As the largest and most comprehensive medical institution in Binhai and its surrounding provinces, the Binhai University Affiliated Hospital saw many government officials seek treatment there every year.

However, the Affiliated Hospital wasn’t their first choice, especially for high-ranking officials.

After all, the Affiliated Hospital focused more on teaching and research, and it had obvious shortcomings when it came to privacy and personalized services.

They usually opted for Huashan Hospital or the Armed Police General Hospital.

The phone call from Vice President Liu Jin confirmed Yan Feifan’s suspicions. The two people Zheng Libin had brought over in the evening were indeed here to scout things out for a leader.

However, Liu Jin didn’t know the specific identity of this leader either.

He had simply been notified by a leader from the Health Commission.

"Feifan, this is a good thing."

Liu Jin spoke eloquently over the phone. "First, it shows the leadership trusts you."

"Second, it also means your medical skills have been recognized by the upper echelons. You’ve entered the top tier in the country."

"Otherwise, they wouldn’t have contacted you proactively."

Yan Feifan sounded a bit confused. "But aren’t they being overly cautious? The patient’s tumor isn’t that complicated."

"With Dr. Qiu Ge’s skill level, he could handle it on his own."

Liu Jin laughed on the phone. "They’re just afraid of that one-in-a-million chance. It might not be what the leader intended, but their subordinates will inevitably raise the stakes and increase the demands on their own."

"You could say their entire futures are tied to that leader."

"Besides, it’s a cranial surgery. You can never be too careful."

Liu Jin then added a reminder, "Feifan, don’t let your guard down just because the tumor is simple. You must take this seriously."

"Building this connection might come in handy someday."

Liu Jin then said bluntly, "If you do this surgery well, you’ll be doing me a favor too."

"That leader from the Health Commission will have to show me some favor."

"I will do my best, Mr. Liu."

After stating his position, Yan Feifan asked, "Mr. Liu, how is the Baining Hospital branch matter progressing?"

Liu Jin replied over the phone, "Regarding the establishment of the branch, all the municipal departments have expressed their welcome and support."

"But this is Binhai. We can’t give them overly favorable terms."

"Now it all depends on what Baining Hospital decides."

After a pause, Liu Jin revealed, "The new hospital leadership positions will be announced at the end of this month at the earliest, or next month at the latest."

"I’ve already received word that Mr. Cheng has voluntarily submitted his resignation. He’s just waiting for approval from the higher-ups..."

At eleven o’clock that night, Yan Feifan went to bed on time.

But this time, he didn’t hear the sound he had been anticipating—the sound of his door being gently pushed open.

He drifted off to sleep in a daze while he waited...

Friday was a busy day for Yan Feifan.

At nine in the morning, he went to the neurosurgery department to perform an ethanol puncture injection on a patient with a spinal canal tumor.

He only needed to complete this step. The subsequent resection of the spinal canal tumor would be handled by Dr. Lo Jun.

At one-thirty in the afternoon, Yan Feifan began to operate on the young girl with a cleft lip and palate.

His assistant for this surgery was Dr. Lin Qian.

Yu Suye had just finished operating on another child from the welfare home, repairing a deformity in their left arm.

On top of that, she had to work the night shift in the trauma surgery department.

So, Yan Feifan had called Lin Qian over to assist him.

This surgery could be considered a test of Yan Feifan’s growth and progress over this period.

At 5:40 PM, the moment Yan Feifan set down his instruments, he felt he had done quite well on this test.

If his first cleft lip and palate repair surgery scored an eighty, then this one deserved at least a ninety-five.

There was still a difference between virtual practice and hands-on training.

After a period of validation through actual practice and refinement, the improvement in his overall surgical skill was obvious.

Leaving the follow-up work to Lin Qian, Meng Yao, and the others, Yan Feifan left the operating room, changed, and washed up. As he left the surgical area, he was surprised to find someone waiting for him in the family waiting area.

It was Tang Jun, the editor-in-chief of the Bin University Medical Edition.

Seeing the few journals in his hand, Yan Feifan realized his paper had been published.

"Lead article, with an editor’s comment!"

Tang Jun handed the six journals to Yan Feifan and said with a grin, "The journal is published on the tenth of every month, but due to mailing and other factors, it’s usually printed three or four days in advance."

"I brought these over to you first."

"Thank you, Mr. Tang."

Yan Feifan expressed his thanks and couldn’t resist opening a journal to look at his paper in print.

