Chapter 135: Done For

Zhang Chunlei pitied Dean Zhu for having raised such a disgraceful son, so he waited patiently for Zhu Mingxing to speak.

But what Zhu Mingxing said next truly set him off.

"You, well-organized? Bullshit!"

Zhang Chunlei was livid. "If I wasn't constantly cleaning up your messes in the ER, it'd be no joke to see a dozen or so deaths a year. If your father wasn't the dean, who would bother with a moron like you?"

Zhu Mingxing was taken aback but knew he couldn't back down now. "But I worked hard, too! Without me, how could the Emergency Department have been elevated to such a prominent position!"

Liu Qizhou sneered. "That was the investment strategy *I* formulated! The Emergency Department is an extremely profitable division. Expanding its scale is just common sense. It has nothing to do with you."

Zhu Mingxing crumpled to the ground, squatting like a spineless wreck.

"Now, let's talk about your crimes... Coercing a woman, taking compromising photos to blackmail her, what else? Slander, defamation..."

"When you add all these charges up, how many years in prison does that get you?"

Liu Qizhou spoke slowly, and with every word, Zhu Mingxing grew more tense.

"Patriarch Liu, I'm begging you! Please, don't go to the police! I'll compensate her! I absolutely will!"

"Compensate?" Liu Qizhou sneered. "With what? With the money you skimmed and pocketed from the Emergency Department?"

Zhu Mingxing froze as if struck by lightning. "I..."

'This is my secret. I was so careful, so secretive. There's no way anyone could have found out yet.'

'And yet, they found out.'

Liu Qizhou chuckled. "You thought we didn't know? On the contrary, we found out a month after you joined the department. We just figured, 'if the water's too clear, you won't find any fish.' As long as you were making the hospital money, we were willing to let you take a little extra for yourself."

"Who knew you'd be so greedy and yet have no ambition to improve? It's truly nauseating." Liu Qizhou's expression hardened; he was genuinely angry now.

As investors, the hospital's revenue was their revenue. Embezzlement directly harmed the shareholders' interests.

Dean Zhu's expression shifted repeatedly. He had known nothing about the things Liu Qizhou was describing.

Hearing it all laid bare now, a deep unease settled in his heart.

"You..."

"'You' what?" Liu Qizhou stared at Dean Zhu.

Dean Zhu stood stunned for a long moment, utterly speechless.

"He is my son, after all. Could I ask Patriarch Liu to give him one more chance?"

Liu Qizhou's plan was to make an example of the Zhu father and son, to show Mu Lin the Liu Family's strength.

'Give you face? Then who's going to give me face?'

With that thought, Liu Qizhou declared, "Let him go? In your dreams! Next, let's talk about *your* problems!"

"No, there's no need!" Dean Zhu said. "I will apply to resign from my position as Dean immediately. I will retire and never practice medicine again!"

"Please, spare my son!"

THUD. Dean Zhu knelt as well.

Liu Qizhou's expression turned ugly. Dean Zhu still held considerable prestige in the hospital. Seeing him suddenly drop to his knees, many people began to wonder if this was going too far.

Many couldn't help but feel compelled to speak up for the Zhu Family.

"Everyone, don't fall for it! Dean Zhu has been short-changing you on your insurance and retirement funds! Did you know that? Your benefits are at the lowest possible tier—the same level as a migrant worker!"

What?!

At this, the doctors in the room truly erupted.

That stuff was usually just a line item on a payslip. You see it, but very few people bother to calculate exactly how much money is involved.

"I work my fingers to the bone, and you're skimming from our pensions, Dean?"

"Aren't the hospital's profits excellent? How can you be skimming from our pensions?"

They were practically spitting fire.

In just a few sentences, Liu Qizhou had publicly ripped the Zhu father and son to shreds. The entire room was now united against them, itching to go up and kick them while they were down.

Mu Lin, however, turned and walked out.

Seeing this, Liu Yiming grew anxious. 'This whole show is for your benefit! What's the point if you just leave?'

"Young Friend Mu Lin, where are you going?"

Mu Lin replied, "I only came to observe. I never intended to cause such a commotion. With the hospital undergoing such a major shakeup, will it affect Elder Li's treatment?"

'He's actually worried about that?' Liu Yiming thought. On further reflection, he realized there would indeed be an impact.

