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

"Yes, Lao Ding, since you're so familiar with Secretary Li, could you invite him out for a casual meal? We could share in his good fortune."

Mr. Cui also spoke up.

This finally put Ding Zhonghua in a difficult position.

Although he had eaten a few meals with Li Jizhong and they had some acquaintance, it wasn't to the point where he could just call someone out with a single phone call.

He's the Party Secretary of the city; how close must our personal relationship be for him to be able to summon someone with just one phone call?

But he couldn't lose face in front of everyone, so he had to bite the bullet and put on airs, pretending to be profound, saying, "Secretary Li is extremely busy with official duties, and not just anyone can invite him."

"I'm the only one who can strike up a conversation occasionally; he never attends regular dinner parties."

This deliberate affectation became unbearable for Cui Ying, who was standing nearby.

Upon hearing this, Cui Ying immediately laughed.

She had long seen through Ding Zhonghua's behavior; he was just like Ding Peng, always boasting and bragging.

Or maybe these two are father and son, they're just like that.

"Uncle Ding, if you're really that close to Secretary Li, you wouldn't be unable to even get a meal with him, would you? Perhaps you don't actually know Secretary Li and are just bragging?"

Cui Ying's words pierced through the hypocrisy, and the entire room fell silent instantly.

"Yingying! What nonsense are you talking about! Shut up!"

Mr. Cui's expression changed drastically, and he immediately reprimanded Ding Zhonghua sternly, fearing that he would offend him.

Cui's mother hurriedly tugged at Cui Ying's sleeve and kept giving her meaningful glances to stop her.

But at this moment, Ding Zhonghua was completely cornered and had no way to back down.

Everyone in the room was watching him. If he backed down, he would lose all face tonight and become a laughing stock in the Tianhai circle.

His face turned pale and then flushed, but he finally gritted his teeth and forced a cold snort: "My words, Ding Zhonghua's, are not for the juniors to question!"

"Since you don't believe me, I'll call Secretary Li right now and let you see for yourself!"

After saying that, he took out his phone, pretended to be familiar with the number, and dialed Li Jizhong's number in front of everyone.

Chen Ping and Guo Changlin watched Ding Zhonghua make a phone call, both with a hint of sarcasm in their eyes.

The two of them know best where Li Jizhong is and what he's doing right now.

Ding Zhonghua's boasting here won't get him anywhere.

Meanwhile, Li Jizhong had been at the hospital for a full day and night, dealing with the mess caused by the stent medical accident. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and had nowhere to vent his anger. His mood was at its lowest point.

He was already extremely irritated when he suddenly received a phone call. When he answered, his tone was icy and chilling: "Who is it?"

Ding Zhonghua quickly put on a fawning smile and said respectfully, "Secretary Li, it's me, Xiao Ding. I'm so sorry to bother you so late at night..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jizhong on the other end of the phone frowned instantly, his anger erupting completely.

"What the hell is this 'Little Ding' or 'Old Ding'? I don't know them, don't bother me..."

The sharp, cold rebuke came through the receiver clearly, echoing throughout the entire private room.

Snapped!

After finishing his rant, Li Jizhong abruptly hung up the phone without showing any mercy.

The busy signal rang out, and the private room fell into complete silence.

Ding Zhonghua stood frozen in place, holding his phone. His fawning smile completely vanished, his face turned deathly pale, and he felt so embarrassed that his whole body was burning up. He was at a loss for what to do.

The boast he had just made was utterly exposed and refuted by Li Jizhong, leaving him slapped in the face.

The ingratiating smiles on Cui Ying's parents' faces froze instantly, their eyes widened in shock, and their hearts sank.

In an attempt to save face, Ding Zhonghua could only awkwardly explain, "Well... Secretary Li was too busy with official duties tonight and was in a bad mood, so he was a bit irritable. It wasn't directed at me..."

This weak explanation is a futile attempt to cover up the truth and is utterly ridiculous.

Guo Changlin couldn't help but laugh out loud. Li Jizhong was busy with hospital matters and was in a bad mood. Ding Zhonghua was just asking for a scolding.

At this moment, Chen Ping also spoke up: "It seems that Secretary Li doesn't know General Manager Ding and doesn't give you much face."

In a single sentence, Ding Zhonghua's last pretense was completely shattered.

Ding Peng, already on the verge of a breakdown, was now completely enraged by Chen Ping's public mockery. His eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at Chen Ping and roared, "Chen Ping! Stop your sarcastic remarks!"

"My dad couldn't get Secretary Li to come, so why can't you?"

"Aren't you very capable and competent? Aren't you able to boss Director Guo around?"

"If you're so capable, call Secretary Li right now! If you can get Secretary Li here, I, Ding Peng, will call you 'Dad'! If you can't, then shut the hell up!"

Ding Zhonghua frowned and glared at Ding Peng.

His own father was right there, and Ding Peng dared to say such a thing.

However, Ding Zhonghua didn't believe that Chen Ping, a village doctor, could summon Secretary Li.

Moreover, Chen Ping probably doesn't even have Li Jizhong's contact information.

All eyes in the room instantly focused on Chen Ping.

Guo Changlin sat to the side, a faint smile on his face, without saying a word, quietly watching the Ding family father and son direct and humiliate themselves, waiting for the final crushing scene.

Despite Ding Peng's provocations, Chen Ping remained calm and composed, showing no sign of emotion.

He raised his eyes indifferently: "I'm not good at bragging, so I can't be your father. But if I can get Secretary Li here, you just have to bark like a dog. Do you dare?"

"Of course I dare! I don't believe that a lousy doctor like you can get Secretary Li to come!" Ding Peng roared through gritted teeth, his face full of madness.

Chen Ping said no more, took out his phone, found Li Jizhong's number, and dialed it without hesitation.

The call connected almost instantly.

Li Jizhong, who had just hung up on Ding Zhonghua and was filled with frustration, instantly suppressed all his anger when he saw Chen Ping's call. His tone became gentle and respectful: "Dr. Chen? What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Everyone in the room clearly heard this completely different tone, and their pupils all contracted sharply.

Chen Ping said calmly, "Secretary Li, I ran into a small problem at a private restaurant in the east of the city. If it's convenient for you, could you come over? If not, it's fine; I'll handle it myself."

"Convenient! So convenient! I'll be right there!"

Li Jizhong responded decisively without the slightest hesitation, displaying both humility and seriousness.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Ping calmly looked up at Ding Peng, whose face had turned pale: "Just wait."

Hearing Li Jizhong's voice, the faces of the Ding family father and son were now extremely grim.

When Ding Peng first called Guo Changlin, he said it was someone with a similar voice.

Calling Li Jizhong now, Ding Zhonghua and Chen Ping are only a few minutes apart.

The voice coming from the phone was exactly the same, and this time Ding Peng couldn't think of any other possibility.

Ding Zhonghua stared at Chen Ping in shock. He couldn't understand why Secretary Li would be so polite to a village doctor.

Could this Chen Ping be Secretary Li's illegitimate son?