Chapter 784: The Pretentious Man

Ji Xiang, however, did not care, but the fact that Dr. Merz had traveled thousands of miles to the Second Hospital to find fault with Lin Jiuze really surprised Ji Xiang.

That must be a deep grudge.

"Did you throw his child off a building?" Ji Xiang asked.

Lin Jiuze frowned slightly and looked at Ji Xiang deeply.

It seemed that after a trip to Shanghai, Ji Xiang had undergone a earth-shattering transformation.

If the Ji Xiang of the past was only skilled at surgery but still felt raw in daily interactions, then the current Ji Xiang had grown up overnight and become completely mature.

Strange.

No matter how Lin Jiuze sized Ji Xiang up, he could not see any clues; he even wanted to take out his notebook to write and draw on it.

"You really didn't mind the distance; your popularity in Massachusetts must be terrible," Ji Xiang said, not understanding at all.

"..."

"But that shouldn't be right; as long as you don't speak, others can't see you either," Ji Xiang laughed.

"The medical model abroad is different from the one in China," Lin Jiuze explained to Ji Xiang while walking. "I have a classmate at Harvard who now runs his own clinic. He specializes in Orthopedics Department surgery, especially secondary repair surgeries where scarring affects joint movement."

"Many patients who develop scars after having surgery in places covered by insurance companies come to him for surgery. He can't accept insurance there, and the cost is several times more expensive than places covered by insurance, but it is still overcrowded and requires waiting for a number."

"It's all caused by fame."

As Lin Jiuze said this, he smiled. "Athletes, especially top-tier athletes, involve too much interest. It is only right for Dr. Merz to travel thousands of miles to come and take a look."

Ji Xiang thought about it; that seemed to be the logic. For Wembanyama to insist on coming to him for a secondary surgery after having surgery in the United States was unacceptable to the bullies of the academic world.

"Xiao Ji, you really should go abroad to take a look," Director Bai said with a smile.

"Mm, I'll find an opportunity. The medical level abroad is very high. Director Bai, what is your opinion?" Ji Xiang asked.

"It's a matter of opinion. Medical care abroad is monopolized by interest groups, much like our scholar class of the past. They spend four years in college and four years in medical school, and after graduation, they have to go through a long internship period after obtaining their license, similar to passing the imperial examinations to become a Scholar, with countless paths to walk afterward.

People like Professor Lin who can become professors in their thirties are all heaven-sent talents."

"Haha."

Ji Xiang understood Director Bai's analogy immediately.

"Let's put it this way: our hospitals here are like Fly Restaurants; although they aren't very refined, they can keep people fed. Taking our Neurosurgery as an example, we introduced a preoperative Intelligent System for surgical approaches back in 2008."

"Oh?" Ji Xiang was stunned.

This thing existed over a decade ago?! Why wasn't it being used now?

Director Bai ignored Ji Xiang's surprise and did not explain the system, but instead changed the subject. "That thing was indeed useful. For example, if my surgical rating was 80 points, that system could improve my surgery to 90, or even 95 points."

"But, I tried using it a few times and found it simply didn't work."

Saying this, Director Bai looked at Ji Xiang with a smile. "Xiao Ji, let me test you. Guess where this advanced equipment actually failed."

Ji Xiang was slightly startled, recalling the future world of medicine the system NPC had made him experience through Empathy.

The kind of Intelligent System that could only locate and find surgical approaches described by Director Bai seemed somewhat similar to future medicine; it was hard to imagine these things could be seen in China in 2008.

If that were the case, it was estimated that Europe and the United States had already put it into Clinical use around the year 2000.

With the domestic level of copying, it shouldn't be that it hadn't been popularized after so many years, but instead had completely disappeared without a trace. Even Director Bai, who supported new technology, said it was good after trying it, yet he firmly refused to use it.

This was an extremely extreme and torn feeling.

Why? Ji Xiang thought for a long time but couldn't find the answer.

"There are too many surgeries. If I used this system to go through the data of every Patient the night before surgery, it would be dawn, and I would have no energy to perform surgery on the patients the next day."

