Free Web NovelChapter 60: Chapter 60: A Near-Impossible New Project
Under the stunned gazes of the entire audience, Jiang He finished his exam and calmly left the stage.
To the students watching, regardless of Jiang He’s final score, he had definitely made a statement.
Wang Xiaoqing raised her wrist to check the time, then said in a casual tone, "Old Yang, I just remembered, I have a departmental meeting at Affiliated Hospital No. 1. It’s about time, so I have to go."
Yang Xu leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Sure, go ahead. The business at Affiliated Hospital No. 1 is more important. Don’t let us delay you."
Wang Xiaoqing nodded, stood up, and hurried down the aisle at the edge of the stands.
Yang Xu took a sip of hot tea, his eyes catching Wang Xiaoqing’s hastily retreating back. He was gloating internally.
’How could I not see what my old partner is plotting?’
’She’s obviously taken a liking to Jiang He and wants to intercept him downstairs before anyone else can react.’
But he wasn’t worried in the least. Instead, he shifted into a more comfortable position and watched the activity in the examination hall below, perfectly at ease.
’Let Wang Xiaoqing get shot down first. Then I’ll show up right after and easily look like the big shot. Just thinking about it is satisfying...’
...
In the first-floor hall, in the corridor outside the practical skills area. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Jiang He was about to leave through a side door.
"Jiang He, wait a moment," a woman’s voice called from behind.
He stopped, turned, and bowed slightly. "Hello, Professor."
Wang Xiaoqing walked up to him, looking more and more pleased the closer she got.
"I watched your entire procedure just now. It was textbook perfect, and your composure is excellent. To be honest, many fifth-year and even first-year graduate students don’t have hands as steady as yours on stage. I’m Wang Xiaoqing. You’ve probably heard of me. I see great potential in you."
Jiang He remained calm. "Thank you for the praise, Professor Wang. It’s just from practicing a bit more than usual."
"No need to be modest. My research group is currently working on several key national-level projects, and we have abundant clinical resources. Next year, I’ll have a spot for direct admission into our PhD program. If you’re willing to join my team, I will also personally supervise you during your clinical rotations in your later undergraduate years. What do you say?"
After listening, Jiang He gave a wry smile.
"Professor Wang, thank you very much for your recognition and your offer, but actually I..."
Wang Xiaoqing raised a hand to stop him. "Don’t be so quick to refuse. I know you’re only a third-year, and hearing all this so suddenly might feel a bit premature or put you under pressure. But the time investment to train a top surgeon is extremely high. The earlier you decide on a direction and join a core team, the more opportunities you’ll have in the future. You can go back and think it over. You don’t need to give me an answer right now."
Jiang He fell silent, wondering how to explain things to Professor Wang.
Just then, Yang Xu’s voice cut in. "Professor Wang, aren’t you in a hurry to get to that meeting at Affiliated Hospital No. 1?"
Wang Xiaoqing froze, turning her head with a slight frown. "Old Yang? What are you doing down here?"
Yang Xu came to stand beside Jiang He and chuckled. "If I didn’t come down, you were going to poach my student."
Wang Xiaoqing was taken aback.
She looked at Yang Xu, then at Jiang He, and immediately understood.
Then she asked in surprise, "Your student? He’s only a third-year and you’ve already let him join your team? Old Yang, didn’t you say you don’t accept undergraduates?"
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. When you find a promising talent, you have to strike while the iron is hot." Yang Xu’s tone was polite, but there was an unmistakable note of pride in it.
He paused, deciding to drive his point home, and continued, "This kid doesn’t just have steady hands; his theoretical instincts are also exceptionally sharp. He just finished writing a paper on improving the assessment system for Lymph Node Ratio (LNR) in the TNM staging of pancreatic cancer."
Wang Xiaoqing was puzzled. "Doesn’t that require clinical data?"
Yang Xu said, "It does. So he made a trip to the Capital City and combined the core long-term follow-up data from the General Surgery Department at Peking Union Medical College Hospital over the years. He ran a Cox regression analysis merging the data from both our hospitals. The paper’s angle is incredibly unique and groundbreaking. I’ve already listed him as the corresponding author, and we just submitted the manuscript to the fast-track blind review process of a top domestic journal a couple of days ago."
Wang Xiaoqing was speechless.
Sometimes, when you’re utterly speechless, all you can do is laugh.
And right now, Wang Xiaoqing really wanted to laugh.
She shot Yang Xu a look and complained, "Old Yang, you old fox... You’ve scooped up all the good ones."
Hearing his old partner’s complaint, Yang Xu chuckled, practically radiating smug satisfaction.
Wang Xiaoqing sighed and turned her attention back to Jiang He.
As a scholar, although she was disappointed, she still had grace.
