top student at medical school

Chapter 782 Song Yi's Choice!
"Brother Yi!" Fang Ziye pulled the car over to the side of the road, rolled down the window, and saw Song Yi looking down at his phone, so he called out.

Song Yi looked over in response. Wearing a long down jacket, he had a restrained and clean demeanor, and almost no one could tell that he was a "top doctor" from Tongji Hospital.

Song Yi put down his phone, strode over, opened the passenger door, and said, "Fang Ziye, you're doing pretty well these days!"

“I haven’t even finished my PhD, and you’ve already taken care of your car and house.”

"Others probably wouldn't believe that we were in the same year," Song Yi remarked with a touch of worldliness.

"I was just lucky. Brother Yi, you didn't have to worry too much about cars and houses from the beginning!" Fang Ziye replied with a smile.

"Brother Yi, what would you like to eat?"

Song Yi is a local of Han City. Although his family's economic situation seems average in Han City, it is still quite good compared to most people.

Aside from not buying Song Yi a top-tier luxury mansion, they did pick out an apartment for him near Tongji Hospital.

Song Yi had done his research beforehand: "It's this late, let's grab some barbecue nearby? I checked out two places, and the reviews are pretty good."

"I'll give you directions, but if you're familiar with this area, you can take me there."

"Let me take a look at the two companies you chose." Fang Ziye looked at Song Yi's phone.

"Let's go with this place. I've ordered barbecue here before, and it's pretty good..."

"Yi-ge, you should have graduated with your doctorate by now, right?"

The year Fang Ziye graduated was the first year of their doctoral studies. Fang Ziye also served as the chief resident for half a year and went to Enshi for nearly a year. By now, Song Yi is already in his third year of doctoral studies.

"I've finished my defense and will graduate this June, a year later than you."

“I didn’t know what to do recently, so I was thinking of asking my master if I could learn from you, Brother Ye, for a while.” Song Yi had already prepared his defenses.

Song Yi has already graduated ahead of schedule, and it's estimated that he has already signed a job contract.

Fang Ziye was not surprised by this, after all, there were rumors that Song Yi might win the first prize in the provincial young physician competition now.

These first prizes are usually reserved for the top attending physicians, associate chief physicians, and associate professors in the province.

Given Song Yi's achievements at such a young age, Tongji Hospital will not shy away from recognizing them.

In addition, Song Yi's scientific research experience is already outstanding, and there is no way to hinder him in any aspect.

“It’s good to stay in Professor Duan’s team. They’re full of talented people, and all the fellow students are very capable. There are many good people there.” Fang Ziye nodded, approving of Song Yi’s choice as he started the machine.

After listening, Song Yi stretched his shoulders and sighed: "Sigh... It's good here with Master, but there are just too many excellent teachers. Most of our time is spent trying to integrate into the team."

"If your ideas aren't particularly hardcore, it's hard to get any room to develop them."

"It was like this in Kyoto, and it's the same here with Teacher Duan."

Song Yi turned to Fang Ziye: "Brother Ye, I'm just telling you this, please don't go back and tattle on me..."

Song Yi's two sentences instantly made Fang Ziye's mind race.

Song Yi completed his master's degree at Kyoto University Third Hospital and then wanted to return to Seoul to pursue his doctorate. Initially, he wanted to choose Zhongnan Hospital.

Rumors circulated that Song Yi's performance at the Third Hospital was actually mediocre, which is why he "failed" to be promoted to doctoral degree.

That's actually true. If Song Yi were truly so outstanding that people would feel their skin turn purple just looking at him, his master's thesis advisor wouldn't have let him leave.

Song Yi's graduate advisor was a friend of Professor Duan Hong, but Song Yi did not make Tongji Hospital his first choice. Instead, he sought out Professor Deng Yong as a second choice.

"Brother Yi, have you always wanted to do something of your own? But you just haven't had the chance?" Fang Ziye asked tentatively.

"What kind of snitch could I possibly report? Even if I told Professor Duan what I said, he would just think I was playing some kind of double agent and deliberately trying to slander you."

