Chapter 13

When Director Zhou Wenbin of the Medical Affairs Department heard the news, he rushed back from the Health Bureau meeting, but by then the dust had already settled.

After Grandma Jiang was taken to the emergency room, she woke up on her own before they could even start resuscitation. The hospital notified her family, but they didn’t dare let her leave yet. For safety, they suggested she stay for 24 hours of observation.

Zhou Wenbin arrived at the entrance of the administrative building and encountered Tan Guoliang, who was coming out.

Tan Guoliang took the initiative to greet him and asked why he had just returned, as the director of the Medical Affairs Department should have been present for such a major incident.

Zhou Wenbin, feeling somewhat guilty for not being there at the critical moment, told Tan Guoliang that he had been in a meeting and rushed back as soon as he received the call. He then inquired about the situation in the department.

Tan Guoliang whispered to him that the new recruit, Xiao Xu, was a real tiger, and the Medical Affairs Department should have more people like him.

Hearing this, Zhou Wenbin felt a weight lifted from his heart. At that moment, Security Chief Yu Xiangdong led a group of security guards over, and Tan Guoliang sneered, "A bunch of freeloaders." He didn’t want to greet them and left before they arrived.

Zhou Wenbin smiled at Yu Xiangdong, though he was annoyed by his usual inefficiency, he still had to maintain appearances.

Yu Xiangdong, with a sullen face, approached Zhou Wenbin and gave him a thumbs-up: "Old Zhou, your people in the Medical Affairs Department are really something, they even call the police without going through our Security Department."

Zhou Wenbin replied, "That can’t be true, they must have notified you first before calling the police."

"How can it not be? They called 110 right in front of me. We’re colleagues, why make things so awkward?"

Zhou Wenbin was furious. "What’s so awkward? I guess our young colleagues couldn’t wait for you to arrive, and their personal safety was threatened, so they had to call the police. If it were you, wouldn’t you call the police in a dangerous situation?"

Yu Xiangdong couldn’t miss the sarcasm in his words: "Old Zhou, what do you mean? Every time something happens in your department, we help clean up the mess. Your attitude is why your subordinates act this way."

"What attitude? How we do things in the Medical Affairs Department isn’t for your Security Department to dictate, is it?"

"If you’re so capable, don’t come to us for help in the future. You can handle everything yourselves."

"If you say so, we won’t trouble you in the future. The hospital has two main gates and a parking lot. You’re too busy, really too busy."

"Zhou Wenbin, how can you talk like that?"

"I’ve always talked like this."

"If you have any complaints about our Security Department, you can say it directly. Don’t use this method to retaliate. It’s a small matter for us, but it’s a big deal for the hospital’s image."

"How have I affected the hospital’s image? Are you saying I need to take off my white coat and put on a security uniform to represent the hospital’s image?" The resentment had been building for a long time, and Yu Xiangdong’s accusations finally set Zhou Wenbin off.

The two stood at the entrance of the office building, arguing back and forth, their voices getting louder and louder, until they even caught the attention of Deputy Director Gao Xinhua.

Actually, Gao Xinhua didn’t want to get involved, but the hospital director, Gu Houyi, had passed the ball to him. Two department heads arguing openly in broad daylight, with many employees and patients watching, was a serious issue for the middle management’s image and dignity.

Gao Xinhua had the office director, Liu Dengke, bring the two of them to his office.

Yu Xiangdong and Zhou Wenbin, both red-faced and necks swollen, entered Gao Xinhua’s office and continued to glare at each other like two fighting roosters.

There was a reason Gu Houyi had Gao Xinhua handle this. Gao Xinhua himself was from the Security Department, and Yu Xiangdong was his recommended successor. As for Zhou Wenbin, everyone knew he was Gao Xinhua’s fellow townsman. Gu Houyi was protective of his fellow townspeople and valued their connections. He knew Zhou Wenbin lacked the ability to handle the role of Medical Affairs Director.

The Medical Affairs Department wasn’t a job for just anyone. In recent years, medical disputes in Changxing had been on the rise, mainly due to issues with medical quality, but the department’s handling of these issues was also problematic. An excellent Medical Affairs Director should be able to defuse major issues and resolve minor ones, but Zhou Wenbin’s strength was avoiding conflicts rather than resolving them.

Office Director Liu Dengke smiled at Gao Xinhua and said, "I’ve brought them to you, Director Gao. Director Gu has some tasks, so I’ll go over there."

Gao Xinhua nodded, and Liu Dengke left, closing the office door behind him.

Gao Xinhua took a cigarette from the pack, not even looking at the two of them, and said slowly, "Whoever wants a cigarette, come and take one."

Yu Xiangdong and Zhou Wenbin finally broke their intense gaze. They saw Gao Xinhua holding the cigarette in his mouth, not yet lit, and looking for a lighter.

Zhou Wenbin didn’t smoke, but Yu Xiangdong, understanding the leader’s meaning, quickly took out a lighter and went over to light Gao Xinhua’s cigarette.

Zhou Wenbin watched coldly, silently cursing him as a sycophant.

Gao Xinhua said, "Sit down, the tea is already prepared for you."

Yu Xiangdong smiled and said, "How can we trouble Director Gao?"

Gao Xinhua said, "We’re all colleagues, no need for formalities, Director Zhou, right?"

Zhou Wenbin smiled and said, "Colleagues have their hierarchies, you are our superior leader." Who doesn’t know how to flatter a leader?

