Chapter 7 — The Patient I Saved Twice

District hospital: City Second Hospital: My hospital: 200,000 yuan. The amount of money is getting bigger and bigger. That means... They're getting more and more proficient. I brought all the documents to find Director Co. He pushed up his glasses. Turn each page slowly. Fifteen minutes. Twenty minutes. During the whole process, he did not say a word. Until you finish watching. He placed the stack of documents on the table. Use your hands to gently rub your eye sockets.

“It must have taken a lot of effort to investigate to this extent.”

“Half a month.”

He nodded.

“It's been hard.”

After a short silence. He suddenly said:

“But I have to tell you something.”

“What?”

He looked at me. His eyes became extremely serious.

“Do you know why the Deputy Director was so determined to make you pay compensation in the first place?”

“Because he was afraid of trouble.”

Director Co shook his head.

“It's not that simple.”

He stood up. Go to the office door. Looking out into the hallway. Confirmed there is no one. Then close the door. When he returned to his seat, his voice dropped very low.

“Phuong Thanh... is that lawyer.”

“His wife's name is Ton Hong.”

“Working in the public reception department of the Department of Health.”

I was a bit taken aback. He went on to say:

“Ton Hong has an older sister named Ton Le.”

“That woman... is the wife of the Deputy Director of our hospital.”

In that moment. My mind felt like someone had given me a strong blow. All surrounding sounds disappeared. I stared at Director Co. It took a few seconds to say it out loud:

“What do you mean…”

“Phuong Thanh and Deputy Principal are family?”

“Not quite.”

“But their wives are sisters.”

I leaned back in my chair. Hands are cold.

“So every time Phuong Thanh has a medical dispute…”

“Deputy Director all cooperated?”

Director Co did not answer directly. He just said:

“For the past three years.”

“More than half of the hospital's medical dispute compensation is approved by the Deputy Director.”

“Most are processed extremely quickly.”

“Not fully investigated.”

“Verification process not completed.”

I looked at him. Each word jumped out from between my teeth.

“This is collusion.”

He calmly raised his cup of tea.

“You said it.”

“Not uncle.”

He pushed the stack of documents towards me.

“Hold these carefully.”

“Don't lose it.”

I didn't accept it right away.

“Director Co.”

“Aren't you going to help me?”

He looked at me for a long time. There was helplessness in those eyes. There is regret. There is also guilt. Finally he sighed softly.

“Next year I will retire.”

“The only thing I can do is tell you these things.”

“Want to continue…”

“You have to go on your own.”

“Go by yourself?”

“What does that mean?”

He looked straight into my eyes. Slowly said two words: He raised the cup of tea and took a sip. Say nothing more. I packed up the documents. Leave the office. In the hallway, a nurse was pushing a medicine cart passing by. She smiled and greeted me. I nodded in response. Then walk towards the elevator. Constantly piecing together everything in my head. Chu Chi Minh. Phuong Thanh. Deputy Director. All connected together into a complete straight line. Chu Chi Minh is the one standing in front of the stage. Being an actor directly makes money. Phuong Thanh is the director behind. Ton Hong is in charge of response at the Department of Health. And the Deputy Director opens the way in the hospital. Three hospitals. They have earned a lot of money Arranged complaints. Just the latest victim. The elevator door opens. I walked in. Press the first floor button. While the elevator slowly went down. I took out my phone. Open a new contact. Then save a phone number. Whistleblowing line of the Department of Health. I won't hold back anymore. Before going to the Department of Health, I spent another week organizing all the evidence. Uncle Liu's report. Photo of complaint records from three hospitals. Photos of forum posts. Information on Phuong Thanh's practice. And also a copy of the unusually dated complaint. I carefully put it all in a folder. Then photocopy another set. Locked in a drawer at home. I don't know where this will go. But at the very least, I don't want all the evidence to disappear overnight. Monday morning. I took half a day off. Take a taxi to the city Department of Health. The Reception Room is located on the third floor. On the way up the stairs, my palms kept sweating. This is the first time in my life I have denounced someone. It was also the first time I had to face a system much larger than myself. I took a deep breath. Push the door and step in. There are two staff members in the room. A young man is on the phone. A middle-aged woman sits in front of a computer. The woman raised her head to look at me.

“Hello, what do you need to solve?”

“I want to report it.”

She took out a form from her desk drawer and handed it over.

“Fill in the information first.”

I sat down. Start filling. Fill half way. I unconsciously raised my head. His eyes fell on the nameplate on the desk. That moment. I was dumbfounded. On the name tag were clearly written two words: The pen in my hand stopped. That's Ton Hong. Phuong Thanh's wife. The biological sister of the Deputy Director's wife.