Chapter 460: A Tempting Offer, An Upright Refusal

Not wanting to step aside and chat privately with Director Zhang was already a clear sign of refusal.

If Director Zhang had any sense, he would know to leave at this point.

“Let me be blunt—Dr. Zhou, with all your hard work at Tuyu, do you make over thirty thousand a month?”

Zhang Mingxing was just like the rest of the headhunters, hoping to sway Zhou Can with money first.

“Sorry, that concerns hospital confidentiality. I can’t share that.”

Zhou Can didn’t give him even the smallest chance.

“How about I just name a number? If you’re willing to join Third Hospital, we’ll pay you at least six hundred thousand a year.” Zhang Mingxing spread out his right hand, then added one finger from his left for emphasis.

To him, offering six hundred thousand for a resident-level surgeon was an astronomical sum.

And honestly, it was.

Normally, surgeons at the resident doctor level are still in a senior apprentice phase. Most are just starting to learn even simple surgeries from their supervisors and mostly serve as assistants.

“I appreciate the offer, but I have no plans to move. Honestly, I’m happy here.”

Zhou Can didn’t even blink as he turned him down flat.

A six hundred thousand annual salary held no appeal for him. After tax, it’d be less than five hundred thousand in hand.

He made more than that just from a few high-quality stocks.

Not to mention his other investments.

So far, his biggest source of income was still Jin Yu Interactive. It was a cash cow, dishing out hefty dividends every month. If it eventually went public, his winnings would be out of this world.

“I figured high pay alone wouldn’t lure you. What if our Third Hospital promised to help you upgrade your education, and even sent you to Japan for advanced studies?”

Zhang Mingxing dangled another tempting offer.

If he’d come scouting without digging into Zhou Can’s education, that would be a rookie mistake.

Zhou Can’s undergraduate degree was a major gap, and in this day and age, credentials matter hugely. Zhang was sure Zhou Can wanted to strengthen that weak spot.

Offering a chance to study in Japan showed the breadth of Zhang’s connections over there.

That Japanese cardiac surgeon probably owed his opportunity to Deputy Director Zhang as well.

Competition between hospitals is fiercer than ever in these times.

Especially here in the provincial capital—talent everywhere, major hospitals on every corner. Each one with a shred of strength wants to get even bigger.

But a hospital can’t just get stronger on a whim.

The main factors are money and top-tier medical talent.

A public hospital has only three avenues for funding: government grants, donations from big businesses or wealthy donors, and generating revenue themselves.

Government grants come with harsh conditions. They’re evaluated based on the hospital’s size, research, academic achievements, and social contributions. A medium hospital trying to compete with top-tier institutions—that’s like chasing pipe dreams.

The second option is donations from society.

But that’s a rare chance too.

After all, wealthy donors work hard for their money. They don’t just hand it out to any hospital.

How much they give—or if they give at all—is pretty much pure luck.

If a hospital’s lucky enough to get a donor to pitch in ten or twenty million, that’s as good as it gets.

But even that kind of money is only a drop in the bucket for a major hospital’s expenses.

Which means the safest—and most dependable—way is for hospitals to earn their own keep.

Self-generated revenue really is the most reliable path.

Grown-ups have to work hard for their future—they can’t rely on their parents forever. It’s the same idea.

Money earned by the hospital is spent however they want.

Speaking of hospital revenue, like I’ve mentioned before, a doctor’s CMI Score determines the hospital’s insurance payout limits. These days, if you want to earn money from patients, the real deal is medical insurance.

Every patient needing hospitalization gets asked if they have insurance—which type? Employee medical? Or the New Rural Cooperative?

Doctors aren’t just making small talk with those questions.

If a patient has employee insurance, then when it comes to tests and prescriptions, as long as they’re within the coverage, there aren’t many limits.

But the government has cracked down hard on medicine-to-service ratios. Technical service fees for doctors have gotten insultingly low. Hospitals, trying to balance policy compliance with revenue, have started ordering more tests as a workaround.

To any hospital, the ‘god-level’ patients are retired senior officials.

