"Don't be so sure. The leader with the most grassroots support in Changxing is Dean Gao. If you become the dean, I'll be the first to support it," Zhou Wenbin said as a compliment, though he knew very well that with Gao Xinhua's background, reaching his current position was already the peak. It might be possible for him to become a party secretary, but the dean was out of the question.

Gao Xinhua said, "Why are we talking about this? If Dean Gu hears us, he'll surely think the three of us are plotting to overthrow him."

Xu Chunliang said, "This has nothing to do with me. I'm too young and don't understand anything."

Gao Xinhua laughed heartily, noticing that since starting work, this young man seemed to have unlocked the Ren and Du Meridians, making rapid progress in social interactions.

Zhou Wenbin said, "Not young anymore—out in the countryside, someone your age is already having kids and being a dad."

Xu Chunliang toasted them each with a glass of wine.

Zhou Wenbin said, "Xiaoxu, can you help arrange for us to have a meal with Director Lu Ming? We owe this time to his help, and we might still need to ask for his assistance in the future." In this era of self-media, many medical disputes have been exposed online, so Zhou Wenbin also wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to the network regulatory department, which is quite understandable.

"There's no need for that. I can handle future matters related to this," Xu Chunliang said, dashing Zhou Wenbin's hopes with just one sentence.

Gao Xinhua secretly chuckled. It's an old saying: you'd lend money but not your way. Even though Zhou Wenbin is Xu Chunliang's direct superior, it wouldn't be easy to establish connections through him. The more he observed this youngster, the more he appreciated him: "Old Zhou, since he said this, don't worry about him getting tired. Give him any tasks. It's a good way to train him."

Zhou Wenbin nodded repeatedly, "Dean Gao, Xiaoxu has made great progress now. His perspective is very comprehensive, and in handling many things, I feel quite inferior."

Xu Chunliang said, "Director, I haven't wronged you. Don't overpraise me."

Zhou Wenbin couldn't help but laugh.

Gao Xinhua was all smiles too—this boy hasn't let him down. Right then, his phone suddenly rang. Gao Xinhua took the call and after a few words, got up to go outside.

Zhou Wenbin and Xu Chunliang could both tell he had some things to say without them hearing. Every leader has a few secrets.

Gao Xinhua returned after about ten minutes, looking noticeably more serious. He apologized to Zhou Wenbin, saying that he had an urgent matter he needed to attend to right away.

Zhou Wenbin intended to see him off, but Gao Xinhua said there was no need, told them to continue eating.

After Gao Xinhua left, Zhou Wenbin lost interest in drinking, and Xu Chunliang was even less interested in wasting time. He suggested, "Boss, why don't we call it a day? It's been a long day for us."

Zhou Wenbin nodded, "Alright, shall we get some noodles?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Up to you, I'll just head to the restroom first."

When leaving, Zhou Wenbin found out that the young man had settled the bill under the pretense of going to the restroom. He pretended to be unhappy and criticized him a few times, but was quite pleased inside. A perceptive lad; he can be cultivated.

Dean Gu Houyi had called all the deputy deans back and unleashed his anger in the meeting.

This time he was truly furious. After much effort to control the negative news online, just as one issue was subdued, another problem arose. Someone had anonymously reported him to the higher-level disciplinary department, accusing him of severe violations and misconduct in the bidding process for the beauty center.

Having been in the health system for so many years, Gu Houyi still had considerable connections and was alerted immediately. The issue stems from within Changxing Hospital's leadership.

After thinking it through briefly, Gu Houyi knew a deputy of his was behind this. He could have chosen to remain patient and not react, but his temperament made it impossible. He immediately called back Secretary Chen Xing'an and several deputy deans.

Chen Xing'an, responsible for party affairs, normally didn't get involved in the hospital's management. He's just a year younger than Gu Houyi, but compared to the eager-to-continue-contributing Gu Houyi, Chen Xing'an took a laissez-faire approach. He's an agreeable old man, always smiling to everyone, and would attend any meal invitation. He's not afraid of people asking him for favors, as he usually can't get things done anyway.

