Du Heng had an idea, but he didn’t plan to implement it immediately. Such matters couldn’t be rushed; he needed to find a suitable opportunity and approach it slowly. It was better to take advantage of the quieter New Year holidays to think carefully about what Liao Quansheng had said, and then find a reliable person.

As for business operations, he was utterly clueless—deaf, blind, and mute. The market for the Scar Removal Ointment was vast, but its true extent was a mystery to him; he had no real concept of it.

Moreover, the Scar Removal Ointment was an external topical medication, and its production certainly couldn’t be casual. However, he wasn’t entirely clear about the intricacies involved.

Another concern was his status as a public employee. Being a technical consultant wouldn’t be an issue. However, getting involved in business operations might require attention to certain details, which could pose a significant problem.

There was also a whole series of other issues he had neither the time nor the interest to delve into. This necessitated finding a professional with expertise in this area.

But where could he find such talent? And they had to be reliable. Who could he turn to?

After much thought, among all the people he knew, the only one who seemed to have any connection to this matter was that elite female lawyer, Ms. Zhou.

It’s strange how, sometimes, the moment you think of someone, they appear. Du Heng had just been thinking about this elite lawyer when he received a phone call from Ms. Zhou, who also mentioned a matter that left him rather conflicted.

The next day, while the Health Clinic’s logistics team was busy distributing New Year’s supplies to the employees, Ms. Zhou arrived with her assistant and the woman who had previously sued Du Heng.

Du Heng had only met Ms. Zhou once before, when he was about to go to the Capital regarding his case. Ms. Zhou hadn’t changed much then. Today, however, Lawyer Zhou, who typically exuded the air of an elite career woman, was visibly pregnant with a slightly bulging belly.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ms. Zhou got straight to the point, "President Du, after your case concluded in November, the court issued its judgment to Ms. Xia. According to the requirements, the compensation should have been paid in full last month. However, to date, I’ve only received 50,000 yuan. Nearly three-quarters of the compensation remains outstanding. As I mentioned on the phone yesterday, Ms. Xia wants to talk to you to see if a compensation plan satisfactory to everyone can be found."

Ms. Zhou paused, glanced at the woman beside her, then turned back to Du Heng and continued, "President Du, rest assured, if her proposal doesn’t meet your requirements, I can apply for enforcement. She currently has a mortgaged property, which I’ve had evaluated. The proceeds from its auction would be sufficient to cover the compensation."

As Ms. Zhou finished speaking, the woman’s face turned ashen, and she looked as though she was about to cry, gazing pitifully at Du Heng and Ms. Zhou.

Du Heng had learned the gist of the situation from the phone call the previous night. Consequently, he had spent the entire night mulling it over with considerable vexation.

"Ms. Xia, please tell me what you have in mind," Du Heng said directly to the woman beside him after Ms. Zhou had spoken.

"Doctor Du, I was wrong, I..." the woman began, her voice laden with apology.

But Du Heng had no intention of accepting such an apology.

To paraphrase a common online saying, if apologies were effective, what would be the need for police? Why would court judgments even be necessary?

"Don’t. Just tell me your thoughts directly," Du Heng interrupted her apology bluntly. "If you don’t speak, then I’ll proceed according to Lawyer Zhou’s suggestion."

This single sentence caused the woman’s expression to shift rapidly, but it also made her afraid to utter any more superfluous words. "Doctor Du, I am willing to pay the compensation, and I definitely will. But I’m in a really difficult situation right now. My monthly salary is 3,200 yuan, and I have a monthly mortgage payment of 2,200 yuan. There’s hardly any money left. Sometimes, at the end of the month, I even have to ask my parents for some of their pension money."

Du Heng was speechless. What the hell did this mean? Wasn’t she clearly trying to avoid paying? She didn’t even have enough money for food each month, so what was she planning to negotiate with him?

The arguments Du Heng had mulled over the previous night vanished. He instantly decided not to voice any of them. This woman is just here to be difficult! "Well, in that case, sell the house. You can’t afford the monthly payments anymore anyway. It’s perfect!"

Ms. Zhou chimed in, "I was thinking the same."

The woman shot up, terrified. "Doctor Du, I can’t sell the house! If I sell it, my parents will have nowhere to go. They sold their old home to help me with the down payment.

"Besides, my father’s health isn’t good. If he found out I’d sold the house, he wouldn’t be able to bear it."

Du Heng glanced at Ms. Zhou, who nodded, confirming the woman’s statements. With a sigh of resignation, Du Heng asked, "Then what exactly do you want to discuss with me today?"

Seeing a slight softening in Du Heng’s demeanor, the woman said cautiously, "Doctor Du, I’ll pay you 500 yuan a month. Would that be alright?"

Du Heng almost scoffed in exasperation.

Noticing the rapid change in Du Heng’s expression, the woman quickly amended, "I’ll pay one thousand! No, no, one thousand five hundred a month!"

