Chapter 234 212: Home Is Where the Heart Finds Peace

As Xu Chunliang walked out of the cinema, the night had deepened. At this hour, the streets of Hu Shan Town were already scarce of pedestrians, yet the dock construction site remained brightly illuminated, its renovation project still in full swing.Mei Ru Xue had her reasons for not showing up, and Xu Chunliang didn't want to press for them. He and Mei Ru Xue shared a similar trait — deep down, they were both incredibly proud individuals.

A single flower wilting cannot desolate the entire spring, nor can a single setback ruin an entire life!

Everyone faces setbacks in life, even someone as successful as Zhao Feiyang is no exception. At the pivotal moment in negotiating shareholdings, he encountered a problem.

Someone reported to the discipline inspection department that Zhao Feiyang had issues with his lifestyle, alleging that during his tenure as dean of Changxing Hospital, he accepted bribes of money and women from pharmaceutical representatives.

The woman behind Zhao Feiyang was exposed. The discipline inspection department received numerous photos of Zhao Feiyang on multiple dates with a young pharmaceutical representative.

Once this matter came to light, it caused quite a stir within Changxing Hospital. Zhao Feiyang had always been very cautious in his dealings with women. Since his arrival at Changxing, there had never been any scandalous rumors. This situation was like a nuclear bomb had been dropped.

The female protagonist was a pharmaceutical representative named Pei Lin. Pei Lin's business in Changxing was booming, and she was well acquainted with many medical staff there. In the past, there were many rumors about her, but few connected her with Zhao Feiyang. The male protagonists of these rumors were usually department heads from other clinics, the most widespread being her alleged affair with the neurology department head Zhao Yongsheng.

Zhao Yongsheng found the news hard to believe; between him and Pei Lin, there was no such relationship as people imagined.

Although he coveted Pei Lin's beauty, he knew very well that one cannot have both fish and bear's paw; to gain something, one must relinquish something.

Over the years, he had received considerable commissions on pharmaceuticals from Pei Lin, and if he were to make any advances on her, he might have to return all the hard-earned commissions, and perhaps even pay a hefty interest.

He saw it clearly — despite Pei Lin's young age, she was very calculating. It's best to avoid such women, perhaps just bragging about her at social gatherings to satisfy a man's vanity.

After the scandal between Zhao Feiyang and Pei Lin broke out, Zhao Yongsheng felt awkward in the hospital. Many people gave him odd looks, thinking Pei Lin had put a green hat on him. Even his old classmate, Traditional Chinese Medicine Department Head Zhu Mingyuan, couldn't resist gossiping: "You can't say you didn't know? You haven't heard anything at all?"

Zhao Yongsheng awkwardly replied: "How could I know? She's not my wife. Even if she had someone, she wouldn't notify me in advance."

Zhu Mingyuan thought, even if it was your wife, she wouldn't notify you in advance. He used to envy Zhao Yongsheng's success and luck with women, but now he realized that debts must eventually be repaid.

If the matter with Zhao Feiyang and Pei Lin were true, how would Zhao Yongsheng get along with the dean in the future? Just based on the rumors with Pei Lin, it's unlikely Zhao Feiyang would favor him, as men can also be jealous.

Of course, that depends on whether Zhao Feiyang could make it through this crisis unscathed.

Zhu Mingyuan said: "Do you know someone reported this to the discipline inspection department?"

Zhao Yongsheng became somewhat anxious: "I didn't know. What's that got to do with me?"

Zhu Mingyuan said: "Don't rush; I'm here to discuss it with you. Will Dean Zhao leave this time?"

Zhao Yongsheng fished out a box of Supreme 95 from his pocket. Ever since he became department head of neurology, his smoking habits had upgraded, not that he had to pay for it himself.

Zhao Yongsheng offered Zhu Mingyuan a cigarette.

Zhu Mingyuan helped him light it, then lit one for himself. After a puff, he said, "Don't worry too much about it. Women are just like that."

Zhao Yongsheng, unable to defend himself, chose not to explain: "I really don't know about Dean Zhao and her."

Zhu Mingyuan said: "I think Zhao Feiyang is in trouble this time. Messing with shareholding systems, now he's got himself into a pickle." He sounded a bit gloating, as Zhu Mingyuan deep down was also against reformation; it was just that he didn't dare express his opinion before.

Zhao Yongsheng said: "Don't underestimate our Dean Zhao. He also has connections."

"What good are connections? If he committed a fundamental error, nothing can save him. You know, right? The one managing the medical beauty center, Pei Yu, is Pei Lin's cousin. They talk about bringing in private capital, but it's just a cover for his abuse of power for personal gain."

Zhao Yongsheng was internally uneasy. If something happened to Pei Lin, it might implicate him as well. After all, he had received considerable gray income from her over the years. Zhao Feiyang was too reckless. With such a promising career, why ruin it over a relationship?

Why the hell would he choose Pei Lin? She's not easy to deal with. Aside from everything, her identity as a pharmaceutical representative is very sensitive. Messing with her doesn't just bring lifestyle issues but also financial suspicions.

Zhao Yongsheng took a heavy drag on his cigarette and said: "Old Zhu, let's not comment on things above us. Right now, it's a sensitive time; we should just manage our own affairs and keep ourselves safe."

