Chapter 36

When Zhou Wenbin left the Dean's office, it was already six o'clock, well past the time to go home. Surprisingly, he ran into Vice Dean Geng Wenxiu on the way.

Zhou Wenbin greeted her, but Geng Wenxiu, who was usually very arrogant, would only nod at middle-level cadres like them. Today, however, she took the initiative to chat with him: "Old Zhou, you're really dedicated. You're still reporting to Dean Gu at this hour?"

Zhou Wenbin, who had just come out of Gu Houyi's office and couldn't deny it, smiled and said, "Dean Gu gave me some work to do."

"About Tong Meili, right?"

Zhou Wenbin sighed inwardly. This matter was already common knowledge, so he didn't answer, just smiled, leaving Geng Wenxiu to interpret it as she wished.

Geng Wenxiu took it as his tacit acknowledgment and sighed, "I never thought it would cause such a big stir. How is Dean Gu feeling?"

Few people at Changxing Hospital liked Geng Wenxiu. She was arrogant and overconfident, always acting superior and trying to draw attention to herself. No one knew how she had risen to her position or how many people cursed her behind her back.

Zhou Wenbin really didn't want to walk with her. She wasn't a good person.

But she was the Vice Dean, and he couldn't just walk away. He endured his disgust and said, "It's hard to guess what the leadership is thinking."

Geng Wenxiu chuckled, "Old Zhou, you haven't been in administration long, but you sure know how to speak and act carefully."

Vice Dean Gao Xinhuai also came out of his office. Everyone was leaving later than usual today. A few hours earlier, Gu Houyi had called a small meeting with several leaders, instructing them to use their connections to quickly suppress the heat around the Tong Meili incident. Everyone understood why Gu Houyi was so anxious, and no one felt comfortable leaving before the matter was resolved.

Now that it was confirmed that the Tong Meili couple's accounts had been blocked and the related videos were widely censored, they all left the hospital one by one.

Seeing Gao Xinhuai, Zhou Wenbin felt like he had found a savior: "Dean Gao, I was just looking for you."

Gao Xinhuai, seeing Geng Wenxiu beside him, immediately guessed Zhou Wenbin's intention and said with a smile, "Let's talk in your office." He didn't want to walk with Geng Wenxiu either.

Geng Wenxiu said, "I'll be off then."

The two waved to her, "Vice Dean Geng, have a good walk!"

Gao Xinhuai glanced back and whispered, "Is the boss still here?"

Zhou Wenbin sighed, "He's been quite troubled today."

"This matter wasn't handled well by you."

Zhou Wenbin said helplessly, "I had no choice."

The two went downstairs to the Medical Affairs Department. Gao Xinhuai didn't want to get involved in Zhou Wenbin's affairs, but Zhou Wenbin insisted on inviting him in, saying he wanted to treat him to some new tea he had bought.

Gao Xinhuai also wanted to wait before leaving, so he wouldn't have to listen to Geng Wenxiu's nagging.

When they arrived at the Medical Affairs Department, they found Xu Chunliang was there. Xu Chunliang called out to Dean Gao.

Zhou Wenbin was momentarily taken aback, then remembered he had asked Xu Chunliang to wait for him. The events of the day had affected his memory. Zhou Wenbin wasn't really inviting Gao Xinhuai for tea; it was already late, and everyone was hungry, so he proposed to treat him to dinner.

Gao Xinhuai knew Zhou Wenbin probably had something to ask, so he said he had already eaten at home.

Zhou Wenbin, showing a persistent spirit in treating guests today, suggested Gao Xinhuai could invite his wife to join them.

Gao Xinhuai couldn't refuse and agreed.

Xu Chunliang thought he shouldn't participate in this private meeting between leaders and was about to leave.

But Gao Xinhuai stopped him, insisting he join. Gao Xinhuai's intention was to use Xu Chunliang as a shield, so Zhou Wenbin wouldn't talk about certain things in front of him.

Zhou Wenbin had no objections and invited Xu Chunliang along.

Xu Chunliang called his grandfather and Zhou Wenbin took them to a restaurant near the hospital called Canal Cuisine.