After all, this purge would involve a number of doctors—transfers, firings—and it was bound to affect the ICU's management.

"You can rest assured on that front. I have a solution!" Liu Yiming's eyes lit up. "For now, we'll keep all current staff in the ICU. No one leaves until Elder Li has recovered."

"What do you think?"

Mu Lin said flatly, "You're the one making the decisions. Why are you asking me what I think?"

Liu Yiming was left speechless. He instantly resolved to punish these people severely.

Mu Lin clasped his hands behind his back and ambled back toward the hospital ward.

Zhang Chunlei also came out of the meeting room, hurrying to catch up to Mu Lin. "Young Friend Mu Lin, I can't thank you enough for today! Without your help, I'm afraid I would have been made a pariah, completely ruined!"

Mu Lin smiled faintly. "A good man like yourself is blessed by the heavens, Elder Zhang. I merely lent a casual hand."

"You're too modest. I insist on treating you to a proper meal," said Zhang Chunlei.

Mu Lin chuckled. "Alright. I'll leave the arrangements to you."

Back in the meeting room, the atmosphere was grim.

Seeing that Mu Lin was gone, Liu Yiming knew the show was over.

"Organize the evidence and report it to the authorities. The rest is in the hands of fate."

Liu Yiming instructed his son.

The Zhu father and son were certainly headed for prison, a disgraceful end to their careers.

Zhu Nian stood frozen, feeling utterly empty. He had nowhere left to turn.

He was filled with regret. 'Why did I have to oppose Zhang Chunlei for all these years? It would have been so much better to just get along and make money…'

The Liu father and son walked downstairs, both silent and disinclined to speak.

Liu Yiming suddenly said, "Mu Lin... he's connected to the Zhou Family."

Liu Qizhou nodded. "I sensed it too. All the arrangements were too perfect, like they were deliberately coordinated."

"It means their relationship is extraordinary. Mu Lin acts, and they provide support from the shadows. Their coordination is seamless."

"Heaven knows if anyone else could ever command such treatment."

As far as they could recall, the answer was likely no.

Liu Yiming said, "Make a call. Sound out the Zhou Family, see what their stance is."

"Alright."

Liu Qizhou replied.

There was both competition and cooperation among the three great families.

Communication between them was essential.

"Old Zhou, long time no talk!"

"I was the one who cleaned up your street-racing mess last month. Cut the crap."

"There's a remarkable man named Mu Lin who's popped up in Anhua recently. You know him?"

There was a stretch of silence on the other end of the line, followed by Zhou Qianfan's grim voice.

"Lao Liu, I consider us friends. If you make a move against him, don't blame me when our friendship is over!"

Damn! Liu Qizhou's knees felt weak with shock. 'Who in the world could make Zhou Qianfan take such a hard line?'

"Of course not! Younger Brother Mu is a friend of mine, too. He's the one who cured my daughter's cold poison. I was just calling to ask you if you knew what his interests are."

Hearing this, Zhou Qianfan relaxed. "Interests... I don't think he has any particular ones. He values his family above all else; you could say they're his reverse scale. Whatever you do, don't cross that line!"

Liu Qizhou laughed. "I'm doing everything I can to get on his good side, why would I cross him! But I am curious... where did this guy even come from? I've never heard of anyone like him before!"

Zhou Qianfan mulled it over. "That's... not easy to talk about..."

The truth was, he hadn't found any clear answers himself.

Mu Lin just came from some small mountain village. Zhou Qianfan had dug through all the records on the village and found nothing special about it.

He was a man who valued his pride, so he decided it was better to say nothing.

"But the kid's power is no joke. Let me put it this way... the Yang Family's ancestral hall has a lot of new memorial tablets recently. In all of Anhua, besides your family and mine, who else do you think has the power to do that to them?"

It was as clear a hint as he could give. Zhou Qianfan left it at that, letting Liu Qizhou connect the last dots himself.

Liu Qizhou's throat went dry. 'Damn, he's that incredible? Is he even human?'

"Right, I understand. I will absolutely, positively not get on his bad side. In fact, I'll make sure he's treated with the utmost respect!"

"Lao Liu, don't you try to compete with me over him. He's someone the Elder specifically instructed me to watch over. I can't just hand him over to you!"