Chapter 361 - 246: The Gathering Storm

The conference room was filled with a buzz of conversation.

The three elderly professors were giving it their all, using every trick in the book to help Jiang He. They felt like they were about to burn out...

Jiang He was also listening very intently, nodding from time to time to show he was paying attention.

Su Zhi pushed the door open and entered.

A young man followed behind her.

The man wore a slim-fit suit. Though his features were clearly young, he gave off a strangely old-fashioned vibe.

Su Zhi made the introductions. "Mr. Jiang, esteemed professors, please excuse the interruption. This is Professor Wen Xuyang from Ruijin Hospital. He just arrived and wanted to come by and pay you a visit."

Wen Xuyang walked forward quickly, speaking with a slight Hushang accent. "Mr. Jiang, Elder Zhou, Elder Fu, Elder Guo, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Wen Xuyang, a PhD student under Professor Li Jianping at Ruijin Hospital."

Perhaps it was his regional accent, but his way of speaking made him seem even more mature than his years.

'If he accidentally told an old man joke right now, what would netizens say about him? I can't even imagine...'

Speaking of Li Jianping, Jiang He knew him well.

He was a key figure in hepatobiliary surgery at Ruijin Hospital.

He was also a core member of that "Clinical Translation of Gut Microbiome Research" group.

Professor Zhou Deming spoke up. "Ah, Professor Li Jianping's star pupil! Please, have a seat. It's not often we run into colleagues from back home here in Baltimore."

Wen Xuyang sat down. "Yes, yes. It's wonderful to meet a fellow countryman in a foreign land. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"

Jiang He said, "We were just taking a break. Professor Wen, are you also here for tomorrow's symposium?"

"That's right. Tomorrow's event is quite large-scale. I'm representing my team this time, mainly to report on our research into gut microbiome intervention for hepatic encephalopathy."

Professor Guo Fengwan asked, "What stage is your research at?"

Wen Xuyang said, "We've essentially finished. The data is quite solid. A while ago, we compiled our results into a paper and submitted it to a top-tier journal."

At this, Wen Xuyang gave a wry smile. "Although we didn't run into a reviewer plagiarism issue like you did, our situation is also quite awkward. The editorial department just shot it down and won't let it pass."

"What was their reason?"

"The justification was very official. They said that while our research model was innovative, the data sample had a clear regional deficiency and lacked sufficient diversity for validation. They demanded we supplement it with data from a broader population, or they wouldn't publish it."

Jiang He was all too familiar with that reason for rejection.

'A shocking debut? Heh, it's just the same old story.'

Professor Zhou Deming snorted coldly. "What do they mean, 'regional deficiency'? As long as we don't have their European and American white-person samples, as long as our data is from a purely Asian population, they classify it as a deficient data sample? That's utterly absurd."

"Elder Zhou is right. They just want us to bow our heads, but Teacher Li is stubborn and refuses to back down. That's why he sent me here to do a public report during the centennial auditorium symposium. We want to lay the data right out there and let our international peers in the audience see for themselves whether our model holds water."

Wen Xuyang paused, a trace of reverence in his voice.

"Actually, the only reason our project progressed so quickly was thanks to the guidance of Senior Zhiyu. If it weren't for the microbiome target theory he posted on Dingxiang Garden, and the general direction he pointed us in privately, our team would probably still be spinning its wheels."

Jiang He silently averted his gaze.

'I never expected that a few microbiome target questions I casually answered in a QQ group would come back to me like this, across the Atlantic Ocean in Baltimore.'

'Some seeds, once planted, will sprout and bear fruit when you least expect it.'

A look of anticipation appeared in Wen Xuyang's eyes. "Speaking of which, we'll soon have the chance to express our gratitude to someone connected to Elder Zhi in person."

"Oh?" Zhou Deming asked curiously. "Is Elder Zhi going to make an appearance?"

"Not Elder Zhi himself," Wen Xuyang explained. "I heard from Teacher Li that a friend of Elder Zhi will be visiting us at Ruijin in a little while. Teacher Li has already arranged the hospital's reception. When the time comes, our team will definitely have to seek guidance from this friend. A friend of Elder Zhi must also be a top expert with profound knowledge."

Jiang He focused on drinking his tea.

'Wait, no. Drinking tea is for kids. Adult products.'

Professor Fu Yunshu nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed. To be a friend of Elder Zhi, their academic accomplishments must be immeasurable."

In truth, the elderly professors were also very curious about Zhiyu's true identity.

But every time they asked someone to look into it, the response was always that the matter was shrouded in secrecy.

Over time, the professors had painted a picture in their minds:

He must be a titan-level academician from the Capital City, long since retired from the front lines. His identity was so sensitive that a single word from him could shake the funding direction of national research projects, which is why he chose to remain anonymous, guiding the younger generation online.

For such a true hidden master, they felt nothing but sincere respect.

"Professor Wen," Jiang He chose to pull the topic back on track, "did you bring your PPT outline for tomorrow's presentation?"

