I thought about it again, and Director Bai was different from the short, fat guy I had encountered who shared the same feelings.

From our regular interactions, it's clear that Director Bai's focus is on clinical work. If a refund issue were to arise, he would probably have already resolved it beforehand.

The saying "a skilled warrior has no illustrious name" probably refers to this.

"Xiao Ji, do you know why we're having barbecue in Yiyang?" Director Liu Zhi asked.

"It's been many years, I'm familiar with it."

"That's one reason. Another reason is that all the shops I opened were squeezed out of business by Boss Ding from Yiyang."

"???"

Ji Xiang looked puzzled.

"This shop belongs to him. He gets the sheep from his hometown and keeps the cost to a minimum. A few years ago, there were similar barbecue restaurants across the street, but they couldn't control the costs. You know, the prices of shops across from the hospital have been driven up by pharmacies."

"His shop is neither too big nor too small. Pharmacies don't want it, so he uses it to run his own business, which is quite good."

Seeing that Ji Xiang had no interest in doing business, Director Bai asked with a smile, "Little Ji, do you know why the hospital and Xie Zheng are related?"

"Huh?!" Ji Xiang didn't understand.

"Finding someone from the Taoist Association in Xiezheng will solve the problem. Guess how they got in touch?"

This kind of gossip is even more ancient; Ji Xiang would never know it.

Director Bai didn't keep anyone in suspense and said directly, "That was before I came to the hospital. At that time, many people in the nearby rural areas suddenly fell ill, and when they came to the hospital for examination, they found serious problems, including femoral head necrosis and so on."

"Later, by chance, they talked about it while having dinner together and discovered that a rural man dressed in a Taoist robe claimed to be a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, and that the talismans he wrote used a large amount of veterinary antibiotics plus dexamethasone."

"Burning it to ashes and drinking it is similar to administering intravenous antibiotics and hormones."

Ji Xiang was dumbfounded.

"Tell me, what happens to minor ailments when treated with veterinary antibiotics and hormones?"

Ji Xiang scratched his head, "Indeed."

"Many people still come to us for treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head," said Director Liu. "They all developed this problem from burning talismans and drinking water back then."

"It was so chaotic back then." Ji Xiang scratched his head.

"You think things aren't chaotic now?" Director Bai asked jokingly.

Ji Xiang didn't know how to answer.

"But it's none of your business." Director Bai put aside the gossip and leisurely changed the subject. "Dazhi, you didn't go to America, so you didn't see the scene of the two bosses of Harvard Medical School fighting over Xiaoji."

"What?!" Director Liu exclaimed in surprise, "The two owners are fighting over Xiao Ji?"

"Xiao Ji can't graduate with his doctorate if he doesn't go abroad. Lin Jiuze's advisor is of Chinese descent, named Tang Chenghua. I guess they had already discussed it beforehand, which is why they proposed that Xiao Ji graduate with his doctorate in three months."

"As a result, it was snatched up by someone else."

grab!

Director Liu carefully pondered the word spoken by Section Chief Bai, and a deep sense of emotion welled up within him.

That's Harvard Medical School, ranked number one in the US and number two in the world.

Ji Xiang wasn't even a master's student in China. Even though the Second Affiliated Hospital had the responsibility of supervising students and had many master's and doctoral supervisors, no one, including Director Bai, dared to do what Tang Chenghua did.

Director Liu Zhi was somewhat envious of Ji Xiang.

He looked at Ji Xiang with a strange expression, and after a long while, he sighed softly, "Little Ji, what do you mean by this...?"

"They must have been beaten into submission," Ji Xiang said calmly.

"!!!"

"!!!"

Both Director Bai and Director Liu were taken aback.

He was beaten into submission? I bet only Ji Xiang would dare to say that.

Shouldn't we have exchanged a few polite words at this point?

But then they both laughed, realizing they had truly been defeated.

