This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Wu Buwei didn’t start with insincere congratulations for Du Heng. Instead, he waited for Du Heng to finish speaking before pouring out his complaints.

Knowing he had wronged him, Du Heng lacked the courage to criticize Wu Buwei. He sat awkwardly across from him, simply watching Wu Buwei grumble.

Once Wu Buwei finished speaking, having vented most of his emotions, Du Heng said slowly, ”I know what I did will definitely affect you. So, I’ve prepared two options for you. Do you want to hear them?”

Wu Buwei, his face sullen, muttered, ”Go on.”

”First, you can simply come with me. I figure, with my reputation and your experience leading projects this year, it shouldn’t be a problem to bring you along.”

Du Heng looked intently at Wu Buwei and said, word by word, ”But the consequence of doing this is that this project will definitely have nothing to do with you anymore. Once you get to the Capital, you’ll have to start all over again. Also, I might be in the Capital for three years, perhaps five, but definitely no more than ten. I will come back. But don’t worry. Once I get to the Capital, I’ll make sure to help you settle everything before I return.”

At first, Wu Buwei was somewhat tempted. Who wouldn’t want to go to the Capital? Just look at that so-called largest community in Asia—a tiny place housing more people than an entire province. What are they after?

Thinking this, Wu Buwei suddenly froze. Yes, what were they after? A good job? A comfortable living environment? A good educational atmosphere for their children? Or that elusive, intangible pursuit of life goals? It seemed like all of the above, yet none of them. Apart from that pursuit of life goals, didn’t he already have everything else? Since he already had them, why would he go to such a place to suffer?

Moreover, he only had a bachelor’s degree from a School of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Jinzhou, which wasn’t even considered one of the better second-tier universities. If he went there, could he still directly manage a national-level project like he was now? What a joke. In the Capital, he’d probably have to be subservient just to get his meals. His colleagues there would be PhDs or professors; he might even run into a couple of academicians. Although some people in this project didn’t really listen to him, the position of person-in-charge was his, and no one could take that away. If he could just complete this project, his future would be illuminated by an 800-watt light bulb, bright all the way.

Wu Buwei scratched his head.

Once he thought it through and reconsidered his earlier questions, he suddenly felt that most people in that ”largest community in Asia,” with very few exceptions, were, in a sense, failures. They were escaping, fantasizing, and simultaneously wasting their lives.

”Forget it. Tell me the second option.” Wu Buwei sighed. He considered himself someone ’without great ambitions,’ a person who just liked a stable life.

Du Heng had anticipated this. For someone like Wu Buwei, this choice wasn’t surprising in the slightest.

What kind of person was Wu Buwei? Going to work, coming home from work, a warm home with his wife and child—that was his ultimate ideal. This wasn’t just Du Heng making things up. From their interactions over the past two years, Wu Buwei seemed like a young master from a well-off family. What did such young masters usually do? Clubbing, partying, drinking, changing girlfriends, right? But this kid, he didn’t indulge in any of that. Every day after work, he’d drive his car to pick up his girlfriend. The two of them would cook, watch dramas in her rented apartment, and live quite happily. Sometimes Du Heng felt this kid was a bit too grounded, excessively so. Moreover, this kid had one trait that left Du Heng speechless: he disliked studying. He was very smart but lacked initiative. The typical type who only moves when pushed, and doesn’t move if not pushed. Even his current achievements were the result of Du Heng constantly pushing him hard since last year. So, for someone like him, who wanted a stable life but was unwilling to study, what would he even do in the Capital?

Du Heng looked at Wu Buwei and smiled. ”Second, you maintain the status quo. I’m not abandoning this project; rather, I’ll manage it remotely, and you’ll be my eyes here. However, if other team members oppose you, and you can’t convince them with your strength, then my reach won’t extend that far, and I’ll be powerless to help.”

The moment Du Heng finished speaking, Wu Buwei shuddered.

The mere thought of the expressions on the faces of those hospital elites made him feel awful. ”Senior Brother, is there a third option?”

Du Heng grinned. ”There is. But are you sure you want to hear it?”

”Yes,” Wu Buwei said, gritting his teeth.

”I need to make this clear. If I don’t tell you this third option, it’s as if it doesn’t exist. But once I say it, you’ll have no other choice; you can only pick this one.” Du Heng stared straight at Wu Buwei. ”Are you still sure you want to hear it?”

This threw Wu Buwei for a loop. For the past two years, he had genuinely considered Du Heng his big brother. So, when Du Heng laid out this tyrannical condition, he didn’t even think of objecting. After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately decided Du Heng wouldn’t harm him. He gritted his teeth and said, ”Tell me.”

Du Heng laughed again, quite happily. ”Go back to school.”

”School?” Wu Buwei was surprised. ”Senior Brother, I’ve already graduated. What school would I go back to?”

”I’ve already spoken with my teacher, Professor Li Jianwei. You’ll become his graduate student, with the same benefits as me. The school leaders also agreed to this when I chatted with them yesterday.”

