Chapter 539: Bandit Logic and Talent Recruitment

Vice Director Zhang Mingxing and Director Zhang Qilian share the same surname. Zhou Can couldn’t help but wonder if they might be related.

In larger organizations, especially public hospitals or government sectors, there’s a strict rule against nepotism among leadership. For instance, a husband serving as director while his wife is vice director is generally not allowed.

The law explicitly states that spouses, direct blood relatives, collateral relatives within three generations, or close in-laws cannot hold positions in the same agency where one directly reports to the other or where one holds a leadership role over departments like HR, discipline, auditing, or finance.

So in major hospitals, it’s nearly impossible for a director and vice director to be from the same family.

Unless it’s a privately owned hospital, of course. Then no one can interfere.

Looking at the two Zhangs, Zhou Can saw no physical resemblance, yet their coordination was eerily seamless.

Zhou Can felt a flicker of uncertainty about their relationship.

“A tax-free annual salary of five million is tempting, I’ll admit. But I wouldn’t dare sign any non-compete agreement with you.” Zhou Can’s words carried a subtle jab, mocking Third Hospital for making empty promises and deceiving people like Deputy Director Lu.

They were just painting a pretty picture, dangling bait. Whether it was five million or a hundred million, anyone could make such claims.

“Ahem… Dr. Zhou, as a special talent recruited by Third Hospital, you won’t face many restrictions. To show our sincerity, we’re willing to pay a one-million deposit upfront, another million mid-year, and the remaining balance by year-end.”

Vice Director Zhang made this promise to Zhou Can with a reassuring nod.

Judging by Third Hospital’s current financial state, it seemed even worse than Zhou Can had imagined.

A hospital of this size couldn’t even muster five million in cash.

Tuyu Hospital’s daily revenue far exceeded that amount.

Take ICU expenses, for example. Just starting up an ECMO machine costs over seventy thousand, and with additional fees, a single day of emergency care for one patient could easily surpass a hundred thousand.

As long as the machine stays on, daily costs hover between twenty and thirty thousand.

And that’s just for one critical patient.

At its peak, Tuyu Hospital handles nearly ten thousand patients a day. Rumor has it their highest daily revenue once topped fifty million.

Of course, with such a massive operation, their expenses are equally staggering.

Insiders with connections have hinted that the hospital’s profit margins are slim, barely breaking even.

Major hospital expenses include medical equipment procurement, staff salaries, research funding, infrastructure, and equipment maintenance. Add to that utilities, daily supplies, and various subsidies for staff and departments, and the total is astronomical.

When Third Hospital brought in Japanese experts and imported cutting-edge equipment, they made a huge splash.

Recently, they’ve even started expanding with a new campus.

They’ve poured massive funds into acquiring land and constructing buildings.

At their peak, their daily revenue likely exceeded a million. In reality, it was probably much higher.

Even smaller hospitals in regional cities often surpass a million in daily revenue.

And this is a hospital in a capital city, no less.

Yet now, to recruit Zhou Can, they’re offering a five-million salary but have fallen so low they need to pay in installments. It’s clear they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Even in such dire straits, both the director and vice director have come personally, offering a tax-free five million to poach Zhou Can.

It just shows how much Third Hospital values him.

“Thank you for your generosity, Directors. But I’m just a small-time doctor who wants to quietly get by at Tuyu Hospital. Please don’t waste your time on me.”

Zhou Can rejected them outright this time.

A tax-free five million means the company’s cost to employ him would be close to ten million.

And Zhou Can is just a resident doctor!

His education? Merely a bachelor’s degree.

If other doctors learned a hospital was willing to pay such a hefty sum for a resident with just a bachelor’s, they’d likely see Zhou Can as the ultimate career goal. They might even use him as an example for their kids, saying, ‘Look at Dr. Zhou Can from Tuyu Hospital. Just a resident, a few years out of school, and already earning nearly ten million a year. Every profession has its champions!’

“Dr. Zhou, let’s talk this over! If you’re unwilling to leave Tuyu Hospital, that’s fine. How about you take a nominal position with us? Come to our hospital half a day each week, perform three to four high-difficulty cardiothoracic surgeries, and we’ll offer a tax-free annual salary of two million. What do you say?”

Vice Director Zhang had clearly taken the lead in negotiations.

This new offer was even more enticing than the last.

If Zhou Can were short on cash, he might actually consider it.

