Chapter 128: Jealousy
The news that Ning Tang was about to take over as the director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine spread like wildfire.
The news spread to every corner of the military hospital in less than a morning, and even the security personnel knew about it.
When I went to the cafeteria for lunch during my lunch break, I saw many people from other departments gathered together.
The conversation was full of talk about Ning Tang becoming the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department.
After all, she was only in her early twenties and had been at the hospital for less than six months.
Although the Traditional Chinese Medicine department has few staff, it does have some older, experienced doctors.
Logically speaking, even if this position were given to Wang Yingying, it shouldn't have been Ning Tang's turn.
As Ning Tang's good friend, Wang Yingying immediately remarked that Tang Tang was very capable when she heard these people talking.
With his acupuncture skills alone, he has saved many important figures during this period.
Leaving aside the military region, many military families have also been rescued.
There's a lot of talk outside saying that a particularly talented young traditional Chinese medicine doctor has come to the military hospital. Even Dean Gou can't stop talking about Ning Tang whenever someone mentions her at a meeting.
Hearing Wang Yingying's analysis, even those who were initially unconvinced became convinced.
Why are they complaining when even the TCM doctors aren't angry?
If the TCM department hadn't been willing, they probably would have already started making a scene.
When the news reached Lu Niannian's ears, she was sitting in the rest area of the surgical office.
The medical examination report I was holding fell to the ground with a thud.
She looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief, and grabbed a passing nurse, demanding, "What did you say? Ning Tang is going to be the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department? That's impossible!"
The nurse's arm ached from being gripped so tightly, but she didn't dare to pull away. She could only nod softly, "It's true. Dean Gou personally went to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine to announce it. He'll officially take office next Monday, and there will be an appointment ceremony."
Lu Niannian's face turned deathly pale instantly, then flushed a deep liver color.
Head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department! That position should have belonged to her mother, Zhou Hairong!
Zhou Hairong, as the director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was caught red-handed because he was obsessed with ruining Ning Tang and Xu Qiaofeng's military marriage. In the end, he was given a public reprimand and dismissed from his post.
From then on, Lu Niannian always felt that people looked at her with mockery in the hospital.
Now Ning Tang actually wants to sit in that position, and even has to step on her face to climb up!
"Why should I?" Lu Niannian trembled with anger, her voice sharp like a duck being choked.
"How long has she been at the hospital? What makes a junior TCM doctor who can only take pulses and prescribe herbal medicine qualified to be the head of the department?"
Lu Niannian became more and more unwilling to accept it. What was so good about Ning Tang?
She was just lucky to marry Xu Qiaofeng and have the Xu family as her backer. Now she's even vying for the position of director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine!
She absolutely cannot let Ning Tang have her way, and she certainly cannot let Ning Tang ride roughshod over her!
But when you calm down and think about it, Lu Niannian has no way to compete with Ning Tang right now.
The previous rumors that Ning Tang was a mistress not only failed to ruin Ning Tang's reputation, but also made him a laughing stock in the hospital.
If she hadn't been quick-witted and fainted in the emergency yesterday, Lu Niannian wouldn't have dared to come to work at the hospital today!
And that idiot who likes her.
They'll immediately lose their brains if you just sweet-talk them a little.
In fact, Lu Niannian didn't even look at her suitors. After all, with her good background and looks, her future husband had to be an outstanding man like Xu Qiaofeng.
But there was no other way; if they wanted to bring down Ning Tang at the hospital, they needed his helper.
Moreover, today, when he tried to threaten Ning Tang with his father Lu Jiaxiang, he didn't get any benefit at all.
Now that Ning Tang has Dean Gou and military leaders backing her up, it's difficult for her to even get close to Ning Tang, let alone cause any trouble.
After much deliberation, Lu Niannian could only place her hopes on her father.
She jumped up from her chair, grabbed her things, and rushed out, heading straight for the head of surgery's office.
The office door wasn't closed properly, so Lu Niannian pushed it open and saw Lu Jiaxiang sitting behind his desk, holding a document in his hand, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused, as if he was lost in thought.
Sunlight streamed through the window and shone on his face, making him appear somewhat tired.
"Dad!" Lu Niannian stormed over and slammed her things onto the desk.
"Didn't you say you were going to threaten Ning Tang? How's that going now? She's about to become the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department. Did you even help me out at all?!"
Lu Jiaxiang seemed not to hear her words and remained in the same position.
His gaze fell blankly on the documents.
