Chapter 804: Success Comes Naturally

Ji Xiang's life remained as it was; the competition far across the ocean seemed to have nothing to do with him.

A few days later, Ji Xiang adjusted his surgery schedule to go to the Airport to pick up Dean Shen and Bai Chuzhang.

If it were in the past, Ji Xiang would not have gone to pick them up, but the most recent experience of Empathy had quietly changed Ji Xiang.

This was a part of medical practice; although it could neither be seen nor touched, it could change efficiency. In his heart, Ji Xiang had already identified this part as a catalyst.

However, even after going, Ji Xiang was still a bit wooden, not knowing what to say.

Bai Chuzhang looked at the green Ji Xiang, as if seeing his younger self, his face full of smiles.

After sending Dean Shen back, Bai Chuzhang very straightforwardly kept Ji Xiang and called Liu Zhuren to go sit at Peiyang Barbecue.

Ji Xiang did not hide anything, recounting the ins and outs of the situation regarding the Patient he had recently called Bai Chuzhang to ask for help with, as much as he could say.

"Bai Chuzhang, what do you think?"

That he would say these words directly to him made Bai Chuzhang look at Ji Xiang with new eyes.

Indeed, what Ji Xiang asked was somewhat inappropriate, but since he asked this way, it meant he regarded him as a life mentor, and the situation was naturally different.

"What Meng Qingfei said is all nonsense. As an ordinary Doctor, how much can he know? 'Peering at a leopard through a tube' is a fitting description for Meng Qingfei." Bai Chuzhang smiled slightly.

Liu Zhuren also smiled; when positions are different, the things one sees are naturally different.

"Order the skewers!" Bai Chuzhang was not in a hurry, beckoning the boss of Peiyang to start ordering everything on the menu.

"I couldn't get used to eating over there; every time I ate Western food, I wanted to use chopsticks."

"You weren't used to it even when you were doing advanced studies in Canada back then?" Liu Zhuren asked.

"How could I get used to it? Not to mention chopsticks, I was especially unaccustomed to just drinking water. In Canada, I just got used to drinking bottled water; I didn't learn anything else," Bai Chuzhang said.

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

When Bai Chuzhang went abroad back then, after returning, he and Liu Zhi messed around with the World of Warcraft account that had been abandoned for more than half a year; where would there be time to talk about foreign customs and local conditions?

"Before I went, I thought the foreign drinking water standards were authentic, but after I went, I saw that it was completely not the case."

Liu Zhuren looked at the menu with a smile; he had never heard of this matter.

"They said the tap water was drinkable, but when I caught it in a cup, it was full of foam, like it had laundry detergent in it. I felt like if I drank it for a while, I could drink up an Inner Elixir!"

Inner Elixir meant kidney stones; Ji Xiang knew this slang.

Ji Xiang smiled, listening to Bai Chuzhang gossip.

After ordering the food, Bai Chuzhang said leisurely, "Xiao Ji, regarding the matter you mentioned, I'll give you an example. When I first started working, the funeral industry was different from now. In the South, some hospitals had morgues inside the hospital, called the Morgue, taking the meaning of peace and tranquility. I don't know when they cancelled the Morgue on our side."

Ji Xiang remembered Liu Zhuren gossiping to him about the Morgue back then, and didn't pay attention to whether Bai Chuzhang said the Morgue existed or not.

"At that time, there was still a Morgue. The family members of the deceased would look for someone to calculate an auspicious date and time, always in the Chen hour between 7-9 in the morning. When it was time for work, there would be a crowd of family members, along with blowing, playing, singing, and scattering paper money. The hospital would come forward to communicate, and they would just say one sentence—'The person is already dead, you even care about a grand funeral?'—and that would deflect all arguments."

"Moreover, in the country, it is emphasized that the deceased is paramount; saying anything at this time would be problematic."

Ji Xiang put himself in that position and nodded; this kind of thing was indeed very difficult to manage.

"Xiao Ji, let me test you with a question," Bai Chuzhang said with a smile. "If you were the Director of Medical Affairs, how would you prepare to manage it?"

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

"The old Director of Medical Affairs at that time didn't know how to manage it either, but later, after holding meetings and exchanging ideas, he learned a trick."