In a very large team, unless you are exceptionally talented enough to overcome challenges at a young age, it is difficult for your ideas to be adopted by the research group.

If your project isn't accepted, you'll have to integrate into other people's projects and become a "helper"!
This is a very normal phenomenon. Even outstanding talents like Lan Tianluo and Jie Han can only avoid Fang Ziye and do some small research projects with him.

When it comes to choosing the direction of major research projects, they simply cannot compete with Fang Ziye.

If Hu Qingyuan, Fang Ziye's student, has his own ideas now, Fang Ziye will likely assess that his approach is not as good as doing the existing projects well after he expresses them.

Integrating into the research group in this way will definitely yield higher returns than if Hu Qingyuan were to work alone.

Song Yi in the past and Hu Qingyuan now are in the same ecological niche.

"Actually, I'm also very confused right now," Song Yi said, shaking his head hesitantly.

"At first, I was quite confident and felt that I should do something of my own."

“But my senior classmates and my teachers all said that the research I wanted to do was not very meaningful, and the time and energy I invested were not proportional to the output.”

"Instead of making some breakthroughs of mediocre quality, it's better to just honestly help out in the team first."

"The more I integrate into the research group, the more I agree with this view."

"After integrating into the team, the workload and output efficiency are really much higher than if I were to figure it out on my own..."

"But if that's the case, then my previous decision to return to Han City would have been a waste."

Song Yi did not arrogantly explain his "ambition" back then, but simply calmly recalled the past.

If you think about it carefully, you'll understand that Song Yi is different from his student Tian Yao.

Tian Yao couldn't stay at the hospital to pursue a doctorate, but Song Yi was different. He had enough research output and could pass the special "professional operation" assessment for doctoral students in the Department of Trauma Surgery at Zhongnan Hospital and Tongji Hospital.

If someone with such abilities couldn't even earn a doctorate at Kyoto Third Hospital, then the overall level of the trauma surgery department at Kyoto Third Hospital would have already surpassed that of any other hospital in the country.

In reality, even at Jishuitan Hospital, the proportion of hospital staff who can use the special access channel is not very high.

It's only slightly more expensive than a regular hospital, and it has accumulated its profound heritage over a long period of time.

It's not just about scientific research, but also about human resources and cultural heritage.

Having a solid foundation is a good thing; it allows you to have no worries about the future.

"Brother Yi, when you came to our hospital to pursue your doctorate, it wasn't because of the low competition, but because of the less competitive research atmosphere here?" Fang Ziye pointed out a somewhat unpleasant point and asked directly.

Song Yi didn't hide anything: "That was before. The current Zhongnan Hospital is very different from the Zhongnan Hospital of the past."

"Fang Ziye, let's not dwell on the past..."

"Okay!" Fang Ziye nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Everyone is a free person; every individual has their own thoughts and ideas, their own choices and preferences.

For example, his student Hu Qingyuan may like Chen Xixian, but he knows that it is probably difficult for him to be with Chen Xixian. His liking for Chen Xixian is actually another aspect of Chen Xixian's wealthy family background.

For example, Lan Tianluo, he may also like to study medicine, even if his talent in medicine is not his strongest point.

For example, Song Yi can have his own preferences, and so can Fang Ziye...

After ordering, Fang Ziye and Song Yi sat in a corner of an outdoor shared table. They loosened their down jackets slightly to face the cold wind. Fang Ziye's voice was partially blown away, but it still reached Song Yi's ears precisely.

"Brother Yi, to be honest, if you hadn't joined our team, I was actually thinking of asking Professor Duan to bring you over for a while."

"Because I heard from Liao Jia, and Liao Jia also heard from Nie Mingxian, that you have some understanding of biophysics?"

Song Yi's eyes showed a hint of surprise and embarrassment: "Brother Nie Mingxian, where did you find out about this?"

"Actually, I don't really know much about it. I've just read a few related books in my spare time, so I only have a slight understanding."

Fang Ziye nodded: "I also saw Nie Mingxian when I was in the Enshi laboratory."