"Since you’re already with Professor Yang, then work hard. You have a great gift, and with Professor Yang’s guidance, I’m sure you will make immense contributions to our country’s medical field in the future. Keep it up."
"Thank you, Professor Wang," Jiang He said sincerely.
Wang Xiaoqing turned and left.
The smile on Yang Xu’s face gradually faded. "Let’s go. We need to talk."
Jiang He nodded and followed his mentor.
As they walked, Yang Xu began with praise. "You did an excellent job today. Your technique was very steady."
"The task itself wasn’t complex," Jiang He answered truthfully.
Yang Xu nodded. "The final results and rankings for the competition probably won’t be out until tomorrow evening. But based on your performance today, the outcome should be certain. The university will issue an official commendation to praise you campus-wide, and the president will hear about this too."
Jiang He: "Good."
’With an endorsement from the university’s leadership and campus-wide recognition, there will be far fewer obstacles when it comes to applying for lab access or securing funding.’
’Getting a spot in the direct-track PhD program will also be a natural next step.’
Yang Xu continued, "As for that LNR paper, I’ve already sent it to the editorial board through a personal connection. However, the review process for top-tier journals is extremely rigorous. Even with the fast-track blind review, it will still take some time. It definitely won’t be published right away, so you’ll need to be patient."
"That’s fine. I’m not in a hurry."
Jiang He paused, then said, "Actually, Professor, during this time, I’ve already figured out the next direction I want to pursue."
Yang Xu looked at him, somewhat surprised. "So soon? You have another idea already?"
’Hasn’t it only been a few days since the last paper was finalized?’
’Isn’t he tired?’
Jiang He nodded. "Yes, Professor."
’The previous paper, in the end, was just a probabilistic statistical analysis and survival prognosis for pancreatic cancer patients who already had metastases.’
’It didn’t do anything substantial to actually conquer pancreatic cancer itself.’
’If I want to change the outcome of my wife’s death in my past life, prognostic statistics alone aren’t enough.’
’Pancreatic cancer is known as the "King of Cancers" precisely because of its extremely insidious early pathogenesis and its harsh tumor microenvironment.’
’Therefore, I have to move the line of defense forward and establish a truly effective early screening system.’
"What do you want to do?" Yang Xu asked.
Jiang He said, "I want to advance research on the specific expression profile of circulating cell-free microRNA (miRNA) in the peripheral blood for early screening of pancreatic cancer."
In 2008, targeted therapy and immunotherapy were still in their exploratory stages, while research on miRNA was just beginning to emerge in top international laboratories.
If a panel of microRNA markers specific to early-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma could be found in peripheral blood, it would enable non-invasive early screening—an absolutely epoch-making advancement.
After hearing this proposal, Yang Xu’s brow furrowed deeply.
"Jiang He, that’s too big of a leap. I don’t approve."
Boss Yang’s words were not without reason.
To put it simply, the new project Jiang He wanted to undertake was next to impossible.
This was a project that required real lab work and would cost cold, hard cash.
The university’s research funding was limited. With so many teams eyeing the same small pie, there wasn’t enough to go around. How much could Jiang He possibly get?
Even with a wealthy sponsor providing the equipment, success would be incredibly difficult.
Many teams abroad were also racing to work on this project, especially in the United States of America.
As a single student, what could Jiang He possibly use to compete against top laboratories?
The most likely outcome was that he would waste time and money, only to end up with nothing.
Jiang He wasn’t ignorant of these points. He nodded and said, "Yes, it’s very difficult."
"And you still want to do it?"
"I have to. Because if I succeed, its practical clinical significance will be ten, even a hundred times greater than the previous paper."
Hearing this, Yang Xu felt a profound sense of confusion and asked,
"Jiang He, you’re only a third-year. Why do you seem to be in such a hurry? What is it that you’re rushing for?"
A gentle breeze blew past.
Jiang He was silent for a moment.
Finally, he said, "I want to save lives."
When Yang Xu heard those four words, he fell silent.
’So that’s why.’
He could guess that this young man probably had an extremely important loved one who was facing the threat of a serious illness.
Yang Xu didn’t press him for details.
In the face of medicine’s limits, everyone has a vulnerability they cannot bear to have touched.
"Alright." Yang Xu reached out and patted Jiang He’s shoulder. "Go back and write up the detailed experimental design and project proposal. I’ll see if I can do my best to help you apply for funding."
"Thank you, Professor." Jiang He bowed slightly.
After bidding farewell to Yang Xu, Jiang He walked back to his dorm alone.
He stuck his hands in his pockets, his fingertips gently rubbing the plain silver ring on the middle finger of his left hand.
The cool touch of the metal was incredibly reassuring.
’To be with Teacher Shen, to build a happy and healthy family together, to have a few chubby daughters and sons... even if this project is impossibly difficult, I have to conquer it.’
’Jiang He, you have to work hard. Work hard.’
