Chapter 245 - 163: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Oriole Is Behind

Chapter 245: Chapter 163: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, the Oriole Is Behind

Since he was calling for backup, he might as well go straight to the top.

Jiang He called Lin Zhenhua directly.

The call connected, and Minister Lin’s friendly voice came through. "Jiang He, my boy. You’ve reported to Affiliated Hospital No. 1, right? How are you settling into the department?"

Jiang He replied, "Everything’s great, Minister Lin. But I’m calling today to apologize for something."

"What’s wrong? Apologize for what? Is it your health? Have you been burning the midnight oil too much these past few days? I’ve told you, young people need to take care of their bodies..."

"No, my health is fine."

Hearing this, Lin Zhenhua feigned a scolding tone. "Jiang He, I have to remind you, don’t try to be a hero! You need to understand what you mean to the province, to the country. Your health absolutely cannot have any problems, you hear me? I might have to consider sending you on mandatory medical leave..."

Jiang He said, "Minister Lin, it’s really not about my health. The main thing is... I might not have any time to push forward with the national project recently."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.

Then, a concerned voice said, "This is no laughing matter, Jiang He. The H1N1 situation has only been temporarily contained; it hasn’t been fundamentally resolved."

"The national-level joint research laboratory for respiratory viruses is still under construction, but we’re counting on you to spearhead the preliminary work. The leadership’s directive is clear: we must focus on the reverse genetics route. We need to develop our country’s very own reverse genetics technology.

"We’ve suffered in this area before, being at the mercy of others at every turn. We absolutely cannot let foreign powers have a stranglehold on us again. This is the most important thing. How could you not have time?"

Jiang He replied, "Minister Lin, I understand everything you’re saying, and I feel the same way. The technological barriers must be broken. It’s just that the clinical work here at Affiliated Hospital No. 1 is truly too busy. I can’t get away."

Lin Zhenhua immediately picked up on the hidden meaning in Jiang He’s words.

"Busy? Is there something inappropriate about the work arrangements at the hospital?"

Jiang He said with a hint of praise, "Nothing inappropriate at all. Director Ma Huaide of the Medical Affairs Department values me greatly. Yesterday, he specially assigned 15 critical care beds to me and a new rotating intern who just started."

Lin Zhenhua said nothing, listening quietly.

Jiang He continued, "With 15 beds, there are all sorts of emergencies. I pulled an all-nighter to handle everything. This morning, right after rounds, the quality control officer came down. He made very strict demands about my progress notes, picking out over thirty issues, from typos and punctuation to time formatting. He ordered me to scrap and rewrite all 15 patients’ comprehensive records and initial progress notes today.

"So you see, Minister Lin, the hospital is very strict with its SOPs, and Director Ma has high expectations for me. I really have to focus all my energy on rewriting these records. The lab work will just have to be postponed."

Jiang He didn’t utter a single word of complaint throughout the conversation.

But to Lin Zhenhua, every word was like a punch to the gut.

’Ma Huaide?’

Lin Zhenhua cursed inwardly.

He remembered the man.

The last time he inspected Affiliated Hospital No. 1, Dean Chen had discreetly mentioned this person while they were having tea in private.

Dean Chen was a Buddhist and usually appeared quite amiable, but in reality, he despised the parasites within the hospital.

At the time, Dean Chen had mentioned that Ma Huaide of the Medical Affairs Department was overstepping his bounds, using his power over scheduling and bed assignments to engage in illicit dealings, causing widespread complaints among the staff.

Dean Chen was already secretly gathering evidence of Ma Huaide’s violations, preparing to find an opportunity to oust him directly.

Because of this, Ma Huaide and his little faction had long been isolated within the core upper management circle of Affiliated Hospital No. 1.

In fact, it was precisely because he was isolated that he could only see the first layer of the hospital’s power structure.

He could only see the newly arrived Vice Dean Zhang Sui, but had no idea who was standing behind Jiang He.

If Ma Huaide knew that the provincial department viewed Jiang He as the precious treasure of the entire provincial, and even national, health system... even if you gave Ma Huaide ten times the nerve, he wouldn’t dare do something so stupid.

Lin Zhenhua sneered inwardly.

’Using 15 critical care beds to crush a young man who just made a huge contribution?’

