He noticed no sweat marks on the isolation suit and shook his head in admiration. "Young man, how envious I am of your stamina."
"Boss Zheng! That was incredible!" An interventional surgery department chief from another Class Three Grade A hospital stood, approached Zheng Ren to shake his hand and introduced himself.
Every person in the room wanted to introduce themselves to Zheng Ren. The barrage of names and backgrounds made him see stars.
He wanted to tell them to stop. His late-stage face blindness was bad enough that he could hardly remember a single stranger, let alone twenty.
These doctors all looked the same to him and he was sure that he would not recognize them upon their next encounter.
However, he did get a confidence boost from their eagerness to greet him. The surgery must have been perfect to garner the attention of all these top-tier doctors.
Once the introductions had died down, Department Chief Kong asked, "What's there to look out for post-surgery?"
"Within 24 hours, prostate hyperplasia will subside and the urinary catheter can be removed then," Zheng Ren said matter-of-factly.
There was muttering among the crowd in the control room.
It usually took 24-48 hours for the prostate to show any significant shrinkage. How had this doctor arrived at his figure?
"Sure." Department Chief Kong did not argue. "You must be tired. Come, rest in my office."
Zheng Ren nodded.
Chapter 252 - The Limit Was Not Crossed But Completely Outstripped (Part 1 of 5)
As the surgery ended, numerous calls came in for Department Chief Kong. The patient was still lying on the operating table.
Many of the professors and experts had left the room, but Li Haitao remained. He had not expected a junior doctor like Zheng Ren to put up such an impressive performance.
The live surgery recording had 10000 downloads within the hour.
As the recording was not hosted on a social media platform, the numbers far exceeded their expectations.
A smile blossomed on Li Haitao's face as he entertained call after call.
One person's happiness was another's despair.
Inside Biosensors International's spanking new China headquarters, the East Asia regional director, Huang Zhishan, watched the surgery recording in horror. He did not have the technical knowledge to understand the procedure, but from the expressions of the experts in the room, he knew it meant bad news.
They were silent and somber, without a hint of joy.
Some attempted to speak but decided against it.
What could they say? The video before them was irrefutable.
Biosensors International had spent a king's sum to bring in a world-class surgeon, Professor Rudolph Wagner, and build a new production line to manufacture specialized micro guide wire and guide catheters.
All that effort for nothing!
Huang Zhishan cared not for the demonstrative surgery's outcome. His sole aim was to put on a good show with his products prior to entering China's market.
However, his joy had been short-lived. A young surgeon in Imperial Capital, not even thirty years old, had challenged Professor Rudolph Wagner's prostate interventional embolization surgery.
What was truly incredible was that this man had actually succeeded!
Unbelievable!
The country's top-notch professors had given up on trying this procedure; how could this young upstart have accomplished what they could not?
Huang Zhishan watched the whole recording in disbelief.
He looked at the faces of the well-paid experts around him and felt his heart sink.
He took a deep breath to calm himself before asking the room, "Now that you have all seen the recording, what is your opinion?"
Without verbal confirmation, Huang Zhishan clung on to his last shred of hope.
Silence enveloped the large meeting room.
"Professor Sophie, why don't you start?" Huang Zhishan crossed his fingers and rested them on his belly in order to assume a comfortable position, hoping to appear relaxed in front of his audience.
However, the action had the opposite effect. The experts could see the stiffness and tension in Huang Zhishan's muscles that reminded them of a patient suffering from opisthotonos.
"My dear Huang, are we certain of the authenticity of this recording?" Now that she had been called by name, Professor Sophie had no choice but to verbalize the questions in her mind.
Another expert in his fifties had a tablet 1in his hand. The shifting colors on the screen flickered on the man's aged face, making it appear monstrous in the dark.
"I'm verifying it, Sophie," he interjected, staring at the screen in his hand.
"Olivier, if you don't put away that damned machine…"
"I was asking around. The consensus will sadden Huang," Olivier said with a shrug. "The surgery in Imperial Capital was a live recording. Although there are few experts left in Imperial Capital, the local doctors were witness to the surgery and they all confirmed that the content online is exactly the same as that which they had witnessed."
Huang Zhishan felt his heart grow cold.
"My god, is this real?" Sophie asked rhetorically. "From my understanding, Professor Rudolph Wagner's surgery was the peak of human's limits."
"Limits and records were made to be broken," Olivier said jokingly.
"But this leap is too inconceivable," Sophie continued, "The limit was not crossed but completely outstripped. After watching this, Professor Rudolph Wagner must feel like he'd been steamrolled by a tank."
"I think…"
"Enough!" In a fit of anger, Huang Zhishan cursed and growled, "Are you sure about this?"
"My dear Huang, even if I didn't believe the recording, it doesn't change the fact that it is real. There are many geniuses in the world and we may have simply bumped into one. Oh, how I would love to see Rudolph Wagner's expression when he sees this," Olivier said with levity.
Despair overcame Huang Zhishan and he slumped in his large office chair.