But those patients almost never visit small hospitals.

They typically seek inpatient care at the biggest hospitals.

They want only the best treatments and safest service. As for cost, that’s not an issue. With 100% reimbursement and a separate insurance system, they’re absolute VIPs in the eyes of every doctor and nurse.

No matter how pricey the medicine or how expensive the strategy, it’s all fair game.

No need to consider anything else.

But in actual outpatient and ER cases, most patients either lack insurance or just have the New Rural Cooperative.

Those who won’t even shell out a few hundred a year for the cooperative plan are genuinely struggling or extremely stingy. When doctors treat them, they try to save every possible penny.

Being cost-conscious is all that matters.

Now, in the biochemistry departments of major hospitals, quality comes first.

When these poorer patients need specialty biochemical tests, the hospital almost always loses money—sometimes big losses. Small hospitals dodge the issue entirely, since they never even offer these expensive tests.

Limited machines, scarce talent, expensive supplies—all keep small hospitals from even trying, and frankly, they just can’t afford it.

Looking at all this, it’s obvious how tough it is for a hospital to really boost revenue.

With insurance patients, there are limits on coverage and medicine ratios. Those without insurance or low-reimbursement plans—doctors have to be even more considerate, squeezing costs as low as possible.

Bottom line: it’s hard for hospitals to make money.

If you can rise to be a top hospital—or even just the best in a single field—revenue suddenly means something else entirely.

That’s exactly why Third Hospital, Xinxiang Hospital, and even Provincial People’s Hospital are all fiercely contesting the cardiothoracic surgery market.

The second there’s an opening, every hospital becomes a hungry shark, fighting ruthlessly for a bigger share.

Deputy Director Zhang of Third Hospital came after Zhou Can personally, all for that legendary ability of his to pull in revenue—and his huge potential.

“So what do you say? Dr. Zhou, maybe think it over. Tuyu’s been good to you, sure, but compared to what we offer—higher salary, a chance to boost your credentials, and incredible potential for growth—Third Hospital can give you the absolute best.”

Seeing Zhou Can didn’t reject him outright, the Deputy Director figured there was hope.

He pressed on, using every bit of persuasion he had to win Zhou Can over.

“Sorry, no matter how tempting your offer, I’ve never considered leaving Tuyu Hospital. In fact, if I were you, I’d be making a quick exit right now.”

Zhou Can smirked a little.

His gaze flickered to the distance—two security guards were already marching over.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave the hospital, right now.”

“Tuyu is a public hospital—this is a communal area. I’m not doing anything illegal. Why should I be thrown out?”

The Deputy Director looked perfectly calm in the face of security.

“You’re here poaching our doctors. That breaks our hospital’s rules—plus, it’s just plain unethical. Please, leave!”

Tuyu Hospital’s Security Department had just gotten a complete overhaul—the new guards were sharp and well-trained.

If Chief Mi were still in charge, odds are Zhang Mingxing would have gotten roughed up already.

The Deputy Director was reckless to try recruiting in broad daylight on Tuyu’s turf. Word got out fast—the department head called security, and now he was getting escorted out.

“Dr. Zhou, do give my proposal some thought. Farewell.”

After locking eyes with Zhou Can, the Deputy Director left—reluctant, but left all the same.

Zhou Can kept silent.

Being headhunted was an honor in itself. Only real talent gets attention.

All you have to do is say no.

He went on with his rounds, completely unfazed.

It wasn’t even the first time he’d been recruited like this.

He just chalked it up as another little blip in an otherwise busy day.

When he entered the inpatient ward, most of the patients already recognized him. And if they didn’t, they’d still heard praises for Dr. Zhou from others. So even the new faces greeted him with respect.

In the eyes of most patients and their families, doctors are everything—nurses get treated like afterthoughts.

Really, that’s unfair to nurses—it’s a kind of discrimination.

The doctor does the surgery, the diagnosis, prescribes orders, and sets the overall plan. Still, it’s the nurse who runs everything day-to-day.

If a doctor makes rounds morning and evening, that’s already being diligent.

