Zhao Jinliang stared fixedly at Lu Yi and asked, "Do you think you won't be stepped on at tomorrow's exchange meeting, and might even step on them instead?"
"What's in it for me?"
Lu Yi's smile grew even more radiant, like the sun at noon in the dead of winter.
Zhao Jinliang was taken aback. His eyes lit up as he asked, "You're that confident you can beat them?"
"They're confident they can beat me. Why shouldn't I be confident I can beat them?"
Lu Yi picked up his teacup and asked with a puzzled look.
That logic... was completely sound!
Besides, there were six of them!
Zhao Jinliang immediately raised three fingers. "If you turn the tables on them at the exchange meeting, I can apply for a special reward of thirty thousand yuan for you! Real-time transfer!"
Thirty thousand!
A glint flashed deep in Lu Yi's eyes, but his smile remained unchanged as he asked, "If I turn the tables on them, can you become the Deputy Commissioner of the Health Department?"
"High probability."
Zhao Jinliang nodded.
"I can help you pull this off."
Lu Yi leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. "But I have one condition."
"What condition?"
Zhao Jinliang looked at Lu Yi with burning eyes. As long as they won, he could agree to any reasonable demand.
"Can some of the traditional Chinese medicines in our community pharmacy be swapped out? Or all of them."
"You have connections?"
Zhao Jinliang's eyes lit up fiercely, the words *kickback and commission* instantly flashing through his mind.
"No."
Lu Yi shook his head.
The excitement that had just risen on Zhao Jinliang's face froze. "Why swap them? These are uniformly procured by the county. The TCM departments in every hospital in the county use these exact medicines."
Every hospital in the county used them?
Lu Yi frowned and recounted the fake and substandard medicines he had seen in the pharmacy that morning.
Zhao Jinliang's heart gave a jolt. "Are the quality issues really that bad?"
"Very bad!"
Lu Yi nodded.
Zhao Jinliang looked at the calm and resolute Lu Yi, his expression shifting uncertainly for a moment. Without any kickbacks or profit-sharing to be made, he weighed the pros and cons of this matter.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! As long as you win, I can take the pressure and replace the medicines! On the condition that you win!"
"Deal!"
Lu Yi was well-satisfied. He picked up his teacup, but didn't drink.
Seeing this, Zhao Jinliang expressionlessly pulled a small tin of black tea from under the tea table and tossed it directly to Lu Yi.
Lu Yi caught it neatly, looking pleased.
...
Early the next morning.
Before the sun had fully risen, the morning light spilled into the courtyard of Qingyun Street Community Hospital. The gatekeeper and nurses were busy sweeping the courtyard while cursing Zhao Jinliang under their breath.
The triage desk had been moved out and placed right at the entrance of the main lobby.
On the table sat a brand-new red nameplate with the bright characters: "TCM Triage Station."
At nine in the morning, a blue bus drove in and came to a steady halt in the courtyard of the community hospital.
Zheng Wen, Commissioner of the Health Department, stepped out first, followed closely by Feng Yigu and five other community hospital directors. The six of them cast a cold glance at the main building of Qingyun Street Community Hospital.
Behind them, six individuals in white lab coats, carrying gleaming new medical kits, stepped off the bus with faces full of confidence.
"Good morning, Commissioner! Welcome, welcome everyone to come and exchange and learn!"
Zhao Jinliang immediately walked forward with a smile.
The previous night, he had gone out of his way to find arborvitae leaves, and after drinking them that morning, he felt an itchy sensation on his scalp as if something was about to break through the surface.
This made him even more confident in Lu Yi!
He shook hands with Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen, gave a lukewarm glance to Feng Yigu and the other directors, and immediately shifted his gaze to the six people in white lab coats behind them.
They varied in height and build—four in their twenties, one in his thirties, and one in his forties. Regardless of age, all of them looked older than Lu Yi.
Older age meant richer experience in traditional Chinese medicine than Lu Yi.
