Li Ya glared ferociously at the handful of people in front of him, his gaze flicking toward Sun Liang beside them.

Without Zhang Yang needing to say anything, they now all understood who was trying to force Mi Xue and the others out. None of them had expected that coming to visit a patient would land them in such a situation.

"Why are you kicking them out? What right do you have to force people to leave, especially a patient who just underwent surgery?"

Chang Feng stepped forward and questioned Sun Liang, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority. Chang Feng was a Division Chief, specifically of the Provincial Public Security Department, and naturally possessed the bearing of an official.

"I, I..."

Sun Liang opened his mouth, managing only two 'I's before falling silent. He couldn't exactly state his real reason: that he fancied the man's daughter, and now the people present wouldn't give him face, so he intended to drive them out. No matter how shameless he was, he couldn't utter such words aloud.

"Who are you? Why should I tell you? I want them gone, and I don't need a reason!"

Perhaps sensing his own embarrassment, or perhaps angered by being challenged so directly by Chang Feng, Sun Liang's voice suddenly rose sharply. This Doctor Sun was usually accustomed to arrogance, and this was his territory. In his rage, he became utterly reckless with his words.

Chang Feng was momentarily stunned. Not just him—Long Cheng and Su Zhantao also stared at Sun Liang in disbelief. They rarely encountered someone so high-handed. Normally, one would offer some justification, but this fellow demanded none.

"Fine, no reason needed. You wait!"

Stifled by the response, Chang Feng paused before nodding heavily. He pulled out his phone and stepped aside to make a call.

"You think you're tough, I hope you can stay tough until the end!"

Wu Zhiguo pointed a finger at Sun Liang and also took out his phone to make a call, soon speaking into it on the side. Not only him, but Long Cheng also produced his mobile. Wang Chen, leaning on his crutch, had already gotten through, lodging a complaint with whomever was on the other end. Li Ya and Huang Hai also took out their phones, each glancing at Sun Liang before dialing. They, too, had never seen anyone so defiantly arrogant.

Since they entered, Zhang De had remained silent, standing behind Zhang Yang and guarding the sickbed to prevent the security guards from harming Mi Zhiguo. He and Mi Zhiguo—one a Propaganda Minister, the other a Deputy County Magistrate—were nearly thrown out of a hospital. The thought alone was humiliating. Unfortunately, this was Changjing, not their jurisdiction; back home, anyone daring this would immediately be forced to resign.

Zhang De protected Mi Zhiguo, but his gaze often shifted toward Su Zhantao. He had met Su Zhantao once before, during the incident at Lieshan, and knew that Su Zhantao had personally gone there to assist Zhang Yang. He felt a small surge of excitement now. If he could establish a connection with this young master, it wouldn't just mean career advancement, but at least he would gain a powerful shield, a truly formidable form of protection. As for that Doctor Sun, Zhang De no longer gave him a second thought; with this level of influence present, Doctor Sun was destined for trouble.

The ward had become noisy, filled mostly with the sounds of phone conversations. Sun Liang was now somewhat bewildered. These people seemed more formidable than him. All had mobile phones, were dressed well, and appeared to be people of status. But quickly, annoyance resurfaced on his face, and he glared menacingly at the few security guards who hadn't dared to move. Regardless of who they were or what connections they possessed, crossing him here was unacceptable. This was his domain.

Soon, everyone finished their calls, and Li Ya and the others watched Sun Liang with schadenfreude. They were eager to see just how solid the foundation was beneath this supremely arrogant man who needed no reason, and whether it could withstand the fury they were bringing down upon him.

"Yes, yes, I understand, I'm coming immediately, I'll come personally!"

In the Provincial Hospital Director’s office, Director Qiao Chen nodded repeatedly, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead. He had been in high spirits earlier that day; he had just welcomed a new grandson, an adorable little boy, and was planning how to celebrate his one-month milestone grandly. As he was thinking about this, a call came through. At first, he paid it little mind, but after answering, his good mood vanished instantly.

The call was from a Deputy Director at the Provincial Health Commission. While not significantly higher in rank than Qiao Chen, the Deputy Director gently lectured him, advising him to mind appearances, not to overstep boundaries, and warning that offending people one shouldn't offend could lead to immense trouble. He also pointed out that a hospital could not casually drive out patients, especially one newly admitted after surgery. The Deputy Director concluded by explicitly stating which patient's room needed to be looked after and not easily slighted. Then he hung up, leaving Qiao Chen confused and inexplicably uneasy.

No sooner had this call ended than another followed. This time it wasn't the Deputy Director, but the Director himself. The Director's tone was far less cordial; he directly questioned Qiao Chen about what he thought he was doing, asking if the hospital had any rules or laws left. Qiao Chen became even more bewildered and repeatedly explained that he knew nothing of the matter. After lecturing him, the Director informed him that the patient in that specific room must be well cared for and no errors were to occur. Both the Deputy Director and the Director were referring to the same ward.

