Chapter 156 - 155: Wine, Women, Wealth, and Temper

Chapter 156: Chapter 155: Wine, Women, Wealth, and Temper

Yu Zhiming’s work schedule for this afternoon consisted of a signing ceremony followed by a reception and networking event.

He had left midway through.

Yu Zhiming saw that it wasn’t even five in the afternoon yet. Thinking about another busy day tomorrow, and feeling a bit rebellious, he decided to seize the moment and take the rest of the day off.

No more work. Time for a break. He was going to be impulsive, just like that.

Following Yu Zhiming’s bad example, Zhou Mo, with the slight thrill of breaking the rules, eagerly tagged along as he left the hospital.

Once out of the hospital, Yu Zhiming was disappointed to find he had nowhere in particular to go.

It was on Zhou Mo’s suggestion that he took his fourth sister and Qiao Lei—who had no choice in the matter—to a small but clean and tidy restaurant not far from the hospital.

The four of them got a private room, ordered a few of the restaurant’s specialties, and began to chat casually.

Zhou Mo observed Yu Zhiming, who was sitting there with a casual air, and gradually noticed he was different from before.

Beneath his innate uprightness and self-discipline, there was now a touch of nonchalance and a sharp edge that was hard to ignore.

’Is this his true self finally showing through, after more than a month of cautiously adapting to Binhai?’

’Or perhaps, after everything that’s happened in Binhai, he’s had some kind of realization and achieved a breakthrough... he’s grown...’

Yu Zhiming looked up, his eyes meeting Zhou Mo’s probing gaze.

Zhou Mo instinctively wanted to look away, but then she thought, ’I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be the one to look away?’

She met Yu Zhiming’s gaze once more.

"Zhou Mo, I haven’t completely turned to the dark side. No need to be afraid."

Yu Zhiming explained with a smile, then sighed softly. "I’m like a brick for the cause, moved wherever I’m needed. Being moved around like this all the time... I can’t help but feel a kind of stifled frustration."

"Today’s incident just made it all boil over. That Zhang Rui had ill intentions from the start, so it’s only right that she faces the consequences."

Hearing him say this, Zhou Mo guessed that his frustration stemmed from the project.

Even though the various organizations involved had put him on a pedestal and showered him with praise, calling him indispensable and saying he was the only one for the job.

They even listed Yu Zhiming as one of the project leaders, and had him sign the project agreement in his own name alongside the other participating organizations.

But when it came to the actual work, from the initial preparations to the present day, no one had consulted him about a single thing.

Yu Zhiming had simply been a piece to be moved around.

Thinking about this, Zhou Mo completely understood his feeling of being stifled. He was like a puppet, constantly being placated and pushed to contribute his labor. If she were in his shoes, she would be resentful too.

Although she agreed with him internally, Zhou Mo offered a different perspective. "Dr. Yu, perhaps they just don’t want you to be distracted by trivial matters. They want you to focus all your time and energy on what’s most important."

"It’s like how many parents do things for their children, arranging everything for them."

Yu Zhiming nodded gently. "Zhou Mo, you’re probably right about the situation."

"It’s just..."

Yu Zhiming waved a hand. "Never mind. Let’s not talk about it."

"They all mean well, and they haven’t actually done anything wrong. To be honest, I’m being a little melodramatic."

After a pause, his tone shifted. "The sexual harassment incident last time, and now Zhang Rui targeting me for no reason... perhaps this is the price one pays for standing out."

"I need to let people know that they can come after me, but they have to be prepared to pay the price."

"And it won’t be a light one."

The flippant expression on Qiao Lei’s face vanished. He asked cautiously, "Dr. Yu, I know you had me notify Jiaoda Affiliated Hospital like that because you want them to teach that Zhang Rui a lesson on your behalf."

"Just... how severe of a lesson are we talking about?"

Yu Zhiming let out a soft scoff. "First, let’s see how they handle it."

"And while we’re at it, I can use this incident to gauge just how much they value me."

Yu Xiangwan said worriedly, "Fifth Brother, don’t take this too far. You don’t want to put the hospital leadership in an impossible position."

Yu Zhiming gave a faint smile. "Sister, right now, they’re the ones who need me. Even if they’re unhappy with me, they’ll just have to tolerate it."

"This project will last for at least seven or eight years. By then, I can’t say I’ll be fully established, but I’ll surely have the strength to stand on my own two feet."