It’s not uncommon in the industry for skilled doctors to take side gigs at other hospitals to earn extra money.

And it doesn’t violate hospital regulations.

Two million a year is more than many chief physicians make.

Even at Tuyu Hospital, plenty of chief physicians earn around one hundred seventy or eighty thousand annually.

Some are said to make as little as one hundred ten thousand a year.

Zhou Can’s potential side gig income would equal over eleven years of their combined earnings. It’s an enviable opportunity, to say the least.

In any field, strength speaks loudest.

“It’s really not about the money. I’m sorry, but please don’t waste your valuable time on me.”

With that, Zhou Can reached for the car door to step out.

“Dr. Zhou, don’t rush off! I understand you might hold a grudge against our hospital because the dozens of medical staff who jumped ship from Tuyu to us haven’t been paid on time. Many of them have families to support, elderly parents, young children, and they’re bound by contracts to work only for us, unable to leave. Even if just to help them, you should consider taking a position with Third Hospital.”

Vice Director Zhang started playing the emotional card.

It seemed he’d thoroughly researched Zhou Can’s personality, character, and skills before this recruitment attempt.

That wasn’t hard to do.

Hiring a headhunting firm with the right resources can uncover detailed information on any target talent.

“What good would my taking a position at Third Hospital do? Can you guarantee they’ll get the salaries they were promised?”

Zhou Can couldn’t help but counter with a sharp question.

“I can’t guarantee we’ll meet that goal, but there’s a strong chance. After that live surgery broadcast, many in the industry now see you as a top expert. Your reputation might even be bigger than you realize. Third Hospital took a massive hit from that event, and our business has been plummeting ever since. Frankly, you bear some responsibility for that. So I hope, at this critical moment for Third Hospital’s survival, you’ll lend us a hand.”

“If you take a position with us, you’ll earn at least two million extra annually while saving a hospital and helping your former colleagues get their rightful pay. We have hundreds of employees here. If we go bankrupt, they’ll all lose their jobs. If it comes to that, you’ll be the villain in their eyes. Those hundreds of people will resent you.”

This time, it was Director Zhang Qilian who spoke.

Compared to Zhang Mingxing, the director’s silver tongue was far more persuasive.

He pinned the blame for Third Hospital’s impending collapse entirely on Zhou Can.

“Hah… that’s an interesting take. Wasn’t that live surgery broadcast something Third Hospital paid to arrange? And now you’re turning around to blame me? By Director Zhang’s logic, if I throw a punch at someone and they’re so tough that I hurt my fist, I shouldn’t look at my own actions but blame them for being too hard.”

Zhou Can let out a cold smirk.

Sure, his live surgery broadcast played a role in Third Hospital’s decline, but the responsibility lay with them, not him.

Agricultural culture and pirate culture truly operate on entirely different logic.

“If we can’t see eye to eye, there’s no point in saying more. I’ll offer Director Zhang one piece of advice: those who do wrong will eventually face the consequences. You’d be better off looking for problems within yourselves. Online and in the news, families of patients who suffered complications or even died after surgeries at Third Hospital are publicly condemning you. That’s the real issue. As for Tuyu Hospital growing stronger in treatment and service, that’s our own merit. We can’t all just slack off together because you’ve fallen behind. Farewell!”

With that, Zhou Can opened the car door and stepped out.

At this point, there was no need for further discussion.

He had no intention of helping Third Hospital.

A hospital that disregards patient lives, lacks medical ethics, and has no credibility—if it doesn’t collapse, every citizen bears a responsibility to see it does.

Director Zhang Qilian’s face darkened with anger after Zhou Can’s scolding.

His chest heaved violently.

Clearly, he was furious.

“Young man, you shouldn’t be so ruthless. Push someone too far, and even a cornered rabbit will bite!”

Zhang Qilian growled through gritted teeth, his tone laced with menace.

“I’ll say it again, Director Zhang, you need to fix this bandit logic of yours. You slack off, yet you can’t stand others excelling. There’s no sense in that.”

Zhou Can couldn’t fathom how someone like this became a director.

The staff at Third Hospital entrusted their futures to such a person. It’s no wonder they’re doomed to fail together.

He didn’t look back, but he could feel the piercing gaze boring into him from behind.

That sensation was something he’d only felt once before—when a killer had targeted him.

It seemed Director Zhang Qilian now saw him as a thorn in his side, an obstacle to be removed.

