Chapter 197: As If Nothing Had Happened

Early the next morning, after Zhao Zhe woke up, he contacted Ji Xiang and was stunned to learn that Ji Xiang had already been up for a long time and had nearly finished running a half-marathon in the hotel gym.

Zhao Zhe didn't even know how to describe a monster like Ji Xiang.

Isn't it pleasant to sleep in? Running a half-marathon first thing in the morning... a middle-aged man like Zhao Zhe wouldn't even dare to imagine it.

He asked the hotel staff, found the gym, and saw Ji Xiang from afar running on a treadmill at a brisk pace.

Zhao Zhe didn't see Ji Xiang drenched in sweat; it seemed that a half-marathon first thing in the morning was perfectly normal for Ji Xiang, just like taking a stroll.

When Ji Xiang got off, Zhao Zhe asked, "Xiao Ji, do you run this long every day?"

"Is it long? It's alright."

"..." Zhao Zhe knew clearly that he and Ji Xiang were not on the same wavelength regarding this.

"I'm going to take a shower, then let's go get breakfast," Ji Xiang said.

"The more I think about it, the more scared I get. You didn't see Qin Chu's expression yesterday. Why don't I accompany you to see your mother, and then we'll head back?" Zhao Zhe started to lose his nerve.

"We have to take a look, at least." Ji Xiang hung a towel around his neck; the youthfulness he exuded so freely made Zhao Zhe feel very nostalgic for his own younger days.

"Don't worry, even if he was scolded, he wouldn't go so far as to run to Yuanliao City to affect your future," Ji Xiang continued to reassure him.

"As for me, I'm just a Standardized Training Student. No matter how capable Qin Chu is, can he turn me into a Deputy Trainee?"

That was what he said, but Zhao Zhe still felt somewhat uneasy.

He had never seen big scenes before, and the fact that the conference he was to attend today had lost that harmonious atmosphere made Zhao Zhe very worried.

But he couldn't win against Ji Xiang, so after the two ate, they rushed to the venue.

It was the weekend, and the Shanghai Hepatobiliary Hospital was still teeming with people.

Ji Xiang made contact, and soon Ling Tian came out in his White Uniform to meet him. His face was full of smiles; one couldn't tell at all what had happened yesterday.

Zhao Zhe even had an illusion: had his memory been distorted? Perhaps Qin did not leave in a huff yesterday, and today Ji Xiang was about to step onto a huge platform and soar freely in the future.

Or perhaps Qin Chu, Qin, was feeling unwell yesterday, or was overly excited after seeing Ji Xiang's surgery, leading him to go rest.

In fact, it was all his own overthinking; Qin Chu still intended to take Ji Xiang as his Closed-door disciple.

Zhao Zhe pondered suspiciously, feeling restless.

"Xiao Ji, why did you leave so early yesterday?" Ling Tian asked with a smile, full of warmth. "The boss wasn't feeling well, and when I finished the surgery and came out, I saw you had already left."

"I thought Teacher Qin was angry," Ji Xiang said very calmly.

"How could that be! You performed well; the boss was too happy to be angry," Ling Tian laughed. "Come, let me show you the doctors attending the meeting today. Because it was quite rushed, they are basically all directors of Interventional Departments from cities and provinces in East China."

"Teng from Jinling is also here. After the meeting ends, you can chat with Teng for a bit."

Ji Xiang just nodded.

Ling Tian brought the two to the conference auditorium, introducing the attending directors to Ji Xiang along the way.

Zhao Zhe was stunned; he finally saw in the flesh many people he could only see in journals and magazines today.

Everyone was very polite to Ling Tian, and they especially took a few extra looks at Ji Xiang and offered a few compliments.

"There are six directors giving scientific reports and outlooks on the future of the interventional discipline. It's still a bit rushed; when the national academic conference is held at the end of this year, I'll take you to see the world."

Upon entering the conference hall, Ling Tian said to Ji Xiang.

"The end of the year," Ji Xiang murmured softly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ji Xiang smiled. By the end of the year, he should be rotating into his second department—the Orthopedics Department.

"Five more minutes. The boss has gone to pick up Teng. Let's sit down first."

Ling Tian sat with Ji Xiang and Zhao Zhe in the second row near the aisle, chatting and laughing; there was no sign of anything unusual.

Zhao Zhe observed for a long time and felt that he had thought wrong. It had to be said that Xiao Ji was composed; if he had snuck away according to his own plan, that would have been a disaster.

A few minutes later, the doctors in the venue stood up one after another, casting gazes of respect.

Qin Chu walked in side-by-side with an elderly man in his sixties who was full of Spirit.

"That is Teng from Jinling," Ling Tian also stood up and introduced him to Ji Xiang.

Ji Xiang stared blankly... the person behind Teng—why did his own parents follow along?

Seriously!

Ji Xiang had quite a few complaints about this in his heart.

He had to perform even better today, otherwise, he didn't know how long his mother would nag him.

Qian Ying found Ji Xiang smoothly; she quietly raised her hand and waved to signal she had seen him, then sat in the VIP seat in the first row.

Ling Tian didn't recognize Ji Xiang's parents; they looked very unfamiliar, but they must have been brought by Teng.

Seeing them sitting in the first row, he said with a smile, "Xiao Ji, Academician Teng coming to show support this time—the boss has really saved face."

"What is the main focus of Academician Teng's surgeries?" Ji Xiang asked.

