Great Doctor Without Borders

Chapter 1228 Persistence

Zhang Song shook his head: "Chunliang, I have never thought of hiding anything from you. You should know the current situation of the Civil Affairs Bureau better than I do. I invited everyone to this meal not to announce anything, nor to emphasize my leadership position. I just want to complete the work assigned to me by my superiors. Jiang Qiyong's attitude towards me has always been very repulsive. I have a hunch that he and I will not cooperate happily in the future."

Xu Chunliang said: "He is a little arrogant in his bones, but overall he is still a person who is willing to work."

Zhang Song said: "Given the current situation, the Civil Affairs Bureau really can't afford any more internal friction. I hope you can play a buffering role and help communicate. Let's work together to stabilize the situation as soon as possible and don't let Dongzhou Civil Affairs become the focus of everyone's attention."

Zhang Song took the initiative to extend an olive branch. Although Xu Chunliang doubted his sincerity, he also admitted that it was not suitable for the Civil Affairs Bureau to continue internal friction at the moment.

Stability overrides everything. As for whether Zhang Song and Jiang Qiyong will fight after stability, that is not something he can control.

Xu Chunliang left his car at the welfare home, which is not far from Yinhu Guandi. Xu Chunliang had no plans to go home today, but seeing that it was not too late, he finally decided to go back and give his grandfather a surprise.

On the way, he received a call from Jiang Qiyong. Although Jiang Qiyong did not attend Zhang Song's dinner, he was very concerned about what was said at the dinner. Xu Chunliang conveyed Zhang Song's meaning to him. Jiang Qiyong was silent for a moment and responded in a low voice: "I know what's going on."

Xu Chunliang believes that the conflict between Zhang Song and Jiang Qiyong will not escalate in the near future. Zhang Song has made it clear that he will not monopolize power and he will delegate as much power as possible to Jiang Qiyong. Jiang Qiyong will not rush to confront Zhang Song at this time. If he does so, his superiors will think that he has a limited vision. Jiang Qiyong should be aware that his qualifications are still lacking and he needs time to settle down.

Xu Chunliang did not have a deep conversation with Jiang Qiyong. In his opinion, both Zhang Song and Jiang Qiyong had their own weaknesses and could not escape the fate of being chess pieces. It was just that someone happened to put them together. Even if the struggle between the two was delayed, it would come sooner or later.

Xu Chunliang did not intend to intervene in the dispute between the two. At most, he would help to convey a message. These two people were not worth him choosing a side.

Arriving at the door of the house, the lights were off. Xu Chunliang was a little surprised. Grandpa's work and rest were very regular. He went to bed at 11 o'clock at night. It was just past 10 o'clock. Did the old man go to bed early? Or maybe he didn't come back here tonight and stayed at Changshan Hospital? But thinking about it, it was unlikely. Recently, my aunt has been in Dongzhou.

Xu Chunliang went to his grandfather’s room first and took a look. The bedding was neatly folded and his grandfather was not at home.

Xu Chunliang went to the guest room again and knocked on the door. After a while, he heard his aunt's cautious voice from inside: "Who is it?"

Xu Chunliang said: "Aunt, it's me!"

Soon, Xu Jiaan, who was still sleepy, came over to open the door: "Chunliang, why are you back at this time? I thought you were still in Beijing."

Xu Chunliang smiled and said, "My company asked me to come back to work, so I rushed back. Aunt, where's grandpa?"

Xu Jiaan said: "He said he would not come back tonight and would stay at Changshan Hospital."

Xu Chunliang nodded: "Is there something going on over there?"

Xu Jiaan said, "He has been in a bad mood recently, with a sullen face all day long. I didn't dare to ask him. I had prepared dinner in the evening and thought he would come back for dinner, but he didn't come no matter how long I waited. I called him and found out that he was in the hospital. By the way, have you eaten? If not, I'll make you some dumplings. I just made them this afternoon."

"I've eaten, aunt, please stop busying yourself and take a rest."

Xu Chunliang returned to his room and wanted to take a shower, but he still felt a little uneasy. He was very familiar with the situation in Changshan Hospital and knew that Liu Shanmin had been staying in the hospital recently, so he called Liu Shanmin first. He did not contact his grandfather directly because he did not want to disturb his rest.

After listening to Xu Chunliang, Liu Shanmin was a little surprised and said, "The old man passed away suddenly around 5 o'clock this afternoon. How come I didn't know that he was in the hospital? Wait a minute, I'll go next door to see if he's there."

Not long after, Liu Shanmin called and told Xu Chunliang that he had confirmed that Mr. Xu was not in the hospital.

Xu Chunliang felt that something was wrong. His grandfather was neither home nor in the hospital. If he had gone out, he should have informed his family, but he said nothing.

Xu Chunliang quickly called his grandfather, and luckily the call went through.

After a few rings, Xu Changshan finally answered the phone: "Chunliang, what's going on?"

Xu Chunliang deliberately said: "Nothing, I may have to stay in Beijing for another day and can go back tomorrow, so I told you."

Xu Changshan said: "It's okay, your aunt is here to take care of me, you don't have to worry."

"Grandpa, are you home?"

