"The innocent have nothing to fear. Why worry about these rumors?"

Peng Haibo retorted, "To be blunt, this matter brings me no benefit. It's thankless work, so why would I do it?"

"You've thought it through, haven't you? Lu Cheng's suspension of surgical privileges in the hand surgery department—what benefit does it bring to me or our orthopedic department?"

"The few people in our department would love to take a jab at me. How could I do such a thing at this time?"

Du Qiang replied, "Director Peng, would you like another one? I think that's enough."

Du Qiang didn't continue to tangle with Peng Haibo over these things; it didn't matter whether Peng Haibo could clarify it to him or not.

It wouldn't affect the bigger picture.

Peng Haibo: "..."

"Have another one, Director Peng, it's no use explaining to me." Du Qiang said.

Being harsh to their own colleagues is a taboo in any hospital.

There's no current evidence to prove Peng Haibo did it, but all evidence points to Peng Haibo. If it wasn't him, it might as well have been.

Although it wasn't enough to penalize Peng Haibo, his reputation wouldn't benefit from it.

...

At noon, Lu Cheng was reading in the doctor's lounge when he saw Du Qiang, Wei Cheng, and He Shanshan walk in!

Aunt He Shanshan was carrying a lunchbox, while Du Qiang and Wei Cheng were carrying fruit.

"Dr. Lu, it's noon. Aunt has brought you some food and fruit. Thank you for your hard work." Aunt He Shanshan said, her face full of smiles, her tone sincere.

"Aunt He, Director Du, hello Aunt." Lu Cheng greeted each of them.

"Aunt He, you're too kind."

Wei Ying and Lu Cheng's father, Lu Nanjia, were also friends and had known each other for many years.

Lu Cheng simply didn't know the relationship between Du Qiang and Wei Ying before.

"Xiao Lu."

"Dr. Lu." Du Qiang and Wei Cheng also greeted Lu Cheng politely.

He Shanshan opened the lunchbox and served the dishes inside, which were very sumptuous. "These are just some homemade dishes we had at home today, perfect for you while you're on duty."

"You need to come over for a meal sometime."

Wei Ying's relationship with the Lu family wasn't as close as with Mu Leng, but they had known each other for years.

This time, Lu Cheng had saved Wei Ying's life, so He Shanshan's perception of Lu Cheng naturally improved.

Technique is the king, and also the capital for social interaction.

"Thank you, Aunt, it's really a bother. Uncle Wei still needs care over there." Lu Cheng said.

He Shanshan explained, "Wei Yin and Wei Hongzhi have both returned, they're keeping him company…"

Wei Hongzhi and Wei Yin were Wei Ying's children, Wei Yin being the elder. Lu Cheng still had to call her sister; she had been married for several years and was said to have a child.

"Sit down, Aunt, Director Du, Aunt Wei, have a seat." Lu Cheng quickly invited them to sit down.

Du Qiang, timely, explained his purpose: "Xiao Lu, today I've come to apologize on behalf of your Aunt Wei. She was indeed too anxious that day, so her actions were not appropriate."

"Bothering Dr. Lu at such a late hour was truly an inconvenience."

"We hope you don't take it to heart."

"That day I was also overcome with anxiety, so I spoke without considering." Du Qiang was sincere in his words.

"Director Du, you're joking. I just regret not being able to help. I really did call Professor Chen, but he didn't answer."

Lu Cheng quickly explained, "Professor Chen had already worked overtime for a long time, so I couldn't bring myself to knock on his door again."

Du Qiang glanced coldly at his wife, Wei Cheng, "Your Aunt, she's just too anxious."

"I didn't even do such a thing, let alone you."

"We all work in a hospital, so naturally, we should understand Professor Chen better..."

"That's why I've especially come today to apologize to you, Xiao Lu, in person."

"Of course, the gratitude comes with it. In my brother's situation, even if Professor Chen came, he would have lost half his life if not for you, Xiao Lu."

Du Qiang gave Lu Cheng a thumbs up: "Xiao Lu, you're truly brilliant at this..."

"Blind surgery to stop bleeding—this is a talent that even many professors don't have."

Blind surgery to stop bleeding is not a standard surgical technique or operation; it's something that requires talent and is beyond training.

Looking at the polite, smiling Du Qiang, Lu Cheng couldn't associate him with the image of Director Du described by Director Lin Qianlong.

Just last Friday, at the hospital's routine meeting before National Day, Du Qiang criticized Lin Qianlong in front of everyone, saying that all general surgery should be managed by the general surgery department.

But now, Du Qiang was all courteous and polite, a perfect example of a smiling tiger.

Du Qiang even provoked the emergency department's surgeries, claiming he wasn't angry. This kind of hypocrisy was something Lu Cheng couldn't compare to...

"Director Du, you're overpraising me. Your compliments are making me float; I'm not deserving of such high praise."

Lu Cheng was very humble and sincere: "Actually, it was also to save time, so I just took a risk. As long as it didn't affect Uncle Wei's condition, I tried to save as much time as possible."

"Xiao Lu, that's for sure. Your Uncle Wei told me that the moment he saw you, he felt very reassured…" He Shanshan quickly added.

Du Qiang spoke at this moment, "My brother still needs someone to look after him. Sister-in-law, Wei Cheng, you two should head over first. I'll chat with Dr. Lu for a bit."

"Alright." He Shanshan didn't think much about it.

As a doctor in the hospital, Du Qiang certainly had more topics to discuss with Lu Cheng than anyone else.

But before Wei Cheng left, she looked at Lu Cheng with a gaze full of conflict.

Lu Cheng had called Professor Chen to save her brother, but he hadn't saved "her son," so affection was complicated by resentment.