Zhao Jinliang's gaze lingered particularly on a thin, unruffled-looking man in his forties and a chubby, bespectacled young man.
If any of these six were to pose a threat to Lu Yi, it could only be these two.
Jia Gui, in his forties, excelled at inspection diagnosis. It was said that he often diagnosed patients' conditions seven or eight tenths before they even opened their mouths, winning their absolute trust.
Huang Congjing, twenty-six, whose grandfather had been a veteran TCM doctor in the township for decades, was himself a graduate of a traditional Chinese medicine university—truly a lineage of practitioners.
"Reporter Cui, make sure to get some good shots later."
Zhao Jinliang turned his gaze to the middle-aged female reporter with thick glasses standing nearby, smiling and shaking her hand lightly.
"Yes, Reporter Cui, definitely take some good photos later."
Feng Yigu chimed in with a smile.
The exact same words carried entirely different meanings.
Zhao Jinliang and Feng Yigu exchanged a smile, though it was fraught with a chilly, sword-drawn tension.
Reporter Cui glanced at the two of them and adjusted her thick glasses.
"What is this?"
As Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen was looking around, he suddenly spotted three bright red silk banners hanging behind the TCM triage desk and froze in surprise.
"Nothing much."
Zhao Jinliang smiled modestly. "Lu Yi received two more silk banners yesterday, so I specially had them hung up for people to see, to boost the confidence of patients coming in for treatment."
Bullshit!
He was clearly just showing off!
Feng Yigu cursed inwardly. Your hospital isn't even doing triage today; you could have just hung them inside. You had to hang them out here—isn't this pure, unadulterated flaunting right in front of them?
The six TCM practitioners behind him cast a single indifferent glance at the three banners, their expressions completely unchanged.
Oh?
Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen nodded, inwardly marveling at how fast silk banners were received—one yesterday, and now three today.
Filled with interest, he walked closer to the three banners and examined them with relish. He glanced at the banner he'd seen the day before, then looked at the other two, suddenly freezing when he saw the names on them.
"This is..."
A trace of shock and suspicion flickered in Commissioner Zheng Wen's eyes.
Two from Qin Yi? Qin Yi sent another one?
And the other one—Wei Bin?
Placed alongside the richest person, Qin Yi? Security Department Commissioner Wei Bin?
At that moment, Feng Yigu and the five other community hospital directors, who had followed closely behind, also froze upon seeing the names on the other two banners.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: I'm Here to Learn Too
The beauty Qin Yi sent another banner?
Lu Yi cured her twice in a row?
And the other one—Wei Bin?
The Commissioner of the Security Department??
Feng Yigu and the other community hospital directors stared in utter shock and disbelief.
The six community TCM doctors also saw the names on the three banners, and their eyes flickered involuntarily.
They didn't know Wei Bin, but they certainly knew Qingshan County's legendary beauty and richest person, Qin Yi!
They'd heard about one being sent to Lu Yi the day before, but how were there two now? Another one sent?
"Hehe, this banner was commissioned and sent by Chairman Qin Yi."
"And this one was personally delivered yesterday by Deputy Commissioner Gao of our street security station."
Zhao Jinliang said with an innocent smile.
Personally delivered by Gao Qiang?
Then this was undoubtedly Security Department Commissioner Wei!
Commissioner Zheng Wen's eyelids twitched, and his heart gave a jolt.
The expressions of Feng Yigu and the other community hospital directors instantly froze.
Not only was Lu Yi connected to Qin Yi, but he was also connected to Wei Bin?
The calm expressions on the faces of the six community hospital TCM doctors could no longer be maintained. This Wei Bin was Security Department Commissioner Wei Bin??
"Click!"
The expressionless female reporter nearby raised her camera and snapped a photo of the three silk banners.