Du Heng’s expression turned serious. ”Once you become Teacher’s graduate student, our ’senior brother - junior brother’ relationship will be official. Also, when I go to the Capital, I will fully entrust the project here to Teacher. With Teacher backing you in Jinzhou, it will be no different from me being here. What’s yours will remain yours. Besides, even though we’re doctors of traditional Chinese medicine, academic qualifications have become a strict requirement in our field. Sticking with just a bachelor’s degree will be detrimental to your future development.”

Wu Buwei felt his mouth go dry and his throat itch. He gave a couple of meaningless dry coughs and licked his lips.

No wonder Du Heng was reluctant to mention the third option earlier. It turned out to be his least favorite thing: studying. But he himself had insisted on hearing it, and now he couldn’t object.

Regardless of what Wu Buwei was thinking, Du Heng continued, ”I’m arranging this so urgently because I’m afraid that if you drift along for a couple of years, with this project under your belt, and after a few compliments from others, given your inherent dislike for studying, you might decide not to go back to school at all. It’s better to take this opportunity while the project is in hand to negotiate terms with the school. Besides, you’re not married yet, so it’s a good time to get your studies done.”

Wu Buwei grimaced. ”I was planning to get married next May Day.”

That one sentence made Du Heng’s face flush. After a good while, he said, ”Being a graduate student won’t stop you from getting married. Now, get out.”

Wu Buwei didn’t linger. He stood up and walked out.

At this point, he had no right to refuse, so there was no use staying. Of course, he could refuse now, but he knew very well that his relationship with Du Heng wouldn’t remain as harmonious as it was. Perhaps, the longer Du Heng stayed in the Capital, the more they would gradually drift apart and become strangers.

Watching Wu Buwei reach the door, Du Heng called out irritably from behind, ”Later, I’ll send you Teacher’s contact information. Go visit him during the New Year.”

”I know. You’re starting to sound like my dad now.”

”Get lost! If your dad heard you say that, he’d definitely disown you.”

After Wu Buwei left, Du Heng subconsciously touched his face and murmured, ”Am I really starting to get old?”

After seeing Wu Buwei off, Du Heng’s affairs at the hospital were temporarily concluded. All that remained was to wait for the higher-ups’ arrangements after the New Year.

Thereafter, Du Heng completely detached himself from the hospital, entrusting all its affairs to Lu Guangying. He himself began to help his big brother and sister-in-law prepare for the New Year.

His big brother and sister-in-law had changed significantly in the past half a year. But deep down, they were still farmers at heart—people who always thought of others and constantly felt indebted to them. To this day, Du Heng hadn’t seen the slightest trace of a businessperson’s air about them, not even a hint of the shrewdness typical of merchants. In other words, after being pharmacy owners for half a year, they hadn’t developed the penny-pinching, opportunistic nature of a cunning merchant; they were still farmers.

But being farmers is good too. Just like this, it’s very good.

So, the couple directly gave their employees a holiday on Small New Year, and then... then everyone prepared for the New Year together.

As bosses go, they were truly one of a kind.

His big brother, Du Ping, was always extremely supportive of Du Heng’s affairs, as long as they weren’t illegal or against regulations. He had worked himself to the bone for years to put Du Heng through university, all so Du Heng could make something of himself. Now, things had turned out well. Du Heng was going directly to the foot of the imperial city! Could it get any better than this? Without another word, this year they absolutely had to burn a lot more paper money at the ancestral graves. A little wisp of green smoke wouldn’t do; it had to be billowing black smoke!

Moreover, the couple didn’t plan to spend the New Year in the city; they moved their things straight back to the mountain. According to them, celebrating New Year in the city just didn’t have the right ”flavor.”

Well, what could Du Heng say? He could only go with them.

Fortunately, because of Wu Shengnan’s advanced studies and her pregnancy, her workplace had thoughtfully given her leave. This meant the couple wouldn’t have to spend their first New Year after marriage in turmoil.

When all the preparations were finally done, Du Ping took out a small notebook. Under Du Heng’s surprised gaze, Du Ping began to go over the pharmacy’s income and expenses for the past half a year.

Did the pharmacy make money? Du Heng hadn’t had a clear idea before. He just saw so many pharmacies lining both sides of the street, one after another, and none of them closing down, so he figured they must be profitable. But as for how much they earned, he truly didn’t know.

Now, listening to Du Ping’s summary, Du Heng got an idea.

To say it was a lot, it wasn’t really that much. After splitting the final profit, each of them had a high salary of over ten thousand yuan. However, this was the money they could earn while still being unfamiliar with the business and possessing a bit of conscience.

Once the couple became proficient in the business and started making unscrupulous money—for example, for a cold, not giving you Four Seasons Cold Spirit, but instead pushing Four Seasons Antiviral Compound... refusing to sell the medicine that costs two yuan and instead selling you medicine that costs fifty yuan. And when their hearts grew even darker, they could pair it with a two hundred yuan health product touted to prevent and treat colds. That would be raking in money.