Gao Yuan brought this mindset back to his departnt. He started implenting Yang Ping’s surgical thods with more precise targeting, focusing more on the protection of soft tissues and emphasizing early postoperative rehabilitation. He reford the surgical process, optimized the rehabilitation plan, and introduced the overall concept of sports dicine. The surgical quality of the departnt significantly improved, and the proportion of patients returning to sports after surgery increased dramatically.
While Gao Yuan was learning from Yang Ping, a foreigner ca to the institute.
Robert, the director of the Sports dicine Departnt at the New York Special Surgery Hospital, chairman of the North Arican Arthroscopy Association, and one of the most influential figures in the global sports dicine field. In his early forties, with blonde hair and blue eyes, he had the typical deanor of an Arican elite.
The Special Surgery Hospital, HSS—what kind of place is it? It’s a global orthopedic cca, ranked number one in the United States for eleven consecutive years, with an annual volu of over ten thousand arthroscopic surgeries. It has the best equipnt in the world, ample funding, and the most comprehensive training system. Yet the departnt director of such a hospital actually ca to China to learn arthroscopy.
This news caused quite a stir in the hospital.
But Robert was serious. After seeing one of Yang Ping’s surgeries, he was amazed by the precision, fluency, and almost artistic execution. HSS has the best equipnt in the world, but Yang Ping’s skill—the kind of "feel" developed under relatively crude conditions—is sothing that cannot be learned at HSS. So, he brought a suitcase and moved into the dormitory of Sanbo Hospital, staying there for three months.
One day, as usual, Gao Yuan ca to see Yang Ping, opened the door to the training room, and saw a foreigner practicing arthroscopic operations in the corner, his movents awkward but determined. Yang Ping introduced, "This is Robert, the director of HSS, here to learn our techniques. This is Gao Yuan, the director of the Sports dicine Departnt."
Robert looked up, extending his hand, "Gao, I’ve heard Yang Professor ntion you, saying you work hard to learn the techniques."
Gao Yuan shook his hand, "Aren’t you doing the sa? The director of HSS, staying in a dormitory in China."
They exchanged a smile.
At that mont, they both knew they were kindred spirits—people who would give up everything for the sake of technique.
For those three months, Gao Yuan and Robert beca "classmates." They stood next to Yang Ping watching surgeries, practiced in the training room late into the night, discussed cases, and were scolded by Yang Ping for having "clumsy hands." Yang Ping treated them equally, not being more polite to Robert for being a foreigner, nor lenient to Gao Yuan for being a director.
"Robert, you got it wrong here," Yang Ping pointed at an anatomical specin, "The current mainstream thods do not adequately expose the posterior horn of the dial niscus, you need to use my new thod."
"Director Gao, your tension control is still not good," Yang Ping turned to Gao Yuan, "if the suture is too tight, the cartilage will necrotize; too loose, and it won’t heal well. This asurent depends on feel, it depends on practice."
The two directors, being trained like interns, yet they took it all gladly.
In the evenings, they often went out for late-night snacks together. At a skewer stand in a small alley near the hospital, two n in their forties talked about surgeries, talked about techniques, talked about their understanding of dicine, and drank beer.
"Gao, why did you study sports dicine?" Robert asked.
"Because I like it," Gao Yuan replied.
"Sa!" Robert raised his beer glass, "But not only that, I really enjoy the thrill of getting people back on the field. When you see soone standing on the field again because of your surgery, that sense of achievent... it’s like participating in another person’s life."
Gao Yuan smiled, "Enjoy?"
Robert earnestly replied, "Yes, enjoy!"
The three months passed quickly, and on the day Robert was leaving, Gao Yuan took him to the airport.
"Gao, in these three months, I’ve learned more than I did in the past ten years," Robert said, "It’s not just the techniques, it’s the attitude. Professor Yang taught that real techniques are honed under crude conditions and involve an extre pursuit of every detail."
"I feel the sa way," Gao Yuan said.
"Let’s beco sworn brothers," Robert suddenly proposed, "In your Chinese way, fellow disciples, for life."
Gao Yuan was montarily stunned, then gave Robert’s shoulder a firm pat, "Alright, brother."
"Brother!" Robert repeated fluently in Chinese.
After Robert returned ho, Gao Yuan maintained contact with him without interruption.
