Chapter 1075: There's Always a Higher Mountain

Xu Chunliang said, “There’s always someone better. When I encounter someone like Sister Hua, I end up as nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.”

Hua Zhuyue scoffed, “You’re insulting me. I’m not that kind of person. As for you being a lamb, don’t be too tough. My teeth aren’t that strong.”

Xu Chunliang handed Hua Zhuyue a skewer of grilled sheep tendon, looking concerned, “Have some collagen.”

Hua Zhuyue glanced at it and said, “I don’t need it, but you do.”

In order to attend the meeting organized by Zhai Pingqing, Xu Chunliang postponed his departure from the Capital City by a day.

Zhai Pingqing was hosting the gathering at a private club located in the embassy district.

Xu Chunliang arrived on time and reached the entrance of the club just as Deputy Deans Pan Junfeng and Li Chunyan were arriving.

Pan Junfeng stepped forward, shook Xu Chunliang’s hand, and said, “Xiaoxu, I just heard about Director Ye’s situation. My condolences.”

Xu Chunliang responded with a faint smile, “It’s all in the past now, everything went smoothly.”

Pan Junfeng noticed he didn’t want to discuss it further, so he quickly changed the subject, “President Zhai insisted on having you here. I hope it hasn’t inconvenienced you.”

Xu Chunliang said, “It’s all for work. He wouldn’t change his mind again, would he?”

Li Chunyan beamed, “Not at all. President Zhai is just waiting to sign the contract formally. Today, he also arranged for us to meet many prominent medical experts who will provide technical support to our hospital in the future.”

Xu Chunliang said, “There are too many experts nowadays, many seeking fame and reputation.”

Li Chunyan said, “I’ve looked into it. They are truly skilled and knowledgeable.”

The three of them chatted and walked into the courtyard, where a beautiful woman in her thirties greeted them with a smile. She was Tan Mei, the manager here. Tan Mei shook hands with them and led them to the private room.

Zhai Pingqing was already there, chatting with a few guests who had arrived early.

Seeing them come in, Zhai Pingqing stood up and said with a smile, “Dean Pan, Dean Li, let me introduce you. This is Dean Dong from Harmony Hospital, and this is…”

Whether intentionally or not, he overlooked Xu Chunliang, who stood aside. Someone like Zhai Pingqing wouldn’t make such an oversight unless he did it on purpose.

After going through the introductions, Zhai Pingqing seemed to suddenly remember, “Oh, I forgot, this is Director Xu Chunliang from the Dongzhou Infectious Disease Hospital project office.”

The experts glanced at Xu Chunliang and gave a perfunctory smile, clearly not taking him seriously. In fact, they didn’t pay much attention to people like Pan Junfeng and Li Chunyan either; they came solely out of respect for Zhai Pingqing.

Just then, another guest arrived. It was the renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine expert Zhang Boxu, a disciple of Huang Wanglin and the elder brother of Huang Gongxian. He had a big reputation in the Capital City, even surpassing his master, mainly because he was well-received by some leaders within the system and was often invited for consultations.

As soon as Zhang Boxu entered, everyone stood up. Xu Chunliang silently pondered that since Zhai Pingqing and Huang Wanglin were both among the four elders of the same faction, they should be equals. Zhang Boxu, as Huang Wanglin’s disciple, should be a generation lower, so why did Zhai Pingqing invite Zhang Boxu but not Huang Wanglin? Did Huang Wanglin know about this?

Zhai Pingqing said, “Let me introduce everyone, this is…”

Zhang Boxu had already walked towards Xu Chunliang and shook his hand, “Mr. Xu, you’re here too.”

Everyone was taken aback, not understanding why Zhang Boxu was so courteous to Xu Chunliang.

Xu Chunliang smiled, “President Zhai is investing in our hospital, and I’m here for the money.”

Everyone was stunned again. This guy’s tone wasn’t friendly at all.

Zhai Pingqing laughed heartily, “Director Xu is straightforward. Mr. Zhang, have you known Director Xu for a long time?”

Zhang Boxu nodded, “Mr. Xu is a brilliant doctor and a lifelong friend of my master. Last time Huiren Hall encountered trouble, it was Mr. Xu who helped us out.”

Pan Junfeng wasn’t surprised at all, after all, he already recognized Xu Chunliang’s capabilities. The expressions of others were skeptical; how could such a young man possess such great capabilities? Saying he’s helping Huiren Hall might be possible, but claiming his medical skills are superior surely sounds like flattery. Being so young, what could he possibly know about medicine?

Zhai Pingqing invited everyone to sit, and Zhang Boxu was actually invited to sit at the head seat, which showed his standing in everyone’s eyes was not low.

Pan Junfeng and Li Chunyan obviously did not receive such esteemed treatment. In the presence of investors and a host of expert bigwigs, they also felt somewhat lacking in confidence.

Xu Chunliang, the young one, happily accepted the seat by the corner, having no complaints. In terms of age and seniority, sitting in this seat was quite fitting.

Zhai Pingqing spoke eloquently. The current investment negotiations are going very smoothly; he has already gained the support of Dongzhou’s leadership. This time, Deputy Director Wu Zhongyi of Dongzhou Health Bureau also came to Capital City, but he couldn’t attend the banquet due to sudden health issues.