Gao Xinhua tapped the ash off his cigarette and gestured for them to sit down.

Yu Xiangdong and Zhou Wenbin sat on the sofa, deliberately keeping a distance between them, like a quarreling couple.

Gao Xinhua said, "Do you two have some deep-seated grudge?"

Yu Xiangdong quickly denied it, "No!"

Zhou Wenbin also shook his head.

"No deep-seated grudge, yet you argue so loudly in public, causing a commotion? Is it because of the dry weather or are you just bored?"

Zhou Wenbin explained that they had no personal grudges, and the argument was due to work issues.

This time, Yu Xiangdong nodded. In the well-cooled air-conditioned office, their tempers quickly cooled, and they both regretted arguing in public.

"Truly dedicated, but disagreements should be discussed privately and calmly, not made public. You two are almost a hundred years old combined, aren’t you ashamed?"

Yu Xiangdong explained that he was upset because the Medical Affairs Department bypassed them and called the police directly.

Zhou Wenbin was unhappy: "Was it wrong for us to call the police in that situation? What is the Security Department’s responsibility? Why didn’t you arrive at the scene in time? With your response time, how can the safety of medical staff be guaranteed?"

Both held their ground, and the conversation became heated again.

Gao Xinhua said, "Both of you, calm down. Fortunately, nothing serious happened today. If that old lady had an accident in the hospital, wouldn’t the hospital be responsible? Why didn’t the Security Department arrive at the scene in time?"

Yu Xiangdong, as his old subordinate, was the first to be criticized. Yu Xiangdong didn’t speak, knowing that the Security Department’s inefficiency wasn’t his fault. It had been the same style since Gao Xinhua was the head of the Security Department, and he had learned from him. However, he didn’t dare say this and lowered his head: "Director Gao, Changxing is so big, with over ten disputes every day. We don’t have enough manpower to handle it all..."

"Don’t make excuses. When I was in the Security Department, we had only seven people, but we managed the security of the entire Changxing. Now you have dozens of staff and security guards, yet disputes are increasing. Shouldn’t you reflect on your own issues?"

Yu Xiangdong was frustrated. Was it the same when Gao Xinhua was the head of the Security Department? In the past, patients respected medical staff, but now their rights awareness has increased significantly, and many aspects involve excessive rights protection. Social public opinion is also unfriendly to medical staff, making the doctor-patient relationship increasingly tense. They were always the ones getting blamed and beaten, and the hospital required them to not fight back or respond to insults. This job was really tough.

Gao Xinhua then asked Zhou Wenbin, "Where were you when the dispute happened?"

Zhou Wenbin said, "I was at a meeting at the Health Bureau..."

Gao Xinhua said, "Do you have more meetings than me? You’re always in meetings or on your way to meetings. In a situation like today, shouldn’t you, as the Medical Affairs Director, be on the scene?"

"This meeting was important, so..."

"Don’t make excuses. Which meeting isn’t important? I’ve been in Changxing for so many years, do I not know what’s going on?"

Gao Xinhua looked at Zhou Wenbin and then at Yu Xiangdong, both of whom lowered their heads. Gao Xinhua was a shrewd person and could see through their small tricks.

Gao Xinhua said, "We’re all colleagues in the same unit. Even if we can’t be close friends, we shouldn’t become enemies. I won’t interfere with your work, but I must remind you about this incident. It shouldn’t happen again."

Zhou Wenbin and Yu Xiangdong nodded.

Gao Xinhua extinguished his cigarette: "Don’t make any plans tonight. I’ll treat you to dinner. There’s a nice little restaurant downstairs from my place. Let’s go together."

Zhou Wenbin and Yu Xiangdong exchanged glances and nodded. They had to give the leader face and were prepared to pay the bill to avoid letting the leader pay.

At this moment, Cheng Xiaohong called, still about Grandma Jiang. Zhou Wenbin said he had to leave to handle the situation in the department.

Yu Xiangdong didn’t leave immediately. To show that he had accepted the criticism, he got up and escorted Zhou Wenbin to the door, closing it behind him.

Gao Xinhua knew he was不服气 (unconvinced) and would have something to say.

Yu Xiangdong took out a pack of soft Zhonghua cigarettes, offered one to Gao Xinhua, and lit it respectfully, then said, "Director Gao, I accept your criticism, but the Medical Affairs Department shouldn’t act like that. We were already there and had the situation under control. Even if they had to call the police, it should have been us."

Gao Xinhua took a puff of the cigarette, not responding. He didn’t know the specific situation in the Medical Affairs Department, and the hospital director had asked him to handle the internal dispute.

Yu Xiangdong said, "You don’t know how arrogant the new recruit in the Medical Affairs Department is. I said I would handle it, but he still called 110 in front of everyone. Isn’t that a public slap in the face to our Security Department?"

Gao Xinhua frowned, clearly displeased.

Yu Xiangdong mistakenly thought Gao Xinhua was also upset: "I don’t know who pulled strings to get him in, but he’s so arrogant and reckless!"

Gao Xinhua leaned back in his chair, his large frame making it creak, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. His slow, steady voice rose with the smoke: "You mean Xu Chunliang, right? I arranged it."

Yu Xiangdong’s toes curled. If not for the shoes, he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment in the floor. He was embarrassed, having complained to Gao Xinhua without doing his homework.

Gao Xinhua said slowly, "I think young people should have some spirit!"