Chapter 350: The Rising Legend of Dr. Zhou

Everyone waited for Head Nurse Liu to reveal the answer, eager to learn the background of this young doctor from Tuyu.

“Dr. Zhou really is just a trainee!”

As soon as Head Nurse Liu finished speaking, the crowd erupted in disappointed sighs.

That’s it? No juicy scoop?

After all that, this is all we get?

Didn’t Dr. Zhou say all along he’s a trainee?

“Now Head Nurse Liu’s getting good at keeping us in suspense!” Director Wang said, shaking his head and grinning.

A chief nurse and a chief physician are technically at the same rank—they both hold senior titles.

Of course, in practice, chief physicians definitely hold more weight.

Someone might boast that the nursing department and the doctors are in different systems, so you can’t compare them. That might fool greenhorns, but veterans in the medical system just smirk at such talk.

If you’re lucky, a seasoned elder might kindly remind you, “Kid, you’ve got a lot to learn.”

Head Nurse Liu wouldn’t dare make Director Wang unhappy, let alone risk a bad impression.

“My teacher told me, although Dr. Zhou Can is just a trainee, he’s the most outstanding one Tuyu Hospital has ever seen.”

Everyone immediately agreed with that assessment.

After all, how could an ordinary trainee possess such impressive medical skills? Whether it’s pathology diagnosis or interventional surgeries, Dr. Zhou is a true master.

Most attending physicians wouldn’t measure up to his abilities.

“Tuyu Hospital’s full of talent, but if Head Nurse Liu’s teacher says Dr. Zhou is the best trainee in their history, that’s no small praise!”

Director Wang narrowed his eyes, clearly intrigued.

“My teacher is now the chief nurse at Tuyu. I doubt she’s exaggerating. She also said several major chief physicians at Tuyu believe Dr. Zhou will soon become the backbone of the hospital—he might even take it to the next level!”

Head Nurse Liu dropped another bombshell, leaving everyone stunned.

Director Wang sucked in a sharp breath.

Becoming the leading figure at Tuyu—that’s a big deal.

There’s a reason they say ‘it’s lonely at the top.’

Director Wang himself is a chief physician. While he can’t compare to Tuyu’s chief physicians, his skills aren’t far off. After all, the senior title is certified by the health authorities through a tough process.

If those with honors like Outstanding Youth, Changjiang Scholars, and Academicians are the absolute best among the best, then a chief physician is at least considered a high-level elite among doctors.

Most regular elites stop at associate chief physician and retire there.

With each step up the ladder, the difficulty multiplies.

People think the title of ‘Professor’ is impressive. After all, postgraduate students of all levels study under professors.

But in the eyes of doctors, the title of chief physician is even more valuable than being a professor.

Both are senior titles—one is medical, one is academic.

In major teaching hospitals, reaching chief physician almost guarantees taking on teaching tasks. Moving from assistant to professor is much easier than becoming a chief physician.

Someone might point out that first-tier professor is a step many teachers never achieve.

But isn’t chief physician the same way?

There are also level three, level two, level one, and even special-grade chief physicians.

Most hospitals only go up to level one. Top hospitals have special-grade chiefs—think of them as America’s superstar doctors.

Because the Western medical system in China developed later, our special-grade chiefs aren’t as influential or as skilled as those superstar American doctors.

But China’s top chief physicians are clever—many dabble in traditional Chinese medicine, integrating things like organ theory, meridians, and yin-yang balance to boost their credentials.

That’s where the slogan ‘integration of traditional and Western medicine’ comes from.

Chinese doctors have a clear advantage here.

Almost everyone knows at least a little English, and by the time they become chief physicians, many with higher education backgrounds can speak German, Japanese, and English.

They have to—if you want to study Western medicine, you need to read original materials for yourself.

All the Western medicine we learn now was translated by our seniors.

Some nationalists complain we shouldn’t bother with foreign languages, that Chinese alone is enough. But the reality is, most global elites are foreigners. If you can’t speak English, there’s simply no way to truly connect.

That’s like blocking off your own path.

