Chapter 620: Unbreakable Ties

“Whew… that’s a relief!”

Her meaning was clear enough—her uncle and aunt still hadn’t given up and kept calling her.

Anyone with a sliver of self-respect would’ve quit by now, but not them.

That aunt and her son were the textbook definition of shameless—brazen to the bone. Now that they’ve learned Su Qianqian’s hit it big, no way were they letting this cash cow get away.

To them, she’s an endless gold mine waiting to be plundered.

Chances are, after things blew up that day, her uncle’s entire family regretted it so much they could choke.

If they knew brute force wouldn’t work, maybe they wouldn’t have rushed in headfirst.

Now Su Qianqian’s cut all ties, not a single cent left for them.

Just as they were talking, Su Qianqian’s phone rang.

She glanced down, a bit hesitant.

Zhou Can noticed right away and shot a look at her phone screen. Instantly, his face darkened.

“It’s your aunt again. Seriously, does she haunt you?”

He’d never seen anyone so shameless.

“She says she wants to come to the provincial capital to see me, to apologize in person. I didn’t agree,” Su Qianqian said with a helpless sigh.

Thankfully, she’s not my birth mother, she thought—otherwise, I’d never escape her grip.

After all, her uncle and aunt had raised her for over a decade. No matter how they’d treated her, that fact couldn’t be erased. That’s why she could never really harden her heart.

“So, what do you want to do about it?”

Zhou Can always respected her choices.

He’d check her thoughts before making any move, though a hint of anger smoldered in his eyes.

With resources and connections like his, he didn’t fear rural relatives, or even the powerful in the capital for that matter.

Nowadays, so long as you don’t do anything illegal, money talks like nothing else.

Almost everything in this world revolves around money.

Give the right incentives, and plenty of people would line up to help Zhou Can.

“I haven’t figured it out yet. I just want some peace and quiet, don’t want to be tangled up with them anymore… but I can’t be truly heartless either.”

She’d always been completely honest when talking to Zhou Can.

After years of dating and several living together, their love ran deep—they could afford to be honest and direct. Of course, that didn’t mean they intruded on each other’s privacy.

Zhou Can never meddled in her affairs—except when she was sick, worrying her condition would worsen and her kidneys would fail. Only then did he insist she step back from work and rest more.

She, for her part, gave him the same respect.

She never acted like other women who check their boyfriend’s phone every day.

Even when Zhou Can seemed close with the reporter Mu Qing, she noticed but never bothered to check his phone, not even asked about it directly.

Zhou Can loved being a doctor; she did everything she could to support him—silently, wholeheartedly.

Every day, she brought him meals without fail, just hoping he’d stay healthy.

To save him from long commutes and the risk of driving too much, she’d even bought a villa near Tuyu Hospital.

Everything she did was quiet, selfless devotion.

It was exactly women like her—smart, gentle, genuine, caring—who made Zhou Can utterly devoted.

Where else could he ever find someone so beautiful, sincere, kindhearted and understanding? He was ready to spend his life guarding this little wildflower.

“Mind if I play the bad guy this time?”

Zhou Can tested the waters with his question.

Honestly, putting her uncle’s family in their place would be easy. The real issue was whether she’d let him.

If she was against it, he wouldn’t touch it.

“Don’t,”

She shook her head gently.

“I’ll handle this myself.”

She knew all too well—if she left it to Zhou Can, her uncle’s family would suffer for it. She might break things off, but she couldn’t bring herself to truly crush them.

No matter what, she couldn’t cross that line.

A woman’s kindness is part of her beauty.

Her choice only made Zhou Can treasure and admire her more.

No man wants to marry a cold-blooded ‘black widow’.

“Alright then. But if it gets too much, just give it to me. Even if I handle it, it doesn’t have to end in total ruin. The limits are up to you. People like that—if you let them get away with it, they’ll just keep pushing.”

Zhou Can reminded her kindly.