The sound snapped Feng Yigu out of his daze. He took a deep breath, immediately changed the subject, and said coldly:
"Director Zhao, where is Lu Yi? The Commissioner has already arrived, and he's still not here. Isn't that putting on a bit too many airs?"
Zhao Jinliang's face darkened. Ignoring Feng Yigu, he hurriedly explained to Zheng Wen, "Commissioner, Lu Yi is currently seeing a patient. He'll be right over as soon as he finishes with the person in his hands."
"No matter."
Commissioner Zheng Wen glanced at the three silk banners again, smiling with a slightly nasal tone. "Patients come first, after all!"
At that moment, Lu Yi walked out of the lobby wearing his white lab coat.
Whoosh!
A dozen gazes instantly converged on him—surprise, scrutiny, hostility, expectation, and appreciation all mixed together.
"Click! Click! Click!"
The female reporter raised her camera and frantically snapped pictures of Lu Yi's face.
We've got this in the bag!
The corners of Zhao Jinliang's mouth curled up. Official media coverage was guaranteed this time! Sure enough, a handsome face had absolute lethality against women!
"Since the star of the show has appeared, let's get the exchange started!"
Feng Yigu frowned and looked at the female reporter who was still taking pictures.
He couldn't wait any longer!
Zhao Jinliang looked at Commissioner Zheng Wen for approval. Zheng Wen nodded, and Zhao Jinliang immediately arranged for people to bring out chairs.
Soon, sixteen chairs were arranged in a semi-circle in the courtyard of the community hospital.
Once Zheng Wen took his seat first, the others successively sat down, drawing a distinct line between themselves and Zhao Jinliang, seating themselves on either side of Zheng Wen.
Lu Yi came over and sat next to Zhao Jinliang, his gaze falling on the empty chair beside Zheng Wen.
Seeing this, Zhao Jinliang immediately lowered his voice to explain: "That's Wang Fengnian's seat from the People's Hospital. He was invited by the Commissioner. The moderator for this exchange session is basically the referee."
Lu Yi nodded.
Just as he finished speaking.
A black Passat sped into the gates of the community hospital. The car pulled to a stop right next to the bus, and a hurried figure opened the back door and quickly strode over.
As he walked, Wang Fengnian said with a face full of apology:
"Sorry, I had a multidisciplinary team consultation for a patient, so I'm late."
Immediately after, the door on the other side opened, and Lin Chuqing stepped out wearing a white trench coat.
She was like a striking, beautiful flower blooming amidst the withered, yellow scenery of winter.
Whoosh!
She instantly drew the gaze of every single male present!
The female reporter glanced indifferently at Lin Chuqing, adjusted her glasses, and forcefully pressed the shutter to take a picture of Wang Fengnian.
Ignoring everyone's gaze, Lin Chuqing looked directly at Lu Yi and smiled, lightly waving the form in her hand.
Since the patient couldn't make it for a follow-up visit today, she had come herself... and could grade Lu Yi's performance right on the spot based on how he did!
Meanwhile, Zhou Wenxuan, who had stepped out of the driver's seat, saw this scene and his expression instantly darkened.
He finally understood why Lin Chuqing had insisted on coming!
Wang Fengnian exchanged apologetic and respectful handshakes with Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen, smiled and nodded in greeting to all the directors present, and finally let his gaze land on the calm face of Lu Yi.
"Director Wang, we'll have to rely on you to moderate this exchange. The rest of us are laymen; if they start exchanging medical knowledge, we won't understand a thing."
Commissioner Zheng Wen said with a smile.
"I'm here to learn too."
Wang Fengnian said with a modest smile.
"Director Wang is truly modest!"
Feng Yigu let out an exaggerated laugh.
The others chuckled as well. Who was Wang Fengnian? Widely recognized as the most skilled TCM practitioner in the entire county! Coming to a community hospital TCM exchange meeting just to say he was here to learn—that was taking modesty a bit too far.
"I really am not being modest."
