It was past nine in the evening when Lin Jie returned home and collapsed directly onto the sofa in the living room, muttering, "Just doing surgery for one day doesn't make me feel this exhausted."

Lin Miao sat beside him, gently tapping his waist with her little fist, and giggled, "Brother, let me give you a massage!"

"No need, you've been out for such a long time, you're tired too. I'll just rest for a bit and be fine!" Lin Jie declined.

At that moment, his phone rang.

Seeing it was a call from Tian Zhiyuan, Lin Jie immediately sat up and answered.

"Hello, Expert Lin! Sorry to bother you, I've been busy with a surgery that just finished now!"

Brain surgery can last for over a dozen hours, Lin Jie knew, so he replied, "I should be the one apologizing for disturbing you, Professor Tian. I need your help with something."

"It's my pleasure to assist you, Expert Lin! What do you need?"

Lin Jie was straightforward, getting directly to the point: "Professor Tian, I've recently started a research project on cerebral arteriovenous replacement, are you aware of it?"

"Yes, Tian Xiangyu mentioned it to me!"

Tian Zhiyuan was full of admiration, "I have to say, your brilliant ideas always leave me in awe and admiration!"

"Thank you for the compliment!"

Lin Jie politely responded and said, "Professor Tian, I've encountered a problem with my project. The patient I originally had for validation was taken by your hospital's visiting professor, Qiao Hongzhen, and there's also a significant conflict of interest between us."

He briefly but clearly explained the situation regarding Wang Jinglan and Xu Bin's family to Tian Zhiyuan over the phone.

"This Qiao Hongzhen is too much!"

An angry voice came from the phone, "To be honest, Expert Lin, I know this Qiao Hongzhen. He always flaunts his social titles as if he's afraid people won't know them."

"Although I don't have a good impression of him, I just thought he was just flashy. After all, he's made contributions in orthopedics."

He said indignantly, "Now that you've told me, I realize his character is so despicable, actually doing something so base."

"Expert Lin, what do you want me to do?"

"Should I represent you to negotiate with him? Or report this to the college and hospital leadership?"

"There's no need for such drastic measures!"

Lin Jie refused his suggestion, feeling a bit guilty, "It's also my fault for not signing a binding agreement with Xu Bin's family. So, strictly speaking, this is Xu Bin's family's voluntary choice."

"Although what Qiao Hongzhen did is unethical, there's nothing that can be done if we make a fuss about it!"

Tian Zhiyuan asked, puzzled, "So, Expert Lin, what do you mean?"

Lin Jie said in a deep voice, "As far as I know, Xu Bin's family has already been admitted to Jingcheng University Affiliated Hospital."

"I want to ask you to find out whether Qiao Hongzhen truly has a way to treat Xu Bin's son's illness or if he's merely trying to obstruct my research project!"

"This is straightforward; I'll make sure to find out clearly!"

Tian Zhiyuan said solemnly, "If Qiao Hongzhen is simply obstructing your project and deceiving the patient, I definitely won't sit by idly..."

The next morning at ten, while Lin Jie was having breakfast, he received a call from Tao Taqing.

The reason for having breakfast so late was that after being exhausted for three consecutive days, Lin Jie used the most primitive method — sleeping in — to regain his energy and strength.

Upon answering the call, Tao Taqing's enthusiastic voice came through, "Lin Jie, Chairman Han Wenbin had several medical experts evaluate our project results, and the feedback is extremely positive."

"Chairman Han wants to meet you for a discussion in person. Are you free at two in the afternoon?"

"I happen to have some free time today, so yes, I'm available!"

After confirming the meeting details, Lin Jie asked, "Have you formally signed the contract with Tongren Hospital West Branch?"

"Yes, we have!"

Tao Taqing said confidently, "Since I've made the decision, I won't hesitate, moreover, the terms Chairman Han offered are quite generous."

"I've also formally submitted my resignation to Donghua Hospital. I'll spend a month for the handover, transferring patients."

He said cheerfully, "The people at Donghua Hospital were shocked, thinking I was just bluffing to scare them. When I took out the employment agreement signed with Tongren Hospital West Branch, those guys turned pale."

"They probably didn't expect me to be so resolute this time."

"Especially when they heard that I'd be taking the research results with me, those guys were immediately furious and said they'd take legal action to sue me!"

Tao Taqing snorted derisively, "Do they think I'm afraid of being sued by them?"

"I had the agreement drafted by a lawyer. Chairman Han also had top lawyers review it, and they assured me I have every right to leave Donghua Hospital with the research results."

"I actually hope this incident gives a few of them a stroke."

