Today is Wednesday, the day of our weekly gathering. After having lunch with Pei Haiping, Chen Qiuhua returned to Xiangtai Apartment with Lin Jie.

To Lin Jie's surprise, An Kexin was also there when he got home.

She was still wearing an apron, busy in the kitchen with a pot of stew on the stove.

Lin Jie hugged An Kexin from behind and laughed, "Is the sun rising from the west today? It's rare to see you in the kitchen. And it's only a little past three in the afternoon, yet you're already here."

"Come on, what's your true intention in personally cooking soup for me?"

"Don't move!"

An Kexin slapped Lin Jie's misbehaving hand and said, "These pig trotters I'm cooking aren't for you; they're for Kemeng."

"Cooking pig trotters for Kemeng? What happened to her?" Lin Jie asked, puzzled.

An Kexin turned around, looking at Lin Jie with a face full of concern, and said, "Wasn't it just Kemeng being reckless? She was playing with the surgical knife you left in the study and accidentally cut her hand."

Lin Jie was shocked and asked, "Is it serious? And why wasn't I informed?"

An Kexin shook her head and said, "It didn't cut the blood vessels. She went to Binhai Park Hospital, and they put in two stitches."

"Since it wasn't serious, we didn't tell you."

"I want to go see Kemeng!"

As Lin Jie turned to leave, An Kexin grabbed him and said, "Though it wasn't serious, even Xiaoxiao said there was quite a bit of bleeding."

"Can you not scold her?"

"She knows she was wrong, and she learned her lesson."

Lin Jie looked at An Kexin's worried little face and said, frustrated, "I treat Kemeng like a little sister, you know I care about her a lot."

"Why do you act like I'm a mean person?"

An Kexin snorted, "Sometimes, when your face darkens, it can be quite scary..."

Lin Jie went upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door, where he found An Kemeng lying on the bed reading a book.

Startled, An Kemeng instinctively tried to hide under the covers.

Halfway through, she realized there was no hiding, so she smiled sheepishly and said, "Brother Jie, you're back."

Lin Jie sat down beside the bed and said, "Let me see your injury first!"

An Kemeng stretched out her bandaged right hand.

Lin Jie gently unwrapped the gauze and saw that the wound was on the outer side of the palm near the wrist—a two-centimeter cut.

He carefully reapplied the gauze, stood up, and said, "It's a small wound; it'll heal in a few days. Just be careful not to get it wet."

An Kemeng responded with a quiet "Oh," then cautiously asked, "Brother Jie, will it leave a scar?"

"It'll just leave a slightly different colored mark, hardly noticeable if you don't look closely."

Lin Jie's words made An Kemeng sigh in relief, and she snuck a glance at Lin Jie, saying, "Brother Jie, I was wrong."

"I shouldn't have not listened to you and played with the surgical knife. I promise it won't happen again."

Lin Jie snorted lightly and said, "You must have spun that knife like you do a pen, right?"

"Trying to run before you can walk, ambitious you!"

He paused, then continued, "Since you're interested, once you're healed, I'll teach you how to properly use surgical instruments. If you don't practice well, my ruler hasn't punished anyone in a while."

An Kemeng giggled and promised, "Brother Jie, I'll definitely practice hard..."

When Lin Jie returned to the living room, he found Chen Qiuhua discussing Pei Haiping with An Kexin.

"In the beginning, it was a mutual exchange of ideas between him and Lin Jie, but after halfway through the meal, it turned into a one-sided consultation."

Chen Qiuhua said admiringly, "Lin Jie has quietly won another follower."

"President An, forget about the wager, even without a salary, I bet Dr. Pei would willingly work at Anlin Hospital."

Lin Jie asked jokingly, "Dr. Chen, would you work at Anlin Hospital without a salary?"

Chen Qiuhua reacted like a cat whose tail was stepped on, exclaiming, "I'm not like Dr. Pei! He worked in the United States for years and has a substantial savings."

"I can't do that; I still need my salary to live."

Lin Jie scoffed, "Once you marry Du Feixue, you'll become rich instantly."

Ignoring the changing expressions on Chen Qiuhua's face, Lin Jie turned to An Kexin, "While Dr. Pei is still in Binhai, arrange a meeting with him within the next couple of days to discuss the details."

"As for the salary, don't take the wager seriously; handle it at your discretion."

"Well, Dr. Pei's annual income in the United States is about a million US dollars, right?"

An Kexin nodded with a smile, "I'll discuss it with Dean Gong and the others as soon as possible."

"Having Dr. Pei, who was the cardiovascular surgery chief in a top US hospital, really gives Anlin Hospital another point of promotion, which we can use."

"He was only the deputy chief of cardiovascular surgery!" Lin Jie emphasized the word "deputy," correcting her.

