Chapter 234: Not Much Has Changed Throughout The Ages (Part 3 of 5)
It was lunch soon and Department Chief Kong invited Zheng Ren to the Little Stove Canteen. However, Zheng Ren’s attention was elsewhere and he politely turned it down.
They agreed to reconvene at 2:00 pm in the genitourinary department.
Zheng Ren also dismissed Feng Xuhui, who had been waiting by the door, in an unusually brusque manner.
For the first time, Zheng Ren asked Su Yun, “What are we having for lunch?”
Su Yun was silent.
“We’ll just grab something, then,” Zheng Ren said.
They were greeted by blue, cloudless sky and the bite of north wind as they exited the inpatient department..
Imperial Capital had seen more clear skies and white clouds since last year.
There was a nearby noodle stall that Zheng Ren had visited with Feng Xuhui.
He ordered two bowls of plain noodles, then took a seat across Su Yun. “Your performance today was unsatisfactory.”
“The surgery? I thought it was perfect.” Su Yun’s head was lowered and a stray breeze blew through his jet black hair.
“You know what I mean,” Zheng Ren said.
Su Yun was silent. From his expression, he had no intention of backing down.
Zheng Ren ignored the man’s petulance and forged on. “Since our first meeting, you’ve brought up Director Fu only once: when claiming that your family and their seniority had nothing to do with you. At first, I thought you were just a lying, contemptible pretty boy but our time together has changed my view.”
These words would normally have elicited a retort from Su Yun.
However, he did not speak, instead looking down and staring dumbly at the table.
His full attention was on the plastic, as if there were a gorgeous woman or mountains of gold embedded in it.
“I’m sure being the rising star of the cardiothoracic department in Imperial Capital ismiles better than simply being related to Director Fu. Still, you name-dropped Director Fu when introducing yourself to Bu Ruotian as my assistant.Do you worry that he is seeking revenge on your uncle?” Zheng Ren crossed his fingers and rested them on the table.
“The great Detective Zheng Ren.” With the truth finally and painstakingly exposed, Su Yun could no longer hold back his spite.
“It wasn’t difficult to figure out, especially since it is pretty straightforward. I memorized the Zizhi Tongjian[1] and Twenty-Four Histories during my time in university. Not much has changed throughout the ages.” Zheng Ren chuckled and continued, “Do you know why I persisted in the emergency department and never said a word edgewise despite being hounded mercilessly?”
“I’ve no idea. It’s not like your lack of skill is keeping you trapped there,” Su Yun said. He was looking up now, his eyes affixed on Zheng Ren.
“That’s true,” Zheng Ren said.
“You’re almost as good as I am.” Even Su Yun’s compliments were backhanded.
The narcissism was frustrating, but Zheng Ren remained silent.
“Unfortunately, my uncle is a dumb*ss.” Su Yun sighed. “He was the only son on my mother’s side. Spoiled rotten and utterly useless.”
It was unusual for a junior doctor to denounce an operations deputy director so.
Nevertheless, Zheng Ren agreed fully.
After Zheng Ren’s needling, words poured forth from Su Yun’s mouth as he vented. “I knew something going to happen to him after Bu Ruotian’s surgery. Such a fiasco cannot be resolved by burying one’s head in the ground.”
“Indeed.”
“Well, that dumb uncle of mine thinks he’s safe as deputy director of operations. Since Bu Ruotian’s surgery had ended in success, he assumed that no one would talk and expected the screw-up to eventually die down. Does he truly not expect Bu Ruotian to get back at him?!” Su Yun spat.
“If this had happened twenty years ago, your uncle would have been hospitalized at the very least,” Zheng Ren said, amused.
Su Yun shook his head. “Even then, something as crude as a blade in the dark was never needed. It starts with career assassination, a transfer to a dead-end post to rot for years. Once you have faded from everyone’s memory, you would end up in an unfortunate car crash. It’s a shame my uncle is too obtuse to even see what’s coming right at him.”
“Is that why you came to the emergency department?” Zheng Ren asked, his smile unwavering.
“What was I supposed to do?” Su Yun said in frustration. “I had already tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. I had to do something for my mother’s sake. Did you think I pulled every string I could to transfer to the emergency department for your good looks?”
“I assumed it was due to my skill as a surgeon.”
“How vain of you,” Su Yun muttered. “There were four people in total that day. The anesthesiologist has left the country while the other two are, as you know, also from the emergency department. I have no idea what Bu Ruotian has planned but I think there’s a chance he will use you.”
“Hm. Were I Bu Ruotian, I wouldn’t let your uncle go, so I did not panic and resign on the spot.
“While I may seem like a simple, honest man, I must admit to being rather petty when it comes to grudges. I could leave the hospital any time, but I wanted to personally watch what happens to Director Fu,” Zheng Ren said coolly. “Didn’t expect you to show up, though.”
“I saw an opportunity. The research here means little to me in comparison. If I hadn’t spoken up today, I would have just returned and convinced my uncle to resign, and then start up a veterinary hospital,” Su Yun said.
“What’s your plan now?”
“Boss, please help mediate this for me.” It was Su Yun’s first sincere usage of the title and there was no hint of sarcasm in his tone. “A simple resignation is the best we can hope for. I doubt any compensation would be of use to the Bu family. If you humble yourself, he might exchange leniency for a favor from you in the future.”
“And if it doesn’t work?”
“Can you guarantee success before any surgery?”
“No.”
“This is similar. Just try your best,” Su Yun said. Once I return, I will once again try to persuade my uncle to resign. If he has any sense, he will take my advice. Otherwise…”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Boss, what do you think of a veterinary hospital?”
“Shut up and eat your lunch. We’re needed at the genitourinary department ward later.” Zheng Ren picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.
“I didn’t hear a no,” Su Yun mumbled.
“The rising star of the Imperial General cardiothoracic department became my assistant to ask me for a favor. How can I deny you?” Zheng Ren smiled at him. “Do you feel better now?”
“Yes. I feel much better knowing you’re not a saint after all,” Su Yun said sarcastically before starting on his noodles.
They did not exchange another word; some plans and secrets needed not be verbalized.
The only thing they needed to know was that there was more than one way to kill someone.
After finishing their meal, the two returned to their accommodation to rest. At 1.30 p.m., they were greeted by Manager Feng anxiously standing guard at their doors.
[1] The 资治通鉴 or Zizhi Tongjian (‘Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance) is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle. It, like the Twenty-Four Histories, is a dense historical text that Zheng Ren is using to show off his impressive, if selective, memory.