Chapter 157: Chapter 146: A Chance Encounter with an Old Classmate
Wu Ting flipped to the list of young professors, and a female professor immediately caught his eye.
"Shen Siyuan, female, thirty-nine years old, graduate advisor... Mentored by the titan of immunology, Professor Ye... Direct PhD program at Qinghe City Jiuhua Hospital... Has published over 30 SCI papers as the corresponding author in journals such as *Nature*, *Cancer Cell*, *Science*, and *Nature Immunology*, with over four thousand citations..."
"...As the primary contributor, she has won one second-prize National Natural Science Award and three second-prize Xiao City Natural Science Awards..."
"...One National Class-II New Drug Certificate..."
"...Two national invention patents, four collaborative applications, with six patents already granted, all filed as the primary applicant..."
Wu Ting’s interest was piqued as he read the professor’s profile.
Professor Shen Siyuan was clearly a classic example of a professor in her prime—involved in numerous cutting-edge research projects and driven by intense ambition!
Wu Ting placed his finger on Professor Shen Siyuan’s name.
"Professor Shen, I want to choose her as my graduate advisor!"
Following Wu Ting’s finger, Shen Guofeng almost spat out his tea.
"What? Wu Ting, why on earth would you choose her!"
"If Dean Song hadn’t put her on this list, just to represent a certain category, I’d have taken her off myself."
"Siyuan has a very peculiar temperament. She’s a complete research maniac. She’s extremely strict and demanding with her graduate students. It’s notoriously difficult to graduate under her supervision."
"Besides, she hasn’t had a major breakthrough herself yet; she’s still in an exploratory phase. The projects she assigns her students are extremely novel, with virtually no existing literature to reference. The probability of getting results from such a project is incredibly low."
"Granted, if you do make a breakthrough, it would be a milestone with major significance for the medical industry, but the path is treacherous. I generally don’t advise young scholars to dive into such a bottomless pit of a research area."
"I’d still recommend you choose an advisor from the administrative leadership track. Director Shen Xiaofei would be a great choice. His research direction is well-defined, and he’s well-established in his field. You would only need to make some minor innovations on his existing work. Plus, the biggest advantage of choosing Director Shen is the opportunity to participate in a lot of frontline clinical work."
"Siyuan, I’ll be honest with you. She definitely has talent, potential, and drive when it comes to research, but her clinical skills are... well... a complete disaster."
"I think she’s the worst possible choice for you."
Afraid that Wu Ting would go down the wrong path, Shen Guofeng added frankly,
"Actually, you’ve probably noticed we both have the surname Shen. In fact, Shen Siyuan is my younger cousin. She went into medicine because of my influence."
Shen Guofeng spoke, but Wu Ting was unmoved.
Shen Guofeng sighed.
"If you insist on choosing her, I can recommend you. But she has a peculiar personality and very high standards. I can’t guarantee she’ll be willing to take you."
Of course, Shen Guofeng was also hoping Shen Siyuan would reject Wu Ting.
"Thank you for your advice, Professor Shen, but I still want to choose Professor Shen Siyuan and give it a try."
"Alright."
Shen Guofeng took out his phone and called Professor Shen Siyuan.
The voice on the phone was very cold.
"You have one minute. I have an experiment to run."
"Siyuan, graduate admissions are coming up. I wanted to recommend a student to you. Are you interested in meeting him?"
Shen Guofeng said this, secretly hoping Shen Siyuan would refuse.
"Student’s background."
Her terse reply suggested she wasn’t very interested.
"He did his undergrad at a second-tier university, but his clinical skills are exceptional. He also has a real talent for research—he’s already developed several new surgical techniques, been published in the *Jin Country Surgery Journal*, and will almost certainly be able to secure a National Youth Fund grant this year..."
Shen Guofeng quickly listed Wu Ting’s strengths and achievements.
The person on the other end thought for a moment.
"I have a trip to Qinghe City this week. Have him come find me next Tuesday morning at our cardiac surgery teaching lab."
"Alright, I have to get back to my experiment."
