14 Reunion Gathering

"The hospital is incredibly busy."

Facing the slightly odd tone of the son of Aunt Wang, the neighbor next door, Luo Hao felt nothing at all, responding with a gentle and casual air. Seeing that Luo Hao did not take the bait, Zhou Tianci did not press the issue, offering only a few light and superficial remarks.

"Old Zhou, I'll down one." A man in sunglasses stood up, swaying slightly, holding a bottle of Qingdao beer produced by the Third Factory. "Whenever you head out to the local districts, just give me a call if you need anything. Since we’re both in the business of investment promotion, us 'own people' should definitely help each other out."

With that, the man in sunglasses tilted his head back and guzzled the beer straight from the bottle. His movements were fluid and practiced—the mark of someone well-versed in the ways of the world. Many of their classmates, still untouched by the harsh realities of society, felt a slight sense of alienation from him, but Zhou Tianci, unfazed, merely offered a perfunctory reply.

"Easy, easy. I know you guys worry about getting scammed when investing; having your own people around certainly removes a layer of concern." Zhou Tianci spoke with a solemn expression, launching into a stream of bureaucratic jargon.

Zhou Tianci was the son of Aunt Wang, Luo Hao’s neighbor. He worked for a municipal government agency. It must be said, having been soaked in that "dye vat" of politics, his speech and actions were rigid and conventional, setting him clearly apart from the rest of their classmates.

Luo Hao sat quietly to one side, picking at his food, his mind calculating the progress of his next project and the completion of his system tasks. After a dozen minutes, Zhou Tianci turned to Luo Hao with a smile.

"Luo Hao, I heard from my mother that you’ve been busy, tired, and poor lately. Is that true?"

"Mm," Luo Hao nodded. "Nothing to be done about it. The medical profession only guarantees you won't starve."

"I don't know why you bother," Zhou Tianci said. "You had such good grades back then; to end up in a spot like this... If you ever have any difficulties, just say the word. We’re classmates, and we grew up together."

"Thanks," Luo Hao replied, neither humble nor pushy.

Perhaps because his "Acting" passive skill was triggered, the look of composed indifference in Luo Hao's eyes was interpreted by others as being filled with suppressed tears and grievance.

"My mom always used you to lecture me when we were kids, saying if only I had half your success," Zhou Tianci said with a laugh. "I was always harboring a grudge back then."

"What success? Nowadays, I deal with medical disputes all day long, playing the 'grandson' to everyone," Luo Hao sighed.

Seeing Luo Hao "sensible," Zhou Tianci did not push too hard, asking with concern, "Luo Hao, it shouldn't be that bad. The director of the Medical Affairs Office is your uncle, how could..."

"It’s true. Nowadays, for every single complaint, the Mining Hospital just wants to smooth things over, so they force the medical staff to apologize to the patients and their families. The doctors and nurses get upset, and in the end, all the pressure lands on me," Luo Hao said helplessly.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. The nurses are one thing, but those clinically experienced doctors leave as soon as they get their senior titles. There are positions in the south offering three to five times the income waiting for them. Some of them stay for now because they have ties here, but the moment they feel a slight injustice, they pack their bags immediately—you can't even persuade them to stay. The work in the Medical Affairs Office is tough, man."

"!!!"

"Luo Hao, surely it’s not that miserable?"

"I've also heard that many doctors from the Mining Hospital have gone south, but it can't be that bad, right? There are so many people; surely someone will do the work."

Luo Hao shook his head. "Take our Pediatrics department, for example. There are only six doctors left, including the director. Six people covering the ward, outpatient clinic, and emergency room. Pediatrics gets complaint calls all day long; I’m afraid to offend the patients' families, and I’m afraid to offend the pediatricians."

"Why? You're in the Medical Affairs Office, the department that oversees all doctors. If they don't want to do it, there are plenty of others who will," Zhou Tianci said.

"Heh."

"You’re just not seasoned enough; you’re being played," Zhou Tianci glanced at Luo Hao with a hint of disdain.

"If you push them, they just resign. There’s a shortage of pediatricians nationwide. You don't even need a senior title; hospitals in the south are begging for people. The ones who stayed are only here because of special family circumstances. If you really force one or two of them to leave, our pediatric emergency room at the Mining Hospital would have to shut down."

"Most of our classmates are married now, and many have children. If their kid gets a fever in the middle of the night and there’s nowhere to get them treated, do you think they’ll tear the Mining Hospital apart?"

