Chapter 80: Cooperating to Earn Some Pocket Money

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Cooperating to Earn Some Pocket Money

Yu Zhiming himself never would have thought that the doubts and criticisms from so many of his colleagues at the hospital could be so easily quelled by a few dozen hand-drawn sketches.

’Could this be what they call undeniable skill—the kind that stands up to any plots, tricks, or malicious gossip?’

"The investigation team questioned you. They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?"

Meeting Zhou Mo’s clear, concerned gaze, Yu Zhiming replied softly, "Not at all."

"I gave them a little demonstration of my auscultation and percussion skills, and that was enough to win them over."

He added, "The investigation team will issue its final report on me either today or tomorrow."

Zhou Mo breathed a sigh of relief, a wide smile spreading across her face. "That’s a relief."

"Dr. Yu, you’re a true doctor. You shouldn’t be dragged into this kind of mess."

Yu Zhiming dodged Zhou Mo’s earnest, admiring gaze and asked, "Where’s Teacher Qi?"

"Oh, he’s at Neurosurgery for a consultation."

Just as Zhou Mo replied, the office door was slammed open without a hint of courtesy.

A ten-year-old boy strode in as if he owned the place.

Trailing behind the boy was a beautiful, busty woman, extravagantly dressed and dripping with jewels.

"Big brother..."

The little boy cried out cheerfully, yanked off his backpack, and dumped seven or eight assorted puzzles of various shapes and materials onto Yu Zhiming’s desk with a great CLATTER.

"These are some of the hardest puzzles I’ve collected. Hurry up and solve them for me!"

Yu Zhiming disliked the boy’s demanding tone and looked up at the woman.

The beautiful woman gave a faint smile. "Dr. Yu, you solved that puzzle and retrieved the medicine inside so easily the other day. My son hasn’t stopped talking about it since."

"He’s been pestering us for days to bring him here so he could learn from you."

After a brief pause, she added with a doting look, "This son of mine is absolutely obsessed with things like Chinese ring puzzles, puzzle boxes, and the like."

"We have a whole room at home filled with his collection, and he spends all his free time studying them."

At that moment, the boy reached out and tugged on Yu Zhiming’s white lab coat, urging him on with a look of eager anticipation.

"Big brother, hurry up and start!"

Yu Zhiming didn’t want to get angry with a child, so he patiently explained, "Solving puzzles requires careful attention, patience, logical deduction, spatial reasoning, and things like that."

"When I solved that puzzle at your house the other day, I used a shortcut. It was basically cheating."

"There’s nothing to show or learn from it."

But the little boy’s eyes lit up as he cried, "A shortcut? Awesome! Awesome!"

"If I learn it, I’ll be able to solve even the hardest puzzles super fast, right?"

"Big brother, I want to learn! Hurry, hurry, teach me!"

Yu Zhiming rolled his eyes internally. ’How can someone this impatient have a hobby that requires so much patience?’

He had no choice but to explain again, "My shortcut is more like a natural talent. It’s not something I can teach, and not something you can learn."

At this point, the beautiful woman spoke up again. "Dr. Yu, it’s lunchtime. Why don’t we have lunch together?"

"I know a Western restaurant nearby. The chef was hired from abroad, and the food is more than passable."

"You can teach my son your puzzle-solving tricks while we eat."

Yu Zhiming didn’t know if he was being too sensitive or if he had a subconscious resentment of the wealthy, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this family exuded an air of superiority and bossy entitlement that rubbed him the wrong way.

Yu Zhiming refused, his tone a bit stiff. "Madam Wei, there’s no need for lunch. As for your son, I really can’t teach him."

"I’m a doctor. My job is to treat patients and save lives."

"If you’re not here for a consultation, please take your son and leave."

Seeing the look of disappointment and indignation on her son’s face, the beautiful woman’s expression darkened.

"Dr. Yu, let’s cut to the chase. How much will it cost for you to teach my son your puzzle-solving tricks?"

"A thousand an hour? Five thousand? If you’re not satisfied, just name your price."

"The Wei Family is not short on cash."

Yu Zhiming’s tone was flat. "Madam Wei, this isn’t a matter of money."

