Around 7:00 p.m., a group of ten from the Affiliated Hospital, including Lo Jun, Wang Chuan, and Yan Feifan, gathered in a private room on the second floor of a homestyle restaurant.

From the Neurosurgery Department were Director Lo Jun, attending physician Wa Wei, attending physician Guan Li, and resident physician Wang Bin.

In addition, to effectively manage the potentially unbearable nerve pain for patients participating in the trial, the project team had also specifically invited Mr. Shi Zonglu, a director-level anesthesiologist from the Neurosurgery Department who was in his early sixties.

Mr. Shi had also brought a young assistant to the dinner.

From the Plastic Surgery Center, besides Wang Chuan, Yan Feifan, and Lin Qian, Yu Suye had also shamelessly tagged along, claiming to be Yan Feifan’s assistant.

In reality, she was just there for a free meal.

The group discussed matters as they ate, settling on two primary tasks.

First, they needed to understand the progress of related research around the world.

This involved using journal searches and other methods to thoroughly understand the research findings of medical institutions worldwide on similar projects.

Second, they had to recruit volunteers through various channels.

After a brief discussion, Lo Jun, Wang Chuan, and Yan Feifan decided to recruit twenty patients with facial nerve damage and another twenty with arm nerve damage.

The three also agreed that the project team’s daily work would be coordinated and organized by Wa Wei.

Next, they needed to discuss a practical issue.

Hospital beds.

The project not only involved performing surgery on the volunteers but also required long-term monitoring of their nerve regeneration.

And hospital beds were always in short supply.

Furthermore, it wasn’t realistic to have so many volunteers stay in the hospital for several months straight.

Lo Jun and Wang Chuan discussed it and decided to perform the surgeries in batches, with patients returning for regular check-ups.

For example, each batch would consist of surgery for eight volunteers.

After being discharged, they would come to the hospital for a check-up every two weeks.

In the meantime, they would report their recovery progress via video calls and other means.

As for medications like nerve recovery stimulants and nutrient solutions, the volunteers would go to their local community clinics to have them administered by a community doctor.

With the main work for the near future decided, the dinner shifted to eating, drinking, and shooting the breeze.

The topic they discussed most was, without a doubt, the selection of the new Party Secretary and President for the Affiliated Hospital.

As Cheng Lezhi’s misdeeds were gradually brought to light, everyone at the hospital realized that it was impossible for Mr. Cheng to remain.

This was because Cheng Lezhi had been using his father’s title as the President of the Affiliated Hospital to swindle people and cause trouble.

Setting all other issues aside, Mr. Cheng had failed in the most basic duty of managing his own family.

"From what I know, the higher-ups are considering quite a few candidates this time..."

Lo Jun looked at Yan Feifan and asked, "Xiaoyan, you’re quite close with Mr. Liu. Have you heard any definite news?"

Yan Feifan swallowed a quail egg and shook his head. "When it comes to this, Mr. Liu is right in the middle of it, so even he doesn’t have a clear picture."

"All I know right now is that Mr. Liu has decided to actively pursue the president’s position."

Lo Jun nodded lightly. "Although the Party Secretary is the number one person in charge, they are mainly responsible for party-building, personnel, and development planning."

"The hospital’s operations and daily management are the responsibility of the president."

"Mr. Liu started as a doctor and has been in charge of medical affairs for the past few years. He has a significant advantage in the race for the presidency."

Shi Zonglu also offered his opinion. "The thing to worry about in these situations is an outsider with a powerful background being parachuted in."

Wang Chuan analyzed, "The chances of both the Party Secretary and the President being outsiders parachuted in are slim."

"It’s just that besides Mr. Liu, the other three vice presidents are also busy making their moves."

"I’ve also heard that two vice deans from the medical school are also vying for the president’s position."

Lo Jun said softly, "To be honest, our hospital’s pace of development has slowed down a bit in recent years."

"Some of our more famous doctors are always busy doing freelance surgeries elsewhere, and we haven’t produced any decent research results for several years."

