From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Chapter 607 - 578: Jealousy

Xu Chunliang said, "Fighting isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For a man to truly mature, fighting is a necessary learning process."Zhou Deming laughed and said, "Since I was a kid, my mom taught me not to get into fights. She said kids who fought are bad kids. Now I realize that listening to your mom isn’t always right."

The two laughed together, and Xu Chunliang realized that every well-behaved kid actually has a restless heart.

Zhou Deming advised him not to pursue responsibility against those security guards. Actually, they were just following orders, and the situation at the time was a misunderstanding. There’s no need to throw them into jail.

Xu Chunliang agreed, as he didn’t want to blow up the matter. If the situation escalates, it could lead to lots of unnecessary trouble.

That evening, Xu Chunliang accompanied Mei Ru Xue to the mall. On the way, Mei Ru Xue told Xu Chunliang that after the renovation of Crescent Bay on Weishan Island, He Tiantian brought her daughter to Dongzhou and opened a small restaurant in the Bell Tower District. Business was going well, and a couple of days ago, she sought help from her to find connections for her daughter Xiaosinan’s schooling.

The best primary school in the Bell Tower District is Qingchun Road Primary School. One reason He Tiantian moved to Dongzhou was to provide her daughter with a better education. Her father, He Shouren, worked in the education system all his life but is retired now and doesn’t have many connections, especially in Dongzhou.

Mei Ru Xue knew that the wife of Qin Zhengyang, Li Wenjing, is the principal of Qingchun Road Primary School. Rather than asking herself, it was better to let Xu Chunliang ask, since the two of them are work partners.

Xu Chunliang agreed with a smile and immediately called Qin Zhengyang.

Qin Zhengyang agreed without hesitation. Although enrollment slots are tight now, his wife still has some slots. Usually, these slots are for his use. Often, giving gifts doesn’t have to be tangible; Qin Zhengyang wants to advance within the system, so all kinds of relationships need to be maintained. Their salaries alone are far from enough, and exchanging favors becomes a realistic choice.

These things are common. While they can’t be said to be perfectly open and aboveboard, they don’t quite violate principles either. Appropriately using resources on hand to improve oneself while serving the larger public has always been the tenet of most officials.

Upon hearing how quickly he settled the matter, Mei Ru Xue deduced that his relationship with Qin Zhengyang was very harmonious. Otherwise, Qin Zhengyang wouldn’t have agreed so readily. After all, spots at Qingchun Road Primary School are going for 100,000 each. The favor Qin Zhengyang gave Xu Chunliang was no small one.

Mei Ru Xue dragged Xu Chunliang to buy him clothes, but Xu Chunliang said a couple of sports outfits were fine. He didn’t care much about fashion as long as he was comfortable.

Walking into the specialty store, they ran into an old acquaintance, Zhong Yueqin, whom Xu Chunliang met back when selling cooling gel together during a breast enhancement venture.

Zhong Yueqin was an agent for several renowned sports brands in Dongzhou. She still remembered the help Xu Chunliang offered her back then, warmly telling him to pick whatever he liked and he could take it.

Xu Chunliang said, "Sister Zhong, just give me the cost price. If you really give it to me for free, I’ll leave."

Zhong Yueqin had no choice but to agree. Mei Ru Xue knew Xu Chunliang had no interest nor talent in picking clothes, so she left them chatting to go have a look around herself.

After Mei Ru Xue left, Zhong Yueqin joked, "Xiaoxu, you’re doing alright, your girlfriend’s really pretty!"

Xu Chunliang replied, "I’m not bad myself."

Zhong Yueqin laughed, "You sure are. Several rich ladies from our breast enhancement days had their eyes on you."

Even someone as thick-skinned as Xu Chunliang felt awkward, "Sister, stop joking with me."

Zhong Yueqin giggled, "Don’t misunderstand, they wanted you as a son-in-law and even asked me to introduce you. Oh, I passed by Huichun Hall the other day and found out you guys had closed down."

Xu Chunliang told her about his grandfather’s decision to retire.

Zhong Yueqin thought Xu Chunliang was still in Changxing, but she hadn’t expected such changes in a mere three days. He’s now a deputy mayor of Hu Shan Town.

Zhong Yueqin chatted about Pei Yu, who now opened a medical equipment company, doing successful business.

Xu Chunliang guessed it had something to do with Pei Lin. Pei Yu and Pei Lin always partnered in business; Pei Yu handled the visible parts while Pei Lin worked behind the scenes.

Women love gossip, and Zhong Yueqin mentioned Pei Lin’s wedding scandal. Although the police clarified, the public still chose to believe the photos were real. It’s understandable; people prefer news they’re interested in.

Although Xu Chunliang was irked by Pei Lin, he wasn’t one to slander behind backs. He clarified, "Sister, you don’t know the situation. The police have checked it out. Those photos were maliciously photoshopped, and the suspect has been caught."

Zhong Yueqin said, "A fly doesn’t bite a seamless egg; there’s something off about Pei Lin. How did a mere pharmaceutical rep rise so quickly if not because she’s willing to use her looks and bold enough to go for it?" Her experience with the breast enhancement venture didn’t leave her with good impressions of Pei Lin.