Bai Chuzhang kept a little suspense, but didn't make things difficult for Ji Xiang, and immediately said, "The old Director of Medical Affairs found a big shot in the CPPCC. You know the Taoist Association is also in the CPPCC."

Ji Xiang was slightly stunned; he didn't expect the hospital Morgue to actually be connected to the CPPCC.

"He contacted the president of the Taoist Association, and from then on, the auspicious dates and times calculated by the Taoist priests never included the Chen hour, so the hospital became much quieter."

"..."

Ji Xiang was speechless.

It seemed it was indeed very complicated; things that were completely unrelated actually had internal connections.

To solve a problem, one truly cannot do it without a certain amount of social experience.

This was the Provincial Hospital, after all; there were Taoist temples and Taoist priests, so it was still considered "formal." If it were in a local area, finding those so-called Yin-Yang masters probably wouldn't be this simple.

However, Ji Xiang thought again, even if it were Yin-Yang masters, Bai Chuzhang should have ways to find them.

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

It was similar to how Bai Chuzhang could summon the Teaching Director of the university next door with a single phone call; this time it was contacting the CPPCC to solve the matter of fortune-telling and choosing auspicious dates.

Ji Xiang felt a headache just thinking about these messy things.

"Xiao Ji, these are all the jobs of our Medical Affairs Department," Bai Chuzhang said with a smile, not knowing why Ji Xiang was thinking so much. "Escorting Clinical practice, you know."

"Ha!" Ji Xiang laughed out loud.

But thinking about it again, Bai Chuzhang was still different from the short, fat man encountered during that Empathy.

From daily contact, one could tell that Bai Chuzhang's mind was still focused on Clinical practice; if he encountered a similar refund issue, Bai Chuzhang would likely have settled the matter in advance.

The so-called "those skilled in war have no great fame"—that was probably it.

"Xiao Ji, do you know why we are eating at Peiyang Barbecue?" Liu Zhi, Liu Zhuren, asked.

"It's been many years; I'm used to it."

"That's one reason. Another is that all the other shops that opened were squeezed out of business by Ding Laoban of Peiyang."

"???"

Ji Xiang had a question-mark face.

"This storefront is his own. He gets the sheep from his hometown, keeping costs to the minimum. A few years ago, there were similar barbecue shops across the street, but they couldn't control their costs. You also know that the price of storefronts across from the hospital has been hyped up by pharmacies."

"His shop is neither big nor small, and pharmacies don't want it, so it's quite good for him to use it for business himself."

Seeing that Ji Xiang had no interest in doing business, Bai Chuzhang asked with a smile, "Xiao Ji, do you know why the hospital has a connection with the CPPCC?"

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

"Finding someone from the Taoist Association in the CPPCC solved the problem. Guess how he made the contact."

This kind of gossip was even more ancient; how would Ji Xiang know?

Bai Chuzhang did not keep them in suspense and said directly, "That was back before I came to the hospital. At the time, many people in the nearby villages suddenly fell ill, and when they came to the hospital for check-ups, there were major problems, including Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head and so on."

"Later, by chance, when they were eating together, they brought it up and discovered it was a villager who put on a Daoist robe, claimed to be a Daoist from Longhu Mountain, and the talisman he wrote used a large amount of Veterinary Antibiotics plus Dexamethasone."

"They burned it into ash and drank it, which was similar to intravenous Antibiotics and hormones."

Ji Xiang listened, dumbfounded.

"You tell me, what would happen to a minor ailment under the effects of Veterinary Antibiotics and hormones?"

Ji Xiang scratched his head; indeed.

"Even now, many people still come to us for treatment for Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head," Liu Zhuren said. "They are all ailments caused by burning those Talismans and drinking the water back then."

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

"You think it's not chaotic now?" Bai Chuzhang asked teasingly.

Ji Xiang did not know how to answer.

"But it has nothing to do with you." Bai Chuzhang put aside the gossip from the past and leisurely changed the subject, "Dazhi, you didn't go to the United States, so you didn't see the scene where the two bosses at Harvard Medical School were fighting over Xiao Ji."

"What?!" Liu Zhuren was startled, "Two bosses fighting over Xiao Ji?"

"If Xiao Ji doesn't go abroad, there's no way to graduate with a Doctor of Philosophy. Lin Jiuze's mentor is of Chinese descent, named Tang Chenghua; I reckon they had discussed it long ago, so they proposed the matter of letting Xiao Ji graduate with a Doctor of Philosophy in 3 months."

