Inside the restaurant.
"Backdoor connections?"
Leonard recalled the past, his emotions stirring as he slapped the table. "Yes! That's a perfect analogy! They used backdoor connections!"
"They?"
Adam pressed for clarification.
"There were dozens of us interning together back then," Leonard reminisced. "I was widely recognized as the most skilled, yet over twenty years later, I'm still just an attending physician. Meanwhile, three people from that group became department heads early on.
Why?
Was I not as good as them?
Yes and no..."
"Hmm?"
Ross couldn't help but interject. "What do you mean, 'yes and no'? If they were more capable, wouldn't it be natural for them to become department heads? Haha."
"What do you know?"
Leonard shot him a disdainful look. "In medicine, skill isn't just about talent and effort—it's about opportunity!"
"Are you saying they used backdoor connections to take the opportunities that should have been yours?"
Adam suddenly understood, his expression darkening.
"Exactly!"
Leonard took a swig of straight whiskey and sneered. "Back in medical school, I was the hardest-working and most talented student. Among the interns, I had the best technical skills. Every time we did rounds, I was the most well-prepared. By all logic, I should have had the most opportunities to enter the operating room, right?"
"Right."
Adam nodded.
When interns train under senior doctors, the attending physicians are supposed to reward the most capable ones with opportunities to assist in surgeries. Bedside rounds, where interns answer on-the-spot questions, are a crucial way to prove themselves.
"At first, that's exactly how it worked."
Leonard smirked bitterly. "I was the first to enter the operating room and performed flawlessly. But later, my opportunities became fewer and fewer. It wasn't because I wasn't good enough—it was because three of my fellow interns, two women and one man, 'stood out' in a different way.
One seduced the attending physician in cardiothoracic surgery.
One seduced the attending physician in neurosurgery.
And one seduced the attending physician in pediatric surgery.
At first, they were discreet about it. But soon enough, they were openly following their 'boyfriends' into the operating room.
The surgical opportunities that were meant to be earned through merit? They took most of them this way."
"OMG!"
Monica and the others gasped in shock.
Adam frowned. "Isn't that considered bribery? Isn't it against the rules?"
"It is sexual bribery, and yes, it's against the rules," Leonard scoffed. "But no one investigates it, and no one dares to report it.
These attending physicians are valuable assets to the hospital—their hands generate massive revenue.
And what are interns? Just disposable laborers who can be replaced at any time. Who would stand up for them?
Even if you report it, they'll just say you're not as talented as them. Isn't it fair to give more opportunities to the best candidates?
No matter how gifted and hardworking you are, you're still just a newcomer. If an attending physician wants to shut you down, they can just throw a complex case at you. If you can't answer, you'll be labeled as incompetent.
Meanwhile, those 'couples' who sleep together already know the answers in advance and can respond flawlessly. What can you do?
The hospital might not outright defend them, but they certainly won't punish the attendings.
And your career? It's over. No one wants to mentor a 'troublemaker' who doesn't follow the unspoken rules."
"OMG!"
"This is insane!"
"Even doctors do this?"
Monica and the others were stunned, unable to believe what they were hearing.
"Oh, come on."
Ross couldn't help but argue. "Even if this is true, if you're really that good, I don't believe you wouldn't eventually rise to the top."
"You can rise to the top,"
Leonard said contemptuously, "but it takes much longer.
In big hospitals, even becoming an attending physician is tough, let alone a department head.
If you fall behind, even slightly, by the time you've built up your skills and experience, all the good positions will already be taken.
Major hospitals and top departments attract the best patients—something smaller hospitals can't compete with.
And those in key positions get to choose the best, most innovative, and most high-profile surgeries. When they succeed, their reputation grows, and their status becomes even more secure.
No matter how talented or hardworking you are, by the time you've accumulated enough experience, you'll still be stuck behind them.
Surgeons need to continuously learn and practice new techniques, but if you're not in a top position, you won't get access to the latest procedures. Most surgeries will already be picked by the department heads, so you'll never surpass them.
Your only hope is to wait for them to retire or have some unfortunate accident. Otherwise, your best bet is to leave for a smaller hospital and hope for better opportunities there."
"Did those three all become department heads?"
Adam's face darkened.
"Cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, and pediatric surgery all fall under the surgical division.
The three of them competed for dominance, but in the end, Richard won—he's now the head of surgery at the medical center!"
**(For the full chapter, visit 69Shuba!)**
Leonard sneered. "The other two, after losing the internal struggle, left for different hospitals. Thanks to the skills and reputation they built at the medical center, they eventually became department heads elsewhere."
"Hey, Adam, there's no need to worry,"
Joey joked. "You've got the looks—just follow the success formula. Find a beautiful boss and seduce your way up! Pediatric surgery is full of female doctors, right? Since it was two women and one man, that guy must have seduced a female attending in pediatrics!"
"Haha."
Leonard laughed. "Pediatrics does have a lot of female doctors, but in my cohort, the one who 'seduced' their way up was a man. And Glenn? He's straight."
"A male doctor?"
Joey froze. Then he wiggled his fingers, widened his eyes, and gasped.
"You mean… a male doctor?!"
"OMG!"
"That's some serious sacrifice."
"He really went that far just to climb the ladder?"
"Poor Adam~"
Monica and the others gasped again. These revelations were shattering their worldviews. They couldn't help but feel sorry for Adam, who had chosen this career path.
"Of course, this isn't always the case,"
Leonard patted Adam on the shoulder and sighed.
"Adam, you just have to hope that no one in your cohort is willing to go that far. Otherwise, you might actually have to consider Joey's advice."
He gestured toward Joey.
"You know I'm right~"
Joey grinned smugly, nodding with pride.
"In that case, I'd rather be like you, Leonard—relying on my talent and hard work to climb up the ranks,"
Adam smiled, suppressing his frustration.
"Even if I never become a department head, as long as I'm a skilled attending physician who saves lives, that's enough for me."
The group collectively rolled their eyes.
That flattery was way too obvious.
Adam ignored them.
Joking aside, medical school tuition is expensive, and most students graduate with massive debt.
Everyone is desperate to get ahead. He couldn't afford to rely on their 'integrity.'
As for selling his body? That wasn't who he was.
And who knows what kind of person he'd even end up with?
Besides, he had better options, didn't he?
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