Chen Yu was very surprised when Professor Kube invited him to work at the Eastern University Affiliated Hospital. Had it been before, when he was alone, he might have considered declining, but now, due to the presence of Jounouchi Hiromi, he inevitably had to consider more factors.
Japanese society places great emphasis on hierarchy and rank, with strict senior-junior relationships common within companies. The complexity of connections, nepotism, and cliques could be said to be a defining characteristic of Japanese society. Similarly, within the originally noble medical system dedicated to healing and saving lives, the existence of the medical council system also presents such problems.
Because Chen Yu was a citizen of the Celestial Empire, if he became dissatisfied with his situation here, he could easily pack up and return to his country. With his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo Medical Department, finding a place in either a private or public hospital back home would not be difficult.
But Jounouchi Hiromi could not be as carefree as he was.
As a doctor born in Japan, she was enmeshed in the medical council system. Though she was highly skilled, since she worked in an ordinary affiliated hospital, Jounouchi Hiromi had not performed any particularly difficult surgeries, nor had she done any research academically, so she was merely at the level of a senior surgeon. With the addition of her female identity and her lack of political savvy, she had spent many years in this ordinary hospital, and her chances of promotion were exceedingly slim.
After all, because of the medical council system, it went without saying for university hospitals—mid to high-level management personnel were all professors, associate professors of the school, and at the very least, lecturers or teaching assistants. Ordinary hospitals relied on affiliated university hospital professors or technical leads to operate, and even the influx of new staff depended on the graduates of medical universities to take up positions as trainee doctors. Therefore, doctors like Jounouchi Hiromi, who only had skills but no prestigious background, found it very difficult to rise through the ranks.
This was the main reason why Chen Yu had agreed to Professor Kube's invitation; he hoped to secure a better future and career development for his girlfriend. As for the so-called better medical conditions for Inomata Naoki and the better research environment for him, none of it was truly persuasive to Chen Yu.
Inomata Naoki's illness was cancer, and indeed, treatment at the Eastern University Affiliated Hospital might be better. But after using the potion developed by Chen Yu, Naoki was clearly not suitable for surgery anymore. The prerequisite for his cure was for Chen Yu to develop or improve a new potion to replenish the missing biological activity in his body, so that he could withstand surgical treatment for a complete recovery.
Otherwise, Inomata Naoki's options would be no different from those of an ordinary late-stage cancer patient: to undergo conservative treatment solely to extend his lifespan.
And as for research... The medical college's research facilities could indeed be used for some necromancy research, but most of the necromancy experiments were obviously not suitable to be conducted in public research facilities. So, this was a non-issue for Chen Yu. Moreover, for Chen Yu's research to make a breakthrough, he would undoubtedly have to wait until he had completed his promotion to a Certified Necromancer and obtained the new necromantic potion formula.
Regarding Chen Yu's Promotion Ceremony, thanks to the relationship with the live poultry dealer, two robust black goats had been delivered to his shop yesterday, and all other items required for the ceremony were also prepared. Chen Yu even found time last night to build the venue needed for the ceremony. Now, all that was left was for him to carry out the ceremony and advance to become a Certified Necromancer.
Chen Yu had chosen tonight for the ceremony, an unclouded night of the full moon.
But before starting the ceremony, he still pulled out his phone and made a call to Jounouchi Hiromi.
"Mr. Chen Yu? Why are you calling? I was just about to call you! I have some great news to tell you!" Hiromi's voice filled with joy rang from the other end of the phone, it seemed something had made her very happy.
Hearing the joyful tone in Hiromi's voice, Chen Yu almost felt as if he could see her heart-melting smile in front of him. He had undeniably fallen in love with his girlfriend, a woman willing to make sacrifices for him. Especially Hiromi's spirited yet charming demeanor was exactly Chen Yu's type, making his heart race.
Recalling Hiromi's every smile and frown, Chen Yu instantly wanted to share his good news with her as well, so he said over the phone, "What a coincidence! I've got some good news to share with you today as well!"
"Really? Then you go first!" Hiromi seemed to be playfully arguing with someone else, and another woman's voice inquired "Who is it? Who is it?" in the background, causing Chen Yu to chuckle.
"Is that a friend with you? Hiromi, are you very happy today?" Chen Yu's tone was full of affection for his girlfriend as he shared the news of Professor Kube's invitation, "Then I'll give you another reason to be happy. Remember the professor at University of Tokyo I told you about? Professor Kube invited me out for a meal today and during the meal he invited me to take up a position as a surgeon at the Eastern University Affiliated Hospital. I've already accepted the offer."
"Oh! Congratulations! That's a university hospital! Once you're there, with your professor taking care of you, you'll be promoted in no time, right?" Hiromi congratulated him cheerfully over the phone, but then her mood dipped, "But Mr. Chen Yu, if you're working at Eastern University Affiliated Hospital, doesn't that mean I won't see you every day? I'll miss you!"
"There's nothing I can do about that, right? I can't exactly tell Professor Kube, 'Professor, can I bring a family member to work with me?' can I?" Hearing the downcast tone in Hiromi's voice, Chen Yu felt a sudden urge to tease her, "So instead, I told the professor, 'Professor, I need to bring an assistant with me to help with my research,' and then Professor Kube just said, 'Not a problem at all.'
Hiromi clearly understood what Chen Yu meant, and her voice was filled with incredulous excitement over the phone, "Does that mean..."
"It means you're going to be my assistant and work with me at Eastern University Affiliated Hospital. You'll have to face me every day. I bet you'll get tired of seeing me." Chen Yu pulled the phone away from his ear as he tried to escape Hiromi's joyful shrieks, only resuming the call when she had quieted down to ask, "By the way, Hiromi, you said you had some good news for me just now, what is it?"
"Ah! I was so caught up listening to whatever you had to say, Mr. Chen Yu, that I almost forgot. I told you before about a friend of mine who's the top surgeon in all of Japan. I showed her Inomata-san's medical records, and she said she can perform the surgery. Although she also emphasized that Inomata-san's body vitality must be at 70% of a normal person to proceed with surgery, I think this should be considered good news, right?" Hiromi seemed uncertain, as the level of her news seemed quite insignificant compared to what Chen Yu had told her.
"No, Hiromi, this is fantastic news! Thank you! And please thank your friend for me too!" Chen Yu's eyes lit up; now, everything was in place except for one final piece.