"Believe it or not, it’s not that I’m unwilling to teach your son. I truly can’t."

He then gestured toward the door.

"Madam Wei. Please."

The beautiful woman’s face paled several shades with anger.

"Dr. Yu, you need to understand something. The Wei Family’s corporation donates tens of millions to your Huashan Hospital every year."

"It would be child’s play for us to go through your hospital’s leadership and make life difficult for a junior doctor like yourself."

"You should know what’s good for you."

Her words ignited Yu Zhiming’s pride, which flared up and instantly took command of his thoughts.

"Huashan Hospital is a public hospital. We don’t survive on anyone’s donations."

"I may just be a junior doctor, but I conduct myself with integrity, and with my skills, I’m not afraid of anyone trying to pressure me."

The beautiful woman’s chest heaved, and her ample bosom looked as if it might burst forth at any moment.

It was enough to make even Yu Zhiming steal an involuntary glance.

"Bao, we’re leaving!"

As she left, the beautiful woman spat out a final, furious remark through gritted teeth.

"You just wait. This isn’t over..."

"Dr. Yu, about this...?" Zhou Mo asked, her face filled with worry.

"It’s fine!"

Yu Zhiming said, feigning nonchalance.

"If a major corporation would change its philanthropic plans over something so trivial, it never would have grown to its current size."

Despite his words, Yu Zhiming was still a little worried.

The wealthy could be capricious, and there was no guarantee some sycophant at the hospital wouldn’t try to curry favor by taking revenge on their behalf.

’Perhaps this confrontation is a good way to find out how much clout I really have with the leadership at Huashan Hospital.’

Just as Yu Zhiming was imagining an epic drama of conflict unfolding in his mind, another uninvited guest arrived.

Gu Qingran, the vice dean of Ning’an Hospital.

He was carrying a heavy-looking takeout container.

"Dean Gu, our director isn’t here. He went for a consultation."

"I’m here to see you!"

As he spoke, Gu Qingran placed the takeout container on Yu Zhiming’s desk.

"It’s lunchtime. We can talk while we eat. This is takeout from Tingfeng Tower."

He then invited Zhou Mo, "Miss Zhou, care to join us?"

Zhou Mo smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Dean Gu, but my own lunch is on its way."

As if on cue, a delivery guy knocked, came in, and handed Zhou Mo an insulated lunch box.

Meanwhile, Yu Zhiming took the dishes out of the takeout container and arranged them neatly.

There were Lion’s Head Meatballs, Sizzling Eel Paste, and more—all dishes that Yu Zhiming had tried the other day and thought were delicious.

"Dean Gu, do you have a patient for me?"

Gu Qingran shook his head with a smile. "A business partnership. I’m very interested in your idea for waking up patients with narcolepsy."

"You hear things fast," Yu Zhiming said, a little surprised.

’If Teacher Qi had contacted him last night, the man wouldn’t have bothered rushing over for lunch today.’

Gu Qingran took a sip of soup and smiled. "Director Qi, and you, are both people I’m paying close attention to."

"I make it a point to keep up with your every move."

Yu Zhiming gave a slight smile and asked, "Isn’t the Ning’an Group heavily invested in real estate?"

Gu Qingran’s expression turned serious. "When the Ning’an Group first established its real estate company, it was just to ride the development boom of the last two or three decades and make some quick cash."

"Ning’an’s roots have always been in the medical industry. Everyone in the company, from top to bottom, is very clear on that."

"But let’s not get sidetracked..."

Gu Qingran changed the subject. "I had my people do some preliminary research. They say there are six to seven hundred thousand narcolepsy patients nationwide, with ten to twenty thousand new cases each year."

"There’s another statistic, less precise but crucial: at least tens of thousands of narcolepsy patients are involved in accidents of varying severity each year due to sudden sleep attacks."

"This means they have an urgent need for the Waking Device you proposed, Dr. Yu."

A broad smile spread across Gu Qingran’s face as he looked to the future.

"Although it’s a small, niche market, if the Waking Device can be successfully developed and the costs aren’t too high..."

"...we can definitely make a nice little profit together..."