Du Heng looked at the woman before him, unsure whether to laugh or be angry. He truly couldn’t comprehend how she had the audacity to propose such figures.

During the trial, Ms. Zhou had fully demonstrated her elite capabilities. She not only won the case against Du Heng but also succeeded in the countersuit against this woman. Although it had taken a considerable amount of time, she had managed to secure compensation of nearly 200,000 yuan.

Now, 50,000 yuan had been paid, leaving over 100,000 yuan outstanding. Whether she paid 500 yuan or even 2,000 yuan per month, it would still take seven or eight years to clear the debt.

But the current situation was that this woman had no money. If he forced her to sell the house, something truly unfortunate might happen, which conflicted with Du Heng’s original intentions. He had actively pursued this lawsuit not for the money, but to serve as a warning to those looking to exploit loopholes, and to protect his own reputation. But he couldn’t just let it go either. He’d spent 50,000 to 60,000 yuan on this lawsuit. He couldn’t just accept a loss now because she claimed to have no money and let the matter drop. Otherwise, couldn’t anyone just sue Du Heng in the future? If they won, they’d take the money and run. If they lost and had to pay compensation, they could just claim poverty and walk away scot-free.

So, after careful deliberation, Du Heng stated, "Never mind five hundred, and I don’t want your one thousand five hundred either. Just pay a fixed 1,000 yuan every month. I won’t charge you any interest. Whenever it’s paid off, the matter will be considered settled."

Ms. Zhou looked at Du Heng, a hint of surprise in her eyes. This decision was somewhat unexpected.

In her mind, Du Heng had two likely approaches. The first was to ignore the woman and proceed directly with the property auction and forced execution. However, based on her observation and understanding of Du Heng, she felt he wouldn’t do something so cold-blooded and selfish. He would most likely choose the second option: forgo the remaining money but demand an apology. Had she considered the method Du Heng was now proposing? Certainly, she had. But this method was too troublesome, and the timeframe too long. Given Du Heng’s current job, position, and social status, getting bogged down with monthly payments of a few hundred or a thousand yuan simply wasn’t worth the hassle. The first method was too cold-hearted, the second too saintly; this current method was indeed the best. It would ensure the woman was punished without disrupting her normal life.

Ms. Zhou was surprised. The woman, however, was overjoyed, so much so she almost knelt to thank Du Heng.

But Du Heng continued, "Don’t get too excited just yet. I have other conditions, and they must be written into the agreement. You can only proceed if you meet all of them."

"Doctor Du, just tell me. I’ll definitely do as you say."

"I’ll set up a dedicated bank card. You are to deposit 1,000 yuan into this card on time every month. If you default even once, the entire remaining amount must be paid off in one lump sum."

The woman nodded furiously. "I’ll definitely make the payments on time every month."

"Second, you need to publish an apology in the newspapers."

"Alright, no problem. I’ll apologize in every newspaper I can and also on my ins and Short Video Account."

Now, as long as she didn’t have to sell her house or pay the full amount at once, she was willing to do anything.

Truthfully, she wasn’t as afraid of Du Heng as she was of the pregnant woman standing beside him.

Since the woman was now so agreeable, Du Heng said no more. He asked Lawyer Zhou to draft an agreement. After all three parties signed it, the matter was finally settled.

The woman, after signing, left with a torrent of thanks.

Du Heng watched her retreating figure and could only offer a helpless smile.

Ms. Zhou looked at Du Heng and chuckled. "President Du, why go to all this trouble? Applying for forced execution would have been so much simpler."

Du Heng shook his head. "Let’s drop it. Let’s not talk about her. We should discuss something else."

He then recounted his conversation with Liao Quansheng.

Ms. Zhou leaned back on the sofa, contemplated for a moment, and then asked, "President Du, this Scar Removal Ointment you mentioned, just how effective is it?"

Du Heng took a deep breath and gestured across his own face. "A knife wound like this, so deep you could see bone, and ultimately, it left no scar whatsoever."

Ms. Zhou’s eyes lit up. She immediately realized that the primary application for this ointment wasn’t in regular hospitals, but in beauty salons and plastic surgery clinics. "Is the formula your own?"

"It’s my own."

"Have you applied for a patent?"

Du Heng shook his head; he had no concept or awareness of such things. "Apply for a patent? What for?"

Ms. Zhou saw that he genuinely didn’t grasp these matters, so she didn’t elaborate. "Alright, leave this to me. I promise I’ll handle it splendidly and ensure you don’t lose out."

"Then I’ll have to trouble Lawyer Zhou with this again. I really don’t understand these things."

"It’s enough that I understand them. I’ll handle it properly for you," Lawyer Zhou said with a confident smile. "By the way, President Du, I also came today because I have something I need your help with."

"Please, tell me. As long as it’s something I can help with, I absolutely will."