Chapter 156: Clash of Interests

“Old Wen, I’m not saying this to nitpick—everything’s fine except your overly pedantic approach. Hesitating now only brings chaos later. Think about it: if the Emergency Department seizes this chance to expand, they can divert every treatable patient right there. Soon, the Surgical Department’s caseload will steadily shrink and everyone’s incomes will take a hit. You’d be marked as the betrayer of the surgical team.”

Director Xie poured every ounce of his effort into handling this old classmate’s matter.

His hope was that Director Wen would cooperate in suppressing Zhou Can.

Such matters are never meant for the public eye. Forcing Director Wen with orders simply wouldn’t work.

You have to appeal to his emotions and reason—convince him through thought and persuasion. That’s the only way.

“Hmph! Even if I end up branded a surgical traitor, it’s still far better than being seen as a disgrace to Tuyu Hospital or the entire Huaxia Medical Community. Forget about taming genius Zhou Can; even if you stifle his development in surgery, is it really worth sacrificing your narrow interests?”

Director Wen’s expression turned ice-cold.

Had it not been for their longstanding friendship, he probably would have dismissed the conversation outright.

“This…”

Director Xie was suddenly at a loss for words.

Compared to the benefits of the Surgical Department, the interests of Tuyu Hospital—and indeed, the Huaxia Medical Community—held far greater weight.

Zhou Can’s exceptional talent, once nurtured, would bring enormous dividends to Tuyu Hospital and even reshape the global medical landscape.

“Imagine: as Zhou Can becomes a leading doctor, his growing prowess will attract more patients, perhaps even creating a siphoning effect that boosts Tuyu’s reputation. Instead of dwindling, the department’s patient base could actually grow.”

It turned out Director Wen’s insight surpassed Director Xie’s expectations.

At least in this matter, Director Xie’s judgment fell significantly short.

“I… can’t win an argument with you! But tell me this—if we fail to lure him to surgery, will you agree to suppress him?”

Director Xie’s debate fell apart completely against him.

In a mix of frustration and self-importance as the head, and leaning on their old friendship, he practically blackmailed Director Wen into agreement.

Wu Baihe clearly did not want to be dragged into such disputes.

He sat silently nearby, drinking his tea without a word.

“Is there any doubt? I won’t agree! If you’re willing to shoulder the blame for Tuyu, that’s your choice. I won’t be manipulated. Whether or not Zhou Can joins Surgery, I’ll train him with all my might. That is my prerogative—you can’t stop me.”

Director Wen’s notoriously stubborn temper flared; not even a team of four-headed donkeys could budge him.

The two locked eyes in a fierce, penetrating showdown.

“Old Wen, aren’t our decades-long ties enough to settle this?”

Director Xie’s tone softened considerably.

“There’s no room for negotiation. Whether it’s Zhou Can or any future prodigy, once I set my eyes on them, I’ll spare no effort in their training. Consider our lifelong friendship: putting personal gain above institutional—and even national—interests will only spell disaster for you.”

Director Wen answered with resolute finality.

“Ever since you became head, I’ve stopped dropping by your office. That’s because you’ve changed—your eyes and heart now fixate on departmental gains rather than the art of medicine. You no longer seem like a doctor, but more like a money-minded businessman.”

Those were scathing words indeed.

They struck Director Xie right at his core.

“It’s not that I’ve changed; it’s that you don’t understand my burdens. In my position, I must manage affairs for the entire surgical team. Director Wu and I enjoy extra income from teaching and consultations, but what about the other doctors? They live on the meager wages the hospital pays, wages that support their families.”

Overwhelmed with emotion, Director Xie’s eyes reddened and his voice wavered.

“Sigh… forget it. You wouldn’t understand anyway. If you can snag Zhou Can, do so! I’m off!”

Director Xie, disheartened, waved his hand and left the office in a dispirited mood.

The confrontation with an old classmate had clearly shaken him deeply.

He needed time alone to reflect on everything.

In life, nothing is strictly right or wrong; different perspectives inevitably lead to conflict.

If you must judge, conventional ethics might serve as the best benchmark.

It’s like a mouse never thinking its food is stolen, or a snake never realizing its venomous nature.

When minds are on different levels, no one can convince the other.

Different values and viewpoints simply can’t be reconciled.

……

In the days that followed, Zhou Can continued to assist Director Wen with surgeries and consultations as usual.

Director Xie’s plan to have Director Wen suppress Zhou Can never materialized.

