Qi Yue left the hospital director’s office and returned to the medical research center he was in charge of. He hadn’t even sat down when he received a call from a friend.
"That person you recommended... his qualifications and abilities left something to be desired. Still, I had HR send him an offer."
"Old Qi, you owe me a round of drinks for this. I happen to be free for the next few days, so when are you going to treat me?"
Qi Yue put on his wireless headset and replied as he slipped on his white coat, "I’m busy for the next few days. We’ll talk when I have time."
After a brief pause, he added, "Old Qin, don’t think for a second that I’m the one in your debt."
"This ’small favor’ you did for me landed me a medical genius. Who knows, he might even save your life one day."
Before the words were even out of Qi Yue’s mouth, he heard a spitting sound from his headset. "Pah! Pah!"
"Nothing good ever comes out of that mouth of yours!"
"Old Qi, don’t you jinx me! I’ve always been in great health. I’ll definitely live a long, healthy life and die of natural causes..."
Qi Yue exchanged a few more pleasantries with his friend before ending the call.
He took off his headset and called in Zhang Yubai and Xue Yuan, who were waiting in the outer office.
"You two have been with me for four or five years now. Do you have any plans for your future?"
Zhang Yubai and Xue Yuan understood the subtext of the question and exchanged a look.
Xue Yuan spoke first. "Director, Beijing Tiantan Hospital has been in contact with me."
Zhang Yubai quickly added, "Vice Director Zheng from the City First People’s Hospital wants me to join his department."
Qi Yue chuckled. "Those are both excellent options."
"Since you both have promising opportunities lined up, I won’t worry about you."
"Alright then. Starting today, I don’t want either of you taking on new patients."
"You can leave once all the patients currently under your care have been discharged."
"Yes, Director!" Zhang Yubai and Xue Yuan responded in unison.
Now that he finally had a definitive answer, Xue Yuan was secretly overjoyed, though also a little sad to be leaving.
He remembered what someone had asked him to do and inquired tentatively, "Director, with Zhang Yubai and me leaving at the same time, the center’s medical staff will suddenly be quite depleted."
"So, about staffing replacements for the center...?"
Qi Yue glanced up at Xue Yuan. "You don’t need to worry about that."
"The only reason I’m letting you go is because I have someone else coming in."
Xue Yuan was a bit dumbfounded.
’Every time Director Qi recruited core members for the center, it was a huge deal—if not the talk of the entire hospital, it at least caused a significant stir.’
’Why was this time different? How did he decide on the replacements so quietly?’
Xue Yuan put on an exaggerated look of curiosity. "Who are the lucky ones?"
"Getting your approval so easily, without having to go through a difficult assessment and trial period?"
"Director, do I know them?"
Qi Yue chuckled. "You don’t know him. You will once he gets here."
"It’s time. Let’s go do our rounds."
Qi Yue led Zhang Yubai and Xue Yuan out, where they joined a group of nearly ten others waiting in the large outer office.
A sea of white coats swept majestically toward the patient wards...
「A little after 6:30 p.m., in the Yushuiwan District of Liyang County.」
The injuries on Yu Zhiming’s face had completely healed. When he got home from work, he found his Fourth Sister and his niece, Fu Xiaoxue, sitting on the living room sofa. They were wrapping pork and scallion dumplings while laughing and chatting as they watched TV.
His eldest sister was in the kitchen, busily stir-frying several dishes.
Yu Zhiming sat down on the sofa next to his Fourth Sister, pulling a small tin of medicated balm from his pocket and placing it on the coffee table.
"Xiaoxue, take this balm with you to the college entrance exam tomorrow. If you feel dizzy or overwhelmed, just rub a little on your temples."
Fu Xiaoxue nodded and asked, "Uncle, should I take that medicine again tomorrow?"
"Just one more day. After tomorrow, you can stop."
The two of them were discussing medication to delay her period.
Fu Xiaoxue’s period was quite regular, and by a stroke of bad luck, it was calculated to fall right on the days of her college entrance exams.
To ensure Fu Xiaoxue could focus on the exams without any distractions, Yu Zhiming had to prescribe medication to delay her period.
