34: If you perform well in Chapter 34, you'll be a full-fledged resident physician upon your return.
Lu Chen chewed over these words in his mind.
"I understand."
"I have also heard about the trip to Guangfu Hospital the day after tomorrow."
Director Li Sen's tone became a bit more normal.
"The Emergency Department at Guangfu Hospital is no worse than ours, and in some specialized areas, they are even stronger than us."
"After you go, don't embarrass me."
The corners of Lu Chen's mouth curled up slightly.
"Director, why does that sound like you're worried about me?"
"How could I possibly be worried about you?"
Director Li Sen paused for a moment.
"What I'm worried about is that you are too sharp and prone to attracting trouble."
"I know your skills, but you are only in your first year as a Trainee Physician. Once you go there, many people will bring up your seniority."
"When that happens, no matter how others provoke you, you must keep your head."
"Endure when you should endure, and show your skills when you should; the timing must be right."
Lu Chen remembered the words President Zeng Dayang had said: "How you perform once you get up there is up to you."
Both men spoke from different perspectives, but the core meaning was similar.
"Okay, I will remember that."
Director Li Sen grunted, picked up his enamel mug, and took a sip.
"There is one more thing."
"What is it?"
"Your performance at Guangfu Hospital will be part of your promotion assessment upon your return; President Zeng is already processing the paperwork."
"If you perform well, upon your return, your status will no longer be a Trainee Physician, but an official Resident Physician."
"You will manage beds independently, work night shifts independently, and your salary will increase by one grade."
Lu Chen's heartbeat accelerated by half a beat.
A salary increase of one grade—these words held immense value for him.
With a higher salary, he could send a little more to the Orphanage each month.
"I will perform well."
"Hmm."
Director Li Sen put down his cup and looked at him for the last time.
"Go on, you have a shift this afternoon."
"Okay."
Lu Chen stood up, and when he reached the door, he paused again.
"Director."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
Director Li Sen didn't speak, just waved his hand.
Lu Chen went out.
While walking down the hallway, he summarized the information from the two conversations today in his mind.
President Zeng Dayang provided resources and wanted allegiance.
Director Li Sen provided advice and urged clarity.
Combining the words of both, he could roughly outline the power structure within the Hospital.
It wasn't complicated, but it wasn't simple either.
But regardless, one thing was certain.
He was going to Guangfu Hospital, and he would leave the day after tomorrow.
...
3:00 PM.
A notice was posted on the Hospital's OA system.
The content was simple: Jiangcheng City Central Hospital will dispatch a technical exchange delegation to Guangfu Hospital for a three-day medical technical exchange activity. The list of delegation members is as follows.
There were seven people on the list in total: five Attending Physicians, one Resident Physician, and one Trainee Physician.
The name of that Trainee Physician was Lu Chen.
As soon as the notice came out, the entire Emergency Department was buzzing.
Head Nurse Fang Ying was the first to run over.
"I saw it, I saw it! Your name is on it!"
"Hmm."
"You are actually going?"
"What else?"
"Usually, for these kinds of exchanges, those at the Attending Physician level or higher go. If you go as a Trainee Physician, won't you be treated like a vase?"
Lu Chen glanced at her.
"Sister Fang, have you ever seen such a capable vase?"
Head Nurse Fang Ying thought about it; she really hadn't.
Teacher Zhao Yaqin also saw the notice and walked straight over.
"You are going to Guangfu Hospital for the exchange?"
"Yes, President Zeng arranged it."
Teacher Zhao Yaqin was silent for two seconds.
"I have a classmate in the Emergency Department at Guangfu Hospital, and their level is not bad. You should be careful when you go."
"Be careful about what?"
"Their Emergency Department Director, Director Qian Fangxu, is a very strong-willed person. He is very capable academically, but also has a big temper."
"He likes to organize technical competitions during exchange activities to give other Hospitals' delegations a show of force."
"You need to be mentally prepared."
Lu Chen remembered the name.
Director Qian Fangxu.
"Thank you, Teacher Zhao."
Teacher Zhao Yaqin nodded, turned, and walked away, but after two steps, she turned back.
"By the way, don't hold back with your Suturing technique when the time comes."
After saying that, she left, not giving Lu Chen a chance to reply.
Lu Chen stood there, his mouth twitching slightly.
Although Teacher Zhao Yaqin was cold on the surface, these words were clearly helping him prepare in advance.
This mentor was not bad.
A little past 5:00 PM.
The patients in the Yellow Zone finally decreased a bit, and the follow-up handling of yesterday's accident had basically come to an end.