"I'm telling the truth, Brother Yi, I really do have some questions for you!"

"Our team is currently working on the repair of spinal cord injuries. Although we have made some progress, subsequent research will definitely require the participation of professionals from two major fields: bioinformatics and biocybernetics, and sensory and neurobiophysics."

"There aren't any absolute big names in these two areas right now... Yi-ge, you know what I mean."

The emerging research direction combining biology and physics is still relatively new, and few people know about it, let alone are proficient in it.

So-called experts and big shots are simply those who have gone deeper into a certain field than most people.

In a field with relatively few practitioners, if you are the only one to carry on the tradition, then you are the sole inheritor, and even if your abilities are lacking, you are still considered a top expert.

Biology PhDs and professors wouldn't consider working on physics-related topics, and physics PhDs and professors also have other important research topics and wouldn't want to diversify their work into biology.

Under such circumstances, as long as Song Yi has some understanding of this aspect, he can save a lot of time.

To gain a deep understanding of one or two research areas, even the smartest person might need about six months.

This emerging research direction is not specifically reflected in Fang Ziye's panel; it's even possible that it only appeared after Fang Ziye obtained the panel...

"Biocybernetics focuses on studying the control and communication laws of biological systems. Currently, the most extensive and in-depth research is on control and information processes at the organ and physiological system level, including physiological system analysis and neurocybernetics."

"Current research focuses primarily on physiology and neurocytology."

"Neurocytology studies the information processing problems of the nervous system. Among them, the research on neural networks and sensory information processing is the most in-depth. Brain theory and brain models are the central topics of neurocytology. At present, the research on brain models mainly focuses on simulating specific brain structures, among which the research on the cerebellum and visual system is the most in-depth."

"But due to the complexity of the brain, this work is only just beginning. It might not even be the beginning yet!"

Song Yi extracted the two topics Fang Ziye mentioned and analyzed them one by one: "Sensory biophysics is the study of the biophysical mechanisms of the structure and function of sensory organs and the nervous system."

"The main contents include: ① How humans and animals perceive the surrounding world; ② How the brain stores and utilizes information; ③ How to plan and execute actions in response to the external environment; ④ How to learn from past experiences to change one's behavior; ⑤ How to focus on one sense while excluding others; ⑥ How thinking is generated, and how judgments and decisions are made..."

"These are all theoretical things."

"Brother Ye, what you need to do is research on spinal cord injury repair. Your main focus should be on reconnecting information transmission. How to re-emerge the function, rather than why this function is necessary or how to control it."

"Therefore, these two research directions are of no help to your project, Brother Ye!"

The so-called layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

A research direction has its own inherent theme and focus, and Song Yi directly and logically refuted Fang Ziye's previous conjecture.

Finding people in these two research areas won't provide any real help for your project.

Fang Ziye loved talking to smart people: "Brother Yi, do you have any ideas?"

"Any idea is welcome."

Upon hearing this, Song Yi frowned deeply.

He shook his head: "If I had to choose, bioelectromagnetics in biophysics might be helpful for this research."

"This research direction is an emerging interdisciplinary research field that studies the interaction between non-ionizing electromagnetic waves (fields) and biological systems at different levels and their applications. It mainly involves electromagnetic field and microwave technology and biology."

"This research direction has three important research contents, which are somewhat related to your topic, Brother Ye."

"1. Biological effects of electromagnetic fields: studying what happens to biological systems under the influence of electromagnetic fields (waves); 2. Mechanisms of biological effects: studying why certain things happen under the influence of electromagnetic fields (waves); 3. Bioelectromagnetic dosimetry: studying under what conditions certain things happen."

Song Yi had never done any research in these areas; he had only read books and had a basic understanding of them.

The answer given to Fang Ziye at this moment was merely a general recitation based on his existing knowledge.

If Song Yi has gone into depth, then he must have conducted some basic experiments. Only after doing so can he have the right to speak on the matter.

Song Yi was merely reciting a book; he was only providing theory.

