Because Zheyuan was situated near the sea, the temperature was a little higher than Hanzhou. The ground was also dampened due to the heavy rain last night. Su Tao woke up at 8 a.m. due to the exhaustion from last night. When he woke up, there were a few messages all sent by Liu Ruochen asking him for breakfast.
After washing up, Su Tao replied to Liu Ruochen, which was returned with a swift response. Liu Ruochen said that she'd be waiting for him in the restaurant. Since this was a classy hotel, the breakfast here was also pretty decent. But when Su Tao stepped out of his room, he realised that he had forgotten to bring his meal coupon with him. Thus, he returned to his room and searched for it, which was found on the desk beside his bed by the phone. When he came down, Liu Ruochen was sitting by the corner with her gaze fixated on the entrance. When she saw Su Tao, a smile appeared on her face, which made Su Tao feel ashamed for keeping a beauty waiting.
Breakfast was sumptuous, aside from steamed buns, soy milk, and deep-fried breadsticks, there's also noodles, bread, and milk. Su Tao got himself a bowl of mung beans congee with two deep-fried breadsticks and sat opposite of Liu Ruochen.
Feeling a little disturbed by Su Tao's smile, Liu Ruochen asked, "Why are you staring at me for?"
Su Tao stretched his hand and rubbed on Liu Ruochen's face with a smile. "You got breadcrumbs on your face."
Liu Ruochen quickly took out a napkin from her bag to wipe her face. However, she soon realised that she was being tricked, so she glared at Su Tao and said in a sour tone, "Is there a meaning in this?"
Su Tao laughed, since he managed to prank Liu Ruochen. "It's good to joke in the morning, as it'll bring up your mood throughout the day. However, I never expected that you'd be pretty innocent to be so easily fooled."
Rolling her eyes, Liu Ruochen responded, "That's only because of you. If it's someone else, how could they prank me so easily?" She re-evaluated Su Tao in her head. Tossing his medical skills aside, Su Tao was a bad guy. He belonged to the category of 'playboy' which she detested the most. But it was perhaps because of the trust between them that Liu Ruochen wasn't pissed off from his pranks. She only felt that this fellow needed fixing.
Su Tao drank his congee and looked at Liu Ruochen. She wore a Chinese-styled coat with an elegant lotus embroidered on her chest today. Her hair was draped over her shoulder with two sides being tied towards the back and a white headband on her head. She still looked as charming as always, and it was a pleasure to be having breakfast with a fairy like her.
"You must have something to tell me by urgently asking me for breakfast, right?" Taking two mouthfuls of congee, Su Tao said after his stomach was more comfortable with food in it.
Liu Ruochen nodded her head and handed a newspaper over to Su Tao with a smile on her face. "You're in big trouble now."
Skimming through the article, Su Tao said in surprise, "The reporter wrote it pretty well. She practically reconstructed the entire incident. It looks like I must give her a red packet if I see her."
Sourly rolling her eyes at Su Tao, Liu Ruochen sighed, "You still have the mood to be joking around? This article has caused a controversy, and it's getting out of hand on the internet."
"Oh?" Su Tao glanced at the phone that Liu Ruochen handed over before saying, "The netizens really know how to criticise, I like it."
Some netizens were criticising the TCM Association's system on the internet, and at the same time, they have even dragged other official associations and organizations into this matter. Criticising them for being dishonest and wasting society's resources. Su Tao was more than happy to watch this show, since he didn't have any good impression of the TCM Association, to begin with.
Liu Ruochen helplessly sighed, "Can't you think of the consequences? This article pulled you, Lou Zi'an and everyone in his circle into this matter. Unless there's a miracle, it's practically impossible for you to enter that circle anymore."
Su Tao casually smiled. "That's their loss, not mine."
Liu Ruochen was briefly stunned before she shook her head with a bitter smile. What Su Tao said was the truth. It was the TCM Association's loss for refusing such a talent like him. After a brief hesitation, Liu Ruochen patiently said, "You have offended Lou Zi'an. He holds many TCM resources, and it has already formed into a social circle. It will affect your future development if you're drifted away."
Putting his chopsticks down, Su Tao sighed, "I know what you're saying. You're here to act as the middle-man and hope that I'll join, right?"
Nodding her head, Liu Ruochen replied, "I'm just asking for your opinion. I have no idea about the other side, but I can help you think of something if you're willing. I'm sure a talent like you is still welcome somewhere."
"I refuse!" Su Tao firmly said.
Liu Ruochen wasn't surprised by Su Tao's answer, it's as if it was all within her expectations. If Su Tao bowed his head down to Lou Zi'an, then it would be unlike him. With a gentle sigh, Liu Ruochen smiled. "I understand now. It's good that you're unwilling to join, I will withdraw from the association as well!"