"I gave up after using it only two or three times. After all, I have to ensure the volume of surgeries; otherwise, if patients pile up at the door, the Medical Dispute will be even greater."

"Is this what you meant by a Fly Restaurant?" Ji Xiang asked.

"Yes. Our medical care must first ensure basic medical care, and only then can we talk about high-end medical care. You can't be like abroad, for example, Massachusetts General Hospital..."

Director Bai said, smiling slightly. He was just about to look at Lin Jiuze, but seemed to realize something and forcibly twisted his neck back.

"Let's not talk about Massachusetts General Hospital. Take the Meiao as an example; its annual revenue is basically equivalent to the medical revenue of Peking Union Medical College Hospital plus Huaxi and six or seven other high-level Grade A Tertiary Hospitals. You tell me, do they see more patients or perform more surgeries?"

"Could it be that they do more physical examinations?" Ji Xiang scratched his head and smiled.

"Oh?" Director Bai was slightly surprised, but immediately realized that Ji Xiang's family background was not simple.

"The cost of physical examinations at the Meiao accounts for a large proportion, but I heard they prefer physical examinations, right Dr. Lin?"

"Yes, especially the tycoons from the Middle East who go there for physical examinations," Lin Jiuze replied. "If they come for a physical, they basically book an entire floor, bringing their whole family along. Most importantly, they are purely self-paying patients and don't have to deal with insurance companies."

When Lin Jiuze mentioned not having to deal with insurance companies, a rare look of envy appeared on his face.

It seemed that whenever he spoke about having nothing to do with medical insurance companies, the aura about him would become a bit more joyful.

"That's about how it is. They are a five-star hotel, and we are a Fly Restaurant. But can you really say the food cooked in a Fly Restaurant isn't delicious? I don't think so."

"For example, the Expert Number in China costs so little money, which is absolutely impossible abroad. Dr. Lin, after you received the offer from Massachusetts General Hospital, how much was the registration fee?"

"The hospital uses an annual salary system, and I just need to see 12 patients a day. If I go to a clinic, looking at a scan for me should cost between 1,000 and 2,000 US dollars. If it's an emergency consultation, I've taken jobs for 50,000 US dollars."

This time, even Director Bai was envious; his saliva almost flowed out.

Looking at one scan was nearly ten thousand yuan, and emergency visits were charged separately.

"That's quite a lot of money," Ji Xiang said with a chuckle, having no real concept of money.

"A single Thoracentesis procedure is ten thousand US dollars, so when I see us performing surgeries in the department, especially when you, Doctor Ji Xiang, don't charge for many dressing changes, I was very surprised at the beginning."

"It doesn't cost much in total, and writing up the order wastes time. If the Patient looks decent and doesn't seem like the type to cause a Medical Dispute, I'm basically too lazy to write a charge slip."

Although Director Bai was very serious when talking about fees with doctors and nurses, he had a different attitude toward Ji Xiang.

He smiled. "Xiao Ji, would you rather wait in line outside a five-star hotel for a year or two, or wait in line outside a Fly Restaurant for an hour or two?"

"Then I understand," Ji Xiang said. "Dr. Lin, how much does it cost to take the USMLE?"

"I have always been on a scholarship, the highest level, so I basically didn't spend any money."

Lin Jiuze seemed a bit proud; he puffed out his chest when he said this.

"So you can make big money after getting your Medical Practitioner License, right."

"Being a young doctor is also especially tiring; a hospital in Australia is quite famous for having worked a doctor to death."

"So intense!!"

"Mm, because it's elite education, there are more junior doctors, and it's relatively more tiring. But if one can quickly endure this period, there won't be any issues later on. That classmate of mine has already successfully transitioned from repairing secondary scar surgeries to arthroscopy, knee replacements, and hip replacements."

"However, the doctors who make the most money over there are still the cosmetic surgery doctors, followed by cardiac surgery doctors. Orthopedics? Average. The fattest piece of the pie is sports medicine, so..."

Speaking of this, Bai Chuzhang seemed to recall something happy, and he said with a smile, "The domestic side knows this too, so in previous years, cardiac surgery was the choice for many surgeons, but in the end, they were almost unemployed."

