Surgery Godfather - Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Chapter 0170: Establishing Cooperation

Private dining, with fine wines and great food, a bit of a tacky name, but it is a famous high-end private dining establishment in G City.

Located on the fifth floor of a luxury office building, it’s in a busy area, but its privacy is excellent.

The owner is a Chaoshan person, surnamed Fan, hailing from the same hometown as Cheng Liquan. They are very close and Old Cheng often arranges important business dinners here.

Mr. Fan was formerly the head chef of a well-known hotel in Hong Kong. He had won many awards and had a high reputation in the food industry. Later, he came to G City to start his own business, opening this gourmet studio.

The place is small, with only six private rooms, but the business is quite good. It is said that many famous artists from Hong Kong have dined here, such as Tony Leung and Carina Lau.

The restaurant is decorated in an elegantly simple style, luxurious but not ostentatious, low-key yet highly tasteful.

With redwood furniture, high-quality linen tablecloths, and ebony chopsticks, each detail pursues perfection, revealing the owner’s meticulous care.

The ingredients are also genuinely top-notch. Those who come here to eat are not short of money and are particularly choosy. If any fake goods are used to fool them, it would ruin the restaurant’s reputation and bring about greater loss than gain.

Guided by the enthusiastic waiters, the several guests were seated.

“What wine would you like? Remy Martin?” Old Cheng asked warmly and considerately.

The wine cabinet was filled with high-end wines, available for anyone to pick. In such a situation, there was no need to consider the cost. The focus was on how to appear generous, how to show sincerity to the others, and how to make them feel honored and respected.

“Brother Yang doesn’t drink alcohol,” Su Nanchen explained for Yang Ping.

“Apple cider vinegar, perhaps?” suggested Yang Ping.

Apple cider vinegar was not available here, so Mr. Fan immediately ordered the waiter to go out and buy some.

Private dining is not typically ordered à la carte or chosen freely by diners. Instead, the chef arranges the dishes a day in advance according to the guests’ tastes.

Out of courtesy, Boss Cheng handed the pre-prepared menu to Yang Ping to review, to avoid causing offence with any dietary restrictions or other taboos.

Yang Ping glanced briefly over it, each dish should be quite expensive, needing at least three to two thousand per head. Having reviewed it, Yang found no objections.

The waiter had already bought the apple cider vinegar, Tiandi No.1, and was arranging it on the table whilst the food was being prepared in the kitchen.

“Shall we all drink the same?” Su Nanchen suggested.

Boss Cheng agreed, following Yang’s preferences entirely.

“Young Master Su, if it wasn’t for Dr. Yang today, I, Old Cheng, would’ve embarrassed myself.” Boss Cheng shook his head in shame, still shaken. He was a businessman who was caught off guard by the underhanded schemes of his adversaries – he nearly got stabbed in the back.

Laughing, Su Nanchen said, “Then you’ll have to thank Brother Yang thoroughly later on!”

If not drinking alcohol, then, by all means, have several more glasses of apple cider vinegar.

One by one, the dishes were brought up – caviar with wheat fragrance in egg jelly, a taste of freshness, crispy-skinned ginseng, avocado with bird’s nest, consommé snail slices, cheese-flavored black sausages, peony shrimp sashimi, and Wagyu beef–

It seems that the restaurant mainly serves Chaoshan cuisine. The chef, who is also the owner, Mr. Fan, personally came out to greet Boss Cheng and other guests, introducing the ingredients and selling points of each dish. He then raised a glass of apple cider vinegar to toast Yang Ping and Su Nanchen, expressing gratitude for their patronage.

It is said that before Mr. Fan became a chef, he had worked in the chemical industry. Later, he applied his knowledge of chemistry to cooking and developed his own unique culinary methods through practice and research. The famous footballer, Beckham, once invited Mr. Fan to cook at his home.

“Brother Yang!” Su Nanchen invited Yang Ping to start eating.

Yang Ping picked up a piece of Wagyu beef with the public chopsticks to taste. The reputation was well deserved. The chef had brought out the best in the dish’s color, aroma, and taste, capturing the taste buds relentlessly.

