Chapter 581: Chapter 552: Refusing Cooperation

Zhen Chun doesn’t trust Xu Chunliang, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t trust others. Xu Chunliang invited Liu Shanmin over.

Because Liu Shanmin often went to Huichun Hall for consultations in the past, he and Zhen Chun were already acquaintances. Zhen Chun indeed had great trust in him. Liu Shanmin helped her with foot massage, mainly by following the direction of the muscle fibers for pulling and kneading, to alleviate muscle spasms and reduce sprain pain.

He also used Stretching Grass, Bone-penetrating Grass, Notoginseng, and Safflower ground into a paste to apply externally on the sprained area, which helps in promoting blood circulation and relieving muscle stiffness.

Zhen Chun’s sprain wasn’t severe to begin with, and after Liu Shanmin’s treatment, she could walk again very soon.

Zhou Deming accompanied her throughout, being very attentive. Many noticed that he clearly had a liking for Zhen Chun. It’s quite normal, actually. Despite being a bit loud, Zhen Chun is sweet-looking, with a distinct personality, the outgoing and lively type.

Zhou Deming usually doesn’t talk much and isn’t good at interacting with others, being somewhat introverted. Their personalities happened to complement each other perfectly.

That evening, Xu Chunliang accompanied them onto a yacht, cruising on the lake while enjoying the moonlight and savoring the local lake delicacies.

Liu Shanmin stayed at Xu Chunliang’s invitation to share some health and wellness knowledge with Mrs. Zhou. The older one gets, the more interested they are in such matters, which was a way of appealing to her interests.

While admiring the night view on the deck, Xu Chunliang informed Zhou Deming of the next day’s plans. Zhou Deming said, "Chunliang, your plans are a bit too grand. Using public resources like this could cause a bad impression if it gets out."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "It’s all through my personal connections, don’t overthink it, and don’t tell Secretary Zhou—otherwise, he might criticize us."

Zhou Deming nodded, "I’ve always been in academia, and I don’t know much about the outside world. This trip to Weishan Island has been quite an eye-opener."

Xu Chunliang asked, "What kind of insights?"

Zhou Deming replied, "Compared to you, I’m too immature."

Xu Chunliang said, "Are you saying I look old?"

Zhou Deming laughed, "That’s not what I meant. In dealing with people and adapting to society, I’m far behind. My grandma used to say the same, but I wouldn’t accept it."

Xu Chunliang said, "You’re a learned person who will surely reach great heights with a solid foundation."

Zhou Deming said, "Compared to you, I’m just a bookworm."

At this time, Zhen Chun slowly wandered over. Zhou Deming asked with concern, "Didn’t Dr. Liu advise you to walk less?"

Zhen Chun said, "It’s alright, it doesn’t hurt at all. Dr. Liu said walking a bit isn’t a problem. Isn’t it often said in Chinese medicine to promote circulation and remove stasis? Walking helps with that."

Xu Chunliang thought, after all, the Old Xu Family is a family of traditional Chinese medicine, and Zhen Chun must have inherited some medical genes. He didn’t argue with her but reminded, "Xiaochun, take care of grandma at the hot spring tomorrow."

Zhen Chun replied, "I know, isn’t Mingzai there too?"

Zhou Deming blushed, "It’s a hot spring after all."

Zhen Chun said, "You wear swimsuits at inland hot springs, don’t you? I’m not afraid, why are you?"

Zhou Deming said, "But..."

Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but laugh at his embarrassed look. Just then, Mo Han called, so he took the opportunity to step aside.

Mo Han called to inform him that the comprehensive results of the hot spring water quality assessment were out. The water quality is top-notch, not only in Dongzhou but in the entire Jianghai Region. Mu Tian Group plans to start work soon. However, negotiations with Tong Guangsheng were not going well. Tong Guangsheng, who was fine initially, disagreed upon discovering that Mu Tian Group had a background of Japanese capital.

Tong Guangsheng detests the East Asian Ghosts the most and hasn’t changed his stance. He expressed that he would rather not earn money than cooperate with Neon People.

Mo Han didn’t expect him to be so stubborn. After several attempts to persuade him failed, he had no choice but to seek out Xu Chunliang, hoping he could step in and persuade Tong Guangsheng to change his mind. Although there were national enmities and family grudges, it shouldn’t interfere with making money. At the national level, mutual benefit is emphasized. Who knows what Old Tong is thinking.

Xu Chunliang was very familiar with Tong Guangsheng’s temperament. Once Old Tong made up his mind, it was difficult to change. Xu Chunliang couldn’t figure out why he hated Neon people so much. Logically, Tong Guangsheng should hate the southern Barbarian Country the most. But he gladly accepted Ruan Xingmei, the daughter-in-law from An Nan, and treated her well, probably because love extends to everything in the house.

Xu Chunliang told Mo Han not to waste her efforts, as there was plenty of land on Weishan Island. At worst, she could choose another plot elsewhere, and as long as she was interested, he was willing to help coordinate.

Mo Han said, "I’ve set my eyes on the land at Xianhong Farm."

Xu Chunliang said, "Why do you keep banging your head against a brick wall?"