But to Fang Ziye, these things held a different kind of revelation—

"Can the micro-current stimulation generate micro-waves or micro-electric fields that stimulate the regeneration of local nerve channels?" Fang Ziye's eyelids blinked rapidly, as if he had suddenly come to terms with something.

Nowadays, knowledge is relatively abundant for individuals; no one can be proficient in multiple disciplines at the same time.

If someone claims to be an expert, their understanding of expertise will be different from yours.

The knowledge that Song Yi provided was all existing, not original to him, but these things were precisely Fang Ziye's blind spots in knowledge.

Even if it has a wide range of reading materials, there are still places in the house that it cannot access.

Fang Ziye will definitely never be able to read all of these things in his life.

When Fang Ziye stared at Song Yi, Song Yi himself became a little flustered and explained, "Brother Ye, no one else has given me any inside information."

In Song Yi's view, the current situation is one of mutual consent between Fang Ziye and him!
In reality, Song Yi knew he was there to take advantage of the situation.

The quality of Fang Ziye's current research group's projects is among the highest in the world.

If Fang Ziye were to spread the word, countless people would be willing to join him, and even more would be willing to swallow their pride and contact him privately to try and gain experience.

Otherwise, Song Yi would have contacted Fang Ziye directly instead of having his teacher, Professor Duan Hong, act as a middleman! "No, Song Yi, you misunderstood. I was just thinking about what you just said."

"Our research group is currently only exploring the phenomenon of treatment!"

"The phenomenon of treatment can only be linked to the effectiveness of a certain treatment method in a one-way manner, but it cannot know why the treatment method is effective."

"If you want to fully understand the principles behind a treatment, you have to start from the basics."

“We also want to know not only what it is, but also why it is!” Fang Ziye’s voice was cautious.

Currently, many clinicians know what to do, but not why.

While it can be used, it can never go any further beyond what it can be used. This is the true meaning of scientific research.

Scientific research takes many forms, one of which is "hypothetical research," which involves summarizing and analyzing other people's research projects, resulting in purely data-driven, assembly-line articles.

Articles of meta-analysis and systematic review fall into this category. They are merely theoretical discussions and do not contribute much to the development of the discipline. They are simply secondary analyses based on existing data.

What is truly crucial and important is the breakthrough in fundamental theory.

Even if Fang Ziye's research on the phenomenon that spinal cord injury can be treated is not as valuable as the research on the underlying principles and logic of spinal cord injury treatment, it is still far more valuable than the actual research on the phenomenon of spinal cord injury treatment.

This is the most important thing!
Upon hearing Fang Ziye's explanation, Song Yi became quite frank: "Fang Ziye, your ambitions are quite grand."

The research on spinal cord injury treatment could elevate Fang Ziye to the top of the domestic scientific research community, and even the world's medical research community, but it may not win him the highest scientific research award.

Generally speaking, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded only to those who have made significant contributions to basic scientific research and made major discoveries.

Even with Mr. Yuan's hybrid rice, he was merely a master of application, not the originator of hybridization theory. Therefore, it is regrettable that, given the nature of the Nobel Prize, he was not fortunate enough to receive the Nobel Prize.

Undoubtedly, Mr. Yuan's achievements could have freed hundreds of millions of people from hunger. In terms of contributions, the discoveries and contributions of most Nobel Prize winners are not as significant as those of Mr. Yuan.

But that's the scientific community, the real scientific community, they don't accept phenomena that are hard to explain!
The "depression point" in Traditional Chinese Medicine is also located here.

Some people in the "traditional Chinese medicine community" even claim that modern science is extremely materialistic and lacks respect for some ignorant phenomena.

……

"Brother Yi, it's not impossible to dream, is it? You can have anything when you're asleep. Everyone else can dream, so why can't I?"

"To be thinking about something without being enslaved by it is to be awake."

At this point, Fang Ziye extended a relatively sincere invitation: "Brother Yi, let me be honest with you. For me, the discovery that spinal cord injuries can be treated is a good thing."

"It's also a very happy thing that they can bring good news to patients and truly help them stand up."

"So, after I discover the phenomenon and summarize the corresponding relationships, I will apply it to clinical practice."

