The scene wasn't as overly hostile as last time. In the spacious conference room of the Third Hospital, a circle of over ten middle-aged men sat around the table. Except for Liu Xinyun, the chief surgeon of the Third Hospital, all the others were over fifty.
The elderly Huang from the Cancer Association and the old dean were also present. Naturally, Guan Xing also spotted the unpleasant Director Liang and the assistant who had handed him the qualification certificate earlier that morning. The assistant's name escaped Guan Xing, as he had no interest in remembering it—just a glance was enough to lose his attention.
When Guan Xing pushed the door open and entered, he immediately felt the unusual silence in the air. He didn't have much to do with this medical meeting, and was considering leaving, but before he could, the old dean stood up. Seeing the awkward look on Guan Xing's face, the dean seemed to want to smile but couldn't quite manage it, making the situation feel even more comical.
"Dr. Guan Xing, we've been waiting for you. Please, sit here," the old dean greeted warmly.
"Dean, this doesn't seem quite right. Dr. Guan Xing is an outsider. He can just sit as an observer," said a voice, not from the overweight man, but from a small, thin middle-aged man wearing dark glasses. One could almost feel the evil and moral decay hiding behind his eyes.
Guan Xing was momentarily stunned, then grinned, not caring that he was surrounded by people with significant status in the Chinese medical field. "What this gentleman says is true. I'm just an outsider. What am I doing here? Sorry to interrupt, everyone."
With that, he turned to leave. The situation was strange—this entire meeting seemed to be about him, yet he was labeled as an outsider. He had no business being there.
As he made his move, the group of over ten men showed different reactions: some were anxious, some were worried, others stood up, and a few even smiled with a hint of Schadenfreude.
Suddenly, a cultured middle-aged man slowly stood up and waved his hand. "Dr. Guan, please, sit here. There are no ranks or status here, we are all doctors and will only discuss medicine. I am Minister Mu Changxin of the Ministry of Health. At this moment, you may consider me a senior."
The man didn't sit in the top seat, but his self-introduction made it clear that he was the highest-ranking official of the Ministry of Health, the top boss of hundreds of thousands of doctors in China.
However, his gentle tone and respectful manner immediately made Guan Xing calm down. With a faint smile, he said, "That's fair. I'm just a doctor, and I'm not fond of talking to bureaucrats. But this uncle is very kind. Fine, let's have a chat."
Guan Xing had no intention of even looking at the overweight man or his assistant. He walked straight to Minister Mu's side and sat down. To show respect, both seats next to the minister were empty, so when Guan Xing sat down, all eyes in the room were on him.
Elderly Huang also stood up and looked to Minister Mu. "Minister Mu, can we start now?"
Minister Mu Changxin smiled. "Old Huang, I've said this before. Today's meeting isn't official; it's just a conversation. It will end whenever we're done."
From the moment Guan Xing entered, Minister Mu felt a surge of energy from this young man. His calm and composed demeanor radiated a certain vigor, and he wasn't intimidated in the presence of these senior figures. If he wasn't a fool, he must be a genius.
But would a doctor capable of performing double-organ cancer surgeries be a fool? If Minister Mu thought so, that would be the real foolishness.
Respecting a young man who was arrogant yet had the credentials to back it up didn't seem unreasonable. However, the assistant standing by seemed anxious. This time, the minister had personally come to understand the issue of Guan Xing's alleged misconduct. He was hoping to weaken Guan Xing's confidence. If the minister got upset, the young doctor's career could be ruined.
At that moment, the assistant hurriedly spoke. "Dr. Guan, the minister has come personally to understand the situation regarding your surgical misconduct. Could you please elaborate on that? As a qualified doctor, you won't refuse, right?"
Guan Xing didn't even look at the assistant, only glancing at Minister Mu with deep meaning. He asked, "Minister Mu, is this what you want to know?"
If so, Guan Xing would get up and leave immediately. He wouldn't stay in a meeting with a leader who didn't understand the honor of being a doctor.