"You say there are plenty of people to do the work, but who? They've even started recruiting veterinarians for the pediatric department. It’s all nonsense. Would a vet want to come here? Working in a pet hospital is great—vets make a fortune; why would they come to pediatrics to suffer?" Luo Hao explained with a face full of distress.

Seeing Luo Hao's state, Zhou Tianci felt his sense of superiority surge. He spent his days serving leaders, working overtime, and attending endless meetings in the government compound, which made him complain constantly. But compared to Luo Hao, he felt he was living in heaven.

"You really should have studied something else. If you’d studied computer science, you could have gone to the 'Chrysanthemum Factory' (Huawei). Their wolf-culture definitely demands overtime, but they pay real money."

"Regret is too late now, I..."

Before Luo Hao could finish, the door to the private room opened. A middle-aged man in a suit walked in.

Zhou Tianci jumped up as if a nail had suddenly sprouted in his chair.

"Section Chief Zheng." Zhou Tianci stood at attention, asking respectfully, "What brings you here?"

The man stood at the door, not walking in, but looking at Zhou Tianci with surprise. "Tianci, why are you here?"

"..." Zhou Tianci was stunned.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Section Chief Zheng smiled. "I saw Little Luo’s car, and since I’m familiar with the owner of this place, I thought I’d take the liberty of coming up to say hello to Little Luo."

"..."

"..."

*Take the liberty!* Section Chief Zheng actually said he was taking the liberty! Zhou Tianci stood there blankly, his soul having left his body.

Luo Hao was also a bit confused. "You are..."

"Dr. Luo, you truly have a noble person's forgetfulness," Section Chief Zheng said with a laugh. "Last year, you took an elderly person to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for treatment."

Last year, there had been a difficult case—pancreatic cancer requiring a pancreaticoduodenectomy, which the Mining Hospital couldn't perform. The patient's family had first taken the patient to the Imperial Capital, only to be scammed by scalpers, staying in a hotel for three weeks without even getting into Peking Union. As time passed and the old man’s condition worsened, they had no choice but to use connections to find Lin Yuming.

It just so happened that Luo Hao was going to the capital to visit teachers and classmates, so he took on the task arranged by his uncle, Lin Yuming. The surgery was performed by the Da Vinci robot, and the patient didn't even go to the ICU, returning directly to a general ward. Before Luo Hao’s vacation ended, the old man was discharged. Because the stitches weren't removed, the family was worried and contacted Lin Yuming again, and Luo Hao accompanied the patient on the train back to Donglian.

But he didn't seem to recall seeing this man. Although Luo Hao didn't have a photographic memory, he wouldn't forget someone he’d spoken to for a while within just a year.

Seeing Luo Hao's blank expression, Section Chief Zheng was not embarrassed. Instead, he smiled warmly. "When you and the leader were leaving the station, I was among those waiting to receive you."

*Oh, so that was it.*

"Section Chief Zheng, you're too kind." Even though Luo Hao didn't really know him, he could only respond vaguely. "It was just what I should have done, truly."

"It’s a class reunion, right? You all continue, I won't disturb you." Section Chief Zheng said with a smile, then turned and left.

After Section Chief Zheng left, the atmosphere in the private room didn't return to its previous liveliness; instead, it became increasingly strange. The down-and-out Luo Hao, the high-spirited Zhou Tianci, and the interrupting Section Chief Zheng. Even the most socially oblivious classmate could see that something was wrong.

Zhou Tianci, who had been in complete control just moments ago, was lost. He looked like he wanted to go out and see the Section Chief off, but he couldn't gauge the purpose of the visit. Sometimes, it's better to stay put than to move.

A dozen awkward seconds passed until Wang Zhi began to liven up the atmosphere with a laugh. However, he had only spoken two sentences when the restaurant owner entered with a line of managers to toast them and serve dishes. Restaurants of this grade usually offered complimentary items, but it was typically the lobby manager coming to get familiar, offering a fruit platter that cost less than fifty yuan. But this time, the owner personally came to toast and dropped off a massive Australian lobster before taking his leave.

Looking at the Australian lobster on the table, its antennae still twitching, even Wang Zhi went quiet. This thing cost at least one or two thousand yuan; in his daily life, Wang Zhi hadn't even seen one, let alone eaten it—at most, he’d seen others eat it on TikTok.

