Chapter 218: The Past of Ji Yongchang

The System NPC looked at Ji Xiang very seriously, remained silent for a long time after hearing him recount Wu Zong's understanding, and then smiled slightly.

"Doctor Xiao Ji, how to use a surgical procedure is not a simple treatment question, nor is there a definitive conclusion. Whether performing a Total Excision Surgery or a Partial Resection + Lengthening Surgery, both have their own significance."

"How you choose depends on yourself."

Ji Xiang received an answer that had been spoken, yet said nothing at all, and felt slightly disappointed.

"On this matter, there is nothing I can teach you," the System NPC said. "Whichever choice you make is not wrong... Do you still remember the first assignment I gave you?"

Assignment; Ji Xiang nodded.

Ji Xiang still had a vivid memory of that Patient who, because of poverty, could not pass the stones and could only repeatedly undergo extracorporeal ultrasonic Stone Crushing.

But the deepest memory was not the pain, but the scene of the Patient accidentally tripping while holding a steamed bun, and after getting up, picking up the bun to eat it immediately without even looking to see where they were injured.

"In dealing with similar Patients, the vast majority of people have no way, but the director of the department you are in easily untied this Gordian knot through their relationship with the Medical Affairs Department and their understanding of hospital policy."

"Perhaps the analogy is somewhat inappropriate, but the principle is similar. Do not think that Partial Resection + Lengthening Surgery is simple; there are not many people who can proficiently master even just a Lengthening Surgery."

The System NPC looked at Ji Xiang kindly, smiled, and said nothing more.

"Teacher, I will think about it carefully."

"Hmm," the System NPC said. "You are still a Standardized Training Doctor, but you are a System Standardized Training Doctor; thinking carefully is as it should be."

Ji Xiang had made a trip to the System Operating Room, but instead of figuring out what was going on, he became even more confused.

Lying on the bed, Ji Xiang looked at the ceiling, unable to sleep no matter what.

He hadn't done his surgical training today, and Ji Xiang felt restless.

A few minutes later, Ji Xiang sat up, put on his pajamas, pushed the door open, and went downstairs.

His old man was a man of few words, yet Ji Xiang was willing to chat with his father when he encountered problems; every time, he could invisibly reshape Ji Xiang's values.

That was why the two of them were becoming more and more alike.

"Dad, are you busy?"

The study door was open; Ji Xiang did not go straight in, but stood outside and knocked on the open door.

Ji Yongchang looked back at Ji Xiang; he seemed to see through Ji Xiang's heart at a glance, stood up, and said, "Let's talk. You haven't told me what's on your mind since you started university, and I'm curious too."

The two of them came to the living room, and Ji Xiang did not hide anything, directly stating the Patient he had encountered and Wu Zong's explanation.

"This is very normal," Ji Yongchang said, sitting on the sofa with his fingers interlaced in front of him, smiling. "Do what is within the scope of your ability; not everything has to be done to the best."

Ji Xiang stared intently at his old man.

"Let me tell you a story," Ji Yongchang said calmly.

"A story? What story?"

"It has nothing to do with medicine; it's a story that happened to a young friend I met over a dozen years ago."

Ji Xiang listened attentively.

"At that time, the subprime mortgage crisis had already broken out. That year, the world was blessed with favorable weather, and grain production was good. In the futures market, with a large supply of spot goods, prices were trending downward. Would you say that was as it should be?"

"Yes," Ji Xiang nodded honestly.

In this regard, his old man was a professional.

"At the time, the short-selling power was unprecedentedly strong, and soybean prices were driven very low. Suddenly, one day, a piece of news appeared—African swine fever had broken out."

"Among my business partners at the time, there was a young friend who was gifted and also down-to-earth. He didn't believe the research reports or news from international investment banks, so he bought a plane ticket and went to Africa to investigate on the ground himself."

This person was good, quite impressive; no wonder the old man could give him a 'down-to-earth' evaluation, Ji Xiang thought to himself.

"The swine fever was exaggerated; I trusted his research ability. He came back and said that the total number of pigs that died in all of Africa due to swine fever was less than ten thousand; it was clearly exaggerated. And the cause of the swine fever was also very strange, different from usual."

"Poisoning?" Ji Xiang asked.

"No," Ji Yongchang shook his head. "They don't do that, not for moral reasons, but because it's completely unnecessary."

"After returning, this young friend spent a night modeling, created a mathematical model, and concluded that the bulls were lying, and that the big short-sellers were preparing to launch a counterattack, creating their own counterparty."

"He suggested that the company should ambush short positions, as there was definitely a chance for huge profits."

"I held the opposite view to his, and we had a fierce argument."

Arguing with his own old man—Ji Xiang chuckled; he guessed the other party won few and lost many.

"Because neither could convince the other, I finally used my status as a shareholder to forcibly suppress his opinion. The young friend left in a fit of pique, went to a company of similar size next door, and convinced their big boss to take short positions."

"In the end, he was forced into a margin call, and the young friend jumped off a building in New York."

"..." Ji Xiang was stunned.

Jumping off a building was one thing, but the story the old man told was also too deceptive.

"Dad, what else happened in between? Tell me more carefully," Ji Xiang complained.

"It's all just financial tricks."

"Since you've started, be more detailed," Ji Xiang insisted.

"Satellites discovered a bumper harvest of grain this year, and soybean production surged. So, if they didn't buy it all, soybean prices would plummet; if they did buy it, there would inevitably be soybeans becoming inventory."

Ji Yongchang began to explain the specific process to Ji Xiang.

"The international speculators' method was to release news of a soybean bumper harvest—note, this was a true piece of news—the purpose was to create an expectation of falling soybean prices for farmers. Then, the salesmen below would find farmers to lock in positions and buy them out."

"Then they would place short orders in the futures market, and it would fall all the way down; we covered that part earlier."

"What followed was the appearance of swine fever."

"Dad, you said that swine fever only killed less than ten thousand pigs, and it had no impact at all," Ji Xiang said, puzzled.

"That was how many died from swine fever; the number of pigs in stock that were subsequently disposed of harmlessly was over a million," Ji Yongchang laughed. "And that was just in Africa; on a global scale, through their media hype, even more pigs were disposed of harmlessly."

"!!!"

"Pork prices skyrocketed; that money was small change, because as the pig inventory decreased, the demand for soybeans dropped, and soybean prices were expected to fall further."

"Up to this point, my young friend's analysis was correct, and this was where our disagreement lay," Ji Yongchang said. "But he didn't know how much money those people had; the giants possessed massive amounts of soybeans, not only in warehouses but also still in the fields."

"It meant they had both the spot and futures markets in their hands; they were secure. Next, they began to stir up trouble."

"In reality, 100-day live pigs cannot fill the previous hole; prices are soaring, and more people are starting to replenish their live pig inventory. As the earlier piglets begin to grow, the demand for soybeans is surging."

"Consequently, within two months, soybeans flipped from short to long; basically, they wanted to pull the price as high as they could. The international market was in turmoil, and many people went bankrupt and jumped to their deaths, including that young friend of mine."

(End of chapter)