"Xiao Du, the stage has been set for you, and your seniors have been assembled. You must work hard, strive to achieve results as quickly as possible, and repay these leaders and seniors who support you."

Zhuo Mingde walked with his hands behind his back, constantly admonishing Du Heng. Their relationship appeared very close, and he showed no reluctance in letting everyone know about it.

Du Heng maintained his smile and closely followed Zhuo Mingde. He nodded repeatedly in response to Zhuo Mingde's instructions, promising wholeheartedly.

As they reached the door, Zhuo Mingde laughed again. "Although we need to be fast, we must still ensure quality and quantity, and also pay attention to the research rhythm."

Du Heng could easily understand the earlier remarks, but this last sentence left him a bit puzzled; he didn't quite grasp Zhuo Mingde's meaning.

However, feeling too embarrassed to ask, he simply smiled and nodded again.

Unexpectedly, Zhuo Mingde didn't keep him in suspense but stated directly, "News has come from the Capital. Your project application has been approved by the Department. The official notification will be issued in mid-August, along with those for other applicants."

The moment these words were spoken, not only was Du Heng astonished, but all the deans present at the ceremony widened their eyes.

Participating in a provincial-level project versus a department-level project were two entirely different matters.

Furthermore, Jinzhou hadn't secured a department-level project for several years. Even those that were approved were marginal projects, undervalued and only greenlit for the sake of balance.

The research value of these projects, or the value of their outcomes, was nothing to write home about.

And the most critical issue was that these projects weren't easy to research. Many projects would fade into obscurity during the research process, either being aborted midway or temporarily shelved.

But Du Heng's project was different; he had already produced results.

They believed that subsequent research would quickly bear more fruit, and once sufficient results were obtained, all participants would reap unparalleled benefits.

Most notably, in the upcoming Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor selections, they would no longer face the prospect of having only a single person chosen, as had been the case this year.

This was a significant embarrassment for them, as they prided themselves on being a major province for traditional Chinese medicine.

After speaking, Zhuo Mingde chuckled and walked away, his hands still behind his back.

When Zhuo Mingde finished, the seniors he had mentioned looked at Du Heng with even brighter and more fervent gazes.

The weather was uncooperative, but fortunately, Du Heng had decisively moved the venue indoors. And, just as Du Heng had anticipated, these people had no intention of staying for dinner. Perhaps some had intended to stay, but once Zhuo Mingde indicated he wasn't staying, they too abandoned the idea. So, after Du Heng, holding an umbrella, saw everyone off in the rain, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Dean, let's head back," said Secretary Huang, his face beaming as he looked at the guests. The smile hadn't left his face all day.

Although his work had been quite leisurely when he cooperated with the previous dean, it felt more like he was retired, with no sense of presence at all. Moreover, the hospital's situation had gone from bad to worse, dropping from Level 2A to Level 2B, ranking even lower than some district level hospitals. This made him lose face entirely among his peers. But today, this gathering alone was enough for him to brag about for a month.

Furthermore, he could already foresee the hospital's future development. He could imagine that at future peer gatherings, he would no longer be the transparent person relegated to a corner.

And many of the hospital leaders present shared similar thoughts.

None of them were particularly old; they were all in their prime, strong and able-bodied. Who among them wouldn't care about their reputation when out in public? Previously, with their limited abilities, they could only drift along, making do and enduring their lack of standing. But things were different now. From this day forward, when they went out, they could proudly introduce themselves: "I am So-and-so from the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital."

Now, hearing Secretary Huang's words, everyone looked at Du Heng with eager eyes, a sense of collective honor filling the air between them.

"Alright, let's go back," Du Heng said with a light laugh, then turned to Director Zheng beside him. "Director Zheng, are the dishes for the reception prepared by the Canteen?"

"They are prepared."

"Good. Then inform the Canteen. We'll have our own celebration banquet."

The so-called celebration banquet merely involved transferring the food originally intended for boxed meals onto plates. The drinks were also just the standard beverages available at the Canteen.

But everyone thoroughly enjoyed this meal.

After eating and drinking their fill, they all had a good night's sleep.

「In the afternoon, just as work began,」

Gao Qin pushed open the door to Du Heng's office. "Dean, I'm here again."

Seeing the smile on Gao Qin's face, Du Heng knew that yesterday's matter must have had a positive outcome. He asked, "Did the patient from yesterday agree to conservative treatment?"

Gao Qin nodded. "After reviewing the two disease records, the patient's family members used their mobile phones to search for information about Feng Su. Once they finished reading, they immediately agreed and proceeded directly with the hospitalization procedures."

As she spoke, Gao Qin handed some documents to Du Heng. "These are the check-ups the patient redid yesterday. Dean, please take a look and confirm her treatment plan."