With shameless folks like her uncle’s family, the best way is to teach them a lesson—make them hurt, make them afraid.

Otherwise, there’ll never be peace.

They’d keep pestering her for as long as possible.

Even scamming a few thousand off Su Qianqian would be a windfall for them. Taste success once, and they’ll just keep coming back for more.

Su Qianqian clearly understood that.

It’s just, when family is involved, the ties are messy and hard to break.

After finishing dinner, Zhou Can said goodbye and hurried off to Neurosurgery.

He’d made plans with Wu Baihe and couldn’t keep him waiting.

On his way to Neurosurgery, his phone buzzed constantly. His heart skipped—was something wrong with Su Qianqian?

She should be heading home right now, walking with Wei Fang and carrying the dinner pail.

He pulled out his phone, breathed a sigh of relief—it was Director Zhu calling.

Even though Zhou Can had Director Zhu’s number saved, he never dared call without reason. Even holiday greetings were sent with extreme caution.

In his mind, the director had an aura of royalty.

Dealing with Deputy Director Ye was much easier. Then there were Director Tan of Internal Medicine, Director Lou of Emergency, Director Zhang of Obstetrics—they all felt less intimidating.

Sometimes, the position itself carries a special kind of authority.

An unfathomable authority that can make anyone nervous.

“Hello, Director Zhu!”

Zhou Can greeted him respectfully.

“Xiao Zhou, are you off work yet?”

“I just got out of surgery. I was on my way to see Director Wu in Neurosurgery about a tricky case. If you need anything, just say the word.”

“It’s nothing urgent. Take care of your business first. Call me back when you’re done.”

“Alright, I’ll call you in a bit.”

“The case with Director Wu—is that the high-level paraplegic child from the Imperial Capital?” Director Zhu was in a top position, yet he kept close tabs on Emergency’s patients.

Zhou Can thought back to the historical dramas where ministers told the emperor he knew everything and called it nonsense.

Now, he almost believed it.

Especially those Ming dynasty emperors, building up a secret police to spy on the country.

They had tight control over their officials—even low-level ones, if they bad-mouthed the emperor at night, could get arrested the next morning.

Enough to keep all officials on their toes, never daring to speak carelessly.

Tuyu Hospital took in countless patients every day—over 2.3 million ER visits a year and more than 100,000 inpatient cases. How could the director possibly know the details of every single patient?

“You… you know about that too?” Zhou Can couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Haha, don’t be so surprised. I just happened to follow this case. The boy’s father is a hero guarding the border. Now that something’s happened to his child, and they came all the way from the Imperial Capital to see us, it’s a huge vote of confidence in our skills. Give it everything you’ve got—the whole hospital’s resources are at your disposal.”

Director Zhu clearly took pride in Zhou Can’s shocked reaction.

No leader dislikes praise. The key is how well you deliver it.

Done naturally, just right—not too much, not too little—that’s when leaders enjoy it most.

Before he knew it, Zhou Can had already swallowed the flattery without realizing it.

Flattery has a strange way—it smells bad going in, but once you’ve accepted it, it leaves you warm and satisfied.

The truly awkward kind of praise just sounds fake—that’s a lack of skill.

Sometimes, if a leader is used to high-quality praise, giving them clumsy compliments just ruins their appetite.

It’s like if you’re used to gourmet meals, suddenly being given plain gruel—you just can’t stomach it.

Director Zhu’s last words basically gave Zhou Can special authority.

Access to all hospital resources isn’t something just anyone gets.

It showed just how much he valued this patient.

For a patient to come all the way from the Imperial Capital to Tuyu Hospital—what an honor.

Not everyone knows the best medicine in China is in the Imperial Capital and Magic City.

When it comes to critical care, Huaxi ranks in the top three nationally.

Tuyu is strong, but compared to these national leaders, there’s still a gap.

That’s why Director Zhu paid extra attention to this child.

“I’ll do everything I can to treat the child. Don’t worry,” Zhou Can promised solemnly.

