Chapter 216: It’s All Personal Choice!
“Xiao Lu, Professor Du just left like that, missing a great opportunity?” Tong Yuan’an’s plump upper body was undulating, his voice low.
Lu Cheng replied, “At least he didn’t let the two teachers go hungry.”
Tong Yuan’an was stunned, his voice and face slightly contorted, “You wanted to make them leave hungry?”
Lu Cheng smiled, “I can be very busy too.”
“Teacher Tong, what are your plans next? Will you stay in Jishi City for a few more days? Or head back?”
“Why don’t you wait and go back with me? I might be a little later, I have to be on duty tomorrow.”
Tong Yuan’an shook his head, “I have to go back. If I don’t go back, I don’t know what will happen to the mess at home.”
“Can’t even wait a few hours, Teacher Tong?” Lu Cheng asked.
Tong Yuan’an said irritably, “I should have taken leave like Chen Song, not taken it upon myself to extend my time in the countryside.”
“Let’s not talk about it.”
“By the way, Xiao Lu, Director Du Qiang, he’s targeting you so much, should I step in and say a few words to him?”
“The two of you are so at odds, it’s bound to have a bad influence in the department.”
From Tong Yuan’an’s perspective, he couldn’t even tell if Du Qiang was acting with Lu Cheng, so it was probably hard for Zhang Tiesheng and the others to guess.
“Forget it, Teacher Tong, there isn’t much time left anyway, a bit of perseverance and it will pass.”
“With Director Du acting like this, I don’t feel any guilt,” Lu Cheng explained casually.
Tong Yuan’an sighed softly, “Your county hospital is really complicated, I really can’t afford to get involved.”
Hearing this, Lu Cheng knew Tong Yuan’an had some inside information. As Lu Cheng led Tong Yuan’an to the car to leave the high-speed rail station, he asked, “Teacher Tong, what instructions do you have?”
“It’s about Peng Kun, Du Qiang doesn’t want him anymore, and he can’t stay in Orthopedics Department One, so he’s being forced into Orthopedics Department Two.”
“That’s a bit comical!”
Lu Cheng thought seriously for a moment and replied, “It shouldn’t be that he can’t stay, right?”
“Stabbed in the back by his own people, Chen Song’s unit is having a headache. If Peng Kun can’t prove the authenticity of the data in his paper, his submitted article and his thesis will be in trouble.”
“It’s estimated they’re all being redone.”
“He hasn’t graduated that long ago!”
The thesis defense depends on how well your paper is written. As for whether the data in your paper was generated by yourself, it’s hard for the defense committee to determine.
If Xiang Kuihua truly has crucial and detailed evidence and wants to crack down on Peng Kun, then no one can fault Xiang Kuihua.
A master’s thesis from a university should be a high-quality paper produced by the student themselves; a diploma cannot be obtained through complacency.
On the way, before Lu Cheng could ask, his mobile phone, connected to the car’s Bluetooth, rang.
Tong Yuan’an, sitting in the passenger seat, saw that the caller ID was Professor Zhong Junyun. His eyes darted quickly, and he immediately suggested, “Xiao Lu, pull over, I’ll excuse myself.”
Lu Cheng directly used the steering wheel to answer, his voice polite, “Hello, Teacher Zhong.”
Zhong Junyun, who didn’t have the habit of smacking his lips, started with a few lip smacks, “Xiao Lu, are you busy? Your disappearance has been a bit mysterious, you haven’t contacted me for so long.”
“Teacher Zhong, you know my situation. I’m currently running between Long County and Jishi City, and I’m fully booked with shifts.”
“Teacher Zhong, have you had lunch yet?”
“Just finished. I was out for a walk and thought it had been a long time since I heard your voice, so I called to check in.”
Zhong Junyun continued, “So, Xiao Lu, have you made up your mind? When do you plan to come here?”
Zhong Junyun’s friendly and “overbearing” tone, as if they had discussed it for a long time and it was already decided, made Lu Cheng momentarily feel as if he had completed some backroom deal with Zhong Junyun.
Hypocrisy and a degree of shamelessness should be basic markers of a mature adult. Lu Cheng replied, “Teacher Zhong, I don’t know. We agreed before that I would get my professional title first.”
