Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

"We meet again."

Zheng Chenggong flicked his cigarette ash, without standing up, and gestured with his chin toward the chair opposite him, as if he were summoning subordinates in his own company. His tone carried a condescending and condescending air, "Have you thought it through? Five thousand yuan, sign a document, and this matter will be settled."

"To be honest with you, dragging this out is bad for everyone, and you can't afford to waste my time. Five thousand yuan is already more than enough; if we drag this out any longer, we won't even have five thousand."

Zheng Kai tossed his phone onto the coffee table, swung his leg back and forth a couple of times, chewing gum as he spoke indistinctly but with undiminished arrogance, "Dad, why waste your breath on them? Just make a call and arrest them. A bunch of bumpkins, they dare to mess with me?"

After saying that, Zheng Kai spat the chewing gum out of his mouth at Chen Ping, "Do you know how many people my dad knows in the county? He even has connections in the city! People like you, I'll wipe you out one by one!"

Sun Xiaoyan's face turned pale and then red, while Xu Feng clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and he even bit his lips until they left marks.

But none of them spoke, not because they didn't want to, but because they didn't know what to say.

The other party has brought their connections to the county bureau to the forefront. Even the police station chief is trying to persuade them to settle. They have neither money nor power, so what can they use to fight back?

Chen Ping took his phone out of his pocket.

He didn't leave; he stood in the middle of the office, in front of Zheng Chenggong, Zheng Kai, and the woman who was still touching up her lipstick. He flipped through his contacts, found Fang Jianguo's number, and dialed it.

Zheng Chenggong watched him dial the phone, scoffed, and flicked his cigarette ash into the paper cup on the coffee table. "Oh, looking for someone too? Who can a lousy doctor from a township hospital like you call? Your township head? Or your village secretary?"

Chen Ping ignored him.

The phone rang twice and was answered.

Chen Ping's voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the office could hear him clearly. "County Chief Fang, this is Chen Ping. I have something to report to you. This afternoon, the family members of our hospital's medical staff were attacked with weapons at the hospital gate. One of them suffered a head injury requiring stitches, caused by being hit by a steel pipe."

"The assailant's name is Zheng Kai, a rich second-generation. He is currently at the Siping Township Police Station, but he has connections at the county bureau, putting pressure on the police station, who want us to settle the matter amicably."

"We don't want to make a big deal out of this, but if we just let it go after our staff's family members were beaten, who would dare to work at the Siping Township Health Center in the future?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, then Fang Jianguo's voice came through the receiver, "Outrageous! How can something like this still happen?"

"Your health center was just featured on the county TV station. It's a model for grassroots healthcare in the county, but the safety of its medical staff isn't guaranteed. As the county head, I'm embarrassed too. Dr. Chen, could you give the phone to Director Zhou? I'd like to say a few words to him."

Chen Ping took the phone away from his ear and handed it to Director Zhou, who was standing next to him.

Director Zhou took the phone, his back straightening unconsciously. He answered "Yes" several times into the microphone, then said "Understood" a few more times. He then handed the phone back to Chen Ping with both hands, his movements as careful as if he were handling a bomb.

Zheng Chenggong's cigarette hovered in mid-air, his expression frozen as if someone had pressed the pause button.

The woman next to him who was applying lipstick also stopped what she was doing, her small mirror still in her hand, her mouth slightly open.

Zheng Kai's eyes darted back and forth between Chen Ping and his father, his lips moved twice, but he didn't dare to make a sound.

Before Zheng Chenggong could even react, his own phone rang.

He glanced at the screen, his expression changed instantly, he stood up, turned around to take it, lowered his voice and called out "Director Wang", and then could only listen.

As he listened, sweat began to bead on his forehead, and he kept repeating "Yes, yes, yes," "That's not what I meant," and "Director Wang, let me explain." Finally, the call ended abruptly, and he stood there, his hand holding the phone hanging limply at his side, feeling as if his spine had been ripped out.

Director Zhou then waved to the two auxiliary police officers beside him and pointed at Zheng Kai.

Two auxiliary police officers walked over and pulled Zheng Kai up from the sofa, one on each side. Zheng Kai dragged his feet a couple of steps before regaining his balance, and the roguish smile on his face finally crumbled into panic. "Dad! Dad! What happened! Dad, save me! I don't want to go to jail!"

At this moment, Zheng Kai finally panicked and lost his arrogant demeanor.

Zheng Chenggong remained silent.

Zheng Kai was handcuffed again and taken back to the interrogation room.

The sound of the iron gate closing echoed in the corridor for a moment, and then the entire office became as quiet as a stagnant pool.

Zheng Chenggong turned around, his arrogance and contempt completely gone, replaced by a shrewdness unique to businessmen, capable of both yielding and standing firm.

He stubbed out his cigarette in the paper cup, took out a business card, and handed it to Chen Ping with both hands. His tone was no longer arrogant. "Dr. Chen, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. How about this?"

"One hundred thousand. One hundred thousand yuan, let's settle this privately. The child was ignorant, I will definitely discipline him properly when I get back, and he will never do it again. We'll see each other again, there's no need to make things too tense."

"I know my son has made a mistake, but if he goes to jail, his life will be ruined."

The woman next to him also realized what was happening. She shook her bright red wool coat and quickly stepped forward to chime in, her fleshy face contorting into a fawning smile, "That's right, that's right, it's all a misunderstanding."

"Miss Xiaoyan, please advise this Dr. Chen. 100,000 yuan is not a small amount. You two have a hard life, why not use the money to live a good life instead of taking it to court?"

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head and didn't speak, but her hands were trembling.

Xu Feng remained silent.

One hundred thousand yuan is not a small amount for them.

Even if Xu Feng worked on the construction site for a year without eating or drinking, he wouldn't be able to save this much money. Sun Xiaoyan had just started working and hadn't even received her first month's salary yet.

With this money, they could buy an electric scooter so Xu Feng wouldn't have to ride that old bicycle to work, and they could also move their wedding date forward.

Sun Xiaoyan looked up at Chen Ping, her eyes filled with hesitation, embarrassment, and a cautious probe. She moved her lips twice before managing to utter a few words, "Dr. Chen... maybe... we should forget about it?"

Xu Feng whispered from the side, "100,000 is enough... Dr. Chen, we don't want to trouble you anymore."

Chen Ping looked at the two of them and remained silent for two seconds.

He knew what this money meant to them.

He also knew that the reason he was able to stand here and challenge Zheng Chenggong was because of his relationship with County Magistrate Fang, and that this relationship was accidental, fragile, and unrepeatable.

He can shield them from the wind, but he cannot choose which path they take.

Chen Ping nodded. "You are the parties involved, so you have the final say. If you decide to settle, then settle."

"But the agreement must be clearly stated: 100,000 yuan in compensation, to be transferred in person, with Zheng Kai signing and guaranteeing that he will not harass Xiao Yan and Xu Feng again. If he does it again, the punishment will be doubled."

He turned to look at Zheng Chenggong, his gaze cold, like a knife. "Mr. Zheng, can you accept this offer?"

Zheng Chenggong's lips twitched slightly, but he quickly regained his smile. "I can handle it, I can handle it. Dr. Chen is fair in his dealings, I admire him."