Xu Chunliang didn’t want to talk further. If they kept this up, even he would become a gossipmonger.

Fortunately, Mei Ru Xue had already helped him pick out clothes, and Zhong Yueqin gave him a wholesale price.

As he paid and left the store, he bumped into Pei Lin, who was also out shopping. Xu Chunliang thought to himself that Dongzhou was really something—speak of the devil and the devil appears.

Pei Lin’s belly was already showing, and she was carrying baby supplies. Seeing Xu Chunliang and Mei Ru Xue approaching, she was momentarily stunned, then a smile appeared on her face, "Well, what a coincidence."

Mei Ru Xue nodded and smiled politely at her, while Xu Chunliang laughed, "President Pei out shopping?"

Pei Lin lifted up the baby supplies in her hand, "Getting ready early."

Xu Chunliang didn’t see Zhao Feiyang around: "By yourself?"

Pei Lin said, "Zhao Feiyang isn’t as considerate as you. Now I understand why people say a good woman shouldn’t marry a divorced man."

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Weren’t you the one who praised Dean Zhao as a rare find back in the day? Looks like you’re suffering from aesthetic fatigue."

Pei Lin said meaningfully, "Don’t you know what kind of person he is?" Her words were clearly filled with resentment towards Zhao Feiyang.

Xu Chunliang didn’t want to waste more time on this woman, "Sorry, the movie’s about to start. Let’s chat another day."

Pei Lin said, "Then you guys go ahead." After Xu Chunliang and Mei Ru Xue left, she turned around and watched their backs, feeling envious. She touched her bulging belly, recalling Zhao Feiyang’s disdainful look, feeling increasingly upset. She remembered something, took out her phone, and made a call, "Mother-in-law, are you home? I bought some things for you, I’ll bring them over..."

On the way back, Mei Ru Xue habitually turned on the radio, coincidentally during the evening news. A piece of news caught Xu Chunliang’s attention.

... Recently, the Jizhou Public Security Bureau Marine Police Brigade successfully uncovered a case of cultural relics being sold via cargo ships, arresting fifty-seven criminal suspects and seizing more than two thousand three hundred cultural relics...

When Xu Chunliang heard this, he immediately thought of the Ghost Market experience from last night. It should be this case. It seemed that not long after they left, the police received information and launched a full operation. Xu Chunliang also felt a bit lucky. If he had left a little later, wouldn’t he have been caught in the police’s net? Although he hadn’t done anything wrong, it would’ve been hard to explain in that situation.

Xu Chunliang took out his phone and searched for the news, finding a few photos of the scene online. Sure enough, it was the cargo ship used for the Ghost Market. The photos showed a group of suspects who didn’t have time to escape squatting on the deck in a line, with a few photos displaying the seized stolen goods. It seemed the police’s operation was a great success.

Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but think of Liu Haiyu. Could this operation have been based on his report to the police?

The ringtone on his phone interrupted Xu Chunliang’s thoughts. He glanced at the number; it was Luan Yuchuan.

In his heart, Xu Chunliang thought, Mo Han had hit a wall with him, and now even Luan Yuchuan was involved, which showed how important those dragon bones were to them.

Luan Yuchuan had arrived in Dongzhou today, mainly to meet with local government officials to discuss investment in Dongzhou.

The purpose of Luan Yuchuan’s call was to visit Mr. Xu at Huichun Hall. Xu Chunliang had saved his life, so coming to Dongzhou, he ought to visit his lifesaver’s family out of both emotion and reason.

Xu Chunliang considered Luan Yuchuan’s visit to be just a pretext, but since he had come all this way, it wouldn’t be polite to avoid him. Moreover, Equatorial Capital had already started setting up on Weishan Island, so they were bound to interact in the future. It would be good to understand his intentions first.

Xu Chunliang arranged a time with Luan Yuchuan, hung up the phone, and told Mei Ru Xue, "Equatorial Capital’s Luan Yuchuan wants to come to my house to meet my grandpa."

Mei Ru Xue said, "Today, Secretary Zhou personally met with him, with Secretary Geng accompanying. It’s said Equatorial Capital plans to establish a presence in Dongzhou and the investment is substantial this time."

Xu Chunliang nodded. It seemed Luan Yuchuan was quite influential: "Weishan Island should be the top priority. They have already signed the transfer agreement with Weishan Island Hospital and are currently in negotiations with Da Heng to acquire the Da Heng Hot Spring Town project."

Mei Ru Xue said, "If Equatorial Capital can secure both projects, it would be good for Hu Shan Town, allowing for unified planning and avoiding internal conflict." She paused and added, "And it would be a good thing for you too."

Xu Chunliang said, "Doesn’t seem like it has much to do with me, does it?"

"Oh, it does! You’ll see Mo Han more frequently in the future," Mei Ru Xue said, sounding a bit sour.

Xu Chunliang laughed heartily, "Why do I hear a hint of jealousy?"

Mei Ru Xue said, "I can’t be bothered to be jealous of you. What’s yours won’t run away, and what’s not yours can’t be forced. Don’t you think? I’m just reminding you to separate work from personal life; don’t mix them up."

Xu Chunliang said, "I’ll follow Secretary Mei’s directive."