Chapter 5

Re-sitting in the Polo car, Cai Yan saw Su Tao remain silent, a stark contrast to his earlier self, feeling a mix of emotions: "You were so brave just now. Seeing those big, burly thugs, my legs turned to jelly."

Su Tao's gaze shifted from the bustling night view outside the car window to Cai Yan's delicate face. Her hair was tied up high, revealing her smooth, white ears and small, delicate earlobes, with faint blue veins visible.

Cai Yan's gentle appearance easily aroused a man's inner desires, and the scar-faced man's teasing words were precisely because of this.

Cai Yan's dress today was slightly long, but only enough to cover her knees. When she pressed the brake and accelerator with her right foot, her legs had to be spread, creating a gap of about an inch, revealing a glimpse of her smooth inner thighs, like the tip of a young lotus, making it hard not to imagine other scenes.

Su Tao lightly coughed, looking straight ahead, and said, "I really didn't plan to fight, but the law doesn't work on them. In comparison, fists are more effective."

"Did you plan to use force from the beginning?" Cai Yan was speechless, finally understanding why Su Tao had said he would try not to use force, which at the time made her think Su Tao was overly confident.

"Trouble is just beginning." Su Tao smiled broadly, "We'll deal with it as it comes."

Su Tao, who had wandered for many years and experienced much, had excellent self-control, but at heart, he was a man of blood and fire, adhering to the principle of not provoking unless provoked.

He appeared gentle, but deep inside, he harbored the blood and fire of youth. Protecting Sanwei Hall was his duty, and if anyone tried to harm it, regardless of their background, he would make them pay tenfold.

Cai Yan sighed inwardly, realizing that Su Tao had planned to use his fists to show the developer that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

However, the developer was said to be very powerful and wouldn't give up the demolition easily. Would Su Tao be able to get away unscathed next time?

Seeing Cai Yan suddenly fall silent, Su Tao took the initiative to start a conversation: "You almost come to Sanwei Hall every day for treatment, but it's not necessary. Following the prescription I gave you the first time, taking the medicine daily, you should be fine in two months at most."

Cai Yan blinked and smiled, "What? Do I bother you?"

Su Tao shook his head and explained, "Your condition is not serious, but it's not minor either. It's hard to cure completely, but it can be stabilized. The main issue is psychological, so I tell you two jokes every day to keep you in a good mood."

Cai Yan asked, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Su Tao thought to himself that if he told her everything, he wouldn't be a doctor but a fool, and smiled, "Doctors sometimes have to deceive patients because they are often fragile and sensitive. Telling them directly can have adverse effects."

Cai Yan was taken aback and asked, "Why are you telling me now?"

Su Tao glanced at Cai Yan's expressive eyes and said, "Because we are familiar now."

Earlier, when Cai Yan faced the scar-faced man and others, standing up for him, it made Su Tao feel a bit grateful.

Cai Yan smiled, seemingly self-mocking, "So you treated me as a stranger before."

"Before, it was a doctor-patient relationship," Su Tao said, "But after fighting together, we are comrades-in-arms."

Cai Yan's gaze fell on the road ahead, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. She dropped Su Tao off at the pharmacy and then left.

Back in his bedroom, Su Tao found a medical bag that looked somewhat old. Opening it, the topmost item was a notebook with a slightly worn and old cover. This was Su Guangsheng's medical notes, recording his years of medical insights.

Su Tao flipped to the last few pages, frowned in deep thought for a long time, and then put the notebook back into the medical bag. If nothing unexpected happened, the developer's boss, Nie Weiting, would send people again in two days, or even one day.

...

The next day, Su Tao brought the medical bag to treat Vera. During the treatment, to protect the patient's privacy, only Su Tao and Vera were present.

Vera was about to unbutton her hospital gown, revealing half of her snow-white chest. Su Tao glanced at her and quickly stopped her, smiling, "Today we use needles, so you don't need to take off your clothes."

Vera had thought she would need to be naked for the treatment, so she only wore an outer shirt without an undergarment, her high, conical breasts with two pink nipples barely covered by a thin layer of fabric, creating a hazy, mysterious effect.

