As the crowd was gathered, a stern voice suddenly rang out from outside. Seeing the source of the sound, the young nurses standing around all stuck out their tongues and quickly retreated.

It was Guo Yong, the director and the boss. Naturally, the nurses dared not slack off in his presence. Except for the front desk staff and a few lingering patients, everyone else had dispersed.

"Director Guo, you're here!"

Seeing Guo Yong, Xiao Xiao hastily straightened up, adjusted her clothes, and stepped forward to greet him respectfully.

The two nurses on duty at the front desk also stood at attention. Liu Qianqian's eyes held a slight trace of fear when she looked at Guo Yong, but that apprehension vanished quickly, and she remained rooted to the spot.

Guo Yong nodded at Xiao Xiao, about to speak, when his eyes suddenly lit up. He hurried forward: "Mi Xue, you’re here! Zhang Yang is in a consultation right now; shall I send someone to fetch him?"

Guo Yong had seen Mi Xue once when Zhang Yang was completing his internship registration, and he knew their relationship.

Even Guo Yong was amazed by Mi Xue's beauty, envying Zhang Yang’s good fortune, though he harbored no further thoughts beyond simple admiration.

Mi Xue smiled and shook her head: "No need to disturb his work; I'll just wait here for him!"

Mi Xue's smile was as radiant as a blooming lotus, causing many onlookers to stare again, wide-eyed.

"That's fine. The consultation will be over soon, and Zhang Yang will be out shortly."

Seeing Mi Xue’s agreement, Guo Yong did not press the matter further. He turned back to the front desk, his expression shifting from a smile to seriousness: "I heard such a commotion just now; what exactly happened here?"

Guo Yong had indeed come out because of the noise. He had only intended to check on the situation and stop the disturbance, but seeing Mi Xue present immediately altered his plans.

He didn't know the specifics of what had occurred, but he could tell that whatever had just transpired must involve Mi Xue and the group of strangers surrounding her.

Mi Xue was Zhang Yang's fiancée; they were already engaged. Guo Yong would never treat any matter related to Zhang Yang carelessly, nor could he afford to.

"Director, it’s like this…"

The receptionist nurse at the front desk glanced at Liu Qianqian before quietly reporting the events that had just transpired. She didn't embellish, but stating the truth of the matter was sufficient.

The more Guo Yong listened, the deeper his brow furrowed. Before the on-duty nurse could even mention Xiao Xiao's boyfriend, Hu Tao, he suddenly whipped his head around and glared fiercely at Liu Qianqian.

"Liu Qianqian, is this true?"

Guo Yong’s tone was severely admonishing. If this had involved anyone else, he might not have even asked, leaving the matter directly to Mayor Hu. But because Zhang Yang was implicated, he had to step in. The longer he interacted with Zhang Yang, the more he admired the young man, strengthening his desire to keep such a top talent at their hospital.

Liu Qianqian looked at Su Qifeng, then puffed out her chest and declared loudly, "So what if it's true? I saw it with my own eyes…"

"Insolence!"

Before she could finish speaking, Guo Yong roared in anger. He was shocked that Liu Qianqian would speak this way even when questioned by him personally—a mere nurse completely disregarding his authority. Normally, he would have severely reprimanded someone like her, but with Mi Xue present, his primary concern was preventing any misunderstanding that could strain Zhang Yang and Mi Xue's relationship. This stopped him from letting Liu Qianqian continue.

"Liu Qianqian, I hereby announce that you are temporarily suspended. Go back and reflect on how to interact properly with your colleagues, stop chasing shadows, and cease stirring up trouble. Once you have reflected sufficiently, write a letter of apology to be issued publicly!"

After a pause, Guo Yong added the disciplinary measure. As the director, he certainly had the authority to suspend her. He saw this as giving Liu Qianqian a chance; in his view, she was just a young girl who made mistakes, and correcting them was what mattered.

"A public apology? Impossible! Director Guo, don't think I don't know you've always favored Zhang Yang. Sooner or later, Zhang Yang will ruin this hospital!"

To Guo Yong’s surprise, as soon as he finished speaking, Liu Qianqian shrieked loudly, in a state bordering on hysteria.

"I don't need you to suspend me; I quit! My boyfriend is starting a company right now; he'll soon have assets in the millions, perhaps tens of millions! Later, he could even become a billionaire!"

Saying this, Liu Qianqian grabbed Su Qifeng's arm, becoming even more agitated. Her emotions were clearly running high. Already prone to jealousy, she had just been slapped without being able to retaliate, feeling deeply humiliated. Seeing Guo Yong shield Zhang Yang made her finally snap. In her mind, everyone else was wrong, and only she was right.

In her complete breakdown, she no longer cared about the usually revered Director Guo. Since her boyfriend was starting a company, at worst, she could work for him later and become the boss's wife, free from being bullied by others. This thought fueled her outburst. Fortunately, she wasn't foolish enough to ignore that Su Qifeng was the source of her newfound confidence, so she clung to his arm as she shouted.

