This doctor is already middle-aged, and he's only just started practicing medicine.

Chapter 186 Winning the Award, Returning Home!
Mu Nanshu lowered her head, her tone suddenly becoming somewhat aggrieved: "I won't dare to do it again."

Actually, Mu Nanshu's tone wasn't exactly aggrieved, but rather low, dejected, and disappointed...

Lu Cheng put down his chopsticks and immediately grabbed Mu Nanshu's hand to stand up: "Let's go, let's go send the luggage first."

Mu Nanshu silently followed Lu Cheng's hand and walked out the door, her eyes vacant as Lu Cheng led her.

Mu Nanshu has actually made suggestions before.

But I've also regretted it.

"After all these years, you still haven't gotten over it?" Lu Cheng asked reassuringly after walking several hundred meters away.

Mu Nanshu simply rubbed his eyes, his expression turning somewhat pale.

As the ancients said, "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone, it first tests their will and strengthens their body..."

"This statement may not be entirely accurate, but we can use it to comfort ourselves. I actually think it's quite true."

"Because I'm lucky."

Hearing this, Mu Nanshu looked up in confusion: "You're a lucky one?"

"Because of me, Huashan Hospital doesn't want you, and Zhongnan Hospital is also targeting you. You think you're lucky?"

“There was no targeting,” Lu Cheng retorted.

"Yes, it is!"

“I’m not a child anymore. I can find out for myself,” Mu Nanshu said firmly.

"I've realized that some of what you say can't be completely believed, at least not without reservation."

"I don't know, I just don't know," Lu Cheng replied.

"Don't dwell on the past. Don't you think I'm lucky enough? You're a PhD who returned from overseas, and an associate researcher at Peking Union Medical College Hospital."

“I am a junior attending physician at Longxian People’s Hospital. We were just old acquaintances, but I met a kindred spirit.”

"Am I not lucky enough?"

"These kinds of things would be considered melodramatic if written into a novel."

In fact, Lu Cheng was being sarcastic. According to his preconceived plan, he had even considered that if he met Mu Nanshu again, Mu Nanshu would ridicule him a few times, which would be the ultimate scenario.

Fortunately, Mu Nanshu did not.

While Mu Nanshu was inquiring about Lu Cheng, she also secretly asked Mu Leng about Mu Nanshu's experiences abroad. Although she didn't know everything, she knew that Mu Nanshu had a really tough time abroad.

She was so engrossed in her own thing that she didn't even know what she was doing.

Hearing that Mu Nanshu remained silent, Lu Cheng continued, "Right now, I'm still a novice, and I've already created an original tendon suturing technique and a spleen suturing technique. My starting point is higher than yours, isn't it?"

"Am I not lucky enough, you bookworm?"

"Touch your conscience?"

"As you just said, my research topic and technology are very useful even for an associate professor, so wouldn't they be even more useful for an attending physician like me?"

"I'm unlucky??"

"So you were just lying to me." Lu Cheng wasn't good at directly coaxing people, but the social skills that reality had taught him were more effective at coaxing than sweet words.

"What and what?"

"In that sense, you're quite lucky, but that also reflects your ability. If it weren't for what happened in the past, you might be a professor by now."

"Take Professor Lan Hualuo from your Zhongnan Hospital, for example. He was not even thirty-four years old when he was promoted to full professor."

“Your initial research topic was at a higher level than his, wasn’t it?” Mu Nanshu said.

"But I haven't officially stepped out of this starting point yet, so I shouldn't say such things."

"Um?" Lu Cheng pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"Xie Yuan'an is saying that Han Luoning improved and created the nerve suturing technique, right?"

Mu Nanshu nodded: "Yes, the Department of Hand Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital has always been a strong department in the treatment of peripheral nerves, and Han Luoning has a great talent."

"Professor Zhong values ​​him highly."

Lu Cheng casually replied, "A bookish fellow? Isn't it just nerve suturing techniques?"

"There are so many techniques for tendon suturing, besides the modified Kessler, there are Tsushita, Tang, and Tajima."

"The Yangtze River's back waves keep surpassing the front waves, right..."

Mu Nanshu let out an "Ah".

"Tell me, if the older generation and the younger generation emerge at the same time, who has more say?" Lu Cheng suddenly asked.

