This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Du Heng laughed. ”With your current skill level, you should be able to handle stroke treatment, right? You can totally do it on your own; there’s no need to get involved in this matter.”

As Du Heng spoke, he shifted his butt to lie more comfortably. ”You don’t know,” he said, ”for some reason, this Project has suddenly become incredibly popular, so tempting that everyone wants a bite. It’s strange.”

Wu Buwei was completely unmoved by Du Heng’s sudden humblebragging, still looking half-dead. ”Enough, my senior brother,” he said. ”Are they really interested in this Project? They’re interested in *you*. The Disease is just sitting there, and anyone can apply for the Project. But why hasn’t anyone tackled it in all these years? Isn’t it because they couldn’t handle it? Now that they see you can, who wouldn’t want a piece of the pie?”

Wu Buwei, looking like a wise sage, slumped in his deckchair and held forth. ”The country is now vigorously developing the traditional Chinese medicine industry. But despite such a huge investment of funds, there isn’t even one high-quality paper, let alone any significant scientific research achievements. Never mind innovation; we can’t even fully grasp what our ancestors left us. Such a millennia-old industry, instead of focusing on its theoretical systems, is now delving deep into the properties of individual herbal medicines, just like Western medicine. Is this still traditional Chinese medicine?”

Wu Buwei rattled on, sparking Du Heng’s interest. He cocked his head and looked at Wu Buwei beside him. ”Not bad,” Du Heng said. ”You’ve changed so much in just over two months. Being in a Big Hospital really does help; your progress is amazing, makes one see you in a new light.”

Wu Buwei suddenly chuckled, shifting on his deckchair. ”Don’t give me credit,” he said. ”That’s all from My Dad and our Director. I’m just relaying it.”

Du Heng also sat up and laughed. ”Alright, enough chitchat. Back to what I was saying: you should be familiar with this Disease by now. Why don’t you tackle it yourself?”

Wu Buwei sighed. ”I’m just a junior resident doctor in the Hospital now, swamped with work every day. I don’t have the time to dedicate myself to researching this. Besides, everyone else in our department, including our Director, can only scratch the surface when we discuss it. Currently, I still don’t understand the ’why’ of it all. Most of the time, I’m just following the treatment plan you established before. For many Diseases, I can’t even explain the reasoning. That’s why the Project in the Municipal Second Hospital Traditional Chinese Medicine Department is progressing very poorly. Now, seeing your initiative gaining so much momentum and looking to secure a larger share, our Hospital certainly doesn’t want to miss out.”

As he said this, Wu Buwei suddenly leaned forward, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. ”I heard our Dean say that the provincial and municipal governments have allocated 300 million yuan in research funds for Traditional Chinese Medicine this year. Your Project is currently seen as the one most likely to yield results, so it will definitely receive strong support.”

Du Heng looked a little surprised, but not overly so. The country and the province were increasing their investment in Traditional Chinese Medicine annually, so such an allocation of funds this year was quite normal. Besides, although the sum sounded large, when compared to the money invested in Western medicine and Western drugs, it wasn’t even a fraction of theirs.

So Du Heng didn’t take this news too seriously. Because no matter how much money was available, it meant little if one couldn’t produce results. If results could be produced, plenty of people would be willing to invest in the Project. Moreover, he had never intended to make a fortune from this Project or earn extra money from it, so he wasn’t particularly concerned.

”Let’s drop this topic,” Du Heng said. ”Let’s talk about you.”

Wu Buwei turned lazy again, sipping his Three Sips Wine. ”What’s there to say about me?” he mumbled. ”I’m just here to relay a message and sneak some rest.”

”What about the task your Dean assigned you?”

”Whatever.” Wu Buwei lay down again, hands behind his head, swaying contentedly. ”They want to bask in the glory but feel it’s beneath them to ask directly, so they sent me to play the emotional card with you. But they don’t want to spend a single penny and still expect a big payoff. Where could such a good thing happen? So, I’ve said my piece, you’ve heard it, and that’s that.”

Du Heng tilted his head to look at Wu Buwei. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, ”Are you unhappy at the Municipal Second Hospital?”

”It’s alright, I guess. It’s just not as free as it was at the Health Clinic.”

”Why not come and help me again?” Du Heng suddenly said with a smile.

Wu Buwei’s body stiffened for a moment as he lay on the deckchair. ”Help? How can I help?”

”The teams are being integrated. We’re about to welcome Patients from all over the province. And so far, among all the collaborating teams, I haven’t found a single person who can truly assist me. So, will you come back and be my deputy for this Project?”

Wu Buwei hesitated for a moment. ”Is that... possible?”

”I’m the person in charge of the Project. If I say it’s possible, then it is,” Du Heng stated with immense confidence, offering Wu Buwei a firm promise.

This promise made Wu Buwei visibly agitated. But the agitation lasted only a short while before he slumped back into his lazy demeanor. ”Nevermind,” he sighed. ”I’m working at the Municipal Second Hospital now. Even if I wanted to come, the Hospital and the department probably wouldn’t release me.”