"He started by researching TIPS Shoushu, then moved on to Particle implantation and Stents," Ling Tian introduced briefly. "Now he even dabbles in Neurological interventional surgery."

"Impressive!" Ji Xiang praised.

He had performed tens of thousands of interventional surgeries in the System Operating Room, so his understanding of surgical procedures was much deeper than others, and he also knew that some diseases could no longer be covered by existing medical technology.

Particle implantation and Radioactive particle stents were the major directions for future development.

Such a pioneer of technology was indeed worthy of respect.

"I'm going to accompany the boss to give the opening remarks." Ling Tian patted Ji Xiang on the shoulder, leaving behind a gentle smile.

Watching Ling Tian walk away, Zhao Zhe leaned over to Ji Xiang and whispered, "Xiao Ji, luckily you didn't listen to me. I guess I thought wrong; Professor Ling's attitude is very peaceful. I must have guessed wrong."

"Zhao Ge, have you attended many academic conferences?"

"Academic conferences? I do attend some, but they're actually not very useful," Zhao Zhe watched the conference staff busy at work and chatted quietly with Ji Xiang. "The academic conferences I attend don't really serve as a platform for spreading knowledge; they are more like a big show."

Either the big shots are showing off their 'unique skills', or they are cooperating with manufacturers to do product placement.

It's rare to even see them show off a unique skill to broaden other doctors' horizons; there aren't many big shots who have unique skills anyway.

In most cases, the manufacturers provide the funding, primarily for product promotion.

With such academic conferences plus a few continuing education credits, everyone just comes to attend."

"Manufacturers, huh." Ji Xiang said softly.

His clinical experience was not rich, especially regarding these rules and unspoken rules.

"It's not like that anymore." Zhao Zhe said, "When I first started working, there were few academic conferences. There was a big shot in the Imperial Capital doing academic promotion for Rehmannia Pills, and it sounded like selling fake medicine to me. Later, I caught the golden period of nearly twenty years, and many of the predecessors lived very comfortably off this."

"By the way, let me tell you some gossip." Seeing that the academic conference would not start for a while, Zhao Zhe's chatterbox nature kicked in, and he began to ramble.

"The head of the Orthopedics Department at the hospital next to ours—you know how lucrative orthopedics was a few years ago, right?"

"How lucrative?" Ji Xiang asked.

Zhao Zhe hesitated slightly; this kind of topic was a bit taboo, and it was best not to talk about it if possible. The most critical thing was that he was not an orthopedist, and it was not good to pass around hearsay.

"Let's put it this way: that hospital didn't hire any new people for six years. Later, when they recruited a batch of new doctors, after completing their rotations, all the surgery department volunteers wrote down Orthopedics."

"If it weren't lucrative, how could this happen?"

Ji Xiang nodded.

"Let's not talk about this, let's talk about business." Zhao Zhe took the initiative to bring the topic back, which was rare. "That year, there was a Vice President position at their hospital. The Orthopedics Department Director was a 'Provincial famous doctor', his standing in the field was sufficient, and he lacked none of the necessary hardware."

"But the problem was that once he left, no one in the Orthopedics Department could perform surgeries like Joint replacement, and the department would basically fall apart. The Dean criticized him during a meeting, saying he didn't even know how to lead a team and asking what he had been doing all this time!"

"Later, he was made to lead the team for another five years, and only after the junior professors could perform the surgeries was he promoted."

"Oh, there's such a maneuver?" Ji Xiang was a bit surprised.

"Sigh, Xiao Ji, there are other tricks to this." Zhao Zhe counted on his fingers, "Those years were exactly when orthopedics was at its most lucrative, and I estimate this director was also a bit hesitant. However, he worked for another five years, brought up a team, and just happened to catch the centralized procurement."

"After eating and wiping clean, he retired; when we talked about this, we were all incredibly envious."

"This person, it's all about timing, fate, and luck. He earned the money and became a Vice President; his future is boundless."

"Eh? How did we get onto this topic?" Zhao Zhe was suddenly a bit confused.

"Just talking about manufacturer sponsorship." Ji Xiang reminded him.

"Right, manufacturer sponsorship; this is also why many big shots desperately try to improve their academic status. Going out for Flying Knife is indeed profitable, but it carries risks. A few years ago, an orthopedic professor in the Imperial Capital went to the surrounding area to perform surgery. After the surgery, the Patient had a non-union, and the Family Member brought people to the hospital and broke the professor's leg."

"!!!"

"These are all risks, there's no way around it." Zhao Zhe said, "How nice it is to fly out on weekends to give lectures; you improve your academic status, and the manufacturers pay quite a bit, don't you think, Xiao Ji?"

"The most detestable thing is that some academic conferences and associations in the province actually want to charge money. I didn't know before either; I thought I could exchange ideas with everyone, but after paying the membership fee, I found out it was just to show support and listen to gossip."

"From the conference invitation list, one can roughly guess the grudges and entanglements of each hospital, as well as whether this big shot and that big shot have unfriended each other, becoming entertainment news for the industry to discuss over tea."

"So complicated; I thought academic conferences were for exchanging techniques." Ji Xiang was slightly disappointed by Zhao Zhe's description.

"It's not that simple." Zhao Zhe looked at the stage with envy, "For example, this kind of academic conference right now; the main content isn't for exchanging techniques, but for Qin to tell everyone that he has taken you as his Closed-door disciple."

Closed-door disciple?

Him?

Ji Xiang smiled slightly.

At nine-thirty, the conference officially began.

(End of this chapter)