“And then find a teacher to help with my academic qualifications.”
Zhong Junyun then got to the point, “I’ve also carefully considered this matter, Xiao Lu. Have you ever thought about transferring to our E Province system first?”
“Then you can take a temporary post in En City or a prefectural city hospital.”
“It won’t affect your promotion, and you can simultaneously start research-related work in advance.”
“As for me, I’ve already discussed it with Xiao Han. From now on, our main direction of development can be based on your opinions, Xiao Lu.”
“We’re all a team.”
Tong Yuan’an’s expression was exceptionally bewildered. He happened to be one of the insiders; otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t understand the hidden meaning in Zhong Junyun’s words.
What the heck?
The competition just ended yesterday, and Zhong Junyun was already doing sit-ups on other people?
Is this the real ‘progress and retreat’ guy?
Lu Cheng said without hesitation, “Teacher Zhong, then you’re not doing the right thing. Didn’t we already agree on something?”
“I’m very grateful for your guidance and support before, Teacher Zhong, but I’ll most likely be working in the Emergency Department in the future.”
Zhong Junyun was really direct, “Since you said you’re grateful, is it just verbal gratitude?”
“Or do you think giving Xie Xiao and her family some gifts counts as repaying my favor?”
“Even close fathers and sons settle accounts, right? You didn’t ask my opinion on this matter, did you?”
Zhong Junyun had inquired very thoroughly this time. Zhong Junyun knew that Lu Cheng had transferred the tendon suturing research project to Xie Yuan’an.
It’s just that Zhong Junyun did not approve of all of this.
Lu Cheng thought for a while before saying, “Teacher Zhong, I still feel that after so much struggle, I’ve finally found what I’m interested in.”
“You barely got started in orthopedics, so you didn’t find your point of interest?” Zhong Junyun interrupted:
“How about this, Xiao Lu, you come over and try it out first, then make a decision, okay?”
Zhong Junyun’s words were a bit shameless.
Lu Cheng replied decisively, “I don’t think that’s good!~”
Zhong Junyun was very patient this time, “Xiao Lu, you’re being a bit petty and emotional. What happened before was just a small misunderstanding.”
“I haven’t completely decided yet, and you’re just hearing hearsay, right?”
“Could it be that you believe whatever Professor Xie Xiao’s group’s Wang Zhe says?”
“That’s not good.”
Tong Yuan’an was getting restless and almost blurted something out, but since Lu Cheng hadn’t told Zhong Junyun that someone else was present, Tong Yuan’an suppressed his emotions.
Lu Cheng said, “Teacher Zhong? What Wang Zhe?”
Zhong Junyun said, “Xiao Lu, we’ve reached this point in our conversation, why are you pretending to be confused?”
“Director Tan from Xiangya Hospital is also a fox. I can figure out what he’s doing, whether I inquire about it or retrace it.”
At this point, Tong Yuan’an didn’t dare to move.
Wang Zhe’s background was clear to big shots like Zhong Junyun.
The underhanded tactics that Tan Zhongyuan knew would certainly not be a secret.
The reason Tan Zhongyuan dared to do this was because he wasn’t afraid of Professor Zhong Junyun inquiring.
You announced it in the department, couldn’t Wang Zhe tell others?
This is not a secret that cannot be divulged.
If Wang Zhe had leaked an unpublished suturing technique from the hospital, you could hold him accountable. However, this is merely about project and personnel arrangements, and you cannot target Wang Zhe.
In Lu Cheng’s view, Zhong Junyun’s words were not wrong. Tan Zhongyuan was also a malicious old fox, employing underhanded tactics as a last resort.
His intention was to make Lu Cheng give up on Xiehe.
Lu Cheng replied, “Teacher Zhong, I don’t know what Director Tan did. The truth of the matter will not be distorted by the actual retelling.”
“Just like many basic rules of scientific research I’ve been reading recently, the conclusions of research papers should not have directional errors due to repetition by other teams.”
Experiments that cannot be replicated are not recognized by the scientific community.
Without embellished retellings, it wouldn’t affect your decision, would it?
Zhong Junyun finally took a few deep breaths and said, “Xiao Lu, I apologize, okay? I was actually tricked by underhanded tactics myself.”
