Chapter 18

Everyone laughed, but Cheng Xiaohong pretended not to hear. She thought Zhao Yongsheng was a bit too excessive to joke like this, but she also knew that many people in the hospital enjoyed making such jokes at drinking parties, thinking they were witty and humorous, but in fact, they were quite vulgar and even a bit indecent.

Zhao Yongsheng was a skilled doctor and an excellent department manager, but his character left much to be desired.

Tang Mingmei, who was observant, noticed Cheng Xiaohong's embarrassment and proactively suggested going to the restroom, inviting Cheng Xiaohong to join her.

On their way back, they encountered a familiar face, pharmaceutical representative Pei Lin. Tang Mingmei knew her well, even though Pei Lin was not yet thirty, her business was thriving.

Pei Lin had a particularly close relationship with the neurology department. The dinner arranged by Zhao Yongsheng tonight was actually paid for by her. Min Nan Seafood City was a place Pei Lin often visited, and she usually arranged her business meetings here. She greeted Tang Mingmei, pretending to be unaware of their arrival, and asked Tang Mingmei to tell Zhao Yongsheng that she would come over to toast the leaders later.

Cheng Xiaohong worked in administration and rarely dealt with pharmaceutical salespeople. She only learned about Pei Lin's identity after asking Tang Mingmei.

Just as they sat down, Pei Lin arrived.

Zhao Yongsheng, pretending to be unaware, said, "Ms. Pei is also dining here?"

Pei Lin smiled and said, "It's a family gathering. I heard the leaders are here, but not coming to toast would be impolite. However, coming to toast might disturb your dinner, Dean Gao, please don't blame me."

Although Gao Xinhu was in charge of logistics, he knew Pei Lin well. This woman was very capable and had good relationships with everyone in Changxing Hospital. He had seen many storms and knew that coincidences were rare. After a moment's thought, he guessed that Pei Lin was the one paying for the dinner tonight. There were many rumors about Pei Lin, and the hospital had even received reports that she and Zhao Yongsheng had an ambiguous relationship, but there was no evidence, so it was dropped.

Pei Lin's appearance annoyed Zhao Yongsheng. He thought Pei Lin didn't need to show off her presence here. Over the years, she had made a lot of money through him, so it was only natural for her to arrange the dinner.

Pei Lin first toasted Gao Xinhu twice, then Zhou Wenbin. She knew everyone except Cheng Xiaohong and Xu Chunliang.

Zhao Wenbin introduced them, and since Cheng Xiaohong didn't drink, Pei Lin toasted with tea instead. Finally, she toasted Xu Chunliang.

Tang Mingmei deliberately said, "Pei Lin, I remember you asked me to introduce you to someone. What do you think of Xiao Xu?"

Zhao Yongsheng was taken aback but quickly realized that Tang Mingmei was speaking for his benefit. Although he and Pei Lin were close, they hadn't crossed any lines. Zhao Yongsheng was not naive; Pei Lin's flattery was for the sake of drug sales, and he could benefit from it. Such a relationship couldn't be easily broken, as the consequences would be severe.

Pei Lin, with years of experience, handled the situation with ease. She smiled and said, "Sister Tang, it's been two years since I asked you to introduce me to someone. I'm getting married soon. How could you not introduce such a handsome and charming young man to me earlier? Now I understand what it means to regret not meeting someone before I was married."

Xu Chunliang smiled and said he had just joined this year.

Although Pei Lin was beautiful, she wasn't enough to impress Xu Chunliang. He had met many people and, despite it being their first meeting, he could see the ambition and greed in her eyes. He didn't like overly calculating women.

Everyone laughed, and Gao Xinhu noticed that Xu Chunliang was very composed, handling the situation with ease. He realized that Xu Chunliang wasn't a typical recent graduate but was in his twenties.

Pei Lin also had two drinks with Xu Chunliang, then distributed her business cards and noted everyone's contact information.

Zhao Yongsheng sipped his tea, thinking that Pei Lin's main target was Gao Xinhu. She was using this opportunity to connect with him. Zhao Yongsheng was puzzled because Gao Xinhu was only a deputy dean in charge of logistics, not responsible for drug procurement. What could Pei Lin gain from him?

Zhao Yongsheng thought about the soon-to-retire Dean Gu Houyi. Who would replace him? Spring water warms before the ducks know. Perhaps Pei Lin had already received some information. However, Gao Xinhu was a former military officer, and his background made it unlikely for him to become the head of Changxing Hospital. Zhao Yongsheng fell into deep thought.

Pei Lin stayed for about ten minutes and then left, having obtained Gao Xinhu's contact information. Her goal was achieved. Zhao Yongsheng's suspicion was correct; Pei Lin hadn't planned to come to toast but was specifically targeting Gao Xinhu.

Dean Gu Houyi would leave next year due to his age, and many were speculating about his successor. The most popular rumor was that a deputy dean from within Changxing Hospital would be promoted, which seemed reasonable as they were familiar with the hospital's situation.

However, Pei Lin had heard a different rumor: a new official might be appointed, and this official was a classmate of Gao Xinhu from the Party School. His father was also Gao Xinhu's superior in the military, and the two families had a close relationship.

Changxing Hospital was Pei Lin's main business base, and changes in the leadership could affect her interests. She needed to build connections before the situation was finalized.

With many domestic and international pharmaceutical companies vying for attention, Changxing Hospital, a top-tier hospital, was a highly sought-after market. Pei Lin had many competitors. The new dean would likely have his own trusted network, and Pei Lin's sense of crisis was even greater than that of the hospital's regular employees.