"Dr. Guan, I want to know, during the double-organ cancer surgery, did you have a guarantee of success?" Minister Mu asked calmly, in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear. What he wanted to know was clearly not about alleged misconduct.
Guan Xing quickly responded, "Honestly, no. If it were just gastric cancer, I could guarantee an 80% success rate. Or to put it simply, as long as nothing unexpected happened, the patient could recover. But during the surgery, an accident occurred. The dual-organ infection was a surprise, and in that moment, I wasn't thinking about success; I was only focused on my belief."
"Since there was no guarantee of success, why did you continue? The dean had already asked you to stop, but you didn't. You were playing with the patient's life," the overweight man chimed in. He had gathered all the details of the surgery.
According to the norms, a successful double-organ cancer surgery was an achievement that could cover up any flaws. But since Guan Xing had taken money and performed the surgery, any mistakes would be exaggerated, which was why there was talk of misconduct.
"Yes, under such circumstances, Dr. Guan should have prioritized the patient's life and abandoned the surgery. The preparations weren't sufficient to predict such a situation. Many of the necessary instruments weren't available. It was too dangerous, and not every time can we doctors rely on luck," Liu Xinyun also spoke up.
However, his words had a somewhat malicious undertone. Both the old dean and Elder Huang gave him sympathetic looks, signaling him to remain calm.
Guan Xing didn't argue or get angry. He simply looked at Minister Mu, who smiled faintly but didn't show any signs of emotion. The tension in the room was palpable.
Finally, Minister Mu spoke again, "Dr. Guan, without a guarantee of success, why didn't you stop the surgery and let the dean and Elder Huang come up with a safer plan before proceeding?"
Guan Xing swept his eyes across the room and said, "At the time, I did briefly think about stopping. But you all know that the patient's cancer spread so quickly. Just a few days earlier, the only issue was the stomach, but by the time of surgery, the infection had spread to the lungs. If I had stopped, given the speed of the cancer, the patient would have had no more than three days left. Every moment counted. Even if we researched and held meetings to come up with a plan, who here could guarantee the patient's recovery?"
This last question left everyone stunned. The patient's records had been reviewed, and truth be told, even if they had a full set of plans at the time of surgery, they wouldn't have been confident in the outcome.
For a moment, no one dared to speak up, all looking down at the documents in their hands. Only the assistant—this "birdman"—glared coldly, his eyes burning with hate. He casually mocked, "So, Dr. Guan, you consider yourself a reincarnation of Hua Tuo, the world's greatest doctor, and you treat the patient's life so lightly, hoping for a miracle. If this mindset spreads, how many patients will still trust doctors? It's truly pathetic."
At this, Guan Xing could no longer hold back. He coldly snorted and retorted, "Whether I'm the disgrace of the medical world, I don't know. But a person like you, who knows nothing about pathology, sitting here with me, I truly feel the disgrace of Chinese medicine."
"Dr. Guan, you're too arrogant and disrespectful! I'm also a deputy director-level official, and you, a mere doctor, dare to speak to me like this? You truly don't know what's what!" The "birdman" yelled. Meanwhile, the overweight man stood up, smiling to himself. This was the result he had hoped for.
The old man, who had a good relationship with the minister, looked on with glee. He couldn't wait to see how the young doctor would be destroyed.
The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense. Even Minister Mu Changxin didn't expect one of his subordinates to wield their official power like this, leaving him feeling embarrassed.
No one spoke for a moment. The overweight man stood up, looking very sincere as he said, "Dr. Guan's temperament is clearly unsuitable for being a doctor. He doesn't follow orders, has a bad temper, and shows little regard for medical ethics. Minister Mu, perhaps we should vote on this matter. I believe everyone's eyes are clear."
"I agree with this proposal," Liu Xinyun said, naturally agreeing. After all, half of the people in the room had been invited by the overweight man, and he had already discussed this with Liu beforehand. Of course, Liu had agreed.