Chapter 339 - 230: All-English Questioning? Three Heroes vs. Jiang He

Chapter 339: Chapter 230: All-English Questioning? Three Heroes vs. Jiang He

Early December. A cold front moved south, and Yangcheng gradually cooled.

Despite the weather, there were still people on campus wearing short sleeves and shorts.

Everyone who saw them would praise how robust they were, then secretly mutter behind their backs, ’They’re definitely going to catch a cold!’

Later generations would have internet slang for this: ’So tough I’m speechless.’

Provincial Health Department, inside a conference room.

Lin Zhenhua sat at the head of the table.

He had specifically instructed his secretary to clear his schedule for today’s "Pre-Departure Symposium for the US Trip," organized especially for Jiang He.

Seated on either side of the conference table were three elderly men.

These three were all highly respected seniors from the province’s medical community.

They were also among the first batch of veteran "sea turtle" professors—academics who had returned from studying abroad—responsible for foreign academic exchanges and had backgrounds in the United States.

The eighties and nineties.

During a time when medical conditions in China were worlds apart from those across the ocean, it was their generation who, through diligence and perseverance, brought back advanced concepts and technologies from abroad.

Lin Zhenhua made the introductions. "Jiang He, you may have seen the names of these seniors in academic journals, but this should be your first time meeting them in person. This is Professor Zhou Deming, the former Director of Internal Medicine at the Provincial People’s Hospital. He was a visiting scholar at Massachusetts General Hospital back in ’85."

Jiang He nodded and said softly, "It’s an honor, Elder Zhou."

"This is Professor Fu Yunshu, the former Dean of our Southern Medical University’s School of Basic Medical Sciences," Lin Zhenhua continued. "He spent three years at Johns Hopkins University in the early nineties."

"An honor, Elder Fu." Jiang He remained polite.

After finishing the introductions, Lin Zhenhua got to the point. "Jiang He, your miRNA early screening project has just been successfully validated. The next step is attending the academic symposium in Baltimore. I know you’re still holding a grudge over the plagiarism incident, but on this trip to the United States, you won’t just be representing Affiliated Hospital No. 1. To some extent, you’ll be representing the young scholars of Southern China."

Lin Zhenhua turned to the three veteran experts. "That’s why I’ve invited the three professors here today—to impart some of their experience with academic exchanges in the US. After all, Hopkins isn’t like our domestic institutions. The waters there run deep, and we won’t be able to help you much."

Professor Zhou Deming adjusted his reading glasses, his gaze on Jiang He filled with unconcealed admiration, but also a hint of concern.

After all, Jiang He looked incredibly young.

Zhou Deming spoke slowly. "Jiang He, the few of us have all read your paper. To be honest, the younger generation is truly formidable. To have achieved what you have at your age... you’d be hard-pressed to find another in the entire country."

Professor Guo Fengwan, who was sitting beside him, quipped, "And you think you could find a second one anywhere else in the world?"

Zhou Deming clicked his tongue. "Old Guo, you just love to find fault. You’ll probably spend your whole life picking nits."

Guo Fengwan chuckled. "Please, continue."

Zhou Deming ignored him and said in a grave, heartfelt tone:

"Jiang He, when you get to the United States, you still need to know the rules."

"Johns Hopkins University is the cradle of modern medicine worldwide."

"This time, you’ll be facing titans of the medical world. That man, Miller—although he’s made some unsavory moves, his standing is an objective fact. You’re dealing with a top-tier institution. Our main goal on this trip is academic exchange and learning."

Professor Fu Yunshu chimed in, "Old Zhou is right. Our country has developed rapidly in recent years, but in high-end, cutting-edge basic medical research, there’s still a gap between us and the United States. That’s a fact, and we have to accept it. You’re young and full of vigor. If you encounter injustice or deliberate difficulties, you must know how to restrain yourself."

Jiang He nodded obediently. "Yes, I understand."

Fu Yunshu continued, "They will definitely try to make things difficult for you with professional English jargon. If you stammer on stage or give an irrelevant answer, they will use it as an excuse to make an issue of it."

"Exactly," Guo Fengwan said with a nod. "If you come across something you don’t understand, don’t force an answer. You can politely ask them to slow down, or state that the question requires more clinical data to support an answer. Whatever you do, don’t get into a direct conflict with them at the conference. A moment of patience can prevent a world of trouble. As long as we present our findings, we’ll have completed our mission."

Jiang He maintained a polite smile throughout the entire exchange.

The old experts’ intentions were, in fact, good.

In their time, going abroad for an exchange meant upholding the nation’s dignity, which meant maintaining humility.

They weren’t wrong, of course.

’But, my good sirs, times have changed.’

’I may not be from Tongling, but it’s not like I was planning to start a huge fuss anyway!’

In any case, he still said obediently, "I will take my seniors’ teachings to heart."

Seeing Jiang He’s humble attitude, the three old professors exchanged a satisfied glance.

They had originally worried that this genius, who had risen to fame in his early twenties, would be arrogant and conceited. Now it seemed they had been overthinking it.

Just as the rumors said.

He knew when to advance and when to retreat, how to weigh gains and losses.

High EQ, a real sigma... (not).

Professor Fu Yunshu took several papers out of his briefcase and handed them to Jiang He.

The professors began to speak one after another:

"Xiaojiang, these are a few of the Miller team’s proudest recent publications in *The Lancet* and the *New England Journal of Medicine*. They focus mainly on the blocking mechanisms of inflammatory storms in acute pancreatitis."

"After you get back, study them carefully."

"Don’t just read to understand; you need to memorize some of the core arguments. At the symposium, when you’re answering questions, you can appropriately quote Miller’s papers. Cater to his ego. That way, since you can’t hit a smiling face, even if he wants to give you a hard time, he won’t be able to make it too obvious."

Lin Zhenhua frowned slightly.

He found this strategy of catering to their opponent’s ego to be rather demeaning.

But upon reflection, in the current international academic environment, this did seem to be the safest approach...