Zhai Pingqing said: “The main reason I invited everyone today is to build a bridge. Once the new hospital is completed, these expert bigwigs will provide technical guidance to us.”

Zhang Boxu quietly glanced at Xu Chunliang, feeling ashamed inside. With Xu Chunliang’s medical skills, he really didn’t dare to guide him. It’s such a coincidence that the hospital Zhai Pingqing invested in turned out to be the one he worked at, making him rethink things carefully.

Zhai Pingqing’s words naturally drew applause from the crowd.

Xu Chunliang didn’t applaud. Li Chunyan, beside him, nudged him with her leg. Xu Chunliang pretended not to notice it and smiled, saying: “President Zhai moves swiftly. The troops haven’t moved, but the provisions are ready.”

Pan Junfeng understood Xu Chunliang’s temperament well. This lad never showed much enthusiasm for Zhai Pingqing’s investment and was even somewhat resistant. It wouldn’t be good to embarrass Zhai Pingqing in public, so he quickly stepped in to ease the atmosphere, laughing: “President Zhai is a pragmatic person. Being able to communicate face-to-face with all the experts here today gives me more confidence in our future collaboration and more assurance in the hospital’s development.”

Li Chunyan cooperatively applauded, but embarrassingly, she was the only one clapping. She then secretly nudged Xu Chunliang’s thigh again, thinking that if you don’t clap for outsiders, you should at least do so for your own people, right?

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, “This woman keeps nudging my leg. Don’t think just because you’re the deputy dean I won’t report you for harassment.”

Zhai Pingqing laughed, “Dean Pan has put it very well. The reason I decided to invest in your hospital is because its leadership is practical and hardworking. The experts I’ve invited today will not only support us technically, but some will also directly participate in the construction of the new hospital. Master Zhang next to me plans to establish a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital under his name in the future new hospital.”

Zhang Boxu felt a bit awkward since it was Zhai Pingqing who approached him to propose helping him build a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital in Dongzhou. He and Zhai Pingqing had private collaborations. Zhai Pingqing’s Kangjian Group has numerous elderly care projects across the country. Elderly people have a keen interest in herbal health, so Zhai Pingqing invited him to cooperate, and this time it was the same.

Zhang Boxu didn’t need to invest money, just provide technical support. It was a win-win situation. He was initially quite interested in this matter, but who would have thought that Xu Chunliang was at Dongzhou Infectious Disease Hospital. Regardless of his current fame, he didn’t dare claim his skills were superior to Xu Chunliang’s.

Xu Chunliang said, “Mr. Zhang plans to open a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital in Dongzhou?”

Zhang Boxu coughed and said, “At present, it’s just an intention.”

Xu Chunliang said, “Dongzhou’s Traditional Chinese Medicine community is full of outstanding talents. My grandfather is a notable figure in Dongzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine. When I have time, I can introduce you to Mr. Zhang.” It was only a short distance from saying that Zhang Boxu was far from being comparable.

Zhai Pingqing noticed that Zhang Boxu was acting a bit unnatural today and laughed, “I’m not talking about traditional Chinese medicine. Everyone knows that Traditional Chinese Medicine has been declining in recent years. Many of our formulas and medicines have been registered by neighboring countries. The majority of patents in Traditional Chinese Medicine don’t belong to us, so we want to use a strategy of introducing foreign expertise to advance and transform it into our own thing, using our New Traditional Chinese Medicine to regain global recognition.”

Many applauded, yet Xu Chunliang still did not give his applause. He picked up on the nuance in Zhai Pingqing’s words, “President Zhai, what do you mean by ‘introducing’?”

Zhai Pingqing said, “Specifically, it means introducing advanced treatment methods and management experiences from countries like Neon and Peninsula. I have channels in this area, and I can establish contacts with their top medical experts domestically…”

Xu Chunliang said, “Sorry to interrupt, but the roots of Traditional Chinese Medicine are here. What should we learn from them? What do they have that we need to learn?”

Zhai Pingqing said, “Director Xu, you’re young, so you must keep up with the times. The current international healthcare environment is different from the past. In terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine, many of our concepts are outdated. We must admit that Neon’s Kampo medicine and Peninsula’s Korean medicine have improved upon our traditional medical foundation and achieved success, obtaining a leading position. Global recognition of their medicine exceeds ours.”

Xu Chunliang chuckled coldly, “They are just thieves. They stole several of our formulas, rebranded them, and applied for patents, deceiving the world. I don’t believe they’ve secured a leading position. The accumulated cultural depth of Chinese medicine over thousands of years is not something they can easily steal and learn.”

Zhai Pingqing sighed, “I understand Director Xu’s patriotism, but while loving our country, we must also acknowledge the disparity and face reality. Only by learning from their strengths can we make a leap and reclaim the glory of Chinese medicine.”

Xu Chunliang said, “There is no need to reclaim the glory of Chinese medicine, nor a necessity for a leap. In the realm of Traditional Chinese Medicine, we have always remained at the pinnacle. However, some people’s mentality of worshipping foreign things is causing problems.”

Li Chunyan saw that he gave no face to Zhai Pingqing and was worried the situation might sour. She quickly nudged Xu Chunliang’s thigh again.

Xu Chunliang glanced at her, moving his chair further aside, publicly maintaining a greater distance from her in front of so many people. He thought to himself, “I’m not someone you can take advantage of as you please, woman.”