After a brief silence, Wang Zhi asked in a low voice, "Luo Hao, this is..."

"I think that leader from earlier had something he wanted to ask me," Luo Hao smiled. "Eat up. Since it's already here, don't waste it."

Luo Hao picked up a piece of lobster meat, dipped it in wasabi, and put it in his mouth. Seeing Luo Hao start, Wang Zhi picked up his chopsticks and followed suit. It tasted pretty good, but not as amazing as he’d imagined; he didn't know why it was so expensive.

"You guys go ahead and eat; I'll go check the situation." Luo Hao put down his chopsticks and walked out of the private room.

Only after Luo Hao left did the atmosphere in the room lighten.

"I told you Luo Hao couldn't be doing poorly. Back in school, he pulled that 'monthly subscription for copying homework' stunt—even now, I couldn't do that," a female classmate said with a smile.

"Old Zhou, who is that Section Chief?" another person asked.

"He's my boss..." Zhou Tianci said, looking utterly dejected.

"Why did he suddenly come? That was a bit impolite."

Zhou Tianci didn't know why his boss had suddenly appeared in their reunion room. Section Chief Zheng said he came to say hello, and that was indeed the case, but Zhou Tianci still found it hard to believe.

"Tianci, aren't you going to follow him and see?" someone asked.

Zhou Tianci hesitated. In government work, one must be careful with boundaries. This event happened so suddenly that he couldn't gauge the right way to handle it, fearing he might turn a good thing into a bad one. He had no appetite left. After pondering for a long time, he stood up, carefully opened the door, and peeked outside.

In the lobby, Section Chief Zheng’s face was beaming like a blooming chrysanthemum, eighteen layers of wrinkles deep. Luo Hao’s smile was as bright and sunny as ever. His attitude toward Section Chief Zheng was just as it was toward the waiters—nothing special.

Seeing Zhou Tianci poke his head out, Section Chief Zheng waved him over. Zhou Tianci had nowhere to hide and had to steel himself to walk over. Even though he knew it was likely a good thing, he had just poked at Luo Hao with his words—if Luo Hao held a grudge and threw some shade at him... Thinking of this, Zhou Tianci’s scalp went numb, and he cursed himself thoroughly in his heart.

"Tianci, you’re classmates with Dr. Luo, why didn't you mention it?" Section Chief Zheng complained with a smile.

"I... I... I..."

"If I’d known you were high school classmates with Dr. Luo, I wouldn't have worried." Section Chief Zheng was in high spirits.

"Brother Zheng, don't worry. If you're busy, I'll keep in touch with Tianci—leave this to me."

"Ha!" Section Chief Zheng's eyes crinkled with laughter. He reached out and, without waiting for Luo Hao to react, grabbed his hand and shook it. "Dr. Luo, thank you so much, thank you so much."

"You're too kind."

"I see you’re having a reunion, so I won't disturb you." After saying that, Section Chief Zheng gave Zhou Tianci a deep look.

"Boss, leave it to me, don't worry," Zhou Tianci said instinctively.

Section Chief Zheng nodded in satisfaction, exchanged a few more polite pleasantries with Luo Hao, and left, refusing to let Luo Hao see him out.

Zhou Tianci looked at Luo Hao blankly.

Luo Hao explained, "Brother Zheng’s two-year-old grandson has a ventricular septal defect, 5 millimeters. Doctors in the provincial capital suggested an interventional closure surgery, but the child is still young, and the provincial capital finds it tricky, so they told him to find an opportunity to go to Anzhen or Fuwai Hospital."

"..." Zhou Tianci knew about this, but for a moment, he couldn't connect this with Luo Hao, who drove a manual transmission Peugeot 307.

"Let's go," Luo Hao said with a laugh.

Zhou Tianci’s footsteps were stiff as he followed Luo Hao back to the private room. As he entered, he caught a glimpse of Section Chief Zheng at the front desk, apparently paying the bill. In that instant, Zhou Tianci’s mouth turned bitter. His own boss was paying the bill for Luo Hao.

"Luo Hao, can you really handle this? Don't let anything go wrong," Zhou Tianci asked, full of worry.

"Handle what?"

"That illness you mentioned, going to the Imperial Capital, Anzhen or Fuwai."

"Pfft." Luo Hao knew they were on different wavelengths. He smiled and said, "It's a small matter."