Lu Cheng quickly said, “Teacher Zhong, you’re too kind.”
Zhong Junyun said, “Don’t interrupt me yet. Let me tell you, guess who recommended Han Luoning to me?”
“That’s right, it was Liu Huanglong from Zhongnan Hospital.”
“I only figured it out now, Liu Huanglong’s true intention in not poaching Han Luoning for himself but recommending him to me!~”
The amount of information involved was overwhelming. Tong Yuan’an, being an outsider, was completely confused.
He didn’t know anything about underhanded tactics or Liu Huanglong.
On the other hand, Lu Cheng understood Professor Zhong Junyun’s words.
But this issue was worth digging into. For example, why would Liu Huanglong want Lu Cheng to “break ties” with Professor Zhong? Why would he send Han Luoning over?
However, Lu Cheng didn’t need to dwell on it. What did it have to do with him? “Teacher Zhong, the way you’re speaking is too biased.”
Zhong Junyun, a very mature full professor and also a very mature leader, began to infer from the results, “Then let me ask you, if Zhongnan Hospital presented a reason why you absolutely had to go to Zhongnan Hospital, would you go?”
“I wouldn’t go!”
“They wouldn’t have a reason for me to go either,” Lu Cheng laughed himself.
“Teacher Zhong, you’re overthinking it. I’m not that important to warrant them putting in so much effort.”
Zhong Junyun said, “You weren’t before, but you are now.”
“Because you currently possess sufficient basic parameters!”
Lu Cheng asked with slight confusion, “Basic parameters?”
Zhong Junyun said, “Let’s set aside morality, law, and integrity for now. The basic parameters for a researcher are usually these.”
“Firstly, there’s knowledge reserve, continuous learning ability, and interdisciplinary vision. Within our system, knowledge reserve is relatively less valuable; continuous learning ability and interdisciplinary vision are more valuable.”
“Although it’s not quantifiable yet, I’ll cautiously give you a comprehensive score. If the maximum is ten points, your knowledge reserve is 4 points, continuous learning ability is 9 points, and interdisciplinary vision is currently a full score.”
“More importantly, your innovative thinking! This is the most crucial part.”
“If the full score for interdisciplinary vision is ten points, then innovative thinking can have a weight of at least fifty points. You can score above forty-five points.”
“Looking at these individual items alone, your comprehensive scores are already very high.”
These were just phenomena explained by Professor Zhong Junyun, and the reason why Zhongnan Hospital supposedly had to have Lu Cheng was not yet given.
Lu Cheng smiled and said, “Teacher Zhong, even so, whether I go or not is my personal choice.”
“If you’re worried about this, I really don’t think it’s necessary.”
Zhong Junyun sighed, “If you insist, then so be it.”
“However, I still sincerely invite you to consider my previous suggestion. If you come to E Province early, you can truly have the best of both worlds and improve yourself in all aspects with peace of mind.”
Lu Cheng’s tone was calm, “Teacher Zhong, throughout my journey, I’ve never received the absolute best. Therefore, I believe people shouldn’t strive for perfection.”
“As long as it’s relatively acceptable and there’s a path forward, one can settle down and do things.”
“If one pursues perfection in everything, life becomes too tiring.”
“The best optimal solution is not necessarily the one that belongs to me, Lu Cheng.”
This was already Lu Cheng’s established worldview. Lu Cheng had always thought and acted this way.
For example, Lu Cheng didn’t participate in competitions or try to win prize money.
For example, although Lu Cheng knew Zhong Junyun was an absolute big shot, and even Professor Du Lianshan, whom he had met today, couldn’t offer the same assistance as Professor Zhong Junyun, Lu Cheng still didn’t want to become “merchandise”!
Zhong Junyun suddenly dropped his pretense, “Lu Cheng, are you thinking that whoever ignores you now will be someone you can’t reach in the future?”
Lu Cheng replied without hesitation, “Teacher Zhong, that’s impossible. Perhaps I had such an arrogant thought in the past, but how could I think that way now?”
“Then you?” Zhong Junyun hesitated to speak.
Lu Cheng said, “Teacher Zhong, whether you admit it or not, all the education I’ve received, both in and out of school—”
“When people can’t rely on others, they can only rely on themselves.”
