Chapter 472: A Brewing Storm in the Department

If anyone else from the department had been eavesdropping on her private business outside the door, she would’ve given them an earful they’d never forget.

But Director Le was a chief physician, someone with real standing in the department. She couldn’t just tear into him.

And Zhou Can? He was even more off-limits. He’d always be her little junior in her heart. Since the day they met, she’d never once yelled at him.

“Uh… I need to head home for dinner now! See you, Sis Yan! Bye, Director Le!”

Zhou Can bolted without looking back.

“Oh! Haha, I just remembered—I have to meet a family about surgery arrangements for tomorrow at noon. See you, Director Xue!”

Director Le was right behind him, making his own quick getaway.

Sticking around now would just be plain awkward.

“You two, stop right there. Come inside!”

With one sharp command from Director Xueyan, both of them froze. They turned, exchanged a glance and trotted into her office.

Learning his lesson from last time, Zhou Can left the door open.

But Director Xueyan closed it herself.

Then she made tea for both of them.

“You probably already know about my family trouble. Zhou Can, I heard he even came looking for you and threatened you. I’m sorry for putting you through that.” This was the first time since that night that Director Xueyan spoke to Zhou Can so honestly.

“It’s nothing. I’m not afraid of threats! What really gets to me is seeing you, Sis Yan, misunderstood and even getting hurt. But honestly there’s not much I can do to help.”

Zhou Can wasn’t bothered at all by her husband’s threats.

He’d never been scared of a fight.

When it came to Su Qianqian’s safety, well, with Director Xueyan’s husband, who knows if he’d even get past Wei Fang.

Besides, Su Qianqian wasn’t some fragile, helpless woman.

She’d learned some self-defense from Wei Fang and Zhou Can, and always carried personal safety gear when she went out. Dealing with your run-of-the-mill petty thief? No problem at all.

“It’s over now, and I’ve made my decision. I’m divorcing him. From now on, I’ll focus on my career and raising my child. Before Chief Hu Kan passed, he put the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department in my care. I won’t let personal issues ruin this department.”

Director Xueyan was old-fashioned and traditional.

She never spoke of divorce lightly.

But now, there was a clear resolve in her eyes and voice, and her whole expression looked relieved, like a weight had finally lifted.

Sometimes, even kindness and tolerance have their limits.

“These are resignation letters from three of our chief and associate chief physicians. They quit out of the blue, which took me completely by surprise. Something about this feels way off—almost sinister.”

After talking about her family, Director Xueyan didn’t let them get a word in edgewise before moving straight to business.

“Wait… Even Deputy Director Lu quit? And all three resigned within the past couple days? Did you, uh, snap at them because you were upset?” Only Zhou Can would dare ask her so bluntly.

All three resigning—both chiefs and associate chiefs—were strong and very senior.

People with that kind of experience have plenty of pride.

If their boss ever chewed them out for no reason, or made life difficult on purpose, it’s easy for them to rebel.

Resignations like this weren’t unheard of, even at big hospitals.

Most of the chief physicians and associate chiefs who quit on their own were strong-willed and proud.

“I never snapped at them. I always treat everyone in the department with respect!”

Director Xueyan adamantly denied it.

She was known for her warmth and kindness.

“I doubt it was Director Xueyan’s fault. It’s probably the Third Hospital working behind the scenes, poaching our people. They approached me yesterday, offering a fat paycheck and a shot to train under that famous Japanese cardiac surgeon, learn the world’s top techniques. Hah! Like hell I’d work under some Japanese hotshot. I’d rather beg for food than take that job.”

Director Le might always seem like a joker,

but when it came to serious matters, he had firm principles.

If he wasn’t a stand-up guy, Zhou Can would never be this close to him.

Zhou Can never compromised on friends.

If your values didn’t align, there was no way to be true allies.

No matter how powerful or connected someone was, if their character was bad, Zhou Can wanted nothing to do with them.