"A small matter?!"

Zhou Tianci remembered very clearly that his boss had been worried about this for a long time. Others suggested booking an expert appointment online, which would cost a thousand yuan to see a top-tier national expert, but Section Chief Zheng didn't trust it, fearing scammers. Yet, he couldn't find a proper way to get it done. To Zhou Tianci, this was an S-level difficulty task—how could it be a "small matter" in Luo Hao’s mouth?

"I participated in the Cardiovascular Annual Meeting when I was in school, and I have connections with several big names. Plus, I have classmates working at Anzhen. I can reach out to people both above and below; this isn't difficult at all. Don't worry, it will be handled properly," Luo Hao explained.

"What if they don't give you face? After all, you..." Zhou Tianci realized the next part of his sentence sounded ugly and swallowed it back.

"It’s fine, it’s fine. If I can't find a reliable surgeon, I still have my teacher."

"Your teacher?"

Luo Hao smiled and said nothing.

When the two returned to the room, the atmosphere of the class reunion had changed; the earlier liveliness was gone, and the way everyone looked at Luo Hao had shifted.

"Luo Hao, why didn't that guy call you?" Wang Zhi asked.

"Oh, a relative of Brother Zheng asked Teacher Liu from the First Hospital of Medical University to perform a surgery, and it just happened to come up during dinner. He probably thought calling would be impolite, so he came personally."

"!!!"

*Impolite...*

The words Luo Hao used sounded like gibberish to the others. Zhou Tianci’s expression turned serious. Connecting this to his boss's behavior, he knew Luo Hao wasn't bragging.

...

...

Everyone drank to their heart's content at the reunion, but those with keen minds walked away with more. The man in sunglasses gained intimacy with Zhou Tianci, and Zhou Tianci used Luo Hao's situation to gain favor with his boss. Everyone had a bright future.

Luo Hao drove home. As he entered, Aunt Wang’s voice reached his ears, giving him a headache.

"Can your 'Little Luo-Hao' really connect with experts in the Imperial Capital? Don't let the leader have a wasted trip! If he takes the child to the capital and can't find anyone to treat him, the leader will surely resent Tianci."

"It should be fine. He went to school there. When some kids came to visit during holidays, they said he was doing quite well in the capital," Lin Yujuan said vaguely.

"Juan, help me... Oh? Little Luo-Hao is back. Auntie has something to ask you."

Aunt Wang pulled Luo Hao onto the sofa and spent half an hour asking the same circular questions. Luo Hao sat there with a polite smile, answering everything as if facing a patient's family member. He had seen this many times; family members often felt anxious when a patient was seriously ill or before surgery, dragging the doctor into meaningless conversation. To Luo Hao, these words served a greater purpose: alleviating their inner anxiety. Commonly known as "talk therapy."

Aunt Wang fussed for a while, and seeing she couldn't dig out any more information, she went home.

...

After sending Aunt Wang off, Lin Yujuan began to clean up the melon seed shells she had been cracking. "Little Luo-Hao, Tianci asked you to help someone see a doctor?"

Luo Hao described what had happened simply. "A child with a ventricular septal defect. A closure surgery is all it takes; a simple task."

Lin Yujuan was worried. "If you keep pulling strings like this, won't you be under a lot of pressure? Maybe just let them go through the normal process?"

Luo Hao smiled. He helped Lin Yujuan clean up and explained, "It's a small problem. I don't even need to bother my teachers at Anzhen; I just need to make a phone call to a classmate."

As he spoke, Luo Hao thought for a moment. "For example, my uncle recently asked his college classmate to perform a surgery—it was his bunkmate. Asking someone for surgery and then having to watch me perform it... most experts wouldn't do so much. But since we're all classmates, it's not a problem. Some of my classmates stayed at Peking Union, others went to Anzhen or Fuwai. Mom, don't worry about it. It’s really just a phone call."

Seeing Luo Hao's confident reply, Lin Yujuan put the matter out of her mind in an instant. She had never needed to worry about Luo Hao since he was a child; she trusted him implicitly.

...

Aunt Wang returned home to find Zhou Tianci sitting on the sofa with a solemn expression, as if he had entered a state of meditation. She looked at her son with a bit of distress. Ever since he went to the government compound, he had become like this. According to those in the know, this was the posture required to rise through the ranks in government. In the office, one must do more, see more, think more, and say less. Zhou Tianci’s behavior fit this perfectly. But Aunt Wang was always afraid her son would get depressed.