Professor Shen Siyuan’s voice could be heard giving instructions to other assistants over the phone as she hung up.
"See? I told you she’s a weirdo. She doesn’t understand the first thing about social graces."
Shen Guofeng sighed.
"Of course, Siyuan is incredibly gifted. In terms of research, she’s one of the best in Jin Country. If you can actually manage to get accepted by her and have the perseverance to complete your master’s thesis under her, it would be a great outcome. But whether you can pass her interview is all up to you."
Since things had come to this, Shen Guofeng no longer tried to dampen Wu Ting’s enthusiasm.
"If things don’t work out with Professor Shen Siyuan, I still recommend you choose Director Shen Xiaofei."
...
...
After leaving the office of the Dean of the Graduate Department, Wu Ting went downstairs and called Cheng Feng to come pick him up.
While Wu Ting was waiting, a familiar female voice called out to him.
"Hey, Wu Ting, what are you doing here?"
Wu Ting looked over and saw two young women walking toward him side by side.
"Tang Yunyun!"
Wu Ting recognized the speaker at once. It was his old undergraduate classmate who had gotten into the Jinggang University Medical School Graduate Department.
She was something of a legend at their university back then. By his calculations, this year should be when Tang Yunyun graduated with her master’s.
Having been accepted into the graduate program at Jinggang University Medical College, Tang Yunyun was a big deal in their class group chat. She certainly felt she had a psychological edge over Wu Ting.
"Wu Ting, I remember you went back to Fan City after graduation. I heard you were doing your residency at Fan City First Hospital, and it should be ending soon. What brings you to our Graduate Department today?"
Tang Yunyun casually questioned him.
"I’m here to look into the graduate program. I met with a senior figure today to discuss potential advisors. I’ve just settled on one and will be meeting with her when she returns from a trip."
Hearing that Wu Ting was planning to apply for grad school at Haijin Port, Tang Yunyun was a bit surprised, but she understood immediately.
’He must have hit a dead end after graduation, finding his job and career prospects unsatisfactory. That’s why he’s choosing to go back to school.’
’He’s aiming pretty high, though.’
"Wu Ting, our graduate school isn’t easy to get into. Which professor are you planning to apply for? I can help you weigh your options."
Although she offered, she didn’t take him seriously. Getting into the graduate program at Jinggang University Medical College was no easy feat.
"Professor Shen Siyuan."
Wu Ting said casually, not thinking much of it.
"Professor Shen Siyuan?!!!"
Tang Yunyun and her fellow graduate student, Yu Yamin, were both dumbfounded.
Seeing their stunned expressions, Wu Ting recalled Shen Guofeng’s assessment and smiled nonchalantly.
"So you guys also think it’s hard to get into Professor Shen’s lab?"
Tang Yunyun said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes,
"Wu Ting, I think you should drop the unrealistic fantasies. Professor Shen’s standards are very high. I’ll be direct... with your academic background and work experience... it’s impossible."
After saying this, Tang Yunyun felt she might have been a bit too harsh.
’But then again, it’s not like he could get in with any other advisor, so it doesn’t really matter.’ She then feigned encouragement, affording him a sliver of adult dignity.
"Still, anything’s possible. Good luck."
Ever since Tang Yunyun got into graduate school at Haijin Port, her career path had diverged completely from her former classmates’.
If not for running into him today, her memory of Wu Ting would have remained frozen in their undergraduate days, a relationship that had long since grown distant. They were unlikely to cross paths ever again.
Striking up a conversation with Wu Ting was merely a way to show off her sense of superiority in front of her best friend.
Wu Ting, for his part, didn’t pay much attention to these two naive students from the ivory tower.
’After all, the people under me these days start at the female Ph.D. level, and my surgical assistants are usually senior attending physicians.’
After speaking, Tang Yunyun prepared to leave with her friend.
Wu Ting suddenly remembered what Huo Yun had said in a previous department meeting: the emergency department and research center were planning to recruit some doctors from lower-tier hospitals.
’A Jinggang University graduate wouldn’t be a bad hire.’