“So it was the Third Hospital stirring up trouble. No wonder those three resigned at the same time! They’re some of our best surgeons, but with no more room for advancement. If the Third Hospital’s pay is right, of course they’d be tempted.”

Recognition dawned in Director Xueyan’s eyes.

Most adults go where the money is.

No one can talk ideals on an empty stomach.

“Looks like the Third Hospital’s been trying to poach a lot of people. Two nights ago, they even sent someone after me.” Zhou Can hadn’t meant to say anything, but since the topic came up, he let it out.

That time they even set off the security. Chances are Director Lou and even upper management already knew about it.

“The Third Hospital should focus on growing their own staff—not poaching from other hospitals. That’s just dirty.” Director Xueyan growled.

“Sis Yan, there’s something else fishy going on. Might even be connected.”

Zhou Can looked at Director Xueyan.

“What’s on your mind?”

She could feel trouble brewing. Hospitals were cutthroat these days.

“I’ve been alone with you plenty of times. I’m sure you work late with other male colleagues. But your husband never once made a fuss about it. The timing this time is too perfect. The Third Hospital tried to poach me the night before. When I turned them down, the next morning your husband stormed into the hospital to threaten me. What if the Third Hospital leaked info to your husband on purpose—just to mess with you, throw you off your game? These three chiefs quitting? Same timing. It can’t be a coincidence.”

Zhou Can had a real talent for thinking outside the box.

He always saw things from a different angle.

Especially good at connecting factors that seemed unrelated, even when diagnosing patients.

“You might actually be on to something.”

Director Xueyan was sharp, too. She got it right away.

She agreed with Zhou Can’s theory.

While she was distracted by family chaos, the Third Hospital swept in and stole talent from the Cardiothoracic Department. It was a chain of dirty tricks, one after another.

Zhou Can had met Vice Director Zhang from the Third Hospital. He didn’t seem like a political mastermind.

There must be someone even savvier pulling the strings.

“First, they took advantage of Chief Hu’s death to target our Cardiothoracic Department. Now that we’ve stabilized and grown stronger, they hit us with a brutal move—luring away our most skilled surgeons. I have to report this to the hospital leaders straight away and get them prepared.”

Originally, Director Xueyan just wanted them to keep her family matters to themselves.

But after only a few words, they’d stumbled upon the Third Hospital’s huge conspiracy.

Losing one chief or associate chief surgeon can happen overnight. But training someone to that level? That takes ten, twenty, even thirty years.

No matter how strong Tuyu’s Cardiothoracic Department was, it could never withstand this level of poaching.

“Not a word of our conversation leaves this room. That includes any phone calls I make. Or else you’ll have me to deal with.” Director Xueyan warned them. “I have to go report to the hospital leaders right now. You two get to it.”

…

The storm swept in almost instantly.

In less than five days, eleven skilled chief and associate chief surgeons from Cardiothoracic Surgery had been poached. Not just surgeons, but leading specialists in academics and diagnostics as well.

For the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at Tuyu Hospital, this was a disaster.

Soon after, they lost even more key staff. It was like someone was dead set on finishing the department off.

But Tuyu Hospital hit back fast.

They launched a major campaign showcasing their medical achievements.

One case featured was a baby transferred from the Third Hospital who was suffering from postoperative heart failure.

Any case Tuyu Hospital chose to advertise was sure to be top-tier, hand-picked for excellence. After all this publicity, Cardiothoracic Surgery made waves again, attracting tons of attention after nearly two years under the radar.

Every time Zhou Can helped out in surgery, he could feel the increased flow of outpatients.

Even in the Emergency Department, cases for Cardiothoracic Surgery were clearly up.

Why do companies and hospitals spend big on advertising?

Because the returns are incredible—well beyond the cost.

Look at the rise of Putian-style hospitals. They weren’t shy about dropping cash on web search rankings, subway ads, and billboards.

Lots of patients want privacy—they don’t want anyone knowing about their illness.

When visiting the hospital, they’re scared of getting scammed.

And all the waits and tests are enough to wear down anyone, especially busy workers.

