Chapter 214 192: The Endless Game

Vice President of Huayuan Group, Duan Yuanhong, sat in Zhao Feiyang's office. To be honest, the dean's office was a bit shabby and couldn't compare to his office at the headquarters in Nanjiang, which exceeded a hundred square meters in area.Private and public sectors are completely different concepts, the latter has many more considerations; they must consider social impact and the feelings of the employees.

Duan Yuanhong sipped tea leisurely, thinking that in terms of cooperation, his side had the upper hand. Zhao Feiyang is a young cadre with ambitions who wants to develop Changxing, but no matter how good the plans are, without funding, they are just empty talk. Huayuan Group can wait, but Changxing can wait no longer.

Zhao Feiyang asked, "President Duan, how do you feel about the inspection these past two days?"

Duan Yuanhong put down his teacup, smiled, and said, "In the past two days, I've seen many places: Changxing Headquarters, the second phase of the construction site, the High-Tech Zone's plot, and..." He deliberately paused and continued, "I also took the liberty to investigate your competitors, the Medical University Affiliated Hospital, the Central Hospital..." He listed them unhurriedly, subtly hinting to Zhao Feiyang that while Changxing was their choice, it wasn't their only choice.

Zhao Feiyang noticed Duan Yuanhong's aim and said calmly, "Did you receive the information I had someone pass on to you, President Duan?"

Duan Yuanhong replied, "I did."

Zhao Feiyang said, "The city attaches great importance to the reform of Changxing, giving us significant support and specially approving Changxing as the only public hospital reform pilot unit in Dongzhou."

Zhao Feiyang's message was also clear: don't talk to me about other hospitals. No matter how good they are, they are still under public ownership. Besides Changxing, the city cannot launch another pilot reform unit; no leader would dare to take such a big risk.

What is a pilot? It is like crossing the river by feeling the stones; there is no precedent for public hospital reform in Dongzhou. Don't assume that just because Huayuan holds funds, you can make waves; the big health industry is very hot now, and many large companies and groups with capital are ready to step in.

Duan Yuanhong said, "The leaders of Dongzhou are quite bold. Frankly speaking, the current situation at Changxing Hospital is not promising."

"There is nothing wrong with the fundamentals of our hospital. If we want stability, we can maintain the existing operating model."

Zhao Feiyang was telling Duan Yuanhong that he shouldn't think he can dominate the conversation just because he has funding. Worst case, he could abandon the reform, and Changxing could continue its previous operating model. For them, it would only mean slowing down development, but for Huayuan Group, missing this opportunity would be a significant loss.

Duan Yuanhong and Zhao Feiyang had met several times before, and though polite on the surface, both had engaged in strategic maneuvering. Before reaching a final cooperation agreement, both parties would strive to maximize their benefits, unwilling to make concessions easily.

Duan Yuanhong said, "Dean Zhao misunderstood my point. Knowing oneself and the enemy is key to victory. Once we form a joint-stock hospital, we will mainly face the medical market of the Dongzhou Region. The hospitals I mentioned will be our main competitors in the future, so getting to know them first is essential."

Zhao Feiyang smiled and said, "President Duan is truly dedicated. I have to say something you might not want to hear; understanding the actual situation of Dongzhou's medical sector through such inspections is impossible. If there's something you need to know, you can ask me directly."

"Dean Zhao's time is precious; I don't want to keep bothering you," said Duan Yuanhong, realizing through this conversation that Zhao Feiyang was indeed not easy to deal with. He was clearly indicating that as an outsider, it would be impossible for Huayuan to establish itself in Dongzhou's medical sector without Zhao Feiyang.

Duan Yuanhong smiled, observing this young official of division chief rank, mentally labeling him as arrogant and ambitious.

Zhao Feiyang said, "President Duan has overthought it. Both sides are striving to approach each other, hoping to reach cooperation soon. I've said before that I will provide all the necessary facilitation for Huayuan Group's inspection."

Duan Yuanhong said, "President Tang is waiting for our evaluation report. We've almost completed the assessment at headquarters; there's one more place that needs inspection and evaluation. I hope Dean Zhao will cooperate."

"No problem."

The place Duan Yuanhong wanted to inspect was the Weishan Island Branch. Zhao Feiyang had painted a promising picture of this place's future, but when the initial cooperation intention was reached, Weishan Lake Hospital wasn't included, and Zhao Feiyang didn't even mention it initially.

This time, Duan Yuanhong led the team for inspection and evaluation to thoroughly understand everything about Changxing. As the Weishan Island Branch is part of Changxing's future strategic layout, a visit was necessary.

Zhao Feiyang expressed that there was no issue at all, and he would ensure that the colleagues at the branch cooperated with Huayuan Group's inspection and evaluation work.

The value of the Weishan Island Branch mainly lies in its future prospects. The development of the national-level resort area adds considerable value to the branch. Through the joint efforts of everyone, the property rights issue was resolved smoothly, meaning Zhao Feiyang now had another card to play.