After finishing his handshake with Commissioner Zheng Wen, Wang Fengnian didn't sit down. Instead, he walked straight up to Lu Yi, smiling as he extended his hand. "Doctor Lu, we meet again."
Seeing this, Feng Yigu's laughter abruptly cut off, replaced by Zhao Jinliang's rising joy.
Wang Fengnian and Lu Yi knew each other?
And the very next sentence that fell upon everyone's ears was no less than a thunderclap!
"I looked over that smoking cessation prescription. It was prescribed brilliantly; I wouldn't have been able to come up with it myself. I'm impressed!"
Boom!
Everyone's bodies trembled.
Wait!
Im... impressed?
You said you're impressed??
You're impressed by Lu Yi??
Everyone present, including Zhao Jinliang, was shaken to the core as they stared in astonishment at Wang Fengnian.
Director Wang, you're the head of the top ten physicians in the entire county—do you even know what you're saying?
And furthermore, you said you couldn't come up with the prescription Lu Yi wrote?
"Click!"
The expressionless female reporter snapped a picture of Wang Fengnian and Lu Yi shaking hands.
Feng Yigu and the other five community hospital directors snapped back to reality and rapidly exchanged glances.
The situation was looking a bit ominous! These two people, who seemed to have no connection whatsoever, actually knew each other??
And Wang Fengnian was admitting he wasn't as good as Lu Yi??
Jia Gui, Huang Congjing, and the other six community TCM doctors also stared with wide, suspicious eyes at the handshaking Wang Fengnian and Lu Yi.
They didn't know much about Lu Yi, and certainly didn't respect him.
But they knew Wang Fengnian's medical skills very well and held him in high regard. Yet here he was, expressing admiration for the youthful Lu Yi—were they joking?
Zhou Wenxuan, who had just rushed over, froze completely.
"The prescription from that night was written by Lu Yi??"
A realization suddenly hit him.
The smoking cessation prescription was written by Lu Yi, but it was issued by Lin Chuqing.
This meant...
The two of them had private contact behind the scenes!
Remembering how Lin Chuqing had blocked him the night before, Zhou Wenxuan's face instantly turned ugly.
"So Director Wang and Doctor Lu know each other."
Zhao Jinliang was the only one present whose face was filled with pleasant surprise. "Doctor Lu, you must learn well from Director Wang in the future."
"We've met once. We're just mutually learning from each other."
Wang Fengnian smiled, shook Lu Yi's hand once more, and turned back to his seat.
After the brief chaos, everyone took their seats again.
So they had just met once!
Crisis averted!
After steadying their emotions, Feng Yigu, the other community hospital directors, and the six TCM doctors all refocused their eyes on Lu Yi.
Following a brief silence, the atmosphere at the scene gradually grew tense and combative.
By this time, the surrounding area was packed with curious onlookers.
"It's finally starting!"
On the second floor.
Ma Jianshan and the attending physicians of various departments stood by their respective windows, watching the situation downstairs.
"I told you they would make a move!"
Ma Jianshan smugly posted in the group chat: "Six against one, let's hope Lu Yi doesn't lose too miserably."
"Not losing too miserably is unlikely. I just hope the surrounding patients don't generalize the TCM department's incompetence to our entire hospital's other departments. That would affect our ability to treat illnesses and save lives."
"That's right!"
"Indeed!"
...
"Then let's begin."
Down in the courtyard, Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen smiled and broke the silence.
The battle begins!
The atmosphere instantly grew even more intense. The six community TCM doctors immediately locked their gazes onto Lu Yi, sparks flying in their eyes.
Lu Yi remained calm and unruffled, while the three red silk banners behind him shone with particular brilliance in the nine o'clock sunlight.
The crowd gathered outside seemed to sense the bizarre tension in the air and fell quiet in confusion.
"Wait a minute!"
Suddenly, a voice cut into the sword-drawn tension.
The atmosphere at the scene stalled.
