Chapter 287 - 192: The Titan of the Medical World

Chapter 287: Chapter 192: The Titan of the Medical World

Mid-November.

The weather in Yangcheng was still unpredictable.

Today, the luck of the draw was clear skies and a pleasant breeze. Not bad.

In front of the Provincial Health Department compound, several official cars pulled to a stop one after another.

A red carpet was laid out on the steps before the entrance, flanked by signs that read:

[Provincial Medical and Health System Commendation and Major Clinical Achievement Briefing Conference]

Jiang He arrived with his team.

In fact, this wasn’t his first time here.

In his past life, he had attended a conference in this very hall as a provincial surgical expert when he was in his thirties.

’What conference was it back then?’

’Something like a seminar on regionally coordinated treatment for terminal pancreatic cancer?’

’I think I even went on stage and gave a forty-minute presentation to a packed audience of leaders and experts...’

Now, at this very moment, the familiar steps, the familiar gate, and even the two banyan trees by the entrance were identical to his memory.

Two lifetimes, wonderfully overlapping.

It was a good feeling.

In this life, he was standing here many years ahead of schedule.

With a vibrant, energetic team and the confidence that they could change the world.

"Old Jiang, are we going in or what?"

Chen Hao’s voice came from behind him. The guy was a little nervous.

The other team members were, too. Dressed to the nines and on their best behavior, they all looked a bit tense.

Jiang He smiled. "Yeah, let’s go in."

There was still some time before the conference officially began, so delegates from all over were gathered outside the compound, chatting in small groups.

It was rare for the project team to have a group outing, and standing here in the sunlight, they all felt surprisingly relaxed.

Professor Wang Xiaoqing was here today as well.

Seeing the project team, she naturally came over to chat.

Cheng Xiyao said, "Professor Wang, you’ve worked so hard in the lab recently."

"It’s not that hard. None of you youngsters are complaining about being tired, so I certainly can’t be the one to drag the team down. But honestly, it’s a real shame for an awards ceremony of this caliber."

Cheng Xiyao was puzzled. "A shame for what?"

"It’s a shame Elder Zhi isn’t coming. That last incident, how massive was the scale? How high was the risk? Elder Zhi published the rescue guidelines just in time and saved who knows how many lives. At today’s ceremony, he’s the one who most deserves to be on that stage receiving the honor."

"I know!" Cheng Xiyao nodded emphatically. "Elder Zhi is just incredible. I’ve read every one of his posts over and over. His clinical acuity is simply unbelievable. But... he’s been showing up on the forums less and less lately. It’s been a long time since his last post."

Professor Wang said, "That’s perfectly normal. For a pillar of the nation like Elder Zhi, he must be a titan in the medical world in real life. He’s definitely swamped. I bet he’s probably leading a major national-level project right now. It’s only natural that he wouldn’t have time to post online."

Jiang He was standing right there.

He stared at the sky, thinking, ’The clouds are so white. The sky is so blue. Not bad at all...’

Even though Jiang He was trying to lower his profile by pretending to admire the scenery, the conversation inevitably turned to him.

Professor Wang looked at Cheng Xiyao and said, "Xiaocheng, there’s something you might not know."

Cheng Xiyao asked curiously, "What is it?"

Professor Wang said, "Jiang He, he knows Elder Zhi."

"!!!"

Cheng Xiyao covered her mouth, staring at Jiang He in utter shock.

Jiang He: "..."

Professor Wang continued, "The step-up therapy project I’m leading was based on guidance from Elder Zhi. Later on, Jiang He helped me sort through and revise the specific procedures for the entire protocol. There must be a channel of communication between Jiang He and Elder Zhi."

Cheng Xiyao sighed in admiration. "No wonder. Jiang He is just too amazing."

"However," Professor Wang’s tone shifted, growing heavy, "my step-up project is also ready for submission to a core journal. But after what happened to you guys, I have to be extremely cautious. I can’t let some shameless reviewer plagiarize my life’s work too. It’s disgusting!"

At the mention of this, the other team members who had been chatting nearby immediately gathered around, their mood turning to collective outrage.

"Yeah! It’s despicable!"

"All those all-nighters we pulled to get that data... they reject our paper just like that, then turn around and use it themselves. How can people like that exist?"

"They’re academic pirates."

"Completely shameless."

"They really think we’re an easy target."

United by a common enemy, the group let out a string of curses.

A passing leader glanced in their direction.

Everyone quickly composed themselves and put away their... colorful language.

Cheng Xiyao calmed down and returned to the previous topic. "Professor Wang, although Jiang He might not be as brilliant as Elder Zhi right now, and he doesn’t have as much experience, I believe that with his abilities, he’ll definitely become just as amazing as Elder Zhi in the future. He might even surpass him."

Professor Wang nodded in firm agreement. "That’s right. In all my years of teaching, Jiang He is the most talented and brilliant student I have ever seen. Forget everything else; just this miRNA early screening project we’re working on now—if we pull it off, I think Jiang He will have a shot at breaking into the most elite international circles."

Faced with everyone’s praise,

Jiang He could no longer pretend to admire the scenery.

He sighed and said, "Thanks, everyone. I’ll do my best."

Just as he finished speaking, a black Audi sedan stopped at the curb.

Director Yang Xu had arrived.

Boss Yang was looking extra sharp today.

That hairstyle... he probably spent half an hour on it after getting out of bed ( ).