Although Su Tao had seen her naked before, Vera in clothes added a layer of mystery and more room for imagination.

Vera looked at Su Tao's clear, unclouded eyes and smiled, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Su Tao smiled helplessly, thinking to himself that she undressed too quickly for him to remind her in time.

With the needles as a medium, Su Tao didn't have to work as hard as the previous day. After the acupuncture treatment, Su Tao handed Vera the herbal medicine he had prepared in the morning. Vera took a sip, wiped her lips, and showed a look of difficulty in accepting it.

Su Tao smiled and handed her a leaf, saying, "Put the leaf in your mouth; it will make it easier to swallow."

Vera placed the leaf in her mouth, tightly closed her pink lips, as if making a big decision, and then took a sip of the herbal medicine, surprised, "It's really amazing; it's not so bitter. What is this magical leaf?"

Su Tao looked at Vera's relaxed expression and explained, "This is called sweet tea leaf, which grows on steep mountain cliffs. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar but has only one-third the calories. It has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, moistening the lungs, and stopping coughs, and it can also help with your viral bronchitis."

Vera looked deeply at Su Tao and said, "Tao, you are a truly amazing person. You've made me fall in love with traditional Chinese medicine. Are you interested in being my personal doctor? I can offer you a salary that will satisfy you."

Su Tao shrugged and said humorously, "Vera, I prefer our current relationship. I am your doctor, but we don't have an actual employment contract. If I become your personal doctor, you will be my boss, and our conversations won't be as casual."

In his mind, he was thinking, if I become your subordinate, how can I pursue you?

Vera smiled, "Tao, you are the most interesting Chinese person I've met. Thank you for opening a new world for me."

Hysteria patients, influenced by their psychological state, view the world with pessimism, like the blind. Vera's current mood was smooth, as if she had discovered a new world.

Su Tao smiled and said, "Although I can't be your full-time personal doctor, I have a pharmacy, and I am the resident doctor there. You can come to see me anytime."

With that, Su Tao handed Vera a business card he had just printed.

To revitalize Sanwei Hall, he needed to advertise more. Although he was taking patients from Jianghuai Hospital, Su Tao didn't feel guilty.

He had cured Vera with his real skills, and Jianghuai Hospital hadn't even mentioned the consultation fee, which Su Tao found unprofessional.

Vera carefully put away the business card and smiled, "I will be your regular customer."

Su Tao stared at Vera's beautiful face, already planning to promote her visit to Sanwei Hall next time.

If even foreigners were willing to support Sanwei Hall, the former patients of his grandfather would likely return as loyal customers.

Of course, besides that, any man would be happy to spend more time with a beautiful woman like Vera.

After Su Tao left the ward, he was surrounded by two people: the hospital director, Di Shiyuan, and the health bureau director, Cao Jun.

Di Shiyuan, fearing Su Tao would escape, grabbed his arm and laughed, "The city party secretary, Secretary Zhang, wants to see you. He is waiting in my office. He has been there for an hour, hearing that you were treating Ms. Vera, so he waited for an hour."

Letting the city party secretary wait for an hour didn't sound right, so Su Tao smiled and said, "Then let's go see Secretary Zhang quickly."

The director's office was smaller than expected, less than ten square meters, with a desk and file boxes that, though numerous, were not messy. An old, worn bookshelf and a paint-peeled storage cabinet made the room look shabby, but the various banners on the walls were the only highlight.

The simple office made Su Tao feel a bit of respect for Di Shiyuan.

"Secretary Zhang, this is the hero who treated Ms. Vera—Su Tao," Di Shiyuan stepped forward and introduced him.

Zhang Ping looked at Su Tao, surprised by his youth, and smiled, "Truly, heroes emerge from the young."

Su Tao quickly smiled, "Thank you, Secretary Zhang."

After some pleasantries, they sat on the sofa, and Zhang Ping's secretary started to make tea.

Zhang Ping said casually, "Just now, Vera has entrusted someone to prepare a 500 million yuan investment project, which is twice the expected amount. This shows how important medical facilities are for the investment environment."