Zhu Mingyuan had little interaction with Pei Lin. The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) department had little presence in the comprehensive hospital, with the lowest income among all departments. As society became more pragmatic, low income meant no influence.

When Gao Xinhu initially wanted to transfer Xu Chunliang to the TCM department, Zhu Mingyuan resisted, despite both being chief physicians. Zhu Mingyuan's income was much lower than Zhao Yongsheng's.

Zhao Yongsheng now lived in a townhouse, buying houses one after another and frequently changing cars. His current car was a BMW X3, while Zhu Mingyuan lived in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment and drove an eight-year-old Passat.

Zhu Mingyuan was in a bad mood tonight, not only facing Gao Xinhu's sarcasm but also the challenge from younger colleagues. He claimed his son was in his final year of high school and needed tutoring, so he was the first to leave.

Gao Xinhu had planned to play another round of cards, but Zhu Mingyuan's departure dampened his spirits. Gao Xinhu said he had a meeting in the capital the next day and needed to pack, suggesting the dinner end.

With Gao Xinhu's suggestion, the dinner ended. Although Zhao Yongsheng said he was thanking the medical affairs department, the real guest of honor was Gao Xinhu.

Zhou Wenbin offered to have Cheng Xiaohong drive Gao Xinhu home, but Gao Xinhu declined, saying he lived nearby and would walk. Zhou Wenbin realized Zhao Yongsheng had thoughtfully chosen a place close to Gao Xinhu's home, which made him somewhat annoyed. It seemed the real guest was Gao Xinhu, and the thank-you dinner was just an excuse.

Everyone watched Gao Xinhu leave. Zhao Yongsheng called a ride-sharing service, and Tang Mingmei, who had come with him, now said she would go with Cheng Xiaohong, clearly wanting to distance herself from Zhao Yongsheng. She didn't want to give him a chance to make a move, especially since he was tipsy.

They said goodbye at the door. Cheng Xiaohong went to fetch her car. As she walked to her car, the headlights of an oncoming car suddenly turned on, blinding her. She recognized it as the Audi Q7 they had encountered on the way to dinner. Not wanting to escalate the situation, she turned to her car, but the Audi Q7 drove straight at her.

Startled, Cheng Xiaohong stumbled and fell to the ground.

The driver of the Q7 braked in time, stopping about a meter from her, but the sudden stop still made Cheng Xiaohong scream.

A large man with a crew cut emerged from the Audi, his face full of muscles, and shouted at Cheng Xiaohong, "Are you blind? Want to commit suicide? Go jump off a building!"

Colleagues who had been chatting at the door rushed over. Tang Mingmei helped Cheng Xiaohong up. The fall wasn't serious, but her arm was scraped.

Zhu Mingyuan, pointing at the car, angrily said, "How do you drive?"

The four doors of the Q7 opened, and five large men, all over 1.80 meters tall and clearly drunk, stepped out.

Zhu Mingyuan, seeing the situation, felt intimidated. He was a doctor, not a martial arts expert.

Zhou Wenbin and Zhao Yongsheng also came over. Zhao Yongsheng, who had been drinking, tried to show some courage in front of Tang Mingmei and asked, "What's going on?"

The driver said, "We don't know what's going on. She suddenly ran in front of us. I thought she was trying to scam us."

"How can you talk like that?" Tang Mingmei helped Cheng Xiaohong up.

Cheng Xiaohong, scared, said, "Forget it, it was my own fault."

Zhou Wenbin recognized the car. Although he knew they were deliberately causing trouble, since Cheng Xiaohong wasn't pursuing it, he didn't want to escalate the situation, especially since the men looked dangerous.

Tang Mingmei insisted, "What do you mean 'forget it'? You scared her so much and won't even say sorry?"

The driver laughed, "Alright, I'm sorry."

Zhao Yongsheng, seeing Cheng Xiaohong wasn't seriously hurt and the driver had apologized, suggested everyone leave.

Cheng Xiaohong, though upset, didn't dare to make a fuss.

As everyone was about to leave, Xu Chunliang said, "Just saying sorry isn't enough. She was so scared, shouldn't you take some responsibility?"

The men, who had opened their car doors, turned back.

Zhou Wenbin quietly pulled Xu Chunliang aside, signaling that the matter was settled and not to make things worse.

Xu Chunliang walked toward them, "You deliberately cut us off on the way here, right? I didn't want to pursue it, but now you're doing this again. Isn't that a bit much?"

Zhao Yongsheng and Zhu Mingyuan exchanged glances, unsure why Xu Chunliang was stepping in when the matter was settled.

Tang Mingmei, also unaware, quietly asked Cheng Xiaohong, who explained the whole situation. Tang Mingmei realized they had deliberately scared Cheng Xiaohong as a form of revenge.

The five men approached Xu Chunliang, forming a semicircle around him. The driver, smiling, said, "What do you want, kid?"

Zhou Wenbin, sensing the tension, stepped in, "Let's calm down. It's all a misunderstanding."

Zhu Mingyuan, though he didn't like Xu Chunliang, had to stand with him, "Let's not be impulsive. We can talk this out."

The driver patted Xu Chunliang, "I like brave young men. What do you want, kid?"

"Take my colleague to the hospital for a check-up, cover all medical expenses, lost wages, and emotional distress," Xu Chunliang said, having learned the ropes of compensation claims from his time in the medical affairs department.

The driver looked around, and the group laughed. He nodded, "I knew it. Not only a scammer but a whole gang."

Tang Mingmei was angry, "Watch your mouth. Defamation can land you in jail."

The driver said, "I talk like this. Ask around in Dongzhou, who dares to scam me, Ding Si?"