Xu Changshan hesitated for a moment and replied, "Well, I just took a shower and was about to go to bed." Xu Chunliang was sure that his grandfather was lying. In his memory, his grandfather rarely did this. What was his grandfather hiding? He even wanted to deceive his own grandson.

"Grandpa, where are you? Why do I feel like the surroundings are a bit chaotic?"

"Is there? It's TV. I don't want to chat with you anymore. I'm going to take a shower." Xu Changshan hung up the phone in a hurry.

Xu Chunliang did not call again. His grandfather was obviously hiding something, but if he didn't want to tell him, it would be useless to ask. However, he was still worried, so he found the old man's current location through the search function on the phone. This was a backdoor left for his grandfather's safety, and it came in handy when something happened today.

Grandpa is actually in Nanjiang.

Xu Chunliang could never imagine that the old man would go so far alone. The first thing he thought of was that his grandfather was going to visit his younger aunt. But he immediately ruled out this possibility. If he was just going to visit his younger aunt, why didn't he ask his eldest aunt to go with him? Even if he wanted to go alone, there was no need to hide it. Visiting his daughter was not something that could be hidden from the public.

Xu Chunliang called his aunt-in-law Xu Jiawen again, but Xu Jiawen's phone was temporarily unavailable for calls.

Xu Chunliang became more and more uneasy. He thought of a person - Zheng Pei'an. Ever since his aunt rejected Zheng Pei'an, Zheng Pei'an became extremely decadent. He resigned from Changxing and no longer saw patients at Changshan Hospital. Xu Chunliang had looked for him once before going to Beijing. He wanted to enlighten him, but Zheng Pei'an's attitude was very indifferent. It seemed that he had been greatly stimulated. He said that he planned to go out for a trip to relax in a while.

Xu Chunliang realized that he had ultimately neglected Zheng Pei'an's mental condition. Zheng Pei'an had invested too much in his aunt over the years, and if he couldn't stand the stimulation of being explicitly rejected by his aunt this time, he might do something extreme.

Xu Chunliang quickly called Zheng Pei'an, but his phone was turned off. Xu Chunliang didn't have time to think about it anymore, so he first contacted Lu Qi and asked him to use his connections in the police to find his grandfather as soon as possible.

Then he called Su Qing again and sent her grandfather's current location, asking her to rush over immediately and to get to the bottom of this matter no matter what to make sure grandfather was safe. Judging from grandfather's current location, he should be heading towards Nanjiang University.

Su Qing had already gone to bed when she received the call, but hearing Xu Chunliang speak so seriously, she did not dare to delay. She immediately got up, got dressed, and drove towards Nanjiang Normal University.

It rained in Nanjiang that night, and although it was not heavy, it continued to rain.

The Nanjiang University Library was still brightly lit. At 11 o'clock in the evening, Xu Jiawen came out of the library holding an umbrella and left the south gate of the university. She had to cross the overpass first and then walk some distance before she could return home.

Just as she walked onto the overpass, Xu Jiawen heard footsteps behind her. She slowed down, and the footsteps behind her also slowed down. She turned her head slightly and saw a person in a raincoat following her about ten meters behind her.

Xu Jiawen was a little nervous. She quickened her pace and tried to cross the overpass as quickly as possible.

But the tracker also quickened his pace. In panic, Xu Jiawen's books fell to the ground and her cell phone also fell. She wanted to pick up the phone, but the man accelerated towards her. Xu Jiawen was so scared that she screamed and ran forward without bothering to pack up her things.

A familiar voice came from behind: "Jia Wen, it's me!"

Xu Jiawen was stunned for a moment. She stopped and turned around in surprise, looking at the man in the raincoat: "Zheng... Pei'an?"

Zheng Pei'an looked at her with a very complicated expression on his face. The joy of reunion and the pain in his heart were intertwined. He nodded: "It's me, don't be afraid, I... just came to see you." He squatted down and picked up Xu Jiawen's dropped phone. Xu Jiawen's phone was in flight mode. This was her habit. She didn't want to be disturbed by the outside world when studying in the library.

Xu Jiawen sighed, and the fear in her heart disappeared instantly. Zheng Pei'an was one of the few people in the world who could give her a sense of security. She slowly walked over, picked up the book on the ground, and complained, "You didn't even call before you came. I was really scared just now. I thought it was some bad-intentioned criminal."

Zheng Pei'an, who was about to hand her the phone, was startled by her words and stared into Xu Jiawen's eyes: "Do you... really think of me like this?"

Xu Jiawen was startled by his look, but he immediately laughed again: "How is that possible? We are such good friends, of course I won't look at you like that."

Zheng Pei'an pursed his lips, and suddenly grabbed Xu Jiawen's hand: "Jiawen, you know, I am not just a friend to you."

Xu Jiawen struggled to break free: "Pei'an, wake up, I've told you very clearly, I just treat you as a friend, I don't have any feelings for you."

Zheng Pei'an said, "Impossible, you obviously like me. Don't worry, I don't mind you getting divorced. I don't mind you having a daughter. I will love her as my own flesh and blood." He took advantage of the situation and grabbed Xu Jiawen's hands.

(End of this chapter)