top student at medical school

"Did that incident back then have such a big impact on you?" Yuan Weihong called Xue Tao immediately after ending the call with Fang Ziye, his tone thoughtful.

Yuan Weihong watched his wife and daughter walking around the lake. A gentle breeze brushed his face, causing his already thinning hair to flutter slightly.

The moon's reflection rippled and shifted restlessly on the lake's surface.

"Hey, Wei-ge... can you please stop touching on sensitive topics?"

“I’m not like Ziye… I don’t have that kind of fate. I had to get that kind of disease. How could I possibly live a peaceful life?”

"Now that you're in a better mood, I've made a fool of myself in front of you." Xue Tao's voice wasn't exactly downcast, but rather tinged with bitterness.

"Brother Wei, interpersonal relationships are actually an outward manifestation of overall strength..."

Xue Tao particularly emphasized the word "comprehensive".

A person's overall strength is not only reflected in their personal abilities, but also in various factors such as family, mentorship, and opportunities.

Yuan Weihong didn't mention that Fang Ziye's rise was also related to the Bai family's rise to power, since that happened many years ago.

The standard operating rule of this world is that ability comes first. The capable stand at the forefront, the weak lie down, and those who are neither here nor there suffer the most.

Xue Tao was a friend of Yuan Weihong. He was doing better than Yuan Weihong at the Provincial People's Hospital. When Fang Ziye went to Enshi, Xue Tao went to the countryside to prepare for a promotion.

Xue Tao has now been promoted to associate chief physician and associate professor at the Provincial People's Hospital, a position equivalent to Fang Ziye's.

Are the associate professors at the Provincial People's Hospital impressive? Absolutely! Their income alone surpasses that of at least 90% of the people in Wuhan!

Are associate professors really that capable?
That depends on the specific situation. For someone like Fang Ziye, who is constantly producing results, surpassing his age and level, and even able to break through to the world with his specialization, obstacles become stepping stones for him, and someone will clear everything away for him.

But Xue Tao is just an ordinary associate professor, and his current skill level is probably only around 20th in the province's trauma surgery department...

With this kind of research output and professional ability, you're nothing special?
When it comes time to settle scores, the first person they'll look for is a troublemaker like you.

Even other people in the hospital will be wary of a "troublemaker" like you, because you disregard the bigger picture and prevent the matter from becoming public knowledge, allowing it to be covered up...

Then you, the one who started the fire, will easily be marginalized.

The essence of the world is to move forward relentlessly, and time is most adept at burying the melancholy and frustrations of the masses.

You're just Xue Tao, so what if you feel like you're not getting the recognition you deserve?

Yuan Weihong said, "Brother Tao, actually, the current era is quite fair. Under normal circumstances, at least the outcome of a major advantage can be guaranteed to be fair!"

"I'm not trying to make fun of you. Would you like to come out and have another drink?"

Xue Tao said, "Fang Ziye only complained to you, he didn't tell you that we just finished drinking, right? He just threw away the cup."

"Han Street, grilled fish."

"I'll send you the location in a bit."

"No family members allowed." Yuan Weihong ignored Xue Tao's explanation and made his decision directly.

Yuan Weihong was genuinely unaware that Xue Tao was currently in a rather miserable state, and Xue Tao had not given him any hints.

True friends, in most cases, only share good news and not bad.

……

Grilled fish, sizzling on a hot plate, is a mix of green and red peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, while tofu skin, konjac tofu, and bean curd simmer in a rich broth.

Yuan Weihong used a spatula to "dissect" the grilled fish so that it could absorb the flavor. "Do you want beer or baijiu? I came from East Lake and didn't drive, so I can only order alcohol."

Xue Tao arrived after Yuan Weihong, who had already ordered and served the food before she arrived.

Yuan Weihong didn't ask Xue Tao what he wanted to eat, but only asked him what kind of wine he wanted to drink.

"Waiter, a pitcher of beer, please," Xue Tao called out to himself, then took off his hat and coat, and rolled up his sleeves.

Before Yuan Weihong could even speak, Xue Tao took the initiative to say, "Director An can't do anything about it either; that's roughly the situation."

Yuan Weihong nodded and asked, "Who exactly is targeting you?"

"That company's General Manager Chen?"

Xue Tao offended the Guangbai Group. Although the Guangbai Group has now been incorporated into the company, the internal staff has not changed significantly, and its operational nature has not drastically changed.

Xue Tao said self-deprecatingly, "What level am I that I deserve the boss's personal intervention?"

"Will it be my turn?"