"I see quite a few surgeries in our hospital's cardiac surgery department," Ji Xiang said.

"Our hospital, or hospitals slightly a tier below ours, belong to the lowest level of cardiac surgery hospitals. The cardiac surgery departments in prefecture-level hospitals are already half-abandoned; it's a pity that many surgeons with quite good talent threw themselves into it back then."

Ji Xiang noticed Bai Chuzhang's adjective; he didn't use 'high level,' but instead used 'quite good talent' to describe those doctors.

Speaking of this, Dr. Merz had already been forgotten.

Whether intentional or unintentional, no one mentioned it again.

Bai Chuzhang understood Ji Xiang and didn't ask whether he wanted to go home or to the hospital, but instead pulled Ji Xiang directly to the hospital.

Returning to the department, before even entering the ward area, they saw from afar a tall, golden-haired man standing at the entrance.

"He is Dr. Merz," Lin Jiuze whispered.

Ji Xiang smiled slightly and nodded.

The few of them walked over at a normal pace, and Lin Jiuze greeted Dr. Merz.

"Dr. Lin," Ji Xiang asked in fluent American English, "Is this the Dr. Merz who came from Massachusetts General Hospital to observe and study surgeries?"

Observe!

Study!!

Bai Chuzhang had many assumptions about this meeting, but he never expected that Ji Xiang would give Dr. Merz an awkward moment the second they met.

So tough!

Bai Chuzhang actually knew why Ji Xiang would do this, but he hadn't anticipated that Ji Xiang would be this tough.

Because Ji Xiang's English level was exceptionally high, Dr. Merz's complexion turned ugly to the Extreme Point after hearing Ji Xiang's words.

"Dr. Lin, Dr. Merz is your friend, right? Take him to look at the relevant materials first. Since he is here to study, we must make Dr. Merz satisfied."

Lin Jiuze was slightly stunned, then a very complex smile appeared on his face.

Ji Xiang truly had the temperament of a natural boss; he himself counted as extra-departmental staff, and it was more of an exchange of interests.

But in just a few sentences, he judged the contradictory relationship between himself and Dr. Merz, and immediately gave Dr. Merz an awkward moment.

And without hesitation.

This made Lin Jiuze quite happy.

"Dr. Merz, follow me." Lin Jiuze used Ji Xiang's words to make a gesture of invitation.

"Are you all this confident?"

"Mm, domestically, we call it 'ordinary but confident.' It means that under general circumstances, we are all very confident."

Zhao Zhe heard Lin Jiuze randomly explain the concept of 'ordinary but confident' and for a moment couldn't tell if Lin Jiuze didn't understand the meaning of the term or was teasing on purpose.

Lin Jiuze and Dr. Merz arrived at the Doctor's Office, and Lin Jiuze opened the mailbox first.

"You are really lucky, Dr. Merz," Lin Jiuze said with a pleasant expression, "The condition feedback for two patients has just arrived."

Dr. Merz looked disdainful.

But as Lin Jiuze finished downloading the emails and opened them, Dr. Merz's expression froze.

On the roaring, sea-like pitch, Zhao Dali, agile as a rabbit, was carrying the ball and running rapidly.

He looked a bit sturdier than before, with stronger resistance, but it also increased the burden on the joints throughout his body.

However, Zhao Dali seemed to have long been accustomed to the increased weight of his body; with a shoulder nudge and a lean, the ball at his feet flew up, just grazing over the top of the defender's head.

The entire set of technical details was delicate; one could not tell at all that he had once been injured.

Immediately, Zhao Dali did not wait for the ball to land and struck a volley; the football flew into the goal like a cannonball.

"It's the same every week, Dr. Ji Xiang, it's really quite boring." Lin Jiuze sighed, shrugged, and spread his hands, "The patient's condition feedback is just a highlight reel of goals; I've grown weary of this kind of work."

"..."

Dr. Merz was speechless.

Bai Chuzhang smiled; the tacit cooperation between Dr. Lin Jiuze and Ji Xiang had a very strong, pretentious sense of oppression.

Let alone Dr. Merz, even he himself felt that the two of them were aggressive.