But chatting directly with a ‘famous expert’ online? Having a consultation right there? That’s far more convenient.

Plus, with the service so polite, you feel like royalty.

Once patients are satisfied online, they set up appointments at the expert’s physical hospital, full of hope for treatment.

Before they know it, they’ve already fallen into the Putian trap.

With demand so high, Putian hospitals just keep reeling in patients in droves.

Once they’ve made a fortune, they’re unstoppable.

Then they’ve got the power to bring in real experts, invest in expansions, and boost their standards. The more ambitious Putian hospitals try to clean up their image and become real competitors.

Others, though, are just out to make a quick buck.

They open branches like crazy, contracting with major hospitals for entire departments.

The worst ones hire loads of fake doctors and nurses to cash in on men’s health, gynecology, and cosmetic surgery.

Not surprisingly, when things go wrong, the police sweep in and bust the whole operation.

The drama for Tuyu’s Cardiothoracic Department wasn’t over after the ad blitz.

With the Third Hospital’s frantic poaching, Director Zhu reportedly went straight to higher authorities. The regulatory agencies had started to intervene.

Meanwhile, Director Xueyan put Zhou Can’s advice into action—a classic open strategy.

Rumors began spreading online and through the grapevine, all unfavorable to the Third Hospital. The story about that baby with severe heart failure—that the Third Hospital botched the operation and basically abandoned the child, only for Tuyu’s Cardiothoracic team to save them—really caught fire.

The fallout was explosive.

That baby wasn’t the only case the Third Hospital had failed.

Soon, countless patients and families turned up to blast the Third Hospital’s reputation online. Some families who’d lost loved ones or suffered grave injuries got loud—posting, filming videos, accusing the Third Hospital of being a fraud.

It was a true case of kicking someone when they’re down.

Tuyu Hospital had gone through the exact same scrutiny in the past. But with Director Xueyan’s resilience and Tuyu’s steady push behind the scenes, they’d held the department together.

What goes around comes around.

Now it was the Third Hospital’s turn to face the trial.

…

That evening, just after work, Zhou Can got a call from Director Lou. He was told to report immediately to Meeting Room Zero.

Even after years at Tuyu Hospital, Zhou Can had never heard of a conference room by that name.

He followed Director Lou in silence, not daring to ask questions.

Director Lou’s grave expression didn’t help.

They soon reached the administration building, where security guards were stationed around the clock. Back when Zhou Can was an intern, he delivered files here a couple times, and his seniors warned him to treat security with extra respect.

At the time he didn’t understand.

Wasn’t a security guard just a security guard? There’s an old saying: all uniform, lowest status.

But after years around the hospital, he realized nothing’s ever so simple. Even a small security post comes with plenty of unspoken rules. The guards at administration? Nearly all have powerful connections.

Luckily, even when he didn’t understand, Zhou Can paid careful attention to these reminders.

He was always extra polite with the admin building security.

Now, following behind Director Lou, Zhou Can had been here many times before.

With all the things that had happened, he’d come plenty of times.

Twice, he’d even come to the office to make a scene.

It just goes to show—you never know how life will turn out. As an intern, he eyed everyone in this building with awe. Now? His status had totally changed. Security guards, regular staff—he could meet any of them eye to eye.

Oddly, Director Lou led him not upstairs, but towards a stairwell at the back of the admin building.

Back here, the iron gate was kept locked twenty-four hours a day, with its own security post.

What lay beyond, Zhou Can had no idea.

He figured it was probably where the top hospital executives lived. But he’d never heard of the director actually living on-site.

Not just hospital leaders—most associate chiefs, senior doctors, or nurses almost never lived in staff dorms anymore.

“Hello, I’m Lou Jingshan, chief of Emergency. This is Dr. Zhou Can. We were told to come here for a meeting.”

Only then did Director Lou explain their purpose.

He was especially polite with the security at the on-call room.

“Sign in with your ID and visitor info, then put all your personal belongings except your clothes in the locker.” The guard handed over the sign-in book.