142. Can we do whatever it takes to achieve justice?
Ling Ling asked in confusion, "Why? I worked so hard to edit and upload it. And formal channels can't crack down on this kind of villain, so we can only rely on public opinion!" Ming Tong said angrily, "Can you grasp the direction of public opinion? No one can accurately control the direction of public opinion. In the end, you may end up hurting yourself, unless you have the ability to silence everyone at any time. Now that the man's information can be dug up online, our privacy may be exposed at any time. People on the Internet have different educational backgrounds and social experiences, and some even have no education or social experience. Do you expect keyboard warriors to uphold justice?" Ling Ling was also very angry when she heard him say this, and questioned him: "What else? The local police are trying to smooth things over, the doctors are compromising, and I, an ordinary citizen, have been bullied. I can only turn to online public opinion for help. That's it, what kind of waves do you think it will cause? No matter how I wail, it will soon be replaced by new hot topics. People are only interested in gossip, not injustice. But what can I do? Let it go? These people are used to not following the rules. They think they can be assigned according to the noise they make, so they act like scoundrels without scruples. Are they afraid of apologizing? Of course not. You can't foolishly expect someone with a long history of bad behavior to repent; they apologize only because they're afraid of punishment. So, they should be punished! But the reality is, he didn't inflict a 15-centimeter wound on me, and my injury wasn't minor, so he won't be criminally punished. And if your hospital wants to keep things quiet, he won't be administratively punished either. Can't I even use the limited online resources of my few remaining social media accounts? They can use whatever means necessary to achieve their own dirty tricks, but why can't I use whatever means necessary to achieve justice? Ming Tong still insisted, "If our identities were exposed, and others knew you were my girlfriend, and they misunderstood us as a couple with ulterior motives, and then some twist happened, our lives would be disrupted just to vent our anger. Is it worth it?" Ling Ling was so angry that her voice trembled as she said, "Do you think I stood up just because you are my boyfriend? Do you think I did all this just to vent my anger? It is because people like you are hesitant and timid that those medical troublemakers have room to cause trouble. They will further consume public resources. They will chop off the hands of an excellent surgeon. He will not only damage one doctor, but the only hope of survival for countless patients waiting to be saved!" Ming Tong still adhered to his own boundaries: "No matter what, you do this...
Ling Ling asked in confusion, "Why? I worked so hard to edit and upload it. And formal channels can't crack down on this kind of villain, so we can only rely on public opinion!"
Mingtong said angrily, "Can you control the direction of public opinion? No one can accurately control the direction of public opinion. In the end, you may only hurt yourself, unless you have the ability to silence everyone at any time. Now that the man's information can be dug up online, it may also expose our privacy at any time. People online have different educational backgrounds and social experiences, some even have no education and no social experience. Do you expect keyboard warriors to uphold justice?"
Ling Ling was also very angry when she heard him say this, and questioned him: "What else? The local police are trying to smooth things over, the doctors are compromising, and I, an ordinary citizen, have been bullied. I can only turn to online public opinion for help. That's it, what kind of waves do you think it will cause? No matter how I wail, it will soon be replaced by new hot topics. People are only interested in gossip, not unjust cases. But what can I do? Let it go? These people are used to not following the rules. They think they can be assigned according to the noise they make, so they act like scoundrels without scruples. Are they afraid of making an apology? Of course not. You can't foolishly expect a person with a bad record to repent. They apologize only because they are afraid of being punished. So, they should be punished! But the reality is, he didn't give me 15. "The injury was only a few centimeters, and it wasn't considered a minor one, so he won't be criminally punished; and if your hospital wants to keep the peace, he won't be administratively punished. Can't I even use the limited resources of my own social media accounts? They can use whatever means necessary to achieve their own dirty tricks, but why can't I use whatever means necessary to achieve justice?"
Mingtong still insisted, "If our identities were exposed and others knew you were my girlfriend, they would misunderstand us as a couple with ulterior motives. If they did something else, our lives would be disrupted just to vent our anger. Is it worth it?"
Ling Ling was so angry that her voice trembled as she said, "Do you think I stood up just because you're my boyfriend? Do you think I did all this just to vent my anger? It's because people like you are hesitant and timid that those medical troublemakers have room to cause trouble. They will further consume public resources. They will chop off the hands of an excellent surgeon. They will not only harm one doctor, but also the only hope of survival for countless patients waiting to be saved!"
Mingtong, however, remained steadfast in his stance. "No matter what, your actions are ill-considered. You talk about using severe punishment, but the premise is that it must be quantifiable, just like drunk driving. Just puffing, and whatever the instrument shows, we'll use whatever measures we take. It's very clear. But behind every medical dispute are many complexities. And after all, I work within the system, so I want to be cautious. We can't rashly entrust our future and fate to uncontrollable online public opinion."
Hearing him say this, Ling Ling felt disheartened. She didn't want to argue anymore. She picked up her phone and deleted the video on Weibo. Then she showed it to him and said, "Okay, I deleted it. I'm sorry that my unconventional approach has caused trouble for you, the regular army."