Mu Nanshu: "..."

Mu Nanshu understood what Lu Cheng meant: "You're not joking with me, are you?"

"Bookworm, how could I be joking with you? I'm serious about original techniques, okay?"

"Of course not now."

“When I do research, I have to do so much preliminary preparation. There’s no reason why Dr. Han and Professor Zhong wouldn’t do any preparation at all.”

"And I think the time they have to prepare is enough."

Lu Cheng spoke with considerable confidence.

It's nothing. Lu Cheng has cheat codes, and he already has two original precedents for the technique. Lu Cheng doesn't believe that he can't improve or innovate the neural stitching technique if he really wants to invest skill points.

"Why are you doing so much? Can you even manage it all?" Mu Nanshu asked.

"Whether I can manage it or not doesn't matter; the main thing is to have a clear understanding of the concept."

“Bookworm, I’m not the Lu Cheng I was many years ago. Nowadays, the standards for competition aren’t set by a single hospital, but by the entire industry.”

"The larger the scope, the more relatively fair it is."

"I can choose not to work on this project, but I cannot choose not to develop a prototype of it."

"Don't look at me like that. Professor Chen Song was so angry before, but he didn't know I could come up with the spleen suturing technique, did he?" Lu Cheng's tone finally carried a hint of eccentricity.

Actually, ever since Lu Cheng obtained the panel, he has never felt inferior.

Not feeling inferior doesn't mean you have to be excited or arrogant!
Mu Nanshu didn't want to dwell on the topic, so she asked, "So what are you really thinking? Do you plan to go into hand surgery or the emergency department in the future?"

Lu Cheng tightened his grip on Mu Nanshu's hand slightly with his right hand, and said in a gentle voice, "Shubao, I'm definitely in the emergency department, but my skills can be applied to other specialties."

"If you are willing to help me, and you are sure that helping me will benefit you, I will definitely make you continue to help me and continue to benefit you."

"At this point, I have already made some initial progress, as you have seen. Please allow me to sell my future."

"Hmm, it's a bit far from the hotel. Let's drop off our luggage first, then order a coffee, and I'll take you to see the results panel."

"To be honest, if I get good results but can't share them with you, half the fun is gone."

"Don't you think it's interesting to watch other people's scores after you've passed the exam? You just love watching."

"It's like learning to drive."

Upon hearing this, Mu Nanshu immediately felt that Lu Cheng was a bit wicked. And this kind of wickedness was very much in line with the general public's thinking.

How many people who have passed their driving test never watch others take theirs?

Some even have psychological issues; after passing the exam, they specifically search online for and stay up in the live streams of their juniors preparing for the exam.

There's no other reason, it's just that I like watching it, I enjoy watching it.

This includes, but is not limited to, taking postgraduate entrance exams, doctoral entrance exams, university entrance exams, civil service exams, and government service exams.

……

Lu Cheng did what he said he would do.

He and Mu Nanshu ordered two iced coffees at the hotel, and then he openly took Mu Nanshu's hand and went up to the floor where the competition was being held, and then strolled around from one competition venue to another.

On the display screen, to ensure fairness, Lu Cheng's results and name were still displayed prominently on both tracks.

肌腱缝合赛场：【049陆成：2mm裂隙抗张强度：40分。断裂抗张强度：40分。肌腱韧度：20分。总分：100分。】

Spleen suture competition: [142 Lu Cheng: 117 points.]

At the spleen suturing competition, Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu stood at the very front of the viewing area. Lu Cheng explained the competition rules to Mu Nanshu: "I'm quite lucky. Didn't you buy me a lot of pig pancreas before?"

"It just so happens that the organ suturing involved in this competition is also done on the pig's transverse tongue, with a total of six spleens, each at a different level of injury..."

Lu Cheng hung up his competition badge, though he didn't write his name on it.

With such an outrageous performance, it's impossible for the other participants in the organ suturing competition not to dox Lu Cheng.

I've definitely seen the photos.

Therefore, it was impossible not to be surprised when Lu Cheng was seen holding a girl's hand and swaggering around the front of the viewing area.

First, it was unexpected that Lu Cheng was so young; second, it was unexpected that Lu Cheng actually won first place and even brought his wife or girlfriend to show off.