"Why?" Su Tao felt puzzled. He had no idea why this woman wanted to be on his side. Could it be that his charm was that great?
Liu Ruochen casually replied, "There's no reason behind it!"
Su Tao bitterly smiled and sighed, "Women are the hardest to decipher in the world. This saying is completely true." He was a little moved by Liu Ruochen's actions; it was her unconditional support for him.
Liu Ruochen smiled. "Actually, there is a batch of renowned old-timer physicians that started pulling themselves out of their circles since the end of last year. A portion of them was cleared up by the management, and another portion of them couldn't take the foul atmosphere in the circle anymore. I've been considering to leave as well. Perhaps leaving this rigid collective will allow me to focus all my attention on my medical skills. For a doctor, only by improving your strength can you have the ability to change society."
Su Tao could hear the noble aspiration in Liu Ruochen's words. She was a special woman who had the same grand and distant dream as him.
When they walked out of the restaurant to the hotel's hall, a familiar silhouette walked towards them. It was the President of Yuhang City's People's Hospital, Chen Jingyi.
With a smile on his face, Chen Jingyi said, "Physician Su, I have been waiting for you."
Su Tao knew that Chen Jingyi must be here for Jin Zhitong's situation. Thus, he smiled and replied, "Ruochen and I were just preparing to go and take a look at the patient's condition."
Chen Jingyi was just worrying if it would be awkward when he meets Su Tao, considering that he was so arrogant and unyielding yesterday. But he never expected that Su Tao would be so easy to interact. On the contrary, the latter had seen through his intentions of coming here and saved him the trouble of explaining.
"Let's not delay, then. Our vehicle is outside, waiting for you. Let's head to the hospital, together." Chen Jingyi said with a warm expression.
Su Tao's impression of Chen Jingyi was still pretty good, and the latter was classified as the same kind as Di Shiyuan. There were good and bad guys in every industry, but someone that could become the president of a hospital must have decent morals. As for Qiao Dehao's kind, those were minorities, and they'd be eliminated sooner or later.
In the vehicle, Su Tao discovered that Chen Jingyi had already investigated him. Although he wasn't too familiar with TCM, he had a great connection in western medicine, and he even had several encounters with Di Shiyuan. Wearing a smile on his face, Chen Jingyi said, "I've talked to President Di on the phone, and he's full of praises for you. It's a pity that Jianghuai Hospital gave you too good of a treatment, there's nothing I can do to poach you over."
Although the Vice-President of the Jianghuai Hospital didn't possess solid authority, Chen Jingyi wasn't bold enough. Yuhang City's People's Hospital was on a higher level than the Jianghuai Hospital. Furthermore, his power was limited as the president, and he could only grant the position of the TCM Department's Vice-Head, at best. It was pale in comparison to the Vice-President of the Jianghuai Hospital.
Su Tao modestly replied, "President Chen, you're overvaluing me. Your hospital is filled with talent, and whether it is in terms of facilities or software, your hospital is one of the tops."
Chen Jingyi felt much better after being flattered by Su Tao and inwardly felt that that brat knew how to speak. The reason why Su Tao repeatedly argued with Lou Zi'an was probably that the latter was too arrogant. In fact, Chen Jingyi looked down on Lou Zi'an in his heart; however, he was sly when it came to handling matters and temporarily bore it in his heart.
In the eyes of someone like Lou Zi'an, Su Tao was a sharp nail. But in the eyes of someone like Chen Jingyi and Di Shiyuan, he's a priceless gem. That's because only those that were genuinely fascinated with the development of medicine knew that talented doctors were hard to come by. Whether it was TCM or Western Medicine, young doctors that were brimming with talent were sparks to a massive cause, and they needed to be well-protected and nurtured. This way, they could lead China's medical industry to prosper.
Liu Ruochen did not speak, but watched the conversation between Su Tao and Chen Jingyi with another evaluation in her heart. Su Tao was a brilliant actor, one that was skilled at interacting with different people. She felt that Su Tao had two faces, one arrogant and the other mild. Right now, the feeling that he gave Chen Jingyi was a young man that knew how to respect his elders.
Su Tao knew the principle of forging a good relationship with others. Most of the time, he would show a cultured and refined appearance. It was only when he encountered those detestable people that he would show his arrogant side. Firstly, he qualified to act prideful. Secondly, some people had their eyes grown above their heads, and they wouldn't place any importance on you. Only by slapping their faces with your strength, would they lower their attitude and formally look at you.
The vehicle soon arrived at the hospital and Su Tao followed Chen Jingyi into a high-class ward. The facility here was so much better than Jianghuai Hospital, which could be seen from the standard of the nurses. All of them were well-trained beauties.
When Su Tao pushed the door and entered, Jin Guoxiang, who was in casual clothes, strode over and tightly shook Su Tao's hand.
