"Hart Caleb? Wait, just a bachelor's degree?"
"For real? Who let him in for this interview? We’re the People’s Hospital, at least a Tier-Three B-level facility."
"Bringing in a fresh graduate like him... What a waste of time."
"Next!"
Inside Jiang’an People’s Hospital, Hart Caleb slowly lifted his head, a faint shadow flickering in his eyes.
Across from him sat the hospital’s interview panel. The one who had just spoken was Richard Morris, head of Emergency Medicine.
Richard looked up briefly, visibly annoyed, then waved his hand dismissively.
Someone next to him offered more politely, "Sorry, although your interview performance was solid..."
"...your education background and school don’t meet our hiring criteria."
"You might want to try a neighborhood clinic."
Hart gave a soft sigh. He still wanted to fight for the opportunity – he really, really needed a job to support his family.
"I know my degree isn’t impressive, but my skills are just as good as anyone else’s. Can I—"
"Did you not hear me? Your degree isn’t good enough. You’re out. Next!"
Richard’s voice was cold and sharp, cutting off any hopes Hart had left.
Hart forced a thank-you and turned to leave.
Behind him, Richard’s grumbling voice could still be heard.
"No wonder his education’s poor. He can’t even follow simple instructions. Told him he’s not qualified and he still won’t let it go."
Hart pressed his lips together, walked straight out the hospital’s doors.
The People’s Hospital might only be a Tier-Three B, but in a fourth-tier city like Jiang’an, it was already the best around.
Still, even here, underwhelming academic credentials were enough to get the door slammed in your face.
Letting out another sigh, Hart didn’t waste time and rushed to the next hospital on his list.
Outside the window, the buildings of early 2000s China swept by in a blur. Everything still felt surreal to him.
After all, just yesterday...
He was still a world-famous surgical genius, the so-called “Miracle Hands,” who had charted new territory in the operating room and published countless papers in top international journals.
Now? He’d been thrown back to 2007, stuck in the life of some ordinary medical graduate.
Not just the name – now Hart Caleb – but even his degree had been downgraded to a standard bachelor’s.
The original guy had been electrocuted while using a cheap water heater.
All Hart could do now was take his place and keep living.
To be fair, the original Hart wasn’t completely useless. He was the third child in the family, with a half-brother and half-sister above him, and a younger sister of his own below.Grace Collins was Michael Caleb’s second wife.
The first one left, taking a son and a daughter with her after being beaten too many times.
Hart Caleb and Sophia Caleb were Grace’s children, but life in the Caleb house was far from kind.
Michael drank heavily, and after marrying Grace, his temper got even worse. He didn’t just yell—he beat her, and he dumped all the chores on her, from cooking to laundry, for a family of eight, including the grandparents.
No matter how much she did, it was never enough. She got picked on by the grandmother and mocked by the stepchildren.
One time, just because she forgot to empty the chamber pot, the old woman smashed a chair over her head. Blood was everywhere.
That was the last straw for the original Hart. Right after graduating from college, he flipped out at home, forced a split in the family, and took his mom and sister away.
If they’d stayed, who knows—his mom and sister could have ended up dead from beatings or starvation.
But Grace hadn’t wanted to leave. To her, splitting up meant they'd have nowhere to go, nothing to eat.
The fact that Hart even made it to college was because Grace scrimped every penny sewing quilts and doing needlework.
There was also his grandfather, who helped out with money now and then.
And a teacher who believed in him enough to pay part of his tuition and convince him school was worth it.
Finally, some neighbors just couldn’t bear to watch anymore and chipped in too.
Thanks to these four people—and Hart's own grind through five years of part-time jobs—he somehow got through his medical program.
He thought he'd finally get a break after graduation.
But being a med student from some no-name college didn’t get him far. Even finding a place to live was tough—his best buddy was the one who covered the rent.
That kind of setback hit him hard.
Then one day, while heating water, his wet hand touched a plug.
Game over.
That’s when the "real" Hart arrived.
He woke up in this body, took the identity, and with it, all the baggage.
The old Hart Caleb was gone. The new one had just taken over.
And he owed it to this body and this life to take care of its people.
So, off he went, trying to land a job.
Problem was, the original Hart's resume looked terrible.
Some random medical school graduate?
He had originally been assigned to an internship at the prestigious Second Medical University of East Sea.
Most of his classmates were already working at big hospitals there.
But for some reason, Hart got cut from the list.
So he ended up coming back to his hometown, Jiang’an City, hoping someone would take a chance on him.
The People’s Hospital turned him down straight-faced—and left him with some sarcastic comments, too.
But Hart didn’t let it get to him.
This resume was just the old Hart’s.
He had once been a top-tier surgeon—a man who tackled surgeries others didn’t dare touch, and had papers in journals most doctors could only dream of.As long as he had a shot, Hart Caleb was confident he’d shine. What he lacked now, was just that—a chance.
Wasting no time, he turned and headed straight for Jiang’an City Traditional Chinese Hospital.
The hospital had its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, but with the growing popularity of Western medicine, it had undergone a makeover. It still kept its own distinct departments, but now also had modern medical tech and treatments. All in all, it wasn’t too different from the People's Hospital anymore.
Plus, the original Hart's grandfather had been a rural Chinese medicine doctor. That gave Hart a spark of hope—maybe the TCM hospital would give him a shot.
But reality quickly doused that spark.
After going through Hart’s qualifications, Paul Nelson, the hospital’s examiner, gave him a somewhat helpless smile.
“You’ve got skills, no doubt,” Paul said. “But you don’t hit the baseline requirements, and that’s not something I can change. Hospital policy. Maybe try a community clinic or small private practice?”
Hart let out a slow breath. Another door closed.
With a bitter smile, he stood up to leave. Behind him, Paul could only sigh with regret.
If even the TCM hospital rejected him, what was left? Was he really going to settle for a low-paying neighborhood clinic job? That pay couldn’t even keep food on the table for three people.
Hart stepped out of the admin building and wandered through the just-renovated hospital. His expression was a mix of disappointment and frustration.
As he was thinking what to do next, a sudden commotion broke out near the ER.
“Move it! Open the emergency lane now!”
“We’ve got another load of casualties incoming!”
“Big traffic accident nearby—most of the injured are being sent here! All available staff, get to ER!”
Hart paused outside the emergency hall. He could see the hallway packed with patients.
There was triage in place, dividing patients by severity. But cries of pain, blood, exposed bones, and fluids coated the area. Chaos everywhere.
This was a serious accident.
The ER was clearly understaffed—probably because it had only recently been established. Even interns were being thrown into the mix, but none of them knew what they were doing.
Too bad...
Wait a second.
Hart lifted his head. He didn’t have a license, sure—but he had years of experience as a top-tier surgeon in another life.
Situations like this? He could handle them.
Even if he only managed to save one life, it’d still be worth it.
And more than that... this was his moment to prove himself.
Right now, even the place he was renting was being covered by Andrew Scott.
He needed a breakthrough—badly.
Clenching his teeth, Hart made up his mind. Then, without hesitation, he strode toward the chaos.
