Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 71 - 67 A hundred thousand in prize money is just a slap

"Let’s go, Senior. Stop spacing out..."

Wang Jian’s steps gained new vigor. He immediately picked up his pace and surpassed Liang Xiu. He certainly didn’t need anyone pulling him. Meeting a leader was nothing compared to the motivation of receiving a bonus. The mere mention of money energized him. Otherwise, he really had no interest in schmoozing just for the sake of it. If he were the type to flatter his superiors and play the social game, he never would have returned to his hometown from Beijing in the first place.

Wang Jian had a very clear understanding of himself. He just wasn’t the type to suck up to people, so he preferred to be direct. As long as there was money to be made, that was enough for him.

Seeing Wang Jian suddenly striding ahead so quickly, Liang Xiu couldn’t help but be stunned. She laughed and chided, "You clever boy..."

Did she think he was just in it for the money? Of course not. Doctors have to make a living these days, after all. Nobody’s a saint. In fact, she found Wang Jian’s honesty refreshing; he wasn’t putting on an act.

"Wait for me! Do you even know where the director’s office is? Why are you walking so fast?"

Wang Jian froze, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. That was a good question. He turned his head and asked, "Is it too late for me to say I’m not doing this for the money? Can I still salvage my wonderful image?"

Liang Xiu covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Nope, too late. In my eyes, you’re officially a man who loves money. It’ll be hard to change that impression now. It would take at least a few free meals, I’d say."

Wang Jian threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Easy enough. One hotpot dinner. If one isn’t enough, we’ll make it two." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Alright, enough joking," Liang Xiu said. She found Wang Jian genuinely amusing and real. She hadn’t laughed like this in a long time. However, it wouldn’t do to keep the city official waiting. "Let’s hurry. If we’re too slow, the mayor might leave, and your bonus will go down the drain."

"Let’s go, let’s go."

"Our director is a pretty nice person, so don’t worry about meeting him. The mayor, however, is new to the post, so I don’t know him well. I’ve only heard he was appointed from the provincial level. Just play it by ear and try not to offend him."

Wang Jian readily accepted her friendly advice, nodding repeatedly to show he understood. It wasn’t that he didn’t know *how* to schmooze, he just didn’t *want* to—a significant distinction.

As he followed Liang Xiu to the director’s door, Wang Jian could already hear cheerful chatter and laughter from within. It was a far cry from the stuffy atmosphere he’d imagined for a meeting with a high-ranking official. It didn’t seem so intimidating after all.

Liang Xiu knocked first. Wang Jian watched as she casually opened the door and poked her head inside. "Director, um... I’ve brought Wang Jian."

"Oh?"

Two voices came from inside, along with the sound of people standing up. Then, one of them said, "Quick, please have him come in."

Only then did Liang Xiu push the door open fully, pulling Wang Jian to the entrance. Wang Jian and the two men inside stood face-to-face, instinctively sizing each other up.

The director’s office was simply furnished with a desk and a sofa for receiving guests. A bookcase stood to the side, filled with numerous trophies, medals, and hospital accreditation certificates.

There were only two other people in the room. One of them wasn’t wearing a white coat—undoubtedly, he was the mayor.

To be honest, Wang Jian had never met any city officials before. He didn’t even know what his city’s leaders looked like, because he had never cared enough to pay attention to that sort of thing growing up. So, seeing one now felt rather new to him. This was definitely the first time he’d ever seen a mayor in person.

The mayor was a proper-looking man in a white shirt and black suit trousers. He wore glasses and had thick eyebrows. His face was a little plump and currently bore a warm smile, giving him a very amiable appearance. He also looked quite young, perhaps only a little older than Wang Jian himself, which was completely different from the middle-aged man he had imagined.

As for the director beside him, he was dressed in a white coat and carried himself with an air similar to the hospital directors Wang Jian had met in Beijing. Do all doctors eventually end up looking like this? He had a crew cut of white hair, a lean frame, and eyes that looked like they hadn’t had enough sleep, yet his spirit seemed high.

This director was Liu Defu, whose name Wang Jian had seen on the physicians’ roster at the City Hospital.

"You must be Wang Jian?" Liu Defu said with a smile. "A hero emerges from the young, indeed." He was clearly pleased to see such an outstanding young man. His only regret was that Zhao Zhe’s attempt to recruit him had failed. The Chinese medicine department at the Central Hospital was chronically understaffed.

"I’m Zhou Wenzhong. Xiao Wang, I’ve been waiting for you for some time. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you."

Zhou Wenzhong’s smile was genuinely warm. Despite being the mayor, he didn’t put on any airs. Perhaps it was his youth, but he gave Wang Jian a very good impression. This was especially true when Zhou Wenzhong enthusiastically grabbed his hand with both of his own, shaking it vigorously up and down several times. The gesture stirred a unique feeling in Wang Jian. This was the kind of deferential treatment one usually gave to a leader, not the other way around. To experience it from the mayor himself was unexpected.

This mayor is quite interesting.

"Mayor, Director, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. A rather complicated family matter came up that required my attention at Cai’s Hospital, so I was delayed."

"Not at all, not at all. It was about your brother, wasn’t it? I heard about it from Boss Cai, so you don’t need to explain," Zhou Wenzhong said, still holding Wang Jian’s hand, completely unconcerned. "Family is the most important thing, of course. Besides, I came here specifically to see you today, so waiting is no trouble. Now that you’re here, there are a few things I’d like to discuss."

They all sat down on the sofas again. Liang Xiu sat next to Wang Jian, while Liu Defu and Zhou Wenzhong each occupied a separate armchair.

"This highway accident has caused quite a stir. Videos of the pile-up are all over the internet, spreading like wildfire on short-video apps and even hitting the top trending topics. The provincial leadership has even inquired about it. If not for your timely intervention at the scene, this incident could have been much worse. I heard from the first responders that by the time they arrived, there was almost nothing left for them to do because you had already handled all the emergency first aid. Is that true?"

Zhou Wenzhong had already heard this story several times, but his expression was still one of surprise.

"Actually, I can’t take all the credit," Wang Jian said, glancing at Liang Xiu. "My senior, Liang Xiu, was also at the scene. I wasn’t the only one there."

"Oh, cut it out, Junior," Liang Xiu interjected, rolling her eyes. "You think I don’t know what the situation was? If it weren’t for you, many of those people might not have survived long enough to get to a hospital."