Chapter 828: Who Is the Greater Genius?

Chapter 828: Chapter 828: Who Is the Greater Genius?

After the dishes were served, Ju Jiahong urged everyone to dig in while casually bringing up a topic. However, a lingering look of inquiry flashed in his eyes. "I heard from Director Zhong that aside from traditional Chinese medicine, Dr. Li also dabbles in hepatobiliary surgeries?"

"Yeah, just to kill time and broaden my horizons during my free time," Li Xu explained with a smile, picking up a slice of beef and putting it in his mouth. "Back when I was in the provincial capital, I bumped into a few seniors by chance and studied under them for a while."

Ju Jiahong was left speechless. A deathly silence instantly descended upon the private room. Liu Haohui almost spat out his tea.

Kill time? Studied for a while? Was he even speaking the language of mere mortals?

This was exactly the most insurmountable gap between top-tier geniuses. Generally speaking, the two students with the best grades—especially those who constantly competed for first and second place—rarely grew truly close unless they were lovers or confidants who supported each other. It was simply too uncomfortable.

In the past, Ju Jiahong had often put on the same "I just skimmed the book and got a perfect score" attitude in front of others. But now that he had suddenly encountered Li Xu, who was even more outrageous, he finally realized how terrible it felt to be utterly crushed in every aspect.

"Director Zhong said that your current skill level, Dr. Li... is already high enough to independently perform complex liver resection surgeries?" Ju Jiahong’s voice sounded a little hollow.

"I haven’t actually been the primary surgeon on my own yet," Li Xu answered honestly. "I’ve mostly assisted Director Zhong and the others as the first assistant or handled some of the critical parts."

Listening to their conversation, Liu Haohui completely understood. So Ju Jiahong was looking like a deflated balloon today not just because of the plaster dosage issue, but also because he had been triggered by that big mouth, Zhong Dongyang.

Li Xu didn’t just know surgery. Weren’t the bone setting and acupuncture skills he displayed in the emergency department absolutely top-tier in the industry? He was a well-rounded master of all trades, and the progress bar for every single one of his skills seemed to be maxed out.

Liu Haohui felt incredibly fortunate now that he had viewed Li Xu as an Immortal from the very beginning and never planned to compare himself to him. Lin Guorui was the first victim, and now it was Ju Jiahong’s turn. Liu Haohui figured that when they had the time, those two could really share notes on how to rebuild self-confidence from within Li Xu’s shadow.

"Dr. Li, Dr. Liu, Dr. Song..." Ju Jiahong picked up his teacup again, his expression much more solemn this time. "I’ll substitute tea for wine. I’m honored to have met the real Li Xu at this dinner today. A toast to the path of medicine."

"Thank you, Director Ju."

The four clinked their cups and downed their drinks.

Although they hadn’t had any alcohol, Liu Haohui figured that if there had been Moutai on the table today, Ju Jiahong definitely would have drank himself into a stupor. As his best friend, he knew Ju Jiahong’s personality too well. The man never praised others lightly because everyone he had met growing up had always been a step behind him. Yet over this meal, Ju Jiahong had complimented Li Xu’s brilliance at least three times. This proved that the tower of arrogance in his heart had already halfway collapsed.

After dinner, Liu Haohui accompanied a somewhat dazed Ju Jiahong out. Li Xu and Song Sisi strolled through the night in Feng City, heading toward the parking lot.

"I don’t know why, but watching Ju Jiahong sitting there just now actually made me pity him a little," Song Sisi said, turning her head to look at her boyfriend.

Li Xu paused, replying helplessly, "I was being modest the whole time today. I didn’t say a single harsh word."

"It’s exactly because you were too modest that it hurt even more." Song Sisi giggled. "That ’I just studied casually’ attitude of yours reaching heights that others spend their whole lives pursuing—for a hardworking genius like Ju Jiahong, it was simply a blow to the soul."

Li Xu smiled and didn’t say anything more. He actually thought highly of Ju Jiahong. If Feng City’s traditional Chinese medicine community only had one Li Xu, it would be a tragedy. But if there were more deeply knowledgeable leaders like Ju Jiahong who were willing to correct their mistakes, traditional Chinese medicine would have genuine hope.

By the time Ju Jiahong returned to his courtyard apartment in the southern suburbs, the moon was already hanging high above the treetops. Pushing the door open, he found the living room lights still on. On the sofa, Song Luojun was wearing his reading glasses, holding a book, and studying it carefully.

"Grandpa." Ju Jiahong stood in the entryway for a moment before calling out. He was genuinely surprised. As an expert from the Health Care Bureau, his grandfather usually had numerous social engagements. Coupled with his advanced age, he rarely stayed up at Ju Jiahong’s place this late at night.

Ju Jiahong had graduated from a prestigious university and worked in a core institution like Feng City People’s Hospital. At merely thirty-eight years old, he was already a chief physician. What did a thirty-eight-year-old chief physician mean in Feng City? It was practically the most enviable golden tier in the entire medical system, rivaled only by the direct descendants of a very few established medical families. The income, status, and connections at this level were more than enough to let him live extremely comfortably in the city. His apartment near the hospital had an excellent location and was elegantly decorated. Yet at this moment, seeing his grandfather sitting so calmly on the sofa, the composure he had desperately maintained at the dinner table finally crumbled.

"You’re back?" Song Luojun closed the Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Warm Pathogenic Diseases. Behind his reading glasses, his eyes revealed a clear, worldly wisdom.

"Yeah," Ju Jiahong replied, hiding the exhaustion in his eyes as he changed his shoes. "It’s so late. What brings you here in person? Mom mentioned this afternoon that you went to the provincial capital for a meeting."

"I was halfway through the meeting when I remembered something, so I came back early." Song Luojun pointed to the sofa opposite him. "Did you go see Li Xu? How did the chat go?"

Ju Jiahong gave a bitter smile and sat down on the opposite sofa. He sank into the soft leather cushions and let out a long sigh. "Grandpa, have you been keeping an eye on me these past few days? Why can’t I hide anything from you?"

Growing up, Ju Jiahong had always been Song Luojun’s pride and joy. Although the Song family had other children and nephews, this grandson was the only one who possessed true natural talent. Song Luojun had poured almost his entire life’s effort into cultivating him. But today, while sitting across from Li Xu, Ju Jiahong had felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation—not from any pressure Li Xu intentionally applied, but from the internal turmoil fueled by his own sense of inferiority.

"Dong Yongnian told me about what happened at the exchange conference," Song Luojun said, observing his grandson’s expression with a gentle tone. "What’s wrong? Having a hard time getting over it?"

"Not exactly," Ju Jiahong replied, staring at the teacup on the table with a despondent tone. "I just feel a bit conflicted. Grandpa, I always thought that even if I couldn’t match those renowned veterans in obscure and niche knowledge, my syndrome differentiation and dosage control were absolutely top-tier among my peers, or even among traditional Chinese medicine doctors ten years older than me. But today... I realized I was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong."