Chapter 632: Uproar in the Pharmaceutical Division

The call connected almost instantly.

“Cheng Xiaolu, is something urgent going on?”

Zhou Can asked gently.

“Wuwu… My dad was beaten up!”

She burst into tears before she could even get the words out.

It made sense—a girl all alone, finally meeting a helpful doctor with influence willing to look out for her.

In her heart, Zhou Can had already become someone reliable and worthy of respect—a true pillar in her life.

Now that her father had been attacked, she was just a powerless woman with nowhere to turn for justice. Reaching out to Zhou Can felt like a child running to their parents after being bullied.

No wonder she lost control and cried her heart out.

“Who hurt him? Where are you right now?”

“I’m in the Emergency Department’s waiting area. I tried calling you earlier but couldn’t get through, so I figured you might be busy in surgery. That’s why I asked a nurse to help pass on the message.”

“Alright. Stay there and wait for me. I’m on my way right now.”

Without wasting a second, Zhou Can strode quickly toward the waiting hall.

Business was booming in the Emergency Department. The hall was packed with patients.

In the crowd, Zhou Can soon spotted Cheng Xiaolu’s thin frame. She was clutching her phone, anxiously waiting for him.

“Cheng Xiaolu!”

He called out. She immediately turned at the sound.

The moment she saw Zhou Can, her eyes grew red, but her face lit up with hope like she’d finally found her savior.

“Director Zhou, I…”

“Don’t worry about anything else. Where’s your father? How is he right now?”

“He’s being held in the Pharmaceutical Division. There were several people beating him. I got worried and rushed over to find you.”

“Who were these people? Why did they attack your father?” Zhou Can wasn’t about to judge blindly. Even though the Pharmaceutical Division was known for its messy management, as the new boss he’d personally arranged for Cheng Xiaolu’s father to have a place to stay. This shouldn’t have happened.

If word got out, wouldn’t that just make trouble for the new boss?

Of course, he hadn’t handled the housing personally—it was assigned to a deputy leader in the Pharmaceutical Division.

He’d asked that same deputy leader to help last time when Cheng Xiaolu needed leave.

Cheng Xiaolu worked in the drug research department, where Dr. Huang was her top boss.

She also had a team leader and a technical supervisor above her.

Since the Pharmaceutical Division used to be managed by Tuyu Hospital, they never appointed a technical director. Dr. Huang was basically in charge, managing things like herbal extraction and research.

The previous management system in the Pharmaceutical Division definitely deserved some criticism. Normally, a technical director ought to be selected from among the technical supervisors.

But Tuyu Hospital didn’t do that.

Instead, they applied the hospital’s management model, letting administrative staff with no technical background serve as technical directors.

The intention was probably that admin staff had more experience in management and could run the department better.

But things didn’t go as planned.

In the beginning those old hands might’ve worked hard to manage their teams properly.

But over time, with more power came more unchecked ambition. Admin workers filled the big positions and acted with impunity.

When it came to messing with people, the hospital administrative staff were only second to none.

Plenty of doctors and nurses had suffered, and many had left the job.

But it also depended on the hospital. Tuyu Hospital was still decently run thanks to a wise director.

“Dr. Huang accused my dad of stealing and called security to have him seized. My dad tried to defend himself, and that’s when they started hitting him…”

The two talked as they hurried to the scene.

Regardless of whether her father had actually done something wrong, the first priority was to stop the violence.

If her father had really stolen something, then handle it by the rules. Neither the Pharmaceutical Division nor security had law enforcement authority—much less the right to use violence.

“Did you call the police?”

“I did. But they all insist my dad stole something, and there’s a whole crowd against us. I was afraid I couldn’t defend him on my own, so I asked for your help. I swear, my dad really didn’t steal anything…”

When she spoke about the incident, her voice wavered between anger and grievance.

They arrived at the scene in no time.

A crowd had gathered, but the police still hadn’t arrived.

“Look everyone, this is the guy. He gets free room in our division and doesn’t show an ounce of gratitude. Instead he goes and steals our medicinal herbs. Caught him red-handed and he won’t admit it! A country bumpkin like this doesn’t deserve our pity.”