"I thought I could handle it well, but I didn't expect that now that they have backing, they're going too far and trying to trip me up through legitimate means."

"Did you create the vulnerability yourself?" Yuan Weihong asked.

Xue Tao retorted angrily: "Damn it, Yuan Weihong, don't act so high and mighty. Aren't we both self-taught? I'm just asking you, have you sorted out all those things in your accounts?"

"If they investigate you, you're in big trouble."

Yuan Weihong raised his chin mysteriously: "Then I'm really not afraid of being investigated here!"

Yuan Weihong's expression was serious, his tone was firm, and his eyes showed no sign of flinching.

"Really?" Xue Tao looked him up and down suspiciously.

"What good would it do me to lie to you? Would it give me a few more pieces of meat or something?" Yuan Weihong said dismissively.

“You’re more meticulous, I admit I was wrong… but I didn’t expect that level would suddenly target a nobody like me…” Xue Tao said.

Xue Tao's problem lies in research funding. It's not that Xue Tao misappropriated research funds for his own use; it's the same issue as with Yuan Weihong and Deng Yong, where the funds were diverted to other places for other research projects.

Actually, this is a default rule: as long as you produce results and use them for scientific research, no one will nitpick and say that it's wrong for you to save money to do other projects.

However, such practices can easily breed corruption, so research funds must be used for their designated purposes, and any surplus funds should, in principle, be returned...

Xue Tao's family business was already small. Before he and Yuan Weihong were promoted to "Outstanding Young Scientists", how much advantage did they have, and how much more funding could they have?

With a large number of students eager to learn, Xue Tao had no choice but to feed them in batches.

But even so, it can't withstand scrutiny.

It is explicitly prohibited in French.

“I won’t pretend to be profound anymore. I was once scolded by the late Academician Gu. It was from that time that we started to check the accounts. To this day, we still maintain the habit of checking the accounts every week, and we dare not let a single penny go wrong,” Yuan Weihong explained.

"What the hell kind of luck did you have? Not only did you have a student like Ziye, but you also had an academician bigwig to clean up your books and give you advance notice?"

"Yuan Weihong, did you save the Milky Way in your past life?" Xue Tao's expression was conflicted.

He didn't think he was inferior to Yuan Weihong; at most, he was only one or two steps behind in specialized surgery, which didn't affect their overall abilities at all.

But Yuan Weihong had one more student than him, and his luck was infinitely better. Actually, Xue Tao also had his own advantages, because his teacher was still working at the Provincial People's Hospital, so he had a teacher protecting him…

But now, when things really get serious, even teachers can't protect them.

Their goal is to mess with you, what can you do about it?
We have no choice but to admit our mistakes! We're in a state of waiting for punishment and certain death!
It is foreseeable that Xue Tao will not be on the list of those who are promoted for many years to come. As of now, Xue Tao has been internally 'suspended'.

"Academician Gu also came here for Ziye, and checked things out along the way."

"That time, not only did I get scolded, but Ziye was also completely tricked and humiliated!"

"Later, Academician Gu officially announced that he would lead a team to develop a 'micro-circulation device', just to teach Fang Ziye a lesson. However, the result was that no other unit successfully copied the micro-circulation device until Academician Gu passed away!" Yuan Weihong explained in a serious tone.

"A miniature circulation device, such a powerful tool in orthopedics and a marvel in hand surgery, certainly deserves to attract Academician Gu's attention."

Xue Tao leaned back in his chair: "Yuan Weihong, what kind of incredible luck did you have? How could you possibly run into a student like Ziye??"

Yuan Weihong said, "It wasn't by chance, it was by being tricked."

"Sigh, Fang Ziye's undergraduate grades weren't ideal, and he still ranked last in the postgraduate entrance exam's comprehensive interview. Back then, I was just starting out..."

Xue Tao's big nose twitched, and he interrupted her directly: "You're a fucking beast!! A beast!!"

"What's wrong? Go ahead and yell, it's nothing!" Yuan Weihong waved his hand knowingly.

"I don't stoop to the level of disabled people."

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Xue Tao completely forgot about her 'unrecognized talent' and melancholy. Her thick eyebrows furrowed, and she roared in anger: "Who the hell is disabled?"

"See, you understand reason, don't you?"

“At least we are still able-bodied, our organs are still intact, our brother is still alive, and our family is still here, so there is still a chance to make a comeback.”

"It's too tough to get by at the Provincial People's Hospital, so come here."

"Putting aside our relationship, what organ are you, Xue Tao, lacking compared to others?" Yuan Weihong retorted.