It wasn't until Lu Niannian called out "Dad" again that he slowly raised his head and looked at Lu Niannian.
That look made Lu Niannian's heart skip a beat, and she felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Lu Jiaxiang's eyes were complex, containing doubt, scrutiny, and a sense of unfamiliarity she had never seen before.
It's like looking at a complete stranger.
"Dad, why are you looking at me like that?" Lu Niannian felt a little uneasy under his gaze and subconsciously took a step back. "I'm asking you a question. Are you going to get involved in Ning Tang's matter or not?"
Actually, Lu Jiaxiang wasn't looking at the documents at all; his mind was completely occupied by Ning Tang.
He had been restless ever since Ning Tang confronted him in the hallway that morning, especially because Ning Tang's eyes kept flashing in his mind.
Those eyes were bright, with a stubborn, unyielding quality, much like a woman he had seen in his youth.
He tried desperately to remember who the woman was, but his memory was shrouded in a fog, impossible to grasp.
More importantly, Ning Tang's face is very similar to that of his friend in the capital.
If Lu Jiaxiang hadn't known that his friend's family had found their biological daughter, he would definitely have believed that Ning Tang was their biological child.
Just now, when Lu Niannian came in, he was subconsciously comparing Lu Niannian with Ning Tang.
Looking at Lu Niannian's arrogant eyes and then at Ning Tang's aloof yet resolute demeanor, he felt increasingly uneasy.
Lu Niannian is nothing like him; she has a bad temper and doesn't think things through.
Where is Ning Tang?
Although we always clashed, I was always able to grasp the crux of the problem.
They showed no favoritism towards him, the head of the shell company, because of their different statuses.
That calmness and wisdom, on the contrary, made him feel close to her.
Especially Ning Tang's eyebrows and eyes, the more I thought about them, the more familiar they seemed, as if I had seen them countless times before.
"Dad! What are you spacing out for!" Lu Niannian finally snapped when he still didn't say anything, and waved her hand in front of him.
"Are you afraid of Ning Tang? Or are you afraid of the Xu family? Have you forgotten how Ning Tang harmed my mother? Now you don't even dare to stand up for my mother?"
Lu Jiaxiang was brought back to his senses by her voice. The complex emotions in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a trace of weariness.
He rubbed his temples, his voice a little hoarse: "Stop fooling around, Niannian."
"Me, making a scene?"
Lu Niannian couldn't believe her ears and raised the volume.
“Ning Tang is practically riding roughshod over us, and you still say I’m causing trouble? Didn’t you say before that with your position as the head of surgery, you could make Ning Tang unable to stay in the hospital? Why don’t you dare to do that now?”
Lu Jiaxiang remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Lu Niannian with a hint of barely perceptible disgust in his eyes.
"The decision to appoint Ning Tang as the director of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine was made jointly by the hospital and military region leaders, and I cannot interfere with it."
"Can't intervene?" Lu Niannian shouted, pointing at the door as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. "You're the head of surgery! You've been in the hospital for so many years, don't you even have this much ability? Dad, don't you want to help me? Do you think Ning Tang is better than me?"
Lu Jiaxiang's face darkened, and his tone became serious.
“Niannian, can’t you be a little more mature? Ning Tang became the director because she has the ability, it has nothing to do with anything else.”
"Besides, I went to see her before, but I didn't get anything out of it myself, it has nothing to do with anyone else."
"You went to see her?" Lu Niannian was taken aback for a moment, then pressed on, "What did you say to her? Did you threaten her? Was she scared?"
Looking at her anxious expression, Lu Jiaxiang felt a strange sense of disappointment.
He recalled how Ning Tang, despite her fear, refused to back down when faced with his threats.
Looking at Lu Niannian, who only knows how to rely on others, the contrast in her heart became even stronger.
He waved his hand, his tone tinged with impatience: "Alright, you don't need to worry about this anymore. I won't cause Ning Tang any more trouble, nor will I try to stop her from becoming the director."
"What did you say?"
Lu Niannian was completely stunned; she couldn't believe her father would say such a thing.
"Dad, how can you say that? Ning Tang is our enemy! Have you forgotten how she made our family lose face?"
Lu Jiaxiang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
When I opened my eyes again, the previous complexities were gone, leaving only exhaustion.
“I haven’t forgotten, but some things can’t be solved by being unreasonable. Niannian, don’t cause trouble for Ning Tang anymore. Just focus on doing your job well.”