’Using typos to obstruct a key researcher who’s about to lead a national-level P3 laboratory?’

’—Ma Huaide, you really deserve to die.’

So, Lin Zhenhua said, "What he’s doing is completely out of line."

"Minister Lin, rules are rules. Rewriting the records is part of my duty..."

"Rewrite my ass! Jiang He, you go back to your dorm and get some sleep right now! Get some proper rest! What records are you writing?"

Lin Zhenhua paused, then continued, "As it happens, Director Yang Xu is here with me for a meeting today. He’s heading back tomorrow after the agenda is finished. How about this: I’ll go with him. I will personally see to this matter at Affiliated Hospital No. 1. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Just go back and rest."

This was the exact sentence Jiang He had been waiting for.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you, Minister Lin. Thank you."

After hanging up, Jiang He slipped his phone back into his pocket.

’Ma Huaide wanted to play those workplace games, but I can’t be bothered to play along.’

’With my current status and resources, I don’t need to get into a direct confrontation with a mere Director of Medical Affairs.’

’All I need to do is report the situation truthfully to the higher-ups, and someone will naturally clear the path ahead for me.’

’Ever heard of overwhelming power rendering all tactics useless?’

He suddenly thought of a meme from his past life:

—You messed with me? You really picked the wrong one!

...

「At the same time.」

Affiliated Hospital No. 1, administration building, office of the Director of Medical Affairs.

"Director Ma." The quality control officer walked up to the desk.

Ma Huaide asked, "You’ve been to the Hepatobiliary Surgery Department? What did you find?"

The quality control officer reported truthfully, "I have. I went through the records for the 15 beds under Jiang He’s name. Applying the strictest SOP standards, I found over thirty formatting and wording errors. I informed him in person to scrap and rewrite all 15 comprehensive records and initial progress notes before the end of the day. I’ll re-check them tomorrow. If they don’t pass, he’ll be publicly reprimanded at the hospital-wide morning meeting."

"What was his reaction?"

"No reaction." The quality control officer sneered. "From his attitude, it looks like he plans to dig in his heels."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Ma Huaide’s mouth lifted slightly.

"It’s better if he doesn’t. Young people... they achieve a little something, get a few praises from the dean and department head, and suddenly they’re walking on air. They can’t stand the slightest criticism. If he had obediently corrected the records, it would have been more difficult for me. But since he dares to openly refuse correction, he is flagrantly defying hospital regulations."

The officer said, "But Director, Jiang He did get his practitioner’s license through special approval from Dean Chen. Plus, Zhao Yumin from the emergency department visited him in the ward yesterday. If Dean Chen finds out what we’re doing..."

"Dean Chen?"

Ma Huaide snorted softly.

He’d been navigating hospital politics for many years; his intuition was still sharp.

He had long sensed that Dean Chen had been growing colder toward him lately, and many work handovers were merely perfunctory.

It was obvious Dean Chen wanted to get rid of him.

For that very reason, he had to find a new backer immediately.

The new Vice Dean, Zhang Sui, was the best choice.

Zhang Sui had a background from a top-tier overseas medical school and had been parachuted in with carte blanche to overhaul the hospital’s medical standards.

As long as he could tie his fate to Zhang Sui, he had a chance to keep his position.

"Don’t worry about Dean Chen."

Ma Huaide said, "Dean Chen handles the big picture. The one in charge of medical quality and clinical standards now is Vice Dean Zhang Sui. The rules were set by Vice Dean Zhang. Since Jiang He broke the rules, no one can protect him."

"You can go back now. I’m heading to Vice Dean Zhang’s office right now to report this matter."

The quality control officer nodded and left.

Ma Huaide, report in hand, went to the vice dean’s office.

Zhang Sui’s office was minimalist, with all documents sorted and arranged by size and color.

"Vice Dean Zhang." Ma Huaide walked to the desk, bowing his head slightly.

"What is it?"

"It’s about the implementation of standardized clinical medical documentation."

Ma Huaide handed over the quality control report. "Since you took office, you’ve consistently emphasized the execution of SOPs. This morning, the Medical Affairs Department and the Medical Records Office conducted a spot check on the records in the Hepatobiliary Surgery Department. We discovered that a newly hired doctor, Jiang He, has numerous problems with his medical documentation."