In front of the assertive Gu Houyi, his presence as a secretary was almost negligible, even less so than some of the deputy deans. But in the system, he's indispensable and best at Tai Chi pushing hands.

Though rarely involved in management, that didn't mean Chen Xing'an wasn't aware of Changxing's power structure; quite the contrary, he was more knowledgeable than most.

The management of Changxing Hospital was very straightforward—patriarchal. Under Dean Gu Houyi, who had held the position for ten years, the hospital had been ruled in this traditional and outdated way for a full decade.

When Chen Xing'an arrived in the small meeting room, only Deputy Dean Yan Huaiyi was there, and the two exchanged greetings. Yan Huaiyi whispered, "What's the big boss calling us for all of a sudden?"

Chen Xing'an shook his head; he didn't know the situation, and even if he did, he wouldn't say.

At this moment, Deputy Deans Geng Wenxiu, Gao Xinhua, and Qin Guoliang arrived one after another.

Office Director Liu Dengke saw everyone was there and then went to inform Gu Houyi in his office.

The leadership team, participating in this emergency meeting, felt somewhat uneasy. Gu Houyi had called them over so urgently; surely, it wasn't anything good. When Gu Houyi appeared, his face did not display any anger, and his expression seemed very calm.

The attendees couldn't help but wonder, Gu Houyi didn't seem angry, so what was it that suddenly brought them here?

After sitting down, Gu Houyi first took out a pack of cigarettes.

Gu Houyi had a huge smoking habit, smoking two packs a day, but he had a rule of not smoking during meetings. Was he about to break his own rule today?

Gu Houyi pulled out a cigarette from the pack and patted himself down: "Forgot my lighter, can anyone here light a fire for me?"

Those in the hospital's core management weren't fools—they all noticed the nuances in Gu Houyi's phrasing: asking for a light is one thing, but asking someone to 'light a fire' had deeper implications. Old Gu was speaking in riddles.

Gu Houyi glanced at Chen Xing'an, who said with a smile, "Dean Gu, you know I don't smoke."

Among the deputy deans, only Gao Xinhua smoked, and he carried a lighter. If it were any other time, he would have taken it out to light a cigarette for Old Gu without a second thought. But Gu Houyi's words made him dismiss that idea.

Although he didn't want to stand out, the other deputy deans all looked at him. Cursing internally, Gao Xinhua thought, why are you all looking at me? The boss wanted to make a point with this issue, and I don't want to be the scapegoat.

Geng Wenxiu interjected, "Old Gao, you must have a lighter, right?"

Gao Xinhua was truly annoyed with this woman. What does she want by pulling me into this for her sense of presence? Trying to shift the focus eastward? Gao Xinhua said, "I have no fire."

The response was quite clever—you asked if he had a lighter, and he said he had no fire. What he actually had was left to interpretation.

The matter might have ended there, but Deputy Dean Yan Huaiyi, for some unknown reason, picked up on the hidden meaning in Gao Xinhua's words, and couldn't help but let out a chuckle. Once he laughed, others followed suit.

Geng Wenxiu then realized and her face turned red with embarrassment. At her age, she'd been through everything, but her face flushed primarily out of anger. Gao Xinhua, oh Gao Xinhua, you are so shameless to say such things in front of the leadership team.

However, it wasn't entirely Gao Xinhua's fault, since it was Geng Wenxiu who shifted the focus onto him.

The laughter quickly subsided, as Gu Houyi didn't laugh. He gripped the cigarette in his lips, reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out a matchbox.

"Shhh!"

Gu Houyi struck a match, and in the suddenly silent small meeting room, all eyes focused on the flickering flame.

He lit his cigarette, squinting his eyes, and deftly flicked his right hand, extinguishing the flame.

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