After muttering to himself, Director Wu took out his phone and began calling Du Heng.

However, quite embarrassingly, Du Heng’s phone was on, but no one answered.

Director Wu’s first reaction was to wonder if something had happened to Du Heng. Feeling anxious, he quickly called Cao Binghe, asking him to also try calling Du Heng and to see if he could locate him.

But two minutes later, Cao Binghe called back. "Director," he reported, "Doctor Du is resting at the hospital guesthouse."

"How did you know?"

"I saw it on his ins."

Director Wu’s mouth fell slightly open, but in the end, he just let out a soft sigh.

「The next day」

After Du Heng woke up, he returned calls to Cao Binghe and Director Wu. In fact, he had seen their calls the previous night, but his heart qi was unsettled, and feeling a bit contrary, he hadn’t returned their calls.

As for Lan Changhua’s problem, it was indeed quite troublesome without a solution. But once a suitable approach was found, an impaired transformation of qi wouldn’t be life-threatening. Besides, if they didn’t use his method, what other options did they have? So, Du Heng wasn’t worried about his departure at all.

It’s just that being too stubborn may not leave a good impression. But does it matter?

After freshening up, Du Heng rushed to the hospital and saw Lan Changhua again. At this point, Lan Changhua was lucid and, apart from looking a bit pale, seemed to have no major issues.

Seeing Du Heng appear by his bedside, Lan Changhua was overjoyed, grasping Du Heng’s hand and chattering away. His demeanor was far from the calm and composed air of the expert he had previously shown; he was just like an ordinary old man.

Moreover, after this incident, it was clear not only to Du Heng and the others but also to Lan Changhua himself that he truly had to retire and spend his golden years at home.

"Since you’re here, don’t leave. Just let Xiao Wu take you to get the paperwork done. The new school term has just begun, so it won’t disrupt anything," Lan Changhua said after his initial burst of chatter, already making plans for Du Heng. He didn’t care whether Du Heng intended to go back or not; he just proceeded as if Du Heng were staying.

Not wanting to go through the hassle of moving back and forth again, Du Heng readily agreed with Lan Changhua, which made the old man even happier.

"Then it’s settled," Lan Changhua said with a chuckle. "Also, I told you, I have a house that’s vacant, though it’s a little far from the hospital. We’ve already cleaned it up for you. I’ll have my son get you a car to use for now, that’ll make things more convenient."

Du Heng hadn’t been keen on this suggestion initially, and since Wu Shengnan had mentioned wanting to buy a house the previous night, Du Heng declined Lan Changhua’s kind offer.

When Lan Changhua heard that Du Heng wanted to buy a house instead of using his, his smile grew even wider. Owning a house meant Du Heng intended to put down roots, unlike the previous year when he had left so abruptly.

Then Lan Changhua began to inquire solicitously if Du Heng had enough money for a house, where he was thinking of buying, and mentioned that his son had some connections who could help Du Heng with the process. Household registration, location, finances—Lan Changhua asked Du Heng about every potential difficulty he could think of.

Although such concern might seem like nagging to some, it truly warmed one’s heart. Any lingering unpleasantness gradually dissipated amidst Lan Changhua’s earnest advice.

After chatting for over an hour, Lan Changhua began to show signs of fatigue. Du Heng took the cue and excused himself, then went to sort out the paperwork with Director Wu.

This time, joining Good Friend Hospital involved an interview. However, it was merely a formality in the process and concluded quickly. Afterward, Du Heng signed the contract.

"Doctor Du, or rather, I should call you Deputy Director Du now," Director Wu said with a smile, shaking Du Heng’s hand again.

Holding the employment contract, Du Heng felt a wave of emotions. With the signing of this contract, all his previous accomplishments were reset; he was starting anew.

After completing the hospital procedures, there were still the school’s procedures. The school procedures were slightly more troublesome than those at the hospital. This was partly because they weren’t very familiar with each other, and also because every step of the required process was meticulously followed with great rigor.

However, Du Heng was well-prepared, and his knowledge base was solid, so the process went smoothly.

Once all the procedures were completed, the school surprised Du Heng by arranging a dormitory for him. Although it was an old building with a one-bedroom, one-living room unit, it solved Du Heng’s immediate housing problem until he could buy a house.

This was quite an unexpected bonus.

Unfortunately, upon inspecting the apartment, he found it needed a thorough cleaning and wasn’t ready to be moved into immediately.

And so, Du Heng spent three days sorting out his personal affairs, only officially starting work on the fourth day.

However, this work arrangement was almost identical to when he had come for his studies previously. The only real difference was that his name was now listed during registration, and he held the title of Deputy Chief Chinese Medicine Doctor.

Another difference was that many more patients came to see him than before.

But working in the outpatient service and doing ward rounds were not Du Heng’s primary objectives this time. His goal was to enhance his reputation and gain societal recognition.

And for that, he needed many titles.

Acquiring titles wasn’t something one could achieve by simply burying oneself in clinical work day in and day out.

Therefore, alongside his regular duties, Du Heng maintained contact with Wu Buwei and Li Shuxun in Jinzhou, hoping to expedite the progress of their two projects.

But at this stage, the projects genuinely couldn’t be sped up. The project team was of a fixed size with limited personnel. Even with a large number of patients, the work required time and patience; it was a process that couldn’t be rushed or skipped.

So, while following up on these two projects, Du Heng also took up the "tumor" project that Lan Changhua had shelved.

However, this project had been on hold for some time. To restart it now, the pathogen was the biggest problem, so Du Heng knew he had to proceed slowly and patiently; it couldn’t be hurried.

Just like that, Du Heng’s once restless heart gradually calmed, and he began to move forward, one steady step at a time.

「In mid-April」

Du Heng suddenly received a text message from Lu Guangying.

"Thank you, Dean. It’s been taken care of."

Staring at the few simple words on his phone, Du Heng felt a momentary confusion. Thanks? Thanks for what? It’s been taken care of—what’s been taken care of?

He considered calling Lu Guangying to ask but felt it might be awkward. So, he first called Li Shuxun, intending to inquire with him, and then call Lu Guangying if he couldn’t find out anything.

"Has anything happened at the hospital recently?"

"Indeed, something has," Li Shuxun replied after a moment’s thought. "Dean Lu’s appointment has been formally announced, making her the official Dean. By the way, she also took over Secretary Huang’s position, shouldering the responsibilities of both Dean and Secretary."

It dawned on Du Heng. So that was it. No wonder she said thank you. "Anything else?"

"Yes, Director Zheng from the office has been fired and is apparently under investigation," Li Shuxun added, his voice hesitant over the phone.

This answer startled Du Heng into full realization.

So that’s how it was! But her methods were quite ruthless. He himself had almost forgotten about that Fat Zheng, yet Lu Guangying had remembered and actually acted on it.

"Do you know what happened?"

"I heard Director Zheng had sticky fingers. After Dean Lu took office, she reviewed the accounts and uncovered his dealings," Li Shuxun said vaguely. "But I’m not sure about the specifics; I heard it from others too. Senior Brother, if you want to know, I can try to find out more?"

"No, don’t. I was just asking casually," Du Heng said, his mood surprisingly lifting. "You just focus all your attention on the project. Don’t worry about other things. Your progress there is very important for me."

Li Shuxun quickly agreed, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Senior Brother, there’s something I think I should tell you."

"Go ahead."

"Our project is currently under the purview of the Provincial Women and Children’s Hospital, right? Well, they’ve sent someone over."

"Is there a problem?"

"Nothing major, but this person likes to interfere, and it’s frustrating everyone."

Du Heng thought for a moment. "Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle this."