Dr. Huang was explaining the incident to the crowd at full volume.

Everyone pointed and whispered at Cheng Xiaolu’s father.

The old man sat dejected on the ground, a sack of herbs at his side.

“Dad! Don’t be afraid. I found Director Zhou—he’s here to help us get justice!”

Cheng Xiaolu squeezed through the crowd, throwing herself in front of her father to protect him.

When she was little, her dad always protected her.

Now that she was grown and her father was old, disabled, and vulnerable, she bravely stepped up to protect him.

The scene stung the hearts of many onlookers.

“Cheng Xiaolu, I’m officially announcing that you’re fired. Section Chief Ge helped arrange a place for your father to stay out of kindness, but instead of being grateful, you two resorted to stealing medicinal herbs. Our department won’t shelter criminals! You’re dismissed on the spot. As for this old thief, he’ll be handed over to the police and prosecuted accordingly.”

Dr. Huang loudly announced with righteous conviction.

This seasoned schemer knew exactly how to play the moral high ground, making an example out of Cheng Xiaolu and her father.

“My dad didn’t steal anything! He picked those herbs out of the waste bin.”

Cheng Xiaolu argued furiously.

But she was just an ordinary tech worker—not a match for Dr. Huang’s cunning.

“Hmph, snakes never admit they’re venomous. And rats never see their stealing as wrong. Your dad’s a thief and you’re no better! Caught red-handed and still making excuses. Save it. Soon as the police show up, let them hear your story!”

Dr. Huang scoffed, loudly rebuking her.

Talk about knowing how to sling mud.

Even trash talk takes real skill.

He even compared her father to a rat refusing to admit theft.

Such ‘talent’ gone to waste on the wrong path—it was almost a shame.

If Zhou Can hadn’t quietly checked on the Pharmaceutical Division before and caught Dr. Huang threatening Cheng Xiaolu in the office, he might’ve believed Dr. Huang’s side of things.

But now, he knew something else was going on.

“Uncle, where did you find these herbs? Can you tell me?”

Zhou Can squeezed into the crowd and crouched to examine the bag of herbs.

“Right in that room with the garbage cans and mops. I went in for some water and saw someone toss a bag of herbs into the trash. I asked her about it and she said they were research waste—useless. After she left, I took a look. They had things like codonopsis root and astragalus. They looked pretty clean and those herbs are expensive. I figured I’d take them home and make some soup for my wife when she gets out of the hospital—to help her recover.”

The old man recognized Zhou Can.

He knew Zhou Can was a great benefactor.

He hurriedly explained everything in detail.

“Everyone hear that? He picked those herbs out of the trash. He wanted them to make tonic soup for his wife—she’s recovering from a stroke at Tuyu Hospital. In the countryside, those herbs are pricey. Most wouldn’t dream of buying them. When they see city folks tossing them out, it just feels like such a waste!”

Zhou Can took a handful from the bag and inspected them carefully.

He noticed most were still in good shape—not like they’d been used in experiments.

There are two main ways to extract herbal medicine.

One is to make a soup and draw out the active ingredients. The other is to grind them into powder and extract from there.

Herbs that have already been boiled are easy to spot, even after drying.

For example, when researching herbal potency, the first round of decoction is called the primary soup, followed by a second and third round. Each batch is tested for concentration.

“And who are you? This is a Pharmaceutical Division matter—we don’t need your opinion.”

Dr. Huang might’ve only been a mid-ranking manager, but even though he knew the division had changed hands, he’d never seen Zhou Can before.

The identity of the new boss didn’t concern him.

After all, the division ran on people like him. No matter who was in charge, he’d still be in his position.

“Where’s Section Chief Ge?”

Zhou Can didn’t answer, but asked instead.

He scanned the crowd but didn’t spot Section Chief Ge.

“And who exactly are you? Section Chief Ge is a high-level leader here. Not just anyone gets to see him!”

Hearing the name clearly made Dr. Huang uneasy.