This behavior can be described as excessive, or it can be described as normal.

Even if you win first place, you can't bring your family to enjoy the show, right?

Who stipulated it?

At least Lu Cheng didn't make a fuss.

"Hello, Dr. Lu!" Someone Lu Cheng didn't recognize greeted him politely after confirming that Lu Cheng's grades were genuine.

"Hello..." Lu Cheng responded politely and warmly.

"Dr. Lu, you're amazing! Can we add each other on WeChat? We can keep in touch."

“Sure, teacher, my name is Lu Cheng. I’ll scan your phone.” Lu Cheng readily took out his phone.

Lu Cheng didn't think he did anything wrong; he hadn't cheated to get first place.

Actually, there was cheating involved, but since no one could detect it, it wasn't considered cheating.

If it’s not closed, it’s not open!

Finally, after Lu Cheng had been sitting in the stands for over twenty minutes, he too, being a middle-aged man, started to move in that direction.

The man who arrived had a classic case of Mediterranean-style baldness on his forehead, and his head was also slightly pointed: "Are you Dr. Lu? Hello, hello..."

"Hello, teacher," Lu Cheng politely turned around and replied.

"You can call me Huang Gengwen. I'm from the Department of Spleen and Pancreas Surgery." Huang Gengwen wore glasses and had a large mouth.

Lu Cheng took a closer look. His mouth line was indeed wide, making him look like a toad, but his face shape was rather pointed, which made him look very distinctive.

"Hello, Teacher Huang, my name is Lu Cheng, Lu as in 'ear east,' and Cheng as in 'successful,'" Lu Cheng said. Lu Cheng then saw Huang Gengwen look at Mu Nanshu: "This is my wife, Mu Nanshu, also a colleague."

Huang Gengwen then extended his hand: "Hello, Dr. Mu."

"Hello, Professor Huang." Mu Nanshu shook hands with Huang Gengwen in a generous manner.

"Dr. Lu, congratulations! Your achievement is truly remarkable. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about it."

"Truly, heroes emerge from among the young." Huang Gengwen said, half-jokingly and half-shockingly.

His mouth was slightly open, as if a bottomless pit had been carved into his small head.

While Huang Gengwen was chatting with Lu Cheng, Professor Cao Qianwei, who was hosting on stage, kept a close eye on him.

But he was the host of the competition, so he couldn't just leave.

"Teacher Huang, you flatter me. I was lucky to get this result. If this competition hadn't been about spleen suturing, I wouldn't have been able to get this result," Lu Cheng said modestly.

"Dr. Lu, are you not planning to play around with the results anymore?" Huang Gengwen asked politely.

"Teacher Huang, the results are all set, so we won't retake them. I'm just waiting to receive the award now; I should at least get a certificate." Tong Yuan'an told Lu Cheng that they shouldn't mention the prize money, but they didn't mention the certificate.

This is a provincial-level competition, and it can add a lot of points when evaluating professional titles.

"The award is definitely in order, Dr. Lu. If you're not too busy, shall we go downstairs for a cup of tea?"

"You don't need to worry about your grades and certificates here. Professor Cao is here, and your certificates have probably already been stamped," Huang Gengwen invited.

"Thank you for the invitation, Professor Huang. My wife just arrived, and I'm just showing her around a bit, so it's not very convenient. If I have the chance next time, I'll definitely ask you for your guidance, Professor Huang." Lu Cheng replied flawlessly.

The refusal was obvious, and the reason was found.

"That's such a pity. It wasn't meant to be." Huang Gengwen had obviously also done some research on Lu Cheng and learned some information about him from the hand surgery department.

Regardless of how things change within Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Lu Cheng's current identity is still associated with Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

Peking Union Medical College Hospital is better than Xiangya Hospital. If Lu Cheng sticks to this point, Huang Gengwen won't be able to say anything more.

Cao Qianwei from the Second Hospital had approached Lu Cheng yesterday but was also rejected. Seeing that Huang Gengwen was also rejected today, he felt much better.

This proves that Lu Cheng launched an indiscriminate attack, not targeting Cao Qianwei.

……

After Huang Gengwen left, Lu Cheng noticed an exceptionally tall and robust young man walking beside him. His size naturally gave Lu Cheng a sense of pressure.