After all, typically, PhDs had a chance to stay at a Grade A Tertiary hospital in the Provincial Capital, Master’s graduates went to city-level Grade A Tertiary hospitals, while undergraduates like him ended up in town hospitals.
For someone like Tang Yunyun, Fan City First Hospital would be a good employment option.
"Tang Yunyun, you’re graduating with your master’s this year. If you’re interested, you might want to consider our Fan City First Hospital. We’ll be at the upcoming Jinggang University recruitment fair. If you’re interested, you can send me your resume in advance, and I’ll put in a good word for you."
As the head of the Laparoscopic Diagnosis and Treatment Technology Research Center, Wu Ting did have some say in this round of recruitment.
The recruitment process for these positions at the emergency department (research center) involved a written exam, a first-round screening, and a second-round interview.
Although Wu Ting wouldn’t be directly involved in the screenings or interviews, he could still make recommendations to Director Huo, Director Qin, and the others.
As long as the candidate was solid, the professional world was all about connections. Of course, they’d prefer to choose an acquaintance they knew something about.
Hearing Wu Ting’s words, Tang Yunyun forced a smile.
"Oh, sure. Fan City First Hospital is a pretty good option. I’ll consider it. Thanks, old classmate."
Tang Yunyun didn’t bother to expose Wu Ting’s awkward situation—that he was just a non-employee resident, not even a contract worker.
It wasn’t until after they said goodbye to Wu Ting that Tang Yunyun started complaining to her friend.
"Guys these days... such a classic ’average-yet-overconfident man.’ If his recommendation was worth anything, why isn’t he staying at Fan City First Hospital himself? Why would he need to be here applying for grad school?"
Tang Yunyun was just a medical student. Of course, she wouldn’t be paying attention to the *Jin Country Surgery Journal* or Wu Ting’s minor achievements in the field of hepatobiliary surgery.
Their focus was still limited to their own labs, good food, good drinks, and good-looking things.
Meanwhile, Wu Ting was directly interacting with top-tier experts and professors. They were living in two completely different worlds.
"Speaking of which, for the new graduate student orientation ceremony, they’re inviting a few outstanding senior students to give speeches. This time, both Wang Nanjin and Yan Xi will be there."
At the mention of Wang Nanjin and Yan Xi, Tang Yunyun and Yu Yamin’s faces filled with admiration and awe.
"Look at us, we’ve already graduated, but we still have to do volunteer work, helping set up the venue for the orientation ceremony. Meanwhile, Wang Nanjin and Yan Xi get to be representative speakers. The gap between us is just enormous."
Tang Yunyun sighed with emotion. Ordinary graduates like them were about to face the job hunt.
People like Wang Nanjin and Yan Xi, on the other hand, were recruited by Jinggang University Affiliated First Hospital as elite talents right after graduation.
The gap was as big as the one between Tang Yunyun, who had gotten into grad school in Haijin Port, and Wu Ting, who was just a non-employee resident at Fan City First Hospital.
"If I could work under Yan Xi after graduation, I’d be happy even if it meant being her workhorse."
"And Yan Xi’s doctoral advisor is Professor Shen Guofeng, a top-tier figure in all of Jin Province."
"Sigh, but someone as exceptional as Yan Xi is out of my league. How could I ever be worthy?"
"Looks like when the Jinggang University campus recruitment fair comes around, I’ll just apply to all the city-level Grade A Tertiary hospitals. Fan City First Hospital really is a good option."
Of course, Tang Yunyun didn’t think Wu Ting could actually be of any help, nor did she want to waste her time sending him her resume.
...
...
Wu Ting returned to Fan City First Hospital in Cheng Feng’s car.
Director Shen Xiaofei also sent over the list of experts for the upcoming first week of the specialist exchange program.
The hepatobiliary surgery department’s team was led by their elite young physician, Dr. Wang Nanjin.
This time, the theme of their exchange was ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)!
Wu Ting was really looking forward to this. It was a chance to interact with an expert physician from Haijin Port and, more importantly, another opportunity to farm some entries. He hoped this Dr. Wang Nanjin wouldn’t disappoint him.
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