The experts who had been invited to view the recording exchanged a few glances. There seemed to be no point staying and they began to shuffle out.
Olivier walked elegantly to Huang Zhishan and said in French, "My dear Huang, the bill has been issued. Remember to sign off on it."
The rest of them filed out of the room, leaving Huang Zhishan alone to stare at the intricate patterns on his ceiling.
Several moments passed and his phone rang, breaking his trance.
Huang Zhishan forced out a single syllable. "Yeah?"
He listened to his secretary for a moment. The topic broached had him shouting into the phone: "Get her out! Tell her to go far, far away!"
...
Hua Yingying plastered the smile of a white-collar professional on her face as she stood before Huang Zhishan's secretary with a resume in her hand.
She knew the resume was just a formality.
A few days after the surprise contact, she had put in her resignation at Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery and gone to the regional headquarters of Biosensors International.
She was going to meet her future boss, Biosensors International's regional director.
What position would she be given?
Hua Yingying was sure she would be a manager of a large district, at least. Maybe she would become the sales manager of Sorcery Capital. She had contacts in the city and it was the company's first branch office in the country. Sorcery Capital was an important location, after all.
But…
Hua Yingying could hear the loud and angry voice over the secretary's phone.
Annoyance flashed past her face but she quickly regained her composure. She was a corporate employee, born and bred.
"Since the director is busy, I'll come by again after a few days." Hua Yingying did her best to exude an air of confidence as she left her resume on the table and walked out of the building.
'F*ck!' she cursed in her heart.
&n
bsp; As she walked through the central business district, her mind rummaged through her remaining options.
After some thought, she took her phone out and dialed a number as waves of white-collared employees moved past her on the busy street. The raw text states 'PID' which I believe is a typo by the author.
Chapter 253 - Poaching (Part 2 of 5)
Hua Yingying stood by the river, a desolate expression on her face. The cold winds blew by mercilessly.
The monotonous dial tone on her phone mocked her.
She had gotten the news from a client regarding the prostate interventional embolization surgery in Imperial Capital. They had completed the surgery in the morning and the execution was rumored to be perfect.
Another insider told her Changfeng Microinvasive Surgery's interventional surgery materials were being adopted throughout hospitals in Imperial Capital.
There was a blank look on Hua Yingying's face. The wind had messed up her hair but she paid it no heed.
Her current situation was akin to that of a rebel from the 1949 Chinese Revolution who had failed to escape to Taiwan…
She had been defeated by that useless Feng Xuhui?
The thought of Feng Xuhui's innocent and clueless expression made her blood boil.
How frustrating!
She was resourceful, competent and presentable. How had she lost to a rookie like him?
Hua Yingying looked into Huangpu River and saw Feng Xuhui looking back at her.
Go to hell! With all her might, she threw her phone at the illusion.
Everything she did was futile.
The phone fell into Huangpu River with a subdued splash.
Utterly defeated, she sat down by the river and let her tears fall.
…
…
Zheng Ren had a headache.
With the surgery over, he had expected to be able to return to Sea City within two or three days. All that was left to do was to observe the patient's post-surgery condition.
His job was done and he could finally rest. He wanted to stay in his room, read some novels and chat with Xie Yiren.
Unfortunately, reality was not as kind.
Once the patient had been wheeled back to the wards, Department Chief Kong caught ahold of Zheng Ren and would not let him go.
By lunchtime, more than half of the city's interventional surgery department chiefs had congregated in Imperial Capital General's Small Stove Canteen.
They had heard rumors of the surgery and were intrigued.
Such a perfect surgery deserved praise and recognition.
In future international meetings, they could stand a little taller in front of those prideful foreigners.
The place was filled with merry conversation and laughter.
The smile on Zheng Ren's face had frozen in place as his mind buzzed.
He had wanted the completion of the surgery to be a happy epilogue to his time in Imperial Capital, but now, he felt nothing but exasperation.
It would be more bearable to continue performing surgeries than to sit here and watch Su Yun mingle with these department chiefs. There was alcohol and raucous laughter amidst all the conversation.
To him, surgery was the best pastime.
All these lively social encounters were more Su Yun's repertoire.
Zheng Ren disliked them immensely.
Department Chief Kong returned Zheng Ren's side, the smell of alcohol lingering on his breath. With a smile, he said, "Little Zheng, you should be more sociable."
"Yes, you're right, Chief Kong," Zheng Ren replied, nodding.
It was a perfunctory answer. Zheng Ren was tired physically and emotionally; this whole social engagement was more tiring than performing ten surgeries with a lead apron on.
Department Chief Kong seemed unperturbed by Zheng Ren's muted response and chuckled.
"How many have approached you with an offer?" the old man asked.
"Huh?"
"The people who want to interview you. Little Zheng," Department Chief Kong's face turned serious as he continued his speech, "we're both close and I've asked you about this before. You declined then, but if you ever wish to come to Imperial Capital, contact me. I promise I'll match whatever remuneration and benefits offered by the other party."
