Chapter 69 - 54: It Hurts Like Hell

Xu Chunliang chuckled, "I told you, didn’t I? It really hurts, doesn’t it?"Lin Yougang didn’t even have the strength to curse at him. With a distressed face like a third grandson, all he could think about was going to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department to find Zheng Peian for some acupuncture. You had to admit, Old Zheng’s acupuncture skills were really top-notch; he had previously cured his toothache with just a few needles.

Xu Chunliang deliberately said, "You do seem to be in a lot of pain."

"No kidding... Ouch... it’s killing me..."

"Should I invite Director Zheng here to give you a couple of needles?"

Lin Yougang nodded repeatedly. He had just complained about the man, and now he needed him for acupuncture. He was worried that Old Zheng would take the opportunity to retaliate.

But then Xu Chunliang shook his head and said, "Better not. You just tried to sue Director Zheng; that would be ungrateful. I estimate he probably won’t treat you." He turned as if about to leave.

Lin Yougang grabbed him with a face twisted in pain, full of a pleading expression. A toothache isn’t an illness, but the pain can be deadly.

From the first time he saw the guy, Xu Chunliang noticed that he had Yangming Fire Syndrome. He found out that Lin Yougang was deliberately stirring up trouble to tarnish Zheng Peian’s reputation.

Xu Chunliang decided to fight fire with fire. While verbally provoking him, he offered him barley tea. Barley tea is inherently heat-inducing, which could trigger Lin Yougang’s condition. Xu Chunliang felt that wasn’t enough, so he added a few pieces of warming red ginseng to it.

In Xu Chunliang’s view, not poisoning him directly was already an act of mercy.

Lin Yougang already had a lot of internal heat; Xu Chunliang’s actions were like pouring oil on the fire. The two-pronged approach caused Lin Yougang to relapse before he even left the mediation room.

Xu Chunliang was right. His previous toothache wasn’t as severe as this time. Lin Yougang was in such pain that he wished he could slap his own cheek. Right now, all he wanted was to relieve his toothache. Forget about causing trouble, he’d be willing to pay another thousand yuan to Zheng Peian just to fix his pain.

Lin Yougang, enduring the pain, said, "I won’t... sue... anymore..."

Xu Chunliang said, "That won’t do. We need to clear things up."

Lin Yougang couldn’t bear it anymore. All he wanted now was to leave and see a doctor. He let go of Xu Chunliang, holding his cheek as he headed for the door, but Xu Chunliang grabbed him, "Don’t rush off. We haven’t resolved the issue yet. Solve it first, then you can leave."

Lin Yougang looked miserable, "It’s killing me... let me go... I need to see a doctor... ouch..."

"There’s a sequence to everything. You’re a grown man and can’t even endure this little pain? Come on, I’ll take you to the disciplinary office to help you get your thousand yuan back."

"I don’t want it... you... let me... go... ouch..."

"That won’t work. Even if you don’t want the money, we need to get to the bottom of it. Didn’t you say Director Zheng was soliciting a red envelope from you?" Xu Chunliang dragged him toward the disciplinary office.

Lin Yougang was in so much pain that he was about to cry, "Don’t drag me... let me go... I gave it... voluntarily... it has nothing to do with Director Zheng... ouch ouch ouch... it’s killing me..."

Xu Chunliang secretly laughed, "Really nothing to do with him?"

Lin Yougang shook his head.

"So you topped up the mobile fee without Director Zheng’s knowledge?"

Lin Yougang nodded. All he wanted now was to end this quickly and find someone to give him an anesthetic; the pain was unbearable.

Xu Chunliang let go. There was surveillance in the mediation room. After the incident with Tong Meili, they added another set of surveillance cameras in the room, basically covering every angle, recording everything that happened there.

Where Lin Yougang went to get treatment wasn’t his concern. He only cared if he’d helped resolve the issue for Zheng Peian.

Xu Chunliang called Zheng Peian, informing him that everything was settled. Lin Yougang would likely go to him for acupuncture, but the matter might not be so simple, and someone might have been behind Lin Yougang.

Zheng Peian understood and told Xu Chunliang that he got it. Before finishing work, Zheng Peian made a special trip to the medical office. It was clear he was in a good mood. Just as Xu Chunliang predicted, in the end, the agony-stricken Lin Yougang shamelessly went to the Traditional Chinese Medicine department to find him.