After gaining extensive surgical practice, Zhou Can’s skill in endoscopic surgery advanced by leaps and bounds. His anastomosis technique even reached the attending level, leaving no weak points.

The quality of his operations was exceptional.

However, because his surgical skills were only at the attending level, he dared not tackle ultra-difficult cases.

For such high-risk procedures, the most challenging operations were left to Wu Baihe and his team.

Wu Baihe’s expertise was unquestionable, and even his deputy chief residents were remarkably capable.

As the leading force in General Surgery, Wu Baihe had successfully completed countless high-difficulty neurosurgical procedures.

Attending-level surgical skills could handle moderately complex anastomoses, resections, and separations with ease. Yet when faced with ultra-precise operations, Zhou Can truly felt his limitations.

That sense of inadequacy drove his yearning for a higher level of mastery.

Beyond rapid progress in surgery, Zhou Can also greatly increased his diagnostic experience. Every day brought a slew of new cases; each diagnosis earned him a point in pathology.

In just two months, he had racked up over four hundred points.

His diagnostic skills had reached the level of a resident doctor.

Unfortunately, his General Surgery residency was about to conclude.

If he had stayed two months longer, his diagnostic skills would undoubtedly have risen to the attending level.

……

In the Operating Room, Zhou Can, Director Wen, and the rest of the team successfully completed a trigeminal nerve cutting procedure.

The surgery went very smoothly.

Only the final skin suturing remained.

They opted for a suboccipital approach—a simple and straightforward method.

“Director Wen, may I take over the suturing?” Zhou Can requested.

He asked politely, hoping for a chance to prove his skill.

“Dr. Zhou, leave some training opportunities for the rest of us!” a few resident doctors complained.

“My General Surgery residency is almost over. Even if you try to snatch the chance, it won’t happen more than a couple of times,” Zhou Can replied with a smile.

He lightened the mood with his easygoing response.

The training opportunity for suturing had never been so fiercely contested by the residents.

It was mainly because his suturing and ligature skills were just a few points shy of reaching level five.

And with his residency coming to an end, he was determined to push both skills to level five before leaving.

Reaching level five meant attaining deputy chief resident expertise.

He was eager to experience firsthand just how remarkable deputy chief resident-level surgery could be.

“Don’t battle with Zhou Can; there will be plenty more suturing chances in the future,” Director Wen declared.

Whenever Zhou Can sought extra training, Director Wen typically gave him priority.

His favoritism was partly self-serving.

Two months together was a short time—he wanted to build a strong rapport so that when Zhou Can’s residency ended, inviting him to join General Surgery would be easier.

Without any real connection, how could he even broach the subject?

“Alright, alright!”

“We were just teasing, Dr. Zhou,” the residents added, backing off immediately.

No one dared to compete with Zhou Can for the suturing opportunity.

Zhou Can grabbed the needle holder and forceps handed to him by the instrument nurse and began stitching up the wound.

With every stitch, he earned one point for suturing and one for ligature.

One stitch, two stitches, three stitches…

【Congratulations! Your suturing skill has advanced to level five, current experience 1/Deputy Chief Resident level.】

To reach level six, a full 100,000 experience points are required.

It was downright intimidating.

But it was understandable. Achieving chief resident-level skills wasn’t easy.

Many spend a lifetime chasing that standard.

He then attempted the Level Five Suturing Technique to complete the remaining wound closure.

Choosing the needle entry point, puncturing, withdrawing, and tying—all flowed as if guided by an unseen force. Every action, every thought, had become natural.

It was as if he had returned to a more instinctive, unburdened state.

Before his upgrade, he would meticulously search for the perfect entry point. Now, it happened automatically—he simply plunged the needle in, pulled it through.

It was like no conscious decision was needed anymore.

The entire process—needle entry, exit, and tightening—had turned into pure instinct.

And he noticed that throughout the entire suturing process, there was almost no tugging on the wound edges.

It was as gentle as a soft breeze caressing the skin.

Remarkably, his speed hadn’t suffered—in fact, he was even faster than before.

Is this what deputy chief resident-level suturing feels like?

It was simply astounding.

Evolving from attending to deputy chief resident level wasn’t marked by earth-shattering changes. Instead, every motion became instinctual—like blinking or opening eyes at will.

There was no need for complicated mental calculations or cautious maneuvers.

Even the most challenging suturing tasks had become as routine as any small matter.