Ji Xiang quietly performs kidney cancer embolization and resection surgeries. The number of surgeries is huge, but only people in the industry can give a fair evaluation.

Moreover, such evaluations are meaningless. What difference does it make if you perform 10,000 surgeries a year? It's easy for someone with ulterior motives to nitpick.

Although Ji Xiang has not performed many surgeries in the field of sports medicine, those he has performed are all treatments received by top athletes.

Moreover, while there is no first place in literature, there is no second place in martial arts. Evaluating a doctor's skill level in sports medicine is relatively simpler and more direct—it is clear at a glance whether the patient's postoperative athletic ability and competitive level have changed, and how much they have declined.

It was also thanks to Zhao Dali's hard work that Ji Xiang gained academic recognition so quickly. Because of his excellent recovery, stories like those of Neymar and Vengkhambar came about later.

Director Bai, in particular, felt a little excited when he thought about Wenban Yama's swift and agile performance on the field.

He was truly impressed. It wasn't just the athletes who won everyone's hearts on the court; Ji Xiang's surgery also won over the doctoral supervisor at Harvard Medical School.

"Old Bai, Xiao Ji is still too young." Director Liu sighed softly.

"You don't know, Dazhi," Director Bai smiled, "Dr. Meltz said there's a research institute where Xiaoji could become an international scholar."

"!!!"

"Having experience returning from overseas, and having a top expert in the field of sports medicine endorse Xiao Ji, there's not much of a problem. Even if Xiao Ji hasn't been abroad before, having a title is still good."

Director Liu was both confused and sighed.

All the things I had worried about before turned out to be nothing to Ji Xiang; they vanished into thin air.

Moreover, Ji Xiang focused his main energy on the treatment of kidney cancer, and the surgery in sports medicine was just something he "did casually".

"Xiao Ji, what are you doing..."

"I was lucky," Ji Xiang said with a smile.

"Three months," Director Bai muttered, "and things will fall into place naturally in three months."

It's a matter of course!

Director Liu felt as if he had been struck by a hammer.

To say that success comes naturally requires years or even decades of effort. Yet Ji Xiang achieved success in less than a year.

What did he do?

Thinking of this, Director Liu laughed, almost bursting out laughing.

Isn't it obvious what Ji Xiang did? The career lifespan of those top athletes running on the court is immediately affected.

Fortunately, these surgeries have the ability to produce immediate results; otherwise, it would have been quite difficult for Ji Xiang to achieve his goal naturally, and it would probably have taken at least several years.

"Well, we'll have to have a drink later because of this," Director Liu said.

Ji Xiang didn't stand on ceremony. After all the skewers were served, Ji Xiang raised his glass to toast Director Bai and Director Liu.

"Xiao Ji," Director Liu asked curiously after taking a sip of wine, "Where are you planning to go in the future?"

"Where are you going? To work at our hospital."

"!!!"

Director Liu looked at Section Chief Bai with an innocent expression.

What Ji Xiang is saying is just trying to fool a fool.

Director Bai was also somewhat puzzled. "Xiao Ji, whether it's a large top-tier hospital in Beijing or Shanghai, or a research institute abroad, the sky's the limit."

"There's no need," Ji Xiang said with a smile. "It's fine at the Second Affiliated Hospital. Director Bai helps me deal with all sorts of trivial matters in the clinical work, so I can focus on surgery. Even if a medical team has three heads and six arms, how many surgeries can they actually perform?"

Perform surgery!

Ji Xiang is still thinking about having surgery, which surprised both Director Bai and Director Liu.

But then they thought, what else would a surgeon do if he didn't perform surgery?

Ji Xiang has always remained true to his original aspiration.

What a strange young man. Normally, young people are ambitious and would aspire to become top doctors, but Ji Xiang made a choice that surprised both of the veteran doctors.

"Xiao Ji, what are you thinking?" Director Bai asked bluntly.