"As a result, he got snatched up."

Snatched!

Liu Zhuren carefully savored this word spoken by Bai Chuzhang, and infinite emotion rose in his heart.

That is Harvard Medical School, the existence ranked first in the United States and second in the world.

Ji Xiang is not even a master's student domestically, and even though the Second Affiliated Hospital has the duty of teaching, there are many master's and doctoral supervisors, but everyone, including Bai Chuzhang, would not dare to operate like Tang Chenghua.

Liu Zhi, Liu Zhuren, felt a bit envious of Ji Xiang.

He looked at Ji Xiang with a strange expression in his eyes, and after a long while, he sighed slightly, "Xiao Ji, you could consider this..."

"It should be that I beat them into submission," Ji Xiang said calmly.

"!!!"

"!!!"

Bai Chuzhang and Liu Zhuren were both stunned for a moment.

Beat them into submission? I reckon only Ji Xiang would dare to say that.

At a time like this, shouldn't one be a bit modest and polite?

But in the next thought, both of them laughed; it was indeed beating them into submission.

Ji Xiang was silently performing Kidney Cancer Embolization and Resection surgeries; the surgical volume was high, but only those in the circle could give a fair evaluation.

Moreover, this kind of evaluation is useless; what if you perform ten thousand surgeries a year? It wouldn't be simple for someone with ulterior motives to pick faults.

However, in the field of Sports Medicine, Ji Xiang did not perform many surgeries, but they were all treatments accepted by top athletes.

Furthermore, there is no first in literature and no second in martial arts; evaluating a Doctor's level in Sports Medicine is relatively simpler and more direct—whether the Patient's post-operative athletic ability and competitive level have changed, and how much they have slipped, is clear at a glance.

It was also because Zhao Dali was impressive, otherwise Ji Xiang wouldn't have gained recognition from the academic world so quickly. Because he recovered well, there were the future stories of Neymar and Wembanyama.

Especially Bai Chuzhang; at the thought of Wembanyama's performance of moving like the wind on the court, he actually felt a little excited.

Beating them into submission—it wasn't just the athletes who conquered everyone's hearts on the court; Ji Xiang's surgery also conquered the Harvard Medical School doctoral supervisor.

"Lao Bai, Xiao Ji is still too young," Liu Zhuren sighed lightly.

"You don't know, Dazhi," Bai Chuzhang smiled, "Dr. Merz said there is a research institute where Xiao Ji can go to be an International Scholar."

"!!!"

"With the experience of returning to the country, and being endorsed by a top Expert in the field of Sports Medicine, the problem isn't that big. Even if Xiao Ji hasn't gone abroad, having a title is good."

Liu Zhuren was both bewildered and sighing.

The things he had worried about before were nothing to Ji Xiang, turning into nothingness as light as a cloud.

Moreover, Ji Xiang's main energy was focused on the treatment of Renal Cancer, and the Sports Medicine surgeries were just "done casually."

"Xiao Ji, you this..."

"Good luck," Ji Xiang smiled.

"Three months," Bai Chuzhang muttered, "In three months, everything will fall into place."

Everything will fall into place!

Liu Zhuren's heart felt as if it had been struck by a hammer.

To be able to say everything will fall into place, who doesn't need years or over a decade of effort? But Ji Xiang only used less than 1 year to actually have everything fall into place.

What did he do?

Thinking of this, Liu Zhuren laughed himself, almost laughing out loud.

Isn't it obvious what Ji Xiang did? The professional lifespans of those top athletes running on the court are all immediate results.

It is also fortunate that these immediate surgeries exist, otherwise it would have been quite difficult for Ji Xiang to "have everything fall into place," and it would have likely taken at least several years.

"Fine, because of this matter, we have to have a drink in a moment," Liu Zhuren said.

Ji Xiang was not polite either; when the skewers were all served, Ji Xiang raised his glass to toast Bai Chuzhang and Liu Zhuren.

"Xiao Ji," after a mouthful of alcohol went down, Liu Zhuren asked curiously, "Where do you plan to go in the future?"

"Where to? Work at our hospital."

"!!!"

Liu Zhuren looked at Bai Chuzhang with an innocent face.

Ji Xiang saying this, is he trying to fool a fool?

