This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Also, there’s another difference between traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine: practitioners of the former are often more stubborn about conceding defeat.

In Western medicine, superiority is determined by who can cure which diseases and perform which surgeries. For example, if I can perform a heart bypass, I’m considered better than someone who only knows how to remove an appendix.

Traditional Chinese medicine is different. Unless it’s a case of crushing superiority, even if all my limbs were broken, I’d still purse my lips and argue with you. If I don’t concede, I don’t concede.

Take Guan Bo today, for instance. Would he concede to Du Heng? Would he admit Du Heng is better than him?

Du Heng could guarantee that if they were to meet again, Guan Bo would definitely seek another chance to compete, ideally by grinding Du Heng into the dust.

Concede? What a joke.

So, in front of people with such vast differences in status, whether it’s something others say or something you do yourself, if word gets out that you are not deferential to them, who can guarantee that this person is magnanimous and open-minded? Who can guarantee that the people around them, those whose interests are tied to theirs, won’t harbor certain thoughts?

You can say what you want, but absolutely not when any of the involved parties are present.

Professor Zhang laughed. ”A slip of the tongue, a slip of the tongue. I also have tremendous respect for Sir Zhang.”

Hearing Professor Zhang smooth things over in front of everyone, Lan Changhua finally relaxed and smiled. ”Zhang, it’s fine for Xiao Du to go see the patients, but remember, he’s there to broaden his horizons. You can’t push all the problems onto him.”

”Don’t worry, am I that kind of person?” Professor Zhang said, patting his chest reassuringly.

The people present were all elderly. They came today, firstly, out of respect for Lan Changhua, and secondly, to meet this young man who had caused Zhang Dewen to lose face.

Now that face had been given and the young man met, everyone began to disperse after a while.

Back at the hotel, Wu Shengnan, who had just been coaxed into a good mood that afternoon, was upset again. This time, she completely ignored Du Heng. The moment she saw him enter the room, she pulled the blanket over her head.

Du Heng knew he had neglected Wu Shengnan today. Smiling apologetically, he went to her side and lay down with her.

”Don’t touch me. Go and have dinner with your grandpas.”

”Why are you still angry? I did ask you to come with me.”

Wu Shengnan rolled her eyes in annoyance, yanked the blanket off her head, and said resentfully, ”Everyone at your table was a man, and old men at that! Why would I go?”

Du Heng chuckled. ”We just arrived in the Capital; it’s only proper to meet the elders.”

”Hmph. You said you were here to travel with me and take wedding photos. As I see it, I’m the one accompanying you on your business trip.”

”Don’t worry. Tomorrow, I’ll spend the whole day with you, touring the Capital. Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow your lead.”

”You promise?”

”I promise.”

”Fine. If you act like this again tomorrow, I’m packing my things and going straight home.”

”Rest assured, a gentleman’s word is his bond.”

Wu Shengnan’s temper flared quickly and subsided just as fast. Hearing Du Heng’s promise, she said coquettishly, ”Alright, I’ll trust you one more time.”

”Mm, thank you, baby,” Du Heng said affectionately.

But Wu Shengnan suddenly sat bolt upright. ”Who did you call ’baby’?”

Du Heng was taken aback. ”You.”

”You’ve never called me ’baby’ before. Tell me, did you do something to betray me?”

Du Heng was about to go crazy. At noon, it was that whole ’am I pretty or not’ episode, and now it’s ’did you betray me.’ What on earth was going through her mind?

Her train of thought... how can I possibly keep up? The crucial thing is, she wasn’t like this back in Jinzhou.

”Today, I was either at the hospital or with a bunch of old men. Where would I have found the chance to do something to betray you?”

”Really?”

”Really.”

She giggled. ”Then say it a couple more times.”

”Say what?”

”Baby.”

”Why?”

”Because I like hearing it.”

Du Heng rolled his eyes, then got up from her side, gently pushing Wu Shengnan down. ”Go to sleep.”

Leaving Wu Shengnan pouting with wide eyes, Du Heng walked over to the desk.

His work for the day was just beginning.

He opened his laptop, and before two minutes had passed while he was getting settled, the first video call came in.

Seeing Xiao Li on the video call, Du Heng got straight to the point: ”Were there any particular incidents with the pediatric patients today?”

”No.”

”Any new pediatric patients admitted?”

”No.”

”Then let’s hang up.”

Du Heng was a man of his word. The moment he finished speaking, the screen showed only Xiao Li’s astonished face, mouth agape.

He had just hung up when another video call came in immediately. It was Kang Zhirong.

”Dean, there are two more people waiting for you at the office. I told them you went to the Capital, but they don’t believe me and said they’ll come back tomorrow.”

”Then let them keep waiting.” Du Heng admired their perseverance. ”Anything else?”

”Nothing major, it’s just...”

”If it’s nothing major, I’m hanging up.”

His gesture to end the call was as swift and precise as ever.

After this call, however, there was a longer wait. It wasn’t until exactly 9:00 p.m. that Du Heng connected to another video call.

And this call wasn’t one-on-one; it was a video conference with the entire management team of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

He listened attentively as Lu Guangying discussed the department integration and then as Deputy Dean Qiao talked about the progress of communications with the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital.

”Deputy Dean Qiao, keep haggling with Director Mei. We must secure more benefits. Just like I said yesterday, those things must be put down in black and white. We can’t have the medical care we send over there end up with them merely doing menial tasks for others.”