Lu Chen sat down at the duty station and opened the system panel.
[Host: Lu Chen]
[Status: Trainee Physician (Jiangcheng City Central Hospital · Emergency Department)]
[Emergency Surgery Skill Enhancement Card activated, effects in effect]
He looked at the countdown and calculated it in his mind.
Going to Guangfu Hospital for a three-day exchange, there would be about twenty-five days left upon his return.
If there were operation opportunities at Guangfu Hospital, the enhancement card's bonus would also be effective.
In three days, how much experience he could get depended on whether they gave him a chance to perform operations.
However, even if they didn't give him a chance, he would have to create one himself.
This trip was not for sightseeing.
...
The next day.
Lu Chen packed a small bag containing two changes of clothes, toiletries, and an Emergency Medicine textbook.
He brought the textbook out of habit; he could read it at night if he had nothing to do, and the system would provide a bonus to his theoretical progress.
At 7:30 AM, he arrived at the meeting point at the Hospital's main entrance.
The other members of the exchange delegation had already arrived.
Among the five Attending Physicians, two were from Surgery, one from Internal Medicine, one from the Orthopedics Department, and one from the Emergency Department.
Lu Chen recognized the Attending Physician from the Emergency Department; he was a middle-aged male doctor named Wu Fan who worked under Zhou Ze. He didn't talk much, but he worked steadily.
The Resident Physician was a young man named He Wenbin from the Cardiology Department, who looked to be in his early thirties.
When they saw Lu Chen, their expressions varied.
Wu Fan nodded without saying anything.
He Wenbin looked him up and down.
"You are that Lu Chen?"
"Yes."
"I heard you are a Trainee Physician?"
"Right."
He Wenbin's expression was a bit subtle; it was hard to tell if it was disdain or curiosity.
"To be able to participate in a technical exchange as a Trainee Physician, young people today are really catching good times."
This sounded a bit sour, but it wasn't too excessive.
Lu Chen didn't take the bait, smiled, and walked past.
The leader of the group was Director Wang from the Medical Affairs Department, the same person who had accompanied President Zeng Dayang in the Yellow Zone yesterday.
Director Wang looked around and confirmed everyone was there.
"Everyone is here, let's get on the bus."
A commercial vehicle was parked at the entrance. There were seven people plus Director Wang, eight in total, and after squeezing a bit, they all got on.
The vehicle drove out of the Hospital and onto the city expressway.
Guangfu Hospital was on the other side of Jiangcheng City, about a forty-minute drive.
On the vehicle, several Attending Physicians were chatting.
The content of the conversation was mostly about the situation at Guangfu Hospital: which department was strong, which director was impressive, and whether they had been there before.
Lu Chen sat in the last row by the window, not participating in the chat.
He wore headphones but didn't play music; he just didn't want to be dragged into awkward small talk.
He Wenbin looked back at him.
"Not nervous?"
"Not nervous."
"Do you know what going to Guangfu Hospital means?"
"I know, a technical exchange."
"It's not just an exchange."
He Wenbin lowered his voice.
"Every time there is such an inter-Hospital activity, the other side tries to find ways to suppress us, especially Guangfu Hospital. They have always thought they are the best in the province."
"When we went last year, they organized an emergency simulation drill on the spot and let the young doctors from both sides operate on stage."
"As a result, the Resident Physician we sent up performed poorly and was crushed by their people."
"After returning, he was scolded by the Department Director for several days."
Lu Chen listened and nodded.
"So we cannot lose this year."
"You are quite confident."
He Wenbin looked at his expression, unable to tell for a moment if this young man was truly confident or just faking it.
"Fine, I hope you can step up when the time comes."
The city scenery outside the car window flew backward.
Lu Chen leaned against the seat and closed his eyes.
He went through his skill panel in his mind.
[Suturing: Perfect Level, Progress 29/100]
Perfect Level.
He had not yet fully demonstrated this level of Suturing in front of others.
In that surgery at the General Surgery Department, Suturing was just one part of the process.
In his daily work in the Yellow Zone, he only sutured traumatic lacerations; although precise, no one specifically analyzed his stitching technique.
If Guangfu Hospital really held a technical competition, he had absolute confidence in the Suturing category.
It wasn't arrogance; the system data was there.
Perfect Level was only one grade lower than the highest God Level in the system's skill classification.
He didn't believe anyone in the entire Jiangcheng City Central Hospital had Suturing skills at this level.
Of course, he also didn't know if there were monster-level figures at Guangfu Hospital.
But regardless of whether there were or not, he wasn't afraid.
At worst, he would just treat it as leveling up.