Mo Han replied, "That’s just my temperament. Ask for me; if Tong Guangsheng insists on disagreeing, then the Mu Tian Group will have to withdraw their investment. I’m not trying to scare you, but it would be Hu Shan Town’s loss. Ask what Tong Guangsheng means."

Xu Chunliang had no choice but to agree. As soon as he hung up the phone, Tong Guangsheng called.

Tong Guangsheng felt a bit embarrassed for rejecting Mo Han’s cooperation request and specifically explained to Xu Chunliang. There was a reason he didn’t want to cooperate with the Mu Tian Group. What kind of place is Weishan Island? It was initially where the Railway Heroes fought the invaders. The Mu Tian Group has a Japanese capital background; introducing them to Weishan Island is like bringing invaders into the village.

Tong Guangsheng couldn’t accept it. Collaborating with the Neon people would betray the revolutionary martyrs of the past and the honorable name of the Railway Flying Tigers. Besides, his grandparents were killed by the invaders back then, so he hated the invaders very much. If war broke out between the two countries, he would be the first to sign up.

Although Xu Chunliang felt that Tong Guangsheng’s reason for opposition was somewhat far-fetched, he could understand Tong Guangsheng’s strong stance.

Mo Han’s words earlier carried a bit of a threat, but Xu Chunliang wasn’t afraid of her threats. The emperor’s daughter does not worry about marriage. If the Mu Tian Group doesn’t come, other investors will surely follow. Mei Ru Xue had planned to recommend one to him, so at worst, there could be a public bidding. There wasn’t only one qualified hot spring development company domestically.

Xu Chunliang thought a good plan should be considered, and this would require expert assistance, luckily, there was an expert right beside him.

Wang Fangtian, who went home for the New Year, hadn’t returned yet. When Xu Chunliang contacted him, he found out Wang was planning to resign from Huayan because he couldn’t adapt to living apart. His child needed a father around for care.

Xu Chunliang found the situation a bit puzzling. Wang Fangtian had been full of fighting spirit since coming to Weishan Island, as though embarking on a second career. He hadn’t mentioned plans to leave before.

Upon further questioning, Wang Fangtian revealed the truth. He initially joined Huayan because of Xu Chunliang, and with Xu leaving, he found it pointless to stay.

Xu Chunliang felt there was more to the story. Wang Fangtian was a technical person. What did Xu’s presence or absence in Changxing have to do with him? Realizing it was impossible to hide, Wang Fangtian confessed that Huayan Health indicated they kept him due to Xu Chunliang. As a scholar, he couldn’t endure such a thing, so he decided to voluntarily resign to avoid accusations of nepotism.

Hearing this, Xu Chunliang was furious. The Huayuan Group’s actions could be seen as self-preservation, but Wang Fangtian was talented and diligent, creating an excellent design for the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital. Forcing him out was too much. If they wanted to retaliate against him, did they need to pursue collective punishment?

Xu Chunliang assured Wang Fangtian not to worry. The contract was there, and Huayuan wouldn’t dare to pay a penny less. As for his future plans, even if he didn’t want to stay at Huayuan, there were better options. With his talent, he didn’t have to worry about finding a place to excel.

Comforted by Xu Chunliang, Wang Fangtian agreed to come back for a face-to-face discussion.

Although Hu Shan Town wasn’t big, there were many issues. The medical staff at Weishan Island Hospital came to the town government to file complaints again. The situation was similar to before; the branch employees felt they were treated unfairly.

Since Huayuan Group invested in Changxing, the income of branch employees hadn’t increased significantly as initially promised, and their performance was declining.

The reasons were simple: the number of patients treated at the branch was continually decreasing. The population loss in Hu Shan Town naturally reduced the client base, and they also changed the bonus distribution plan, making this month’s bonus less than half of before. The most laughable part was that one reason was the Jiang Ailian suicide incident, where the cost of saving that couple was counted as hospital expenses, completely igniting the powder keg. The medical staff were furious; why should they bear the cost?

When Xu Chunliang first arrived at the Weishan Island Branch, he also encountered employee unrest. Representing Changxing at the time, he successfully resolved the dispute. He didn’t expect now he would be representing Hu Shan Town to solve the issue.

The employees mainly wanted to meet the leader Qin Zhengyang. Qin entrusted the matter to Xu Chunliang, not only because he trusted him but also because Xu Chunliang was the best candidate for handling it due to his experience.

Xu Chunliang asked the Director of the Petition Office, Li Yuliang, to invite employee representatives to a small conference room and brought in Branch Director Jin Yonghao and Secretary Tan Haiyan before the discussion.

The representatives were the same as before, except Zhang Haitao was no longer there. He had already joined Xu Chunliang’s camp and become his loyal follower. Even if he came, he would certainly stand by Xu Chunliang.

Jin Yonghao, who had been reassigned to the Weishan Island Branch for crisis management, felt like he was in a different world. It was the same conference room, the same conflict between the hospital and employees. He was the Director of the Weishan Island Branch again. But now Xu Chunliang came as the leader from Hu Shan Town to solve the problem, which was extraordinarily surreal.