"Huang Tao, what are you doing, jumping at every sound like that?" Feng Yujun ca out of the study, she said, clearly displeased.
However, Huang Tao had no ti to pay attention to her at that mont, as he was completely imrsed in imnse joy.
Just as Zhou Zhuo was self-aware, Huang Tao was also very clear about his own situation. He was already a Vice Mayor on the Standing Committee and listed in the Municipal Committee, making him the publicly acknowledged successor for the mayorship.
His only real competitor was Zhou Zhuo, but frankly, his resu was too thin. Zhou Zhuo was rely a deputy mayor and not yet a mber of the municipal committee. Even his current position was a recent appointnt. Under normal circumstances, he would have no standing to compete. The problem was that Zhou Zhuo had the backing of Secretary Mo, the top official in Northern Mountain City.
Furthermore, Huang Tao didn't have any impressive political achievents to speak of, which gave his opponent opportunities and loopholes to exploit. This was the very source of his current distress.
But now the situation had changed. Chen Fei had brought him a huge gift involving foreign investnt from a Fortune 500 company. The higher-ups would definitely value it enormously, significantly increasing his chances of securing the mayoral position. How could he not be happy?
Just then, Chen Fei's call ended, but another one suddenly ca in. Huang Tao froze for a mont when he saw the na on the caller ID, then answered the phone. "Hello, is that you, Old Qi..."
After this call, however, his expression grew a little gloomy. Noticing that sothing was amiss, Feng Yujun hurried over. "Huang Tao, what on earth happened? What's wrong?"
"Doctor Chen pulled in an investnt from a foreign, Fortune 500 company worth tens of millions, potentially even a hundred million. If the higher-ups credit this achievent to , the mayorship should be a sure thing," Huang Tao explained.
"A sure thing?"
Feng Yujun was montarily stunned, then overjoyed. "Isn't that wonderful? That Doctor Chen is truly an incredible person! We must thank him properly later. So why do you still look so worried? I thought you were dreaming of getting promoted and climbing the ladder, weren't you?"
Huang Tao shook his head, his tone serious. "Just now, Old Qi from the Municipal Organization Departnt called personally. He said they're short-staffed in Lin'an County and wants to send Little Liao, Little Wang, and a few others over. They're to be sent down to the grassroots level to gain so experience."
"What? They want to send Little Liao and Little Wang down to Lin'an County? What does that an?"
Little Liao was Huang Tao's secretary, while Little Wang and the others had all been promoted by him and currently held various positions in the municipal governnt.
Normally, being sent to the grassroots level for training would be a good thing. After all, both Mo Cheng and Huang Tao himself had co up through the ranks that way. However, her husband's expression told a different story. The intricacies of officialdom were simply too complex for her to fathom. Feng Yujun was completely baffled.
"Sigh... this whole ss. If I were already mayor and everything had stabilized, this would certainly be a good thing. But right now, nothing is set in stone. This is just a roundabout way of weakening my position. Think about it: what good is it if I manage to beco mayor but have no one reliable on my team? And I still have Secretary Mo looming over ," Huang Tao lanted, shaking his head at their ulterior motives.
He didn't need to think twice to know who was behind this. Both Zhou Zhuo and the head of the Municipal Organization Departnt were Secretary Mo's people. Their influence was so great they could practically blot out the sky.
"Ah! Then should you refuse?" Feng Yujun asked, suddenly flustered and unsure of what to do.
"Refuse? I'm afraid that's not an option. After all, I've just gained this massive advantage out of nowhere, foiling all of their previous plans. It would be unjustifiable not to give sothing up in return," Huang Tao said, his brow furrowed. He finally shook his head and sighed. "Still, it's a huge gain overall. I can afford to concede a little. I'll inform Little Liao and the others about their transfer to Lin'an tomorrow."
Of course, Chen Fei had no idea what a massive shockwave his casual action had sent through the political circles of Northern Mountain City. Not that he was interested in knowing, anyway.
The next morning, Chen Fei awoke early from his state of cultivation. He changed into a freshly dried set of clothes and left the California Garden Grand Hotel for the Central Hospital, looking refreshed and feeling great.
Clearly, today was the first ti in his life he would be presiding over an outpatient clinic, so naturally, he was a "little" bit excited.
Around seven or eight o'clock, Chen Fei arrived at the Northern Mountain City Central Hospital after a ride on a crowded bus.
Although his cultivation had reached the second level of Qi Cultivation, aning he sweated much less than an ordinary person, the trip on the packed bus during the scorching sumr still left a fine layer of sweat on his back. It was simply too hot. This experience solidified his resolve to buy a car for commuting soon. After all, always having to catch the bus wasn't a sustainable solution.
The Northern Mountain City Central Hospital should have been located in the city center, but recent years of continuous expansion had led to a shortage of land. Consequently, it had been forced to relocate to the High-Tech Startup Zone on the city's outskirts.
As one of the top three comprehensive Tier 3, Class A hospitals in not just Northern Mountain City but all of Jiangnan Province, the Northern Mountain City Central Hospital was renowned both within the province and beyond, attracting many out-of-town patients every year.
Even though it was early, the massive hospital was already bustling with people registering for appointnts. The slots for specialists in various departnts were in particularly high demand, with many already booked for days or even a week in advance.
Coincidentally, it was Liu Zhichuang's turn to be on duty today—the uncle of that boy, Wang Kai. Since he lived close by, he had also arrived at the hospital quite early. However, the mont he spotted Chen Fei, who had also just arrived, he flinched, his usually nonchalant expression turning tense.
He vividly rembered the incident at the Red River Restaurant. Even the head of his cardiology departnt, Liu Changshan, had treated Chen Fei with the utmost respect. Yet, he had foolishly provoked him, a mistake he regretted to his core. He was terrified that a single sign of displeasure from Chen Fei would see him suffer the sa fate as Zheng Yi, the forr deputy director of the Traditional Chinese dicine Departnt. If that happened, it would be too late for tears.
Thankfully, Chen Fei had seed disinclined to hold a grudge, which had been a great relief. But now, running into him again sent his heart into a frantic, unsteady rhythm, and he felt utterly flustered.
After a mont's hesitation, he decided he had to go over and greet him. He cautiously approached and said, "Hello, Doctor Chen. Are you here for work today? You're certainly early."
"You are... oh, it's you, Doctor Liu. How has our dear Class President Wang been these days?" Chen Fei asked with a smile, recognizing him.
Hearing this, Liu Zhichuang jumped and imdiately forced a smile. "I've already sent that kid packing, Doctor Chen, please rest assured. I will never be so foolish again, and I won't let anyone pull strings through anymore."
"It's a great virtue to be able to admit and correct one's mistakes. You're not so bad, Doctor Liu," Chen Fei replied, seeing that the man was smart enough to understand. He decided to drop the pretense and added with a smile, "Alright, let's leave it at that. I happen to be reporting to the Cardiology Departnt myself, so let's go together."
Liu Zhichuang obviously understood the unspoken aning in Chen Fei's tone. He breathed a sigh of relief and hastily said, "Yes, yes! Please follow , Doctor Chen. I know my way around the hospital. I'll take you there right away."
With that, he led Chen Fei to the ace departnt of the Northern Mountain City Central Hospital—the Cardiology Departnt.
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