Everyone looked over. A man in his thirties wearing a lapel-style black jacket, with a lean build and sharp eyes, was holding a medical record and struggling to squeeze his way in from outside the crowd.
Frowning as he looked at the sixteen people inside the semi-circle, he asked, "Are you people holding a meeting?"
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Special Treatment Method!
"Yes, we're temporarily holding a medical exchange meeting."
Zhao Jinliang stood up to explain.
"If you're holding a meeting, what are we patients who got numbered queue tickets supposed to do this morning?"
The black slim-fit jacket man held up his number 061 ticket and asked with a frown.
"I'm sorry."
Zhao Jinliang hurriedly continued to explain, "We temporarily added an exchange session with doctors from other community hospitals today. The patient queue for this morning won't be canceled; it will just be postponed. As soon as the exchange meeting ends, we will immediately..."
"Why didn't you postpone your meeting instead!"
The jacket man directly interrupted him, his voice laced with anger as he said coldly, "I just want to ask one question: is your exchange meeting more important, or are the patients more important?"
Zhao Jinliang's expression instantly changed.
"Isn't the purpose of your exchange to better serve and care for the residents? What kind of service is this?! You're pushing patients aside, leaving them in pain and suffering, just so you can hold a meeting?"
Clutching his queue ticket, the jacket man grew angrier the more he spoke, fury flashing in his eyes.
He had taken leave to return to the county seat and had to head back to the city for a meeting that afternoon. His father had heard yesterday that a divine doctor had come to this small community hospital, so he had gotten up at four-and-a-half in the morning to line up—all for his back pain!
And they expected him to just wait because they said so?
"I'll ask you again: is your exchange more important, or is the physical well-being of us ordinary people more important? What are you leaders messing around for?"
Resounding words!
Everyone present instantly put on solemn expressions.
Even Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen's expression shifted.
"That's right! Is our medical treatment more important, or is your meeting more important!"
The patients who had drawn morning queue tickets snapped to their senses and immediately started shouting in righteous indignation.
"We had such a hard time getting our numbers and we're in a rush to see the doctor, but you want to do an exchange instead! How is this serving the people?!"
"I fucking paid 500 yuan to buy someone else's number, and now you're telling me to wait! Give me my money back and then I'll wait!"
Zhao Jinliang stood in place, staring blankly at the angry patients, a hint of shock suddenly flashing deep in his eyes.
"How about... we wait until Lu Yi finishes seeing patients before doing the exchange? Or postpone the exchange meeting?"
He hurriedly leaned in to whisper to Zheng Wen.
Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen's eyes flickered as he quickly weighed his options.
During this period of major reshuffling among the county leadership, being slapped with the label of not serving the people was something he absolutely could not afford!
Moreover, judging by the man's attire, hairstyle, and rhetoric, he looked very much like someone who ate from the public trough just like him, even though his face was unfamiliar.
Plus, the reporter was right there; he had to consider the optics.
Just as he was about to agree.
Suddenly, an untimely voice chimed in.
"Hehe, Director Zhao, this guy wouldn't happen to be someone you deliberately hired to sabotage the exchange meeting, would he?"
What a load of stinking horse manure!
"What do you mean by that?"
Zhao Jinliang looked coldly at Feng Yigu, who had spoken. Those words were simply lethal to his reputation!
He hurriedly looked at Health Department Commissioner Zheng Wen, who turned to look at him suspiciously.
Everyone else silently looked at Zhao Jinliang.
The fire in Zhao Jinliang's heart instantly flared up. This motherfucker was framing him out of thin air!
If he, Zhao Jinliang, had that kind of scheming mind, would he still be losing his hair? Would he still be stuck as a mere community hospital director?!
Besides, he was a proper university graduate back in the day, with a starting point way higher than any of them, whereas all of them—including the Commissioner—only had junior college degrees!!
"If I hired this guy, I swear on my entire fam—"
Zhao Jinliang said in extreme fury.
"I'll handle this matter."