"Also, I have an idea. I’d like Director Cai and you, Li, from the Chinese Medicine Department, to communicate and exchange more. This way, we can make progress based on President Du’s information. If our two departments collaborate, we can offer patients an extra measure of hope."

Li Jianwei fell silent.

Ge Long’s suggestion was indeed a good idea, but he had some reservations about the Deputy Director Cai whom Ge Long mentioned. He felt a bit uneasy about him.

Most doctors who claim to practice the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are, in reality, just applying Western treatments under the guise of Chinese medicine. They’re essentially ’hanging a sheep’s head but selling dog meat.’ In Jinzhou, only the current tumor hospital has done a relatively good job with this integration. However, overall, it still primarily follows a structure where Western medicine is the mainstay and traditional Chinese medicine serves as a supplement.

Therefore, he was afraid that others might not fully understand Du Heng’s information and might apply it indiscriminately, potentially causing trouble.

Moreover, this information ultimately belonged to Du Heng. The young man’s willingness to share it with him was, on one hand, a sign of respect. On the other hand, it was an unspoken understanding between master and disciple, allowing Li to make progress and glean useful insights during this process.

But if he were to give this information directly to others, he would also have to respect Du Heng’s wishes.

After mulling it over, Li Jianwei looked at Ge Long and said, "How about this? The meeting is about to start. Let’s discuss this matter after it concludes, shall we?"

Ge Long naturally understood Li Jianwei’s implication, so he didn’t press Li Jianwei to agree on the spot. He simply nodded and returned to his seat.

In the subsequent meeting, Ge Long kept his word to Li Jianwei and indeed cast a vote for Du Heng in the final nomination stage.

However, the selection for the Provincial Expert Database was quite different from the selection for a Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor.

The selection for Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor involved influential doctors and leaders from the Chinese medicine field. Du Heng’s achievements over the past few months had earned him considerable goodwill among these directors and experts. Coupled with Zhuo Mingde’s influence and Du Heng’s own considerable strength, he successfully passed despite his youth.

However, the voting for the Provincial Expert Database wasn’t solely decided by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. While Du Heng maintained good relationships with a few Western medicine doctors from certain hospitals, he had also deeply offended some Western medicine practitioners from other hospitals. Combined with his age and position, his overall qualifications weren’t particularly stellar. Furthermore, some people had reservations about Du Heng’s high profile on the internet. Consequently, he didn’t even pass the first round of nominations.

Of course, Li Jianwei wasn’t surprised by this; in fact, he had anticipated this outcome.

Just as he had told Du Heng on the phone earlier: Things need to be done one step at a time, just like eating a meal one bite at a time. There’s no need to rush; taking it slowly is fine.

And Du Heng himself, just as Li Jianwei had said, was handling the child’s treatment with great steadiness.

For five or six days, he patiently and steadily administered the first prescription, focusing on solidifying the child’s original yang. He only began the second phase of treatment once the child was completely out of danger.

At this moment, Du Heng, Doctor Ma, and others were in the office, discussing how to proceed with the second phase of treatment. Everyone was encouraged to express their opinions and share their thought processes; this was a sign of respect and a way for everyone to improve.

Du Heng listened very attentively, carefully noting down each person’s input. He identified the strengths and reasonable points, as well as areas where their thinking had strayed.

While he was taking notes, Du Heng’s mobile phone rang again. Seeing it was a call from Li Jianwei, he turned to Doctor Ma and whispered, "Could you take notes for me? I need to answer this call. You all continue."

Doctor Ma nodded and took Du Heng’s notebook, while Du Heng quickly stepped out of the office.

"Teacher, what’s up?"

"There are a couple of things I need to tell you." Li Jianwei, having just finished the meeting and returned to his car, immediately dialed Du Heng’s mobile phone. "Regarding today’s nomination for the Provincial Expert Database, you didn’t pass."

Du Heng had already anticipated this. In the medical profession, besides skill level being a key factor, seniority and hierarchy are also very significant. If he were over thirty-five and held a position at a Grade 3A hospital, he might have had some objections to not being selected. But in his current situation, regardless of how strong his backing was, he would have actually been surprised if he *had* been selected. So, he merely responded with a calm "Mm" and waited for Li Jianwei to continue.

Although Li Jianwei was already familiar with Du Heng’s temperament, Du Heng’s composure at this moment still pleased him greatly. "Let’s move on to the second matter. Director Ge from our hospital’s Hematology Department wants all the information regarding this child’s treatment. Should we give it to them?"

Li Jianwei then relayed what Ge Long had told him to Du Heng.

Du Heng agreed without much hesitation. Promoting effective traditional Chinese medicine treatments was something he had always been working on. Finally, he added, "Teacher, please make sure to explain clearly to Director Ge that this information is for reference only. It absolutely must not be applied rigidly or directly copied; that would be a fast track to disastrous, even fatal, outcomes.

"Furthermore, when it comes to the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, there are no shortcuts or easy answers for traditional Chinese medicine. It is crucial to adhere to the fundamental principle of being ’person-centered and employing treatment based on syndrome differentiation.’ Otherwise, it will be very difficult for traditional Chinese medicine to fulfill its potential, and it will continue to be relegated to an auxiliary role, lacking its unique advantages and characteristics."