godfather of surgery

Chapter 1346 Liquan International Medical Center
When Cheng Liquan received Zhu Cheng's call, he was on his way back to the hospital. He hadn't seen Zhu Cheng for a long time and was quite excited.

At that time, he was in his thirties. He, Tian Yuan, and Zhu Cheng were sent by the province to Johns Hopkins University in the United States for further studies. The three of them lived in the same dormitory, talked about everything, and formed a deep friendship.

Zhu Cheng's situation had always been a knot in his heart. At that time, he couldn't help at all and could only watch helplessly as Zhu Cheng was destroyed. Later, when Zhu Cheng resigned, he would feel extremely guilty whenever he saw Zhu Cheng again.

Heading south from the city center of Nandu Province, it takes about an hour to reach the new district, where a park surrounded by gardens and low-density modern buildings gradually comes into view.

There are no walls, only well-arranged green hedges and flowing water features that naturally separate the area. At the entrance, the words "Liquan International Medical Center" gleam with a warm, matte finish on the streamlined signboard.

The park adopts a "petal-shaped" layout. At the center is a huge circular sunlit atrium, covered by a transparent climate dome, evergreen year-round, with flowing water, serving as the core public space for patients to rest and engage in rehabilitation activities. Surrounding the atrium, five gracefully unfolding "petal" buildings are connected to the atrium by transparent sky corridors, each serving a different core function: outpatient clinics, internal medicine inpatient wards, surgical inpatient wards, administration, medical technology support, and more.

The building is no more than twelve stories high, but its horizontally extending, streamlined design gives it a spacious and grand appearance. The facade combines specially made light gray terracotta panels with a glass curtain wall, which is both modern and exudes an oriental sense of composure. Each "petal" of the roof is a staggered sky garden, echoing the greenery of the atrium. The entire park doesn't feel like a hospital; it's more like a tranquil, advanced, and humanistic life science park.

Cheng Liquan's car, a dark gray Maybach S680, drove into the underground private passage and stopped in the boardroom. Cheng Liquan stepped out of the car; the man in his forties stood tall and straight, wearing a perfectly tailored dark blue cashmere suit that accentuated his extraordinary presence. Dean Cai and several core management members were already waiting there.

"Chairman Cheng, the Mayo Clinic delegation has arrived at the International Exchange Center and is expected to begin their briefing in thirty minutes. The delegation from the University of Tokyo School of Medicine remains on schedule for 3 PM. General Manager Huang from Ruixing Medical would like to meet with you at 4:30 PM to discuss the final equipment plan for the System Regulation Comprehensive Demonstration Center," Dean Cai reported calmly.

"You handle the Mayo presentation in the panoramic showroom; I'll just observe from the side. The Tokyo exchange will proceed as planned; please have Dean Wang (the vice dean in charge of research) oversee it. I'll personally handle the Huang side; come to my office." Cheng Liquan gave instructions as he walked towards his private elevator, his steps steady.

The elevator takes you directly to the top floor, where the administrative offices are located. This isn't a traditional "luxury penthouse office," but rather a multi-functional space integrating offices, meetings, small academic salons, and scenic views. Cheng Liquan's office occupies a corner, boasting floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides with excellent views. The interior features a modern minimalist style, but tasteful details: Italian Minotti sofas, a German Nimbus lighting system, and a high-resolution reproduction of a long scroll painting, "Village Doctor's Picture," by Li Tang of the Southern Song Dynasty, hanging on the wall—a subtle dialogue between ancient and modern medicine.

The desk is made from a single piece of African teak. Besides the necessary office equipment, the most eye-catching item is a pair of slightly worn but gleaming surgical scissors displayed on a crystal base—the only "souvenir" he took with him when he left the provincial hospital, and also a symbol of the starting point of Liquan's medical kingdom.

Cheng Liquan didn't sit down immediately, but walked to the window. The entire "petal-shaped" park was laid out before him. In the atrium, he could see patients doing walking exercises with the help of rehabilitation therapists, and family members chatting quietly in the coffee corner; on the sky corridor, medical staff walked with ease.

Further away are the supporting international doctors' apartments, family service hotels, and the "Systemic Medicine Demonstration Center" building, which is nearing completion. The entire park's circulation design, functional layout, and environmental creation have been repeatedly refined by top international design firms, achieving an ultimate balance between medical efficiency, patient experience, and employee well-being.

His gaze became distant, his thoughts drifting back ten years.

At that time, he was the deputy chief physician of the Department of Orthopedics at the Provincial People's Hospital. He was highly skilled, straightforward, and intolerant of any wrongdoing.