"Mom, you're back." There wasn't a hint of a smile on Zhou Tianci’s face; his seriousness was almost frightening.

"I saw Little Luo-Hao, he said it’s no problem," Aunt Wang said. "Tianci, you say Luo Hao is just a small doctor—could he really have that much power?"

"Mom, from now on, don't go showing off anything in front of Aunt Lin," Zhou Tianci said cautiously.

"!!!" Aunt Wang’s eyes widened. Her son was more successful than the neighbor's, how could she not show off!

"Sigh, I checked on it indirectly just now."

"Checked what?"

"You know we used to have a liaison office in the capital for our coal mining group, right?"

"I know, that was a good gig."

"The office was closed some years ago, and since then, some things haven't been convenient," Zhou Tianci said.

"Not convenient?"

"For example, high-end medical resources in the Imperial Capital."

Aunt Wang was confused. She only understood a little bit—whatever "high-end medical resources" were, they were too far from her life.

"I asked around. Before, many directors from the Mining Hospital went south, and those connections were completely severed. It wasn't until Luo Hao came back that they were gradually restored under Director Lin's push."

"Luo Hao is that capable?"

Zhou Tianci wanted to deny it, but swallowed the words. After pondering for a dozen seconds, he nodded. "Luo Hao is indeed very capable."

Aunt Wang saw the true emotion in her son's heart; she hadn't expected that even after joining the government, he would have to lie to her. Perhaps this was what it meant to be successful, Aunt Wang consoled herself.

"Little Luo-Hao..."

"Mom, Luo Hao told my boss today that if he couldn't reach him in the future, he should contact me."

"???"

"Luo Hao’s classmate said there’s a ward available in a week. I’ll go visit in advance, and when the day comes, Section Chief Zheng will take his grandson to the Imperial Capital, and they'll be hospitalized the same day they arrive."

Aunt Wang didn't understand the significance of being hospitalized the same day they arrived, but she read something in Zhou Tianci’s expression. She hesitated, then turned back to rummage through cabinets.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"Looking for the malted milk."

"..." Zhou Tianci froze. When he was a child, people gave malted milk as gifts during the holidays, but he hadn't expected his mother to still have some. But then again, how many years had it been! If it had been buried in the ground, it would be an antique by now.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"Going to Aunt Lin’s house tomorrow to visit."

"You can't take the malted milk... don't give people expired things. If Aunt Lin gets a stomachache, Luo Hao will fight me to the death."

"Pfft, that was something Aunt Lin gave me in the first place."

Zhou Tianci persuaded his mother for a long time before she gave up. After convincing her, he felt physically and mentally exhausted. He knew his mother was desperate to help him, so he didn't blame her, only saying he would handle his own affairs.

As things quieted down, Zhou Tianci replayed Luo Hao’s performance at the reunion frame by frame. *Damn it!* To be able to connect with the Imperial Capital and integrate the high-end medical resources of Donglian City, yet still drive an old manual Peugeot 307—he was really good at pretending! He had almost been fooled.

But Luo Hao was still righteous; he knew what Zhou Tianci was lacking, and he didn't mock him, nor did he undermine him in front of his boss. Sometimes, things didn't need to be said. As long as Luo Hao had expressed a hint of a negative attitude, Zhou Tianci's future would have been cast in shadow. People in government were cunning as monkeys.

Zhou Tianci kept adjusting his opinion of Luo Hao in his mind, calculating how to communicate with him and his classmates in the capital. By the time he came to his senses, the sky was already turning pale. It was another sleepless night.

What seemed like high-end integration of medical resources to Zhou Tianci was just a trivial matter of a phone call to Luo Hao. Cui Mingyu from Anzhen was the guy who used to bum food and drinks off him every day and called him "foster father." If his foster father asked, could he refuse? Before going to sleep, Luo Hao habitually entered his system to hone his surgical skills, and when he was tired, he fell asleep instantly, enjoying a sweet rest.

Early the next morning, Luo Hao was awakened by his phone ringing. Half-asleep, he picked it up. It was Lin Yuming.

"Luo Hao, come to the Medical Affairs Office, immediately."

As soon as the call connected, Lin Yuming’s voice came through. Although there was no agitation or hurry, Luo Hao could sense that something must have happened at the hospital.

"Got it!"