The surgery started at 9:10 in the morning and continued until 7:00 in the evening, lasting ten hours.

As Lin Jie stepped out of the operating room, he saw Cheng Xingguang, Ren Maoshi, Chen Shi, and other hospital leaders and experts, along with An Weize, An Kexin, Fang Huanru, Huo Guangheng, and students gathered at the door, creating an atmosphere akin to a ceremonial welcome.

"Dr. Lin, well done! Congratulations on the successful surgery!"

Cheng Xingguang's face bloomed with a smile as he stepped forward, shook Lin Jie's hand vigorously, and said, "After this surgery, no one will dare to question your ability anymore!"

"Dr. Xia Kaige has already admitted defeat, recognizing that he is not as skilled."

Cheng Xingguang's smile was sincere and without any pretense.

Currently, Xia Kaige is faintly regarded as the top heart surgeon in the country.

His open admission of defeat carries a significant implication.

This honor belongs to Lin Jie and also to the Affiliated Hospital, destined to increase the hospital's national reputation and bring numerous tangible and intangible benefits.

Moreover, Cheng Xingguang had pushed through opposition to appoint Lin Jie as a specially invited expert in the hospital, which bore considerable resistance and pressure.

Today, Lin Jie's flawless surgery, along with Xia Kaige's public admission of defeat, undoubtedly proved his foresight and wise decision-making.

Chen Shi further added, "Dr. Xia admitted defeat and left around 11 a.m. Not only that, he also gave up tomorrow's surgery where he was supposed to prove his skills."

He chuckled and teased, "Perhaps he felt the gap was too big and feared being laughed at."

This remark took Lin Jie slightly aback!

He wasn't surprised that he could surpass Xia Kaige; what surprised him was Xia Kaige's preemptive surrender, conceding without a fight!

Given Xia Kaige's current fame, his skills are certainly present. The gap with Lin Jie is there but perhaps only by a tiny margin.

This subtle difference is difficult for general doctors to detect, perhaps only experts like Chen Shi and Ren Maoshi could discern it!

Under such circumstances, with the typical Chinese disposition, the final competition result would likely be inconclusive, perhaps even portraying parallel excellence, with Xia Kaige as Zhuge Liang and Lin Jie as Zhou Yu.

After all, for Lin Jie at his current age, to match the best surgeon in the army is already a great commendation and amazement.

Such a reconciled outcome benefits everyone.

Now that Xia Kaige publicly admitted defeat in front of everyone, it can be said he is an upright man in the medical field.

Lin Jie nodded frequently at everyone, signaling, and then said, "Where is the patient's family? I'll update them about the surgery situation."

Cheng Xingguang realized and released Lin Jie's hand, saying, "Right, right, the patient's family!"

Ren Maoshi also said, "Dr. Lin, take a good rest. As for the patient's follow-up treatment and monitoring, leave it to us in the cardiovascular department, we can assure there won't be any oversights."

Everyone stepped aside, and Lin Jie approached the patient's family, briefly introducing the surgery situation and explained some follow-up treatment measures and precautions.

Amid their overwhelming gratitude, Lin Jie and others returned to the preparation room for the surgery to resolve some issues, take a short break, and change clothes.

When Lin Jie came out again, he saw Chen Shi, An Family's father and daughter, and many students still waiting!

He waved to Fang Huanru, Huo Guangheng, and the others, and called out, "You all go back now, do whatever you need to do, I'm not treating for dinner here."

"Congratulations, teacher, on winning the competition!"

"Teacher, mighty!"

They shouted chaotically a few times, cheerfully surrounding Chen Qiuhua, Tian Xiangyu, Lu Xiaoyu, and others as they left, seemingly to find a place to celebrate properly.

Their happiness was also heartfelt; the more famous the teacher became, the brighter their future looked!

An Kexin came up to Lin Jie, gently adjusting his collar, and said with a smile, "This surgery has proven yourself and made your reputation well-deserved."

"But, it also makes you more sought after..."

An Kexin once again reminded, "Lin Jie, hiring one or two assistants to handle your various matters has become urgent."

Chen Shi also chimed in, "Lin Jie, never underestimate the capability of patients."

"Our country is a society built on connections. They can find you through all sorts of relationships, roundabout ways, leaving you overwhelmed."

"At the very least, you need to change this phone number, consider it your work number! Get another new number for personal use."

Lin Jie replied, "Oh, over this period, I will pay attention to this aspect and also consider suitable assistive candidates. By the way, Professor Chen, how did you solve this problem?"

Chen Shi pointed to his nose, lamenting, "How do you think my reputation for being high-minded and aloof got spread around?"

"At first, I couldn't bring myself to refuse people's requests, agreeing to all. Later, I realized that no matter how hard I worked, I couldn't meet everyone's demands."

