Chapter 489: Chapter 488: Going with the Momentum
After brewing overnight, public opinion online regarding Yan Feifanâs high salary had shifted significantly.
Many netizens now believed that since Mr. Yan served ordinary people at regular prices while earning large sums from the wealthy and foreigners, he was a good, capable man with a conscience.
In addition to this reversal in public opinion, what surprised Yan Feifan even more was that the *PLA Daily* had actually published an article on its second page titled, "A Discussion Sparked by a Doctorâs Hefty Pay Stub."
In the article, the author mentioned Yan Feifanâs leaked June pay stub and pointed out the wave of online criticism it had generated.
The author also made a point of noting that in recent years, many discerning individuals had been calling for higher salaries and better benefits for professional and technical personnel.
Yet, after this pay stub was exposed and confirmed, the internet was filled with voices of condemnation.
Was Mr. Yan unworthy of such a high income?
The author then listed Yan Feifanâs brilliant credentials.
He was admitted to Binhai University Medical College at fourteen, becoming the only person in the collegeâs history to earn his doctorate in clinical medicine two years ahead of schedule.
This year, at the age of twenty-five, Yan Feifan had also become a consulting medical expert for the PLA General Hospital and Baining Hospital.
Mr. Yan had made his name with his unparalleled Puncture Injection Skill for intrathecal and brain tumors.
He was arguably the best in the world.
According to incomplete statistics, Mr. Yan had already enabled the successful removal of tumors for thirty-five patients with severe intrathecal or brain tumors, sparing them from death, a vegetative state, total paralysis, or hemiplegia.
Mr. Yan was also a nationally renowned plastic surgery expert.
A trauma surgery expert!
A diagnostic medicine expert!
Furthermore, according to incomplete statistics, the total research funding for the medical R&D projects he had led or participated in amounted to twenty-three million.
Reading this, Yan Feifan himself felt quite embarrassed.
âHow can this article in a military paper be so unprofessional? Calling me this kind of expert and that kind of expert... theyâre praising me to the skies.â
Yan Feifan didnât read the rest of the article.
As far as he was concerned, the rest of the article would be nothing more than arguments that he deserved his high salary, and that society needed to keep pace with the times and view the high salaries of technical professionals from a developmental perspective.
Although Yan Feifan found the articleâs wording a bit bombastic, he knew it demonstrated the militaryâs stance. They were backing him up.
The gesture was not lost on him, and Yan Feifan felt quite gratified.
Today was Wednesday.
That morning, Dr. Kevin Vega and his patient, a Wall Street elite with a brain tumor, arrived at the Affiliated Hospital, as did Mr. Qin Feng with his patient from the military.
When Yan Feifan met with the Wall Street executive, he was so angry he nearly threw the man out of the hospital.
Yan Feifan didnât know if the forty-six-year-old Caucasian man had lost his mind or if the brain tumor was affecting his personality, but he began to arrogantly interrogate him about his medical qualifications and abilities.
If Dr. Kevin hadnât seen things going south and sternly intervened, the patient probably would have been sent packing.
The patient Mr. Qin Feng brought was also a forty-six-year-old man, his profession vaguely described as "engineer."
To Yan Feifan, things like profession and identity were unimportant. He was focused on the patientâs brain tumor and physical condition.
After reviewing the patientâs latest brain MRI scans and conducting a physical examination, Yan Feifan and Qin Feng left the hospital room together.
"Mr. Yan, the last patient was transferred to a military medical facility last night for postoperative recovery and recuperation."
Qin Feng said apologetically, "We didnât get your permission beforehand. Please forgive the oversight."
Yan Feifan waved a hand dismissively. "In essence, Iâm the assistant and youâre the lead surgeon. You call the shots."
He added, "For the surgeries I perform at the Affiliated Hospital, Iâve always only been responsible for the operation itself."
"The postoperative follow-up is always handled by others."
Qin Feng agreed. "Thatâs the most efficient arrangement!"
"Your time is precious, Mr. Yan. You really shouldnât waste it on a patientâs postoperative recovery."
"By the way, thereâs something I need to tell you..."
Qin Feng chuckled. "Our PLA General Hospital is partnering with an automation research institute to invest in Baining Medical Technologyâs surgical robotics project. Weâll be conducting joint R&D."
"With Baining Medical Technology taking the lead, of course."
Yan Feifan let out a soft "oh" and said casually, "A collaboration between powerhouses. Thatâs good news."
He glanced at the time and added, "Itâs almost lunchtime, and I already have plans."
"Mr. Qin, Iâll see you later..."
Yan Feifan left the Little Red House and went straight to the directorâs office at the plastic surgery center, where he saw Mr. Wang setting out lunch.
Wang Chuan glanced up at Yan Feifan and called out, "Perfect timing. The eight-treasure duck you like is still hot."
Yan Feifan washed his hands first, then walked over to the sitting area and sat down near Wang Chuan, on the other side of the coffee table.
Without any ceremony, they both started eating, waiting until they were about half-full before speaking.
Yan Feifan picked up his bowl of dried shrimp soup, took a large gulp, and asked, "Director, youâve heard about what happened at the party secretaryâs meeting yesterday, havenât you?"
Wang Chuan grunted in affirmation. "I found out last night. There are very few secrets in this hospital."
"This morning, as soon as I got to the center, several doctors asked me to confirm it. Itâs got everyone on edge."
"I had to drag Mr. Liu over to calm everyone down personally."
He glanced at Yan Feifan. "What are your thoughts?"
Yan Feifan shook his head. "I havenât really thought about it. Nothingâs actually happened, right?"
"Even if they do make a decision, thereâd have to be a transition period, wouldnât there? It wonât be too late to think about it then."
Wang Chuan scoffed. "Of course *you* donât have to worry about anything. With your skills, you can go anywhere in the world."
Yan Feifan chuckled. "Director, with your skills, you could go anywhere too."
Wang Chuan snorted. "If it werenât for my attachment to this hospital, and the fact that Yanyan hasnât recovered yet, I wouldnât want to go through the hassle. Otherwise, I wouldâve left long ago to open my own cosmetic surgery clinic."
He sighed again. "If things really change, we and the other chief physicians can all leave without a problem."
"But the rank-and-file medical staff at the center canât just up and leave."
"Feifan, donât you want to do something for them?"
Wang Chuan reminded him, "Strictly speaking, Mrs. Meng only started paying attention to the plastic surgery center because of you."
"On the day she took office, you were the reason she was thoroughly embarrassed."
"She has it in for you now."
"Based on what happened yesterday, Iâd say sheâs not a particularly magnanimous person."
"Feifan, itâs not a good thing to be on the radar of someone that powerful."
"Arenât you going to do something about it?"
Yan Feifan was stunned. "Director, Iâm just a doctor. What can I do?"
Wang Chuan gave him a sly smile. "Feifan, you should never underestimate yourself."
"To the higher-ups, thereâs only one Yan Feifan in the entire country. Youâre irreplaceable."
"But party secretaries like Mrs. Meng? Theyâre a dime a dozen."
A look of dawning comprehension and utter shock appeared on Yan Feifanâs face.
"Director, get the hospital a new party secretary? Have you been drinking? I donât have that kind of clout."
Wang Chuan said softly, "Iâm not telling you to lead a charge to oust Mrs. Meng. I just want you to be aware of the situation."
"If the right opportunity presents itself, you can just go with the flow... and give her a little push on her way out."