“Indeed worthy of its reputation!” Yang Ping praised.

Everyone started eating and took turns giving compliments, making Mr. Fan, who was standing on the side, feel very proud.

“Dr. Yang, Young Master Su is here. If you don’t find my place too basic, let’s cooperate in the future. You can come over frequently to give instructions on surgeries and help guide my team,” Boss Cheng hastily suggested, testing the waters.

Holding matchmaker, Su Nanchen chimed in, “Brother Yang, aside from everything else, Boss Cheng is definitely an upright person. He does business by the rules and doesn’t engage in underhanded tactics.”

Yang Ping also saw through their intention, he picked up the apple cider vinegar and said, “Considering what Brother Su said and honoring the admiration of Boss Cheng, if there is a need in the future, just give a shout. I will be at your disposal.”

“Perfect, Dr. Yang is straightforward. Regarding the cost, you are free to charge as you wish. Your surgery, no matter the cost, is all worth it.” Boss Cheng strike while the iron was hot, he believed that Yang Ping would not set his own price, and even if he did, he wouldn’t aim too high.

As the intermediary, Su Nanchen naturally thought it was best for him to broach cost, “What about charging the same as Professor Ye?”

Although he didn’t have the fame of Professor Ye, his surgical skills were superior, plus he was young and had plenty of energy to help train talents. Proposing such a price wouldn’t be excessive.

“Done deal, we’ll go with Professor Ye’s price.” The price that Boss Cheng had in mind. He thinks a lower offer lacks sincerity.

Yang Ping waved his hand: “Professor Ye is a well-known professor nationwide, a bigshot in the industry. How can I possibly be on a par with him? How about I take a 50% discount.”

“That won’t do!” Boss Cheng didn’t expect Yang Ping to cut his own price. He feared he was being simply polite.

Yang Ping picked up his cup: “Boss Cheng, with Young Master Su as our intermediary, this partnership will be easy. Let’s not beat around the bush and there’s no need for further talk. We’re all friends here. Young Master Su told me you’re committed to running your hospital, which I value most. So let’s go with Professor Ye’s price at a 50% discount. Let that be settled.”

Seeing the determination in Yang’s statement, which didn’t sound like mere politeness, Su Nanchen immediately set the deal in stone: “50% discount it is. Old Cheng, there’s no need for more refusals.”

Yang Ping had his own considerations. While it’s true his skills are excellent, he’s just starting out and is not famous enough. Boss Cheng is willing to pay such a high price, and he can afford it, but this can impede Yang’s reputation buildup, and it’s not conducive to his career development. Money is not the aim here, and high prices will definitely decrease Boss Cheng’s profits, in turn downgrading his competitiveness in other areas.

“I will prepare the contract later. We will find a suitable time to meet and sign it. I am earnestly committed to making this hospital better, larger, and more successful. As for unorthodox methods, I always stay away from them. Young Master Su knows me well,” said Boss Cheng coming clean.

“Old Cheng, do you know? Before you, Yunjian had invited me several times to collaborate with him. I never agreed, do you know why?” Su Nanchen said.

Indeed, at that time when Su Nanchen was invited, he didn’t accept. Somehow later, Guan Sheng and Chen Ge joined in the cooperation, and with this connection, Professor Ye was also brought in.

“Their tactics are way too unorthodox, purely money-centric, we have different values,” Boss Cheng precisely identified the issue. Some unpleasant things were left unsaid, but everyone understood.

“There’s a saying ‘a gentleman loves money, and gets it righteously’. I, Su Nanchen, am a pragmatist, not a stickler to the old ways. But I have my principles. The thing I appreciate most about you, Old Cheng, is your commitment to running the hospital properly and avoiding all these haphazard actions.” Su Nanchen was speaking from his heart.

“Doctor Yang, since you’re a friend of Su Nanchen, I hope you won’t mind making another friend. I’m Cheng Liquan, a merchant, indeed a bit mercenary, but I am first and foremost a doctor by training, honest, clear-headed, and I act on good faith while adhering to our agreements,” said Boss Cheng, finishing his cup of apple vinegar in one gulp.