After saying that, he stopped looking at Lu Niannian, picked up the documents on the table again, and gestured that she could leave.
Lu Niannian stood there, trembling with anger.
She didn't expect her father to suddenly change his mind, and she certainly didn't expect him to speak up for Ning Tang.
Looking at Lu Jiaxiang's indifferent profile, Lu Niannian felt both angry and aggrieved, and tears welled up in her eyes.
In all her life, when has she ever suffered such injustice?
Even though her parents had a bad relationship, they both doted on her.
This is the first time I've been this cold to myself.
Lu Niannian couldn't accept it and completely broke down.
She didn't know why God had brought Ning Tang into her life, not only taking away Xu Qiaofeng, but now also taking away her father!
"Fine, you're not going to help me, are you?" Lu Niannian gritted her teeth, her voice trembling with tears. "Then I'll go myself! I refuse to believe I can't handle Ning Tang!"
After saying that, she grabbed the things on the table, turned around and ran out, forgetting to even close the door.
Lu Jiaxiang heard the door slam shut and sighed helplessly.
He put down the documents in his hand, his gaze drifted to the window again, and Ning Tang's image reappeared in his mind.
He didn't know why he suddenly changed his mind, nor did he know why he felt a strange sense of familiarity and warmth when he saw Ning Tang.
He took out his notebook and flipped to the address book to find the name of someone he hadn't contacted in a long time and her current home address.
After hesitating for a long time, I ultimately didn't make the call.
He always felt that, regarding Ning Tang...
Memories of my youth.
There must be something important he has forgotten.
Lu Jiaxiang doesn't consider himself a cold-hearted person. After marrying Zhou Hairong, he never liked her.
The wedding night was delayed, and in the end, they drank too much and unexpectedly had a long road ahead.
Lu Jiaxiang originally thought that after so many years, he would fall in love with Zhou Hairong, but every time he saw her, his heart would ache terribly.
This time, Lu Jiaxiang didn't want to act in a muddle again.
He decided to investigate thoroughly!
Meanwhile, Ning Tang was in the TCM department office, exchanging ideas with the senior doctors in the department.
Dr. Li, holding a patient's medical record, smiled and said to Ning Tang.
"Dr. Ning, oh no, I should call you Director Ning now. This patient's condition is quite complicated. We've discussed it several times but haven't found a suitable treatment plan. Could you take a look?"
Ning Tang took the medical record and read it carefully, occasionally asking the patient about their symptoms.
Her tone was humble and her attitude was serious; she didn't put on airs at all because she was about to become the director.
The older doctors around her looked at her with eyes full of approval.
"Director Ning, don't worry, we will support you in everything you do in the department from now on," Dr. Wang said with a smile. "You are young, have ideas, and have medical skills. With you leading the way, our TCM department will definitely get better and better."
Ning Tang looked up, smiled, and nodded: "Thank you, teachers. I'll need your help in the future. I lack experience, so please point out any mistakes I may make."
On the other side...
After running out of the head of surgery's office, Lu Niannian did not return to her post.
Instead, he took advantage of the lull at lunchtime and skipped work to go home without asking for leave.
Back home, Lu Niannian, her voice trembling with tears, recounted how Ning Tang wanted to become the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department and how Lu Jiaxiang refused to help.
Zhou Hairong sat across from him listening, and was so angry when he saw his precious child being wronged that he started cursing.
"Lu Jiaxiang, that coward! He doesn't even know how to help his own daughter when she's been wronged, but he's afraid of that little bitch Ning Tang!"
"Niannian, don't worry, Mom will think of a way! Ning Tang wants to become the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department, it won't be that easy!"
Hearing her mother's words, Lu Niannian felt a little more at ease.
She wiped away her tears, and as if suddenly remembering something, anger reignited in her eyes.
"Mom, you have to help me! I absolutely cannot let Ning Tang get away with this!"
Not forgetting that she had to go to work in the afternoon, Lu Niannian looked at the clock and reluctantly left, her eyes filled with malice.
She was certain that her mother would have a way to deal with Ning Tang.
My mother must have had some extraordinary methods to rise to the position of director of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department in the hospital back then.
This time, she was determined to ruin Ning Tang's reputation and let Ning Tang know that she couldn't do whatever she wanted in this hospital!
At least this time, Lu Niannian doesn't want to lose to Ning Tang again!
Lu Niannian wiped away her tears and continued walking. Suddenly, she seemed to see something and squinted at the person in front of her.
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