He sighed, "So I started saying no."

"But from being obliging at first, to later selectively refusing, many people felt that I had changed, become arrogant, and no longer recognized friends!"

"Later on, I came to terms with it and gradually distanced myself from those people."

Chen Shi said with some self-satisfaction, "Now, I am both a professor at the Medical College and a doctor at the Affiliated Hospital."

"I don't want to fulfill any requests from others anymore. I can casually come up with excuses, like an indispensable research project or surgeries long planned, class schedules, and so on."

Lin Jie laughed and said, "I'm still a student at the Medical College, focusing on my studies can help me decline many requests."

An Weize shook his head with a smile, saying, "Lin Jie, after you've gone through it a few times, you'll understand that sometimes, it's not so easy to refuse requests..."

Seeing the undisguisable fatigue on Lin Jie's face, An Kexin said lovingly, "Dad, Uncle, let's talk about these things later. Lin Jie has been doing surgeries all day, he's exhausted, let him go back and rest early."

An Weize nodded and said, "Hmm, Lin Jie, go back and rest early!"

He comforted, "Don't think too much about these requests, they are really small matters. If you don't truly care, you don't have to fulfill any of them! You're in a good position now."

An Weize also instructed, "Kexin, you should take Lin Jie back!"

Watching An Kexin walk Lin Jie away, Chen Shi rubbed his chin and mused, "Weize, have you noticed there's something unusual about how Kexin treats this kid?"

An Weize just smiled, unconcerned, and said, "Of course it's unusual, you know the relationship between Lin Jie and us. Kexin treats him like her own little brother."

Chen Shi immediately glared at him, dissatisfied, and said, "I think since your brain tumor's gone, you're getting dull. The unusual I'm talking about is not the unusual you're talking about!"

An Weize realized and said, "Uncle, is it possible you saw it wrong?"

"But Kexin is six years older than Lin Jie, that's quite a gap. If you said it was Kemeng and Lin Jie, maybe that would make sense!"

At this, Chen Shi got even angrier and shouted, "Six years difference is nothing!"

"Kexin is at the best age now. Just from her appearance, she hasn't changed since she first graduated from college."

"Lin Jie's health has fully recovered, he's energetic, and at that age when young men fall for love easily. With Kexin looking so good, how could he not be moved?"

An Weize thought about his own youth, his expression darkening, uncertainly asking, "Uncle, are you saying that this kid Lin Jie is coveting Kexin?"

Chen Shi snorted coldly, somewhat mockingly, "Are you worried your family's precious daughter will be swooped up by a swine? From my view, maybe the cabbage is intentionally luring the pig; who knows."

"This pig, with his good looks and amazing skills, is practically a golden pig."

This talk of pigs and cabbages made An Weize a bit unhappy.

In his eyes, his daughter was the most precious in the world.

However, since the one talking was his uncle and the discussion was about Lin Jie, An Weize had to endure.

He paused for a moment, suddenly realizing: "Lin Jie grew up without parents, maybe subconsciously he has a special yearning for motherly love. Ever since Kexin's mom passed away, she has been taking care of Kemeng like her mother."

"Hiss..."

An Weize asked, his feelings complicated, "Uncle, now that I think about it, is it really possible for the two of them..."

Chen Shi pondered and said, "Lin Jie's health is getting better and better! I heard that after he did your surgery, he fainted from exhaustion."

"And today he performed another long surgery over ten hours without any prior preparation. You saw him afterward, though his face was tired, he was in good spirits."

"Uncle, what are you trying to say? I'm a bit confused by your point." An Weize asked anxiously, "You still haven't answered my question, do you think they are really together?"

Chen Shi rolled his eyes at An Weize, saying, "Heart transplants have been performed many times at the Affiliated Hospital."

"Recovering in under a year and performing such long surgeries, bouncing back full of energy after resting one night. I've really never heard of such a case."

"Weize, Lin Jie is an anomaly; we can't assume things based on common logic. His lifespan might be longer than we imagined..."

"You mean?" An Weize was beginning to understand what Chen Shi meant.

Chen Shi softly said, "One yearns for motherly love, the other a few years older, cares for him like a mother. Aren't they a perfect match? Over the years, there have been no lack of boys introduced to Kexin, none of whom she took to."

"Perhaps, Lin Jie is her destined one!"

An Weize nodded and said, "I'll ask Kexin when she returns tonight!"

"Forget it, don't ask!"

Chen Shi warned, "Perhaps they haven't realized anything yet. If you ask, it might make Kexin wary and pull away. Just pretend you don't know anything and let them develop naturally."

"That kid Lin Jie isn't bad at heart; he won't do anything to hurt Kexin."

Chen Shi snorted, somewhat envious, and said, "If Kexin and Lin Jie end up together, you'll be over the moon!"

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