Tang Jun’s voice sounded in his ear again. "Dr. Yan, I’m aware that you’ve successfully completed ten ethanol puncture injections for spinal canal tumors to date, proving the procedure’s effectiveness."

"I believe this paper will inevitably spark a heated discussion."

Yan Feifan closed the journal and said hopefully, "I hope other doctors can master the application of this technique as soon as possible."

Tang Jun agreed. "Although it’s difficult, I’m sure that with time, some doctors will be able to do it."

"Dr. Yan..."

He added enthusiastically, "As far as I know, you have two research projects going on right now: in-vivo nerve cultivation and... a phalloplasty procedure?"

"You even know about the reconstruction surgery?" Yan Feifan was a little surprised.

Tang Jun chuckled. "Dr. Yan, you’re a person of great interest to me right now."

"I know very well that with your talent, you’ll surely have a constant stream of new ideas and new approaches."

"So, about the research papers...?"

Yan Feifan said evasively, "Both projects are just in their initial stages. There’s nothing to write about yet."

"Let’s talk about it once I have some data and results."

Tang Jun pressed his advantage. "Dr. Yan, let’s make a deal. As soon as your research yields results, you must submit the paper to me."

"We’ll see when the time comes..."

Yan Feifan saw Mr. Tang off and went to the director’s office.

He found his sister and two of her colleagues chatting over tea in the reception area, making themselves right at home.

"Where’s the director?"

"He’s with a scheduled client in the examination room."

Yan Ziruo replied, then added, "Zhong Ting and Liu Xiyun have made up their minds to get plastic surgery. They’re not changing them."

"Feifan, could you take a look at them?"

This was the first time Yan Feifan had met these two colleagues of his sister’s from the hospital’s finance department.

Both were around twenty-four or twenty-five, average-looking people with common faces. Zhong Ting also wore a pair of thick glasses for severe nearsightedness.

Yan Feifan gave them a simple facial examination and clarified their requests.

Just like his sister, they didn’t want any invasive procedures that would affect their bones. They only wanted minor adjustments to their facial features and muscles.

Zhong Ting pushed her glasses up her nose and said, "Dr. Yan, as for what specific changes to make to my face, you’re the expert. I’ll leave it up to you."

"As for the surgical fees..."

Zhong Ting said cautiously, "I have some idea of the going rates for this sort of thing."

"I’ve prepared a hundred thousand. Is that enough?"

Seeing Zhong Ting and Liu Xiyun looking at him nervously, Yan Feifan said, "Plastic surgery has, you could say, no upper limit."

"You get what you pay for. Ten thousand will get you a ten-thousand-yuan result, and a hundred thousand will get you a hundred-thousand-yuan result. If you want a million-yuan result, I can do that too."

Liu Xiyun asked with concern, "Dr. Yan, Dr. Yan, can a hundred thousand achieve a result like Ruoruo’s?"

Yan Feifan glanced at his sister, Liu Xiyun, and Zhong Ting, then organized his thoughts before speaking.

"Let’s say my sister’s current appearance scores an eighty-five."

"Your results will only reach about an eighty, because your baseline is a bit lower, only a sixty-five."

"My sister’s baseline was a seventy-five."

Zhong Ting and Liu Xiyun looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and said, "A fifteen-point improvement is worth it."

"Let’s do it..."

After seeing the two of them off, Yan Ziruo pouted. "Feifan, they get to improve by fifteen points, but I only improved by ten."

"I’m your sister! Your own sister!"

Yan Feifan shot her a look. "You know perfectly well that the closer you get to the upper limit, the harder it is to improve."

He sighed again. "To be honest, I don’t like performing plastic surgery on people I know. The evaluation of aesthetic improvement is very subjective, and it’s hard to satisfy everyone."

Yan Ziruo linked her arm with her brother’s. "I know. I’ll try my best not to agree to any more requests from others in the future."

"I was just being too showy this time. It won’t happen again."

"Let’s hurry home. Xiaoyu is waiting for us."

"Why is she here again?"

Yan Feifan retorted, then asked with a smile, "Hey, didn’t that guy ask you out tonight?"

Yan Ziruo huffed. "He said his boss made him entertain clients at the last minute, so he didn’t have time."

"Well, I don’t have time either. I’m going to Phoenix Tail Mountain with Xiaoyu tomorrow."

Then she exclaimed, "Feifan, our uncle contacted me this afternoon. Their ship arrives at Binhai Port on Sunday."

"He said he probably won’t have time to see us until next Tuesday..."