Chapter 2: The Opportunity to Be Promoted

Chen Bingsheng returned at one o'clock in the afternoon, seeing Chen Cang still in the office without a hint of guilt, "Ah, still here? I thought you'd left."

Chen Cang somewhat helplessly, "Boss, that surgery took you three hours, weren't you just removing an appendix? Three hours for an appendix... How heavy was it?"

Chen Bingsheng laughed heartily, "You rascal, you make such a fuss when you're on duty. Come on, let's go eat."

Chen Cang smiled, "Boss, today it's my treat."

Chen Bingsheng suddenly surprised, "Oh! Struck it rich?"

Chen Cang shook his head, "No, I'm just happy today. Let's go, we're not eating at the canteen today, we'll go to Old Liu's restaurant."

Chen Bingsheng, "Let me change my clothes and wash my hands, I've got something to talk to you about today."

Old Liu's restaurant, named Liu Mama's Restaurant, was diagonally across from the hospital, a place owned by the head nurse of the general surgery department of the hospital, and hospital staff frequently dined there, so the business was quite good.

By this time, it was past the lunch rush, so there weren't many people. When Chen Bingsheng and Chen Cang walked in, the auntie greeted them with a smile, "Big Chen, Little Chen, you're late again, the emergency department is always so busy."

Chen Bingsheng smiled, "Auntie, two big bowls of noodles, please."

Chen Cang chimed in, "Plus a cold dish, two marinated eggs, and two pieces of bean curd."

Having said that, Chen Cang quickly picked up his phone, scanned the code to pay with practiced ease—it wasn't expensive, just thirty-five yuan.

Seeing Chen Cang paying, the auntie teased, "Oh, Little Chen's come into money today?"

Chen Cang smiled awkwardly, "I'm just happy today."

Chen Bingsheng didn't stop him, and they both took a seat in a quiet corner.

Chen Bingsheng lit a cigarette, "I finished the surgery this morning and happened to run into the director and Tan, who were preparing for a big surgery, so I pitched in as an assistant. I overheard them discussing something—our hospital might be going through some staff changes soon, with some department-employed personnel possibly switching to hospital contracts. You'd better prepare yourself."

Chen Cang was taken aback, his eyes lighting up immediately, "Really?"

Chen Bingsheng exhaled a smoke ring, "Of course, why would I lie to you?"

Chen Cang had come to work at the Emergency Department of the Provincial Second Hospital after getting his bachelor's degree, as part of a recruitment drive for temporary staff, which is to say, department-employed personnel. Those in the Emergency Department were hired separately, the pay was average, just a basic salary of 2200 yuan a month, without any benefits or performance bonuses. Plainly speaking, he was just there to do odd jobs.

After all, at a large hospital like the Provincial Second Hospital, public recruitment for formal staff positions in public institutions typically started with postgraduates, and these days, it's mostly PhDs.

For a bachelor's graduate hoping to work at a major hospital, temporary work was the only option.

In Anyang, the provincial capital of Dongyang Province, although as a second-tier city it wasn't as high-pressured as the megacities, for a kid like Chen Cang from the countryside, it was still somewhat overwhelming.

His plan was to learn some skills for a few years here and head back home once he reached a mid-level position.

Buying a house here?

At fifteen thousand yuan per square meter, Chen Cang didn't entertain the thought at all.

But Chen Bingsheng's words sent Chen Cang's mind spinning. Though hospital contract positions may not compare with civil service posts, under the current backdrop of medical reform, contracts and civil service positions both offered equal pay for equal work. More importantly, performance bonuses were available, allowing one to earn more by doing more.

In this hospital, one didn't just earn a basic salary; earnings were all about performance and bonuses. This news instantly excited Chen Cang.

Chen Bingsheng: "You get ready, there must be about eighty temporary workers in our hospital, not a hundred, and I reckon there will be a maximum of about twenty spots available. Show your best, and I'll see if I can have a word with the director and Tan Yuan to put in a good word for you."

Chen Cang smiled gratefully: "Hehe, thanks a lot, boss."

Chen Bingsheng cursed with a smile: "Stop with the lip service, hurry up and eat before you go back to catch some sleep."

Chen Cang smiled awkwardly, picked up his phone, and opened Alipay's Yu'E Bao, which currently had 21,052.5 yuan. This was the money Chen Cang had saved over two years.

Earning just over twenty thousand in a year, Chen Cang had managed to save two thousand after deducting food, drink, and rent over two years; all this was scrimped and saved.

Looking at his friend Chen Bingsheng's profile picture, Chen Cang directly transferred 20,000 yuan.

He knew Chen Bingsheng was good to him, but good is one thing; dealing with matters doesn't come free, right? He couldn't let the guy pay out of his pocket to take care of his business, could he?

That's not the way it works!

Chen Bingsheng heard his phone beep, picked it up, and after seeing the transfer, his face immediately fell. He glared at Chen Cang: "What are you doing?"

Chen Cang smiled: "Boss, I'm a stranger in a strange land, I don't know anyone, and have no connections. This is all the money I have. Please help me out, see if you can do something. I can't let you pay for things out of your own pocket, right?"

Chen Bingsheng was displeased and transferred the money back with a dark face: "You don't need to worry about this matter. Don't get involved in any crooked business with me either. Just work on improving your skills. After all, when the hospital considers for permanent positions, it ultimately looks at capability. Starting tomorrow, you should perform some surgeries on your own. It's been two years, and it's time you took the lead to learn."

"You're in the surgical system. I reckon the assessment will involve basic surgeries and basic surgical operations. I'm confident about your fundamentals, but you still need to work on your surgical skills."

The two ate quickly; Chen Bingsheng had to work in the afternoon and went back to the hospital, while Chen Cang, having just finished a night shift, had the afternoon off and needed to catch up on sleep.

But once home, Chen Cang couldn't sleep. After all, he had received such a system, and it would be a shame not to figure it out, a disservice to the good fortune he had cultivated over several lifetimes.

Being a doctor was understandable, but what did it mean to be a level 12 in his profession?

"Ding! Notification: Levels 1-20 are for resident physicians, levels 20-40 for attending physicians, levels 40-60 for associate chief physicians, levels 60-80 for chief physicians. Levels 80-90 are for provincial distinguished physicians, and levels 90-100 for national distinguished physicians. You can increase your professional level by earning experience points. Note: Higher levels enable you to learn advanced professional skills."

Chen Cang was taken aback. So that was what it meant. He was currently at level 12, which meant he was at the resident physician stage.

And what about the level of his professional skills?

"Ding! Professional skill levels are categorized as: Junior, Intermediate, Senior, Master, and Perfect. Note: Skills above Senior level will have special attributes."

Chen Cang was baffled. What were special attributes?

After a while, the system offered no further hints, indicating it was up to him to explore on his own.

And what about favorability?

Favorability had come up today, so there should be some explanation, right?

"Ding! A favorability level of 60 allows you to view other people's attributes and triggers more tasks. Please explore the details in practice."

Chen Cang opened his attribute panel and suddenly noticed that his professional skill "Wound Dressing and Debridement: 2010/2000 (upgradable)" had reached the standard for an upgrade.

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