“And my self-awareness is that I am the type of person who cannot rely on others. I don’t have that foundation, so I must base everything I do on this assumption.”
“No matter who makes what promises or temptations to me, I automatically generate the thought that it’s impossible.”
“This instinct, whether it’s due to a reason or a coincidence, is quite accurate.”
Lu Cheng opened his heart.
Had Lu Cheng received ‘promises’? Too many.
A particularly important juncture was during his postgraduate entrance exam, when Mu Nanshu’s feedback was that the teachers at Huashan Hospital had already agreed.
As a result, it fell through.
Secondly, after returning to Zhongnan Hospital, the teachers had invited him on stage!
As a result, he was ignored again.
When Lu Cheng went to Xiehe Hospital, how beautiful was the future Professor Zhong Junyun had laid out for him?
As a result, without anyone noticing, Lu Cheng became a basic contributing factor, becoming part of the team without Lu Cheng’s knowledge.
Lu Cheng isn’t saying he *must* be the project leader, not at all. Even in the current research team, Lu Cheng is just one of the participants.
However, at least treat me like a person!
If Professor Zhong Junyun had discussed it with Lu Cheng a few times or made a few more phone calls to notify him, and Lu Cheng had chosen to refuse, then it could be said that Lu Cheng was arrogant.
You didn’t even notify me, so do you even consider me important?
Even a street punk in the underworld wouldn’t have a ‘boss’ come up and say, “You’ll follow me from now on.”
“Lu Cheng, let me tell you, the techniques you currently possess are very significant for hand surgery.” Zhong Junyun tried to appeal to his emotions.
Lu Cheng softly interrupted, “Teacher Zhong, before, I didn’t know, my vision was relatively limited, so most of the time I just listened.”
“But now, I understand my own value and the relative appearance of medicine. Medicine is not just hand surgery.”
“My cognition tells me that, indeed, if I go into hand surgery, I can promote the development of hand surgery, and it would be extremely beneficial to me personally.”
“But for me personally, if I go to the Emergency Department, I can still have good development, and for General Surgery, I should be able to make a small, small, small contribution.”
“So, the question returns to the distance: since both paths are good, do I not have the right to choose based on personal preference?”
“The screws on both sides are the same, not uniquely adapted, so picking either one is not wrong.”
“Moreover, perhaps I’m overestimating my abilities; I’m actually not that important!~”
“These are all personal choices.”
Professor Zhong Junyun fell silent, and the silence lasted for a considerable time.
Seeing that Professor Zhong Junyun wasn’t speaking, Lu Cheng added, “Teacher Zhong, no matter what, you’ve helped me, and that’s a fact.”
“In fact, no matter what, you haven’t directly done anything that has caused me actual harm, and that’s also a fact.”
“So, in summary, I must be grateful to you.”
Zhong Junyun suddenly said, “Is this how you are grateful to me?”
Lu Cheng said, “Teacher, do you remember what I told you before?”
“Some things can be done, can be thought of, but cannot be said.”
“I can’t directly tell you that my original techniques are even better than the ones you value, and that your choice was wrong.”
“I won’t say that now, because only by surpassing them will it be a proven fact and irrefutable.”
“However, the kindness you’ve shown me, Teacher Zhong, is irreplaceable by any other hospital, isn’t it?”
“Therefore, Teacher Zhong can obtain any basic research data and corresponding materials you want, and will not lag behind any team!~”
“This is not a guarantee, but something I am doing.”
Zhong Junyun understood Lu Cheng’s meaning, but his tone remained wistful, “Then what I want even more now is your presence. Can you give it to me now?”
This time, it was Lu Cheng who remained silent for a long time.
Lu Cheng finally said, “Teacher Zhong, whether to give or not is a personal choice.”
“Some things can be revisited, with a certain margin of error; some things are irreversible.”
“My personality is already solidified! I’m sorry.”
The objective fact is that Zhong Junyun never harmed Lu Cheng and even helped him, which is a proven fact.
Even if Zhong Junyun considered Lu Cheng as material, that was just a thought.
Judge by actions, not by thoughts.
But thoughts collide with thoughts. Once thoughts collide, the real world cannot influence this collision; nothing can.
Thoughts are intangible, and results are intangible.
