Yan Feifan was informed that, so far, the police had found a total of nine patients who had fallen for the scam.

The total amount of money they were swindled out of was over 1.7 million.

The figure astounded Yan Feifan, but it also made him worry about these people’s intelligence.

’How could they pay out so much money at once without doing a little research? They could have at least come over to verify it in person!’

’After all, they’re all in the same city, and it’s not like I’m some rarely seen, elusive celebrity.’

’Sigh...’

Sometimes, when Yan Feifan saw stories of people getting scammed on TV or online, he found it completely baffling.

’Why do people still fall for such crude scams that you can see through in an instant?’

While Yan Feifan was baffled and felt sorry for these people, he was also repulsed by their "I’m the victim, so I’m in the right" mentality.

If he accepted their requests and performed their surgeries, he would feel like he was being held hostage.

But if he refused, he truly wouldn’t have the heart to do it.

Yan Feifan struggled internally for a moment. Seeing that Mr. Lo, Zhou Yuan, and He Pengfei were all looking at him, he met Mr. Lo’s gaze and asked, "Sir, I’m not sure what to do."

"Do you have any suggestions?"

Lo Jun gave a faint, meaningful smile. "Xiaoyan, I’d like to hear what you really think first."

’Great, he just tossed the problem right back to me.’

Steeling himself, Yan Feifan said, "Sir, Mr. Zhou, Mr. He, my opinion is that all parties should work together to solve this case as quickly as possible and recover their losses."

"As for the surgery..."

Yan Feifan stated frankly, "We’ll follow the hospital’s rules, and your rules, Sir. Cutting in line for priority surgery is out of the question."

Lo Jun nodded gently, satisfied. "Good, very good. Xiaoyan, you’ve made the right decision."

"While it’s important for us doctors to be benevolent, we can’t let our compassion run wild without principles."

"Otherwise, you’ll have no personal life to speak of."

Lo Jun’s tone turned cautionary. "Xiaoyan, you have to remember, you’re not just dealing with these few patients, but with countless others in the future."

"You may not believe it, but once you set a precedent and people find your weakness, a never-ending stream of them will use it against you, coming up with all sorts of ways to get what they want."

Lo Jun added with a sigh, "Many famous doctors seem cold and unfeeling. They have no choice—they’re forced to be that way."

"But enough with the abstract talk. Let’s get to the practical side of things..."

Lo Jun paused, then continued in a low voice, "We have a long line of patients waiting here, with appointments scheduled three or four months out."

"I’ve prioritized the list based on the severity and progression of their tumors. Some of those patients are already approaching a critical stage."

"If we let this group cut in line, it could very well trigger a disastrous chain reaction."

Seeing his decision receive his mentor’s strong approval, Yan Feifan felt even more resolute.

He couldn’t help but ask, "What’s our next step for the people still outside?"

Zhou Yuan said softly, "They started with a very peaceful banner protest."

"Now that the situation is clearer, they’ve switched to a sit-in."

"Clearly, they realize they’ve likely been scammed, and that this matter might not have much to do with you, Mr. Yan."

"That’s why they didn’t want to escalate things from the start. They just wanted to use this incident to push for their surgeries."

After a pause, Zhou Yuan continued, "Because the fraud originated at Ren’ai Hospital, we notified them from the outset."

"But they’ve been dodging responsibility and refuse to send anyone over."

"We had no choice but to report the matter to the Health Commission."

"I expect representatives from the Health Commission and Ren’ai Hospital will be here soon."

He Pengfei also spoke up. "Mr. Yan, we’ve contacted the police station in the jurisdiction of Ren’ai Hospital. We’ve decided to form a joint investigation, with our station taking the lead."

"Our top priority is to find this Sun Ying."

Seeing the undisguised exhaustion on Yan Feifan’s face, Lo Jun said, "Xiaoyan, you don’t need to get involved or worry about this. Just relax and leave it to the hospital and the police."

Zhou Yuan chimed in, "Mr. Yan, our medical affairs department is very experienced in handling these situations. We’ll take care of it properly."

Lo Jun added, "You just finished a major surgery, so you must be tired. Go find a place to rest, or just head home."

Yan Feifan grunted in acknowledgment and watched Lo Jun and Zhou Yuan leave. He Pengfei, however, stayed behind.

"Mr. Yan, this is just a routine procedure, but I need to ask you a few questions for the investigation."

As he spoke, He Pengfei switched on the body camera on his chest, then took out his phone and pulled up a photo.

"Mr. Yan, do you recognize the person in this photo?"

The photo was a bust-shot ID picture of a beautiful young woman in a nurse’s uniform.

Yan Feifan studied it carefully before shaking his head. "I don’t recognize her."

"This is Sun Ying."

He Pengfei stated, then pressed, "Mr. Yan, are you certain you don’t know her?"

"I’m certain."

He Pengfei then asked, "Mr. Yan, in the past month, have you or your family received any funds, securities, expensive gifts, or other similar high-value items from an unknown source?"

"No," Yan Feifan replied firmly.

After a few more questions, He Pengfei switched off his body camera.

He said apologetically, "Mr. Yan, I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this routine questioning is mandatory."

"It’s fine, I understand," Yan Feifan said, unconcerned.

"Thank you for your understanding and cooperation."

After the polite exchange, He Pengfei added suddenly, "Mr. Yan, our station’s former chief, Mr. Hu, was transferred to the sub-bureau today."

"I’m currently serving as the acting chief."

Yan Feifan was slightly taken aback, then quickly said, "Congratulations on the promotion. You’re the official Mr. He now."

He Pengfei said with a reserved air, "It’s only an acting position for now. Things could still change."

He then took out a card and handed it to Yan Feifan.

"Mr. Yan, this is my personal cell number. I’m generally reachable 24/7."

"If you ever need anything, you can call this number anytime..."

Yan Feifan glanced at the phone number on the card, then at He Pengfei’s retreating figure.

He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, ’Damn, could that Mr. Hu have been transferred because of that incident at Xinfeng Restaurant?’

Yan Feifan gathered his things and went straight back to the Qin Ying Medical Research Office in the Emergency Department, where he lay down on the sofa to rest.

But it wasn’t long before his phone started ringing.

He picked up his phone and saw it was a call from that guy, Lu Yao.

"Spit it out."

"Whoa, what’s with the tone? Did you and Su Ye break up, or did you get into a fight and she beat you up?"

Yan Feifan said irritably, "Su Ye and I are just fine. I just finished a long surgery, and I’m exhausted."

"If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."

"Wait! I do have something, and it’s serious."

Over the phone, Lu Yao’s tone grew serious. "Feifan, I really do have something important I need your help with."

"Then get on with it!" Yan Feifan urged impatiently.

"Feifan, you’re an amazing plastic surgeon, so you must be an expert at telling if a woman has had work done."

"A buddy of mine is dating this girl who’s an absolute goddess."

"He keeps feeling like she looks too good to be true..."

Yan Feifan hung up before the other guy could finish...