Chapter 360: 360 Plan

Chen Xu had chosen a hot pot restaurant as the place to eat, as he and Zhou Juanjuan were old classmates, and he considered her one of his closer acquaintances.

On his way there, he received a WeChat message from Zhou Juanjuan, saying she would bring a friend along but didn’t specify who.

By the time he arrived at the hot pot restaurant, Zhou Juanjuan was already seated, and there was another girl with her. At first glance, he found her somewhat familiar.

“Sorry for being late, I got held up in traffic. Have you ordered anything yet?”

He took off his jacket and sat across from the two girls, asking.

“The big boss hadn’t arrived yet, how could we dare to order?” Zhou Juanjuan joked, then turned to her companion and asked, “Do you recognize who she is?”

Chen Xu then took a careful look at the girl and immediately guessed, “Liu Ying?”

“It’s me, long time no see,” the girl said with a happy smile on her face.

Liu Ying was also one of his high school classmates and sat at the same desk as Zhou Juanjuan. She was very studious and always ranked within the top three in their class, later getting into the best university in the province.

Chen Xu remembered that she was quite introverted, rarely spoke, wore thick glasses, and was not particularly noticeable in appearance.

“It really is you; you’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you,” he remarked somewhat nostalgically.

Now, Liu Ying no longer wore those thick glasses, her hair was longer, and she had learned to wear makeup; she looked completely different. Had Zhou Juanjuan not asked him that way, he might not have guessed.

Liu Ying, who was also sizing him up, said, “You’ve changed a lot too, much more handsome than before.”

Chen Xu laughed, remarking that college and working in society really change a person tremendously; Zhou Juanjuan and Liu Ying had both transformed massively, from their appearance to their personalities.

At that moment, the waiter came over and asked if they wanted to place an order.

Chen Xu took the menu and asked what the two girls felt like eating; in no time, they had placed their order.

After ordering the food, he started chatting with his two old classmates, “Have you two stayed in contact since university?”

Liu Ying replied, “Yeah, our schools were not far apart. I struggled to adapt initially, so we chatted online daily and went out together on weekends.”

They had been inseparable since high school.

Liu Ying, curious, asked, “Juanjuan mentioned your girlfriend is very beautiful; how come she didn’t come with you today?”

“She’s on a business trip, currently abroad.”

Old classmates reunited after a long separation; they quickly reconnected over stories from the past. Interestingly, all three had been introverted back in school, rarely interacting despite sitting near one another.

Now, molded by university and society, they had all become outgoing and conversational.

Partway through the meal, the conversation turned to their current jobs.

Chen Xu was surprised when he heard about Liu Ying’s job, asking, “How did you end up working at a medical devices company? That’s not at all related to your major.”

Liu Ying had attended the best university in the province, majoring in liberal arts. It was quite far-fetched that she had crossed over to the medical industry.

Liu Ying explained, “My uncle got me the job.”

Her uncle was the general manager of that company.

“I see,” Chen Xu said, seizing the opportunity to bring up an important matter, “Speaking of which, are there any famous surgeons around here?”

He had arranged to meet Zhou Juanjuan not only to express his gratitude but also to find out about this.

“Why do you suddenly ask? Does someone in your family need surgery?”

“Not exactly. It’s just that my secretary was in a car accident yesterday and hasn’t woken up yet. Such an incident has affected me, and I want to be prepared rather than scrambling to find a doctor when there’s an urgent need and risk delaying treatment.”

“Well, you’ve come to the right person then. Yingzi’s company deals with this; they have detailed information about which hospitals and departments are the best, and which surgeons are skilled,” Zhou Juanjuan said.

Although she was a nurse and knew quite a bit about her own hospital, her knowledge of others was mostly second-hand. She certainly didn’t have as clear a picture as Liu Ying.

Chen Xu immediately looked toward Liu Ying.

Liu Ying began to discuss the situation at several major hospitals in the city.

As one of the largest cities in the country, the medical standard here wasn’t bad, and there were several reputable large hospitals. However, overall, it still didn’t compare to Beijing and Modu.

Of course, for Chen Xu, it didn’t make much difference, as he had no immediate intention to get involved in this sensitive industry; he just wanted some background information. Finding a suitable candidate, nurturing them into a highly skilled surgeon for emergencies, was his goal.

Liu Ying knew various hospitals’ doctors as if they were the back of her hand. After listing them, she added, “These doctors are famous and highly qualified, but because they are quite old, it’s not easy to get them to perform surgeries personally unless you have special connections.”

In other words, even with money, it could be difficult to secure their service.

Understanding her point, Chen Xu knew she was referring to older, established experts and asked, “Are there any younger doctors?”

Liu Ying mentioned several names; upon inquiring their ages, most were over forty. Only two were in their thirties, one thirty-six and one thirty-nine.

Chen Xu gained a general understanding that in the medical profession, it typically took reaching a certain age to achieve success in the field, with thirty-somethings already being considered very young.

Zhou Juanjuan, seeing his somewhat perplexed expression, explained the hospital’s criteria for recruiting doctors and various strict qualifications.

To put it simply, to stay at a top-tier hospital, one generally had to be a ten-year medical graduate, with eight-year graduates being less common. Four-year undergraduates hardly stood a chance.

This meant that by the time one became a doctor, they would be close to thirty. There were also tenure requirements for certain titles. The path was indeed challenging.

After hearing this, Chen Xu realized his initial thoughts had been somewhat naive. He didn’t want to go with famous doctors who were too old and slower to learn new things.

He felt it would be more suitable to find a young doctor who had recently started working in a hospital, someone with more potential for molding.

Unwittingly, they had nearly finished their meal.

Seeing that it was about time, Chen Xu suggested leaving and offered once they reached the entrance, “Let me drive you both back.”

Liu Ying declined, “No need, you’ve been drinking; you should take a cab.”

Zhou Juanjuan also cautioned, “Right, you shouldn’t drive after drinking.”

They had consumed a bit of beer earlier.

“Don’t worry, I won’t drink and drive,” Chen Xu said, and just as he spoke, his driver pulled up with the car, stopping right in front of them.

Liu Ying and Zhou Juanjuan looked at the luxury car in surprise, “Is this… your car?”

Chen Xu opened the car door, smiling, “Get in.”