Lin Jie chuckled and said, "The news of your departure, Donghua Hospital must be well aware by now, right? How many people will follow you?"

Tao Taqing said smugly, "In the past few days, no less than twenty or thirty colleagues have contacted me in various ways, expressing either openly or subtly, their desire to continue following me."

"It seems that my years as vice-president haven't been in vain, there's finally some payoff, building up some goodwill."

He cleared his throat and said apologetically, "Lin Jie, I know Anlin Hospital also lacks people."

"It's just..."

"I can't be a lone wolf at the Tongren Hospital West Branch, I need some competent doctors to support me, and besides, their offered treatment is somewhat higher than Anlin Hospital's..."

"I understand!"

Lin Jie pressed on, "Is the Tongren Hospital West Branch accepting all the people you bring over?"

"It shouldn't be a big problem!"

Tao Taqing laughed, "However, Chairman Han told me that the Tongren Hospital West Branch has already secretly signed employment agreements with many doctors."

"To avoid bloating in certain departments, and issues with position arrangements, we need to properly screen the doctors willing to follow me."

"This is also something unavoidable; after all, we can't have two department heads in one department, can we!"

Lin Jie understood in his heart, this was the Tongren Hospital West Branch's euphemistic way of speaking.

Through this so-called screening, firstly, they limited the number of people Tao Taqing could bring, and secondly, they eliminated those who were unsuitable or unqualified.

Not long after hanging up on Tao Taqing, Lin Jie received a call from Tian Zhiyuan.

"Expert Lin, I've found out that Qiao Hongzhen has invited a neurosurgeon named Ralph Borg to diagnose Xu Bin's son!"

"Ralph Borg?" Lin Jie repeated quietly.

"He is the Deputy Chief of Neurosurgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States and is said to be a favored student of Dr. Amos. However, I haven't discovered the specific surgical plan yet."

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor Tian!"

After exchanging a few polite words, Lin Jie hung up the phone and silently asked, "Lanruo, do you know this person?"

"No, I know more about cardiac doctors, and doctors from other fields only stay in my memory if they're very eminent."

Shen Lanruo said gently, "Neurosurgery is not a strong department at Massachusetts General Hospital, and this person is only a deputy chief doctor, plus I have no memory of him at all."

"In summary..."

She speculated, "This Ralph Borg's medical skills have a certain level, but they're also limited; he probably can't effectively solve Xu Bin's son's headache issues."

Lin Jie sighed and said with some annoyance, "Even so, with this Ralph Borg blocking the way, I can't easily criticize Qiao Hongzhen for ignoring the patient's health and life."

"After all, before the results are out, I also can't assert that Ralph Borg definitely can't cure Xu Bin's son. It all depends on the final choice of Xu Bin and his wife."

"In that case..."

Shen Lanruo said leisurely, "Lin Jie, you are destined to lose this verification patient."

"You are very aware that even with the same surgical plan and the same chief surgeon, just a slight difference in presentation..."

"For example, slightly exaggerating or downplaying the chief surgeon's success rate, discussing the post-operative sequelae lightly or heavily, can greatly alter the perception of a patient and their relatives who lack in-depth medical knowledge."

"Doctors always have ways to guide patients into making the choice they expect."

Lin Jie was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "I can't just go to the Capital City and argue with Qiao Hongzhen, or compete in medical skills with Ralph Borg on the spot."

He resolved, "As the saying goes, 'The Buddha saves those with destiny.' There are so many patients in the world, and I can only treat a few. I have no choice but to give up on this patient."

The reason Lin Jie was like this was, first, he was annoyed by Xu Bin and his wife's lack of understanding, their greed; second, Xu Bin's son was important for his project but not to the extent that it couldn't go on without him.

In all fairness, the research results from theoretical work and animal experiments alone could lead to significant inspirational impacts in the medical field.

In summary, Lin Jie was still very realistic!

Xu Bin's son was neither a relative nor someone so important that Lin Jie needed to desperately pull strings to win over.

As for the role and malice Qiao Hongzhen displayed in this matter, Lin Jie momentarily didn't have a better way to counter.

He could only wait until Tao Taqing spreads the project results, and Wang Jinglan proves it through practical actions, which would expand its impact before taking further steps!

Having made this decision, Lin Jie hoped in soliloquy, "I hope Kexin's net-casting approach will bring me good news, or even a pleasant surprise."

After hanging up Tian Zhiyuan's phone call, Lin Jie also talked to An Kexin on the phone, exchanging thoughts and views!

At one in the afternoon, Lin Jie set off to meet Han Wenbin!

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