From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor-Chapter 288 - 263: I Have High Hopes for You

Xu Chunliang smiled and stated that although he works at the hospital, his specific role is administrative work, not as a doctor.

Xu Ying said, "Old Pan, take it easy, today Xiaoxu is the main guest. The key is to make sure Xiaoxu enjoys drinking, don't just focus on drinking yourself."

Xu Chunliang said, "Sister Xu, you flatter me too much, now I'm embarrassed."

Xu Ying said, "Don't be embarrassed, treat it like your own home."

She raised her glass and said, "Today I arranged this gathering, mainly to thank Xiaoxu for standing up for me."

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Sister Xu, there were three of us standing up, I was just one of them."

Xu Ying said she would invite the other two next time.

Pan Chengfeng appreciated brave and righteous young men and invited everyone to drink.

The four of them drank a toast together, and Xu Ying asked everyone to try her cooking. Xu Chunliang sampled every dish and found Xu Ying's cooking truly impressive. Xu Chunliang said, "Sister Xu, your cooking is fantastic. If you opened a Huaiyang Cuisine Restaurant, business would definitely be more booming than a Japanese restaurant."

Xu Ying laughed and said, "But it's not as hassle-free as a Japanese restaurant. I can't manage everything myself, and Japanese cuisine is actually much simpler than Chinese cooking, plus it's more profitable by far."

Pan Chengfeng said, "That's the key. Xu Ying, why did you suddenly stop running your good Japanese restaurant?"

Xu Ying said, "My daughter is going to school."

"Isn't your daughter in boarding school? You usually don't need to take care of her," Pan Chengfeng remarked straightforwardly.

Xu Ying smiled faintly, "I also wanted a change of environment."

Xu Chunliang noticed that Xu Ying must have other reasons, wondering if her departure from Dongzhou had something to do with Zhao Feiyang.

At this moment, his phone rang. Surprisingly, it was a call from Dong Changhao, who used to be in charge of health at Huayuan Group. Xu Chunliang had no dealings with Dong Changhao; most likely, this was related to Tang Tianyi.

Xu Chunliang hung up directly, uninterested in wasting time with people from Huayuan Group.

Xu Chunliang hung up the phone and returned to drink two more cups with Pan Chengfeng.

There were an unusually large number of calls this afternoon. Before they finished two more drinks, Hua Zhuyue called, expressing a desire to meet and discuss Tang Tianyi.

Xu Chunliang told him that he was drinking with friends, so Hua Zhuyue didn't disturb him further, asking him to call after drinking, and she could come pick him up.

Right after hanging up Hua Zhuyue's call, a police officer handling the case also called, hoping Xu Chunliang could visit the police station in the afternoon, as some details needed his confirmation.

Xu Chunliang said he was not available today and the earliest he could come was tomorrow.

After hanging up, Xu Chunliang felt a bit embarrassed, proactively raising his glass and saying, "I've received too many calls, disrupting our drinking mood, I'll punish myself with a glass."

Pan Chengfeng said, "Everyone gets busy sometimes."

Xu Ying said, "I've heard something about you and Tang Tianyi."

Xu Chunliang nodded, "Did Sister Xu hear it from Dean Zhao?"

Xu Ying laughed, Xu Chunliang was indeed a smart young man. There were no outsiders present, so she shared a drink with Xu Chunliang and said, "Is Tang Tianyi causing you trouble again?"

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, this must be bothering Zhao Feiyang, as Xu Ying is a close confidante of his, one of the few with whom he shares his innermost thoughts.

After the incident, Gao Xinhua contacted him, and Xu Chunliang knew it was certainly at Zhao Feiyang's behest.

When Xu Ying invited him to this meal, the incident with Tang Tianyi had not yet happened, so she probably wasn't trying to probe on behalf of Zhao Feiyang.

Xu Chunliang said, "While in Dongzhou, he suffered some losses at my hands, so he's been looking for revenge, but I didn't expect him to be so foolish."

Xu Ying said, "Huayuan Group might respond."

Xu Chunliang said, "It doesn't matter. If Dean Zhao can't handle the pressure, he's free to kick me out."

Xu Ying shook her head and said, "He won't do that. He admires you a lot. I've known him for many years, and in matters of principle, he has always been very clear-sighted."

Xu Chunliang mused inwardly, Xu Ying truly did stand up for Zhao Feiyang. People change, and from his experience with Zhao Feiyang, he was certainly not entirely selfless; just better at hiding his self-interest than most.

Xu Chunliang said, "I don't know what kind of person Tang Jingwei is, but seeing his son's behavior, he can't be much better."

Pan Chengfeng said, "A father's failure to teach his child is his fault. Our ancestors' words surely hold truth."

Luo Xiyun said, "Do you know him?"

Pan Chengfeng said, "I do know him. A few years ago, when Huayuan was at its peak, Tang Jingwei liked to collect calligraphy and paintings, and he even bought some famous paintings. Through an introduction, he wanted to buy my 'Rivers and Mountains of a Thousand Miles'.

The painting he referred to was one of his representative works, which won the Beihong Art Award five years ago, and the painting made Pan Chengfeng famous overnight.

Now the prices of Pan Chengfeng's traditional Chinese paintings are also rising steadily, with each square foot of his works reaching forty thousand, highly sought after by domestic art collectors.

Luo Xiyun said in surprise, "How come I didn't know?"

Pan Chengfeng replied, "I turned it down immediately."

Xu Ying chuckled, "Did he not offer enough money?"