Cao Jun quickly added, "Jianghuai Hospital is planning a private doctor expert group, which will mainly serve investors and leaders."

Zhang Ping nodded, "From this unexpected event, it is indeed necessary. However, we must not violate the central government's regulations."

According to regulations, only vice-national-level leaders would have a dedicated medical team. Even for important leaders in Huai Province, daily health care was handled by selected expert groups on a part-time basis.

For city-level officials, daily health care was even less guaranteed, usually provided by the best hospital's expert group in the city.

To better standardize the health care of local officials, the health bureau director, Cao Jun, was pushing for Jianghuai Hospital to establish a private doctor expert group, with a good reason: not only to provide health care for officials but also to offer good medical services to important investors.

Seeing that Zhang Ping had basically agreed, Cao Jun quickly said, "I will submit the plan next week."

"I will coordinate with the finance department to give preferential treatment in funding," Zhang Ping looked at Su Tao and smiled, "By the way, excellent experts like Su Tao must be included in the private doctor expert group."

Joining the private doctor expert group had become a political task.

With the city party secretary's words, Su Tao had fewer reasons to refuse. After sending off Zhang Ping and Cao Jun, Di Shiyuan kept Su Tao in the office to do some ideological work and offered tempting conditions.

"I understand you have the legacy of Sanwei Hall. If you are willing to join the private doctor expert group of Jianghuai Hospital, we can give you special policies. For example, you don't have to work full-time at Jianghuai Hospital. Except for special tasks, you don't need to show up, and you will enjoy higher benefits than other experts."

Su Tao said with a difficult expression, "Director Di, I understand your sincerity, but if I join the group like this, it might make others unhappy."

Seeing Su Tao's silence, Di Shiyuan continued to persuade, "If you want to inherit and develop Sanwei Hall, relying on the old operating methods of the late Mr. Su is far from enough. You need to break out of the old model and leverage the resources around you to revitalize your family business. Currently, only Jianghuai Hospital can provide you with good resources and a good platform to showcase your talents."

It must be said that although Di Shiyuan didn't look good, his mouth was very persuasive, and his words hit the core of Su Tao's thoughts.

Su Tao smiled faintly, "Director Di, I'll give it a try, but if I don't meet the standards, please let me leave."

Seeing that he had finally convinced Su Tao with great effort, Di Shiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "I will strictly require every member of the expert group, and I won't make exceptions for you."

Today's meeting between Zhang Ping and Su Tao was secretly arranged by Di Shiyuan. Di Shiyuan knew that without sufficient weight, it would be hard to make Su Tao interested, so he cleverly had the city party secretary, Zhang Ping, appear to add value to the establishment of the private doctor expert group at Jianghuai Hospital.

With a promising vision, capable doctors like Su Tao would be more willing to join.

Di Shiyuan stood up, patted Su Tao on the shoulder, and smiled, "It's a deal. I'll have someone arrange your entry. How about the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) department? It's relatively relaxed, and you only need to work one day a week, which suits you."

Su Tao nodded and smiled, "Then let's do it as you suggest."

The TCM department was indeed a relaxed department, but Di Shiyuan wanted to revitalize it, so he had Su Tao join. Once Su Tao was in the TCM department, he would have to take on a lot of responsibilities.

As they walked to the elevator, a burst of fragrance suddenly came. Su Tao reacted quickly, lightly leaping backward and reaching out to stop the person, preventing a collision. However, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against her soft, high chest.

The person stopped, frowned, and the files in her arms scattered on the ground. But because the collision was due to her distraction, she couldn't blame Su Tao.

"Sorry!" Her cold apology made one shiver.

Is this an apology? Her attitude was too unprofessional!

She bent down to pick up the scattered files. From Su Tao's angle, he could see the edge of her black lace underwear and her plump, white skin. Su Tao inadvertently glanced at it twice, subconsciously moving his lips to say something polite...

She didn't even look at Su Tao and just walked away...

"This woman is crazy!" Su Tao watched her cold, slender back, pinched his fingers, feeling the lingering warmth, and thought to himself.

...

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