After saying that, Ling Ling forcefully opened the door and prepared to leave, but she saw Lu Yan standing there eavesdropping. She noticed a faint smirk on Lu Yan's face. Ling Ling ignored her, but Lu Yan loudly said to Ming Tong, "Doctor Zhong, Director Zou asked me to come over and see you."
Ling Ling walked home, her eyes gnashing with anger. She'd already had a tough day at the company, and had come to the hospital seeking comfort. She'd put her vulnerability aside, bravely standing up for justice, only to be met with complete incomprehension from him, even feeling she was causing him trouble! Well then, Lu Yan was the one who understood now, wasn't she? Fine, then, let them cling to each other and live happily ever after! She would never visit him in their hospital again.
Ling Ling returned home and took a hot shower. Her left cheek still felt burning when she touched it. Not wanting to dwell on her pointless anger any longer, she lay down, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.
But she heard the sound of the door opening. It must be Mingtong coming back. She heard the sound of washing up, and then he leaned against the headboard quietly, half lying beside her, with a slight smell of disinfectant on his body.
He asked her softly, "Are you asleep?"
She only responded with one word: "No."
"Does your face still hurt? You should apply some ice, otherwise it'll be noticeably swollen tomorrow. I remember you said you had a client meeting tomorrow."
"I'm not afraid to meet anyone. I can tell anyone about my experience. I regard this slap in the face as my medal."
Mingtong listened to her sullen words and said in a tired voice, "I'm sorry for today. You did the right thing, but I was too cowardly. I've been so cautious all along, afraid that I wouldn't graduate from medical school if I didn't work hard enough, that I wouldn't be promoted to a full-time resident physician if I wasn't proactive enough, and that I'd say something wrong during the professional title evaluation and be eliminated. My performance today doesn't match your courage."
His words instantly softened her heart. She no longer harbored resentment, but immediately forgave him for every argument they'd had today. She turned over, stroked his arm, and said, "Forget it. I don't blame you anymore, and don't blame yourself. Different professions are like different worlds. You work in the hospital every day, dealing with birth, illness, and death. You must have seen more of the good and evil in people's hearts than I do. As for me, I'm probably just too accustomed to using the media to spread news. I didn't consult you before publishing that video. I was being inconsiderate."
"No," Mingtong stroked her thick hair and said, "Your courage is contagious. I'm very grateful for inspiring me. I was called in to Director Zou and scolded again, but I confronted him. Although it was only a round, my arguments and evidence were simply copied from yours. But it was also a first in my career. I guess this is the 36th thing I've done that I once dared not do, am I remembering correctly?"
Ling Ling nodded and giggled, saying, "Then you should tell that devilish director of yours, 'Our duty as doctors is to save the dying and the wounded. If the other person happens to be mentally retarded this time, we have to treat him, right?'"
Mingtong burst into laughter at his amusement, especially when combined with Director Zou's usual sadistic image. He hugged her and said seriously, "Lingling, I'm so grateful to have met you. I'm a very boring person, and all I've done is study. So I chose to be a doctor, because it requires lifelong study, which is easier for me. My life used to seem like only white, blue, and dark green. But since I met you, I feel like my life has been filled with vibrant colors. I used to think I was a deserted city, but after meeting you, I've often felt like I was in chaos."
Ling Ling laid on his chest, hugged him tightly and said, "You are not a boring person at all, otherwise how could I fall in love with you. When I am with you, I always feel warm and at ease. I like the present life."
*~*~*~*~*~*~
After Wen Ruier became Tuowu's Vice President of Creative, Lingling felt a number of awkward changes. He did bring in the client resource of Aojie, a channel that had previously been out of reach for Tuowu. He assigned this channel to Team A for detailed liaison. This was Lingling's first time working with such a prestigious international brand, and while she initially learned a lot, she gradually realized that Wen Ruier was essentially just assigning her to chores, preventing her from even touching core resources. Wen Ruier was a mature professional, able to articulate rejection and concealment with the eloquence of a nightingale.
Ling Ling understood that every employee's access to connections was the foundation of their livelihood, so she certainly didn't expect him to enthusiastically introduce her. However, Wen Ruier, in turn, cleverly exploited Ling Ling's client base, using his position as a superior to justify his familiarity with the business. He had already built a strong network in just two weeks. Ling Ling didn't mind. After all, it was a company-provided platform, and sharing information with her superiors was a matter of course, simply to further the business.
But at client dinners, Wen Ruier frequently asked Ling Ling to help him drink, always getting her drunk. This seemed to have become his game, his secret weapon for quickly winning over unfamiliar clients. Week after week, this routine took its toll, not only on her body but also on Zhong Mingtong.
Author's Note
Liu Qiu
author
07-12
I've been on a bus in Urumqi for 18 hours straight... I want to hear some encouragement.
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