"I only had one thought: to have surgery. I didn't think about anything else," Ji Xiang said. "I remember the oilfield hospital did a study on diabetes that lasted for decades and made them number one in the world in that field."

"I do remember there was such a project, but is it really that amazing?" Director Liu murmured.

The saying goes, "Every profession is like a mountain to climb." In the medical field, even changing just one specialty feels like crossing a huge mountain.

It's normal for urologists not to understand endocrinology.

"Take your time, no rush," Ji Xiang said earnestly. "Right now we can do about eight surgeries a day, and as our reputation grows, we'll have more and more patients. But we'll talk about the future later. I'd like to find someone to specialize in data analysis and post-operative follow-up."

Ji Xiang thought of Zhao Mengmeng. That girl wasn't good at clinical work, but she should be fine with statistics.

"When it comes to scientific research, publishing papers isn't a real skill. If you're truly capable, then dedicate yourself to performing surgeries for decades."

After saying that, Ji Xiang grinned.

After decades of dedicated surgery, Director Bai and Director Liu fell silent in unison.

This is no longer a matter of luck or talent, but rather a matter of mindset.

To be able to perform surgeries steadily for decades, while also taking into account relevant data and follow-ups, the sheer amount of work involved gives Director Bai a headache just thinking about it.

Even the usually unmoved Director Bai was touched at this moment.

"Xiao Ji, you've got quite the nerve," Director Liu said in a deep voice, his tone ambiguous, whether it was a compliment or a rebuke was unclear.

"My family isn't short of money, so I don't need to work myself to the bone to earn it," Ji Xiang said. "I just need to focus on performing surgeries and conducting research."

His smile was radiant, like sunshine.

"Not short of money..." The two veterans pondered this sentence, their hearts aching, and they almost burst into tears.

This is indeed of utmost importance. Ji Xiang is the kind of rich second-generation who has a serious business to attend to; he treats surgery like a game.

From this perspective, it's much better than a life of extravagance and debauchery.

"Xiao Ji, do your parents agree?"

"They don't care about me," Ji Xiang said. "And I feel that my parents are very supportive of me. For example, my dad, who should theoretically be busier, but I feel that he puts more effort into me."

Ji Xiang's words were a bit strange; neither Director Bai nor Director Liu understood them.

Director Liu knew that Ji Xiang's background was somewhat strange and suspicious, so he stopped there.

Having ascertained Ji Xiang's plans for the future, although things are ever-changing and words are unreliable, both Director Liu and Section Chief Bai were reassured.

At least Ji Xiang can work at the Second Affiliated Hospital for a few years.

Time flies, and thanks to the efforts of Dr. Meltz and Tang Chenghua, Ji Xiang obtained two doctoral degrees from Harvard Medical School in just about two months.

Furthermore, the research center established by Dr. Meltz listed Ji Xiang as its deputy director and an international scholar.

On May 1st, the Second Affiliated Hospital formally submitted the documents regarding Ji Xiang's application for Outstanding Youth status, with President Shen personally presenting the documents.

At the application site, Dean Shen ran into an old classmate.

"Old Shen, what brings you here?" Dean Shen's classmate greeted him warmly.

Dean Shen also has a clinical background and serves as a doctoral supervisor. His classmates guessed that Dean Shen's purpose in coming was definitely to enroll his favorite student.

Suddenly, Dean Shen's classmate's expression changed. "Old Shen, you've found a son-in-law?"

"..." Dean Shen paused for a moment.

Dean Shen's classmate laughed, "knowing" that he had guessed correctly.

"What kind of young man is he? Let me see." Dean Shen's classmate snatched the application form, saying, "Has your daughter graduated yet? Is there some talented young man in your hospital that you're so eager to find a son-in-law to live with you?"

Many hospital directors and department heads in China have this habit.

Their generation was fortunate to have only one child. If the family had a daughter, they would find a young man early on and start observing him after he entered the hospital. If he was of excellent character, they would arrange for the two to meet.

