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

While Chen Ping and the others were having lunch, the minibus Su Meng was riding had just turned off the mountain road in Siping Township and onto the provincial highway.

Su Meng turned her gaze away from the window.

The mountains outside the window rushed past, one after another, getting farther and farther away, smaller and smaller, until they finally disappeared behind the horizon.

She leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and her mind was filled with the image of Chen Ping sitting in that shabby clinic room—he was thinner, darker, and wearing clothes bought by someone else.

"Director Su, shall we go straight back to the bureau?" The short-haired female cadre sitting in the front row turned around and asked.

"Okay." Su Meng opened her eyes and nodded. "At three o'clock this afternoon, notify the heads of all departments to hold a meeting to discuss the allocation of funds to Siping Township Health Center."

The short-haired female cadre was taken aback: "So fast? Shouldn't we conduct some research first?"

"The survey has been conducted." Su Meng's tone was indifferent. "Today was the survey day."

The car fell silent.

The group exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

They all knew Su Meng's temperament; once she said something, she never delayed.

It was almost 1 a.m. when the car arrived at the Health Bureau compound.

As soon as Su Meng got out of the car, she saw a black Audi parked at the entrance. She recognized the license plate; it belonged to Xiao Lei.

She frowned and walked inside in her high heels.

"Director Su, Young Master Xiao is waiting for you in the meeting room. He's been waiting for over an hour," the security guard at the door said in a low voice as he ran over.

Su Meng didn't stop and walked straight inside: "Tell him I'm not here."

The security guard was stunned for a moment, and before he could turn around, the door to the meeting room had already opened.

Xiao Lei walked out, dressed in a sharp suit, his hair neatly combed, holding a bouquet of exquisitely packaged red roses.

When he saw Su Meng, a smile spread across his face, and he quickly walked over to her.

"Meng'er, you're back? I've been waiting for you for so long." He handed her the flowers. "Want to have lunch together?"

Su Meng glanced at the bouquet of flowers but didn't take it. "Xiao Lei, how many times have I told you to call me Su Meng, or Director Su? Meng'er isn't what you call me."

Xiao Lei's smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned: "Alright, alright, Director Su, would you do me the honor of having lunch together?"

"I'm busy." Su Meng walked past him and continued walking forward.

Xiao Lei caught up, his steps unhurried, a smile still on his face, but his eyes had already turned cold: "Where did Director Su go on his research trip? He's been missing since early this morning, and his phone is unreachable."

Su Meng stopped, turned around and looked at him: "Siping Township Health Center."

Xiao Lei's smile vanished completely.

His face turned pale, his lips twitched, and his fingers gripped the bouquet, the wrapping paper rustling.

Of course he knew what Siping Township was, which health center Chen Ping worked at, and what Su Meng going there meant.

"Siping Township Health Center?" His voice was a little dry. "What's there to research in that godforsaken place?"

"The worse the conditions, the more research is needed. The health center hasn't paid salaries for several months, and the bureau needs to hold a meeting to allocate funds."

After Su Meng finished speaking, she left directly!

Xiao Lei stood in the corridor, holding the bouquet of flowers in his hand, unsure whether to put it down or not.

He watched Su Meng's figure disappear at the top of the stairs, his expression changing several times before finally throwing the flowers on the ground, turning around, and leaving.

Instead of leaving through the main entrance, he turned into the corridor on the other side of the office building.

At the end of the corridor was the deputy director's office. The door was open, and Xu Wenshan, the deputy director in charge, was sitting behind his desk flipping through documents.

When he saw Xiao Lei come in, he quickly stood up, his face beaming with smiles.

"Young Master Xiao? What brings you here? Come, come, have a seat!"

Xu Wenshan personally pulled up a chair. "Tea or coffee?"

"Tea." Xiao Lei sat down, crossed his legs, his expression still not recovered.

Xu Wenshan brewed a cup of tea and brought it over, asking with a smile, "Young Master Xiao, what brings you here today?"

Xiao Lei picked up his teacup, but didn't drink from it, and then put it down.

He looked at Xu Wenshan, his voice not loud, but every word carried weight: "Director Xu, did you know that Su Meng went to the Siping Township Health Center today?"

Xu Wenshan was taken aback: "Siping Township? What would she be doing in a place like that?"

"Go and offer warmth to her ex-husband."

Xiao Lei sneered, "There's a doctor at that health center named Chen Ping, who is her ex-husband. She went there for an investigation today, which is basically to support him. She'll be holding a meeting and allocating funds to that health center when she gets back."

Xu Wenshan's eyes darted around. Of course, he knew about Xiao Lei and Su Meng's relationship, and he also knew about Xiao Lei's background.

The deputy mayor's son is someone you can't afford to offend.

He quickly reassured her, "Young Master Xiao, don't worry. The allocation of funds isn't something she can decide on her own. I have a vote in the bureau's meetings."

Xiao Lei looked at him and nodded: "Director Xu, you're a sensible man. I'll treat you to lunch, and we can talk while we eat."

Xu Wenshan was flattered and repeatedly said yes.

The two left the office one after the other and went to the private restaurant across from the health bureau.

In the private room, Xiao Lei ordered the most expensive dishes, opened a bottle of Moutai, and poured a glass for Xu Wenshan.

"Director Xu, I won't beat around the bush with you."

Xiao Lei picked up his wine glass. "The health center in Siping Township can't allocate a single penny."

Xu Wenshan paused, his hand holding the wine glass. "Young Master Xiao, this... I'm afraid it wouldn't be right to say this to Su Meng. She went to the scene today, and she'll definitely have a report when she gets back. It wouldn't look good if we didn't give her any money."

"Does it look bad?"

Xiao Lei smiled. "Director Xu, how many years have you been in this position?"

Xu Wenshan's face flushed slightly: "Six years."

"You haven't moved an inch in six years, don't you want to climb the ladder?" Xiao Lei put down his wine glass and looked into his eyes.

Xu Wenshan's heart skipped a beat.

Of course he wanted to climb the ladder; he dreamed of it.

He sat in the position of deputy director for six years, watching people with less seniority than him rise to higher positions while he remained in the same place.

What he lacks is not ability, but connections and influence.

"What does Young Master Xiao mean?" he asked in a low voice.

"My dad is still in his position this year, but it's hard to say what will happen next year."

Xiao Lei's tone was very calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary: "I will remember your help."

Xu Wenshan picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp.

The liquor was strong, so spicy it made his eyes sting, but he didn't blink.

"Don't worry, Young Master Xiao, I'll take care of the funding."

3 PM, in the conference room.

The long table was filled with people on both sides.

Su Meng sat in the host's seat, with a document spread out in front of her—a research report she had rushed out at noon.

Xu Wenshan sat to her right, with documents spread out in front of him, but he hadn't opened them.

"Today's meeting has only one agenda item."

Su Meng got straight to the point, "The issue of funding for the Siping Township Health Center. I went to see it this morning, and the conditions are extremely poor. The clinic is a dilapidated building, the equipment is outdated, there is a shortage of medicines, and salaries have been in arrears for three months."

I suggest allocating 500,000 yuan from the bureau's special funds for infrastructure improvements and equipment procurement at the Siping Township Health Center.

After she finished speaking, the meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

The group looked at each other, but no one spoke.