"However, I am also someone who likes to get to the bottom of things. I not only want to discover this phenomenon, but I also want to explain and analyze it!"

"These are the two biggest pillars of my scientific research."

"One is the occurrence and development of tumors, and the other is the current spinal cord injury and the various functional impairments associated with it."

"Brother Yi, would you be willing to join my research group and work with me on this?"

Fang Ziye emphasized: "So far, you are the second member of our research group, and I am the first!!"

Upon hearing this, Song Yi paused for a moment, his tone slightly surprised: "Didn't I hear that many professors in your hospital are working on spinal cord injury research with you?"

Fang Ziye gently shook his head: "Song Yi, I'll call you that formally for now."

“Song Yi, you and I are not like them; youth is our greatest strength.”

"This is not a project that can be developed in five or ten years. Which of our professors can afford to wait that long?"

"Even if they could afford to live, would they have that much energy?"

"Can they dedicate that much time?"

"Why should research teams be as young as possible? Song Yi, you shouldn't be asking me that!!!"

Fang Ziye raised his voice and tone: "Research teams are built generation after generation."

"A generation passes away, and they're gone... That's the power of time..."

Fang Ziye never denies the achievements and contributions of his predecessors, but he also does not blindly worship them.

Fang Ziye pondered why Professors Qiu Zhenghua and Gu Yuandong didn't get involved in their own research on bone tumor treatment.

Even if it's just to lend my name.

Fang Ziye had thought about this problem for a long time, going back to the most superficial factor: age.

Neither of them are the type to seek fame or recognition; the achievements they deserve have already been bestowed upon them.

Since we can't put in enough effort, why add another layer of blame to the young team, making them share the credit?

People have to accept getting old!
Their golden age has passed, and they are bound to fall behind the times.

Even if they have excellent research topics, they may not be able to endure the challenges due to their physiological age.

To put it bluntly, if they were to actually join the team, they would be doomed if the project failed.

Research on spinal cord physiology is not something that can be accomplished in five or twelve years.

Re-evaluating the most basic laws governing the occurrence and development of orthopedic tumors, and redefining the types and understanding of tumors, is something that can be accomplished in just a few years.

How much does Fang Ziye look down on so many of his peers and seniors around the world?
Cancer treatment has entered a plateau for forty years!
Forty years is enough to bury a generation.

Even though he was just a 20-year-old kid forty years ago, he's now over sixty, older than Wang Xinghuan and the others!

This plateau period of forty years was filled with a large group of people who lived mediocre lives, none of whom made it into the annals of history, and none of whom could reignite the field of oncology...

When Song Yi heard Fang Ziye so realistically extract the biggest flaws of Wang Xinghuan and others, he felt a sense of loneliness and isolation.

Getting older.

This is a fact, but such a fact has long been faded with the passage of time. In reality, people talk more about being vigorous in old age.

An old house where a treasure.

Many universities and research teams are proud of having a few old-fashioned researchers in their groups.

Few people nowadays say that having a young team is a wonderful thing.

“Fang Ziye…” Song Yi looked at Fang Ziye, his voice trembling slightly.

Fang Ziye said, "The words are a bit rough, and the reasoning is a bit arrogant."

"But the most fundamental thing is often this violent; they can't wait, they can't endure it, that's the truth."

"The golden age for these professors was ten years ago. If they were lucky enough to catch the golden opportunity, they already benefited from the times. If they didn't, the current opportunities don't belong to them."

"this is the truth."

“Basic scientific research is slightly different from purely theoretical disciplines such as mathematics and physics. In these disciplines, a flash of inspiration may solve a major problem.”

"But in the field of applied basic research, besides having flashes of inspiration, there also needs to be time for waiting and adjustment..."

"By the time we see them emerge, we will be old, in our forties or fifties, or even sixties, or perhaps just old men."

"Brother Yi, we are all growing up. At thirty, we stand firm; at forty, we are free from doubt; at fifty, we know our destiny."

"The ancients explained all of this very clearly long ago; we were just reading about it before, but now we are truly experiencing these principles."