"I hope this leadership change will improve the hospital’s atmosphere."

Shi Zonglu chuckled. "Director, in the current situation, it doesn’t matter who takes over. Things won’t change that much."

"It takes at least ten years for a person to go from starting medical school to becoming an attending physician."

"And the income of an attending physician..."

He looked at Wa Wei and asked, "Dr. Wa, you’re an attending physician. What’s your income?"

Wa Wei said softly, "Including salary, surgery stipends, and bonuses, it’s about twenty-five thousand a month."

He added, "The actual take-home pay is only about twenty thousand."

Shi Zonglu sighed softly. "Director, twenty thousand is not considered a high salary here in Binhai. Programmers make more than that."

"These days, for a young person to buy a decent house, it costs seven or eight million."

"Renting a small apartment in a halfway decent area costs at least three or four thousand a month."

"It takes them at least another eight to ten years to grind their way up to director-level physician, by which time they’re already in their forties."

"They’ve got parents to support and kids to raise, a mortgage to pay, and they still have to plan for retirement. How can they not be desperate to make money?"

Shi Zonglu chuckled again. "These ridiculously high housing prices force most people to spend their entire lives working just for one house."

"With this much pressure, who can possibly settle down and focus on doing research?"

Faced with this social reality, Lo Jun could only sigh.

He looked at Wang Chuan and couldn’t help but say, "If the income of all the doctors in the hospital could reach the level of your Plastic Surgery Center, many of them would be able to devote more time to medical research."

Wang Chuan couldn’t help but laugh. "We can’t possibly have all the doctors in the hospital become plastic surgeons, can we?"

"Besides, we’re a public hospital. If it got out that our incomes were too high, the public would definitely not be happy about it."

Lo Jun sighed again. "That’s why many of our outstanding colleagues have either gone abroad or left for private hospitals."

He then turned his gaze to Yan Feifan and said emotionally, "Xiaoyan, to be honest, when I saw you wasting so much of your precious time in the Plastic Surgery Center, I had my reservations."

Hearing this, Wang Chuan’s face darkened. ’This old man is as prejudiced as ever,’ he thought.

He didn’t want to argue with the old man, so he held his tongue.

Lo Jun continued, "But after our conversation today, I’m starting to understand. Your choice might actually be the best one for you."

"In your situation, earning some money first is necessary."

Yan Feifan quickly tried to defend himself, saying, "Director, I’m studying under Mr. Wang, and it’s not for the money..."

He felt a bit hypocritical saying that, so he corrected himself, "...not entirely for the money."

"Some of the suturing techniques and delicate skills used in plastic surgery are also applicable to certain neurosurgical procedures."

Lo Jun just smiled dismissively.

Shi Zonglu noticed Wang Chuan’s dark expression and saw he was about to speak, so he quickly cut in to criticize, "Director, you envy the Plastic Surgery Center’s high income but look down on their skills. That’s not a good mindset to have."

Seeing that Lo Jun was about to retort, Shi Zonglu waved a hand and said, "Director, don’t be stubborn."

"You might be skilled, but you couldn’t make someone’s nose look even a little bit better."

"These days, a popular celebrity can earn hundreds of thousands, even millions, just by singing one song. Why don’t you get jealous of them?"

Lo Jun pointed a finger at Shi Zonglu and huffed, "Mr. Shi, you’re the only one who dares to contradict me to my face like this."

"I won’t stoop to your level."

Shi Zonglu chuckled. "That’s because I’m right."

He picked up a piece of fried tofu with his chopsticks and changed the subject. "The homestyle cooking here is really quite good."

"This restaurant isn’t far from the hospital. How come I’ve never heard of it before?"

Wang Chuan said with a hint of pride, "Actually, this place has only been open for about a year and has been keeping a low profile, so it’s normal that you haven’t heard of it."

"Later, I’ll introduce you to the owner."

"There also happens to be something I wanted to see if you all were interested in getting involved with..."