"It proves that the patient is recovering well and has a bright future ahead. I heard that Manchester City is going to offer Zhao Dali a Blank Check? Is that true?" Ji Xiang asked.

Lin Jiuze was stunned, but immediately smiled, "With this kind of performance, plus the fact that the patient is not even 20 years old, it doesn't matter what number is written on the Blank Check; Mansour definitely won't be stingy."

Pausing slightly, Lin Jiuze didn't look at Dr. Merz either, and said in American English, "It looks like this patient's recovery is good; I will organize the specific data and send it to your email tonight."

Dr. Merz silently watched Zhao Dali on the pitch.

He had also observed this athlete; Zhao Dali's performance had made countless people drop their jaws. From being unknown to the owner of Manchester City offering a Blank Check, this young man only took half a year.

And!

It was achieved after a major surgery.

To Dr. Merz, Lin Jiuze's words didn't sound purely like showing off, but rather like a realistic complaint.

Zhao Dali quickly secured a starting position in the Bundesliga matches and scored every week, for nearly twenty consecutive weeks.

Watching the summary of Zhao Dali's injury recovery was just like enjoying a goal highlight reel.

Zhao Dali performed some high-difficulty moves without a hint of hesitation, and the completion was extremely high; if it hadn't been confirmed repeatedly, no one would believe that it had been less than half a year since Zhao Dali's surgery.

After silently finishing the "goal highlight reel" of Zhao Dali, Dr. Merz asked, "Dr. Lin, is the recovery situation of other patients the same?"

"Take a look, and you'll know." Lin Jiuze was already familiar with the feedback video addresses to his very bones and clicked on the next video.

Neymar's figure appeared.

Dr. Merz looked at the imaging data helplessly.

"It's a real pity. The one who was supposed to have surgery back then was Wembanyama, and his medical team chose you. If we had done it, now..." Lin Jiuze said very calmly.

"It's the same whoever is chosen; Wembanyama's recovery has no problems whatsoever!" Dr. Merz clenched his fists, angrily interrupted Lin Jiuze, and retorted.

"Oh, it's truly hard to believe, Dr. Merz. Facing the recovery video of Neymar's injury, you are actually still so confident." Lin Jiuze smiled and pointed at Neymar's back on the green field, "Look, if it were your team, would Mr. Neymar's surgery have such good results post-operatively?"

Although Dr. Merz was angry, he did not know how to refute Lin Jiuze's words.

Certainly not; if the results were even remotely similar, Dr. Merz would have countless ways to fight back.

But now, looking at Neymar's back, he could only shut his mouth.

"Lin, Dr. Merz is here to observe and learn; your attitude should be a bit gentler." Ji Xiang interrupted Lin Jiuze's sarcasm.

Bai Chuzhang almost laughed out loud.

Ji Xiang set up a ladder, and Lin Jiuze climbed right up it.

And after this, Ji Xiang did not want to climb up the ladder, but instead kept kicking Dr. Merz in the face, one step at a time.

He is truly worthy of being a Standardized Training Student who dares to directly confront Qin Chu; compared to Qin Chu, the unfamiliar Dr. Merz is nothing.

Dr. Merz was full of anger, but the facts were right before his eyes, and saying more would not change anything.

But he was unconvinced.

"I advised Wembanyama's team that the second surgery must be approached with caution," Dr. Merz said. "Wembanyama's injury is recovering quite well; if..."

"A second surgery, huh? I happen to have a video of a patient after a second surgery." Lin Jiuze interrupted Dr. Merz and pulled up a video of weightlifting.

Dr. Merz stared blankly at the entire process of the girl in the video breaking the world record, while listening to Lin Jiuze's introduction in his ear.

Rotator Cuff Injury, Suture Impingement Syndrome—Dr. Merz was very familiar with these terms.

Especially Suture Impingement Syndrome; it is a complication that is not considered rare, yet it is almost impossible to solve clinically.

He had not expected that this medical team had performed surgeries on so many athletes, and that there was even one who had broken a world record just a short while ago.

