Chapter 536: Chapter 535: Using Power for Personal Gain

The first wave of unexpected guests were Meng Yao, Ye Lin, Jio Xin, Xv Shuang, He Junxing, and Feng Jian from the Affiliated Hospital.

As a group, they brought two large potted plants.

Yan Feifan was a little curious how they had found out.

A grinning Ye Lin jokingly said that they had their ways of finding things out.

As their boss, Mr. Yan was someone they were bound to keep close tabs on, so they wouldn’t miss any chance to show their support.

The group had originally planned to drop off their gift, offer their congratulations, and then take their leave.

Of course, the Yan siblings wouldn’t hear of it and warmly insisted they stay.

The second and third waves of guests were also from the Affiliated Hospital: Mr. Liu, the hospital president, and Ren Zhen, the director of the administrative office, followed by Chen Yu and his wife, who arrived with Qiu Ge and his wife.

Around 4:00 p.m., Pan Lirong and Mr. Zuo, who also lived in Phoenix Mountain Villa, arrived together with gifts to congratulate them on their new home.

With over thirty people gathered in one house, they naturally broke off into several smaller groups.

The younger, more energetic guests like Meng Yao, Ye Lin, and Xv Shuang congregated with Yan Ziruo’s colleagues and friends. They took over the main living room, where Yan Ziruo and Du Qiu looked after them with food, drinks, and entertainment.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tian and Mrs. Tian, Suye’s uncle and Mrs. Xia, along with Zeng Ni, Song Yi, Yu Chuanbai and his fiancée, and others, gathered in the second-floor reception room, where Yu Suye was attending to them.

As for Mr. Liu, Ren Zhen, Chen Yu and his wife, Qiu Ge and his wife, Wang Chuan, Ouyang Yanran, and the later arrivals Pan Lirong and Mr. Zuo, they were all on the large third-floor terrace, chatting over tea under the parasols.

Yan Feifan personally accompanied this group, while Xiaoyu played the part of a young server, diligently pouring tea for everyone.

"Mr. Yan, the very news of you moving here, once it gets out, will be enough to make the property values in Phoenix Mountain Villa jump up another notch."

Pan Lirong said with a broad smile, "After all, who wouldn’t want to be neighbors with a master physician of our time?"

"You’re too kind, Mr. Pan," Yan Feifan said modestly.

"I’m still young and have much to learn. I’m not worthy of such grand titles."

"You most certainly are!"

Mr. Zuo chimed in, "You diagnosed my deep vein thrombosis with a single glance and a touch. Very few doctors possess that kind of skill."

He then looked out at the villas at the foot of the mountain and sighed with a hint of regret. "Phoenix Mountain Villa is wonderful in every way, but its one drawback is being a bit too far from any hospitals."

"It takes at least an hour to get to the nearest top-tier hospital, the Armed Police General Hospital."

Pan Lirong glanced at Mr. Liu, who was sitting across from him, and picked up on Mr. Zuo’s point, remarking casually, "It would be absolutely perfect if the Affiliated Hospital could build a branch nearby."

Mr. Liu sighed softly. "These days, it’s nearly impossible to get a bed at the Affiliated Hospital. The daily number of patients seeking treatment has long surpassed our designed capacity."

"We’ve been wanting to build a new branch for a while, but..."

"But what, Mr. Liu?" Mr. Zuo pressed.

Mr. Liu explained, "Our hospital is publicly funded, so building a new branch requires approval from the higher-ups."

"Building a top-tier comprehensive hospital these days is no small feat. You can’t do it for less than one or two billion."

"And that’s not even including the cost of the land."

"Both the money and the land have to be allocated by the government."

"The funding is the easier part. The main problem is the land..."

Mr. Liu shook his head and sighed. "In a city like Binhai, where land is worth its weight in gold, where are we going to find a plot that large for them to allocate to us?"

Mr. Zuo said regretfully, "There’s plenty of developable land right here in the Phoenix Tail Mountain area."

"It’s just that the government has frozen all the development plans..."

He trailed off, then suddenly stopped.

