Surgery Godfather

Chapter 2145: Chapter 1796: Flattering

After Manstein’s laboratory moved to Nandu, two noticeable changes occurred in Yang Ping’s life.

The first change was the longer lunch hours at the cafeteria. Previously, he ate alone, finishing in ten minutes while browsing his phone. That’s no longer possible; with eight Germans and a Swiss, everyone has questions. Clara asks about the details of data processing algorithms, Hans about statistical methods, and clinical translation pathways, while Manstein asks about everything, from off-target effects in gene editing to where to buy authentic German sausages in Nandu.

The second change was the unpredictability of weekends. They agreed to take Saturdays off, but the Germans have a strange definition of "rest." They can spend the whole day in the laboratory, experimenting and resting simultaneously. Yang Ping tried to persuade them twice but found it futile, so he gave up. Instead, he shows up every Saturday afternoon on time, taking them to try different foods: Hunan cuisine, Sichuan dishes, hotpot, barbecue, morning tea, rice rolls, clay pot rice—according to Manstein, "Professor Yang is conducting a gentle cultural invasion on us with food."

"This is not invasion," Yang Ping said. "This is cultural exchange."

"What’s the difference?" Manstein asked.

"Invasion is eating what you don’t want to eat, exchange is wanting more after you eat," Yang Ping explained.

Manstein thought about it, found the argument convincing, and added another bowl of rice. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

This routine continued for about a month, and everyone assumed it would go on peacefully like this - doing experiments, writing papers, eating, and then experimenting again. Until that Friday afternoon, when an email shattered all the tranquility.

Manstein’s paper was completed.

He turned twenty-three weeks’ worth of data into a full paper. The title was simple, no exclamation marks, no buzzwords like "breakthrough," "first-time," "revolutionary," just a straightforward line:

"Research on Primate Spinal Cord Injury Repair Based on 3D-Guided Gene Theory"

The night after Yang Ping read the first draft, he messaged Manstein: "Where to submit?"

Manstein’s reply took Yang Ping by surprise: "Medical."

"Medical" is the journal edited by Yang Ping. This journal has only been around for a few years and doesn’t hold the academic status of "Nature Medicine." Although Yang Ping has used his academic reputation and rigorous standards to get "Medical" into SCI promptly, with its impact factor steadily rising, it still lags behind "Nature" sub-journals.

"Are you sure?" Yang Ping replied, "Nature Medicine would be more suitable, more impactful, and have a quicker review process."

Manstein’s reply was lengthy, as if typed one letter at a time on his phone:

"Professor, I’ve thought about it. With this data’s weight, submitting to Nature Medicine will definitely be accepted, possibly swiftly. But that’s not what I want. This theory’s roots are in China, with you, and I want it published in a journal edited by a Chinese. It’s not politeness—it’s principle. Besides, I want the world to know about this Chinese journal."

Yang Ping looked at the message, not responding for a long while.

He began editing "Medical" with a simple intention: Good work done by Chinese scholars shouldn’t always have to go abroad for publication. The country needs a high-level, internationally influential platform. But this is very challenging. Good papers usually head to top foreign journals, while domestic journals often receive second or third-rate work. It’s a vicious cycle and a reality.

Manstein’s willingness to submit this paper to "Medical" is a gamble. For Manstein, it’s academic risk; for Yang Ping, it’s trust.

"Alright!" Yang Ping finally replied, "But I have one condition."

"What condition?"

"Submit this to Medical, but your data’s enough for more than one paper; write the mechanism study part separately and submit it to Nature Medicine. This way, both are covered."

It took Manstein a while to reply: "Professor, are you teaching me academic strategies?"

"I’m teaching you how to be, you shouldn’t sacrifice your academic influence just to support my journal. Publish both, with the main paper here and the derivative paper in a top journal, it’s the optimal solution." freēwēbnovel.com

This time Manstein replied promptly: "Professor, sometimes you’re really annoying."

"I know."

"But you’re right, I’ll write it."

A week later, Yang Ping received two papers in his inbox.

The first paper, shown in the "Medical" submission system, was titled: "Research on Primate Spinal Cord Injury Repair Based on 3D-Guided Gene Theory." The author list was long, with Manstein as the first and corresponding author, followed by Clara, Hans, Fritz, and several core members of Yang Ping’s team. The acknowledgments contained only one sentence: "Dedicated to everyone who doesn’t believe in ’impossible’."

The second was a draft Manstein sent to Yang Ping’s private email, titled: "The Unintended Effects of Non-Targeted Gene Regulation on Primate Spinal Cord Injury Repair." This was purely a mechanism study, exploring the unexpected recovery of a non-target intervention group monkey, which Manstein named "Surprise" M21.

"Professor, I plan to submit the second paper to Nature Medicine."

Yang Ping looked at the email and smiled. Manstein, at times, is so stubborn it makes you want to knock his head, but within that stubbornness is a very clean, almost naive integrity.

"Alright, submit it."

Manstein replied with an OK emoji.

The review from Nature Medicine came quickly.

By the fourth week after submission, Manstein announced at the group meeting: "The response from Nature Medicine is back, no even minor revisions needed."