Sitting behind the desk was an elderly man with graying hair and a kindly face. Seeing Xiao Lin come in, he asked in confusion, "Who are you?"
"Dean, I'm Xiao Lin, the new arrival at the emergency room!" Xiao Lin introduced himself, believing the dean must have heard of his name.
Upon hearing that it was the new emergency room director, Xiao Lin, Dean Yu paused, examined Xiao Lin carefully, then broke into a delighted smile and said, "You've finally arrived. Is there anything you need my help with?" Dean Yu naturally knew of Xiao Lin's resume: a master's student in emergency rescue from Harvard Medical School. Having him at the university hospital was truly an honor for the hospital.
"Dean, I do need your help with something!" Xiao Lin said bluntly without any niceties.
"Oh, what's the matter?" asked Dean Yu with interest.
"It's about my position!" Xiao Lin said, but before he could finish, Dean Yu interjected, "Oh, a high-achieving graduate with a master's degree from Harvard Medical School being the director of the university hospital emergency room might indeed be overqualified!"
"No no no, Dean, please don't say that. I feel I am not qualified to be the director. Dr. Li Jingyi is more suited for the emergency room director role!" Xiao Lin quickly interrupted Dean Yu. With his line of thought, wouldn't he be seeking a promotion? Plus, judging by Dean Yu's demeanor and tone, it seemed he wanted Xiao Lin to assume an even higher position.
"Ah?" Now it was Dean Yu's turn to be caught off guard. He looked at Xiao Lin closely and said in a deep voice, "Dr. Xiao, did Dr. Li say something to you?"
"Dean, don't misunderstand, Dr. Li didn't say anything to me. It's upon learning that I would become the emergency room director that I felt my abilities were limited. I couldn't take on this role, whereas Dr. Li Jingyi, who has been in the emergency room for over ten years, is more familiar with everything. I think she would be much better as the director!" Xiao Lin said seriously.
"Do you really think so?" Dean Yu was genuinely incredulous. Preferring not to be a leader but rather a regular staff member. In fact, Dean Yu also felt for Li Jingyi, whose youth was wasted in the university hospital emergency room. After wishing for some time for the old director's retirement, Xiao Lin had appeared in the middle. However, the old dean was entirely convinced by Xiao Lin, not only because Xiao Lin was recommended by the school but also simply because he was a genuine Harvard Medical School graduate. Such a high-achieving individual, now willing to lower himself to this university hospital — it was already quite a concession, one could even offer him a vice-dean position.
"Yes, Dr. Li Jingyi is more suitable for the director position!" Xiao Lin said earnestly.
Hearing this made Dean Yu's previously lingering skepticism completely dissolve. Initially thinking that Xiao Lin, returning from overseas studies, would lack social intelligence, yet unexpectedly, this young man was quite perceptive.
"This might not be right; Dr. Xiao being accommodating to our hospital already means he's making enough concessions!" Dean Yu said.
Xiao Lin smiled and said, "Dean, please don't say that. There's no concession here; if there's a concession, it's Dr. Li Jingyi who is conceding. She has been in the emergency room for over ten years; even if there are no contributions, she's certainly endured hardships. This director position was originally hers!"
Dean Yu pondered for a moment and then said, "Then tomorrow, I'll speak with the vice-president in charge of health affairs to see if I can help you with this matter!"
"Dean, I really appreciate it!" Xiao Lin finally sighed in relief — being that kind of director, neither too big nor small, it's best not to assume the role.
As Xiao Lin came out of the dean's office, Li Jingyi was standing at the end of the third-floor corridor. He walked over to Li Jingyi and said, "Dr. Li, it's done!"
"Xiao Lin, thank you so much!" Li Jingyi at this moment did nothing to conceal her excitement; her affection for this young man skyrocketed. A returnee from abroad indeed. How sensible!
"Hehe, I'll depend on Sister Jingyi for cover in the future!" Xiao Lin said with a cheeky grin.
