However, when they left, the once-bustling Health Clinic was left with only colorful confetti scattered on the ground and a somewhat quiet courtyard.

When Du Heng got into the car, he had Dong Yuezhang and Liao Quansheng join him. After a brief introduction, he left them to themselves. How they conversed was their own affair.

For Dong Yuezhang and Liao Quansheng, the attraction was mutual. Besides, they were former classmates, so they quickly fell into an animated conversation, getting straight to the point.

Seeing that the two were getting along well, Du Heng no longer concerned himself with their discussion. Even when dining with the leaders, he tried to expedite things.

He noticed some people at the dining table who barely touched their food. Instead, they gesticulated wildly while talking nonstop, and Du Heng had the urge to slap them.

However, the individuals who behaved that way at the dining table weren't people he could simply slap. But if he ever developed a mental illness, he mused, he might just fulfill that wish.

Although it was a grand feast with an abundance of rich food, it felt tasteless to him. Nevertheless, the meal dragged on until after two in the afternoon.

Only after this group of people—who did more talking than working—had departed did Du Heng and his team's real job begin. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Du Heng's team, along with the key personnel from the Health Clinic and staff from the Township Government, headed straight into the conference room.

Fortunately, the District Bureau kept its word and truly relinquished control over the Health Clinic's affairs, which saved them a major headache.

Du Heng should have participated as well, but after listening for just three minutes, he excused himself to use the toilet and quickly left.

Reviewing the accounts, inspecting the personnel files, and verifying the staff roster would take at least a week. His presence or absence made little difference for these tasks. Perhaps his input would only be crucial when discussing the appointment of the Dean of the Health Clinic; at other times, he was merely a mascot.

So, rather than sit there like a wooden post, it was better to leave quickly and check on Lu Zhongjiang's condition.

Lu Zhongjiang was extremely weak. The most sensible course of action would have been to send him back to the Hospital, but Lu Zhongjiang himself was reluctant to go. Furthermore, Du Heng wanted to examine him, so the Health Clinic had arranged for Lu Zhongjiang to be admitted to one of its own hospital rooms.

"Secretary Lu, how are you feeling now?" Du Heng asked immediately upon entering the hospital room.

Lu Zhongjiang appeared even weaker than he had that morning, and his spirits seemed low. He had been resting with his eyes closed, but upon hearing Du Heng's voice, he struggled to open them and tried to sit up.

Du Heng quickly pressed Lu Zhongjiang back down. "Secretary Lu, please stay lying down. Don't try to get up."

Lu Zhongjiang didn't insist. He managed a faint smile, though his nose twitched slightly. "It's nothing serious," he said. "I just overate a little at lunch, and now my stomach aches a bit."

Du Heng observed Lu Zhongjiang's complexion and began his check-up while conversing with him.

As soon as Du Heng finished the check-up, Lu Zhongjiang said bluntly, "Dean, don't trouble yourself."

Hearing this, Du Heng glanced at Lu Zhongjiang, a hint of reproach in his tone. "You see? You're mistrusting me again. This illness is a small matter for me. If you had told me sooner, you would have recovered already and wouldn't have had to endure so much suffering."

But Lu Zhongjiang merely chuckled softly. "Don't try to fool me. I know my own condition."

Du Heng shook his head. "Forget it. There's no point explaining it to you; you wouldn't understand anyway. I'd better talk to your daughter."

With that, Du Heng didn't wait for Lu Zhongjiang to respond further. He instructed him to rest well and then turned to leave the hospital room.

Then, he headed straight to his former office with a familiar ease, as if it were his own again.

However, just as he stepped out of the office, he ran into Yu Haiting.

Du Heng looked at Yu Haiting, who had appeared unexpectedly, and asked, "Why aren't you in the conference room? What are you doing out here?"

Yu Haiting's lips twitched. "I'm the Director of Business. My presence isn't needed for the current office matters. Vice Dean Zhang, Accountant Wang, and Director Liu are handling things, and that's sufficient."

"Director Liu?" Du Heng asked. "Who is he?"

"He's the new Director of the Medical Affairs Office, appointed after you left."

"Oh." As they spoke, they reached the office. Du Heng pushed the door open as if it were the most natural thing to do, and Yu Haiting showed no surprise, acting as if it were perfectly normal.

Sitting in his familiar office chair, Du Heng couldn't resist spinning around a couple of times, trying to recapture that old, familiar feeling.

However, Yu Haiting abruptly interrupted his reverie. "Dean, what's Secretary Lu's condition? Is it treatable?"

That question instantly snapped Du Heng out of his mood. His expression turned solemn. "Since it's just the two of us, I'll be frank."

Upon hearing this, Yu Haiting's expression also became serious, and he listened intently.

"Secretary Lu's condition is dire," Du Heng began, then sighed. "He has qi stagnation and blood stasis, with an accumulation of yang poison leading to an intestinal abscess. From what I gathered, the abscess has already ulcerated and is causing hemorrhage and suppuration." He added, "What's even more critical is that Secretary Lu's stomach qi is nearly depleted."

Although Yu Haiting had anticipated bad news, he still felt a pang of disappointment hearing Du Heng's assessment. "Is there no hope then?" he asked.

Du Heng explained slowly, "Stomach qi, in simple terms, indicates the ability to eat. If a person can still eat, their stomach qi is present, and they can live. If they cannot eat, then they are beyond saving."