Chapter 10: Instigating in the Shadows

Turning his head, the guard saw his brother-in-law stroll into the courtyard. The guard immediately went up to him, "Brother-in-law, you came just in time. The young man who just went in was completely disrespectful. He said he was here to report, and with a letter of introduction, he forced his way in. I tried to explain the registration procedures, but he even scolded me."

The guard felt quite pleased. If he couldn't deal with you, could his brother-in-law not? His brother-in-law was the head of the Personnel Department, who had authority over new arrivals.

The head of the department frowned, "Which department is he reporting to?"

"The document doesn't specify, it just says 'Medical Expert Group.'" The guard clearly didn't know which department the group belonged to.

"Did you see it clearly?" the head of the department immediately asked.

"Crystal clear, no mistake at all!"

The head of the department's expression became very serious. As a leader in the Personnel Department, he knew the registration procedures very well. The Medical Expert Group was not an ordinary place. Experts coming to report should be accompanied by someone from the Provincial Health Committee. How could they come alone? Besides, experts were usually over forty years old. In all the years he had been in the department, he had never seen such a young expert.

Thinking about this, the head of the department felt a sense of unease. The Personnel Department was also responsible for the daily security of the department. "Call a few people and come with me!"

The guard was delighted, thinking his brother-in-law was going to help him get even. Without a word, he ran back to the duty room to call for help.

Zeng Yi entered the building of the Health Department and found the office of the Health Bureau on the third floor. Through the half-open door, he saw a young man sitting inside, fair-skinned, writing something on the desk. He would write a few strokes, stop to think, and then continue writing.

"Knock, knock!" Zeng Yi knocked lightly on the door as a sign of respect.

The young man inside looked up and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Hello, I'm here to report..." Zeng Yi took out his letter of introduction, ready to explain his purpose.

The young man waved his hand, "Wait a moment, I'm very busy!" Then he lowered his head and continued writing.

Zeng Yi patiently waited for a few minutes but found that the young man hadn't written a single word. Instead, he was sitting there, lost in thought, occasionally scratching his head, clearly at a loss for what to write.

This wouldn't do. If he couldn't write anything all day, should I just wait here? There's not even a place to sit. Zeng Yi, with some hesitation, handed over the letter of introduction again, "Hello, could you spare a moment to handle my registration..."

The young man didn't even look up, saying impatiently, "Why are you in such a hurry? Can't you see I'm writing materials for Director Feng? Is your matter more important than Director Feng's? Tell me!"

Zeng Yi was a bit puzzled. Feng Yuqin had already gone home to rest, so why did he need materials? He asked, "How many Director Fens do we have in the Health Department?"

The young man immediately became angry, slamming his hand on the table and standing up, "Go wait outside! Your constant questions have disrupted my train of thought. If I delay Director Feng's matters, will you take responsibility?" Saying this, he grabbed Zeng Yi's letter of introduction from the table, ready to throw it away.

However, as soon as he glanced at it, he saw the words "Medical Expert Group" on the document. He exclaimed, "Hmm," and picked it up to examine it closely. After a moment, he looked up and carefully scrutinized Zeng Yi, gasping, "Are you here to report to the expert group?"

"Yes!" Zeng Yi nodded.

"Sorry, sorry!" The young man quickly stood up, his face turning red, "You are Expert Zeng, right? I was extremely rude just now, I didn't know you were an expert from the expert group." Saying this, he hurriedly found a chair, "Please sit down, have some water, I'll go notify Director Guo."

According to regulations, only leaders at the vice-national level and above would have a dedicated medical team. The daily health care of important leaders in each province was handled by the expert medical group of the respective health department. However, this group was not a full-time institution. The experts were selected from various hospitals. Although nominally under the leadership of the Health Bureau, they were not constrained. They only came together when on duty. In other words, the experts remained experts even without the Health Bureau, and the Health Bureau would be paralyzed without the experts.

Therefore, the role of medical experts in the Health Bureau was very important. Although they had no official positions, even the director had to be polite to them. Offending an expert could lead to a significant decline in the entire medical team's level, which would inevitably affect the health of the leaders, with unimaginable consequences.

The young man had left an expert waiting for so long, and he felt a chill of fear. He quickly made tea for Zeng Yi and then went to knock on the director's office door.

Upon hearing that an expert had arrived, Deputy Director Guo Penghui of the Health Bureau immediately put down his work and prepared to go and receive the expert.

As soon as he stepped out, he encountered Deputy Director Liang Jianqiang of the Personnel Department. Liang Jianqiang asked, "Director Guo, I heard someone came to report to the medical expert group?"

