Chapter 39

Gu Houyi announced on the spot that Geng Wenxiu would be dispatched to the Weishan Island branch of Changxing Hospital starting from that day to take charge of the work there, and the responsibilities she originally managed would be temporarily handed over to Gao Xinhu.

The Weishan Island branch is a town-level hospital that Changxing Hospital acquired three years ago. Currently, the person in charge there is the former outpatient department director, Jin Yonghao. Given Geng Wenxiu's level, being sent there to take charge of the work was clearly a form of exile.

Geng Wenxiu, who had always been arrogant, was completely defeated by Gu Houyi. During the announcement of the job change, she did not raise any objections. She did not dare to resist. Knowing Gu Houyi, once he made a move, he would not give his opponent any chance to fight back. If she resisted, she would only suffer greater humiliation.

Gu Houyi did not publicly disclose the materials, which was already a show of leniency, mainly out of consideration for her family. He did not want to push things to the extreme.

After announcing the end of the meeting, Gu Houyi kept Gao Xinhu behind.

Gao Xinhu felt somewhat helpless. He did not want to openly take sides, but by doing this, Gu Houyi had effectively put him in opposition to Geng Wenxiu.

Gu Houyi handed a cigarette to Gao Xinhu, who took it and lit it for him first, then smiled bitterly and said, "Director Gu, I'm good at logistics. You asking me to manage the outpatient department is really beyond my capabilities."

Gu Houyi took a puff of the cigarette and said, "Just for a few days as a transition. Once the new leader arrives, there will definitely be a readjustment of responsibilities."

Gao Xinhu was taken aback. Only then did he notice Gu Houyi's despondent expression. Recalling the anonymous report, it seemed that the matter had greatly affected him. Could it be that the higher-ups were considering an early retirement for Gu Houyi?

Gao Xinhu cautiously asked, "Director Gu, about the anonymous report..."

Gu Houyi said calmly, "Don't say what you see."

Gao Xinhu nodded. It must have been Geng Wenxiu behind the scenes, otherwise, Gu Houyi would not have shown her no mercy at all.

From Yunhe Renjia to Huichun Hall was not far, and it was a pleasant walk along the river. Xu Chunliang was halfway there when a Porsche slowed down beside him, and someone rolled down the window and called out, "Director Xu!"

Xu Chunliang turned to see it was the pharmaceutical representative, Pei Lin, whom he had met a few days ago at Minnan Seafood City.

Xu Chunliang smiled at her and waved, signaling her to go ahead.

Pei Lin, however, stopped the car. "Where are you going? I can give you a ride."

"It's not a bother, it's not far. I'll walk."

"Get in the car, it's so hot."

Unable to refuse her insistence, Xu Chunliang got in. This was probably the most luxurious car he had ever ridden in, indicating that pharmaceutical representatives made a lot of money.

Pei Lin asked where he was headed and drove toward Huichun Hall. She had also heard about Tong Meili's incident. Although the videos had been taken down, the negative impact had already been significant.

Pei Lin said, "I know this might be an impertinent question, but how much is that bracelet worth?"

This was not a secret. Xu Chunliang replied, "The invoice says 880,000 yuan, but they want 1 million. I don't think it's worth that much."

Pei Lin laughed. "In such disputes, they always ask for a high price. It's strange, how did this incident become so big? Isn't your medical aesthetics center contracted out? Why didn't you issue a statement to distance yourselves? Changxing's crisis management is really poor."

Xu Chunliang did not want to satisfy her curiosity. "I'm not in charge of that, and I don't know the details."

"You are in administration, so you speak so carefully, Director Xu. I'm just curious, no ulterior motives. Don't be so guarded."

"I'm not a director. I just run errands in the medical affairs department."

"You're not ordinary. Someone as capable as Ding Si was subdued by you." Pei Lin had witnessed Xu Chunliang subdue Ding Si and his gang. She had only read about such skills in books, never expecting to see them in real life. Since that night, she had developed a strong interest in this young man.

Xu Chunliang reminded her, "Turn left ahead."

Pei Lin realized he was not interested in her conversation and smiled. "I heard your hospital is about to change."

This topic caught Xu Chunliang's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Director Gu is almost at the end of his term. You will soon have a new director."

Xu Chunliang nodded. This was not news; everyone knew Gu Houyi would step down next year, but the identity of his successor was still unknown.

"Do you know who the new director will be?"

"Whoever it is, it doesn't matter to me. I'm just a small staff member."

"During the transition of leadership, it's usually the best time for advancement. Director Xu, you should seize this opportunity. If you choose the right direction, you'll rise quickly."

"I'm here!" Xu Chunliang pointed ahead. He did not have much affection for Pei Lin, feeling that she was always calculating.

Pei Lin parked in front of Huichun Hall. Xu Chunliang thanked her and got out of the car.

Pei Lin asked him to wait, then took two boxes of tea from the trunk. Xu Chunliang refused, feeling he had not earned such a gift.

"No other meaning, it's from my friend's tea plantation. I just want you to try it. If you don't accept it, I'll give it to your grandfather."

Worried that she might disturb his grandfather, Xu Chunliang took the tea. "Alright, I'll try it. Thank you."

Pei Lin smiled and waved as she drove away.

Xu Chunliang waited until she was gone before turning around. He saw his grandfather standing behind him with a fan, smiling at him.

"Scaring people to death, Grandpa, can you not be so stealthy?"

Xu Changshan smiled. "Who was the girl who just dropped you off?"

Xu Chunliang could tell from his grandfather's expression what he was hoping for.

"Don't overthink it. Just a friend. She gave me a ride, and these two boxes of tea are for you."

He handed the tea to his grandfather and went to take a shower.

While showering, Xu Chunliang thought about what Pei Lin had said in the car. Was Changxing Hospital about to change? If Gu Houyi stepped down, who could take over? Could it be Gao Xinhu?

Pei Lin must have heard some rumors; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to toast Gao Xinhu that day.

From a personal standpoint, Xu Chunliang hoped it would be Gao Xinhu, but based on what he knew, it was impossible.

After showering, he saw his grandfather had already brewed two cups of tea in glass cups, one of which was left to cool for him. His grandfather's care was truly meticulous.

Xu Changshan said, "This is top-quality Zhuyeqing, costing over 3,000 yuan per kilogram."

"So expensive?" Xu Chunliang picked up the glass cup and took a sip. The fragrance was delightful, and it was indeed good tea. Pei Lin was quite generous. The two boxes of tea were exactly one kilogram. His grandfather was a tea expert, and the price he mentioned was likely accurate.

He was not a leader, and he had only had one meal with Pei Lin. Why would she give him such expensive tea? Xu Chunliang thought about it but could not think of any reason she would need his help.

The most likely explanation was that she had heard about Gao Xinhu's connection to their family and wanted to use him to get closer to Gao Xinhu. If that was the case, the possibility of Gao Xinhu becoming the director was indeed high.

Xu Chunliang realized that although martial arts had declined, people's intelligence and cunning had generally increased. Even ordinary people were sharp, probably due to the information age. With access to so much information, people's knowledge and mental acuity had naturally improved.