Chapter 65: Your Boss Will Always Be Gu, Not Su
Su Tao couldn’t help but covet medical supplies again.
While healing-type ability users were powerful, they weren’t all-encompassing. To some extent, they still couldn’t completely replace medication and surgical treatment.
However, in the post-apocalyptic world, medicine was incredibly expensive. Even basic fever and cold medicine had once been inflated to 40,000–50,000 federal credits, plus an additional 1,000 contribution points per pill.
She remembered having a high fever as a child. Su Jianming had been too stingy to buy her fever medicine, forcing her to endure it.
For two days, she burned up, almost losing her life. Only when Su Jianming feared the neighbors would talk badly about him did he reluctantly take her to the hospital.
After recovering, she faced nothing but cold stares from the Su family.
After finalizing the plans, Su Tao and Zhuang Wan drafted a notice titled “Taoyang Medical Consultation Guidelines.”
Zhong Gaoyi skimmed through it and asked in confusion:
“You didn’t mention any fees for the tenants. Will they still come?”
Based on the market rate, healing Chen Xi’s injury alone would have cost around 200,000 federal credits.
More severe trauma would only cost more.
The lack of pricing felt like walking into a high-end store with no price tags—people might not dare to make a move.
Su Tao responded, “As long as they’re Taoyang tenants, consultations are free.”
After all, providing water to Gu Mingchi each month didn’t cost much, and Zhong Gaoyi was sent under orders, meaning no salary was needed.
Zhong Gaoyi was stunned. It took him a while to speak, “So, you brought me here without planning to make a single dime, even willing to cover the costs?”
Su Tao was puzzled:
“How am I covering costs?”
“Water isn’t free, right? Plus, you’re investing time and effort to manage tenant consultations. Those are all costs.”
Su Tao thought for a moment, then shook her head:
“That’s not covering costs—it’s called investing. Think about it: if tenants can get free medical treatment, how many people would want to come to Taoyang?”
In the future, Taoyang couldn’t rely on her working herself to death to drive development.
She needed talent—good, capable ability users.
She hoped that one day, people like Zhong Gaoyi would come to Taoyang not because of a transaction or business deal but of their own volition.
By continuously attracting talent, she could create an endless stream of value.
That was her true goal.
Zhong Gaoyi was taken aback. After a long pause, he said, “Boss Su, you have vision.”
He looked out at the beautifully landscaped central park, and a thought sprouted in his mind—perhaps Taoyang really was the last Noah’s Ark.
*
The announcement of “Taoyang Medical Consultation Guidelines” caused quite a stir.
Within Taoyang, the reaction wasn’t particularly shocking. The tenants had already heard about it through internal channels before Dr. Zhong’s arrival. They had even filled out application forms early and sent them to Zhuang Wan, ready to enjoy this incredible benefit of being part of Taoyang.
However, outside Taoyang, the news spread like wildfire.
The first to receive the news was Dongyang TV Station. The staff who had previously schemed against Taoyang looked at each other, stunned.
Pang Hong’s face turned red with disbelief:
“How could there be such a good deal? Everyone in Dongyang knows that Zhong Gaoyi is under the Gu family. How could they possibly allow free treatment in Taoyang? This must be a blatant lie to save face.”
No one else responded to her.
Just a few days prior, people had seen a car from the East District escorting Zhong Gaoyi to Taoyang—there were even photos as proof.
Taoyang had publicly announced it, and their internal members were already lining up.
It was even rumored that the little girl with facial disfigurement had fully recovered.
With all this solid evidence laid out, anyone who still doubted it clearly had a problem with their head.
Pang Hong stormed home, barely catching her breath before her husband pulled her aside:
“You’ve heard about Taoyang, right? You were so careless before, giving up the spot at Taoyang. Regretting it now, aren’t you?”
“How about we apply again? Let’s bring my parents along. You know my dad broke his back a few years ago—he’s still bedridden, can’t even turn over. If we move to Taoyang, he could get treated for free. You know how amazing Zhong Gaoyi is—he could regrow a foot if it was cut off. My dad’s back should be no problem at all.”
Pang Hong’s face turned red and green with anger. After a long silence, she squeezed out a single sentence, “If you want to go, go by yourself.”
Her husband was baffled, “What do you mean?”
Pang Hong snapped, humiliated, “I mean exactly what I said. I burned bridges with Taoyang when I turned them down last time. If you want to go, go alone! Taoyang, Taoyin—who cares? I don’t!”
Her husband was stunned. Remembering her habit of offending people, he quickly dug up Taoyang’s contact information and called them back.
After the call, he learned not only was his wife blacklisted by Taoyang, but anyone associated with her would also be rejected for housing applications.
The couple spent the night in cold silence, sleepless.
When Pang Hong, with puffy red eyes, got up the next morning, the first thing she saw was a divorce agreement on the nightstand—the husband’s signature already in place.
*
After three days of treatment, Old Mei’s leg gradually regained sensation.
Liu Panpan was even more excited than Old Mei, her eyes sparkling with hope.
Zhong Gaoyi wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Your leg has been necrotic for quite a while. It needs gradual treatment. It’ll take some time.”
Old Mei had never imagined he might walk again. Hearing this, his aged eyes filled with tears, emotions swirling inside him.
Su Tao and Zhuang Wan were equally delighted. Zhuang Wan even eagerly handed Zhong Gaoyi water and tissues, “Dr. Zhong, thank you for your hard work. Have some water.”
Little Chen Xi, watching on with admiration, clung to Zhong Gaoyi’s hand and asked, “Uncle Zhong, how can I become like you? I want to be a doctor too. Please teach me—I’m not afraid of any hardship!”
Zhuang Wan felt embarrassed, quickly pulling Chen Xi back, her face full of apologies.
But Zhong Gaoyi didn’t mind. He gently patted Chen Xi’s head, “To be a doctor, you need to know how to read and write a lot of characters.”
And you also needed a stroke of luck to awaken a healing ability.
But he didn’t mention this, not wanting to dampen the child’s spirits.
Chen Xi nodded enthusiastically, “I’m working hard! My mom teaches me a lot—she’s amazing and has read many books!”
Zhong Gaoyi was pleasantly surprised and nodded with a smile toward Zhuang Wan.
*
Five days passed quickly. There weren’t many patients in Taoyang, and they were all particularly polite. Some even insisted on giving Zhong Gaoyi food and drinks as thanks.
His work was easier than ever. The accommodations and meals were satisfying. When the time came to leave, he even felt a bit reluctant.
Chen Xi and Chen Yang were even more unwilling to let him go, looking at him with hopeful eyes, “Uncle Zhong, you must come back next month, okay?”
Zhong Gaoyi sat in the car, waving at them until the people of Taoyang became tiny black dots in the distance.
He opened his palm, revealing a small packet of candy Chen Xi had given him. It was her favorite, something she couldn’t bear to eat herself.
He unwrapped one, put it in his mouth, and the sweetness spread across his tongue, a warmth reaching his very core.
All the way back to the Eastern District, the lingering sweetness made him almost forget he had a boss named Gu.
When Gu Mingchi saw him, he extinguished his cigar and smiled slightly, “It seems Dr. Zhong had quite a pleasant time in Taoyang these past few days.”
Zhong Gaoyi didn’t dare respond, maintaining his usual silence.
Gu Mingchi’s expression gradually turned cold, “I don’t care what you’re thinking. Your life is mine. Your boss will always be Gu, not Su.”
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