Dr. Merz looked at the date on the video and listened to Lin Jiuze narrate the entire process; from then on, he didn't say another word of nonsense.

If he were to argue further, Dr. Merz had no idea if Lin Jiuze would throw more Medical Records into his face.

Based on his understanding of Lin Jiuze, it was quite possible.

He felt some regret.

Perhaps he shouldn't have come at all.

"Dr. Merz, when is Wembanyama coming?" Lin Jiuze was just talking about Suture Impingement Syndrome when he suddenly asked about Wembanyama.

"The day after tomorrow."

Dr. Merz was stunned after he finished speaking.

"I hope that by then you will no longer be troubled by jet lag and can go all out to learn the New Surgical Technique." Lin Jiuze continued to mock Dr. Merz without hesitation, like a major villain.

"..."

"By the way, this surgical technique has been published in a total of 69 papers in top medical journals and professional medical journals. Have you read them all, Dr. Merz?"

"..."

"If you haven't, hurry up and read them. Although Doctor Ji Xiang won't hide the difficulties of the surgery, you still need to have some foundation to learn and observe."

Dr. Merz had complex emotions regarding Lin Jiuze's confident expression; he didn't know how to describe it.

Lin Jiuze followed the young surgeon's lead and pinned him down to being here to learn and observe; Dr. Merz didn't know how to refute him in the face of the surgical feedback videos of Zhao Dali and Neymar.

Before coming, Dr. Merz had thought of countless sharp questions, but in an instant, they all vanished into thin air.

Damn it!

Dr. Merz clenched his fists tightly.

If Wembanyama's surgery results aren't that good, he must make sure Lin Jiuze can never return to Massachusetts General Hospital!

He thought hatefully in his heart.

Besides that, Dr. Merz felt even more worry.

This sector belongs to the most top-tier medical resources, enjoying a super-high premium.

Ordinary patients have low requirements; they wouldn't even notice if a surgery was done well or just average.

But top athletes are different; they can pay a high price to increase their recovery efficacy by 1%.

Just like that young man named Zhao Dali; if his recovery hadn't been this good, he would be sitting on the bench in Germany right now, unable to play at all.

How else would the Qatar oil tycoon of Manchester City give him a Blank Check to fill out as he pleased?

This extremely lucrative surgical technique must absolutely not be snatched away by others, just like Wembanyama!

Dr. Merz knew that Wembanyama's team had agreed to the 9 million USD surgery fee; this kind of sky-high surgery made him even more jealous.

"Dr. Merz, do you have any other requests?" Lin Jiuze asked with a smile after finishing the feedback video.

"I hope you can successfully complete Wembanyama's surgery. For God's sake, please don't let Wembanyama lose his athletic ability."

"Rest assured, that is something the surgeon needs to worry about. And you, you are one of the members of the previous surgical team, are you not?"

Dr. Merz stared blankly at Lin Jiuze; he had become accustomed to Lin Jiuze's elusive presence, but today was very strange.

Usually, Doctor Lin Jiuze was like an invisible person, but he hadn't expected that after not seeing him for a while, he would be able to jump out and say so much.

"Dr. Merz, where are you staying?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I can answer your questions and clear up your doubts at any time, if you have enough confidence that you want to observe and learn the surgery," Lin Jiuze said with a chuckle. "I don't want you coming to my place, so it's better to go to yours."

"..."

"I still remember the vote you cast against me. If it weren't for Doctor Ji Xiang's agreement, I absolutely would not have said this much to you."

Lin Jiuze shrugged, "Dr. Merz, you also know that one must firmly execute the words of a superior doctor; you understand what I'm saying, right?"

Superior doctor!

Dr. Merz looked at Lin Jiuze with some surprise.

In Dr. Merz's view, Lin Jiuze and the doctors here should have been in a cooperative relationship, yet Lin Jiuze had spoken of things like a superior doctor.

This made it even more unacceptable to Dr. Merz.

He knew very well what kind of person Lin Jiuze was.

Dr. Merz did not look at Lin Jiuze much more; looking too much would make him dizzy, that hellish fellow! Dr. Merz turned his head to look at Ji Xiang, his gaze deep.

(End of chapter)