He was outraged when Zhu Cheng's incident occurred. He knew Zhu Cheng; he was undoubtedly a responsible and highly skilled doctor. That nonsensical report was clearly a malicious frame-up! Why could such a maliciously defamatory article be published so openly without anyone being held accountable?
What chilled him even more was the attitude of the hospital leadership. Instead of investigating the truth and protecting the doctor, they chose to sacrifice Zhu Cheng and force him to resign in order to "calm public opinion." Why sacrifice a good doctor for a smear article? Why?
He stormed into the dean's office and confronted him directly.

The dean stammered and tried to change the subject, saying things like "the overall situation is more important," "individuals must obey the organization," and "I believe the organization will handle it properly." Cheng Liquan's temper flared up instantly. His inherent Chaoshan spirit and sense of righteousness made him disregard everything and slap the dean across the face several times.

"This situation makes good people suffer while scoundrels prosper? You damn hospital director, you can't distinguish right from wrong, you can't tell black from white? I'm quitting this job as a doctor!"

He slammed the door and left without even writing a resignation letter. All he took with him were the surgical scissors he'd bought during his internship to practice cutting sutures, and a bellyful of pent-up frustration.

After leaving, he didn't hesitate for long. The innate business acumen and daring spirit of the Chaoshan people began to take effect. He spotted a market gap in high-end medical services, especially in the field of orthopedics. He used all his savings and raised funds from relatives and friends to rent several floors of an old building in a then-unremarkable location in Nandu, and hung up the sign "Liquan Orthopedic Hospital".

Lacking talent, equipment, and brand recognition, coupled with the poor reputation of private hospitals, the start was difficult, and only they know the hardships they faced.

When he was feeling lost in life, he went to a Taoist temple to draw lots and ask about his future. The old Taoist priest was meditating behind closed doors. He pointed outside, and Cheng Liquan followed the direction the old Taoist priest pointed—a lush poplar forest.

Is it inevitable that something will happen whenever Yang is involved?

I understand now, Cheng Liquan wrote about the Taoist priest.

Not long after, his friend Su Nanchen introduced Yang Ping to him—at that time, Yang Ping was just a promising young attending physician.

After their initial encounter, and recalling the old Taoist's guidance, Cheng Liquan immediately concluded: This young man is destined for greatness; he will surely rise like a dragon soaring to the heavens! Yang Ping was his benefactor. He invited Yang Ping as a specially invited chief expert to guide Cheng Liquan in the most complex orthopedic surgeries and to explore new technologies. He granted Yang Ping absolute authority, surgical freedom, and resource support, while he himself remained behind the scenes, fully dedicated to ensuring Yang Ping's well-being.

Yang Ping also needed a platform free from traditional constraints, a place where he could boldly experiment. Li Quan's flexible mechanisms and Cheng Li Quan's unwavering trust became his most suitable scalpel and testing ground. Complex surgeries that rewrote textbooks were performed here, and cutting-edge concepts were validated and implemented. More importantly, Yang Ping never kept his knowledge to himself; his techniques, ideas, and even his reflections on the future of medicine subtly influenced the Li Quan doctors who followed him.

Cheng Liquan seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. On the one hand, he selected the most promising young doctors in the hospital to form the "Yang Ping Technical Core Group," requiring them to follow Yang Ping like shadows, learning, recording, reviewing, simulating, and innovating. On the other hand, he spared no expense, sending these key personnel in batches to world-class medical centers such as Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and Charité University in Germany for systematic advanced training, requiring them to bring back not only technical skills, but also an international perspective and a patient-centered service culture.

At the same time, he demonstrated exceptional business leadership skills. With precise strategic vision and strong execution, he attracted investment from Ruixing Investment to expand and upgrade the business. From "Liquan Orthopedics" to "Liquan Hospital," he gradually introduced leading disciplines such as cardiovascular, oncology, neurology, and endocrinology.

After accumulating sufficient funds and introducing Ruixing Investment, he decided to build a new hospital campus and relocate it to this new area that the government has focused on planning. With an almost obsessive perfectionism, he created this comprehensive medical center, which is hailed as a "benchmark for private medical care in China".

Yang Ping's brilliance shone ever brighter, eventually illuminating the halls of fame for the Nobel Prize. Cheng Liquan maintained a perfectly balanced and close connection throughout. Liquan Hospital became a crucial base for translating many of the Sanbo Research Institute's cutting-edge basic research into clinical applications, a validation platform for innovative therapies such as K-therapy, and a cradle for Yang Ping's team to cultivate well-rounded talents with both research and clinical skills. Cheng Liquan deeply understood that this deep partnership with Yang Ping and Sanbo was the core strategy for Liquan to maintain its absolute technological leadership.