Seeing four strong security guards standing behind Liang Jianqiang, Guo Penghui realized there might be something unusual. He nodded, "Yes, that's true. I was just about to go and receive them."

Liang Jianqiang gestured for a private conversation. The two walked a few steps forward and had a low conversation.

Guo Penghui then called over the young man, "The letter the expert is holding, is it from the Provincial Party Committee's General Office?"

"Yes!"

"What's the date?"

"It was issued yesterday."

Guo Penghui waved his hand, "Alright, you go ahead and entertain the expert well. I'll be there shortly!" He then invited Liang Jianqiang into his office.

The four security guards stood in the hallway, their eyes fixed on the door of the Health Bureau's office.

"Old Liang, your attention to detail is well-known in our department," Guo Penghui said, inviting Liang Jianqiang to the sofa, "Your suspicion is very reasonable. Better safe than sorry. I'll call the Provincial Party Committee's General Office to verify the situation."

Guo Penghui picked up the phone on his desk, thought for a moment, and dialed a number.

The phone rang for about twenty seconds before a low, serious voice came through, "Hello, who is this?"

Guo Penghui immediately held the phone tightly, responding with an extremely pleasant tone, "Director Zhang? Hello, this is Xiao Guo from the Health Bureau, Guo Penghui."

The other side responded with an "Oh," "Xiao Guo, what's the matter?"

"There's a situation I need to report to Director Zhang. A young man came to report to the medical expert group, and he came alone. I'm not sure about the situation, so..." Guo Penghui's report was very skillful, emphasizing the "young" and "alone" aspects.

Sure enough, the tone on the other side became serious, "There's such a thing? Why don't I know about it?" Director Zhang was the deputy director of the Provincial Party Committee's General Office and a member of the Provincial Health Committee. Hiring experts was a major decision that required collective discussion. If an expert had been selected, he would certainly know.

Guo Penghui understood immediately, "I'm sorry to bother you, Director Zhang. You're busy, you're busy!"

After hanging up, Guo Penghui's face turned pale. It was a close call. Someone dared to impersonate an expert from the medical group. If he had let him pass and get close to the leaders, it would have been a major disaster. Guo Penghui was drenched in cold sweat, realizing that as the head of the department, he had failed to detect the situation in time. If this got out, he would be in serious trouble.

Regaining his composure, Guo Penghui firmly shook Liang Jianqiang's hand, "Old Liang, I'm grateful for your help today! I will report this to Director Feng and recommend you for commendation!"

"Director Guo, you're too formal. I'm responsible for the department's security. I was also very worried about this incident!"

"We can't delay. We need to control this impostor immediately and notify the local police to arrest him."

Zeng Yi was sitting in the Health Bureau's office, chatting with the young man. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and four security guards rushed in, brandishing batons. Without a word, they surrounded Zeng Yi, "Stay still, don't move!"

The guard from earlier had a wicked smile on his face, pointing his baton at Zeng Yi, "Kid, I knew you weren't a good person! If you know what's good for you, put your hands on your head and squat down, or my baton won't show mercy!"

Zeng Yi was a bit surprised, thinking the guard was still upset and had come to cause trouble. He glanced at the young man, thinking it was best to let the Health Department handle this.

"What are you doing!" The young man stood up, "This is an expert from the medical group, get out!"

"What expert, he's a fraud!" The guard spat, "My brother-in-law... no, Director Liang has already investigated. His letter of introduction is fake."

The young man was startled. Seeing Guo Penghui standing outside the door, he realized the guard wasn't lying. He jumped up, took a few steps back, and pointed at Zeng Yi with lingering fear, "I told you, there's no such young expert!"

"You can eat anything, but you can't say anything recklessly!" Zeng Yi sat there calmly. His letter of introduction was personally given to him by Tang Haoran, so it couldn't be fake. He wasn't worried at all, thinking it was likely the guard who had instigated this. "Who said my letter of introduction is fake? Step forward!"

"Kid, you won't cry until you see the coffin! Daring to act arrogantly here, I'll show you what it means to die!" The guard, still angry, swung his baton at Zeng Yi's shoulder with all his might. The baton whistled through the air.

"Slap!"

"Ouch..."

Before anyone could react, the guard fell to the ground, beads of sweat rolling down his face. His right hand, which had been holding the baton, now hung limply, clearly dislocated. The baton rolled far away, and most astonishingly, there was a clear 43-size black shoe print on his white shirt.

"Ah!"

The other three security guards instinctively took a step back, and Guo Penghui and the others moved even further away. Oh, too dangerous. No wonder this kid dared to impersonate an expert; he must have come prepared.

"Surround him, don't let him leave. The police are on their way!" Guo Penghui shouted, but he didn't dare to get close.