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

Su Meng sneered, her voice soft yet clear: "Xiao Lei, do you think you're worthy?"

Xiao Lei's smile froze instantly.

He put his leg down, leaned forward, braced his hands on the table in front of him, and brought his face close to the glass, his expression somewhat ferocious.

"Su Meng, I advise you to be sensible. Do you still think you're that high and mighty deputy director? Look at the clothes you're wearing, look at that lousy bracelet on your wrist."

"You're a prisoner now. What right do you have to put on airs in front of me?"

"Chen Ping? Your ex-husband who only knows how to treat patients and write a few lousy papers, and you're ignoring me like this because of him?"

"What makes him better than me, Xiao Lei? Money? You're in this situation now, can he come up with any money? Connections? Does he have as many connections as I do? You're divorced, why can't you be with me?"

Xiao Lei's words came out in a roar, like an angry male lion.

Xiao Lei originally thought that by getting Su Meng and Chen Ping divorced, he would have a chance, and Su Meng would be devoted to him and marry him.

However, even though Su Meng and Chen Ping have been divorced for two months now, Su Meng still looks down on him.

Let alone letting him sleep, Su Meng wouldn't even let Xiao Lei touch her hand, let alone hold it.

How could Xiao Lei not be angry?

Su Meng gave a cold laugh, turned her head to the side, and stopped looking at him.

Xiao Lei suddenly stood up, the chair leg scraping the floor with a piercing screech. He slammed the communicator onto its base, turned, and took a few steps toward the door.

He turned back halfway, picked up the communicator again, and said with a sinister laugh in his voice, "Fine, you've got guts. Let's see if your guts are harder than this wall."

"You stay here and wait. When you've figured things out, have someone pass on a message to me. But let me make this clear: if you don't sleep with me, you're never leaving here."

He said those words, turned around, and strode out of the visiting room.

The metal door slammed shut behind him, the echo reverberating through the corridor for a long time.

Su Meng hung the receiver back in its place and slowly stood up. Her movements were slow, showing how exhausted she had been through the ordeal of the past two days.

On her way back, Su Meng gave a bitter smile. She seemed to have resigned herself to her fate. She knew that she had gotten to this point not because she had broken the law or violated any rules, but because Xiao Lei was deliberately messing with her and trying to force her to submit.

Since that's the case, Su Meng no longer wants to fight. No matter how the Discipline Inspection Commission investigates or what accusations they want to level against her, Su Meng will accept it.

Meanwhile, at the First People's Hospital of Tianhai City, in the director's office, Su Wenzong sat at his desk, scrolling through his phone's contact list.

He scrolled down the list of names one by one, starting to make phone calls last night, going through all the old connections he had built up over the years.

He shamelessly called anyone he could get close to, including those from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Municipal Health Bureau, and the Municipal Organization Department.

But when they heard it was Su Meng's case, some people on the other end of the phone stammered and gave bureaucratic answers, saying they didn't know much about the situation. Others directly declined to comment, saying they were currently avoiding the issue and it was inconvenient for them to ask. Two others simply didn't answer the phone.

Only one person told him the truth: "Old Su, someone is behind this, targeting your daughter. They're suppressing her from above. Going to the city won't help."

"Why don't you go and look for the Xiao family? Hasn't Xiao Lei always wanted to marry your daughter? That's the way."

Su Wenzong put his phone on the table, took off his glasses, and rubbed his nose bridge with two fingers for a long time.

He knew exactly what kind of person Xiao Lei was; he knew the whole story of the city hospital's cardiac stent procurement better than anyone else.

Xiao Lei's medical device company has made a fortune in recent years by supplying several hospitals in Tianhai City. Every time Xiao Lei sees him, he politely calls him "Dean Su" and never misses sending him gifts during holidays.

Moreover, Su Wenzong knew that Xiao Lei had liked Su Meng for so many years, and Su Meng's position as deputy director of the Health Bureau was partly due to Xiao Lei's influence.

After all, Xiao Lei's father is the vice mayor, which is a powerful connection.

Su Wenzong never expected that Su Meng's investigation by the Discipline Inspection Commission was actually orchestrated by Xiao Lei.

If someone hadn't told him, Su Wenzong would never have believed it.

Su Wenzong slowly stood up, adjusting his glasses. He rubbed his temples, then picked up the landline on the table and dialed Xiao Lei's number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"Hello, Dean Su."

Xiao Lei's voice was steady, and there was no surprise.

It seemed he had already guessed that Su Wenzong would call him.

Su Wenzong closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Xiao Lei, I... want to talk to you about Su Meng."

As he said this, Su Wenzong's fingers trembled slightly as he held the microphone.

Xiao Lei's voice on the other end of the phone was unhurried, with a calm and collected demeanor, like a cat playing with a mouse.

The two agreed to meet at a teahouse near Xiao Lei's company. After hanging up the phone, Su Wenzong sat on the chair for a long time before standing up, picking up his coat, and leaving.

The teahouse was located on a quiet street in the east of the city, and Xiao Lei booked the innermost private room.

When Su Wenzong arrived, Xiao Lei was already sitting inside, with a set of purple clay teaware in front of him, and the aroma of tea wafting through the air.

When he saw Su Wenzong come in, he didn't stand up, but simply raised his hand and pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Dean Su, please have a seat."

Su Wenzong sat down, placing his hands on his knees, his back slightly hunched, completely lacking the upright and authoritative posture he displayed in the director's office at the Municipal People's Hospital.

He ordered a pot of Longjing tea, but after the waiter brought it over, he didn't drink a drop.

"Xiao Lei, you have to help with Su Meng's matter."

Su Wenzong spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "She's been taken away for several days. I've contacted everyone I can, and they all say someone is holding her back. I know you can handle this, so please put in a good word for them to release her."

Xiao Lei picked up the teacup, blew on it, took a sip, and put it down.

He leaned back in his chair, looking at Su Wenzong with a slight smile on his lips, a smile full of disdain.

"Dean Su, why are you being so polite with me? Su Meng's matter is really just a matter of a phone call. But the question is, why should I make this call?"

Xiao Lei's words surprised Su Wenzong.

Su Wenzong looked up at him, his lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Xiao Lei stood up and walked to the window, his back to Su Wenzong, his voice carrying a resentment that had been suppressed for a long time and had finally found an outlet.

"I've been pursuing Su Meng since college, for so many years. I accepted her marriage to Chen Ping, and when they divorced, I thought my chance had come. But what about her? She still doesn't even give me a second glance."

"Who is Chen Ping? A penniless bastard who left with nothing. She'd rather stay with her divorced ex-husband than be with me. I, Xiao Lei, have money and power. How am I not good enough for her?"

He turned to look at Su Wenzong, "Dean Su, let me be frank with you. Go find Su Meng now and tell her that as long as she's willing to be with me, willing to be my woman, I'll immediately call someone to release her."

"She'll still be a deputy director after she gets out, and she might even be promoted to director. But if she's still acting all cold and aloof, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"The disciplinary committee has plenty of ways to keep her in there, for a year, two years, three to five years. How long can a deputy bureau chief hold out?"