"Yes, yes, I have it." Wen Xuyang quickly opened the folder in his hands, pulled out a printed handout, and passed it over.

Jiang He took the handout and quickly skimmed through it.

He quickly identified its weak points.

"This page, the jump is too abrupt. Hopkins will definitely question you on this tomorrow. They'll likely attack your statistical methods."

Wen Xuyang paused, frowning slightly. "Dr. Jiang, you mean..."

"Dedicate a separate page to the process of your Spearman's correlation analysis. Also, when you mention the sample size, preemptively bring up the multi-factor corrections you made for the specific dietary structures of Asian populations. Make a preemptive strike. Tell them that it's precisely because of this regionality that the model possesses an irreplaceable specificity."

Wen Xuyang's eyes lit up.

"Right, right! Dr. Jiang, that's a brilliant approach. Turn defense into offense and shut them up."

Zhou Deming and the other professors looked at Jiang He, their eyes filled with admiration.

Jiang He was so outstanding that, while marveling at his talent, they couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Yang Xu.

'How come we can't find a student this brilliant?'

Next, Jiang He helped Wen Xuyang go over a few other details where he might face difficult questions.

By the time the meeting ended, Wen Xuyang's attitude toward Jiang He had transformed into genuine admiration.

"Dr. Jiang, thank you so much for today. I'll see you at the conference hall tomorrow."

"Yes, see you tomorrow."

Before leaving, Jiang He took the initiative to tidy up the conference room until it was spotless.

'Details determine success or failure. In a way, on this trip, I'm representing our country's image.'

'I can't bring any shame upon my people.'

After leaving the conference room, the group prepared to return to their respective rooms to rest.

At the end of the lounge hallway, a few people were discussing something in low voices.

Because Jiang He had just exposed the plagiarism scandal involving Professor Miller of Johns Hopkins University right there in the lounge, causing Dr. Hayes to lose face completely.

Word about Jiang He had already spread among the foreign doctors attending the conference at the hotel.

The moment their eyes met.

A tall, white doctor walked toward them.

He wore a conference name badge from Johns Hopkins University on his chest.

This was Carter, a close personal friend of Hayes and a star surgeon at Johns Hopkins University.

"Excuse me."

Carter stopped in front of Jiang He and politely extended his hand. "You must be the doctor from China, Jiang He, correct?"

Jiang He looked at him coolly. "Yes. Is there something I can help you with?"

Having his handshake ignored, Carter didn't seem embarrassed. He casually retracted his hand and smiled. "I heard Hayes mention you just now. I have no comment on your SAP prediction model, but I'm more interested in your personal resume."

"I heard that you're only twenty-one, yet you're already an independent medical team leader at a hospital in China?"

The expressions of Zhou Deming and the others immediately darkened.

Wen Xuyang frowned as well.

Carter continued, his words laced with sarcasm, "Congratulations, young team leader. That's an almost unimaginable miracle here in Baltimore. You should know, in the Hopkins training system, a twenty-one-year-old medical student isn't even qualified to hold a retractor in the operating room, let alone be the lead surgeon. It seems your country's standards for hospital titles and team selection are really... quite 'playful'."

It sounded like a compliment, but it was actually belittling China's medical system, comparing it to children playing house.

He was implying that Jiang He's title as an independent medical team leader was mostly fluff and that he didn't possess the corresponding clinical skills.

Professor Guo Fengwan was about to retort but was stopped by a raised hand from Jiang He.

'Why bother explaining?'

'Explaining would just be stooping to his level.'

Jiang He gave a faint smile, stuck his hands in his pockets, and said to the group behind him, "Let's go. Time to get some rest."

With that, he walked straight past Carter.

The smile remained on Carter's face.

When Wen Xuyang passed by, the young man couldn't hold back. "The barrier to entry in medicine is skill, not age. Don't you at Hopkins even understand that?"

Carter chuckled. "And the barrier to skill is practical experience, isn't it? If a real emergency were to occur, what could a twenty-one-year-old genius doctor possibly do? Apologies, I'm just purely curious. Please, don't misunderstand me."

Wen Xuyang sputtered, "You—!"

"Let's go, Xuyang."

Wen Xuyang said nothing.

He gritted his teeth and angrily followed after Jiang He.

The elevator continued its ascent.

But the Baltimore night gradually descended.

If there was one thing Jiang He hadn't accounted for, it was his lack of detailed knowledge about the American timeline.

It was currently mid-December 2008.

A rare, massive ice storm was quietly sweeping across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States.

The wind howled, heralding the coming storm.

High-voltage power lines in mid-air were already encased in thick ice...

The city's aging infrastructure was on the verge of collapse under the pressure of the extreme weather.

Inside the elevator.

Wen Xuyang said indignantly,

"He went too far! 'If a real emergency were to occur, what could a twenty-one-year-old genius doctor possibly do?' That bastard! Dr. Jiang, I really wish you could prove him wrong!"

Jiang He patted Wen Xuyang's shoulder, smiled faintly, and thought nothing of it.