When Zhang Sui heard the name "Jiang He," his gaze fell upon the report.

He picked up the report and opened it.

Inside, over thirty errors were circled in red pen, including typos, conflicting timelines, and improper formatting.

Watching Zhang Sui’s expression, Ma Huaide said, "Although Dr. Jiang He has had outstanding performance in emergency rescue, clinical records are legally binding medical documents. Any single time discrepancy could put the hospital at a disadvantage in future medical disputes.

"I had the quality control officer demand that he rewrite them according to regulations, but his attitude was very defiant. It seems he refuses to make the corrections."

Zhang Sui’s expression gradually darkened.

Ma Huaide assumed Zhang Sui was angry about Jiang He’s non-compliance.

So, he continued, "Vice Dean Zhang, I believe this kind of behavior cannot be encouraged. He’s ignoring hospital regulations just because he has some skills and has made a contribution. I suggest that, regarding Jiang He’s violation and refusal to correct it, the Medical Affairs Department should take the lead. We should convene a hospital-wide quality control meeting tomorrow afternoon to publicly reprimand him, making an example of him to firmly establish the rules in our hospital."

Having said his piece, Ma Huaide quietly awaited Zhang Sui’s response.

Ma Huaide felt his logic was flawless.

However, he didn’t understand Zhang Sui at all.

Zhang Sui was a zealous advocate for SOPs because he believed they were meant to protect doctors.

’But what was Ma Huaide doing now?’

’A young doctor who just got his license was assigned 15 critical care beds.’

’Not only was he doing the work of three people, but he also pulled an all-nighter.’

’And the next day, after rounds, this guy uses a magnifying glass to pick out over thirty typos and formatting issues, then demands that a doctor who just worked all night rewrite 15 comprehensive patient records within a day.’

’Is that enforcing medical standards?’

’No, that’s workplace bullying. That’s a personal vendetta.’

’That’s using the rules *he*, Zhang Sui, established to attack his rivals.’

A wave of nausea washed over Zhang Sui.

He was most disgusted by people who used the medical system as a tool for their personal struggles.

’—You want to use me, Zhang Sui, as your weapon? Use my rules to establish your own authority? ...Impressive.’

Zhang Sui closed the report and casually set it aside.

His face betrayed no emotion. "Director Ma, rules are rules. Anyone who violates them must face the consequences."

Ma Huaide’s heart leaped with joy.

’It worked.’

"Then, about the hospital-wide quality control meeting..." Ma Huaide asked tentatively.

"We can do that." Zhang Sui nodded, his tone calm. "Go back and prepare. It will be held tomorrow at 3 PM in the main conference room of the administration building. Notify all department heads, head nurses, and supervising attendings to participate. Since we’re going to establish rules, let’s be thorough about it."

Ma Huaide concealed his excitement. "Yes, Vice Dean Zhang. I’ll go issue the notice right away."

He turned and walked out of the office. The moment the door closed, he was beaming with joy.

With Zhang Sui’s support, not only would he solidify his position in the hospital, but he could also use this opportunity to put those who only paid him lip service in their place.

’A double blessing!’

What he didn’t know was that back in the office,

Zhang Sui dialed the internal line for the head of the Medical Affairs Department’s archives.

This person had just been promoted by Zhang Sui yesterday and had a clean record.

"This is Zhang Sui."

"Vice Dean Zhang, your orders?"

"Immediately pull all scheduling records and bed assignment ledgers from the Medical Affairs Department for the past three years. Focus on screening for the names of resident doctors who were consistently assigned to heavy-workload rotations. Also, cross-reference data between high-turnover beds and the entry-exit logs for pharmaceutical representatives. Don’t alert Ma Huaide. I want to see the complete raw data report before midnight tonight."

"Understood, Vice Dean Zhang."

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Sui steepled his fingers.

’Ma Huaide wanted to hold a hospital-wide meeting to establish the rules.’

’Fine.’

’Then let’s have a meeting.’

’Since we’re going to check the rules, let’s not stop at a few typos.’

’We might as well dig up all his dirty laundry while we’re at it.’

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Zhang Sui had already set his sights on Ma Huaide.