"Huang Tao, what are you doing, jumping at every sound like that?" Feng Yujun came out of the study, she said, clearly displeased.

However, Huang Tao had no time to pay attention to her at that moment, as he was completely immersed in immense joy.

Just as Zhou Zhuo was self-aware, Huang Tao was also very clear about his own situation. He was already a Vice Mayor on the Standing Committee and listed in the Municipal Committee, making him the publicly acknowledged successor for the mayorship.

His only real competitor was Zhou Zhuo, but frankly, his resume was too thin. Zhou Zhuo was merely a deputy mayor and not yet a member of the municipal committee. Even his current position was a recent appointment. Under normal circumstances, he would have no standing to compete. The problem was that Zhou Zhuo had the backing of Secretary Mo, the top official in Northern Mountain City.

Furthermore, Huang Tao didn't have any impressive political achievements to speak of, which gave his opponent opportunities and loopholes to exploit. This was the very source of his current distress.

But now the situation had changed. Chen Fei had brought him a huge gift involving foreign investment from a Fortune 500 company. The higher-ups would definitely value it enormously, significantly increasing his chances of securing the mayoral position. How could he not be happy?

Just then, Chen Fei's call ended, but another one suddenly came in. Huang Tao froze for a moment when he saw the name on the caller ID, then answered the phone. "Hello, is that you, Old Qi..."

After this call, however, his expression grew a little gloomy. Noticing that something was amiss, Feng Yujun hurried over. "Huang Tao, what on earth happened? What's wrong?"

"Doctor Chen pulled in an investment from a foreign, Fortune 500 company worth tens of millions, potentially even a hundred million. If the higher-ups credit this achievement to me, the mayorship should be a sure thing," Huang Tao explained.

"A sure thing?"

Feng Yujun was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. "Isn't that wonderful? That Doctor Chen is truly an incredible person! We must thank him properly later. So why do you still look so worried? I thought you were dreaming of getting promoted and climbing the ladder, weren't you?"

Huang Tao shook his head, his tone serious. "Just now, Old Qi from the Municipal Organization Department called me personally. He said they're short-staffed in Lin'an County and wants me to send Little Liao, Little Wang, and a few others over. They're to be sent down to the grassroots level to gain some experience."

"What? They want to send Little Liao and Little Wang down to Lin'an County? What does that mean?"

Little Liao was Huang Tao's secretary, while Little Wang and the others had all been promoted by him and currently held various positions in the municipal government.

Normally, being sent to the grassroots level for training would be a good thing. After all, both Mo Cheng and Huang Tao himself had come up through the ranks that way. However, her husband's expression told a different story. The intricacies of officialdom were simply too complex for her to fathom. Feng Yujun was completely baffled.

"Sigh... this whole mess. If I were already mayor and everything had stabilized, this would certainly be a good thing. But right now, nothing is set in stone. This is just a roundabout way of weakening my position. Think about it: what good is it if I manage to become mayor but have no one reliable on my team? And I still have Secretary Mo looming over me," Huang Tao lamented, shaking his head at their ulterior motives.

He didn't need to think twice to know who was behind this. Both Zhou Zhuo and the head of the Municipal Organization Department were Secretary Mo's people. Their influence was so great they could practically blot out the sky.

"Ah! Then should you refuse?" Feng Yujun asked, suddenly flustered and unsure of what to do.

"Refuse? I'm afraid that's not an option. After all, I've just gained this massive advantage out of nowhere, foiling all of their previous plans. It would be unjustifiable not to give something up in return," Huang Tao said, his brow furrowed. He finally shook his head and sighed. "Still, it's a huge gain overall. I can afford to concede a little. I'll inform Little Liao and the others about their transfer to Lin'an tomorrow."

Of course, Chen Fei had no idea what a massive shockwave his casual action had sent through the political circles of Northern Mountain City. Not that he was interested in knowing, anyway.

The next morning, Chen Fei awoke early from his state of cultivation. He changed into a freshly dried set of clothes and left the California Garden Grand Hotel for the Central Hospital, looking refreshed and feeling great.

Clearly, today was the first time in his life he would be presiding over an outpatient clinic, so naturally, he was a "little" bit excited.

Around seven or eight o'clock, Chen Fei arrived at the Northern Mountain City Central Hospital after a ride on a crowded bus.

Although his cultivation had reached the second level of Qi Cultivation, meaning he sweated much less than an ordinary person, the trip on the packed bus during the scorching summer still left a fine layer of sweat on his back. It was simply too hot. This experience solidified his resolve to buy a car for commuting soon. After all, always having to catch the bus wasn't a sustainable solution.

The Northern Mountain City Central Hospital should have been located in the city center, but recent years of continuous expansion had led to a shortage of land. Consequently, it had been forced to relocate to the High-Tech Startup Zone on the city's outskirts.

As one of the top three comprehensive Tier 3, Class A hospitals in not just Northern Mountain City but all of Jiangnan Province, the Northern Mountain City Central Hospital was renowned both within the province and beyond, attracting many out-of-town patients every year.

Even though it was early, the massive hospital was already bustling with people registering for appointments. The slots for specialists in various departments were in particularly high demand, with many already booked for days or even a week in advance.

Coincidentally, it was Liu Zhichuang's turn to be on duty today—the uncle of that boy, Wang Kai. Since he lived close by, he had also arrived at the hospital quite early. However, the moment he spotted Chen Fei, who had also just arrived, he flinched, his usually nonchalant expression turning tense.

He vividly remembered the incident at the Red River Restaurant. Even the head of his cardiology department, Liu Changshan, had treated Chen Fei with the utmost respect. Yet, he had foolishly provoked him, a mistake he regretted to his core. He was terrified that a single sign of displeasure from Chen Fei would see him suffer the same fate as Zheng Yi, the former deputy director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department. If that happened, it would be too late for tears.

Thankfully, Chen Fei had seemed disinclined to hold a grudge, which had been a great relief. But now, running into him again sent his heart into a frantic, unsteady rhythm, and he felt utterly flustered.

After a moment's hesitation, he decided he had to go over and greet him. He cautiously approached and said, "Hello, Doctor Chen. Are you here for work today? You're certainly early."

"You are... oh, it's you, Doctor Liu. How has our dear Class President Wang been these days?" Chen Fei asked with a smile, recognizing him.

Hearing this, Liu Zhichuang jumped and immediately forced a smile. "I've already sent that kid packing, Doctor Chen, please rest assured. I will never be so foolish again, and I won't let anyone pull strings through me anymore."

"It's a great virtue to be able to admit and correct one's mistakes. You're not so bad, Doctor Liu," Chen Fei replied, seeing that the man was smart enough to understand. He decided to drop the pretense and added with a smile, "Alright, let's leave it at that. I happen to be reporting to the Cardiology Department myself, so let's go together."

Liu Zhichuang obviously understood the unspoken meaning in Chen Fei's tone. He breathed a sigh of relief and hastily said, "Yes, yes! Please follow me, Doctor Chen. I know my way around the hospital. I'll take you there right away."

With that, he led Chen Fei to the ace department of the Northern Mountain City Central Hospital—the Cardiology Department.

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