Lu Cheng originally didn't want to care, but he walked straight towards Lu Cheng.

"Director Song, Dr. Lu is here! We've been looking for him for ages!" The voice of the burly man, standing at 1.95 meters tall, was a pleasant, broadcasting tone.

This was not the same voice Lu Cheng had heard from Xiang Daihong yesterday.

"Hello Dr. Lu... I heard you're from Longxian People's Hospital? I'm from the Department of General Surgery at the State People's Hospital, my name is Song Xin."

"This is Xiang Daihong, from our hospital's orthopedics department. You and Dr. Lu are practically from the same clan," Song Xin introduced himself.

Song Xin was only 1.6 meters tall, with a thin and upright build. He had the typical build of someone from Hunan Province, but standing next to Xiang Daihong, he looked strangely out of place.

Song Xin looks like a child.

"Dr. Song, Director Xiang," Lu Cheng said quickly.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Daihong quickly explained, "Lu Cheng, this Director Song is the director of our general surgery and hepatobiliary surgery department. I am just a junior attending physician."

"Director Song," Lu Cheng quickly corrected himself.

Song Xin waved his hand: "It doesn't matter, we're all from the same hometown."

"But Dr. Lu, your fellow villager is really amazing! It's incredible that you could achieve such results."

"But Dr. Lu, why did you go to Longxian People's Hospital instead of our hospital?" Song Xin asked with a forced smile.

Lu Cheng forced a fawning smile: "Director Song, the threshold for the State People's Hospital is too high, so I went there too."

"But it was just a formality and I was rejected. That was many years ago."

Song Xin was just being polite, but he didn't expect Lu Cheng to actually come to Xiangzhou People's Hospital. Isn't this awkward?

Fortunately, Song Xin knew that Lu Cheng was previously an orthopedic surgeon, and looked at Xiang Daihong: "Director Xiang, is that true?"

Xiang Daihong's Adam's apple bobbed: "Director Song, our orthopedic department's Director Li is the real boss."

I'm just an attending physician, what the hell am I supposed to do with personnel? Lu Cheng being rejected a hundred times has absolutely nothing to do with me, Xiang Daihong.

Song Xin ran into a brick wall right away, making it difficult to continue the conversation: "Dr. Lu, there might have been some misunderstanding before. Come on, let's add each other on WeChat, and we can keep in touch more often in the future."

“Okay, Director Song, I’ll scan you.” Lu Cheng didn’t refuse; he might have to contact him later when he went to Xiangzhou People’s Hospital.

Lu Cheng knew that with his current educational background, the only way to jump to a top-tier hospital was through the associate senior professional title process.

It is not appropriate to stay in Longxian County during the period of promotion to associate professor, as research cannot be conducted there and it is not conducive to long-term development.

Lu Cheng then took Mu Nanshu to the vascular competition venue, only to discover that the first place winner was not one of the associate professors he had encountered before.

It was Dr. Hu Yi, the attending physician at Xiangya Hospital.

Tong Yuan'an had never mentioned this Hu Yi to Lu Cheng, but Hu Yi quietly won first place with a score of 98.

The second choice was Associate Professor Wei Jianwen from the Second Affiliated Hospital…

Lu Cheng's ranking shifted one place down to tenth.

This competition has three first prize winners, six second prize winners, and ten third prize winners.

Lu Cheng could only get third prize in the vascular surgery track.

"Yes, the vascular suturing track is the most mainstream track in microsurgery competitions, and it is usually a special event for hand surgeons and vascular surgeons."

"Overall, in terms of microsurgery, hand surgery is more meticulous than vascular surgery."

"Because general vascular surgery does not involve delicate vascular suturing," Lu Cheng explained to Mu Nanshu.

"Mm." Mu Nanshu nodded, looking quite happy as she looked at the names on the list.

"There are more people on this track than on the other tracks, much more than on the solid organ track. To win a third prize in this kind of situation is already quite good."

Do you recognize all the people on this list?

Lu Cheng shook his head: "I know some of them. Professor Tong recommended them, but I'm not very familiar with them."

“The night before last, after I went to see Professor Tong, all the teachers had left.”

As Lu Cheng spoke, the previous batch of contestants who had been setting new records reached new heights.