Zhou Mo also tried to reassure Yu Xiangwan. "Sister Xiang Wan, Zhang Rui was the one who started all this today."

"I mean, she was deliberately speaking that loudly, wasn’t she? It’s obvious she wanted everyone to hear."

"Anyone who gets to be a leader is a shrewd operator. They can naturally see who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong."

"So if some malicious person decides to publicly stir up trouble for Dr. Yu, are you saying he’s not even allowed to push back for once?"

Yu Xiangwan sighed softly. "Zhou Mo, I know what you’re saying is true. It’s just that society holds different people to different standards."

"When a bad person does a single good deed, they’re hailed as a reformed prodigal. But when a good person makes one mistake, their true colors are supposedly revealed, and their crime is unforgivable."

Yu Zhiming laughed. "See? It’s easier to be the bad guy."

"Sister, from now on I’ll do my best to hold a grudge over every little thing, split hairs over every detail, and take a mile for every inch I’m given. I’ll become the kind of troublemaker that people are afraid to provoke."

"You?"

Yu Xiangwan shot him a look, deflating his bravado. "You’ve been soft-hearted and kind since you were a child. You think you can be a bad guy? Do you even know how?"

Yu Zhiming chuckled. "Sister, the line between good and bad is just a state of mind. Once you get over that mental hurdle, isn’t being bad the easiest thing in the world?"

Just then, a server came in with their food...

Qiao Lei snickered. "Dr. Yu, if you want to be a bad guy, you have to get into the vices, don’t you? Wine, women, wealth, that sort of thing."

"Why don’t you start by breaking your no-alcohol rule?"

Yu Zhiming shot the guy an icy glare.

Yu Xiangwan warned sternly, "Qiao Lei, my Fifth Brother suffered a head injury as a child. He is absolutely forbidden from drinking alcohol."

"The next time I hear you encouraging him to drink, you can pack your bags and go right back to where you came from."

Seeing how serious Yu Xiangwan was, not joking in the slightest, Qiao Lei quickly stood up to apologize.

"Sister Xiang Wan, I was just kidding. I studied medicine too, so I know that when it comes to alcohol, it’s best to avoid it if you can."

Qiao Lei then vowed, "Sister Xiang Wan, don’t worry. As long as I’m with Dr. Yu, I won’t let anyone make him drink."

Yu Xiangwan replied coldly, "I’ll listen to your words, but I’ll be watching your actions. We’ll see how you behave from now on."

Then she turned to Yu Zhiming, her expression changing to a smile as if by magic.

"Fifth Brother, of all the vices—wine, women, wealth, and wrath—you can still dabble a little in the ’women’ and ’wealth’ parts."

"Carrying on the family line, putting down roots in Binhai... it all comes down to starting a family and building a career. And you can’t do that without a little lust and a lot of money, can you?"

While Yu Xiangwan was saying this, Qiao Lei glanced at Zhou Mo, then at Yu Zhiming. He looked like he wanted to say something but ultimately held his tongue.

’When it comes to matters of the heart,’ he thought, ’it’s best to keep your mouth shut.’

Yu Zhiming clarified, "When I say I want to be a ’bad guy,’ I mostly mean I want to stop caring so much about my reputation, act on my instincts, and stop letting myself be wronged. I want to hit back hard and not worry about the methods."

"It’s not about becoming bad for the sake of being bad, or turning into the kind of person that I—and everyone else—would despise."

He then turned to Zhou Mo and added playfully, "Don’t worry, Zhou Mo. I’m still the same old Yu Zhiming, a man of principle. I won’t resort to unscrupulous means just because you’re incredibly beautiful."

Zhou Mo just beamed...

Just then, a phone started to ring.

Qiao Lei saw that the sound was coming from the phone Dr. Yu had entrusted to him. The caller ID read ’Ding Ye.’

He quickly answered it.

"Dr. Ding, this is Dr. Yu’s assistant, Qiao Lei. What can I do for you?"

"..."

Qiao Lei covered the phone’s mouthpiece, looked at Yu Zhiming, and reported in a low voice, "Dr. Yu, Dr. Ding says she’s with Dr. Luan Guoqing right now."

"They’re asking where you are and if it’s a good time for them to come talk."

’These two must have been sent to sound me out,’ Yu Zhiming thought.

He mulled it over for a moment before saying, "Go ahead and give her the restaurant and our location..."