The method involved taking short-term birth control pills or progesterone, starting one week before her expected period.
She would have to take it continuously until the exams were over.
Typically, the artificially delayed period would arrive three to seven days after stopping the medication.
This artificial manipulation of the menstrual cycle has certain side effects and can easily lead to irregularities.
Therefore, this method should only be used sparingly.
However, the college entrance exam is a life-changing event, often considered a second chance at life for children from ordinary families.
Especially in Lu Province, just a few extra points can mean outperforming tens of thousands of other competitors.
This pressure meant that students and their families would rack their brains to prepare for every possible contingency, not daring to overlook the slightest detail.
Yu Zhiming said reassuringly, "Xiaoxue, don’t feel any pressure about the exam tomorrow."
"With your abilities, as long as you perform like you normally do, I can’t guarantee you’ll get into a top-tier school, but a good national university is definitely within reach."
Fu Xiaoxue giggled. "Uncle, I’m not feeling any pressure. In fact, I think you all are more nervous than I am."
"I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to apply to schools in Binhai."
"You and my aunt will be in Binhai, so I’ll be able to come visit you on weekends."
Yu Xiangwan snorted, calling her out. "Your goal isn’t to ’visit,’ it’s to come get a good meal and live it up a little, isn’t it?"
Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Binhai has several excellent universities. Just do your best tomorrow, Xiaoxue."
"If all goes well, we might all be able to head to Binhai together next month."
Yu Zhiming then turned to Yu Xiangwan and said, "Barring any surprises, I’ll be going to Binhai Huashan Hospital next week to take their talent recruitment assessment!"
"Fourth Sister, you can go with me!"
"You still have to take their assessment?"
Yu Xiangwan grumbled for a moment, then asked worriedly, "Fifth Brother, does that mean Dr. Qi’s job offer isn’t a sure thing yet?"
Yu Zhiming said calmly, "Dr. Qi said the assessment is a required part of the talent recruitment process."
"He also mentioned that if I do well on the assessment, my compensation package won’t be at the lowest tier of two hundred thousand."
Yu Xiangwan’s eyes lit up. "Whoa! I remember their recruitment plan! The highest-tier resettlement subsidy was something like two million, wasn’t it?"
"Fifth Brother, you have to do your best! If you can land that two million, we’ll have the money for a house in Binhai!"
"Hey, Fifth Brother, what’s on the assessment?"
Yu Zhiming shook his head. "I’m not sure yet. It definitely won’t be a written test."
"My best guess is they’ll find a few unusual patients and have me perform a live diagnosis."
"They’re hiring a doctor to treat patients and save lives, not to have me sit in an office and act like I own the place."
Yu Xiangwan said, "Oh," then smiled. "Well, Fifth Brother, that should be a piece of cake for you."
"I’m betting on you to blow them away and snag that two million."
Fu Xiaoxue chimed in, "I had a video call with my dad and brother at lunchtime. They want me to visit them in the provincial capital after my exams."
"Uncle, next week, can I go to Binhai with you and Aunt Xiangwan first?"
She quickly added, "It’s not to have fun! It’s to tour the universities in Binhai and pick one out."
Yu Zhiming chuckled, "You’re quite ambitious, Xiaoxue!"
"But unless you can score in the top few hundred in the entire province, it will be them choosing you, not you choosing them."
Seeing the hopeful look on Fu Xiaoxue’s face, he relented. "Still, there’s no problem with you coming along to Binhai for a visit."
Fu Xiaoxue’s face lit up, and she cried out, "AHHH! Uncle, you’re the best! I love you so much!"
As she said this, she excitedly ran over to Yu Zhiming and started shaking his arm.
"Let go, let go!"
"Look at you, you got flour all over me..."
Just then, Yu Zhaoxia’s voice came from the kitchen.
"Are the dumplings done? And you’re already playing around?"
"Do you all want to eat dinner or not..."
Ten or twenty minutes later, just as Yu Zhiming was about to eat dinner, he received an unexpected call from Deputy Director Wang of the obstetrics department.
"Dr. Yu, we have an urgent freelance case. The other party is offering one hundred thousand if you’re willing to make the trip..."