Yangming Fire Syndrome is not a difficult disease to treat. Although Zheng Peian had been on leave without pay for years, he never gave up his professional expertise. Although he despised Lin Yougang’s actions, he agreed to help him treat it. However, there was a condition: he wanted Lin Yougang to reveal who was behind the scheme against him.

Lin Yougang would rather not be treated than reveal it, so he endured the pain and went to the dental department in the end.

Zheng Peian couldn’t get any results from him. He had heard about the new dean appointing Xu Chunliang to lead the medical office. Since he returned a few days ago and due to his connection with the Xu Family, he had paid particular attention to Xu Chunliang and found out that this kid was doing a fantastic job. Today he personally witnessed Xu Chunliang’s exceptional ability. He initially planned to look after the young man, but didn’t expect to be aided by him first.

Zheng Peian suggested taking Xu Chunliang out for dinner. One, to celebrate his promotion, and two, to express gratitude for his help today. Xu Chunliang politely declined, saying he promised his grandfather he’d go home early for dinner with him.

Zheng Peian said it didn’t matter; he’d be going home alone anyway and offered to go with him to keep the Elder Xu company for a couple of drinks.

Seeing that it was almost time to finish work, Xu Chunliang packed up and left with him.

Downstairs, they ran into Deputy Dean Gao Xinhua. Xu Chunliang immediately greeted him.

Gao Xinhua was waiting for Dean Zhao Feiyang. They had an appointment that night. Recently, they’d been meeting almost daily, not just for drinks, but because Zhao Feiyang wanted to quickly grasp the internal affairs of Changxing through Gao Xinhua.

Seeing Xu Chunliang, Gao Xinhua couldn’t help but give some advice. After all, the medical office’s responsibilities were heavy, and Xu Chunliang was so young, so he was worried he might not be able to handle it. He’d been so busy lately that he hadn’t had the time to visit Elder Xu and asked Xu Chunliang to send his regards.

While they were chatting, Dean Zhao Feiyang arrived. Gao Xinhua introduced him to Zheng Peian since they hadn’t crossed paths before.

Zhao Feiyang was very amiable, shook hands with Zheng Peian, and encouraged Xu Chunliang to keep up the good work.

Xu Chunliang smiled and said he wouldn’t let the leaders down.

Watching Zhao Feiyang and Gao Xinhua drive away, Zheng Peian asked, "Are you close with Dean Zhao?" Even he thought the question was unnecessary. If they weren’t close, Zhao Feiyang wouldn’t have entrusted the young Xu Chunliang with the medical office work.

Xu Chunliang shook his head. Actually, before Zhao Feiyang took his position at Changxing, they had only interacted once. He didn’t bother to explain; explanations wouldn’t be believed anyway. Xu Chunliang figured Zhao Feiyang’s appointment of him wasn’t because he admired him but for symbolic reasons, just to show everyone that if Zhao Feiyang wanted to use someone, he didn’t care about their education or qualifications.

Xu Chunliang was well aware of his own role; he was like the log used to prove integrity in classics, or the bones purchased for thousands to buy a horse—a mere pawn. He didn’t have that kind of relationship with the new dean, Zhao Feiyang.

Zheng Peian’s impression of Xu Chunliang was still of more than a decade ago when he was just an elementary school student. Lacking parental affection, he was somewhat sullen and reticent, timid around strangers, and appeared rather insecure.

Zheng Peian had no children, lacking experience in this aspect. Xu Chunliang’s performance at Changxing astonished him, evoking quite a bit of emotion too. The world now belonged to these young people.

The two walked towards Huichun Hall, buying some groceries along the way. According to Xu Chunliang’s suggestion, they should just buy some ready-made dishes for a simple meal. But Zheng Peian had an unusual interest in cooking; he bought lots of fresh ingredients at the market, insisting on doing it himself.

Although Lin Yougang didn’t reveal the people behind instigating him, Xu Chunliang still believed that someone had definitely orchestrated this. The motives were clear, likely linked to Zheng Peian’s return threatening someone’s interests.

Zheng Peian said it wasn’t necessary to pursue it further. Lin Yougang had already suffered and as long as he didn’t continue causing trouble, the matter could be considered closed. With so many patients in the clinic every day, all sorts of people, running into trouble was inevitable, and this served as a reminder for him to remain vigilant in his future work. For instance, in today’s matter, he had been careless and should have reported to the disciplinary department first.