Xue Tao's expression turned serious, and her large nose bridge shrank a bit, but it still looked quite big.

After a full two minutes of silence, Xue Tao opened a bottle of beer and said quietly, "Can we really put everything else aside when it comes to Ziye?"

What Xue Tao said, setting aside everything else, wasn't a fairy tale quote, but rather an atmosphere.

As far as Xue Tao knows, many masters, doctors, and colleagues say that in Fang Ziye's team, ability is the most important thing, regardless of everything else.

Regardless of whether you are a student of Fang Ziye, a trauma surgeon, or from another hospital, as long as you are in Fang Ziye's team, you will have equal initial opportunities and relatively equal opportunities for promotion.

Of course, this only means equal initial opportunities; opportunities for promotion cannot be absolutely equal, as they are determined by seniority...

"If I were lying, it would be your son."

"Of course, Xue Tao, don't misunderstand. It's not that everyone who joins the team has to start from the bottom and compete with masters and doctors. You have your own resume, so of course you can get a better starting point."

“However, you shouldn’t have too high expectations. In Ziye’s current team… well… there are a few… oddballs.” Yuan Weihong hesitated before continuing.

"Just tell me their names, it's not like I don't know them."

"I don't know where Fang Ziye found these people. They're all like they've been given a cheat code. They're not very old, but they have a bunch of articles hanging on their backs. I heard that your students Lan Tianluo and Jie Han applied for associate professorships with JAMA articles?" Xue Tao's tone was sharp.

JAMA is one of the four major medical journals, with a very high impact factor.

Who would be so kind as to use this to advance to the rank of Vice-Advanced? It's just for advancing to Vice-Advanced; a regular SCI in Zone 1 is sufficient.

This is where Yuan Weihong excels. He raised his hand to clink glasses with Xue Tao: "Mainly because using other papers would be too high-profile, we chose a few with relatively low impact factors..."

"Holy crap, are you serious?" Yuan Weihong's arms were covered in beer foam.

He spread his legs and stepped back a little to avoid wetting his pants!
Xue Tao swirled his beer glass and said, "Try being sarcastic again?"

"See if I treat you like an international friend or not."

Xue Tao was quite tactful in her speech, and did not specify her nationality.

"That's roughly the gist of it. After all, the research projects currently underway in Ziye's team are not trivial projects, and most of them are clinical research projects." Yuan Weihong backed down.

Xue Tao really doesn't treat him like a human being!

Having realized this, Yuan Weihong dared not be too boastful.

"I'll just say one thing: I'm not here to swagger around or retire... Anyway, let's just leave it at that..."

Xue Tao sighed and said, "Actually, I knew a long time ago that we shouldn't work together, otherwise, the atmosphere would always feel a bit strange."

Even close brothers should keep clear accounts; it's not suitable for relatives to partner up in business.

Xue Tao now feels somewhat like she's living under someone else's roof.

Yuan Weihong chuckled, his forehead creased with deep wrinkles: "Actually, Xue Tao, once you start lying flat, you'll find that this position is fucking comfortable..."

"Now you understand your brother's suffering, right?"

"Don't lay a hand on me, I'm telling you the truth!"

Seeing Xue Tao about to raise his hand again, Yuan Weihong said seriously once more, "Think carefully about my students. How do you feel about having them around?"

"I only enjoyed being a teacher for a few years before they kicked me out of that position."

"These little brats have no respect for their teachers at all."

"To tell you the truth, I rarely go to the research group these days, for fear that I'll..."

Upon hearing this, Xue Tao's expression tightened, and she swallowed hard: "According to you, wouldn't I just be asking for trouble if I went?"

Yuan Weihong wasn't bad; he was just relatively bad, which is why Fang Ziye and the others "kicked him out" of the team.

“You’re different. You’re not their teacher, so when they scold you, they won’t hold back and will say what needs to be said.”

“But if I go to the team, it will affect their atmosphere and their thinking. After all, there is a teacher-student bond, so they will give me some face.”

"Leaving aside other things doesn't mean leaving everything aside..." Yuan Weihong looked disappointed.

He's only forty-one years old, an age when he should be making great strides, leading his students to take off, striving for achievements and professional excellence.

Yet, they've already been passively retired; only those who have experienced it truly understand this feeling.

He couldn't stand up, and lying down wasn't in Yuan Weihong's nature, but the bond between teacher and student was unbreakable. Yuan Weihong looked like Professor Yuan Weihong, but in reality, he was already like an "old man," spending his days "playing with birds and listening to music"...

"It seems I'm feeling a little unwell," Xue Tao said, cheering up. (End of Chapter)