When the Doctor Uses A Hack

On his way home that evening, Chen Cang suddenly felt as if everything around him was dreamlike and illusory. He had never imagined that casually enhancing someone’s chest would allow him to achieve his life’s first milestone of wealth: the millionaire level!

It seems that the ancients did not deceive me, “A woman at twenty is like gold bricks, a woman at thirty bestows an empire.”

Chen Cang wondered if he should seek out someone three thousand years his senior, for after all…”A woman over three thousand ascends to the ranks of the immortals.”

The next morning, Chen Cang asked Li Baoshan for leave because he intended to find Professor Meng Xi, who was said to hail from the mysterious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

The First Hospital of Dongda University was not far from the Provincial Second Hospital. Chen Cang went there early, as it was akin to seeking guidance and mentorship; thus, it was better to arrive earlier.

By the time Chen Cang reached the cardiovascular surgery department of the First Hospital of Dongda University, it was only twenty past seven. He wandered the corridor, holding the signed approval form in his hand.

The hospital corridor displayed a staff list, and Chen Cang saw Meng Xi’s name ranked third.

The first name was Xia Gaofeng, the chief director of cardiovascular surgery, and the second was Zhou Qiwen, the deputy director.

Reading this staff wall, Chen Cang gained a general understanding of the cardiovascular surgery department at Dongda Hospital.

This was a department with historical depth and very strong comprehensive capabilities. It had a clear hierarchical structure of old, middle-aged, and young generations, and a proper ratio of medical to nursing staff.

The First Hospital of Dongda University ranked among the top three hospitals in Dongyang Province for its comprehensive strength. Not that it wasn’t as good as Provincial People’s Hospital or Dongda Second Hospital, but the rankings changed yearly, so no one could consistently claim the top spot. In comparison, Chen Cang still thought the Provincial Second Hospital was awesome. No matter which rankings came out each year, the Provincial Second Hospital was always securely in the tenth position, without a trace of ambiguity.

The Hospital affiliated with Traditional Chinese Medicine University, ranking eleventh, could never catch up to Provincial Second Hospital, and each year the latter couldn’t overtake the city’s People’s Hospital, which was perennially ninth. Hence, their positions remained as stable as Mount Tai.

At half past seven, accompanied by the nearly sixty-year-old Xia Gaofeng striding into the office, the shift handover officially began.

Chen Cang, who was eavesdropping from outside, was taken aback!

Impressive!

They’re using Engligh during the handover?

This display of professionalism momentarily stunned Chen Cang; they were actually using English for the shift handover!

Very high-end, indeed.

In fact, this was not uncommon in the medical community. Chen Cang had been to many hospitals where English was used for the shift handover, but it was usually just a set phrase that could be memorized.

But inside, it was not the case!

The handover was conducted entirely in English, and this garnered Chen Cang’s profound respect.

These were experts…

The handover lasted for over ten minutes, giving everyone some understanding of the patients’ conditions from the previous night. They then discussed the cases and a doctor reported on a new surgical approach for aortic dissection from a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The entire shift handover and reporting process was in English, and to be honest, it deeply impressed Chen Cang.

This would be overwhelming for an average doctor, let alone adapting to this rhythm and level!

No wonder the First Hospital of Dongda University now requires doctors to have a PhD as a minimum qualification and gives priority to overseas graduates. It’s not to disparage other schools, but if you came to this hospital, you might not be able to keep up.

At this time, several men and women about Chen Cang’s age stood at the door, all wearing white lab coats of the First Hospital of Dongda University. They were likely research and residency students from the hospital.

In groups, they discussed what was happening inside, not showing much curiosity towards Chen Cang, who stood to one side. This was the time when graduate students started their term, and those who came here were mainly looking for their mentors. Everyone was used to it by now.

At eight o’clock, the office door opened and nurses poured out. Chen Cang stepped back to keep a distance.

After everyone had left, Chen Cang entered the office.

Glancing around the room, his gaze immediately locked onto a woman.

Meng Xi.

There was no mistake, even dressed in a professional white lab coat, she stood out in the crowd.

The first impression Chen Cang had should have been that of a clean-cut, strong-willed woman.

Chen Cang took a deep breath and walked forward, having come all this way, why be nervous?

Just as he approached, Chen Cang nodded slightly and bowed, “Good morning, Professor Meng, I’m Chen Cang, this year’s research student, and I would like to become your student.”

As soon as Chen Cang spoke, the room suddenly fell silent…

Chen Cang’s heart skipped a beat.

What had happened?

Why had everything gone quiet?

Chen Cang raised his head slightly and saw Meng Xi put down the things she was holding.

Meng Xi looked Chen Cang over and said indifferently, “Please, have a seat.”

Chen Cang nodded, “Thank you, teacher.”

After taking his seat respectfully, Chen Cang felt like he was sitting on pins and needles in the quiet office.

This period of time, since June, many students had come to seek out Meng Xi, in an endless stream, but as they came and went, gradually there were not many people left.

The doctors in the department suddenly saw someone who was unafraid to die, still full of interest, looking forward to being able to spar a few more rounds under Professor Meng.

On Monday morning, the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery traditionally did not schedule surgeries, except for emergencies. After a weekend, everyone needed to organize some patient records and materials, and surgeries would gradually begin to be scheduled in the afternoon.

Meng Xi had realized something during this time: if she did not take on any students herself, she would definitely be assigned one in the end, that was certain.

Rather than that, it would be better to choose a student she found relatively pleasing to the eye, someone she could work with comfortably.

When Chen Cang came to greet her, Meng Xi nodded to herself internally; he was a sunny and handsome young man who approached her openly, and most importantly, she had seen him standing at the door before even arriving at her office, having come almost an hour early.

Meng Xi was a person with a strong sense of time, very self-disciplined, strict with herself, and would never put off today’s work until tomorrow.

Chen Cang’s early arrival today had made a good impression on Meng Xi, and coupled with his pleasant demeanor, overall, he had a bonus point compared to others.

Meng Xi smiled slightly, “You don’t need to be so nervous, how old are you this year?”

Chen Cang answered honestly, “Twenty-seven.”

Meng Xi nodded thoughtfully, “At twenty-seven, you started working and then became a graduate student, you have work experience, right?”

Chen Cang hummed in acknowledgment, “After graduating, I worked in the emergency department at the provincial hospital for almost three years.”

Hearing the whole sentence, Meng Xi nodded, “How is your English?”

She asked not only because she expected her students to have a high level of English proficiency but also to assess Chen Cang’s learning ability—few people who start working are still willing to learn English afterwards.

And with medical frontiers generally published in English journals, it was essential to use English as a language tool.

Meng Xi wanted to find out whether Chen Cang’s learning had ever stopped.

This question was very important.

Chen Cang nodded, “Not bad.”

At that, Meng Xi couldn’t help but laugh.