An Kexin gave Lin Jie a sidelong glance, "Deputy chief is still a chief."

"A-Jie, you know, right? In the country, many times, when addressing deputy leaders, they usually drop the 'deputy' part."

Lin Jie was too lazy to argue with An Kexin about this and asked, "The head of cardiac surgery is sorted out, but there's still a vacancy for the head of neurosurgery."

"Does the headhunting company have any good recommendations?"

An Kexin shook her head with a helpless expression and said, "Outstanding neurosurgeons are treasured by every hospital, and they are hard to poach. Besides, we can't offer a too high salary."

"Except for talents like you and Dr. Pei, it's hard to break the hospital's salary structure for other doctors."

"What's the current salary budget for the hospital?" Lin Jie asked, curious.

An Kexin briefly said, "According to the hospital's staffing, the monthly salaries for these five to six hundred people, plus social insurance and various welfare payouts, the monthly expenditure exceeds twenty million."

"Twenty million? Just for a month, and it's that much?" Lin Jie was truly surprised.

An Kexin replied seriously, "The salaries and benefits for medical personnel always fall within the mid-to-high range in society."

"Moreover, we are a newly established hospital. We must rely on relatively generous salaries to attract talent."

"If you factor in the housing, vehicles, and other benefits we provide, the monthly expense surpasses thirty million."

"Every month, we have to invest thirty million, and that's just for salary benefits!"

Lin Jie, after mentally calculating other investments, couldn't help but ask worriedly, "In the first couple of years after the hospital opens, there surely won't be many patients. Can the An Family sustain such net investment for so long?"

"Lin Jie, you don't quite get it, do you?"

Having finally found a knowledge gap in Lin Jie, Chen Qiuhua eagerly explained, "Once the hospital is operational, it can secure loans from banks in various ways."

"Unless there's a special circumstance, it usually doesn't require additional investments from shareholders."

"Moreover, the purchase expenses for required medications and medical supplies can be deferred for three to five months, or half a year, without a problem."

"The hospital can also receive donations from various parties. With your name, Lin Jie, it's likely to persuade several large groups and wealthy individuals to donate."

He concluded, "In this case, supporting the hospital for two to three years isn't a problem."

"After two or three years, the hospital's reputation will be established, gaining more acceptance from patients, and profitability won't be an issue."

An Kexin added, "Besides what Dr. Chen mentioned, the company has also prepared around a hundred million as a contingency fund to avoid vicious competition."

She stood up, patting Lin Jie's shoulder, and said earnestly, like an adult comforting a child, "Regarding hospital operations, A-Jie, you don't need to worry at all."

"You just need to focus on treating patients, saving lives, and doing good work in teaching and guidance."

"This is what it means for professionals to handle professional tasks, each bearing their own responsibility..."

When she said this, An Kexin couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Hey, A-Jie, let me tell you something else!"

Raising an eyebrow, An Kexin said, "Uncle has found another pharmaceutical company to cooperate with!"

"This time, they approached us themselves."

"This pharmaceutical factory is near Sunan Province, not very large, mainly producing a few common drugs and semi-finished raw materials."

"They came looking because they valued uncle's cooperation with Tianze Biomedical Research Center."

Lin Jie smiled, somewhat enlightened, "This pharmaceutical company must have first contacted the Tianze Biomedical Research Center, only to be told that they have an exclusive partnership with Professor Chen?"

An Kexin replied meaningfully, "That's probably the case..."

As guests arrived one after another, Lin Jie received a call from Xiang Rong, the editor-in-chief of "Clinical Medicine," at around four in the afternoon.

"Expert Lin, I just got some news."

"As winter approaches, the Chinese Medical Association is planning a famous medical experts' charitable clinic event in the Bamboo Sea earthquake disaster area to send warmth."

Lin Jie agreed, "That's a good thing. Is the Medical Association planning to invite the Anlin Charity Fund to join?"

"Not the Anlin Charity Fund, but you personally!"

"Me?"

Lin Jie was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "No one sought my opinion on this. Isn't it supposed to be voluntary?"

"Just as I thought!"

Xiang Rong said angrily, "Opinions should have been sought beforehand."

"Today, while drinking tea with a friend, I accidentally heard this from their mouth."

"My friend told me that this list has already been submitted, and your name is on it."

"The friend also said the charity event is of high standard, and CCTV reporters will accompany us the entire way."

"I was just thinking, in December, the climate in Bamboo Sea can be cold and damp, making it easy to catch a cold. Given your health, you shouldn't participate in this event."

"Expert Lin, I'm guessing someone, under the guise of an ominous name, pushed your name forward with ulterior motives..."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Jie's face turned gloomy.

This is really like when the tree wants to be still, but the wind keeps blowing!

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