It's just that they have money.

That afternoon, Fang Chen had Xu Wen draft the employment contract.

Lin Dong's position is General Manager of Medical Projects, with a base salary plus project bonuses, and an additional 5% equity option reserved, which will vest over four years.

During Lin Dong's first week at the company, he spent most of his time building the framework.

He sends Fang Chen a progress report every day, outlining everything from team structure and job responsibilities to target disease screening and initial screening by partner hospitals, in a clear and methodical manner.

Fang Chen didn't read it much; most of the time he just replied "received".

That day, Lin Dong sent a message, his tone more casual than before: "President Fang, are you free tonight? I've made plans to have dinner with a friend and would like to invite you along."

"Who is it?"

"Yin Fan is a doctor at Ruici Medical Examination Center. I worked with her a few times when I was at my old company. She has always been quite interested in cross-border medical care and has a lot of high-end client resources."

What a coincidence!

"Okay, what time?"

"I'll send you my location at 7 o'clock."

Dinner was arranged at a private restaurant by the river. The location was secluded, with a small entrance, but once inside, it was a hidden gem.

When Fang Chen arrived, Lin Dong and Yin Fan were already there.

Yin Fan wasn't wearing a white coat today; instead, she wore a navy blue knit sweater, her hair down over her shoulders, giving her a gentler appearance than she did in the hospital.

She was slightly taken aback when she saw Fang Chen come in, clearly not expecting that the "President Fang" Lin Dong was referring to was him.

"Dr. Yin, we meet again." Fang Chen extended his hand.

Yin Fan shook hands briefly, his expression shifting from surprise to his usual calm: "President Fang, I didn't expect it to be you."

"You two know each other?" Lin Dong asked, somewhat surprised, as he watched from the side.

"I know him." Fang Chen nodded and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Mr. Fang is my client," Yin Fan explained.

"A client?" Lin Dong looked at Fang Chen with some surprise.

Fang Chen waved his hand: "I'm a member of Ruici."

Lin Dong nodded without asking any further questions.

The three chatted as they ate, and Lin Dong quickly steered the conversation to business.

"Dr. Yin has been working at Ruici for almost four years and has two or three hundred long-term clients, many of whom are high-net-worth individuals." Lin Dong put down his chopsticks. "She has always been interested in cross-border medical care and has recommended a few clients to us before, but they were sent overseas."

Yin Fan did not deny it, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "I did try to push them away, but to be honest, the service from the previous company was inadequate. When clients went abroad, they couldn't speak the language, weren't familiar with the procedures, and couldn't find anyone when problems arose. They came back and complained to me, which made me lose face."

"This time is different," Fang Chen said. "We're not sending customers out, we're bringing them in."

Yin Fan's gaze lingered on his face for two seconds.

"I understand the logic behind bringing in foreign patients. Treatment in China is cost-effective, and the technology in some areas is quite advanced. But the problem is, how do foreign patients know about you? How do they trust you?"

Fang Chen glanced at Lin Dong.

Lin Dong continued, "The channels are divided into two parts. One is to cooperate with foreign insurance companies to include Chinese medical institutions in their direct payment network. The other is to cooperate with overseas Chinese-speaking communities. Overseas Chinese have a strong desire to return to China for treatment because they understand the language and culture, and they also have a basic understanding of the domestic medical standards."

Yin Fan thought for a moment and nodded: "That logic makes sense. But why should foreign insurance companies include you in their network?"

"It depends on qualifications," Lin Dong said. "First, we need to establish a complete process for one disease, one hospital, and one source of patients, and develop service standards and data before negotiating with insurance companies. They are motivated to reduce costs, and as long as we can prove that the treatment in China is effective, inexpensive, and has manageable risks, they have no reason to refuse."

Yin Fan glanced at him, her gaze holding something indescribable.

"If you can get the process running smoothly," she said, "I can try to connect you with some resources. Ruici also has some cooperative channels overseas. Although it's mainly outbound business, it's not impossible to bring in some business."

Fang Chen picked up his teacup and clinked it against hers.

After the meal, the three of them walked out of the private restaurant.

Lin Dong left first, and Yin Fan stood by the roadside waiting for a car, with Fang Chen standing with her.

"Mr. Fang," Yin Fan suddenly spoke up, "Are you serious?"

"What?"

"In the cross-border medical field, the direction of 'bringing in' is crucial." She turned to look at him. "This direction is much more difficult than sending out. Customer acquisition costs are high, the service chain is long, and domestic medical institutions generally lack experience in serving international patients."

Fang Chen looked at her and said calmly, "Difficult things only create barriers when they are accomplished."

Yin Fan stared at him for two seconds, then smiled, opened the car door, and got in.

"Then I'll wait and see."

The taillights disappeared around the street corner. Fang Chen stood there, took out his phone, and sent a message to Lin Dong: "Continue following up on Dr. Yin's lead. Also, make arrangements for what you said about Qiongzhou last time; we'll go take a look."

"Received. Is next week okay?"

"Can."

On his drive home, Fang Chen received a message from Ai Wei that he hadn't heard from in a long time: "Mr. Fang, the interior design plans are all finished. When would be a convenient time for me to go over them with you?"

"Tomorrow morning, at the same coffee shop."

"OK."

Fang Chen had been busy with various matters lately, so he didn't let Xu Wen come along.

Ivy arrived early and sat by the window with a large stack of drawings and color swatches in front of her and an open laptop next to her.

Fang Chen walked over and sat down. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Ivy was acting strangely today.

Her usually bright eyes were somewhat dim today, and her eye sockets were slightly red, as if she hadn't slept well or had been crying.

Her hair was also more casual than usual, tied in a low ponytail with a few stray strands falling on the side of her face, as if it hadn't been styled much.

"What's wrong?" Fang Chen asked. "Didn't you sleep well?"

Ivy paused for a moment, then smiled, a somewhat forced smile: "It's nothing, I haven't been sleeping much lately because I'm rushing to finish the project. Let's not talk about that, let's look at the design."

She opened her laptop; the screen displayed renderings of the villa.

Fang Chen did not press further.

Ivy began to explain, going into great detail about the color scheme, materials, and lighting of each space, from the living room to the dining room, from the master bedroom to the study.

She still possesses professional competence; she speaks clearly and logically, occasionally pulling out a few color charts for comparison, or using her finger to trace dimensions on the drawings.

But Fang Chen could sense that she was less enthusiastic and carefree than usual today, and more mechanical and formulaic.

It felt like completing a task, rather than sharing a piece of work as before.

"That's about it." Ivy finished the last page, closed the laptop, and said, "Please see if there's anything else that needs adjusting."

Fang Chen flipped through the blueprints and asked a few questions, which Ivy answered one by one.

Her answer was still on point, but her tone was noticeably calmer than before.

"Okay, let's do it this way." Fang Chen closed the blueprints. "When can we start work?"

"Once a construction team is found, we can start anytime."

Fang Chen nodded and transferred the remaining payment on the spot.

Ivy's phone vibrated. She glanced down at the payment notification, her lips twitched, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang," she said, then began tidying up the drawings and computer on the table, moving much faster than usual, as if she were in a hurry.

Fang Chen sat in his seat, watching her tidy up, and took a sip of his coffee.

Everyone has their own things to do, so he didn't want to ask too many questions.