Lu Cheng said, "Director Tan, actually, it’s not really a collaboration, it’s just that your hospital has exceptionally promoted me."

"You’ve put in the effort and the money, and I’ve basically been a hands-off manager. I’ll always remember this kindness in my heart."

"In light of this, I’d like to first offer a toast to you and Elder Professor Zhou."

Tong Yuan’an also raised his glass, and after downing it, he smiled and said, "Xiao Lu, you seem a bit unfamiliar today."

If the Lu Cheng before was considered honest and straightforward, the current Lu Cheng now carries a bit of ’aura of decisiveness’.

Lu Cheng never mentioned to Tong Yuan’an that Chen Song was inferior to him; he merely told Chen Song that Tong Yuan’an’s tendon suturing technique wasn’t as good as his, so why shouldn’t it be Tong Yuan’an who doesn’t perform tendon suturing?

"Teacher Tong, I’m just a very realistic person. I’ll acknowledge weakness but not tolerate strength."

"Besides, I don’t consider myself strong. I just got lucky to receive the love and guidance of so many teachers and, by chance, gained some unique insights."

"Besides this, I’m still a novice who knows nothing."

"For example, the specific scientific research process and such — I’m still learning."

"But now, thanks to the guidance of all the teachers, I can roughly distinguish the classification of different topics and their importance, kind of like trying to climb higher in a showy manner."

Lu Cheng continued, "Whether or not the teachers believe it, I’m just a pretty down-to-earth person."

Tong Yuan’an seized the opportunity to joke, "Xiao Lu, didn’t you say before that you wanted to achieve mental clarity, so you were going to get an award?"

"Why aren’t you going now?"

Lu Cheng smiled and said, "Teacher Tong, that was back then. At that time, I only dared to think about defeating them directly."

"Now, I feel like I could surpass them by just calling a few people to compete, and they shouldn’t be worthy opponents of mine."

"Did you say that?"

"They surely can’t be stronger than you, right?" Lu Cheng’s voice was hearty, and his entire mindset seemed to be completely open, achieving a true sense of clarity.

Lu Cheng’s reasoning was spot-on.

Lu Cheng’s classmates, even those who excelled in hand surgery, found it difficult to be more outstanding than Tong Yuan’an.

The age difference is there. A thirty-two-year-old attending physician could hardly surpass Tong Yuan’an, who is going to be promoted to professor at Xiangya Hospital, in clinical skills.

Who exactly is crazy enough to look down on Tong Yuan’an?

If Tong Yuan’an wasn’t a genius, how could he hold the title of the top person below a professor in hand surgery in Xiang Province?

Tong Yuan’an scratched his head, "I keep feeling like you’re being sarcastically complimentary to me."

Hu Yi laughed and said, "Brother Tong, you don’t need to feel it, it’s exactly that."

"This just confirms what Director Tan said: scientific research is the best shortcut for overtaking on curves, and there’s no other path that can achieve curve surpassing better than research output."

Hu Yi, saying this, rolled up his sleeves and asked, "So, Teacher Lu, if we want to learn from you, what should we pay attention to?"

"For example, should we clean our behinds a little better?"

"I’m also very interested in trying for the first prize in the National Microsurgery Competition."

Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng was directly stunned.

In Tong Yuan’an’s introduction, Hu Yi can be described as an outstanding figure among the younger generation at Xiangya Hospital, with excellence in both clinical and professional aspects.

The label of research expert was set long ago; no one in the department has higher research accumulation than him, not even the associate professors.

But when Hu Yi first joined, his clinical skills were really quite ordinary, as he graduated with an academic Ph.D. and had little clinical experience.

Yet, after joining at twenty-eight, he began gaining clinical experience while also conducting research. In just four short years, he ’outdid’ the other associate professors!

He should be a relatively decent person, so why does he speak with such slick words?

"Brother Yi, you’re not from Rongcheng, are you?" Lu Cheng joked.

Tong Yuan’an said, "Eh, you actually guessed right, he really is from Sichuan Province."

Lu Cheng cupped his hands, "Farewell!~"

The playful banter is shared among the younger generation, while Tan Zhongyuan and Zhou Yuhui, the elder professors, maintained an air of profound mystery, minimizing their presence.