Hu Tao, standing nearby, frowned but remained silent and still.

Su Qifeng had felt a bit worried earlier, but Liu Qianqian’s outburst now stirred his sympathy. Frankly, he was quite fond of Liu Qianqian, which was why he stepped in to defend her.

Clinging to Su Qifeng, Liu Qianqian grew wilder, unaware that her hair was becoming a mess.

"When we make money later, I'll have Qifeng buy out this whole hospital! I'll fire every single one of you who offended me! I'll show you the consequences of crossing me!"

Liu Qianqian screamed viciously, acting as if Su Qifeng were already a billionaire and they owned the facility.

"Qifeng, isn't that right?"

While shouting, Liu Qianqian turned to Su Qifeng for confirmation. Su Qifeng hesitated slightly, stealing a glance at Hu Tao, but ultimately nodded.

"Yes, don't worry. I will help you get revenge later!"

In front of a woman, no man wants to lose face, especially not his girlfriend. Su Qifeng knew Hu Tao was there, but for appearances, he gritted his teeth and agreed. He was thinking that this incident didn't directly involve Hu Tao, and he could smooth things over later, perhaps by treating Hu Tao to a few more meals to solidify their relationship. He believed his website would succeed and that the investment he sought would definitely not result in a loss.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear that?"

Seeing Su Qifeng agree, Liu Qianqian grew more excited, shouting loudly. Suddenly, a streak of malice flashed in her eyes as she declared, "The worst of them all is that Zhang Yang! When we have money, we must destroy him! I want to make him a pauper, bankrupt him! Let him see that driving a Mercedes-Benz isn't everything!"

"Enough!"

Just as Liu Qianqian finished her tirade, a booming shout suddenly erupted, startling many people nearby.

Liu Qianqian and Su Qifeng turned around together, only to find Hu Tao staring at them with a face ashen with fury. Mi Xue, standing beside Hu Tao, also looked extremely displeased.

The shout had come from Hu Tao. Although he lacked internal energy (Neijin), his physical conditioning was superior, and his loud exclamation managed to startle quite a few people.

"You arrogant, ignorant fool! You dare to wish Zhang Yang to become a pauper? Do you have any idea how much wealth and capability Zhang Yang possesses?"

Hu Tao pointed his finger, shouting fiercely. Xiao Xiao noticed that the finger Hu Tao extended was trembling—and shaking violently. This indicated that Hu Tao's emotional turmoil was immense.

She worriedly stepped closer to Hu Tao and gently took hold of his arm. Hu Tao glanced back at Xiao Xiao, and the intense anger in his heart instantly lessened, though he remained furious. His hand stopped shaking, but his mouth did not: "You frog in a well, how laughable! I can tell you plainly: your boyfriend is nothing compared to Zhang Yang!"

Hu Tao boomed his words. Su Qifeng's face instantly turned pale, his lips twitching several times, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Hu Tao didn't spare him a look and continued: "Forget about the present. Even before graduation, Zhang Yang alone earned a full twenty million! And that was just the first time!"

Hu Tao had long known about the first fortune Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao had amassed. This knowledge only deepened his admiration and respect for Zhang Yang. Furthermore, Zhang Yang had overlooked past slights and helped him secure this job. Because of Zhang Yang’s connections, he gained the favor of the boss, Su Zhantao, leading to his current position. In essence, everything he had was given to him by Zhang Yang—Zhang Yang had given him a new lease on life, allowing him to stay in the city, secure a respectable job, and find a girlfriend he was much happier with. It was precisely because of this that when he heard Liu Qianqian repeatedly slander and speak ill of Zhang Yang, he couldn't restrain his fury and stepped forward.

Perhaps startled by Hu Tao's roar, Liu Qianqian stood there blankly, not daring to move. The two on-duty nurses also stared, eyes wide; even Xiao Xiao looked at Hu Tao in disbelief.

Twenty million! This was 1999, not an era of explosive GDP growth; twenty million held immense purchasing power then. In Changjing, it could buy several villas with money left over. Especially for office workers like them, twenty million was a figure they dared not even dream of in a lifetime. Zhang Yang was about their age, not much older, yet he had earned twenty million on his own while still in university. At that moment, even Xiao Xiao, who knew Hu Tao well, found it hard to believe.

Guo Yong was also shocked, but alongside his astonishment, he pricked up his ears. He knew a little more than the others; he knew Zhang Yang wasn't short of money, but he hadn't known that Zhang Yang earned all this money himself. He knew other hospitals couldn't poach Zhang Yang with money, and certainly, his own hospital couldn't retain him with wealth. However, he was intensely curious about Zhang Yang's fortune and was eager to hear what other revelations this young man might disclose.