Chapter 45 - 33: Public Opinion

Zhou Wenbin genuinely didn’t want to meddle in her affairs. He returned to his office in a huff, picked up his enamel tea mug, and drank several large gulps of the cold jasmine tea.Cheng Xiaohong noticed he was in a bad mood and didn’t dare to disturb him. She picked up the claim list and began studying it. She was shocked by the compensation amount too. The bracelet was worth one million. They had taken the fragments they found to an expert, who said it was worth at most fifty thousand. But the couple dared to ask for that much, although they did provide a copy of the receipt, clearly showing the amount. Maybe they really spent that much when they bought the bracelet.

Zhou Wenbin hadn’t been seated for long when the outpatient department called, asking for their assistance in handling an issue. Zhou Wenbin told them he was in a meeting.

Cheng Xiaohong came over to refill his water. Zhou Wenbin asked, "Where’s Xu Chunliang?"

"Didn’t you ask him to attend a meeting at the Health Bureau?"

Zhou Wenbin patted his increasingly high forehead. Too many issues had muddled his brain, and he had even forgotten what he had arranged. If he had known about today’s situation, he might as well have attended the meeting at the Health Bureau himself.

Cheng Xiaohong asked, "Why are there so many issues at the Beauty Center all of a sudden?"

Zhou Wenbin replied, "It’s likely that it’s Tong Meili and her husband causing trouble again."

The office phone rang again. Zhou Wenbin instructed Cheng Xiaohong to say he wasn’t in if anyone asked for him.

Cheng Xiaohong picked up the phone, and indeed, the call was for Zhou Wenbin. Following his instructions, she said, "Director Zhou isn’t here at the moment."

The voice on the other end immediately turned severe: "During working hours, where does he go if he’s not at his post? Find him immediately and send him to my office!"

Only then did Cheng Xiaohong realize it was Dean Gu Houyi. She couldn’t be blamed; she didn’t often interact with the dean. It was only at that moment she recognized the voice and immediately said, "Okay, Dean Gu, I’ll find him right away!"

Gu Houyi had already hung up the phone.

Zhou Wenbin was bewildered: "Why didn’t you let me take the call from Dean Gu?"

"I didn’t recognize him; he didn’t say who he was." Cheng Xiaohong looked innocent.

Zhou Wenbin was at a loss for words; he couldn’t defy a summons from the big boss, so he hurried to the dean’s office.

As he passed by the administration office, Liu Dengke gave him a heads-up, warning him that the dean was in a bad mood today and advised him to be cautious.

Zhou Wenbin knocked on the door, although it was ajar by about an inch, clearly left open by Gu Houyi waiting for him to come over.

"Come in!"

Zhou Wenbin adjusted his facial expression before entering, closing the door behind him to prevent others from hearing the inevitable reprimand.

Gu Houyi’s face was dark, and from his expression, it was clear he was truly angry.

Zhou Wenbin began, "Dean Gu, I just went to the restroom..."

"No need to explain, Zhou Wenbin. I trusted you with such an important department, and what have you done?"

"Dean Gu, where did I go wrong?"

"Where did you go wrong?" Gu Houyi stood up and glared at Zhou Wenbin. "You don’t know anything, do you?" He pulled out his phone and opened a short video.

When Zhou Wenbin leaned over to look, his head buzzed. Tong Meili had uploaded a protest video to social media. In the video, she was sobbing and accusing Changxing Hospital of a surgical mishap that disfigured her and left her in endless pain.

This woman was definitely an actress, and the video seemed meticulously prepared. It revealed key points, all targeting Changxing Hospital’s shortcomings.

First, exorbitant surgery and treatment fees, far exceeding normal charging standards.

Second, the chief surgeon, Cai Rongjuan, was portrayed as having inferior skills and lacking medical ethics.

Third, Changxing Hospital was accused of bullying, responding rudely to her legitimate claims, even breaking her jade bracelet worth three million during a confrontation.

Seeing this, Zhou Wenbin broke out in a cold sweat, unsure when the video had been taken. It even included several clips with him, and the likes had exceeded a thousand, indicating the video had gained significant traction.

Zhou Wenbin exclaimed, "This is slander!"

Gu Houyi retorted angrily, "Slander? The public doesn’t know the truth of the matter. I sent you to resolve the issue, not to let it escalate. The reputation of Changxing Hospital has been ruined by you all."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Gu Houyi, still angry, shouted, "Who is it?"

The office director, Liu Dengke, entered somewhat flustered. Gu Houyi gave him a stern look, blaming him for coming in without permission.

Liu Dengke had no choice; he wouldn’t have come in if it weren’t urgent. Holding his phone, he said, "Dean Gu, the situation has escalated. Look at this video."

Gu Houyi took the phone. The video was shot by Shi Zhiwei, who was standing at the entrance of Changxing Hospital’s Beauty Center, indignantly accusing the facility. In the video, he not only exposed that the Beauty Center was contracted to a Min Nan businesswoman, Zeng Hongwen, but also revealed that this Zeng Hongwen was Dean Gu Houyi’s niece.

Gu Houyi felt dizzy; what he feared had come true. In today’s age of rampant social media, there were no secrets. He personally warned Zeng Hongwen and Zhou Wenbin to handle and resolve the matter cautiously to avoid exactly this kind of situation, but the worst outcome had still happened.

Liu Dengke said, "It’s not just on short videos; they’re all over social platforms. They must have planned this carefully and prepared in advance."

"Enough!" Gu Houyi yelled.

Liu Dengke and Zhou Wenbin flinched in fear.

Gu Houyi gripped the phone tightly. Liu Dengke regretted giving it to him, wondering if the big boss might smash it in his anger. It was a new phone his wife had just bought for him.

Gu Houyi pressed his lips and nodded slightly, eventually handing the phone back to Liu Dengke. "Is this the result of your handling?"

Liu Dengke thought to himself it had nothing to do with him; he was not responsible for this area.

Zhou Wenbin said, "I... I’ll contact them immediately to have the video removed."

"Can you use your brain? The video has already spread. Even if the original culprits delete it, can you wipe out the countless reposts online?"

"I..." Zhou Wenbin was unlucky, taking the blame when it wasn’t his fault. If Zeng Hongwen hadn’t been so rigid in negotiations, the situation wouldn’t have become so passive.

Gu Houyi waved his hand in frustration.

Liu Dengke gave Zhou Wenbin a look, and the two of them slinked out.

Outside, Zhou Wenbin humbly sought guidance from Liu Dengke, "Brother, any ideas on how to put out this fire now?"

Liu Dengke sighed, "It’s already urgent; it’s too late to talk about putting out the fire. Do you have any connections in the network regulatory department?"


Zhou Wenbin shook his head. Liu Dengke’s words reminded him that the immediate task was to get the network regulatory department involved to block all irresponsible video messages, but his social connections didn’t reach that level.

Liu Dengke patted his shoulder and said, "Since it’s already happened, don’t worry too much. If the sky falls, there’s still..." He glanced toward the dean’s office.

Zhou Wenbin understood what he meant. Gu Houyi definitely had to get involved personally now because the fire was affecting him too. If these videos were allowed to spread, they would greatly damage his reputation. With Gu Houyi’s status and social connections, he should be able to extinguish this sudden media firestorm.