The room was extremely quiet. Soma Taku secretly observed Chi Feichi's reaction.
Previously in the laboratory, with other people present, he only felt that this student was a bit cold and had a strong, indifferent aura. However, Chi Feichi had always been very polite when speaking to him. Considering it might be a personality issue or the influence of his upbringing, it wasn't unacceptable.
But being alone together, the atmosphere was becoming a bit overwhelming for him.
He had thought Chi Feichi might be happy, might suppress his joy to remain calm, or might even be angry and refuse to accept it. But he never expected Chi Feichi to remain silent after reading it, making it impossible to tell what Chi Feichi was thinking.
The quieter the room became, the clearer the sound of flowing water outside became, and his heart sank lower and lower, as if a mountain pressing down on him was constantly gaining weight.
Chi Feichi withdrew his gaze from the document and looked up at Soma Taku in front of him.
In Japan, the retirement age for university professors is generally 65. Soma Taku was already 62. No matter how well he maintained himself, his hair was mixed with quite a few gray strands, and there were deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
"Professor Soma, do you think I cannot complete my graduation thesis?"
"No," Soma Taku guessed upon hearing this that Chi Feichi wouldn't agree to such a thing. However, Chi Feichi speaking up still made him breathe a sigh of relief. "With your level, completing the thesis is not difficult. In fact, judging from your research plan, you want to use specific data to make a breakthrough study on this topic, or at least, make a detailed and accurate summary of this aspect."
Speaking of academic matters, Soma Taku felt less nervous. However, worried that walls have ears, he still kept his voice very low. "As long as the thesis is completed, you would rank at least in the top three not just among students graduating early, but even among the seniors in the same year. But your thesis requires a lot of time. Given your situation... whether it's your family background or your illness, it's not good to overexert yourself. I don't want you to give up on your thesis; this paper can serve as your graduation thesis, while your own thesis can be published later as your personal achievement."
"What do you want?" Chi Feichi asked directly.
He didn't believe that Soma Taku, who had known him for less than half a month and had no personal friendship with him, would worry so much about him for no reason.
Soma Taku wasn't sure if Chi Feichi was swayed. He couldn't tell what Chi Feichi meant. After hesitating, he told the truth. "It's about the person who wrote this paper. He was a former student of mine who performed excellently. However, his life after graduation hasn't been smooth. A surgical error caused someone's pet dog to die. The chief surgeon in charge at the time pushed the blame onto him. He was too angry and went to argue, but ended up being fired. As you know, being fired for a surgical error makes it very difficult to find another job. He isn't good at communicating with people either, so he had no choice but to come to me..."
Chi Feichi relaxed a little. He knew Soma Taku had always had a good reputation, and from his contact, he seemed like an upright person. He had thought the rumors and his own judgment were wrong. If that were the case, he would have to put aside his previous considerations. "What does he want?"
"I originally wanted to lend him a sum of money, but he refused. He asked me to help make a connection, hoping to use this thesis in exchange for a job opportunity," Soma Taku said. "I saw that his research direction was similar to yours, and hearing that the Zhenchi Group is acquiring pet hospitals, I agreed to let him try. He also guaranteed that he would absolutely never speak of this matter."
Outside the window, a small boat carrying sushi floated slowly down the canal. A 'beep' notification sound also rang out inside the room.
Before Soma Taku could move, Chi Feichi stood up first and went to the window to get the sushi. "The fact that you think highly of him shows his skills are indeed good. Generally speaking, problems shouldn't occur during the surgical process. A surgical error means either, as he said, he was a scapegoat for someone else, or he was arrogant and misjudged the animal's condition."
Soma Taku hurriedly said, "He is absolutely not an arrogant person. If he were arrogant, he wouldn't have gone far, and I wouldn't feel sorry for him."
Chi Feichi made no comment and placed the sushi on the table. "I can give him a chance. The thesis isn't necessary. Whether he can stay in the end depends on his performance."
It didn't matter if he was arrogant. After such a blow, even the proudest person would likely humble themselves. Besides, it was just arranging a doctor; he didn't need to think too much about it. If it really didn't work out, someone would handle it.
"Of course," Soma Taku nodded solemnly. "Thank you for giving him a chance!"
"You're welcome," Chi Feichi sat down. "However, when my father arranged for my early graduation, he must have had someone greet you. In the charter he gave me, there was a page with only three professors' names, belonging to the Surgery, Internal Medicine, and Microbiology laboratories respectively. It meant for me to choose among them. Do you know why it was these three names?"
Soma Taku froze, then immediately understood.
He was indeed confused today!
The Zhenchi Group arranged for Chi Feichi to come to him because they valued his reputation.
For him, what he could get from the Zhenchi Group wasn't actually very important. But the reputation he had maintained all his life was his greatest pride.
Of course, if he could look after Chi Feichi along the way and gain the friendship of the Zhenchi Group, he would be very willing, especially since Chi Feichi was also an excellent student.
But was this 'care' really care?
He originally thought that as long as both parties agreed and got what they needed, it would be a good thing. But as the heir to a large group, Chi Feichi could have completed his graduation thesis openly and honestly. If he agreed to this, and it leaked out, it would be a stain on his name.
For Chi Feichi, there was absolutely no need to take this risk just to save that bit of time and energy.
For himself, there was no benefit either. A lifetime of reputation could be ruined just like that. Even if he said the other party was willing, there would always be people who wouldn't believe it, thinking he was a villain using someone else's work to curry favor with a big conglomerate.
Leaving aside the possibility of it leaking, this simply shouldn't have been done.
Moreover, in considering the other student, he had failed to consider Chi Feichi, which seemed a bit too biased...
Chi Feichi spoke up, " regarding helping out, Professor, you could have just told me directly. There was really no need to bring the thesis."
Soma Taku's face was grave and filled with guilt. In fact, in this situation, strictly speaking, it wouldn't be excessive if Chi Feichi transferred to another laboratory. He had the ability to do so. Yet Chi Feichi chose to speak clearly with him and even agreed to grant that student a request. This was already showing him great respect. "I'm getting old; I was confused!"
"Actually, I should be the one treating this meal," Chi Feichi didn't continue on that topic and switched to another matter. "Zhenchi Pet Hospital needs a director. I hope, Professor, you can help recommend someone."
Soma Taku thought for a moment. "It's not easy to find someone with high skills who also understands management. Tell me the general standards first."
"It doesn't matter if they don't understand management. The Zhenchi Group is acquiring other pet hospitals in Tokyo, and there will be people managing the hospitals then. The director needs to be someone with enough prestige in the industry," Chi Feichi paused. "It would be even better if you are willing, Professor."
After a few years of development, perhaps a slightly younger and capable person could be promoted to director.
Employees in many Japanese companies served for many years, even for life, and seniority was very important. However, the hospital was built only two years ago, and there was currently no suitable candidate, so a highly respected person was needed to hold the fort.
This man was smart, a good person, overflowing with sympathy and responsibility. He wasn't suitable for management, but his professional level was convincing. He had many students and knew many people in the industry, so he could introduce talent to the hospital. He was famous enough in the industry to suppress dissent. He was very suitable for the current Zhenchi Pet Hospital.