The restaurant was small but mid-range, known for its authentic Gu Su cuisine.

Gu Su cuisine is a branch of Huaiyang cuisine, combining the characteristics of Huaiyang with distinct local flavors. There were many such local restaurants in Dongzhou.

Zhou Wenbin was a regular here and had booked a small private room in advance, asking the owner to turn on the air conditioning early.

When they arrived, the room was already quite cool. The owner, who was Zhou Wenbin's cousin, had arranged local specialties.

Gao Xinhuai particularly liked their braised chicken, sausage, rolled pancakes, and old tofu.

The wine was Tianzhi Lan, which Zhou Wenbin had brought from his office.

Gao Xinhuai preferred strong liquor but didn't mention it. Zhou Wenbin wasn't usually generous, so it was rare for him to treat someone to a meal.

Xu Chunliang, being the junior, took on the role of server, not only pouring wine but also sterilizing the utensils with boiling water. In his past role as the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, he was always surrounded by people serving him. Now, he was serving others, but he didn't feel inferior. He found this life interesting and believed one should be adaptable.

Gao Xinhuai checked his phone and saw that the negative videos about Changxing Hospital were mostly gone. He sighed in relief, "Dean Gu acted quickly. All the distorted and defamatory news about us has been censored."

Zhou Wenbin glanced at Xu Chunliang. Although he hadn't revealed the whole truth to Gu Houyi, he couldn't take credit in front of Xu Chunliang. So, he recounted the entire process of resolving the issue.

Gao Xinhuai was surprised to learn that Xu Chunliang had resolved the crisis. He hadn't heard that Xu Chunliang had such strong connections.

"Chunliang, you know Lu Ming?"

"I know his brother, Lu Qi. Lu Qi and I are friends."

Gao Xinhuai said, "No wonder!"

Zhou Wenbin said, "I haven't had the chance to mention Xiao Xu to Dean Gu yet."

Gao Xinhuai understood the implication. "What do you mean by 'hadn't had the chance'? You just didn't want to say it. There's no need to mention it. Even if you do, he won't connect the dots."

Gao Xinhuai was right. As the Dean, Gu Houyi wouldn't be interested in a small cadre in the Medical Affairs Department.

"Director Zhou, please don't mention me. I don't want to get involved in the Tong Meili incident," Xu Chunliang said. He hadn't intended to use his personal connections for official matters and felt uncomfortable. Mainly, he disliked the head of the beauty department, Cai Rongjuan. Helping to suppress the negative publicity had inadvertently helped her.

Zhou Wenbin laughed, "As a member of the Medical Affairs Department, you can't stay out of this. It's impossible."

Gao Xinhuai said, "This incident has caused a city-wide uproar, severely damaging Changxing's reputation. You can't be complacent. There might be a backlash."

Xu Chunliang said, "Does Changxing even have a reputation left? Among the six tertiary hospitals in Dongzhou, our reputation is at the bottom."

Gao Xinhuai and Zhou Wenbin exchanged glances. Although it was harsh, they had to admit it was true.

Gao Xinhuai took a sip of wine, "A son doesn't despise his mother's ugliness, and a dog doesn't despise its poor home. You are a formal employee of Changxing."

Zhou Wenbin said, "I hope the second phase expansion project of Changxing can start as soon as possible. Once the new ward building is completed, we can catch up with other hospitals in terms of hardware."

Gao Xinhuai said, "The demolition is complete, and the groundbreaking for the new building will be at the end of the month."

"There's hope. Where there are phoenix trees, phoenixes will come," Zhou Wenbin sighed.

Gao Xinhuai said, "Including construction, renovation, and equipment installation and commissioning, it will take at least three years. And there's still a significant funding gap."

Zhou Wenbin said, "Is Dean Gu retiring next year?"

Gao Xinhuai nodded. Gu Houyi and Zhou Wenbin were from the same hometown, and he didn't want to say too much about it. He thought Zhou Wenbin might know more about Gu Houyi's future plans than he did.

"Who will replace Dean Gu when he retires?" Zhou Wenbin looked at Gao Xinhuai.

Gao Xinhuai said, "What are you looking at me for? It won't be me."