552 Late (1/2)

Zhang Anmin stood at the stairway with a cigarette between his lips. He stared blankly into the air, and he was so tired that he did not feel like saying anything.

Even though things were indeed easier for first assistants compared to chief surgeons, Zhang Anmin had been working all day. Besides, the two cholecystectomies he just participated in took forever. He was no longer young, and the day's work was really putting a strain on his knees and back.

When he thought about how he would be participating in another surgery later, how the following day would be just as tiring as today, and how he might have to take a three-hour trip to Bazhaixing hospital branch the day after tomorrow, Zhang Anmin felt that he might be in despair.

*Creak.*

Someone opened the door to the stairway.

Zhang Anmin did not even bother to turn his head around. He quietly exhaled another puff of smoke.

He would need to clean his oral cavity with mouthwash before returning to the operating theater, or else, he might embarrass himself in front of the nurses.

He did not usually smoke much. However, he was just way too tired lately, and he had been finding it difficult to focus.

”Young Zhang, are you taking a rest?” He Yuanzheng's voice rang out from behind him.

”Huh?” Zhang Anmin was so shocked that he dropped his cigarette.

”Try mine.” He Yuanzheng whipped out a cigar instead of a cigarette and passed it to Zhang Anmin. He then passed Zhang Anmin a lighter and a pair of scissors.

Zhang Anmin only realized then that there was a short cigar as thick as an index finger between He Yuanzheng's lips.

”It's a short Corona cigar. You'll finish smoking it in no time.” He Yuanzheng swayed the cigar in his hand a few times, and Zhang Anmin immediately took it.

Under He Yuanzheng's guidance, Zhang Anmin carefully cut off one of the corners of the tip of the cigar. He then spun the lighter around the cigar to light it. He inhaled lightly and exhaled a small puff of smoke.

”You can light it up again. The middle part isn't really burning.” He Yuanzheng continued. ”You didn't use to smoke, did you?”

”I didn't use to smoke much, but I did smoke.”

”So, you've been smoking more lately?”

”Yeah.”

”Stress, staying up late, and smoking. These are three of the main reasons why people get cancer.” He Yuanzheng raised his gaze to look at Zhang Anmin and said, ”Can you take the stress of being Ling Ran's assistant?”

Zhang Anmin took another puff of the cigar and exhaled. The smoke clouded his field of vision.

”I don't have a choice.” As Zhang Anmin gazed at He Yuanzheng, he suddenly felt like being honest. ”My progress is the slowest among the three attending physicians who are around my age. I have to do something about it.”

A person would always get caught off guard whenever someone else poured his heart to him all of a sudden.

Even though He Yuanzheng was already over forty years old, he, too, sighed.

Even though what Zhang Anmin just said would not be much of a concern for people who were not in the field of medicine, for doctors, it was something cruel and inevitable. If there were more than one doctor of around the same age in a department, it was highly likely that they would be fighting for the position of department director in the future.

As there could only be one department director, the one who succeeded would get to enjoy all the fame and money. Meanwhile, if those who failed did not have it in them to submit to humiliation, they would have no choice but to leave the hospital and start all over again.

He Yuanzheng himself did not need to go through this process to become a department director, but he had witnessed and even participated in this kind of competition more than once in his career.

He Yuanzheng glanced at Zhang Anmin again. 'It's true that he wouldn't be able to win. Unless...

'Unless he's under the guidance of a doctor like Ling Ran.'

”If you're aiming to become the department director one day, I would have to remind you about something.” He Yuanzheng looked at Zhang Anmin and said, ”Ling Ran is younger than you.”

Zhang Anmin did not say anything. He took another puff of the cigar.

”There's a reason why seniority matters in the hospital.” When He Yuanzheng noticed that Zhang Anmin was looking at him, he could not help but chuckle. ”Why? Do you think that I'm not in a position to talk about seniority?”

Zhang Anmin forced a smile.

”At the end of the day, I have to admit that my youth is the reason why the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery is so weak.” He Yuanzheng had obviously been thinking about this for a long time. When he talked about it at this moment, he could articulate his thoughts very smoothly. ”Yun Hua Hospital is considered pretty renowned, and even if our department were to raise our entry requirement and hire only those with a PhD, we would still receive plenty of applications. But no matter what we offer those associate chief physicians who are actually capable, they wouldn't agree to work with us. Do you know why?”

Zhang Anmin said nothing. He did not need to, as the doctors of the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery had talked about it privately before. ”All associate chief physicians who don't aspire to become department directors are trash, and Yun Hua Hospital never hires trash.”

”I'm way too young, and all the associate chief physicians who are willing to leave their hospitals to work in Yun Hua Hospital are older than me. Why would they come here? To save up for their retirement?” He Yuanzheng smiled. He then looked at Zhang Anmin and continued. ”Ling Ran is only a little over twenty years old, isn't he? If he were to take over Old Huo's position in the future, the Emergency Medical Center would have to go through a lot of changes in the future.”

”Unless Ling Ran rises through the ranks so fast that he doesn't even bother becoming department director.” Zhang Anmin no longer bothered holding his tongue. The smoke entered his lungs, and he started coughing.

He Yuanzheng could also not help but to pick up his cigar.

He knew what Zhang Anmin meant. Ling Ran might not be contented with merely being a department director.