They had weekly video calls to discuss cases and share new techniques. Gao Yuan sent Robert Chinese case videos, including elbow injuries of ping pong players, rotator cuff tears of badminton players, and spinal stress fractures of gymnasts. Robert presented these cases on HSS’s stage, telling the world: Chinese doctors handle these injuries uniquely in the whole world.
"Gao, you should co to HSS," Robert said in a video call, "Not to study, but to exchange. Let them see what Chinese techniques are."
"I will," said Gao Yuan, "once I get my departnt up to speed."
Soon after, Gao Yuan officially submitted a cooperation application to HSS, not for further study, but to establish a sibling departnt relationship.
The process was unexpectedly smooth. Robert, as the director of the HSS Sports dicine Departnt, had absolute authority. He directly stated in the board eting, "Gao Yuan from Sanbo Hospital is my brother, and a student of Professor Yang. I have seen his skills with my own eyes. We don’t need assessnts, no need for tests, let’s cooperate directly."
The board asked, "Why?"
"Because I trust him," Robert said, "just like I trust myself."
From then on, the Sanbo Hospital Sports dicine Departnt and HSS beca sibling departnts. They visited each other annually, fighting side by side in each other’s operating rooms. When Robert ca to Sanbo, Gao Yuan showed him Chinese-specific cases; when Gao Yuan went to HSS, Robert handed over the most complex surgeries to him. They co-authored articles, set international standards together, and spoke at global sports dicine conferences.
Once, after finishing a conference in San Francisco, the two sat in a seaside bar drinking beer. Robert suddenly said, "Gao, do you know what I’m most grateful for?"
"What?"
"That year I went to China," Robert said, "If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have t Professor Yang, wouldn’t have t you, and wouldn’t have had today’s cooperation. HSS and Sanbo, two world-leading sports dicine centers, linked together because of one person’s decision."
"That person is you," Gao Yuan said, "You put aside your role as HSS Director to co to China as a student, sothing not everyone can do."
"You did it as well," Robert said, "You are a director, also a student of Professor Yang. We are the sa."
Gao Yuan raised his glass, "To Professor Yang."
"To Professor Yang!" Robert clinked glasses, "Also to our brotherhood! A hero appreciates another hero!"
Now, Gao Yuan stands at the window of the Sanbo Hospital Sports dicine Center, watching the bustling patients below.
This place is already a top dostic and internationally renowned sports dicine center, on par with Imperial dical University Third Hospital, and ranked alongside HSS as sibling departnts. Each year, more than a hundred doctors from ho and abroad co here for further training. The students he trained are spread across the entire country. So have beco departnt directors in other hospitals, so are serving ordinary sports injury patients in grassroots hospitals, and so have gone to national teams as team doctors. Every one of them carries what Gao Yuan taught them—not just the skills, but also the attitude.
The phone rings; it’s a video call from Robert.
"Gao, I’ll be in Nandu next week, bringing a new project," Robert’s face appeared on the screen.
"What project?" Gao Yuan asked.
"The global sports dicine training center jointly established by HSS and Sanbo, approved by the board," Robert said, "You’ll be the director."
Gao Yuan paused, "?"
"Of course you," Robert laughed, "Who else is more suitable? You are both a top surgeon and the best teacher. You understand Professor Yang’s skills the best. This center, which will rge the techniques of Sanbo and HSS to cultivate the world’s best sports dicine talents, no one but you can do it."
Gao Yuan was silent for a mont, then nodded, "Okay."
"Also," Robert put away his smile, "next month, I have a complex knee surgery to do. The patient had three previous surgeries; this will be the fourth. The joint is full of scar tissue, and the normal anatomical layers are completely indistinguishable. I want to invite you to New York as my consultant."
"Consultant?"
"Yes, your experience in complex revisions is richer than mine. On the operating table, I need you by my side, to tell : how to proceed here, how to handle things there."
Gao Yuan laughed, "I’ll definitely co, but you have to teach first. The new knee cartilage replacent technique you ntioned last ti, I haven’t learned it yet."
"Co to New York, I’ll teach you hand-to-hand," Robert said, "just like Professor Yang taught us back then."
After hanging up the phone, Gao Yuan returned to the simulator. On the screen, the virtual knee was still waiting, as he held the control handle, gently rotating his wrist.
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