Which top expert in China isn’t fluent in English? When opportunity knocks, they can switch to English without missing a beat.

Important academic conferences are usually held abroad.

If you only speak Chinese, well… good luck.

Chinese people don’t struggle much with English. Some five- or six-year-olds can speak both languages fluently.

But foreigners learning Chinese? That’s another story entirely.

There’s a running joke: if you want to torture foreigners, just give them a knife and ask them to carve ancient Chinese characters. They’ll wish they’d never been born.

It’s just a joke, but it shows how tough Chinese is to learn.

A culture with over five thousand years of history is bound to be complex—Chinese is on another level compared to most languages.

That’s why, even though we started late in Western medicine, we have huge natural advantages.

Chinese people are called the best learners in the world for good reason.

Director Wang knows just how powerful Tuyu is.

Now, learning that Head Nurse Liu’s teacher says Zhou Can could soon become Tuyu’s leading figure—and that this comes from several Tuyu chief physicians—has Director Wang floored.

Just how talented is this Zhou kid to earn such glowing praise from hospital giants?

“Head Nurse Liu, is your teacher really sure about this?”

Director Wang’s tone was a little anxious.

Seeing that Head Nurse Liu looked a bit unhappy, he quickly added, “Oh, don’t get me wrong! I’m not questioning your teacher. I just want to confirm—can Dr. Zhou Can really be this amazing? It sounds too good to be true.”

At that, Head Nurse Liu’s expression softened.

“My teacher told me these are all inside stories—most people have no idea. She only told me because we’re close. She also said that Dr. Hu Kan, chief of cardiothoracic surgery, wanted to take Dr. Zhou Can as his protégé, but Dr. Zhou wouldn’t agree at first. After a long effort, Dr. Hu finally got him to reluctantly accept, but even then, Dr. Zhou only spends some time each day learning with him.”

She revealed yet another of Zhou Can’s big secrets.

There really are no secrets in this world.

Zhou Can couldn’t have imagined that a head nurse from his hometown’s county hospital would know Tuyu’s chief nurse in cardiothoracic surgery.

And just like that, all his background got dug up.

“Ah, no wonder Dr. Zhou was so skilled at the heart stent operation! Turns out he’s Dr. Hu Kan’s protégé—talent really does breed talent.”

Realization dawned on Director Wang.

Almost everyone in the industry has heard of Dr. Hu Kan. He’s the star of Tuyu Hospital and a top authority in cardiothoracic surgery.

Someone that influential actually tried to persuade Dr. Zhou Can to become his successor.

What kind of phenomenal genius is this Dr. Zhou?

“If we could convince such a talent to join our hospital’s cardiothoracic department, we’d never have to worry about our department thriving!”

Director Wang was so excited his face turned red, and his eyes lit up with a wolfish gleam.

“Director Wang, I hate to dampen your spirits, but you should probably let go of that unrealistic hope! Tuyu’s top departments have all tried to recruit Dr. Zhou with irresistible offers, and he turned them all down. Compared to Tuyu, our hospital’s conditions can’t compete. Trying to keep someone like Dr. Zhou here purely because of hometown ties just isn’t likely.”

Head Nurse Liu shared yet another story about Zhou Can.

After hearing that top experts are begging to mentor him and major departments are fighting to recruit him, everyone finally realized just how remarkable this low-key young doctor truly was.

You really can’t judge a book by its cover.

“I can’t help but envy Cheng Dazhuang—he grew up with such a promising doctor. But I guess that’s also an opportunity for us. At the very least, when we run into tricky cases, we can have Cheng Dazhuang consult Dr. Zhou for us!”

Head Nurse Liu said this for Director Wang’s benefit.

Their cardiothoracic department often faced tough cases they couldn’t handle. If they could get Dr. Zhou’s help, many patients with difficult and critical conditions might actually have a chance.

Take today’s heart patient, for example. If Dr. Zhou hadn’t stepped in, the final outcome would almost certainly have been the family hearing, “I’m sorry—we did all we could. Please accept our condolences.”

Statistics show the highest death rates aren’t at rural clinics or top tertiary hospitals like Tuyu, but at county-level hospitals.

