After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Zhao Tiancheng, carrying an enamel rice bowl, lined up at the cafeteria window to get his food.

The cafeteria wasn't crowded at lunchtime. Most of the doctors were in the operating room or wards and couldn't get back. Only a few administrative and support staff were scattered around. Zhao Tiancheng ordered a plate of stir-fried cabbage and found a corner seat.

He doesn't like to hang out with people anymore.

Ever since Ye Zhen was hailed as a god at the main hospital, he, the former "promising young surgeon," has become the laughing stock of the entire hospital. The annulment of the engagement, being publicly humiliated, the wrong prescription—one incident after another, like notes stuck to his back, made him the subject of gossip wherever he went.

Zhao Tiancheng took a bite of the steamed bun, chewing very slowly.

Two men in blue overalls sat at the next table. Judging from their clothes, they weren't from the compound; they were probably truck drivers who ran transport outside. They were eating loudly.

"Old Liu, how many cubic meters did you haul this time?"

"Twelve cubic meters. It was hauled from that quarry in Qingyun County. Goodness, the stone there is really hard. The quarry manager, Boss Ye, is an honest man. He gives us an extra 50 cents for loading and unloading each truckload, so all of us brothers are happy to run his route."

"Boss Ye?"

"He's Dr. Ye's older brother from our main hospital. Haven't you heard? The foundation stones for the new building were all purchased from his quarry, a supplier designated by the provincial construction company."

Zhao Tiancheng stopped chewing his steamed bun.

"Specified? How much quantity would that be?"

"It's huge. The foundation alone will be several hundred cubic meters, and then there are retaining walls, drainage slopes, and all that. This order is worth at least ten thousand yuan."

"Wow, a millionaire!"

"That's right. With just a word from Dr. Ye, my brother's stones were directly supplied to our own construction site. We keep the benefits within our own community."

The two drivers laughed after they finished speaking and buried their heads in their food.

Zhao Tiancheng put down his chopsticks, but half of the steamed bun got stuck in his throat.

He stared at the plate of stir-fried cabbage in front of him, his eyes darting around several times.

The intervention center building, which was spearheaded by Ye Zhen, used stone from Ye Cheng's quarry.

He really didn't know this before.

Zhao Tiancheng slowly stuffed the remaining half of the steamed bun into his mouth, stood up, put the food bowl in the recycling bin, and left the canteen.

Instead of returning to the surgery department, he went into the nearby supply and marketing cooperative, where he bought a can of malted milk powder for 3.2 yuan and two cans of fruit for 1.8 yuan. After putting the items in a mesh bag, he got on his half-new Forever brand bicycle, left the back gate of the main hospital, and pedaled towards the Lin family's house.

The Lin family's tenement building was located on the third floor, at the corner, on the east side of the military compound. When Zhao Tiancheng went upstairs, the hallway was filled with the smell of stewed radishes.

He knocked on the door three times.

Zhao Shuya opened the door.

When Zhao Shuya saw him, her expression was complicated. This former prospective son-in-law's current situation was truly awkward. But since Zhao Tiancheng was carrying things and his attitude was polite, Zhao Shuya ultimately didn't close the door.

"Auntie, I've come to see Wanwan. I heard she was sick a couple of days ago."

Zhao Shuya hesitated for a moment, but still stepped aside to let him in.

Lin Wan, wrapped in a floral cotton-padded jacket, huddled on the bed in the inner room. Her face was sallow, her lips were chapped, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying many times.

Zhao Tiancheng placed the malted milk powder and canned food on the bedside table.

"Wanwan, are you feeling better?"

When Lin Wan saw him, her nose tingled and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Brother Tiancheng, don't look at me like that... "

"Don't talk nonsense." Zhao Tiancheng sat down on the stool by the bed, his tone gentle and considerate. "I've heard about it all, about what happened at the train station. You were wronged."

These words seemed to have triggered something, and Lin Wan couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She choked back sobs as she recounted what had happened that day, from being surrounded by the older women to being taken away by the police, from being frozen in the interrogation room for two hours to finally being led out by Lin Weiguo.

"She did it on purpose!" Lin Wan gripped the corner of the blanket, her nails digging white. "Ye Zhen deliberately arranged for me to embarrass myself at the train station! She wouldn't let me answer the phone, she thought I was too clumsy to open the mail, and in the end, she kicked me to the train station to hold up a sign—she just wanted to see me make a fool of myself!"

Zhao Shuya listened from the side, her teeth grinding together: "I told you long ago, that ingrate can't be tamed. I raised her for eighteen years, and now that she's grown up, she's turned on me."

Zhao Tiancheng didn't respond. He lowered his eyes, his fingers rhythmically tapping his knee, as if he was pondering something.