Nurses make countless rounds all day, always keeping an eye on the patients. The instant something seems off, they alert the doctor to step in.

Patients think a nurse just gives shots and changes dressings, but that’s a big misconception.

Even now, this kind of thinking is just as stubborn as ever.

Especially in this country, nurses have low standing both in hospitals and in the minds of patients and their families. The pay is only so-so, and compared to high-earning doctors, the gap is huge.

No matter how hard they work, it’s almost impossible to climb any higher financially.

Doctors, though? The older you get, the more prized you are.

Women fear marrying the wrong man, men fear picking the wrong career. If you can choose, there are other jobs with better prospects.

Zhou Can worked down the ward, greeting every patient and family member with a nod and a genuine smile.

“Dr. Zhou, thank you for saving my daughter today. I was terrified, you know?”

The young woman with an ectopic pregnancy was still recovering in the hospital after her surgery.

“Don’t mention it. Taking care of patients is my job.”

Zhou Can waved off the thanks with a grin, glancing over at the patient still hooked up to an IV.

Not even nineteen, and already pregnant. It just showed how much our country lags behind in sex education. So many parents think it’s inappropriate to teach kids about sex early on.

That’s why girls don’t learn how to protect themselves.

This ectopic pregnancy would have a huge impact on her.

She was lucky to have met Zhou Can, with his expert skills. Without him, even if she’d survived, she might have faced lifelong infertility.

“How’re you feeling? Any discomfort anywhere?”

Zhou Can asked the young woman.

“Just some pain at the incision and a little dizziness.”

She was still pale, but her lips had a little color now—no longer looking so frightening.

“A bit of pain where the surgery was done is perfectly normal. Give it three or four days and it’ll get a lot better.” Zhou Can turned to the girl’s mother. “Pull the curtain around, please—I need to check the incision.”

Once the curtain was closed, Zhou Can gently lifted the blanket and her shirt.

He inspected the wound closely—not bad at all.

The girl was clearly embarrassed, her cheeks hot with shame.

But Zhou Can was thoughtful; once he’d inspected her, he immediately replaced the dressings, straightened her clothes and tucked her in.

“You can open the curtain now. The incision looks good for the moment.”

He spoke as he read through the nurse’s report: temperature, pulse, blood pressure—all the key stats.

“Have you peed yet?”

“Once—and it hurt. My mom said there was blood in it.”

“We’ll check again tomorrow. If everything inside heals as expected, your urine should look normal. You can have some water, but keep your diet light for the next few days.”

After checking the nursing records, Zhou Can felt confident in her recovery.

“Dr. Zhou, will my daughter have a scar on her stomach?”

Being a mother, she knew exactly what a scar like a C-section mark would mean for an unmarried girl.

Later down the line, even her husband might look down on her.

After all, no man wants to marry a woman who’s already carried another man’s child.

So, girls really have to protect themselves—because in the end, they’re the ones who pay the price. That kind of ‘devaluation’ can last a lifetime.

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And those scars easily spark arguments in marriages.

Every time a husband sees the scar, it feels like a thorn in his heart. It’s not about love or forgiveness—it’s just human nature.

Like buying a luxury item only to discover it’s secondhand—of course you’d want a refund.

The surgical mark would always ‘lower her value.’

“There will be a scar, but I performed invisible suturing. If she takes care of it and heals well, in two or three years it’ll fade to almost nothing. She’s also still really young, so her marriage prospects shouldn’t suffer much. Still, it’s best to be mentally prepared.”

Some things Zhou Can couldn’t say too bluntly.

If the mother thought the scar wasn’t noticeable and tried to hide it from a future son-in-law, that might cause even bigger troubles down the road.

Could make for even deeper problems later.

“Thank you!”

The girl’s mother was deeply grateful.

If Zhou Can hadn’t spotted her daughter’s internal bleeding so quickly, the outcome would’ve been unthinkable.

The girl in bed just lay there, silently crying.

It was a sight that tugged at the heart.

“Take good care of your daughter. I’ve got other patients to check on.”

If there was one thing Zhou Can couldn’t do, it was comforting young women.