He spotted the project team by the flower beds right away.

Watching his mentor approach, Jiang He immediately detected the combat readiness in Boss Yang’s eyes.

’The master is about to spread his peacock feathers!’

Sure enough, Yang Xu walked up and said:

"Ah, Jiang He, how’s the miRNA early screening project you’re leading been progressing lately?"

Jiang He: "It’s going okay."

Yang Xu: "Those fundamental principles of gene fragment extraction we discussed in depth in my office, and the issue of controlling the stability of cell-free nucleic acids—have you implemented those in your experiments? How did you solve them?"

How could Jiang He not understand his mentor’s intentions? He immediately answered earnestly, "Professor, the key points you highlighted were spot on. The project is currently progressing smoothly, even faster than expected."

"Mm." Yang Xu nodded with satisfaction.

Then, his gaze shifted to Wang Xiaoqing, who was standing to the side.

"And Professor Wang? You just joined the team, Professor Wang. Are you adapting to such a high-intensity experimental pace?"

Wang Xiaoqing clicked her tongue.

The atmosphere grew a little awkward.

Jiang He immediately smoothed things over. "Professor Wang is adapting wonderfully. Not only has she mastered the core aspects of Trizol lysis, but she’s also helped us avoid several potential contamination risks. She’s been our rock."

Yang Xu looked at Wang Xiaoqing and smiled faintly. "Not bad, Xiaoqing. From now on, if you need any help in the lab, or run into any issues that require coordinating resources across departments, just give me a call. Don’t try to shoulder it all yourself."

Wang Xiaoqing replied, her face expressionless, "Okay."

Jiang He once again salvaged the situation. "Yes, Professor, you must come to the lab and guide us more often."

After this round of master-student coordinated showing off, Yang Xu beckoned to Jiang He. "Jiang He, come over here. I have something to tell you."

Under a large banyan tree nearby.

Yang Xu took out a sheet of A4 paper and handed it to Jiang He.

"Later, when we’re inside and the conference is in its second half, Minister Lin will have you go on stage as the representative of the main creative team to say a few words. This is a script prepared for you by the department’s publicity office. Take it and look it over, get familiar with it."

Jiang He took the script and scanned it.

The beginning: "Respected leaders, esteemed colleagues, friends from the media, good morning..."

The middle: "I must thank the leadership of the Provincial Health Department for their care, and the hospital and university for their cultivation. Our team’s ability to achieve this milestone with the early prediction model for severe acute pancreatitis is thanks to the foresight of our superiors, thanks to..."

The end: "We will continue to uphold the benevolent heart of a physician, never forget our original intentions, remain humble and composed, and bravely scale new heights on the path of scientific research, contributing our part to the medical and health endeavors of the province and even the entire nation!"

Jiang He smiled, folded the script, and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Professor, I think I get the gist of it."

Seeing Jiang He’s reaction, Yang Xu also smiled. "I also think this script is pretty mediocre. It’s too dry. As long as you understand the general direction, you don’t have to read it word for word. When you get on stage, you can improvise and say what you want. I trust you know what you’re doing and won’t talk nonsense."

"Alright, I’ll read the room and see how things are going then."

After taking care of business, Yang Xu looked around.

He suddenly noticed a small convenience store outside the department compound.

The little shop looked like it had been there for ages.

"Come on." Yang Xu grabbed Jiang He and headed for the store.

"Professor, what for?"

"Let’s go take a look."

The two of them walked to the entrance of the shop, and Yang Xu peered into the freezer.

Jiang He’s gaze followed.

The freezer was piled high with all sorts of classic popsicles.

There were 50-cent "Little Puddings," one-yuan "Green Tongues," some kind of "Magic Jelly" popsicle, "Seven Dwarves," mung bean ice bars...

Jiang He felt a wave of nostalgia just looking at them.

Yang Xu said, "Jiang He, should we buy an ice cream for Professor Wang?"

Jiang He froze.

Yang Xu added, "We’ll take it over in a bit and you can say you bought it to treat everyone for their hard work."

Jiang He gave a wry smile. "Professor... let’s not. It’s mid-November. Who eats ice cream now?"

"Right..." Yang Xu rubbed his nose, a bit embarrassed. "Then forget it."

...

Ten minutes later.

Every single person on the project team was holding an ice cream bar.

So good!

As he ate, Yang Xu said:

"I have something serious to tell everyone."

"Regarding the SAP matter, myself, Dean Chen, Vice Dean Zhang Sui, and Vice Dean Zhang Sui’s ex-wife, Ms. Gu Qingyan—we’ve all put in the effort, and we plan to blow the whole thing wide open today!"

"At this awards ceremony today, it’s not just the provincial leaders who are present. Xinhua News Agency, the Reuters China bureau, and over a dozen mainstream medical media outlets from inside and outside the province are all ready."

"The department has already communicated with the relevant national authorities. Today, the government will officially step forward to endorse our SAP model. We are going to lay out the whole story, the ownership of this technology, completely and thoroughly, in front of all the Chinese and foreign media!"

Everyone was eating their ice cream bars.

But they didn’t feel cold at all.

Instead, a fire seemed to be burning in their stomachs.

Yang Xu crushed the rest of his ice cream in a bite and said fiercely:

"They dared to steal our work? Today, I’d like to see if international public opinion will stand on the side of justice!"