Zeng Hongwen raised his wrist to check the time and said, somewhat dejectedly, "What's the situation? It's been fifteen minutes already. Should we call them?"

Zhou Wenbin shook his head. Every negotiation with patients was a psychological battle. This was not the first time. The other party wanted to wear down their patience, turning them passive during the wait.

Zhou Wenbin almost wanted to laugh. Such tricks were too childish. Sooner or later, they would have to face a negotiation. Sooner or later, they would have to present their conditions. Why beat around the bush? It would be better to just say it directly.

At ten thirty, Shi Zhiwei and his wife finally arrived. They came to the meeting room without a word of apology. Tong Meili was the first to notice that Cai Rongjuan was not there and sternly asked, "Where's Cai Rongjuan? Why hasn't she come?"

Zhou Wenbin said, "According to our hospital's handling procedures, Director Cai needs to recuse herself today. This is Director Zeng, the head of the beauty center, who can fully represent Director Cai." In fact, Cai Rongjuan was invited to today's meeting, but she stubbornly refused to attend. Zhou Wenbin had no choice; he couldn't physically drag her here.

Zeng Hongwen smiled at the couple and said, "Please have a seat."

The couple exchanged glances and sat down in the seats arranged for them.

Zhou Wenbin introduced the members of the expert group to them.

Tong Meili said, "Who told you to find people to appraise this for me? Your Changxing Hospital is pretty clever, preparing to put on a double act and lure us into a trap, right?"

Zhou Wenbin explained, "These are authorities from our Dongzhou City's beauty sector..."

Shi Zhiwei interjected, "Cut it out, what bullshit authority? Stop trying to fool us."

The experts looked incensed, their faces flushed with anger. This couple had such poor manners. If it weren't for the money, who would be willing to wade into this mess?

"I don't trust the appraisal team brought by your Changxing Hospital. Have them leave, or we won't talk today." Tong Meili stood up, making a show of leaving.

Zhou Wenbin had no choice but to ask the expert group to step out. The money spent on inviting experts today was wasted, and he even had to apologize to them.

After the experts left, Zeng Hongwen said, "I'm the head of the beauty center. I wonder what demands you two have?"

Zhou Wenbin asked Cheng Xiaohong to bring in two bottles of mineral water, chilled, hoping to quell the couple's anger a bit.

Shi Zhiwei unscrewed the cap, took a couple of gulps, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

Cheng Xiaohong reminded him, "Mr. Shi, I'm sorry, but smoking is not allowed here."

Shi Zhiwei ignored her, took out a cigarette, and lit it. Zhou Wenbin signaled to Cheng Xiaohong to let it go. Today's focus was on negotiating terms and figuring out the couple's bottom line; everything else could be overlooked for now.

Tong Meili took out a copy of the receipt for a bracelet from her handbag and handed it over.

Zeng Hongwen took it, looked at the amount, which was 888,800 yuan, and the date on the receipt was three years ago. Zeng Hongwen realized the other side intended to make a huge claim based on this. She pushed the copy back with a smile, "What do you mean by this?"

Tong Meili said, "What do I mean? Stop pretending! My jade bracelet was broken by your Director Cai. It was a gift from my husband three years ago, worth that much at the time. You know the current market for jade, don't you? The repurchase price they offered was eight million."

Zhou Wenbin thought to himself, this couple is really gutsy, asking for eight million. Why not just go rob someone? He glanced at Zeng Hongwen, who likely hadn't made that much from running the beauty center. She definitely wouldn't agree to it.

Zeng Hongwen saw it as extortion: "The bracelet isn't my responsibility. You can call the police and let them handle it. If the police can't handle it, you can go to court."

Tong Meili slapped the table hard, stood up aggressively, and said, "Isn't Cai Rongjuan part of your beauty center? Didn't you just say you could fully represent?"

Zhou Wenbin chimed in to help, "Let's not get excited. Our goal today is to resolve the medical issue. We can discuss the bracelet issue later."