Mr. Zuo looked at Mr. Liu and asked with a serious expression, "Mr. Liu, does the Affiliated Hospital truly have plans to build a new branch?"

"Of course we do!"

Mr. Liu said in a serious tone, "Our hospital submits an application to the Health Commission every single year."

"To be frank, my greatest wish is to get the project approved for a new branch during my tenure."

Mr. Zuo mulled it over for a moment before speaking slowly. "Mr. Liu, Mr. Pan, Mr. Yan, everyone... the two hundred-plus homeowners in Phoenix Mountain Villa... while not all of them are fabulously wealthy or high-ranking officials, every one of them has some degree of influence."

"From what I know, just among the homeowners here, there are at least twenty who are deputies to the National and Municipal People’s Congresses or members of the Political Consultative Conference."

Mr. Zuo added meaningfully, "If someone took the initiative to rally and organize them, their collective power would be immense!"

At these words, Mr. Liu couldn’t help but exchange a look with Ren Zhen, a spark igniting in their eyes.

Mr. Liu emphasized again, "Mr. Zuo, Mr. Pan, building this new branch is something the Affiliated Hospital has been pushing for with all its might."

"As for the Health Commission, I’ve already secured the support of most of its leadership."

"The main hold-up is with the municipal government..."

Mr. Liu said hopefully, "If a key leader in the municipal government would just give a verbal nod, things would become much easier."

Pan Lirong mused, "If a high-standard, top-tier hospital were to be built in the Phoenix Tail Mountain area, I’m sure every single homeowner in Phoenix Mountain Villa would be delighted and would welcome it enthusiastically."

"To achieve that goal, I don’t think any of them would refuse to rally behind it and contribute some money and effort."

Pan Lirong looked at Mr. Zuo. "To be blunt, though, the two of us alone don’t have enough clout to pull this off."

Mr. Zuo chuckled. "Don’t worry. We can reach out to a few of the more influential homeowners and get them on board."

"That might require some cooperation from your end, Mr. Liu..."

Mr. Liu declared, "I will offer my full cooperation!"

Mr. Zuo thought for a moment. "Alright, let’s all go home, think this over, and get some opinions from our friends and colleagues."

"If it seems feasible..."

Mr. Zuo met the gazes of Mr. Liu and Mr. Pan and said slowly, "...then we’ll set a time to discuss the details properly, shall we?"

"Yes, absolutely," Mr. Liu said eagerly.

"How about we set the time for 8:00 p.m. this Monday?"

"I’ll handle the arrangements!"

Seeing both Mr. Pan and Mr. Zuo nod in agreement, Mr. Liu felt as if a prize had just fallen from the sky into his lap.

His visit today had been a last-minute decision.

This morning, Mr. Liu had attended a government-organized event.

On the way back, if Ren Zhen hadn’t mentioned it offhand, he wouldn’t have diverted his route to come here on a whim.

He never expected to stumble upon such a windfall here—it was a massive, pleasant surprise.

He thought about the two hundred-plus homeowners of Phoenix Mountain Villa. They were all part of Binhai’s top echelon, wielding immense influence.

’If they were to combine their efforts to push for something...’

The mere thought of it made Mr. Liu feel that this endeavor had a very high chance of success.

He glanced at Yan Feifan, who was sitting to one side, and felt increasingly fond of him.

’This kid really is my lucky star.’

’For the past few months, anything I’ve been involved in that had even the slightest connection to him has gone exceptionally smoothly.’

Wang Chuan, Chen Yu, and Qiu Ge, who were also present, watched as Mr. Liu, Mr. Pan, and Mr. Zuo settled on a plan to cooperate on getting the new branch located in the Phoenix Tail Mountain area in just a few sentences. It all felt like child’s play.

But upon deeper reflection, they realized it was actually quite feasible.

’If this actually succeeds,’ they thought, ’isn’t this just another form of the rich and powerful using their influence for personal gain?’

Everyone on the terrace was lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, a loud RUMBLE erupted, drawing everyone’s attention.

They all looked toward the foot of the mountain.

Black smoke was rising from down below, and the faint sound of panicked cries drifted up on the wind...

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