Zheng Ren frowned at Department Chief Kong.
"How many? I saw some people talking in hushed voices with you."
"About five. Some offered me a research studentship, some offered to let me lead a project," Zheng Ren replied faintly.
A leadership position… Department Chief Kong had not expected someone to make such a grand offer in order to poach Zheng Ren.
Project leads in hospitals had consequential clout.
It was a prestigious role that required a not-insignificant level of popularity, technical skill and resources. A slight shortcoming in any of those would immediately disqualify one from it.
Each position was highly coveted.
However, someone was using this position to poach Zheng Ren right under his nose! Department Chief Kong was offended by such an unscrupulous move.
In the old man's mind, Zheng Ren was operating under his banner.
Resentment rose in Department Chief Kong and he whispered, "I can offer you a lead professor role. I can't guarantee you'll take my place one day, but when I retire, I will definitely tell my people to support your claim."
Zheng Ren was dumbfounded.
He had never encountered a situation like this before. An offer to lead a project and potentially become a department chief in Imperial Capital?
It was beyond his imagination.
Although he had reached Prime rank in interventional surgery, he did not have illusions of grandeur.
That rank alone did not guarantee him success in Imperial Capital.
Zheng Ren had spent more than 10 years in the field. He had seen and heard many things.
When a department chief retired, the fight for the position was vicious and brutal.
Back when the world was less regulated, there had even been violence.
Deaths and maiming had happened in the past.
Nowadays, the moral standard of society had improved significantly and condemned acts of violence. Rumors spread like wildfire, so subordinates were careful with their bid for power. Nominated figures would often be scrutinized—all their skeletons dragged out of the closet and paraded in public.
Why would he, an orphan with no resources or support, try for the position? Technical skill was important in surgery but was only one of many factors when climbing the hierarchical ladder.
Zheng Ren believed Sea City General Hospital was good enough for him.
Were he to leave Sea City, he would aim for a position in newly-built Class Three Grade A hospitals. He did not want to compete with others for positions in more established places.
Money was an instigator of chaos. He had seen threats of violence being hurled at others as fans competed for the top spot on the novel platform that he used. He wished to stay far away from such conflict in life.
Department Chief Kong studied the prudent expression on Zheng Ren's face and laughed. "If you wish to stay in Sea City, that is your choice, but you have to come when I invite you for a surgery."
"Chief Kong, don't you worry. I am more than willing to come and help with any breakthroughs in the field. As for the research write-ups, Su Yun will take care of it," Zheng Ren answered truthfully.
His words satisfied Department Chief Kong and he steered their conversation to the more mundane.
The lunch lasted three hours.
Zheng Ren visited the patient, who was in a stable condition and felt minimal pain, as expected. Finally, he dragged his tired body back to his accommodation with Su Yun to get his well-deserved rest.
There was a middle-aged man in a suit waiting at the accommodation block entrance. At the sight of Zheng Ren, he approached with a warm smile that stood out amidst the cold winds. "Boss Zheng, we finally meet!"
&nb
sp; Chapter 254 - The Hands of God (Part 3 of 5)
Due to his late-stage face blindness, Zheng Ren was used to greeting people despite not knowing them.
As the stranger had offered a handshake, he forced a smile and accepted it.
The lunch session had taken a greater toll on his energy than any surgery ever could.
"Boss Zheng, nice to meet you. My name is Li Xiaochen and I'm the executive deputy director of the private Straits Hospital, mainly in human resources and talent scouting," the stranger said cheerfully.
Straits Hospital? What was going on?
Zheng Ren was confused.
"Firstly, congratulations on the successful surgery today. I watched the live recording," Li Xiaochen said with a smile, starting off with flattery as was the custom.
"Oh, thank you," Zheng Ren said.
"Here is my name card. We are an American-owned hospital and have the best facilities to offer. Our interventional suite uses the Siemens double C arm L3476—the world's most advanced model. Would you be interested in having a look?" Li Xiaochen's congeniality seemed unshakeable.
The man was responsible for poaching medical talent from all over the country and knew how to charm his prey.
First and foremost was remuneration. True bigshots raked in millions annually while department chiefs and deputies earned between three to five hundred thousand yuan. In addition to benefits such as accommodation, spousal support and so on, there were many carrots he could dangle.
Secondly, doctors were also interested in the facilities on offer at their potential workplace. A high-end machine coupled with a highly-skilled surgeon could achieve wonders in the operating theater.
Who could resist such a temptation?
With these two aces up his sleeve, Li Xiaochen's poaching seldom failed.
Straits Hospital was an American-owned business and hence not included in the country's insurance policy. All of their patients paid their own way through.
It was out of reach of anyone who was not o.b.s.c.e.n.ely wealthy.
With how exorbitant its fees were, the hospital managed to afford both attractive salaries and top-tier facilities, which drew talent like flies to honey.
However, Imperial Capital professors were difficult to poach if they were not approaching retirement.
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