Tong Meili said, "Fine, let's talk about the surgery. Now my eyes are uneven, itchy, and painful. They tear in the wind, and I can't even close them at night, all because of Cai Rongjuan's surgical error. She's ruined my face, ruined my future. How do you think you should be accountable?"

Zeng Hongwen said, "But earlier assessments showed your surgery had no issues, and your post-operative recovery is within the normal range."

Tong Meili retorted, "The evaluations you ordered were naturally biased towards you. I know my body's issues better than anyone."

"If you don't believe our evaluation results, you can go to any authoritative institution. If it turns out that there was indeed a problem with our surgery, we will certainly take all responsibility."

Shi Zhiwei grabbed the mineral water bottle on the table and smashed it to the ground, startling the people around him.

Shi Zhiwei pointed at Zeng Hongwen and said, "So you're not admitting it, huh?"

Zeng Hongwen was a bit scared but tried to stay calm, "Whether it's a surgical accident or not is not for me or you to say; it's up to the evaluation by an institution."

Shi Zhiwei said to Tong Meili, "I told you not to come. What result can be negotiated with these people? They are the type who won't shed a tear until they see the coffin."

Zhou Wenbin said, "That's not fair. Our Changxing Hospital is full of sincerity. According to our evaluation results, Ms. Tong Meili's surgery does not constitute a surgical accident. If you don't agree with our evaluation, you can choose any authoritative institution in the country, and we'll cover the evaluation cost. Would that satisfy you?"

Shi Zhiwei replied decisively, "Not satisfied!"

Zhou Wenbin asked, "Then how do you propose we solve this? Tell us your conditions."

Shi Zhiwei handed over a prepared compensation list, which Zeng Hongwen took and read.

It demanded the acknowledgment of a surgical error, a public apology to Tong Meili, a refund of all surgery fees of 38,000 yuan, covering all future cosmetic surgery costs, and compensation of 500,000 yuan for emotional distress, as well as 1 million yuan for the loss of the bracelet.

Even though it wasn't as outrageous as demanding 8 million for the bracelet, the price was still quite steep.

Zhou Wenbin read it over and wasn't surprised by the amount. There had been others who wanted even more, like Wang Dalei, who initially demanded 3 million in compensation, yet settled for just 30,000 in the end.

The compensation list was detailed, and this couple seemed to have had someone calculate it professionally. Zhou Wenbin was amazed by the surgery fee; he couldn't imagine a simple double eyelid surgery costing 38,000 yuan.

Was the beauty center's charges so high? No wonder Cai Rongjuan could afford to drive a Mercedes.

Zeng Hongwen said, "Don't you think your demands are outrageous? I can't agree to such conditions."

Zhou Wenbin quietly lamented. That's not how negotiations should go; Zeng Hongwen might lack experience in handling disputes. The proper approach should have been to deescalate the situation first and stabilize the couple.

Zhou Wenbin suggested, "How about we leave this document here for now? We need to discuss it internally."

"There's no need for discussion. Such conditions have no room for negotiation." Zeng Hongwen thought to herself, I worked hard for my money, and extortion is not going to be easy.

Shi Zhiwei laughed, "So, there's nothing more to talk about?"

Zhou Wenbin said, "Of course, there's room for talks, but everyone needs to return to a rational state and focus on reality."

"You'll regret this!"

Shi Zhiwei stood up, and Tong Meili followed suit. The couple left without looking back.

The meeting ended as soon as it began. Zhou Wenbin said to Zeng Hongwen, "You shouldn't have refused right away."

Zeng Hongwen replied, "Should I agree to such unreasonable demands? Oh, I get it. It's because you aren't the one paying."

Zhou Wenbin said, "That's not what I mean. There are methods and techniques to solve problems. What you've done will only further escalate the conflict."

"Let it escalate, then. What more can they do?" Before Zeng Hongwen could finish, a call came in.

Something had happened at the beauty center; a group of elderly women was blocking others from receiving treatment, disrupting the medical order. Just one wave had subsided, and another arose. Zeng Hongwen hurried back in a panic.

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