As for whether they can end up together in the future, that depends on fate.

However, this model is not uncommon.

The term "son-in-law who moves into the wife's family home" is just a joke.

Dean Shen personally took charge; it would be a miracle if he weren't a crucial person.

His classmate snatched the registration form, glanced at it, and froze. "Old Shen, this person seems to be younger than your daughter. You're going too far."

"What are you thinking about? This is a resident physician who came to our hospital last year, because..."

"Wait a minute!" Dean Shen's classmate interrupted him. "Resident physician? What do you mean?"

"They're resident physicians, you know," Dean Shen said proudly. "Our Second Affiliated Hospital has established a perfect talent evaluation mechanism, ensuring that no one is overlooked..."

"Old Shen, stop speaking official jargon and speak like a normal person."

"I remember you watched football."

"yes."

"The World Cup is about to start, which team are you following?"

"!!!" Dean Shen's classmate was stunned. He immediately thought of something!

"Is that the young doctor who appeared on the variety show?"

Dean Shen looked at his old classmate with a smile.

"Holy crap! It's true that Neymar had surgery?!"

"There are also many top athletes," Dean Shen said with no small amount of pride.

Originally, when he came to register Ji Xiang, he was thinking that he might have a chance to show off and impress others.

My old classmate just happened to come up to me; it was a golden opportunity.

"Here, I'll show you something," Dean Shen said, taking out his phone.

Dean Shen's classmate leaned over and saw a photo of a gleaming gold ring.

"Do you know him?"

"What is this?" Dean Shen's classmate asked in confusion.

"The NBA championship ring was donated to our Second Affiliated Hospital by Mr. Wenbanyama and is now in our collection."

"Fuck!!" Dean Shen's classmate swore.

"How old are you to still be swearing?" Dean Shen felt extremely satisfied.

"Swearing cleans your mouth. If you keep swearing inside, your heart gets dirty," Dean Shen's classmate explained, holding Dean Shen's phone and looking at it repeatedly.

"Wenbanyama underwent surgery at our hospital, performed by Dr. Ji Xiang. He recovered well and led his team to the championship. Out of gratitude, Mr. Wenbanyama presented Dr. Ji Xiang with his championship ring."

"And then you detained him?" Dean Shen's classmate asked, stunned.

Dean Shen said unhappily, "It was donated to the hospital by Dr. Ji Xiang. Without the hospital's platform, how could the surgery have been completed? This is also a way of remembering our roots and recognizing the Second Affiliated Hospital."

Forget about remembering where you came from; Dean Shen's classmates don't listen to a word. Now they're just discarding those who have served their purpose; how can they possibly remember their roots?

But what's strange is that a young doctor who performed surgery on Neymar and Wenbanyama has a bright future, so why would he stay at the Second Affiliated Hospital?

Outstanding Young Scientist?

The selection of an outstanding young person alone was not enough to impress that young man.

"Old Shen, your museum... is this the only item you have?" asked Dean Shen's classmate.

Dean Shen, enraged, said, "There will be more! Zhao Dali's trophy from this year's European Champions League will also be donated to our Second Affiliated Hospital."

Champions League!

Dean Shen's classmate was stunned.

Yes, that young man named Zhao Dali is said to have had two surgeries in China, and it turns out he is also connected to the Second Affiliated Hospital.

"See? There will be even more collectibles in the future," Dean Shen said proudly.

There's no point in being envious of this. Dean Shen's classmate handed the phone back to him and stared blankly at the registration form.

Below the name and age were two full pages of references, all from top-tier journals.

"Your Second Affiliated Hospital is really impressive, able to amass so many resources," Dean Shen's classmate said enviously.

Dean Shen was slightly embarrassed, as this had nothing to do with the Second Affiliated Hospital; it was all Ji Xiang's own article.

There's no place to list impact factors below 10.

(End of this chapter)