Chapter 761: 749 From Boy to Man, How Far Must One Go?

749 From Boy to Man, How Far Must One Go?

Xie Yiren smiled faintly and said, "Nothing like that. I drove this car over early this morning; I've only had it for a day. My dad's secretary went to pick up an XC60 this morning, and I'm not used to driving the One77."

"What?" Zheng Ren wondered.

"Oh, the Aston Martin One77, limited to seventy-seven units worldwide, hence the name One77." Xie Yiren started the car; the engine's roar was somewhat gentle.

"Oh." Zheng Ren uttered a flat "oh," not catching a word of what Xie Yiren was saying.

Global limited sale sounded high-end. He had no idea how much it cost. This car seemed less practical than a Volvo—four people couldn't even sit in it.

Zero‑to‑hundred acceleration? Horsepower? Who cares—could you even get it moving in the capital? No matter the price, Zheng Ren wasn't particularly bothered; after all, it paled beside the worry of having to visit each director lately to pay respects at the mountain gate, leaving him preoccupied.

"What are you thinking about?" Xie Yiren could sense Zheng Ren's gloom, tilted her head to look at him, and asked.

Zheng Ren poured out all his worries to Xie Yiren; talking with Xiao Yi Ren was the only time he felt truly relaxed.

"You need to grow up." After hearing him, Xie Yiren merely smiled and said, "From boy to man, how far must one go? This is just one step—keep at it."

"Mm." Zheng Ren nodded, quite earnest.

He shouldn't be feeling so much apprehension; Zheng Ren gave himself a pep talk. After all, he too was a Nobel Prize nominee— the pressure should be on those senior directors.

He just didn't know how to handle the relationships properly.

Xie Yiren didn't take Zheng Ren to eat any exotic delicacies either; she just pulled him along for congee, and then they headed straight to the 912 Hospital.

When Professor Rudolf Wagner saw Zheng Ren finally show up at the hospital, he was over the top excited, bustling about to introduce Zheng Ren to the post‑operative patients of the TIPS procedure.

He had already performed the second‑stage surgery on several post‑operative patients that morning, but not all of them.

Three patients felt their symptoms improve after the TIPS procedure, refused the second‑stage surgery, and went home.

The professor did the remaining six himself; for three patients he judged the second‑stage surgery too difficult, so he left those cases directly to Zheng Ren.

After checking the patients, all were stable; those who had undergone the second‑stage TIPS surgery were expected to be discharged and go home tomorrow.

The professor's surgical skill was still solid, Zheng Ren thought to himself, but he wondered what he could achieve with the TIPS procedure once his own abilities had increased significantly.

"Boss Zheng, how did you get here?" Zheng Ren finished his rounds, and Doctor Shen happened to walk out of the on‑call room, eyes heavy with sleep.

Doctor Shen had also returned, starting work early and heading out to see outpatients.

His face still bore fatigue; he looked as exhausted as Zheng Ren. As for Su Yun, that guy perfectly fulfilled his promise—he was going to sleep under a blanket for three days and three nights.

"Come take a look." Zheng Ren chuckled.

Doctor Shen glanced at Zheng Ren's side; Su Yun wasn't with him, seeming more relaxed, and she smiled, saying, "Director Kong specifically told me to come back and go straight to the outpatient clinic to see patients."

"How many did you get?"

"Six. The post‑op patients will be discharged tomorrow and then move in. I've left the phone numbers; Boss Zheng, you don't need to worry about these things—I'll report to you when the time comes." Doctor Shen said.

"By the way, do you have anything this afternoon?" Zheng Ren asked.

Doctor Shen immediately replied, "I'm free. Whether the clinic opens or not doesn't matter much—we have few beds, and seeing patients for just one morning would fill them for a week."

Seeing Doctor Shen's offhand attitude, Zheng Ren sighed and said, "If you're not busy, could you take me around to the other related departments?"

"What's this about?" Doctor Shen frowned for a moment, then realized Zheng Ren wanted to pay his respects to the department heads so they'd get to know him and he could start work.

"Which department would you like to visit first?" Doctor Shen immediately asked.

"The relevant departments, I suppose—gastroenterology… as for general surgery, we'll see." Zheng Ren had already decided and said it outright.

"All right." Doctor Shen responded cheerfully, "I'll check whether Director Luo of Gastroenterology is in."

Zheng Ren smiled and nodded.

Meanwhile, Doctor Shen was on the phone making arrangements, and Xie Yiren said, "I'm heading to the operating room; I've tidied up your locker—take a look later if anything's missing."

Saying that, Xie Yiren took a key from her bag and handed it to Zheng Ren.

Zheng Ren nodded, watching Xie Yiren leave.

Being able to go home is really nice.

"Boss Zheng, Director Luo is in the ward—shall we go over now?" Doctor Shen asked.

"All right. Fugui'er!" Zheng Ren called out.

"Heh heh, Boss?" Professor Rudolf Wagner poked his head out of the office, having just finished rounds; he then went to sort out some documents.

"I'll step out for a bit—you hold down the fort," Zheng Ren said.

The professor froze, his expression complex.

Zheng Ren looked at the professor's reluctant expression, puzzled at first, but then realized what was on his mind.

"I'm going to other wards to drum up patient sources and case volume—not heading far away," Zheng Ren explained.

"Huh…" Professor Rudolf Wagner exhaled, patted his chest, and said, "Boss, I was still wondering if you'd leave again. Good luck doesn't stick around forever…"

Zheng Ren missed Su Yun terribly, and had no idea whether her remark at the airport—when her plane landed in Rongcheng, about tearing the professor's mouth apart—was meant seriously.

"I'm off now; see you later." Zheng Ren waved, telling himself it was just a cultural difference, cultural difference—don't get angry.

He was a man blessed with Luck +12, but Fugui'er didn't get it.

"Boss Zheng, Director Luo's name is Luo We need to output lines: English; he's fifty‑two, a doctoral supervisor, and very capable," Doctor Shen said while walking, introducing Director Luo to Zheng Ren.

He wasn't a gastroenterology person, so he only knew a few superficial details about Director Luo; anything more specific was beyond his grasp.

In fact, Zheng Ren also knew it would be better to wait for Director Kong to return and have him introduce him to the various department heads—with Director Kong's influence, none of the senior directors would give him trouble to his face.

But the earthquake‑relief effort up ahead had no clear end in sight, and Director Kong's return was uncertain—so they couldn't just idle away their days.

He hadn't forgotten the matter of contacting the prosthetic limb suppliers.

This was a long‑term project, not something that could be wrapped up in a mere week.

Indeed, it was rather abrupt… Zheng Ren reflected and let out a faint sigh.

"What would I say there? Do I have to tell Director Luo I'm a Nobel Prize nominee? That's not paying respects—it's basically crashing the party."

Zheng Ren reckoned in his mind that if he went today, it would just be a perfunctory visit, a chance to get his face known.

"Mm, if I lower my goals, it won't seem so hard."