Shen Xi saw the caller ID and realized it was Dr. Liao.
She immediately swiped to answer, "Dr. Liao, hello. What made you think of calling me?"
"Dr. Shen, is it because I call you too infrequently?" Liao Jing retorted, then burst into hearty laughter. "I wouldn't dare call you too often. If Mr. Qin found out, he might just chase me out of K City."
"Isn't that an exaggeration? If that were true, what kind of person would Qin Si Ye be? Could he be the emperor of K City?" Shen Xi said helplessly.
It seemed that incident had left a shadow in Liao Jing's mind.
"Hahaha. I'm just joking. Mr. Qin is actually a very good person. Didn't I get to work at the First People's Hospital thanks to his recommendation?" Liao Jing laughed and continued,
"I'm calling you today to invite you out for a gathering.
Most of them are Chinese medicine practitioners you know, and there's also a teacher from my university. She's in K City today for a symposium and is very eager to meet you."
Shen Xi hadn't intended to go. After all, she had left the hospital and had little contact with those TCM practitioners now.
However, upon hearing that Dr. Liao's university teacher would be there, she became a little hesitant.
She had seen in Liao Jing's resume that he had graduated from the Traditional Chinese Medicine department of a prestigious pharmaceutical university in China.
She herself had switched careers midway and was eager to get to know this university professor, so she agreed.
Actually, there was another reason she agreed to go: their gathering venue was also at the Getai Grand Hotel.
This way, if Yin Zhe suddenly had any special circumstances, she could keep an eye out. Moreover, after the gathering, she and her brother could return together.
When Shen Xi arrived at the private room Liao Jing had told her about, most of the people were already there. Some were from Ankang Hospital's Chinese medicine department, and others were from the First People's Hospital. They were all from the same circle, and Shen Xi basically knew everyone.
Only an elderly, kind-looking woman sitting at the head of the table and a fair-skinned, beautiful woman sitting next to Liao Jing were unfamiliar to Shen Xi.
As soon as they saw her appear at the door, everyone said, "Dr. Shen is here."
Liao Jing quickly stood up, a smile on his face, and invited her in. He then said to the elderly woman at the head of the table, "Teacher Ge, this is the internationally renowned physician Shen Xi, whom I mentioned to you."
He then turned to Shen Xi, "Dr. Shen, this is my university homeroom teacher, Teacher Ge."
Shen Xi quickly walked over and respectfully extended her right hand to her, "Teacher Ge, hello. I'm truly happy to have the opportunity to meet you."
Ge Jing also slowly stood up and clasped her hand. "Dr. Shen, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm also very happy to see you here.
I never imagined that you, so young, would make our Traditional Chinese Medicine shine on the international stage."
"Not at all, not at all. I only switched careers midway. How can I compare to the truly academically trained doctors present?" Shen Xi smiled modestly, maintaining her politeness.
She knew that in China, it was difficult to enter this profession without a professional undergraduate degree.
And her master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from abroad was not as strong as the domestic qualifications.
The reason she had achieved more than others was her passion and the extra time she spent researching it.
"Academic training or not, skills are what matter most," Ge Jing said wisely, speaking a fundamental truth.
For Traditional Chinese Medicine, a degree was one aspect, but if one's skills were good, even without a degree, one could still be highly sought after by opening a private practice if unable to enter the hospital system.
"Teacher Ge, please don't stand. Sit down and chat," Liao Jing suddenly said, then looked at Shen Xi. "Dr. Shen, the seat next to Teacher Ge is specially reserved for you, so please sit there."
"This might not be appropriate," Shen Xi glanced at the others. Many doctors present were older than her, and she felt it would be improper to sit in a prominent position.
"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Come, sit down quickly. They are all my students," Teacher Ge said with a smile, taking her hand and pulling her to sit beside her.
For a moment, she even thought, how wonderful it would be if Shen Xi were also her student.
Unfortunately, in her decades of teaching, no student had achieved such great success.
Upon hearing her words, Shen Xi's heart skipped a beat. All of them were her students?
No wonder she had faced so much exclusion when she first joined Ankang; it turned out they were all "in cahoots."
"Dr. Shen, you know everyone else. I need to introduce the person next to me separately. She is Qiu Dan, an attending physician in our hospital's internal medicine department, and my girlfriend."
At this moment, Liao Jing stood up again and pointed to the young and beautiful woman.