Chapter 737: The Lick-Dog

Is this even human speech!

Is this still human speech!!

Lin Jiuze had confidence in himself, but that was the confidence of a "normal person" in the conventional sense.

It was fundamentally different from the fantasy-like confidence of Ji Xiang.

"If there are no objections, then that's that." Ji Xiang made the final decision.

Lin Jiuze was weeping internally.

Objections, he certainly had some, but what reason could he possibly bring up?

This was one of the four major journals in the medical field; there was no way a journal where his teacher Tang Chenghua served on the editorial board could compete with it.

Forget it.

Lin Jiuze fell silent and returned to his invisible state.

Ji Xiang, meanwhile, read a book while chatting off and on with Zhao Zhe about the lives of some of his friends.

Some liked fixing cars, some liked laying bricks.

Fishing was considered the most normal hobby.

What kind of weirdos are these?! Lin Jiuze thought to himself while listening carefully.

He wanted to try and piece together the past of this strange young man from Ji Xiang's words, but everything was in vain.

Lin Jiuze could only vaguely guess that Ji Xiang's background shouldn't be simple.

Finding an opportunity, Lin Jiuze went out to make a phone call to his teacher.

He could no longer care what time it was in the United States or whether his teacher was sleeping.

When he heard Lin Jiuze say that the newly written paper was to be published in the *Journal of the American Medical Association*, even Tang Chenghua fell silent.

That was one of the four major journals in the medical field, a large-scale journal mentioned in the same breath as *The Lancet*, *The New England Journal of Medicine*, and the *British Medical Journal*.

Himself...

After a long silence, Tang Chenghua said in a hoarse voice, "Jiuze, how have you considered the matter I spoke to you about?"

"Staying in the country?"

"Yes."

"Teacher, I have thought about it that way too, and I have been hesitating. This matter is too big for me, as you know. Can you give me a reason that would allow me to convince myself?"

"Jiuze, let me ask you one thing. The paper you just wrote does indeed have a good foundation, and normally speaking, it would have a chance to be published in *JAMA*. But if you were at Massachusetts, what would the probability of publication be?"

"Even if it could be published, how much time would it drag on?" Tang Chenghua asked again, "Half a year? Or a year?"

Tang Chenghua reeled off a series of questions, and Lin Jiuze knew these were questions his teacher was also puzzled by.

Furthermore, he knew more things, but he couldn't tell him.

Lin Jiuze gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Alright, Teacher!"

"You have made the correct choice."

"Teacher, then the professor position at Massachusetts... after all, I would be leaving just as the appointment letter arrived."

"It will be kept for you, whether it's for three years or five." Tang Chenghua gave Lin Jiuze a precise answer, without any ambiguity.

"Good!"

Lin Jiuze agreed.

With the matter settled, both master and student were distracted and hung up the phone in a hurry.

Lin Jiuze sat on the steps of the Fire Exit, lost in thought.

Staying behind was his own idea; Ji Xiang never said he definitely needed him.

This was a "lick-dog" behavior; he just hoped he wouldn't end up with nothing in the end.

Ji Xiang... he starts off with *JAMA*; he doesn't even care about papers with an impact factor under 20.

This point alone was enough to make a case.

Frustrating.

Lin Jiuze recalled how high-spirited he was when he had just received the appointment letter at Massachusetts General Hospital.

But all of this had been shattered by Qin Chu's invitation.

Without Qin Chu, he wouldn't have returned to the country to participate in the variety show; if he hadn't participated in the variety show, he wouldn't have met Ji Xiang.

Damn it, he, a dignified Expert from Massachusetts General Hospital, actually had to worry about wanting to stay in the country but having no way to do so!

Lin Jiuze was left between laughter and tears by his own final thought.

This was too absurd!

But absurd as it was, the matter still had to be handled.

To get Ji Xiang to "agree" to him staying, he had to cater to his interests.

What did Ji Xiang like?

Lin Jiuze was clever and quick-witted; in a flash, he had a plan in mind.

Steadying his mind and performing detailed facial expression management, Lin Jiuze did not return to the Doctor's Office, but went straight to the Jiguan Lou.

No sooner said than done, Lin Jiuze's ability to act was extremely strong.

He walked into the Jiguan Lou as if there were no one there; the security guards acted as if they hadn't seen him.

Arriving at the door of the Director of Medical Affairs' office, Lin Jiuze knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Bai Chuzhang's voice came from inside.

Lin Jiuze pushed the door open and entered with a smile on his face.

Bai Chuzhang frowned slightly, raised a hand to cover his forehead, and then lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the floor tiles in front of Lin Jiuze.

"Professor Lin, do you need me for something? Please, sit."

Lin Jiuze was also quite interested in Bai Chuzhang; this person was one of the very few experts who could discover him at "a single glance."

"Bai Chuzhang, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Professor Lin, what is it? Please, feel free to speak. As long as I can be of help, I will certainly do my utmost."

"I just wrote a paper, and JAMA has agreed to publish it in the latest issue."

"!!!"

Bai Chuzhang was slightly taken aback.

"The first author position, are you interested?"

"Hm?"

"I would like to put your name as the first author; you don't have any objections, do you?" Lin Jiuze watched Bai Chuzhang's expression with great interest.

He will be shocked, right?

He will be ecstatic, right?

I heard that in the country, promotions have extremely high requirements for papers, and they even come up with some sort of scientific research.

The vast majority of scientific research is just for show.

Now that a huge pie has fallen from the sky, will Bai Chuzhang be so happy he goes mad, like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination?

If he is like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination, should I slap him across the face?

However, a few seconds later, Lin Jiuze fell into confusion.

Bai Chuzhang's expression was calm; he even wanted to observe him, but after just one glance, he lowered his head again.

What on earth is going on?

"Professor Lin, Xiao Ji just called me; the first author."

These words were nonsensical, yet Lin Jiuze realized the truth immediately.

Myself,

I'm damn late!

Ji Xiang had already given the first author position of the JAMA paper to Bai Chuzhang while he was walking over!

Lin Jiuze felt like a complete idiot.

He almost went crazy, needing a slap from his father-in-law to wake himself up.

In the blink of an eye, the person who went crazy became himself.

But Bai Chuzhang did not mock or ridicule him; he even stood up, "Professor Lin, please sit. I actually have some things I'd like to chat with you about."

Lin Jiuze was a bit dazed.

The JAMA paper had already been cast to the back of his mind.

Bai Chuzhang was certain in his heart; although he hadn't observed Lin Jiuze's expression, the fact that he came to find him to "gift" him the JAMA paper already explained everything.

"Professor Lin, actually, I really hope you can stay here for a while, but it's a pity your time is limited and very precious. When are you returning to the United States?"

"It might be a while yet," Lin Jiuze said vaguely.

"I have an idea I've been wanting to discuss with you, but I felt it was too abrupt. Since you are here, I will take the liberty of speaking."

"Bai Chuzhang, you are too kind."

"Then I will share my thoughts, and if there is anything inappropriate, we can discuss it together."

(End of this chapter)