Medical Center.
Dr. Gray's Office.
"Christina?"
Adam shot her a glance, paused to think, and then realized, "That's right."
"It's not just that," Christina quickly added, clearly uneasy with his look. "Recording the director's commentary version would actually be a big plus for you."
Liz and the others stared at her in disbelief, while only Meredith wore an expression that said she'd expected nothing less from her overly competitive best friend. Originally, their idea was simply born out of not being able to keep up—but Christina insisted on spinning it as something that benefits everyone.
Sigh… isn't living like this exhausting?
"You mean…?"
Unlike the others, Adam immediately caught on to what Christina was implying.
"Exactly."
Christina nodded.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Liz snapped, "Just say it already—no riddles!"
Adam ignored her remark and smiled. "I'll handle buying the cameras and all that gear. I know the fastest and best options."
"That works," Christina shrugged. "After all, you're loaded."
It wasn't late, but after a while the conversation died down and everyone went their separate ways.
---
Apartment
"So, what extra benefit do you get out of this?" Bianca asked as she turned around.
"You sure know how to pick a time," Adam chuckled.
"Come on, spill it!"
Under Bianca's relentless prodding, Adam let out a long sigh. "Christina's meaning is pretty obvious. Look around—the number of doctors eager to join is only growing. This off-the-cuff idea is already gaining traction."
"Mmm."
Bianca nodded. "I've already had a bunch of people reach out to me to make connections so they can join."
"Exactly." Adam continued, "We all know this kind of opportunity doesn't come around often. But we still underestimated how valuable it is. For me, it's not just a chance to quickly learn from a legendary doctor—it's a stage to boost my own reputation."
"A stage?"
Bianca was taken aback.
"Exactly," Adam said with a grin. "It's basically the same as riding the wave of a hot trend. Dr. Gray is a huge name in medicine, right? Imagine—someone like her gets diagnosed with Alzheimer's. That's explosive news! Even when it gets so bad she can't recognize her own children or partner, she still clings passionately to the complexities of medicine. It's both heart-wrenching and inspiring. And now, by continuing to shine a light on the field in this way, doesn't it make her story even more moving?
"Think about it: her influential colleagues, formidable rivals, adoring fans, and generations of doctors who've studied her techniques—wouldn't they all be intrigued by a tape of the director's commentary? The answer is a resounding yes. Soon enough, a whole bunch of our peers in the field will scramble to get their hands on these tapes. Isn't that the hottest topic in medicine? It might even cause a sensation beyond our circles."
It's just like how celebrity offspring have a much easier shot at stardom than ordinary people. Celebrities come with built-in attention—everyone's watching. As long as you've got decent credentials, your starting point is already high. And if you add a couple of extra talents, you're a guaranteed rising star. After a few high-profile events with all the big names, if you don't mess up, you could catapult straight into first-tier stardom.
Alice Gray is the supernova of the medical world, and Adam—the trend-hopping "star kid"—not only holds his own but shines brilliantly. Once these tapes get out, they'll work like an unstoppable promotional machine.
"I get it."
Bianca practically shouted, "With the way you interact with Dr. Gray, once these tapes start circulating, everyone in the medical community will see your talent—and you'll be recognized by all."
He chuckled happily. "Once this goes through, the benefits will be endless. In the US, reputation is everything."
After years of residency training, doctors have to take the board exam to become attending physicians. Once you clear all the hurdles, you end up flying around the country, trying to get hospitals to hire the new you. A rookie attending without a name can only keep traveling, always scrambling for interviews. Big hospitals rarely take on newcomers, and the small ones aren't even appealing—small hospitals just don't have the facilities for the surgeries you're eager to perform. They all get referred to the big hospitals. Imagine how brutal that reality is for an ambitious doctor. It's exhausting and painful, and in the end, you're likely to get a harsh reality check. Maybe you'll end up wasting your whole career in a small hospital.
(The hottest gossip originally broke on 69book!)
When the economy tanks, small hospitals struggle to stay afloat—and there's always the risk of layoffs. Even if you finally manage to jump to a big hospital, you have to start over: learning new protocols, getting used to the latest equipment and techniques. And when times are tough, big hospitals start cutting staff, and you're often one of the first to go. By then, most doctors are middle-aged, and to avoid unemployment they have to force a smile and beg the hospital for a lucky break—just to keep hustling. It's a miserable state.
But for someone like Adam, it's a completely different story. As the residency at the Medical Center winds down—even if he hasn't secured his attending license yet—major hospitals across the country will start reaching out months, even a year or two in advance. Expect holiday gifts you never miss, random bouquets sent your way, and even flights booked just to treat you to a fancy dinner. Hospital chiefs or dedicated recruiters will eagerly persuade you, heap praise on you, and promise you salary and benefits that would make other attendings green with envy. Often, there will even be overt power plays—honey traps, sowing discord, and every classic tactic in the book—all aimed at snagging you for their hospital. After all, landing a star like you boosts their rankings, and hospital rankings mean patient resources. The strong get stronger, and the weak get left behind. It's a brutal, endless cycle.
For Adam and his peers, being treated like royalty is such a thrill that even the calmest person can't help but secretly enjoy it. Not to mention, he actually gets to choose the hospital and position he really wants. Remember, every position in a hospital is like a reserved slot—if there isn't an opening, even if you get in, you might not immediately become a department head. Take Dr. Leonard and Dr. Burke, for instance. Both are attending physicians in cardiothoracic surgery, but Dr. Burke is the head of the cardiothoracic section—a small division under the main surgical department at the Medical Center—so he calls the shots there. Theoretically, unless Dr. Leonard's own patients specifically seek him out, Dr. Burke runs the show in that department. That's the kind of resource that comes with the title.
Big hospitals in major cities have a siphon effect. Their resources far outweigh the slow process of building up your own patient base through word-of-mouth. Adam knows this all too well. Back when he was an online writer—a nobody, really—he cared about editors a hundred times more than his girlfriend, simply because they controlled the power of recommendation. A heavyweight recommendation could launch your career in an instant. In that scenario, how could you not love your editors, even if they drive you crazy? In his past life, Adam had no choice. But in this life, he's determined not to go through that again.
So building his reputation and flipping the power dynamics is his only choice. After all, who wants to struggle and spout clichés like "the tides turn—don't look down on the young" when you can simply pave your own way from the start? Because those thirty years could either be a miserable slog or the most rewarding ride of your life…