When the middle-aged man heard Li Se's words, his expression changed. He lunged towards Li Se, pleading, "Save my master, and I shall be greatly rewarded!"
Li Se was about to say something.
"Ah!"
A piercing scream erupted from the old man's throat. His hands flailed in the air, grasping at something, his face etched with terror. He even lashed out at the middle-aged man beside him.
Seeing this, Li Se immediately inserted a silver needle into the old man's glabella, calming him down. However, the old man lost consciousness again.
"Wait a moment." Li Se turned and entered the Medical Association. After about five minutes, he emerged and placed a leaf into the old man's mouth.
"Will this help?" the middle-aged man asked doubtfully.
"This is licorice root; it can counteract the poison of the Sky Immortal Flower," Li Se replied.
He then inserted a few more silver needles into the old man. Less than ten minutes later, the old man awoke.
"How am I here?" the old man asked, looking bewildered.
The middle-aged man recounted everything that had happened to the old man and how Li Se had treated him.
"Thank you, young friend. May I ask your name?" the old man asked gratefully.
"Li Se."
"This is my business card." The old man handed a card to Li Se. "I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must leave now. When I have the time, I will certainly come to the Medical Association to properly thank the esteemed physician Li!"
The old man seemed truly busy, and he left the Medical Association with the middle-aged man shortly after.
Li Se glanced at the business card and was immediately startled.
"What's wrong?" Elder Huang asked.
Li Se handed the card over.
Elder Huang gasped as he looked at it. "It's Secretary Song Yushan!"
Li Se found it peculiar that he had casually saved an old man, only to discover he was the Municipal Party Secretary of Qingyun City. He found it almost unbelievable.
Elder Huang smiled and patted Li Se's shoulder. "You kid, you're truly a child of fortune!"
From what he knew, Li Se had connections with quite a few influential figures. Now, with the addition of a secretary, it seemed this young man could truly do as he pleased in Qingyun City from now on.
"Come, let's have dinner at my place today. We'll have Shanshan cook for us," Elder Huang said with a smile.
"Alright." Li Se did not refuse.
On the way to Elder Huang's home, he called Huang Shanshan, asking her to come home immediately.
By the time they arrived, Huang Shanshan was already busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron. Elder Huang, meanwhile, was playing Xiangqi with Li Se.
"My chess skills are unmatched, and I never expected your skills to be so decent!" Elder Huang said, looking at Li Se with surprise. He loved playing chess, and many found him a formidable opponent. He hadn't expected Li Se to give him such a challenge today.
However, in this game, Li Se ultimately lost.
"You sly fox," Elder Huang grumbled, but a smile played on his lips. He knew without a doubt that Li Se had deliberately lost to him.
"How could that be? It's mainly because of Elder Huang's superior chess skills. I am no match for you," Li Se replied with a humble smile.
"No, we must play another game. You need to use your full strength," Elder Huang insisted.
Li Se felt a sense of helplessness and agreed to play another game. This time, he was extremely cautious, subtly holding back his abilities. Of course, he lost again. He sighed softly, "Alas, I've lost again."
Elder Huang's expression held a hint of doubt. He looked at Li Se suspiciously. "You didn't go easy on me, did you?"
"Elder Huang, I truly didn't go easy this game. I genuinely lost," Li Se said seriously.
Elder Huang finally relaxed, feeling incredibly smug.
"Dinner is ready," Huang Shanshan called out.
The old man and the young man sat down at the table.
Elder Huang looked at his granddaughter, then at Li Se, and said sentimentally, "You two must stand together in the future."
"Grandpa, what are you talking about? It's still a long way off," Huang Shanshan said, blushing with rare shyness.
"Elder Huang, that is certain," Li Se assured him.
"If you dare bully my granddaughter, no matter how great your medical skills are or that you were once my student, I will not let you off!" Elder Huang warned.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
"Better that you wouldn't!" Elder Huang huffed.
After they had eaten their fill, Elder Huang hurried out. Huang Shanshan looked at Li Se and asked, "Did Grandpa take you to the Medical Association today?"
"Yes, with your grandfather's recommendation, I've joined the Medical Association." Li Se's expression held a peculiar look, as he realized that connections truly made everything smoother.
For example, to become an Imperial Physician, even with his exceptional medical skills, it wouldn't have been easy to apply. Even if successful, it would likely have taken about half a year.
Similarly, joining the Medical Association, though the Qingyun City branch wasn't as renowned as its American counterpart, was not easy. Yet, with Elder Huang's word, he had joined effortlessly.
They chatted for a while, and Li Se drove Huang Shanshan to the hospital. Not long after leaving, he sensed something. He pulled the car over, got out, and waited. Soon, a black car slowly drove towards him.
"You've been following me all this way, aren't you tired?" Li Se asked calmly.
The car, which had intended to continue, suddenly stopped upon hearing Li Se's words. A man in his fifties, wearing glasses and looking very refined, alighted from the car. He addressed Li Se, "Li Se?"
"Who are you?" Li Se asked, feeling a sense of familiarity with the man, yet unable to recall who he was.
"I am Jiang Hezheng, the Vice President of the First Hospital," the man introduced himself, adding, "Jiang Yuan is my son."
"I guessed as much. Is there something you need?" Li Se asked.
Jiang Hezheng smiled kindly. "What happened earlier was all a misunderstanding. You are all young people, and it's natural for friction to occur when tempers flare. I hear your medical skills are excellent. How about this: release the person, and I promise you a position as an attending physician, or even a director, at the First Hospital. We happen to have a vacancy for such a role."
"I'm not particularly interested," Li Se replied with a shake of his head.
Jiang Hezheng's expression flickered slightly but quickly recovered. He maintained his smile. "In that case, I have some connections within the Medical Association. As a doctor, you should know about the Qingyun City Medical Association, right? They often have medical exchanges. As long as you agree to let Jiang Yuan go, I can arrange for you to join the Medical Association immediately. What do you think?"
"I'm afraid I must disappoint you. I am already a member of the Medical Association." Li Se found wasting time with Jiang Hezheng irksome, primarily due to the man's condescending attitude.
"I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. As for Jiang Yuan's situation, I'm afraid I can't do anything about it. I'm just a small doctor, not even a hospital doctor, so I don't have that kind of influence."
With that, Li Se got into his car and drove away.
He left behind a grim-faced Jiang Hezheng. The latter watched Li Se's receding figure, then seemed to have an idea and sneered, "A member of the Medical Association, huh? I have plenty of ways to make you compromise!"