"A person's life is very short, so short that there are only a few opportunities and not enough time to focus on a few things."

"In my entire life, there are only three or four research topics I truly want to pursue!!!"

“I don’t know how far I can go,” Fang Ziye said.

If you befriend someone for personal gain, they will reciprocate with their own benefit.

Only by treating people with sincerity can you win their hearts back.

This is the most traditional form of barter, only the basic form has changed.

Fang Ziye has now reached a point where talent is rare, and with good teammates, there is no reason for him to back down.

Even though Song Yi has already made his choice!

But what does it matter that the contract has been signed? It's not like my company can't afford the breach of contract fee!
Thinking of this, Fang Ziye said again, "Brother Yi, as long as you come, I'll talk to Professor Duan."

"I will take responsibility for the penalty for breach of contract."

"As long as you come!"

It wasn't that Fang Ziye didn't care about Song Yi; it was just that Fang Ziye himself didn't have the means to care about others.

Fang Ziye himself was only half-baked, with no money or power, and couldn't even afford to feed himself, so he had to rely on loans.

He said to Song Yi at that time, "You want to work with me? My future is limitless."
Want to eat fart!

But now, Fang Ziye himself is money, and he is the representative of scientific research power!

Leaving aside distant examples, in the Central China region alone, Fang Ziye's team is now no weaker than any other medical team, regardless of the discipline. Fang Ziye believes this to be true!
This is not an exaggeration, but a fact, based on facts, and not just empty promises.

"Brother Ye, don't be in such a hurry. Let me think about it carefully," Song Yi replied with a smile.

"Of course there's no rush. You need to think it over carefully."

"After all, this kind of choice is even more cautious than choosing a job. Once you step into it, it's not something you can 'get out' in a few years!"

"Instead of agonizing over whether to run away later, you should think carefully now about whether you want to fall into this trap."

"After all, many people who are considered geniuses don't end up being crowned geniuses because they don't produce enough output. In the process of trying to force their way into new fields, they get hurt and start to doubt their life choices..." Fang Ziye's tone was serious and helpless.

Leaving aside other fields, in the field of mathematics alone, countless geniuses have been trapped by a major conjecture.

And despite attempts to dissuade them, many still follow in their footsteps, continuing to escape the aura of genius, until they live out their lives in obscurity.

This was Fang Ziye's first time poaching someone in the strictest sense, and he didn't know if his methods were appropriate.

While it may seem like there's no "pie in the sky," it actually paints the biggest and roundest pie in the sky. Basically, anyone with some talent and ambition has little resistance to such a pie.

Although Fang Ziye believed that he had the panel and a great chance to help Song Yi take off.

However, the confidence expressed at this time was exactly the same as the 'guarantees' of other big shots, without any particularly detailed factual basis.

Selling the future is always a pipe dream.

Choices are also crucial and important; one wrong step can ruin your entire life.

The process of eating barbecue becomes quite subtle.

Although Song Yi appeared not to have made a choice, he had actually made a biased choice because during the meal, he intentionally or unintentionally asked Fang Ziye how to respond to Professor Duan Hong.

After all, Professor Duan Hong mentored him for three years, and the resources he received, along with the support from his fellow students, were all substantial.

Fang Ziye said, "Song Yi, I understand what you mean."

“I’ve been through the same stage as you, so I can offer you another possible approach.”

"That's about being true to yourself and giving back!"

"For me, Zhongnan Hospital has helped me a lot and has been very kind to me. Many teachers have given me what they could."

"But even now, I will still choose to give away some things, and I have a clear conscience!"

"Because what I left behind was all good, and what I gave back to the past can be considered a fair return for their nurturing of me!"

"Once a debt of gratitude is established, it can never be fully repaid, such as from parents or teachers."

"If you can't pay it off, don't even think about paying it off. Just pay it off."

"Judging by intentions, not by actions!" Fang Ziye said frankly.

Because that's exactly what Fang Ziye did.

The root cause remains the same: can anyone truly repay the debt of gratitude owed to their parents for raising them?
(End of this chapter)