Still, he was sure he hadn’t done anything wrong.

So what if he nabbed the wrong thief? At least it showed his loyalty to the division.

He could still prove himself a devoted and dependable manager.

“Who’s the highest-ranked person here?”

Unable to find Section Chief Ge, Zhou Can decided to look for another senior leader.

He’d already held several senior meetings as the new boss. If someone still didn’t recognize him, maybe they were just asking for trouble.

“I’m the highest-ranking here!”

Dr. Huang surveyed the crowd; most were regular staff from the division.

With the tiger gone, the monkey claims to be king.

He was now the top dog on the scene.

“Are you the one responsible for these discarded herbs?”

Zhou Can pressed on.

“Yeah, so what? Who do you think you are? Security doesn’t mess around here.”

Dr. Huang’s attitude was nothing short of arrogant.

“Doesn’t matter who I am. Anyone can step in when injustice happens. You threw those herbs away, yet you accused this old man of stealing them. What’s your real motive? What are you trying to accomplish?”

Zhou Can fired off a string of sharp questions.

What could Dr. Huang possibly want?

He’d failed in his scheme against Cheng Xiaolu, so now he was just retaliating.

If there was one thing he excelled in, it was making people’s lives miserable.

He wanted to make an example out of Cheng Xiaolu, force her to beg for her father’s safety.

There was always a deeper plan going on in Dr. Huang’s head.

Anyone with the guts to be a leader—no matter how minor—had to be sharper than most.

At the very least, he’d mastered the basics of politics.

“Look at you, acting like some big shot. Who do you think you are, questioning me? Security, grab this guy! He might be in cahoots with the old thief. Let’s interrogate him properly!”

Dr. Huang sneered, signaling to the Security Department to restrain Zhou Can.

But none of the security officers moved.

Instead, they all took two steps back in unison.

Dr. Huang realized something was off. These guards were all ex-military and usually tough as nails.

They had no problem manhandling thieves or angry family members.

So why were they suddenly afraid of this young man?

“Don’t be scared, guys. You’re hospital security—keeping the peace is your job! This guy might look big and muscular, but if you team up, you can handle him just fine. Worst-case scenario, use the pepper spray or taser!”

Dr. Huang growled, his tone vicious.

But the security guards still didn’t move. In fact, they backed away even further to avoid Zhou Can’s misunderstanding.

Dr. Huang found himself unable to command them anymore and felt humiliated.

But he didn’t dare confront the guards either.

He looked at his own chubby frame and knew he’d get flattened if he tried to take Zhou Can on himself.

Everyone in the division was watching.

Seeing Dr. Huang getting shown up, a few colleagues couldn’t help but exchange glances.

They dared not mock Dr. Huang openly, but no one could stop them from smirking to themselves.

“Did any of you security staff hit this elderly man?”

Zhou Can looked at the four security guards.

“We never hit anyone—just held him down. Dr. Huang kicked the old man a few times and slapped him twice,” the lead guard replied.

“You telling the truth?”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Can’s expression softened as he looked at the four.

“I swear on my character, we’re not lying. Director Zhou, if there’s nothing else, can we go patrol somewhere else now?” The guards clearly wanted to get away from the drama.

By now, it was obvious Zhou Can and the old man were connected.

The guards were just doing their jobs when Dr. Huang called them over.

But, now that the facts differed from Dr. Huang’s story and Zhou Can looked none too pleased, they wanted no part in this mess.

After all, landing a security job at the hospital wasn’t easy.

Smaller hospitals usually hired guards from agencies, but a big place like Tuyu Hospital had its own Security Department.

The pay and perks were great, so they treasured the position.

“As long as you didn’t rough up the old man, I won’t hold it against you. But I might need your help soon, so I need you to stay.”

Zhou Can spoke calmly to the group.

Hearing the guards address him as Director Zhou, and seeing how respectful they were, made Dr. Huang burn with envy.

They were both directors, but the security team never showed him that kind of respect.

Who exactly was this young man?

Dr. Huang’s eyes darted as he racked his brain trying to remember where he’d seen Zhou Can before.