Chapter 30

The next day, Yang Ping went to work and was doing surgery in the operating room. Thinking about the dinner he had with Su Yixuan last night, he felt an indescribable sense of happiness. The first thing he did in the operating room was to check on Su Yixuan.

For some reason, looking at her eyes brought him comfort. He felt at ease, but if he didn’t see her, he was a little anxious and full of anticipation.

Everyone was teasing him and Su Yixuan, asking them where they had dinner last night and where they went after.

Su Yixuan lowered her head and didn’t say a word, her face flush with embarrassment.

Yang Ping was also stammering, unsure of how to respond.

Everybody was sidestepping the issue of reservation, and Yang Ping didn’t want to ask either.

After a busy day of surgery, he received a call from a courier company, insisting that he must sign for the package himself.

Yang Ping was puzzled. He hadn’t ordered anything lately. The delivered item — iceberry ice cream — was even more baffling. It was delivered in a mini fridge and Yang Ping was hesitant to accept it.

The phone rang, a strange man’s voice on the other end said, “Dr. Yang, don’t be shy. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. This is your girlfriend’s favorite ice cream. It’s not available in G City at the moment, so it was delivered from Shanghai. The cost of the ice cream and the delivery have been taken care of, so you have nothing to worry about. Please accept it, it will come in handy.”

Yang Ping was curious and asked, “Who are you?”

After all, there are a lot of scammers these days, and telecom fraud has gotten extreme. A single phone call could cost you hundreds of thousands.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a scammer. Scammers don’t reserve seats or deliver ice cream for you. I admire your superb medical skills and hope to meet you in person, that’s all–”

He wanted to say that Su Yixuan was not his girlfriend, but he found the way the man spoke to make him feel comfortable, so he let it slide.

“Thank you, but–”

“If you want to know why, let’s arrange a time and place to meet. If you don’t mind, I’ll see you at three in the afternoon tomorrow, at the revolving restaurant on the top floor of the Queen’s Hotel” The man hung up.

Yang Ping had a day off tomorrow. This man seemed to know him well.

There are all kinds of people in the world.

He tried to recall if he had offended anyone or gone out of his way to help anyone. Could this be one of his patients showing gratitude in this unusual way?

The Queen’s Hotel is a high-end five-star hotel in G City. The revolving restaurant on the top floor is a well-known high-end restaurant. He should be safe there. He didn’t have any concern about being kidnapped because there was no reason to kidnap him.

It seems that he had to meet this mysterious man.

Since the ice cream was delivered to his door, he decided to accept it. Who knows, Su Yixuan might really like it.

The next day he was off from work, originally he intended to perform surgery, but Old Han stopped him, urging Yang Ping to rest, saying the battery needs to be recharged and people who know how to rest know how to work.

He slept in the morning, hurriedly ate a little at noon, and took a cab to the Queen’s Hotel. He arrived at the revolving restaurant on the top floor at three in the afternoon promptly.

There was already someone waiting for him. A man in his thirties, dressed impeccably and delicate with a hint of faint fragrance on him, who had a black briefcase by his side.

“Hello, Dr. Yang! I’ve heard so much about you! Please have a seat!” The man stood up, and his handshake was perfect.

“Hello!” Yang Ping sat down. He couldn’t think of who this man might be.

“I am truly grateful for everything you’ve done.” Yang Ping is a cultured and well-mannered man. Regardless of the motive, he should express his gratitude.

“Don’t mention it, it was nothing. I hope to be able to do more for you.” The man called for the waiter to bring coffee.

Yang Ping added a lot of sugar to his coffee because he found it bitter, but he had to drink some to show his taste in such a place.

The seat was good. From the glass window next to him, he could overlook the entire G City.

“Although we’ve only just met, you’ve gone to so much trouble by reserving seats and delivering ice cream, I really can’t express my appreciation enough. I apologize for any inconvenience I’ve caused,” said Yang Ping while sipping coffee.

“I wouldn’t say we’ve only just met. You may not know me, but I know you very well. Dr. Yang, your expertise in orthopedic surgery, especially in digit replantation, is unparalleled.” The man spoke with precision and appropriateness which was appreciated.

“I’m curious, how did you know that I was going to Uncle Er’s Grilled Fish Restaurant that day, and how could you reserve a seat in advance?” asked Yang Ping.

The man answered leisurely, “Simple. I saw you waiting outside Uncle Er’s Grilled Fish Restaurant for more than ten minutes, so I bought the queue number for that spot, including the best fish.”

“Would they definitely sell it to you?” asked Yang Ping.

“Whether they sell it or not doesn’t matter to me; the important thing is I need to buy it. Apart from health and life, there’s hardly anything that can’t be negotiated in terms of price. In a sense, health and life can also be bargained,” said the man calmly, without any boastfulness.

“Thank you! And how did you know about the iceberry ice cream?” Yang Ping brought up the matter of the ice cream.

The man said, “Everyone has their own way of surviving. Knowing others’ preferences is my way of survival.”

“Yes, appeal to their interests! You must have put in a lot of effort; I admire you and thank you. If I had known you a few years earlier, I would already have a child,” joked Yang Ping.

“Don’t mention it. I invited you for dinner, and I should have done something for you in advance,” said the man.

Yang Ping said, “I am rather embarrassed, you’ve been put to a lot of trouble.”

“This isn’t extravagance. No matter how you look at it, it’s the least I could do. Everyone in the city would love to be able to show gratitude towards the hero who performed surgery on them, like I am treating you to a meal today.” The man spoke with diplomacy.