Plenty of patients die because they can’t afford better care or the hospital’s skills just weren’t high enough. With either more funds or better doctors, those patients might have survived.

But there aren’t many lucky enough for that.

Most patients die at the county hospital, or after being treated for a while without improvement, they’re simply sent home to wait for the end.

“Dr. Zhou is an honored guest at our hospital. Make sure to treat him well if you meet him. I need to report this to the director. Thank you all for tonight—get back to your work!”

Director Wang already had his phone out, dialing the director as he walked away.

“Director, sorry to bother you so late!”

“No problem, go ahead.”

“We’ve got a special guest at Tuyu Hospital…”

Director Wang gave the director a full rundown of Zhou Can’s story.

The director of County People’s Hospital was stunned.

“Where did you hear all this? Can a trainee really be that skilled?”

“Head Nurse Liu Bin’s teacher is the chief nurse of Tuyu’s cardiothoracic surgery—you know that, right?”

“I know!”

“It was her teacher who told her, so it’s absolutely true.”

“A trainee that talented? Sounds exaggerated. I have contacts at Tuyu too; I’ll check before making any decisions. Still, I appreciate you reporting this important news right away.”

“You’re at the helm of our hospital—I have to report any major developments right away! I’ll wait here for your instructions, is that okay?”

Director Wang took the chance to flatter the director a little.

“Old Wang just wants to get close to Dr. Zhou once the news checks out. Maybe get some help in the future?”

The director asked with a laugh.

“Ha, director, nothing gets past you!”

Director Wang admitted without hesitation.

“Your cardiothoracic department could really use some technical support! Whenever the health authorities have meetings, your department’s name always comes up. I’m sweating bullets, trying to say the right things.”

The director took the chance to give Director Wang a little push.

Nothing worries a hospital director more than departments falling behind or failing to deliver quality care.

“We really are trying, but as you know, you can’t just buy some equipment and expect improvement. The real issue is a lack of talent. Last time we hired two medical postgraduates, I was thrilled—until I realized they were just students. Their clinical skills weren’t even as good as our own trainees. You can’t count on them for major surgeries or complex diagnoses.”

Director Wang poured out his frustrations.

The training cycle for cardiothoracic and neurosurgery is notoriously long. Even hiring PhDs doesn’t solve the issue.

Well-written papers don’t matter if they can’t cure patients.

And plenty of postgrad resumes are more fluff than substance—their research during school is often nothing special. Many just want a degree.

So after hiring them, they might not even be as capable as a solid undergrad.

The worst part is, high-degree recruits usually get priority for coveted positions, making them even harder for a chief physician to manage.

Some openly disobey orders from senior doctors.

To attract talent, the hospital gives these new grads protected status, making them even harder to control.

After hanging up, Director Wang didn’t go home. He decided to wait quietly in the hospital.

About half an hour later, just as impatience started to set in, the director finally called back.

“Old Wang, find a way to keep Dr. Zhou Can here! I’m on my way—do not let him leave!”

The director was always calm and composed—a man not easily rattled.

But now, his voice was urgent, and he hung up right after.

Director Wang could even faintly hear the door slamming and hurried footsteps.

The county isn’t large, but the director’s family now lives in a new villa area, so it would take him at least fifteen or sixteen minutes to get there.

Director Wang wouldn’t dare slack off after such direct orders.

He rushed up to the office on the third floor of the inpatient unit, his mind racing. Judging by the director’s urgency, this kind of tension only happened when high-level provincial leaders were coming to inspect the hospital.

It seemed all of Liu’s information had been spot on.

Director Wang resolved to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance—this Dr. Zhou was practically heaven-sent to boost their department. He made a silent vow to stick close.

Stepping onto the third floor, the two nurses on duty immediately stood at attention as he hurried past.

“Director Wang!”

They greeted him respectfully.

Director Wang just nodded, not even breaking stride as he made for the doctors’ office.

Before entering, he paused outside the door to take a deep breath and compose himself. Can’t have Dr. Zhou seeing him looking all flustered, right?