"Saying so, aren't you making me lose face!" Li Jingyi was in a great mood.
The hospital's gossip spread incredibly fast — almost at lightning speed. Xiao Lin and Li Jingyi had just returned to the emergency room, and Li Jingyi's nurse whispered mysteriously to her, "Sister Jingyi, congratulations on the promotion!"
Li Jingyi was taken aback. She and Xiao Lin had just come down from the third floor, so how did they know about this?
"Xiao Ning, stop talking nonsense. The new director is the newly arrived Dr. Xiao!" Li Jingyi said hurriedly.
"Hehe, Sister Jingyi, don't hide it from us; we heard your conversation with Dr. Xiao outside. Later you went to the third floor to see the dean. Upon return, we saw Sister Jingyi's smile. Isn't this obvious? Dr. Xiao recommended Sister Jingyi as the director, and the dean agreed. Naturally, congratulations are in order!"
"Xiao Ning, don't talk nonsense; it's not confirmed yet!" Li Jingyi said with a bit of embarrassment.
"Sister Jingyi, when are we celebrating with a treat?" Xiao Ning asked persistently.
Li Jingyi could only put on a stern face and said, "Xiao Ning, don't you have tasks to do? Aren't there several patients outside?"
Xiao Ning stuck out her tongue, smiled, and walked away, "Yes, Director Li!"
"This little rascal!" Li Jingyi said helplessly. She seemed to have no solution for Xiao Ning, and Li Jingyi wasn't someone deeply attached to hierarchical status. She always cared for these nurses when possible.
The news of Xiao Lin recommending Li Jingyi as the emergency room director quickly spread throughout the hospital. Within less than two hours of Xiao Lin's arrival at the hospital, the entire hospital knew a new director had resigned from the emergency department, leaving mixed opinions about Xiao Lin.
Yet most male doctors thought Xiao Lin a fool for not assuming the role of director instead of being an ordinary doctor. Although the university hospital might not offer significant perks compared to the large hospitals in the city, being the head of a department still had its benefits.
However, the nurses were even more enthusiastic. According to the emergency room's Nurse Xiao Ning, Dr. Xiao Lin was a handsome guy who saved a critically ill patient as soon as he arrived. This information spread like wildfire, and Xiao Lin's resignation, added to this narrative, made him even more appealing. In the nurses' eyes, he embodied the true essence of a doctor: unburdened by personal gain, merely concerned with treating patients. Xiao Lin's image among them immediately rose, with many nurses seizing the opportunity before their shifts ended to linger around the emergency room.
There were also a few older individuals well-versed in human affairs who nodded quietly. This new arrival, Xiao Lin, was not a simple character — resigning as director allowed him to win favor with colleagues around him, particularly with Dr. Li Jingyi, who had been in the emergency room for over a decade. Additionally, it left a strong impression on hospital leaders and even university leaders, a very positive impression — respecting seniority. Thirdly, Xiao Lin could quickly integrate into the emergency room work without needing an adaptation phase.
Xiao Lin himself didn't care about these matters. Whatever people said, he focused on doing his job well.
However, Xiao Lin discovered in the emergency room that the patients didn't seem like what he had initially understood. Why were there still more than a dozen people outside after midnight?
Finding a free moment, Xiao Lin asked Dr. Li Jing, "Dr. Li, why are there so many people coming to see the doctor today? Wasn't it supposed to be that the medical situation here isn't particularly good?"
Dr. Li Jing was also busy. Upon hearing Xiao Lin's words, she looked at the crowd outside and was somewhat speechless. Although patient numbers were usually high at this time, it was never as exaggerated as now. Moreover, most of the patients were girls, at least half dressed in freshmen military training uniforms.
Seeing this, Dr. Li Jing said gently with slight annoyance, "It's probably because of you!"
"Because of me?" Xiao Lin was even more puzzled. What did this have to do with him? I just arrived on the first day, haven't even worked for three hours, how is this related to me?