“What can I get you? The salmon here is superb. It’s imported from Norway.” The man picked up the menu.

“Feel free to order whatever you like. This meal is on me, as a token of my gratitude.” Yang Ping made a welcoming gesture.

The man nodded, “I accept. In this situation, neither of us owes anything to the other. We simply become friends.”

To be honest, Yang Ping was quite fond of the way this man carried himself by helping others without making them feel guilty.

After the man had placed his order and closed the menu, he asked, “Aren’t you curious as to why I’m doing all this?”

Yang Ping chuckled, “Aren’t you going through all this trouble just to have me sit here and listen to you explain why?”

The man laughed softly, “Dr. Yang, you truly stand apart.”

“Really not curious?” The man asked again.

“I’ve already asked about what I was curious about. The rest doesn’t interest me much. Still, making a friend isn’t a bad idea.” Yang Ping continued to drink his coffee.

“Allow me to introduce myself then,” The man respectfully handed over his business card.

The card was finely made. It read: ‘Bole Talent Network, Top Headhunter! Huang Jiacai.’

“Perfection in my profession is my aspiration, just like Doctor Yang has achieved excellence in surgical practice. In this regard, we are colleagues,” the man said.

“I mentioned earlier that those things were trifles and not worth mentioning. I want to do something significant for Doctor Yang and wonder if you would grant me the opportunity,” Huang Jiacai said.

“Of course, I’m willing. Right now, my top priority is to find a girlfriend. Aren’t you going to introduce me to someone?” Yang Ping said attentively.

Huang Jiacai answered, “A girlfriend? Doctor Yang, your girlfriend is already one in a million.”

He liked hearing that — he liked hearing people refer to Su Yixuan as his girlfriend.

The salmon, condiments, and silver tableware were served.

“Just spit it out. If you don’t, I’ll leave as soon as I’ve finished eating, then your hard work will have been in vain. Surely, since you know me so well, you know I’m erratic,” said Yang Ping, busy tucking into his meal.

Huang Jiacai was genuinely flustered by his nonchalance, “Let me get straight to the point, a hospital is willing to offer you a significant amount of money.”

“How much?” Yang Ping was direct.

The amount? Huang Jiacai gestured with his fingers.

“A billion?”

Huang Jiacai thought Yang Ping would go low with his guess, but instead he decided to shoot high; this put Huang in an awkward spot. Somewhat deflated, he replied, “One million! That’s annual salary.”

Yang Ping wiped his mouth with a napkin and thought: Indeed, for a doctor his age, such money is very enticing, and any sane person would give it some thought.

“It’s a personal invitation from the owner of Yunjian Hand Surgery Hospital. I don’t need to tell you about Yunjian’s standing in the industry; you probably know it better than I do. They’re the largest specialized hand surgery hospital in G city, and they consistently rank amongst the top in the nation in terms of the number of surgeries performed. As a surgeon specializing in hand surgery, the platform they offer is second to none. If you join them, they’re willing to give you an entire floor for you to preside over as chief. With all due respect, even if you were to become chief at a prestigious general hospital like Sanbo, it wouldn’t be for at least another decade,” Huang Jiacai reasoned logically, skillfully pinpointing key problems.

“It is certainly tempting.” Yang Ping nodded.

“We live in a time of specialization, with every industry moving toward specialization. The same goes for doctors; you no longer need to diversify your skills, you just need to perfect your limb reattachment surgeries, and you’ll be able to make a steady profit from this expertise alone. After all, whether it’s here or anywhere else, we’re all working to make money. With your age, Doctor Yang, you should be thinking about getting married, buying a house, a car. As far as I know, you’re still renting. It’s unfair for a doctor of your caliber to be living like this, your talent is being wasted. But if you go to Yunjian, things will be different. Soon enough, you’ll be able to buy your own house and car, and live the life you want,” Huang Jiacai rationalized.

“By comparison, it seems like I have no choice but to go,” Yang Ping said.

“If you agree, I can call the owner of Yunjian immediately. Once a contract is signed, one million will be transferred to your account right away. Boss He of Yunjian is well-known for his magnanimity, especially when it comes to cherishing talent. He’s a man of his word and fully supports a partnership system. A select few doctors in the hospital already own shares.”

“I might consider it,” Yang Ping said, not wanting to outright reject the proposal.

Life is like a tree — it needs a strong, central trunk to grow tall and large. Yang Ping understood clearly that his true path would not confine him to merely being a hand surgeon.

“You are quite familiar with the medical circles?” Yang Ping deflected the conversation.

“Of course, you could consider me well connected. Not just in G city, but I also know all the heavyweights on the national level. I used to be a medical sales representative before I became a medical headhunter,” Huang Jiacai replied.

“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Yang Ping expressed his gratitude once more before calling for the waiter to settle the bill.

“No need to thank me. When I was a medical representative, I did a lot more. From delivering rice and oil, carrying gas tanks, driving children around, helping with homework, washing cars, fixing cars to changing tires, it was all in a day’s work. To thrive in this line of work, you need to be adaptable, which isn’t easy.”

“Listening to your words of wisdom, I realize I’ve learned more from this conversation than I could have by studying on my own for twenty years. I’ll think about the offer, but I’m glad to have made a friend,” Yang Ping said, shaking hands with him.

“Here is the contact number for the Iceberry ice cream store in Shanghai. It might come in handy.”

In the end, Huang JiaCai gave Yang Ping another card.

He just might find use for it in the future.