This wasn't the end. Before the Director’s call even disconnected, Qiao Chen's phone rang again, with more people grilling him. The substance of their inquiries was nearly identical: on what grounds could the hospital arbitrarily expel a patient, especially one newly admitted post-operation with no apparent issues? Some of these callers weren't even within his direct system, but all were ranked higher than him, and he could only listen to their reprimands. As he puzzled over the situation and started to consider heading to the ward to see what was happening, the phone rang once more.

This time, the caller was far more powerful: the Vice Governor in charge of health. This Vice Governor’s tone was far from polite; he launched straight into a furious tirade, culminating in a stark warning: if Director Qiao didn't want his position, he should say so early, rather than ruining the reputation of the Provincial Hospital. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Director Qiao finally pushed himself up and strode toward the door. As he reached the exit, he instructed his secretary to summon the Deputy Directors and other hospital leaders immediately—something major was happening.

He didn't know the specifics, but one thing was crystal clear: someone was trying to remove a patient from the hospital, and this patient’s background must be considerable enough to involve the Vice Governor. The calls made by Chang Feng and the others had taken less than ten minutes. As the tension mounted in the ward, Director Qiao finally arrived—the first hospital leader to appear. Seeing the security guards and Sun Liang in the room, he inwardly groaned. So, it was this little demon causing the trouble. He was aware of Sun Liang's behavior within the hospital, but he had favored maintaining harmony and hadn't intervened much. Sun Liang's father was only a Vice Director, but he had connections, and Qiao Chen didn't want to easily offend him either. He knew precisely how doting that Vice Director was on his son; targeting Sun Liang might easily be interpreted as targeting the father, leading to unnecessary complications. In truth, Sun Liang's arrogance was partly due to his own tacit approval. If the Director didn't investigate, and the Vice Director's father shielded him, who else would dare intervene?

"What are you all doing here during work hours? Get out immediately!"

Director Qiao glared at the security guards. They exchanged glances and quickly scurried out of the ward. They could tell the people in the room were formidable and it was safer to avoid the conflict.

"Why are you all here too? Out!"

Director Qiao then directed his glare at Sun Liang and the young nurse beside him. The nurse bolted out immediately. Sun Liang opened his mouth, but ultimately began to shuffle toward the exit. Sun Liang still held some fear of the hospital director; this man was not his father. He wasn't so arrogant as to dare challenge the top authority here.

"He cannot leave!"

Zhang Yang spoke softly. This man was the root cause. Regardless of his background, since he intended to drive out his future father-in-law, Zhang Yang would not let it go. This was his future father-in-law; the offense was more severe than a direct insult to him personally. This was no longer just his affair; it involved both families, and he had to give Mi Xue's family a resolution today.

"And you are?" Director Qiao asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am. He cannot leave!" Zhang Yang stated directly. He didn't know Director Qiao, but judging by the attitude of the others, this must be someone in charge at the hospital.

"A joke! This is a hospital. Who do you think you are, telling me I can't leave?"

Sun Liang couldn't help but shout again. He still hadn't grasped the severity of the situation, so confident was he that this place was his domain, where no one could touch him. Director Li, however, looked somewhat taken aback, a hint of surprise on his face. These few individuals had made calls, and the Director arrived personally in less than ten minutes—this clearly indicated the depth of their influence. Judging by the Director's conciliatory manner, he was siding with Zhang Yang’s group, meaning the people they called could certainly put pressure on the Director, otherwise he wouldn't have come so quickly and started issuing orders without asking questions.

"Who I am is irrelevant. What is important is how someone like you became a doctor, and what qualifications you possess to practice medicine!"

Zhang Yang spoke softly, his tone growing sharper. Long Cheng and the others were all glaring at Sun Liang now; they understood that their phone calls had worked.

"How I became a doctor is none of your business?"

Sun Liang sneered. Qiao Chen’s forehead began to sweat again. Those previous calls had sobered him; he knew clearly that among these people were individuals he absolutely could not afford to cross. Seeing that he had arrived, and yet this Sun Liang was still arguing stubbornly, Qiao Chen wondered what was going through the young man's mind.

"Shut up!"

Qiao Chen couldn't help but shout directly at Sun Liang. If he didn't speak, who knew what else this fellow might say. Sun Liang, chastised, obviously froze, then looked at Zhang Yang with resentment. He had to heed the Director’s words; this man was a level higher than his own father. At this moment, he mistakenly assumed these people had pulled strings to summon the Director to mediate. This left him without true fear, only resentment. He could afford to ignore Director Li’s feelings, but the Director’s word was law. He’d let them off this time, planning to deal with these people later when the opportunity arose.