“Good! Go on with your work,” Director Zhu said before ending the call.

With the director’s support, Zhou Can felt much more confident. He hurried to Wu Baihe’s office, where several students were listening to Wu Baihe give a medical lecture.

As Zhou Can knocked and entered, all eyes turned to him with curiosity.

At Tuyu Hospital, almost every department had a fast turnover, especially with Director Zhu close to retirement—there were bold reforms bringing in and promoting talent.

Even in Neurosurgery, one of the key departments, new faces appeared all the time.

Some doctors retired at the appointed age.

Others, frustrated by a lack of promotion, transferred to Tuyu Affiliate Hospital Two or Three.

A kind of demotion, really.

There was a harsher case—if you failed evaluations more than three times, you’d be eliminated.

Three strikes and you’re out—Tuyu’s approach to talent management was strict.

Fail more than three assessments, and you were expected to resign.

It’s worth mentioning—whether in hospitals or any other big organization, as long as you haven’t utterly offended your bosses, after being eliminated, they won’t fire you outright.

Instead, you’ll be nudged to resign on your own.

Don’t underestimate the difference.

If you’re fired by your organization, your job prospects shrink drastically—people see you differently.

If you resign on your own, it’s just a job change. Much easier to move forward.

Scanning the room, Zhou Can only recognized Du Leng among the crowd; the rest were all new faces.

There were five or six young doctors in the office—men and women alike.

Generally, there are fewer women in surgery, and Neurosurgery is no exception.

But compared to General Surgery or Orthopedics, the ratio here was better.

At least two out of six young doctors were women.

They weren’t unattractive, and their presence matched their credentials. You needed high academic standing to work at Tuyu.

With a master’s degree or above, these were top academic performers.

No wonder their demeanor was refined.

As the saying goes, real learning brings confidence.

But Zhou Can, used to seeing someone as stunning as Su Qianqian, couldn’t even feel a spark around these more common beauties. To him, they were nothing special.

Clearly, none of them knew Zhou Can—they all gave him curious stares.

Du Leng had known him for years.

They used to be rivals, but things had eased up a lot.

Du Leng’s wife now worked under Zhou Can as a nurse, which made things even trickier for Du Leng. If Zhou Can wanted, he could easily poach her or make life hard for Du Leng.

Besides, Zhou Can’s standing in Tuyu had surpassed Du Leng by far.

Even a doctorate from an overseas elite school couldn’t compare to Zhou Can’s achievements.

Plus, PhDs were no longer as rare, so the degree alone didn’t mean much anymore.

Of course, capable PhDs were still sought after wherever they went.

“Director Wu, sorry to bother you again!”

Zhou Can entered with a smile.

His tone was polite, but his demeanor was calm and confident—not a trace of the nervousness these young doctors showed around Wu Baihe.

“Director Zhou, please, don’t be so formal! Have a seat!”

Wu Baihe stood up to greet him personally.

That spoke volumes.

Zhou Can truly commanded respect now—Deputy Director of Emergency, leading expert in Quality Control, and standing apart for his medical skills. Even an old-timer like Wu Baihe had to show him courtesy.

The young doctors’ eyes widened in surprise.

Their mentor was notoriously proud—even senior directors didn’t always warrant a personal welcome.

Who was this young man to deserve such treatment?

And even more shocking—their teaching assistant, Dr. Du, also stood up, forcing a smile.

“Director Zhou, you really are something,” Du Leng’s expression was complicated as he spoke.

The two had started at Tuyu together. Back then, Du Leng had all the advantages, while Zhou Can drew the short straw. Yet Du Leng squandered his chances, and Zhou Can turned the tables with sheer talent.

Now, Du Leng had to look up to him.

“You’re about to be a dad, Dr. Du—success at work and at home! Why envy me? I heard your digital operating room’s doing well. When can I come and check it out?”

With Zhou Can’s emotional intelligence, he was never rattled by flattery.

He wasn’t one to stir up jealousy for no reason.