Some people’s hearts are just that narrow.

Even if you don’t provoke them, simply being too outstanding or standing in the way of their interests is enough for them to see you as an enemy to be eliminated.

Zhou Can felt a wave of frustration. Truly, trouble comes unbidden while you’re just sitting at home.

He worked hard at Tuyu Hospital, saving lives and healing the sick, only to be targeted by Third Hospital. All because he was too exceptional.

“Cousin, don’t leave! Whatever it is, we can talk it out!”

Cousin Chen Shangmei had no idea what Zhou Can and the two directors had discussed inside the car.

Seeing the talks fall apart, she hurriedly tried to persuade Zhou Can to stay.

“Shangmei, for Aunt’s sake, I’ll give you one piece of advice: leave Third Hospital. Get out of this mess while you can.”

Zhou Can gave her a cold, indifferent glance.

His cousin wasn’t young anymore. At twenty-eight, she should understand the dangers of the world.

If she weren’t related to Zhou Can, she might not have been dragged into this.

Now, that was hard to say.

Given the ruthless and sinister nature Zhang Qilian had just displayed, he might even try to use Chen Shangmei against Zhou Can.

If that happened, her situation would become dangerous.

“Third Hospital is fine, isn’t it…” She looked bewildered.

Zhou Can’s tone had been deadly serious when he warned her.

Watching him stride away, she didn’t try to stop him again.

The next few days passed uneventfully.

Having faced an assassination attempt before, Zhou Can instinctively heightened his vigilance and caution.

Third Hospital was like a dying beast, thrashing in its final moments. If it lashed out at Zhou Can before collapsing, his death would be a tragic injustice.

The incident with Deputy Director Lu’s suicide had started to gain traction, fueled by the twenty-plus doctors and nurses who had jumped ship.

Before, even if they despised Third Hospital to their core, they didn’t dare openly rebel.

Their individual strength was too weak.

It wasn’t until Zhou Can pointed them toward a path during that meeting at the teahouse, giving them hope of returning to work at Tuyu, that they found the courage to stand against Third Hospital. They resolved to create an opportunity to return.

These twenty-plus individuals weren’t fresh-faced rookies or young nurses. They were experts and chiefs with notable reputations and achievements in the medical field.

Their collective appeal and request for intervention from higher authorities carried significant weight.

Progress was already visible. The higher health administration department had stepped in, currently focusing on mediation.

Their demands weren’t unreasonable. They simply wanted Third Hospital to release them from their oppressive contracts and compensate them for their losses, at the very least paying the wages they were owed.

Some self-media outlets had begun exposing the issue.

Especially on platforms like Douyin, Zhou Can could scroll through and easily find negative news about Third Hospital staff demanding unpaid wages.

A towering structure doesn’t crumble overnight.

Third Hospital was riddled with crises, problems erupting everywhere.

Their funding chain had snapped, business was shrinking rapidly, negative press was relentless, and employees were demanding payment. They were stretched thin, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Meanwhile, Zhou Can’s workload at Tuyu Hospital kept growing.

His surgical team had long wanted to recruit another doctor and nurse.

But finding the right fit was proving difficult.

Those with the qualifications couldn’t be lured in, and those who could be hired lacked the necessary skills.

That day, as Zhou Can stepped out of the operating room, a young woman with meticulously done makeup approached him with a warm smile.

“Dr. Zhou, may I have a moment of your time?”

“What’s on your mind? Go ahead.”

Zhou Can discreetly sized her up. She looked to be in her late twenties, impeccably groomed. Her fair skin glowed, her figure was well-maintained with a flat abdomen and no trace of excess weight.

Her complexion seemed healthy, not at all like a patient’s.

“Is your team still looking for members? I’m a nurse with operating room experience. I watched your live surgery broadcast online and was incredibly impressed. After asking around, I finally tracked you down. I’ve already resigned from my previous job just to join your team.”

As she spoke, her large eyes blinked, bright and expressive, and Zhou Can couldn’t help but feel a little flattered.

A beautiful woman, especially one whose eyes seemed to speak, was hard for any man to dislike.

Sometimes, being around beauty doesn’t mean you have to possess it.

Just catching a glimpse every day, a feast for the eyes, can be a joy in itself.

“You resigned outright? What if I don’t accept you into my team? What then?” Zhou Can couldn’t help but wonder if she might be an overzealous fan.