However, as Gao Qin finished speaking, Du Heng's brow furrowed, and he didn't reach for the documents. "Director Gao, these are the check-ups the patient did yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Is this really necessary?" Du Heng's tone turned cold. "I recall the patient underwent a complete set of check-ups just a few days ago. Is it truly necessary to repeat them?"

Gao Qin immediately understood Du Heng's implication—that she might have ordered unnecessary check-ups, raising suspicions of overcharging. She quickly explained, "Dean, it's a hospital regulation that all admitted patients must undergo a new set of check-ups immediately upon admission."

"We conducted these check-ups ourselves, and it's only been a week. Are we saying we don't acknowledge our own results? What kind of rule is this?" Du Heng reached for the materials on his desk and began to flip through them. "Director Gao, please tell me, is there any difference between this set of check-ups and the previous one?"

Gao Qin was taken aback, unsure how to respond to Du Heng, and could only shake her head.

"Since there's no difference, why do the check-ups again?" Du Heng, somewhat angry, tossed the materials onto the desk. "Besides, traditional Chinese medicine treatment doesn't require these things. So, tell me, what's the purpose of conducting these check-ups?"

How did what was supposed to be a joyous matter suddenly turn into me being reprimanded? Gao Qin wondered.

"The hospital has this rule. There's nothing I can do," she said.

"The hospital has this rule?"

Du Heng's brows knitted together tightly.

I'm the Dean, but I don't know everything, especially not every single detailed regulation.

Arbitrary and excessive fees were things I couldn't tolerate even back at the Health Clinic.

A hospital needs to earn money, but it can't be this shameless.

If the Gynecology Department operates like this, then the Internal Medicine Department surely follows the same procedure. If both major inpatient departments are doing this, the amount of money being collected must be quite substantial, and the resulting complaints would undoubtedly be numerous.

It seems the past decline of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital wasn't without reason.

Du Heng took a deep breath. "Why is it arranged this way?"

"There are several main considerations behind this regulation," Gao Qin quickly explained. "First, if we use check-ups from other hospitals and an accident occurs, it can lead to significant disputes that are difficult to resolve.

"Moreover, frankly, the check-ups from some hospitals are somewhat unsatisfactory. We don't entirely trust them, so we prefer to rely on our own hospital's results as the standard.

"The second reason is that some diseases progress rapidly. If a certain amount of time has passed, the patient's condition might have changed, so upon hospitalization, we must obtain the latest, firsthand information."

Du Heng's expression softened; Gao Qin's points were indeed valid existing problems. However, for this particular patient, who had undergone check-ups at their own hospital just a week ago, Gao Qin's actions were somewhat questionable. But getting angry won't solve the problem.

Du Heng took another light breath and said slowly, "Director Gao, there's nothing inherently wrong with the regulation. However, this patient had her check-ups done at our hospital, and it was such a short time ago. I feel that doing this again is somewhat inappropriate.

"How about this: find some time to discuss this with Director Cao, come up with a more reasonable solution, and then we can discuss it at a meeting. What do you think?"

Gao Qin let out a small sigh of relief. "Alright, I'll discuss it with Director Cao later."

Du Heng gathered the materials again, then took them in hand as he walked out from behind his office desk. "Let's go see this patient together."

Using the imaging films for reference and after conducting his own examination, Du Heng confirmed that this patient's condition was largely similar to Feng Su's. Although it involved multiple tumors, the symptoms were much milder.

After some deliberation, Du Heng decided to use his previous anti-cancer prescription, but to reduce the dosage by half, and then by half again. He would also add Cinnamon Twig and Poria Pill, combining the two formulas to slowly shrink the tumors.

If the treatment were too aggressive and rapid, the patient's uterus would become riddled with holes. Furthermore, with so many tumors, a sudden, aggressive assault would inevitably compromise the uterine blood supply, making recovery problematic.

Therefore, this patient's treatment plan should not prioritize speed and aggression but rather be based on a slow and steady approach.

The anti-cancer prescription I formulated has the effect of breaking down masses and dissolving tumors. The Cinnamon Twig and Poria Pill, being a blood-regulating formula, also has the effects of activating blood, resolving stasis, and reducing masses. Moreover, the patient is a woman, and Cinnamon Twig and Poria Decoction is specifically indicated for gynecological diseases. Therefore, combining these two prescriptions is a comprehensive and foolproof strategy.

After finalizing the treatment strategy and writing the prescription, Du Heng summoned Doctor Ma. He instructed Doctor Ma to coordinate with Gao Qin and to remind him about this patient regularly; otherwise, given his current workload, it would be easy for him to forget or overlook her.