"Huh?"
Ye Xiu was taken aback by Zhao Ruobing's sudden outburst. What was her problem? How was he wasting his talent or being irresponsible to himself and society? Didn't he have the right to choose what kind of doctor he wanted to be? Why was she so angry?
After a moment, he finally recovered and cautiously asked, "Dr. Zhao, I don't quite understand what you mean."
"I'm sorry, I lost my composure." Zhao Ruobing took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing in a more measured tone. "Dr. Ye, my earlier tone may have been too harsh, and I apologize for that. But I've seen your surgical skills firsthand. Without a doubt, you are a surgical genius. Even I, who have been praised as a genius, feel far inferior to you. Don't you think it's a huge waste for you not to use your talent in surgery, where you could save more critical patients? Isn't it a waste to spend your time and energy here?"
Yes, she believed Ye Xiu was squandering his talent and time. She thought he was being irresponsible with his gift. She felt he should be in surgery, using his skills to save more lives. This was why she had been so angry upon hearing his reasons.
Zhao Ruobing understood how crucial talent was. After nearly ten years of practice, including internships, rotations, further studies, and finally working and teaching students and interns, she knew how rare true talent was in surgery. Many people spent their entire careers doing simple, routine surgeries due to a lack of talent. A truly gifted surgeon, especially one with top-tier talent like Ye Xiu, was incredibly rare. Among the thousands of surgeons in Beijing's hospitals, only a handful could handle highly challenging surgeries.
Given his unparalleled talent, Ye Xiu's future achievements in surgery could be limitless. He might even break the long-standing curse of China not producing a world-class top surgeon in nearly a century. His contributions could open a new chapter in China's medical history.
But he said he wanted to improve his internal medicine skills, so he came to the respiratory department? How could Zhao Ruobing not be angry?
"Dr. Zhao, I disagree with your view. I believe both internal medicine and surgery are about saving lives. There's no waste. But I appreciate your concern."
After hearing Zhao Ruobing's explanation, Ye Xiu finally understood her point, though he disagreed. He had his own goals and plans, but he knew Zhao Ruobing was well-intentioned, so he didn't take her attitude to heart.
"Come to our neurosurgery department. Whatever salary the respiratory department is giving you, I'll pay you double."
Zhao Ruobing's eyes were determined, but Ye Xiu was speechless. Did she think he chose respiratory medicine for the money? If he wanted to make money, he wouldn't have chosen this field at all. Even if he saw a hundred patients in a day, it wouldn't compare to the income from one surgery.
"Dr. Zhao, I appreciate your offer, but..."
Ye Xiu began to respond, but Zhao Ruobing interrupted him.
"Triple the salary! If you don't like neurosurgery, you can choose any other surgical department."
"It's not about the money," Ye Xiu said, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm really here because of my interest and my desire to improve. That's all. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work."
He turned to leave, not wanting to continue this pointless conversation. He had already wasted enough time.
"Wait!"
Zhao Ruobing called after him.
"Is there anything else, Dr. Zhao?" Ye Xiu stopped.
"Why did you leave so quickly after saving that person last time? Why didn't you reveal your true identity? Were you trying to give me the credit, or was it just so you could continue working in internal medicine?"
Zhao Ruobing's eyes were cold as she looked at Ye Xiu. Thinking about the trouble he had caused her by leaving, the effort she had spent searching for him, and the fact that he had been right under her nose all this time without revealing himself, she felt extremely frustrated.
The glory others saw in her recent achievements felt like a huge burden because it wasn't truly hers, and she couldn't reject or deny it. This was the main reason she rushed to the respiratory department to confront Ye Xiu as soon as she confirmed his identity.
"No, I had an urgent matter, so I left quickly without thinking too much," Ye Xiu said awkwardly.
Although he had left in a hurry, he had to admit that he could have gone back if he wanted to.
"As for the credit, Dr. Zhao, it wasn't about giving it to you. The credit was yours. Without you, that person wouldn't have even had the chance to enter the operating room. During the surgery, if it weren't for your efforts, no matter how skilled I was, I couldn't have saved them. So the credit rightfully belongs to you."
Ye Xiu's tone became serious and firm as he spoke about the credit.
Zhao Ruobing looked into his eyes, seeing no sign of deceit. Her expression became silent again. After a moment, a mocking look appeared in her eyes. "Do you think I care about such credit? Do you think your words can cover up the trouble you've caused me? Do you know how much trouble you've brought me?"
"Dr. Zhao..."
Ye Xiu understood the trouble Zhao Ruobing referred to and wanted to explain, but she interrupted him again.
"You owe me for this!"
Zhao Ruobing stared coldly at Ye Xiu.
"Alright, let's say I owe you. What do you want?" Ye Xiu felt a headache coming on. He knew he was at fault, and if Zhao Ruobing wanted to pursue it, he couldn't deny it.
"Join the neurosurgery department," Zhao Ruobing said slowly, "or any other surgical department."
"That's impossible!" Ye Xiu refused immediately. He had no plans to join a surgical department anytime soon. His current goal was to improve his internal medicine skills, starting with the respiratory department and moving on to other internal medicine fields.
Seeing Zhao Ruobing's determined expression, Ye Xiu smiled bitterly. "Dr. Zhao, I won't consider joining a surgical department in the short term. It's my choice. Please don't bring it up again. If you have any other requests, I'll do my best to fulfill them."
"I have no other requests! My only request is for you to join a surgical department," Zhao Ruobing said stubbornly.
"..."
Realizing the conversation was going nowhere, Ye Xiu decided to end it. "Alright, Dr. Zhao, I need to get back to work. Let me know if you think of any other requests."
"I won't give up! You are a surgical genius. I won't watch you waste your talent!" Zhao Ruobing called after him as he walked away.
Yes, she wouldn't give up!
Zhao Ruobing clenched her fists, reaffirming her resolve. From her conversation with Ye Xiu, she felt he wasn't an irresponsible person. She didn't believe someone who said never to miss an opportunity would be a careless doctor.
He was simply misguided!
Yes, in her view, Ye Xiu was completely misguided!
No matter what reasons he had, she firmly believed working in internal medicine was a wrong path for him.
Internal and surgical medicine both saved lives, but internal medicine's conditions could be handled by other internal medicine doctors. A surgical genius like Ye Xiu shouldn't waste his time and energy in internal medicine. He should be in surgery, performing at his best and achieving outstanding results, not sitting in an internal medicine office prescribing cold medicine.
For an ordinary person, she wouldn't bother, but for a surgical genius who once gave her the most stunning surgical experience, she felt compelled to intervene!
She wouldn't watch such a talent go to waste due to a misguided path!
Zhao Ruobing's eyes grew more determined, and her expression colder.