Cheng Liquan expressed his gratitude to the old Taoist priest for his guidance back then, and to himself for making the right choice back then. Sometimes, the difference between taking off in life and making the right choice is just one step away.

"Chairman Cheng, the Mayo team is ready," the secretary reminded him.

"Okay!" Cheng Liquan collected his thoughts, his eyes regaining the clarity and sharpness of a business tycoon.

In the panoramic demonstration hall of the International Exchange Center, Dean Cai, speaking fluent and elegant English, showcased the core concepts and practices of the Liquan Medical Center to the expert team from the Mayo Clinic. The demonstration was not merely a collection of data and equipment images; rather, it vividly illustrated how Liquan integrates top-tier expert teams, cutting-edge technologies, refined process management, and humanized services to provide "one-stop, personalized, and full-cycle" solutions for patients with complex diseases, using several successful interdisciplinary treatment cases as a framework.

"We are committed to breaking down the barriers between specialties and building a multidisciplinary integrated medical model centered on diseases and patients." Dean Cai pointed to the dynamically evolving treatment pathway on the large screen. "From precision prevention, early screening, multidisciplinary joint diagnosis, and personalized comprehensive treatment to long-term health management and follow-up, Liquan provides a seamless closed-loop service. Our strategic alliance with Sanbo Research Institute and Ruixing Medical ensures that we always stand at the forefront of medical innovation."

The Mayo Clinic experts listened intently, nodding frequently. They had clearly done their homework, paying particular attention to the in-depth collaboration between Liquan and Nobel laureate Yang Ping's team. The subsequent site visit left an even deeper impression on them: the "future operating room cluster" equipped with real-time intraoperative molecular imaging navigation; the "digital patient integrated decision support system" that integrates genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, radiology, and clinical phenotypic data; the "panoramic rehabilitation center" that incorporates virtual reality psychological intervention, robot-assisted rehabilitation, and environmental healing factors... The depth of technological integration, the meticulous process design, and the extreme focus on patient experience deeply impressed even these world-class medical experts.

In the afternoon, Cheng Liquan met Huang Jiacai in his office. The two are good brothers who both met Professor Yang Ping when they were still struggling, and now they have achieved success in their respective fields.

The two had a very pleasant conversation and finalized the equipment plan for the 'Systemic Regulation Medicine Comprehensive Demonstration Center'.

After seeing Huang Jiacai off, Cheng Liquan changed into a crisp white coat and began his weekly clinical rounds. He arrived at the cancer center, an important base for the application of K therapy.

The center director reported an encouraging case: a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer and liver metastases, for whom traditional treatments were nearly ineffective. Through systemic modulation-based K therapy, the patient's tumor markers significantly decreased, and the metastatic lesions shrank.

Cheng Liquan stared at the video on the screen, watching the patient's journey from critical illness to standing up again, and remained silent for a long time. He thought of Sisi, and of all the life miracles he had participated in over the years, turning the impossible into possible. This was the ultimate meaning of his indignant departure from the system and his painstaking efforts to build this medical institution—to gather global wisdom, challenge the limits of medicine, and give more lives the hope of being cured and the dignity to live.

The inspection concluded, and night had quietly fallen. Cheng Liquan returned to his top-floor office without turning on the lights. The park's intelligent lighting system activated, transforming the atrium dome into a starry sky. Warm halos emanated from the interiors of each "petal" of the building, and the sky corridors acted as ribbons of light. The entire Liquan Medical Center was tranquil, dazzling, and full of vitality in the night.

From slapping the dean and storming off, to the arduous journey of starting a business in a rented building; from recognizing and partnering with Yang Ping, to now possessing this world-class comprehensive medical hub... every step of this journey is imbued with sweat, wisdom, and decisiveness.

He has created a brand-new healthcare ecosystem: a comprehensive medical center driven by both outstanding clinical outcomes and exceptional patient experiences, deeply integrating top talent, cutting-edge technology, meticulous management, humanistic care, and business acumen. Here, doctors can pursue the pinnacle of medical skill with dignity and focus, and patients can receive cutting-edge, precise, and compassionate medical services.

He and Yang Ping, one pioneering at the pinnacle of public scientific research, the other building a city and attracting talent in the fertile ground of private healthcare, have taken very different paths, but their hearts are set on the same vast universe, promoting medical progress and protecting life and health.

"President Cheng, President Zhu will be here soon!" the assistant knocked on the door and came in to report.

"Okay, I'll go down and wait for him right away!" Cheng Liquan snapped out of his thoughts.

He gave one last look at the silent, old surgical scissors on the crystal stand.