This miracle doctor just wants to be fired!

In the following days, Zhou Cheng clearly sensed something.

That means the office is even more lively than the catheterization lab.

In the past, when he returned to his office, he would at most encounter a few resident doctors reporting on patients' conditions, or Lin Feng would come to him with a pile of medical records to discuss.

But ever since the information about postgraduate admissions circulated within the hospital, more and more unfamiliar faces have started appearing at the office door.

At first, only a few students came to inquire in advance.

Later, it became a daily occurrence. Some were resident physicians from our hospital, some were master's degree holders from other hospitals, and some even traveled from other cities by high-speed rail just to meet him.

When Zhou Cheng first encountered this situation, he thought it was a patient coming to see him for treatment.

As soon as he reached the office door, a young doctor wearing glasses immediately stood up and said, "Hello, Professor Zhou."

Zhou Cheng paused, looked at the unfamiliar face, and asked, "Who are you?"

"I am a master's student in cardiology at Jiangzhou University, and I would like to apply for your doctoral program this year."

Zhou Cheng glanced at the file folder in his hand. "Recruitment hasn't started yet."

"I know."

The young doctor said somewhat nervously, "I just wanted to let you know about my situation in advance."

Zhou Cheng nodded: "Give the materials to the medical education secretary."

The young doctor was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a simple answer after making a special trip.

"Professor Zhou, I have already published three SCI papers, one of which is in Q2 journals and I am the first author. I have also participated in a National Natural Science Foundation of China project."

Zhou Cheng looked at him and said, "These materials will all be in the registration system, and we'll look at them during the formal interview."

The young doctor opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded: "Okay."

……

After he left, Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh.

"Director Zhou."

"Um?"

"When others arrive early, the professors usually chat with them for a few more minutes."

Why are you acting like a triage specialist at an outpatient clinic?

Zhou Cheng was revising the surgical record, not even looking up. "Meeting in advance doesn't necessarily increase the accuracy of the diagnosis."

Why?

"Because people will show the side of themselves that they want to show."

Lin Feng thought about it and realized that there was indeed some truth to that statement.

When a student knows they are facing a future mentor, the prepared remarks, packaged experiences, and selected highlights will all influence the first impression.

However, whether someone is truly suitable for long-term training cannot be determined by a ten-minute chat.

"So what's your plan?" Lin Feng asked.

"To see true ability, and most importantly, attitude when facing problems. You can look up papers and ask about projects, but when a person encounters a problem they don't know, whether they choose to admit they don't know or make up an answer, that's very important."

Raymond Lam nodded. "So, you value honesty the most?"

"Hmm," Zhou Cheng said. "Medicine isn't an exam. If you don't know the answer to an exam, you can leave it blank. But in clinical practice, you're facing patients."

……

Soon, the postgraduate application process officially began.

Zhou Cheng's email inbox began to grow at an alarming rate.

Dozens of letters a day, hundreds every two days.

The graduate school even created a new email address specifically for him to receive admission materials.

Looking at the data in the backend, the director of the medical education department sighed, "Director Zhou, your enrollment popularity is even higher than some veteran professors."

Zhou Cheng glanced at the computer. "How many copies?"

"More than two hundred."

"Master's or PhD?"

"There are over 120 doctoral candidates and even more master's candidates."

Zhou Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "In the end, we only need three."

"Two master's degree holders and one doctoral degree holder." The director of the medical education department smiled. "So your biggest pressure right now isn't that no one is applying, but that you have to choose who to select."

Zhou Cheng nodded; this was indeed a problem.

When he was a doctor, all he had to do when dealing with patients was consider how to treat them.

But becoming a mentor presents a completely different set of challenges.

A single choice can affect a young doctor's life for the next few years or even more than a decade, so he is even less willing to act rashly.

……

At the same time, various connections began to come knocking.

The first to arrive were acquaintances from the hospital.

After finishing his ward rounds, a department head deliberately came to block the door.

"Director Zhou, there's something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Zhou Cheng stopped in his tracks. "Please speak."

"I have a relative's child who has a good foundation, good undergraduate grades, and published articles during his master's studies. He wants to apply for your doctoral program this year."

"If it's convenient, could you please keep an eye on this for me?"

Zhou Cheng didn't immediately agree, but instead asked, "Have the materials been submitted?"

"Submitted."

"Then let's follow the procedure."

The other person paused for a moment, then said, "I know the procedure, I just wanted to let you know in advance."

Zhou Cheng nodded: "Thank you for your trust, but ultimately it depends on my performance in the interview."

The other person looked at him, and after a few seconds, smiled.

"Your personality hasn't changed at all."

Zhou Cheng smiled as well, "Students' affairs cannot be changed because of relationships."

……

Similar incidents are becoming more and more frequent.

Professors who had attended meetings with me before, experts who had collaborated on projects before, and even some department heads I knew from other departments.

They would send messages, some recommending students, others hoping he would look at their resumes in advance.

Some people even said directly, "Don't worry about this child, his character is absolutely fine."

Zhou Cheng's responses to these messages were basically the same.

"Welcome to register. Please follow the school's procedures to participate in the assessment."

He understood all too well the importance of medical education; when a mentor chooses a student, it's not just about selecting someone to help them with research.

It's about training people who will face patients in the future.

If we lower our standards today because of someone's background, connections, or recommendation letters.

Years later, the doctor standing in front of the patient might be someone who hasn't undergone rigorous screening.

……

However, what truly impressed Zhou Cheng was a recommendation from the dean of the foreign language department.

The other party is a very famous cardiovascular expert in China.

The two had collaborated at an international conference before. When the call came in, Zhou Cheng was in the catheterization lab preparing for surgery.

"Director Zhou," the voice on the other end of the phone said with a laugh, "Are you planning to recruit PhDs this year?"

"Yes."

"I have a student here who is very good. He has a solid clinical foundation and strong research ability. I think he is very suitable for your research direction."

After listening, Zhou Cheng did not refuse: "Dean Zhang, let him register normally."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Aren't you going to take a look first?"

"You can watch it, but we'll still follow the procedure."

The other person laughed, "You, after all these years, you still have the same personality."

Zhou Cheng didn't explain, but simply said, "Dean Zhang, I believe the person you recommended is not bad, but the final decision on whether he is suitable for me should not be your recommendation, but his own performance."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by laughter: "Okay, I'm getting more and more excited about you as my mentor."