Zhu Mingyuan said: "I was considering contracting the Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Center. If Zhao Feiyang doesn't get through this, won't the reform plans for our Changxing fall through?"

Zhao Yongsheng thought for a moment and said: "The policy is set by the city. It shouldn't be that easy to change."

When Gao Xinhua heard about these events, he was the first to go to the dean's office. He wanted to ask Zhao Feiyang in person. Regardless of whether he supported Zhao Feiyang's policies before, he didn't want anything to happen to him, especially over such trivial matters — it was not worth it.

Back when there was trouble at Tingmei Breast Enhancement, Zhao Feiyang had asked him to help douse the flames. At that time, Gao Xinhua already realized the relationship between Zhao Feiyang and Pei Lin was far from ordinary.

When Pei Yu took over the cosmetic center in Changxing, Gao Xinhua's heart was already quite clear. Such things were not uncommon within the system. He believed that Zhao Feiyang's wisdom could handle these matters well, but now it seemed that Zhao Feiyang ultimately got caught.

Zhao Feiyang was not in his office. According to the office director Lin Yansheng, he had left in the morning without specifying where he was going.

Gao Xinhua hesitated for a moment but ultimately did not make the call. In a moment like this, Zhao Feiyang was unlikely to want to see him.

Zhao Feiyang was sitting in the courtyard of Hua Jian Japanese Cuisine, drinking tea. The setting sun shone obliquely, and not far away, the artificial waterfall cascaded down. The light blended with the water flow, dancing with shadows. The tallow trees overhead looked like burning flames, with their fiery red color standing out vividly against the clear blue sky, as if the color might spill over at any moment.

Xu Ying sat nearby, briskly whisking a chawan with a tea whisk. Countless bubbles surfaced in the green matcha, which she handed to Zhao Feiyang. Zhao Feiyang watched each bubble burst one by one.

After taking a sip, the rich aroma flowed down his throat, finally relaxing Zhao Feiyang's tense nerves.

Xu Ying asked, "How does it taste?"

Zhao Feiyang replied, "The scent of fresh grass, a taste of spring."

Xu Ying smiled and said, "Chinese tea culture focuses on removing the grassy aroma of the tea, whereas Japanese matcha aims to preserve the natural grassy flavor as much as possible."

Zhao Feiyang said, "The Japanese tea ceremony also originates from our Great Song's 'point tea' technique."

"Indeed, matcha originated during the Great Tang, flourished in the Song, and declined in the Ming. After the Ming Dynasty, loose tea brewing became popular, and the 'point tea' skill gradually faded, with even the tea whisk falling into disuse, thriving instead in Neon to this day."

Zhao Feiyang nodded. He was not deeply knowledgeable in this area, as ever since he pursued a career in politics, he had rarely paid attention to other matters.

Xu Ying raised the tea whisk in her hand, referring to Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, who specifically explained the use of the tea whisk in his "Treatise on Tea". He mentioned that the whisk should be made from sturdy old bamboo, the body should be thick and heavy, and the bristles sparse and strong. The intended shape should not necessarily be minute, and be like a sword tip. The thick body allows a firm hold and ease of use, while the sparse bristles, moving like a sword tip, skim over without a trace, leaving no foam.

Zhao Feiyang listened attentively. Although Xu Ying seemed to be explaining the selection of tea whisks, she was in fact reminding him about the way of governance.

A thick body allows a firm hold and ease of use.

Xu Ying continued, "Emperor Huizong also discussed the key points of whisk use: a light hand, a heavy whisk, fingers wrapping around the wrist to swirl. It's easy to say but truly profound in practice."

Zhao Feiyang watched Xu Ying's swirling wrist, seemingly enlightened. "Whenever I'm troubled, I come here. Somehow, once I'm here, I find peace."

Xu Ying smiled, "You just want a trusting friend to talk to, but honestly, there's little I can do for you."

Zhao Feiyang said, "Everything I've done is for Changxing, yet I didn't expect so many people to misunderstand me, even slander me."

Xu Ying said, "As the saying goes, 'A tree that stands out in the forest is destroyed by the wind.' If you want to see farther than others, you must be mentally prepared for this." She passed the prepared matcha to Zhao Feiyang again.

Zhao Feiyang took a sip of the tea, "I still don't know if the person who reported me is from Changxing or Hua Nian."

"It doesn't matter. The issue has arisen; now it's up to you to resolve it. Once you pass this hurdle, others won't be able to exploit the same issue."

Zhao Feiyang smiled faintly, "Are you sure I can pass this hurdle?"

Xu Ying said, "I understand your character. You shouldn't stumble over money matters."

Zhao Feiyang sighed, "It seems like you deliberately left something out." Xu Ying chuckled.

Zhao Feiyang said, "Pei Lin is a smart woman."

"Is she good to you?"

Zhao Feiyang thought seriously for a moment, "I don't know."

Xu Ying said, "I'd like to meet her." A glimpse of autumn light flickered in her eyes.

Zhao Feiyang shook his head, "Where my heart feels at rest is my home. This place is one of the few paradises I have left." He stood up, "I'm off!"

Xu Ying asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

Zhao Feiyang turned to look at Xu Ying, still crouched, pouring tea so carefully, and said softly, "I divorced last year."

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