Lu Cheng's ranking dropped another place, taken by Xue Daoming, an attending physician at Xiangya Third Hospital, who moved up from tenth to eleventh.

However, since it was still a third prize, Lu Cheng decided not to try to improve his score.

It wasn't until noon that Lu Cheng received a call from his senior, Zhang Boyuan, inviting him to lunch.

They also said that Professor Xiang Dongshan would be coming.

After thinking it over, Lu Cheng agreed. However, he told Zhang Boyuan that he might bring his family. If Director Xiang was not willing, he would only have dinner with his senior, Zhang Boyuan.

“That should be fine!” Zhang Boyuan agreed casually.

……

The award ceremony went smoothly; it was like walking a catwalk. There was one team for the first prize, one team for the second prize, and one team for the third prize.

Although the number of participants varies for each track, the prize money for the first prize is the same: 35,000 for the first prize, 15,000 for the second prize, and 5,000 for the third prize.

The gap is quite large, but many participants don't rely on this to make money; the main reason is that the honor is rare.

After receiving the award, Lu Cheng left the competition venue.

This salon-style competition did not arrange for all the winners to give acceptance speeches; instead, the organizers invited a few acquaintances who had won awards to speak.

The bonus is handled later; it's impossible to give cash on the spot. This is all perfectly reasonable.

Alternatively, the organizers can contact the individual's workplace directly, allocate funds to the workplace, and then the workplace can distribute the funds to the individual.

After receiving the award certificate, Lu Cheng checked out of the hotel.
Although the money could be settled by Tong Yuan'an's work unit, Lu Cheng's participation in the competition was considered an official business trip, and he could also get reimbursed when he returned, so he didn't dwell on these minor issues.

After sending a message to Professor Tong Yuan'an explaining the situation, Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu went to have dinner with Zhang Boyuan.

At the dinner, Mu Nanshu initially behaved like a well-behaved family member, but once Professor Xiang Dongshan got down to business, Mu Nanshu broke her silence.

……

At 7:30, Lu Cheng and Mu Nanshu were waiting in the waiting hall at Jintai Square Station in Shashi.

Lu Cheng looked at Mu Nanshu, who had one leg crossed. Wearing a pair of conservative jeans, her slender legs were accentuated by the weight of her flesh.

Lu Cheng didn't ask Mu Nanshu why she had left Xiang Dongshan speechless during the meal. He simply said, "I never imagined you could be such a good arguer."

"I'm just stating the facts; this isn't an argument."

"Director Xiang came here to negotiate terms. Since it's a negotiation, there's bound to be a give-and-take."

"Job hunting is a two-way street; it's not like you have nowhere else to go."

Mu Nanshu continued, "Besides, it's clear that your senior brother isn't doing very well these days."

"I think your senior brother is really good to you, maybe it's because he empathizes with you."

Lu Cheng nodded: "Senior Brother Zhang is not doing so well. He told me that if possible, he would choose a unit with fairer competition."

"Although it is cruel, at least it can maintain a fairer dimension."

As Lu Cheng was speaking, his phone rang again.

Mu Nanshu said, "You can answer your own business call."

After the competition ended, Lu Cheng was contacted by the health commissions of various prefecture-level cities and Shashi City, as well as hospitals directly under the provincial health commission, asking him if he planned to change jobs.

Lu Cheng had certainly considered changing jobs, but he couldn't afford to go that far.

Lu Cheng chose the State People's Hospital because his personnel file was in the state, and an internal transfer wouldn't count as re-entering the hospital.

It will be easier to negotiate if I resign in the future.

"Thank you for your kindness, Professor Liu. I've already made up my mind. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely consider learning from you, Director Liu." Lu Cheng's reply was, of course, impeccable.

Hypocrisy has always been a defining characteristic of adults!
"Dr. Lu, I'm really looking forward to that day." Director Liu knew that Lu Cheng was just being polite, so he could only go along with it.

"Then I thank you again for your generosity, Director Liu. I'm about to have my tickets checked. Let's chat again another time..."

Lu Cheng wasn't lying; he and Mu Nanshu really were going to have their tickets checked and head back.

Long County is Lu Cheng's current real stronghold.

(End of this chapter)