Chen Linlang is the attending physician in Professor Liang Guocheng's group. His face is thin and angular, his eyes are sharp, and the jawbone of his chin is distinct.

He cautiously replied, "An original and effective clinical suturing technique is certainly enough to support this. Such papers are not greatly concerned with impact factor."

Generally speaking, the quality of a paper is related to the impact factor of the journal it is published in.

Articles on suturing techniques generally do not achieve high scores, as the actual clinical significance of such articles cannot be measured by impact factor.

Lu Cheng is indeed not young; he may be thirty-five or thirty-six by the time he completes his doctorate, but with the experience of an original suturing technique under his belt, it's also quite impressive.

After all, there aren't many renowned suturing techniques in hand surgery worldwide.

Of course, Chen Linlang wasn't fixated on this but signaled to Lu Cheng, "Xiao Lu, have you added everyone on WeChat?"

"Yes, Brother Nai," Lu Cheng replied with his head lifted, putting away his phone.

Chen Linlang hinted, "Once done, quickly go catch up with the boss; Professor Zhong is in a good mood today."

"Yes, right, Brother Lu, you should go find Teacher Zhong," said another doctoral student named Su Bo, hastily stepping aside to make way for Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng replied, "Brother Nai, everyone, I'll head over now. Let's meet again next time..."

Lu Cheng indeed had some matters to discuss with Professor Zhong.

...

At 10:40 PM, the sky dark, the lights dazzling, and the street lamps at times blinding.

In a neighborhood near Union Hospital, the foliage lush, mosquitoes occasionally targeted Lu Cheng's arms, and he lightly shook them off with his arms hanging down.

Professor Zhong Junyun, hands behind his back, walked a few more steps before nodding, "A man can't stand without integrity, nor be virtuous without filial piety. Your idea is correct."

"Since the inspiration for this suturing technique came from Xiangya Hospital, and they also invested a lot of time and effort, it's as you said, you should take the project back there to work on."

"If you hadn't mentioned this, it wouldn't be impossible to stay," Zhong Junyun sighed lightly.

In fact, from Zhong Junyun's perspective, Xiangya or not, anything Xiangya Hospital can do, Union Hospital can do too. Whoever does it first is powerful, so whoever ends up behind doesn't concern me."

But from Lu Cheng's perspective, it's different. Lu Cheng confessed that Professor Tong Yuan'an from Xiangya Hospital taught him a lot, not only the Tajima Suturing Technique but also innovative techniques from Xiangya Hospital.

Without these two techniques, there wouldn't be Lu Cheng's current 'suturing technique.'

Someone who understands gratitude is liked by all. Instead, Lu Cheng took this opportunity to neatly conclude his past experiences.

Zhong Junyun couldn't force Lu Cheng anyway, especially during the current critical period when Lu Cheng hadn't explicitly changed his mind.

Zhong Junyun felt cornered by his own circumstances.

Of course, after saying this, Professor Zhong continued, "Lu Cheng, you mentioned you want to advance to associate senior title before pursuing further education."

"Are you sure you can achieve something through self-study?"

Lu Cheng stood respectfully, his expression courteous, and after conversing politely with Professor Zhong for a long time, he finally stated without excessive humility, "Teacher, it's not entirely self-study; it also requires careful guidance from instructors."

"Integrating teaching with private practice and clinical operations, this is the path I've taken."

Lu Cheng didn't exaggerate anything, simply stating that this is how he progressed.

This made it more convincing, and after pondering for a moment, Professor Zhong slowly nodded, "Your approach may be correct; our hospital's surgeries do start at a high level!"

"Without reaching the associate senior level, it's indeed difficult to perform any formal surgeries, possibly requiring an adjustment of the number and type of teaching surgeries."

"However, if balancing the number and type for teaching, it becomes troublesome for patients with special needs who want to be admitted early for treatment."

"It's hard to balance."

In fact, the surgeries handled by Union Hospital's hand surgery department are those that city-level hospitals or other ordinary provincial Class A hospitals cannot manage.

It wasn't a deliberate move by Zhong Junyun to elevate the difficulty level to showcase his department's capability; it was the passive choice of the visiting patients.

Being able to handle complex cases attracts patients, and Zhong Junyun and others cannot simply ignore this while admitting patients easily managed by common hospitals...

Lu Cheng quickly expressed, "Teacher, this is just my personal learning experience and doesn't need to be applied to others."

"The teaching model in the hospital is summarized by many predecessors, and it certainly can't be changed just because of my individual case." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Lu Cheng had to explain; others don't have a panel to gain better skills by treating patients, and if Zhong Junyun truly applied Lu Cheng's model to everyone, it would harm others.

Zhong Junyun lifted his chin, looking at Lu Cheng, "But you lack a research foundation, and I'm afraid you can't handle this project alone. If you depend on others for everything, I'm concerned you'll suffer."

"This presents a difficulty. If I assign a doctoral student to assist you, it would be improperly justified..."

"Do you have any candidate in mind?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng's eyebrows immediately raised, looking at Zhong Junyun, "Teacher, do you know something?"

Zhong Junyun almost directly named Mr. Mu; it wasn't subtle.

"Say it yourself?" Zhong Junyun said.

Give, give, give, all to you. I'll give you all that you ask for!

Lu Cheng wasn't hesitant anymore; actually, Lu Cheng had considered asking Mu Nanshu to help with the project, and she would likely agree.

With her backing, Lu Cheng wouldn't need to rely heavily on Tong Yuan'an's "influence," thus gaining an advantage in the article's authorship order.

A gentleman perfects others' virtue, and Lu Cheng didn't understand how Professor Zhong knew about his relationship with Mu Nanshu and still provided this suggestion.

Lu Cheng still requested, "Teacher, I know of a suitable candidate, currently working in the Digestive Department's laboratory as an Associate Researcher, Mu Nanshu. She's my classmate..."

"I can privately persuade her to lend a hand, and if she agrees, I'd also need you to put in a good word with Professor Dong Chang of the Digestive Department to ask for her help..."

Many hands make light work, and if Lu Cheng wants to advance, he certainly can't do it alone.

It's unrealistic for one person to complete a whole project alone.

"Ah, if you had accepted formal education earlier," Professor Zhong looked at Lu Cheng with a mix of sentiment and concern.

First, it's certain that Lu Cheng's attitude toward learning and aptitude are not major issues; not to mention the talent. Just for the sake of understanding, Professor Zhong felt Lu Cheng had been delayed.

Lu Cheng smiled, "Teacher, everyone has their own destiny, and I'm still young."

"Actually, my current path is quite good. Achieving the associate senior title early allows me to earn some money... When I further my studies and look for work later, I might gain a significant benefit..."

"You know, it's difficult and competitive to earn an associate senior title at Union Hospital!"

Lu Cheng's smile was genuine, without any world-weary sentiment.

The traditional academic path is certainly orthodox, but his unorthodox route has significant advantages, too.

It's well-known that promotions are easier in the countryside, and once the title is promoted, it's nationally recognized and won't be downgraded.

Lu Cheng's work experience at the County Hospital provided rich 'grassroots' experience, meaning he wouldn't need to go to countryside support again, which was a blessing in disguise.

"What about Xie Xiao's mention of Gan Huashan Hospital?" Professor Zhong Junyun, for some reason, brought up the topic again.

Professor Zhong wisely avoided mentioning the phone call from yesterday; once the critical period is over, one must pursue and not offer explanations.