Bai Chuzhang was also a bit puzzled, "Xiao Ji, whether it's the large Grade A Tertiary Hospitals in the Imperial Capital or Shanghai, or research institutes abroad, the sky is high for birds to fly."

"No need," Ji Xiang said with a smile, "It's quite good at the Second Affiliated Hospital. For the troubles in Clinical work, Bai Chuzhang helps me block all kinds of trivial matters, and I can focus on doing surgeries. Even if a medical team has three heads and six arms, how many surgeries can they do?"

Perform surgery!

Even now, Ji Xiang was still thinking about performing surgery, which surprised both Bai Chuzhang and Liu Zhuren.

But upon second thought, as a Surgeon, what else would he do if not perform surgery?

Ji Xiang was simply maintaining his original intention throughout.

He really was a strange young man; usually, the young and vigorous all strive to become top-tier Doctors, yet Ji Xiang made a choice that surprised two old veterans.

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

"Just perform surgery, that's the only thought I have, nothing else," Ji Xiang said. "I remember Oilfield Hospital conducted a study on diabetes that spanned several decades, reaching number one globally in that field."

"I remember there was indeed such a project, but is it really that impressive?" Liu Zhuren muttered.

Different professions are like different mountains; within the medical industry, even being separated by one specialty is like being separated by a massive mountain.

It is normal for the Urology Department not to understand things in Internal Medicine.

"Do it slowly, no rush," Ji Xiang said very seriously. "Right now we can perform about 8 surgeries a day; as our fame grows, there will be more and more Patients. But we'll talk about the future later; I want to find someone specifically for data statistics and post-operative follow-ups in the future."

Ji Xiang thought of Zhao Mengmeng; that girl wasn't skilled at Clinical work, but she should have no problem with statistics.

"Regarding scientific research, churning out papers isn't a real skill; having the real skill is to steadily perform surgery for decades."

After saying this, Ji Xiang grinned.

Steadily performing surgery for decades—Bai Chuzhang and Liu Zhuren fell silent in unison.

This was no longer a matter of Luck or talent, but of character.

If one could truly be steady and solid in performing surgery for decades, while also balancing relevant data and follow-ups, the sheer workload made Bai Chuzhang feel a headache just thinking about it.

Even the unflappable Bai Chuzhang was moved at this moment.

"Xiao Ji, your heart is big enough," Liu Zhuren said in a deep voice, not knowing if it was praise or disparagement.

"My family isn't short of money, I don't need to give my all just to earn money," Ji Xiang said. "I just need to perform surgery well and do scientific research."

His smile was very bright, like sunshine.

Not short of money... The two old veterans savored this sentence, feeling a sourness in their hearts, almost crying.

This was indeed the most important thing; Ji Xiang belonged to the type of rich second generation who had serious pursuits, treating surgery like a game.

Looking at it this way, it was much better than wallowing in luxury and dissipation.

"Xiao Ji, do your parents agree?"

"They don't interfere with me," Ji Xiang said. "And I feel my parents are very supportive of me; take my father for example, theoretically he should be busier, but I feel he has put more thought into me."

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

Liu Zhuren knew Ji Xiang's background was somewhat strange and suspicious, so he didn't continue the topic here.

Having ascertained Ji Xiang's plans for the future, although the world is ever-changing and words may not count for much, both Liu Zhuren and Bai Chuzhang felt relieved.

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

Time passed like water; with the efforts of Dr. Merz and Tang Chenghua, it only took Ji Xiang about 2 months to obtain two Doctoral Degrees from Harvard Medical School.

Moreover, the research center established by Dr. Merz labeled Ji Xiang as a Deputy Director and International Scholar.

Time arrived at May 1st, and the Second Affiliated Hospital formally had Dean Shen come forward to submit the documents for Ji Xiang's application for Outstanding Youth.

At the application site, Dean Shen met an old classmate.

"Old Shen, why are you here?" Dean Shen's classmate greeted him warmly.

Dean Shen also came from a Clinical background and served as a Doctoral Supervisor; his classmate guessed that Dean Shen's purpose for coming must be to register his prize pupil.

Suddenly, Dean Shen's classmate's expression shifted, "Old Shen, are you recruiting a son-in-law?"

"..." Dean Shen was stunned for a moment.