Promoting public ownership reform faces many difficulties, and Zhao Feiyang was under great pressure on one hand from the relentless pressure of Huayuan Group, and on the other from the suspicion of the employees. Meanwhile, he also has to endure supervision from his superiors.

Zhao Feiyang is an ambitious person; he wants to, through his own efforts, build Changxing into a model of the healthcare system in Dongzhou and even the entire Jiangbei Region. He proposed the concept of a medical complex, aiming to make Changxing the regional medical center of the entire Jianghai area.

Many peers in Dongzhou are also watching Zhao Feiyang's actions, most of them waiting to see a joke. Changxing couldn't even rank among the top three comprehensive hospitals in Dongzhou in the past, and there's no hope in the future.

As for creating a regional medical center, let him enjoy his ideas. Humanity's understanding of the universe still came from geocentrism, and Zhao Feiyang is just an ordinary person; he should be allowed to have a learning process.

Duan Yuanhong didn't personally go to Weishan Island, sending instead the manager of Huayuan Group's big health business department and the head of this asset evaluation team, Dong Changhao, who was one of Duan Yuanhong's trusted people.

Zhao Feiyang originally considered accompanying Duan Yuanhong for a visit, but after hearing that Duan Yuanhong wasn't going, he naturally lost interest. Let the right people handle the right tasks; he had plenty of capable hands. He tasked the newly appointed branch secretary, Tan Haiyan, with the reception duties for the inspection team.

When informing her of this task, he specifically emphasized the need to cooperate with the evaluation team's work, meeting all their reasonable requests as much as possible.

The Huayuan Group's inspection team, accompanied by Tan Haiyan, arrived at Weishan Island.

Xu Chunliang arranged for Old Lu to pick them up. Despite Xu Chunliang being young and having been at the branch for a short time, his reputation quickly surpassed that of Jin Yonghao.

This was mainly due to his infamous reputation; almost everyone knew that Zhang Haibin and Xu Daqing had both fallen at his hands. More importantly, many in the town began to speculate about his close ties with Mayor Mei Ru Xue, as they were of similar age. It naturally led to various speculations about their relationship.

As soon as the evaluation team from Huayuan Group got off the vehicle, they began their intense work, requesting Xu Chunliang for an inventory of fixed assets.

The first thing Tan Haiyan did upon arriving at the branch was to convey Dean Zhao Feiyang's intentions to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang couldn't help but laugh upon hearing to meet all the demands of the inspection team. He understood the hidden message, which was to reject all unreasonable requests from the evaluation team.

Before coming here, Tan Haiyan specifically learned about Xu Chunliang himself and was able to place herself correctly; essentially, it's better to avoid trouble when possible.

"Dean Xu, I'm in charge of the party and mass work and am not familiar with medical expertise. The management of the branch will rely entirely on you in the future," Tan Haiyan, who was forty-seven years old, said. Her son had just started university this year, her elderly family members were all in good health, and she was in a relatively carefree state. She was considering the policy of retiring after thirty years of service; if the hospital implemented this policy, she would choose to retire at the first opportunity.

Many people in the hospital shared her thoughts. Now the city has designated Changxing as a pilot for public hospital reform, introducing private capital. It's likely to transition into a joint-stock hospital soon. For older employees, they highly value their current civil service status, worrying that the hospital's restructuring might harm their vested interests. No one wants to give up the iron rice bowl they've had for most of their life just to see changes occur.

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Secretary Tan, I don't understand medical professionalism either, but we managers don't need to, right?"

Tan Haiyan laughed, finding this young man quite interesting.

Xu Chunliang said, "Also, don't call me Dean Xu in the future, just call me Xiaoxu. My vice dean position is transitional; if you get used to calling me dean, and if there's a work change in the future and you stop calling me that, I will be quite disappointed."

Tan Haiyan laughed and said, "Fine, I'll call you Xiaoxu, and don't call me Secretary Tan; just call me Sister Tan."

Xu Chunliang called her Sister Tan, then sought her opinion on whether they should arrange a dinner for the inspection team that night.

Tan Haiyan indicated it wasn't necessary because Dong Changhao from the inspection team had already stated in advance that during their inspection, they would handle all their meals and accommodations independently and only required the hospital to cooperate with their evaluation.

Tan Haiyan felt the other party's requests weren't excessive, but Xu Chunliang didn't see it that way. Changxing and Huayuan Group hadn't yet signed a formal contract; why should they cooperate with an evaluation? He didn't think he had any obligation to do so.

According to the information Tan Haiyan had gathered, Vice Dean Geng Wenxiu was now also visiting Huayuan Group for an inspection. Before signing a formal contract, mutual cooperation in understanding each other's financial situation is an essential step.

Xu Chunliang pondered that the most valuable asset of the Weishan Lake Branch was the land itself, which wasn't much of a secret. Tomorrow, he would go to the county to complete the final procedure to avoid any unforeseen complications.

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