Chapter 108 - 107: LNR Paper Published
Chapter 108: Chapter 107: LNR Paper Published
The next day, Xu Juan took Shen Yu for a physical, while Chen Hao took Jiang He to the hospital.
They took pictures and sent them to each other...
In reality, Shen Yu really just had a seasonal cold, and Jiang He really just had a simple sprained ankle.
But regardless, it was always a good thing to be careful.
Chen Hao snapped a photo of Jiang He, who was sitting outside the orthopedics clinic.
Not long after the text was sent, Xu Juan sent back an MMS with a picture.
The screen showed Shen Yu’s back as she sat in front of the blood draw window.
Jiang He stared at the photo for a long time...
After returning to school, he was still absent-minded.
His sprained ankle, having been cold-compressed and bandaged, didn’t actually hurt much as long as he avoided any strenuous activity.
But his mood had sunk to the lowest point since his rebirth.
The physical exam results wouldn’t be out so quickly, especially for blood tests for tumor markers like CA19-9 and CEA. Even at a place like Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the results usually took until the next day.
Actually, after he had calmed down, Jiang He knew, deep down, that at Shen Yu’s current age, it was most likely just a common cold.
Rationally, he understood all this.
But perhaps it was because he was remembering the past, or perhaps it was because he could see the countdown as the Grim Reaper swung its scythe.
In any case, he was in a terrible mood, sullen all day long.
There was a pre-screening meeting in the afternoon.
It was an important meeting about the miRNA project.
Before the meeting, Jiang He made a special trip to find Yang Xu.
In the department’s faculty office.
Yang Xu could tell something was wrong with Jiang He at a glance.
"What’s wrong? Sprained your ankle? Is that why you’re in a bad mood?"
"Yeah. I wasn’t paying attention on the way back to the dorm last night and ran into a bicycle."
Yang Xu clearly didn’t believe it was just because of a sprained ankle.
He took out his pack of Double Happiness cigarettes, pulled one out, and offered it. "Want one?"
Jiang He shook his head. "I don’t smoke. Professor, you should cut back a little too."
Yang Xu stuck the cigarette back in the pack. "I forgot you don’t smoke. It’s good that you don’t."
He looked at Jiang He, who was sitting across from him, and had a strange feeling.
Seeing his star pupil in such a downcast state for the first time, Yang Xu suddenly found himself at a loss for how to comfort him.
Yang Xu couldn’t help but start reflecting on himself.
He realized that he really had stopped thinking of Jiang He as a student.
Every time he called him over, whether it was to this office or to a resuscitation bed in the ER,
their conversations had completely transformed into the kind of equal-footing discussions you’d have between comrades-in-arms.
At times, Yang Xu even felt a deep-seated urge to turn and ask Jiang He for his opinion.
Last night, Yang Xu had even had an extremely absurd dream.
He dreamed that Jiang He had become an academician before he did... ’How ridiculous.’
Yang Xu had woken up with a start, fumbled for a cigarette in the dark and smoked half of it, and couldn’t snap out of it for the longest time.
Shaking off the messy thoughts in his head, Yang Xu pulled open the drawer on his right, took out a new journal, and tossed it on the desk.
It had a blue and white cover, with a title in large print—
Chinese Journal of Surgery.
"It’s been published. Take a look."
"Okay."
The gloom in Jiang He’s eyes finally began to dissipate.
He reached for the journal. As he looked through it, Yang Xu said, "Impressive efficiency, isn’t it? I’d say this is one of the fastest turnarounds in the entire history of the Chinese Journal of Surgery."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Nothing to thank me for. It was mainly because the data you wrote up was solid and your logic was airtight. They couldn’t find any flaws, so they were willing to give you the green light. Anyway, you’ve injured your foot, so just sit here for a bit. We can rest for a while. The pre-screening meeting doesn’t start for another half an hour. I’ll go over with you later."
Jiang He closed the journal and nodded. "Alright."
The office fell silent for a moment.
Yang Xu picked up the thermos on his desk, took a sip of water, and started chatting idly. "By the way, something strange happened. I ran into Professor Wang at the entrance of Cafeteria No. 2 yesterday morning, and she actually greeted me first. I have no idea what that was about."
Hearing this, Jiang He recalled the time he discussed the framework for the "Step-Up Approach to Minimally Invasive Treatment" paper with Wang Xiaoqing.
It seemed Wang Xiaoqing had taken his words of praise to heart and transferred some of her goodwill for Jiang He over to Yang Xu as well.
’That’s good.’
Jiang He didn’t reveal the real reason, simply going along with it. "Maybe Professor Wang’s research project is going well recently, so she’s in a good mood."
"Oh? That’s nice."
Yang Xu didn’t press the issue and changed the subject. "Let’s talk business. Regarding Elder Zhou’s surgery in the VIP ward last time, I’ve reviewed that new posterior approach you proposed on the spot several times."
Yang Xu stood up, walked over to the metal filing cabinet, and took out a burned CD.
"This is the surgical field recording from that operation."
"I’ve already applied to the hospital leadership. Next week, I’m planning to hold a closed-door presentation and training session for the entire surgery department, including general surgery, hepatobiliary, and oncology."
Jiang He listened quietly.
He knew the future impact of this surgical technique; that was why he hadn’t hesitated to propose the method during the operation.
Yang Xu looked at Jiang He, his tone tinged with a bit of teasing. "So, I’m giving you a heads-up. The next time you go to the hospital, don’t be surprised if a lot of people recognize you."
Jiang He said, "I understand."
Yang Xu sighed as he looked at Jiang He’s unfazed expression.
"Sometimes when I talk to you, I forget you’re actually just a third-year undergraduate."
He shook his head and continued, "But that’s fine too. After the competition in the South China Region at the end of October, if your results are good, you can apply to the school to start your clinical internship early, right?"
Jiang He nodded.
"Hurry up and start your internship at the hospital. Get through the formalities quickly, jump over all those hurdles set up for ordinary people. I’ve got plenty of complex cases over here waiting for you to discuss. You’re being held back by staying at the university."
Jiang He nodded again and replied, "Okay."
He also wanted to start his hospital internship as soon as possible.
Only by truly entering the clinical system and gaining more operational authority and the ability to allocate resources could his grand plans for the future truly unfold.
Besides, his internship was destined to be different from everyone else’s.
Other people’s internships might just be spinning like a top in the wards every day. For reference, see Xu Chen.
But his internship would be nothing like that.
What he would be doing was creating treatment plans, leading projects, and, when faced with the most difficult anatomical variations on the operating table, taking over the Lancet that held the power of life and death.
Those were two completely different paths.
Yang Xu glanced at the wall clock, stood up, and tucked the Chinese Journal of Surgery into his briefcase so he could show it off later.
Then he said, "Let’s go. Time for the meeting."