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

After listening, Chen Ping remained completely calm and composed, saying in a gentle tone, "You can handle the house as you see fit; I have no objections."

"I left with nothing in the divorce, so I shouldn't have anything to do with these assets. You don't need to discuss this with me."

"If the money from selling the house isn't enough to cover the difference, I'll figure out a way to make up the rest, after all, we were husband and wife."

He has always been like this, clear about his grudges and affections, and open-minded. Even though he and Su Meng had long been divorced and there were past misunderstandings and estrangement, he never took advantage of her misfortune, nor would he watch her bear the burden alone.

Upon hearing this, Su Meng felt a surge of warmth in her heart, a mix of bitterness and guilt washing over her. She was about to say something more when she heard this.

Just then, Cui Ying, who was standing to the side, moved her feet unintentionally, and her clothes rubbed together, making a soft rustling sound. At the same time, she sighed softly.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clearly transmitted to Su Meng's ears through the receiver.

Su Meng's voice faltered for a moment, her tone suddenly becoming low and heavy, tinged with a barely perceptible bitterness and pain, as she softly asked, "Chen Ping, are you... with Cui Ying right now?"

Chen Ping didn't hide anything and answered frankly, "Yes, we're together. We just finished working at the hospital and came out together."

A simple sentence, yet it was like a fine needle, instantly piercing the calm that Su Meng was trying to maintain.

She had just been agonizing over family matters, feeling lost about the future, and cautiously seeking his advice, filled with guilt and expectation, when she turned around and learned that someone else had been by his side all along.

People are always like this; they are most afraid of comparison and the gap between expectations and reality.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone; there were no questions, no crying, and no further pleasantries.

After only a faint, lonely breathing sound, a soft hanging-up tone came from the receiver.

beep-

The call was immediately disconnected.

Chen Ping held his phone, staring at the darkened screen. His fingertips paused slightly, and a complex, indescribable emotion flickered in his eyes.

He could hear the disappointment, heartache, and jealousy in Su Meng's voice at that moment.

During his return to Tianhai City this time, Chen Ping was able to clearly perceive the changes in Su Meng's state of mind.

Su Meng also wanted to remarry, he could sense it, but pride and shame prevented her from saying it aloud.

Cui Ying, standing beside him, naturally noticed the anomaly. She turned to look at Chen Ping, a hint of apology in her eyes, "I'm sorry, I accidentally spoke up just now. Did Su Meng misunderstand?"

Chen Ping shook his head slightly, put away his phone, his eyes showing even more seriousness, and said in a low voice, "It's none of your business."

However, some emotions and misunderstandings, once they arise, can never be eliminated.

On one side is his ex-wife Su Meng, filled with guilt, trying to win him back, and carrying the burden alone; on the other side is Cui Ying, gentle and considerate, silently accompanying him, with her heart full of love for him.

He himself was caught in the middle, caught between a rock and a hard place, his mind in turmoil.

The afternoon breeze blew gently, carrying the coolness of autumn, dispelling the smell of disinfectant from the hospital, but it could not dispel the entanglements and regrets deep in people's hearts.

Looking at Chen Ping's somber profile, Cui Ying understood somewhat and asked softly, "Where to next? Home?"

Chen Ping turned to look at her, a hint of apology in his eyes: "You go back first, I have some things to take care of, I need to go to the municipal government."

"Then be careful and get some rest as soon as you're done."

Cui Ying didn't ask any more questions or press the matter. She simply gave a gentle reminder, then turned and walked to her car by the roadside, driving away.

Only after watching the car completely disappear into the traffic did Chen Ping withdraw his gaze, suppressing his sentimental feelings, and his expression became serious and solemn again.

The most important thing right now is not romance, but the issue of substandard heart stents.

A large number of patients nearly lost their lives, but Xiao Lei, the mastermind behind the operation, went unpunished, and all the blame was shifted to the legal representative. Chen Ping couldn't swallow this insult.

He hailed a taxi and gave the address of the municipal government.

Twenty minutes later, the car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the Tianhai Municipal Government compound.

Chen Ping, familiar with the place, went straight to the office of Li Jizhong, the municipal party secretary.

When the door was opened, Li Jizhong was bent over reading documents, with a thick stack of government documents piled on the table, and he looked slightly tired.

Looking up, he saw Chen Ping, put down his pen, and pointed to the chair opposite him.

"Dr. Chen is here, please have a seat."

Chen Ping didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly, getting straight to the point: "Secretary Li, most of the people involved in the case of substandard cardiac stents have been arrested, and those who should be investigated and punished have been dealt with. But the real culprit, Xiao Lei, is still completely unscathed. It's so unfair."

Li Jizhong sighed, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked troubled: "I know what you mean. I understand the intricacies of this matter better than you do."

"I had already arranged for the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to follow up and conduct a thorough investigation, but the biggest problem we've encountered is the lack of direct evidence."

"Xiao Lei is an extremely cautious person. He never leaves any written record of any transactions or instructions, nor does he personally handle funds. The entire process is done through intermediaries and others. The testimonies of others can only corroborate the facts and cannot be used to directly convict him."

"In officialdom and in handling cases, what matters is a closed chain of evidence. You can't get to him just by guessing or suspecting."

"I want to take action against him, but I can't break the rules. If I act rashly, I'll only alert him and give him a pretext to criticize me."

Chen Ping frowned: "So we're just letting him get away with it? Are those patients who suffered from substandard stents and nearly died just going to suffer for nothing?"

Li Jizhong shook his head, his expression solemn: "No, that won't happen. I've already had people keeping a close eye on Xiao Lei's every move. His business, connections, and cash flow are all on record. As soon as he shows the slightest flaw, I'll arrest him immediately."

"But right now, we are indeed missing a crucial breakthrough."

Chen Ping understood immediately and grasped the key point.

The only person who could completely expose Xiao Lei's pretense and confirm his guilt was Su Wenzong.

Only Su Wenzong was fully involved and aware of the details of the initial cooperation, the private transactions, and the transfer of benefits.

As long as Su Wenzong is willing to testify and provide substantial evidence, Xiao Lei's protective umbrella will immediately crumble.

"I understand. The core issue still lies with Dean Su," Chen Ping said.

Li Jizhong nodded: "That's right. Su Wenzong is the key figure in the case. He knows far more than others. If he doesn't speak up, the case will forever be missing its most crucial link."

Chen Ping paused for a moment, then brought up the case of the teenage girl who had fallen from a building due to bullying that he had just encountered at the hospital: "Secretary Li, I encountered something at the hospital today. A sixteen-year-old high school student, suspected of being a victim of long-term school bullying and abuse, jumped from a building. She was rescued, and I also called the police."

"I think we should take this kind of egregious school bullying incident in Tianhai City seriously."