He only spoke after Lin Wan had finished crying. His voice wasn't loud, but he pronounced each word clearly.

"Wanwan, I'm not here just to see you. There's something I want to discuss with you."

Lin Wan rubbed her eyes: "What is it?"

Zhao Tiancheng glanced at the door, and Zhao Shuya, being perceptive, walked out and closed the door behind her.

"You know that new interventional center building that the main hospital just built, right?"

"I know. It's just Ye Zhen's vanity project." Lin Wan scoffed.

"The stones used for the foundation were all purchased from a quarry in Heishan Village, Qingyun County." Zhao Tiancheng paused, "The owner of that quarry is named Ye Cheng."

Lin Wan was stunned for a moment.

"Ye Cheng? Her older brother?"

"Yes. Her older brother owns a quarry, which is the sole supplier designated by the provincial construction company for the project she's leading. This order is worth at least tens of thousands of yuan."

Lin Wan's eyes gradually brightened.

Although she can't do professional work at the hospital, she understands this kind of thing.

"Isn't this...nepotism? A transfer of benefits?"

Zhao Tiancheng extended a finger and gently shook it.

"You can't say that. Saying it like that is like throwing dirty water; someone could sue you for defamation. We need to say it differently."

"What do you mean?"

"The principle of conflict of interest avoidance." Zhao Tiancheng lowered his voice even further. "For any procurement project led by a public official, if the supplier has a direct family relationship with them, they must proactively declare and recuse themselves according to regulations. Although Ye Zhen wasn't in charge of this building's construction, she has a direct connection to it. Her brother supplied the stone materials. Was there any conflict of interest avoidance review? Was there any open qualification selection? Was there any compliance approval from the finance department?"

Lin Wan listened intently, her mouth slightly open.

Zhao Tiancheng continued, "She most likely didn't go through these procedures. Because the new building is a project registered with the Ministry of Health, and the construction company is the provincial construction company. The stone procurement was a subcontracting activity of the construction company; Ye Zhen only made the technical requirements, and the procurement process was handled by the provincial construction company. But the question is—why did the provincial construction company specifically choose her brother's quarry? Was there any prior arrangement? Was there any human intervention?"

"Of course! She must have put in a good word with them!" Lin Wan blurted out.

"Your opinion doesn't matter," Zhao Tiancheng waved his hand. "But as long as we put this question on the table and get everyone to think about it, that will be enough."

Lin Wan stared at his face, her voice trembling: "What do you want to do?"

"An anonymous big-character poster. Mimeographed, without handwriting or signature. Posted on the main hospital's bulletin board. It only presents the facts and raises only questions—Why is the stone supplier for the national project led by Ye Zhen her own brother's private quarry? Did this purchase go through the required legal approvals? Are there any nepotism or kickbacks involved?"

He handed the paper over.

Lin Wan took it and read it twice, rubbing her fingers on the edge of the paper.

"Will just putting up big-character posters do any good? That old fox Zhou Hai will protect her."

"So there's a second step." Zhao Tiancheng held up two fingers. "The big-character posters are just the trigger, enough to stir up public opinion. The real killer move, we'll have to let Uncle Lin handle it."

"My dad?"

"That's right. Uncle Lin is the vice president in charge of logistics and finance. He has the authority to initiate a qualification review of Ye Cheng's quarry under the pretext of 'ensuring the compliance of national projects.' As long as the settlement account is frozen under the pretext of auditing, Ye Cheng won't receive a single penny of payment for the stones. Suppliers won't get paid, workers won't be paid, stone supply will be cut off, and construction will stop—guess what Ye Zhen will do?"

Lin Wan's breathing became rapid.

"She'll be anxious."

"She makes mistakes when she's in a rush." ​​Zhao Tiancheng folded the paper again and put it back in his pocket. "This move is legal, compliant, and reasonable. Nobody can find fault with it."

Lin Wan stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled.

This was the first time she had smiled since returning from the police station.

"Brother Tiancheng, you're smarter than before."

Zhao Tiancheng stood up and patted off non-existent dust from his trouser legs.

"Some things can't be accomplished with just words. You have to use your brain."

He walked to the door and glanced back at Lin Wan.

"I'll handle the big-character poster issue. You're in charge of tipping off Uncle Lin and making him aware of this. Remember, don't say directly that I told you. Just say you overheard people talking about it in the cafeteria, and it reached your ears."

Lin Wan nodded.

Zhao Tiancheng opened the door, and Zhao Shuya was standing there holding two cups of brown sugar water. He took one cup, thanked her politely, exchanged a few pleasantries with Zhao Shuya, and then went downstairs.

The smell of stewed radish in the hallway is even stronger now.

As Zhao Tiancheng left the family compound, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Ye Zhen, you've finally met your match.