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

"What kind of young man is it, let me see." Dean Shen's classmate snatched the application form, saying, "Has your daughter graduated? Is there some young talent in your hospital that you're already impatiently preparing to recruit as a live-in son-in-law?"

Many hospital Deans and department heads in the country have this habit.

Their generation caught the "only one child is good" era; if they had a daughter, they would scout a young man early on, observe him after he joined the hospital, and if his character was excellent in every way, they would arrange for the two to meet.

As for whether they could end up together, that was up to fate.

But this model was not uncommon.

The so-called live-in son-in-law was just a form of teasing.

Dean Shen came out in person; if it weren't for a crucial talent, it would be hell.

His classmate snatched the application form, took a look, and froze, "Old Shen, this person seems younger than your daughter; you're being too excessive."

"What are you thinking? This is a Standardized Training Doctor who came to our hospital last year, because..."

"Wait!" Dean Shen's classmate interrupted Dean Shen, "Standardized Training Doctor? What does that mean?"

"It just means Standardized Training Doctor," Dean Shen said proudly, "Our Second Affiliated Hospital has established a perfect talent evaluation mechanism, and we will absolutely not miss any..."

"Old Shen, stop with the official jargon, speak like a human."

"I remember you watch football."

"Yes."

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

"!!!" Dean Shen's classmate was stunned; he immediately thought of something!

"Is it that young Doctor who participated in the variety show?"

Dean Shen looked at his old classmate with a smile.

"My god! Performing surgery on Neymar is actually true?!"

"There are many other top-tier athletes," Dean Shen said not without pride.

Originally, he came to register Ji Xiang, thinking about whether he would have a chance to show off and brag a little.

It was such a coincidence that an old classmate happened to come over; it was truly a god-given opportunity.

"Here, let me show you something," Dean Shen said while taking out his phone.

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

"Do you recognize it?"

"This is?" Dean Shen's classmate asked, puzzled.

"An NBA Championship Ring, donated to our Second Affiliated Hospital by Mr. Wembanyama, now kept in our Exhibition Hall."

"Holy shit!!" Dean Shen's classmate blurted out a curse.

"You're at your age and still cursing," Dean Shen said, feeling immense satisfaction.

"Cursing cleanses the mouth. If you keep all the filth inside your heart, wouldn't your heart become dirty?" Dean Shen's classmate explained, holding Dean Shen's phone and examining it repeatedly.

"Wembanyama had surgery at our hospital, performed by Doctor Ji Xiang himself. He recovered well after the surgery and led his team to win the championship. Out of gratitude, Mr. Wembanyama gifted the championship ring to Doctor Ji Xiang."

"And then you confiscated it?" Dean Shen's classmate asked, stunned.

Dean Shen said unhappily, "It was Doctor Ji Xiang who gifted it to the hospital. Without the hospital's platform, how could the surgery have been completed? This is also about remembering the source of one's water; it is a recognition of the Second Affiliated Hospital."

Remembering the source of one's water? Dean Shen's classmate didn't listen to a word of it. Right now, it was nothing but discarding the millstone after the grain is ground; how could there be any remembering the source of one's water?

But what was strange was that a young doctor who performed surgery on Neymar and Wembanyama had limitless potential, so why would he stay at the Second Affiliated Hospital?

Outstanding Youth?

A mere Outstanding Youth selection was simply not enough to move that young man.

"Old Shen, your Exhibition Hall... I assume this is the only item there, right?" Dean Shen's classmate asked.

Dean Shen became angry from embarrassment, "There will be more! This year, the European Cup trophy from Zhao Dali will also be donated to our Second Affiliated Hospital."

Champions League!

Dean Shen's classmate was stunned for a moment.

Right, that young man named Zhao Dali was said to have had two surgeries in the country; who would have thought he would also have a connection to the Second Affiliated Hospital.

"See, there will be more collectibles in the future," Dean Shen said proudly.

This wasn't something one could envy; Dean Shen's classmate returned the phone to him and stared blankly at the application form.

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

"Your Second Affiliated Hospital is quite impressive, being able to pile up so many resources," Dean Shen's classmate said with envy.

Dean Shen felt slightly awkward; this had nothing to do with the Second Affiliated Hospital, as all the articles were published by Ji Xiang himself.

There wasn't even room to write down anything with an impact factor below 10.