Yang Ping also finished his cup in one gulp. Su Nanchen on the side helped out with the atmosphere. Though it was apple vinegar, they managed to make it feel like they were drinking liquor together.

Dean Cai on the side helped pour the apple vinegar. Boss Cheng said: “Dean Cai, get the contract ready in these few days. Also, keep up with the supporting services. Anesthesiologists, surgical nurses, pick out the best ones dedicated to Doctor Yang. The two surgical nurses today were no good, pick two new ones.”

Yang Ping immediately said: “The ones today were fine; there’s no need to change them.”

He always thought that nurses have it tough, with a not so easy job. Seeing Boss Cheng’s attitude, there was evident dissatisfaction with today’s two nurses. If Yang Ping didn’t step out and affirm them, he worried Cheng might truly harm these two nurses’ careers.

“Alright! Stick with these two then. Dean Cai, also, everything else you know–” Boss Cheng was happy, the so-called ‘everything else’, simply meaning some operations and terms to help Yang Ping circumvent legal risks.

Without these, no one would be willing to cooperate with you. Only without worries about the future can someone go all in. Being continually concerned about this and that, a forced cooperation would not last long.

“Today, you truly scared Old Cheng out of his wits. I tell you, your drilling technique, it’s marvelous, just like a carving knife, sculpting out the intercondylar notch, drilling a few tunnels, implanting the tendon, building eight structures, balancing ten ligaments, everything adjusted perfectly in one go. I’m really impressed, I nearly fainted on the spot,” Boss Cheng exaggerated, describing the situation at that time.

Dean Cai did not see the surgery at that time, and was left clueless, completely baffled by Cheng’s description.

“You don’t understand, you didn’t see it. Once you watch one of Doctor Yang’s surgeries, you’ll understand. After doing surgeries for over a decade, I must say I’m truly humbled. We ought to call him Master Yang! Come on, let’s drink!” Boss Cheng, despite having vinegar instead of alcohol, was more excited than ever.

“We’re all brothers here; there’s no need to call me Master Yang,” Yang Ping corrected him.

They all chatted over lunch, drinking several cups of apple vinegar. The partnership was swiftly set up to everyone’s satisfaction.

With technical support from Yang Ping, Boss Cheng is now confident in facing competitors. The lingering issue has been resolved.

Su Nanchen now has an additional platform and opportunity to learn. In the future, he can frequently visit here and learn surgery techniques from Yang Ping. At the affiliated hospital, it’s fine to invite Yang Ping to perform surgery once in a while, but it wouldn’t be possible to invite him frequently, due to way too many ill-considered factors.

As for Yang Ping, it’s a win-win situation. He can increase his earnings, expand his network, and spread advanced surgical methods. For his department, it’s a reputation boost, expanding the network of relationships, and raising its prestige in the industry.

That’s just how a department’s brand is built. When industry professionals and a large number of patients recognize you, the brand naturally establishes itself.

At the end of the meal, Dean Cai secretly asked Boss Cheng if he should arrange for a high-end place for them to relax and unwind.

Boss Cheng was a sharp person, and knew how to handle different types of people. His eyes slightly narrowed.

Though he was unfamiliar with Yang Ping’s likes and dislikes, he could reference Su Nanchen. Birds of a feather flock together.

Boss Cheng waved his hand: “No!”

He suddenly felt sober. It was daytime, not evening yet. What was he thinking? Boss Cheng staring at Dean Cai, has he drunk stupid from the vinegar?

“Shall we find another place to continue drinking tea?” Boss Cheng suggested.

“I won’t, I still have some things to take care of and need to head back,” Yang Ping declined.

“Yang has other commitments, we’ll get together another time! Thank you, Boss Cheng, for today’s hospitality.” Su Nanchen helped Yang Ping make an exit.

Boss Cheng did not insist: “You are much too polite, it’s just a simple meal. Alright, let’s get together next time!”