Pan Chengfeng shook his head, indicating that it wasn't a matter of money, but that Tang Jingwei was incredibly arrogant, believing that money could get him anything he wanted, and that he didn't understand art at all. The only purpose of buying paintings was for appreciation in value.

Pan Chengfeng gave Tang Jingwei a four-word comment—intolerably vulgar!

Xu Chunliang greatly admired Pan Chengfeng's integrity, believing that an artist should have such a backbone. If they focus solely on using their works to make money, how could they create any good works? In any profession, once it becomes related to money, it can easily lead to degeneration and corruption, and the healthcare system is no exception.

Xu Chunliang inquired about the Longgu Culture matters, although Pan Chengfeng and Bai Mushan were in the same cultural and creative park, he wasn't familiar with him and didn't know much about Longgu Culture, only recalling that a theft occurred at Longgu Culture last month, and the police had come to investigate from door to door.

Xu Chunliang pondered to himself why thefts always seemed to occur around Bai Mushan, wondering whether it was that person being prone to theft, or if he was habituated to self-theft. This remained unknown.

Xu Chunliang had a great conversation with Pan Chengfeng, and after lunch, Pan Chengfeng took him to appreciate his paintings. Xu Chunliang was drawn to one painting of a mountain spirit, depicting a nude woman sitting on a tiger.

Pan Chengfeng used ink boldly, with a skilled and exaggerated technique, which was part of his mountain spirit series. Noticing Xu Chunliang lingering, he offered to give him that painting.

Xu Chunliang was quite fond of it as well, and naturally could not refuse the generous gift.

There was a tradition in Pan Chengfeng's place that guests had to leave a written note.

Because of the grand gesture of giving him an expensive portrait, Xu Chunliang decided to reciprocate by writing a piece for Pan Chengfeng.

Xu Ying didn't know Xu Chunliang could write, considering that young people have the courage; after all, Pan Chengfeng excelled in both painting and calligraphy, and the average person wouldn't dare to show off in front of him.

Pan Chengfeng personally prepared the ink for Xu Chunliang, and Xu Chunliang wrote Du Fu's "Arrival of a Guest."

South/north of the hut, all is spring water, but flocks of gulls come daily.

The flower path hasn't been swept for visitors, today the humble door is opened for you.

The market is far, there're no luscious dishes, only old wine in the poor household.

If you're willing to drink with the old neighbor, I'll call you over the fence to finish the remaining cup.

Initially, when Xu Chunliang proposed writing a piece for Pan Chengfeng, everyone took it lightly, thinking the young man was brave. But as Xu Chunliang started writing, everyone was stunned by his calligraphy.

Pan Chengfeng sighed inwardly, such an accomplished semi-cursive script, with a free-flowing brushstroke, combined with ink and lines, undoubtedly a remarkable masterpiece.

Carefully examining Xu Chunliang's writing, each word displayed a kind of wild domineeringness, revealing the spirit of a chivalrous hero, full of impressive vigor.

Despite the unrestrained style, the brushwork was precise and steady, without the slightest hesitation, the pressure of the pen varied smoothly, showing endless variation, giving the entire layout a sense of exhilaration.

Both Xu Ying and Luo Xiyun were insiders, and both saw that Xu Chunliang's calligraphic skill was certainly not inferior to Pan Chengfeng's. If they hadn't witnessed it themselves, no one would believe that this young man had such a high level of calligraphy.

After Xu Chunliang finished writing, Pan Chengfeng regarded it as a treasure, praising, "Good writing, excellent!"

Xu Chunliang smiled, "I'm showing off my inadequate skills in front of Master Pan, my apologies."

Pan Chengfeng exclaimed, "Not at all, your semi-cursive script surpasses mine, surpasses mine indeed!" He said "surpasses" twice.

Xu Chunliang took his leave from Pan Chengfeng, leaving the calligraphy there to avoid owing a favor. Although Xu Chunliang wasn't as famous as Pan Chengfeng, the artistic value of his calligraphy and Pan Chengfeng's painting were about equal, perhaps even favoring Xu Chunliang's work.

Pan Chengfeng and his spouse saw Xu Chunliang to the door, but Xu Chunliang told them to stop, and Xu Ying volunteered to accompany Xu Chunliang to the gate.

Xu Chunliang knew she had something she wanted to discuss privately.

As they walked a few steps ahead, Xu Ying said, "Xiaoxu, although we haven't known each other long, I feel a strong connection with you."

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "I look forward to learning more from Sister Xu in the future."

Xu Ying said, "You're so smart, you don't need my guidance." She could see Xu Chunliang left the copy because he didn't want to owe Pan Chengfeng a favor.

Xu Chunliang purposely said, "Nowadays, smart has become a derogatory term, someone said intelligence determines twenty percent of life, while financial acumen determines the other eighty percent."

Xu Ying also laughed, "You know I didn't mean it that way, you have high intelligence and emotional quotient, and frankly, with your talent and ability, there's no need for you to stay in Changxing."

Xu Chunliang asked, "Does Dean Zhao feel the same?"

Xu Ying shook her head, saying, "You are bound to achieve great things someday, and Changxing will just be a stopover for you on your journey." It wasn't mere flattery; she genuinely admired Xu Chunliang from the bottom of her heart.

Xu Chunliang looked at Xu Ying, and she smiled at him, certain that Xu Chunliang staying in Changxing was not for development. This young man had too many aspects she couldn't decipher, but she was convinced Xu Chunliang was not someone to be confined, Zhao Feiyang couldn't manage him, and Tang Jingwei couldn't conquer him either.