Chapter 218 — A Bit Dumbfounded

As it stands, one ward has already been given away — pulling strings won't do you any good now. Even if you found someone else inside the hospital, once they heard that the ward had already gone to one of their own, they'd never insist on taking it back. Who wants to offend someone over that?

"Hello? Professor Guan? This is Wei Zhao." The man Wei Zhao was looking for was, of course, Guan Xuewen! Guan Xuewen was the dean of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Songshan Medical and Pharmaceutical University, and the First People's Hospital was the university's affiliated hospital — which meant that when it came to personnel and professional appointments, the hospital answered to the university's leadership!

Wei Zhao had learned this from a conversation with Guan Xuewen the other day. And who was Guan Xuewen? The dean of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, with the hospital's TCM department under his authority. Even if the inpatient department wasn't his to manage, a single phone call to the hospital director would get him a ward without the slightest trouble.

"Oh, Mr. Lin, what's made you think of calling an old man like me?" Guan Xuewen was plainly delighted to hear Wei Zhao's voice. Wei Zhao had called just yesterday, and here he was calling again today — and Guan Xuewen had been wanting to get closer to him anyway.

"It's like this, Professor Guan. I'm at the First People's Hospital — a friend of mine is a patient here, and we wanted to pay for a superior ward. We got here first, but the head of the inpatient department gave the room to an acquaintance of his." Wei Zhao laid it out plainly, without embellishment — just the facts of what had happened to him.

"Heh heh, I see. I'll call Old Qin right now — the hospital's Director Qin — and get back to you in a bit!" Guan Xuewen said with a chuckle.

Had anyone else come to Guan Xuewen with a matter like this, he would never have helped. Wei Zhao had made it perfectly clear that the head of the inpatient department had given the ward to an acquaintance of his — that was an unspoken rule everyone understood, and Guan Xuewen would not go making trouble for people over such a trifle.

It would only make him look petty — a dean of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, no less. Of course, that wasn't the real issue. The real issue was that although the hospital was affiliated with the university, it was jointly run with a corporation — and his own son was one of the hospital's shareholders!

So Guan Xuewen was all the more reluctant to meddle at will in the hospital's affairs. A single phone call from him could set off a storm of gossip.

But this matter had come from Wei Zhao, and that made all the difference. For Wei Zhao — a friend across the generations, at once his teacher and his peer — Guan Xuewen would naturally go to some trouble.

After hanging up on Wei Zhao, he called Old Qin, the hospital director.

The head of the inpatient department had been watching Wei Zhao make his call with a cold sneer — but then he suddenly heard the three words "Professor Guan," and he froze. He was just wondering who this Professor Guan might be when cold sweat broke out on his forehead!

Who else connected to the hospital could be called Professor Guan? Who else but Guan Xuewen, dean of the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Medical and Pharmaceutical University! At that thought, the head of the inpatient department's expression went rigid. And who was Guan Xuewen, after all?

Even the hospital director gave him face — and Guan Xuewen's son was a shareholder of the hospital. To deal with a mere head of the inpatient department would be child's play for him.

The crux of the matter was that he had been wronged! The reason he hadn't given Kang a ward was that the doctor from before had already called him in advance to ask him to set aside a room. It was only that Kang had come in the gap before that doctor arrived!

If it really came down to who was first, then that doctor had called first! Still, it was his own fault for not explaining things clearly to Kang. If he had explained properly, it would never have come to this, would it?

At that, the head of the inpatient department hurriedly rose to his feet and explained with some awkwardness, "Little brother, there's no need to trouble Dean Guan. Actually, I should explain this matter. That doctor came asking for a ward earlier — it wasn't first-come, first-served as you assumed. He had already phoned ahead, so I reserved the room for him, and that's why I told this young brother there were no wards available."

"And you think I'll believe a word of that now?" Whether it was true or false, Wei Zhao had no interest in hearing his explanation. Even if it was true — where had he been earlier?

The head of the inpatient department was struck dumb on the spot, his old face flushing red. He was about to say more when the telephone on the desk rang out shrilly. His heart gave a lurch; he rushed over and picked it up humbly, already guessing who was on the line.

Sure enough, when he saw the caller display, the head of the inpatient department grew even more obsequious. "Director Qin... you were looking for me..."

But before he could finish, a roar erupted from the other end of the line. The head of the inpatient department hurriedly said "Yes, yes," and before he could offer a single word of explanation, the line had gone dead.

Gloomily, the head of the inpatient department hung up. But by the time he turned back to Wei Zhao, his face was wreathed in an even broader smile than before. "Little brother, my apologies — I'll have them hand over the ward right away!"

The head of the inpatient department had made up his mind. Offending that doctor from before was one thing — he could live with that. But offending Guan Xuewen and Director Qin? He'd have no place left in this hospital; he might as well pack up and get out while he could.

In his heart he rather regretted having judged a book by its cover, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Kang stood beside Wei Zhao, feeling more and more pleased with himself. All his earlier fury was released in an instant, and he watched the fawning head of the inpatient department with a cold smile.

Seeing Kang's smile, the head of the inpatient department felt both embarrassed and a little aggrieved. So you enjoy playing the pig to eat the tiger, do you? You get a kick out of putting on airs, do you? Your friend knows Guan Xuewen, and yet you came begging and pleading to me for a superior ward? Wasn't that something a single phone call could have settled?

But want it though I might, I still had to keep up a smile on my face. "Right this way, gentlemen. I'll see to your room assignments at once!"

Tang Zhi gave Wei Zhao a long, searching look. This man seemed to solve whatever trouble he came across, no matter where he went - by different means each time, sometimes force, sometimes connections. Tang Zhi shook her head and pressed her fingers to her temples, steadying her mood and putting Wei Zhao out of her mind.

Stepping out of the inpatient department director's office, Wei Zhao was surprised to see Guan Xin there, looking this way and that. A little taken aback, he waved her over. "Guan Xin, over here!"

At Wei Zhao's call, the director's vision went black and he nearly keeled over on the spot. You know even Guan Xin, and you still bothered making phone calls? If you'd just had Guan Xin come and put in a word with me, that would have carried more weight than that doctor from before!