"Haha, Jiarong has really made something of himself."

  "Yes, I always said Jiarong had great potential."

  "Incredible! Even high-ranking city officials came personally to congratulate him."

  "Jiarong is a role model for our children. The Jiang family is truly blessed to have such a good son-in-law."

  "If we ever need anything in the future, we'll have to trouble Jiarong. I hope he won't forget his less fortunate relatives."

  The relatives who had previously mocked Lin Yu now completely changed their tune, showering him with flattery.

  Li Suqin and Jiang Jingren stood tall and proud in the crowd, basking in the adulation.

  Though they were still bewildered, now wasn't the time to show it—they had to maintain their dignified facade.

  Jiang Yan was also stunned, watching Lin Yu converse effortlessly with Zeng Shujie and the others. It was clear they had known each other for a while and had a very comfortable rapport.

  The "good-for-nothing" she remembered had given her so many surprises and shocks since waking up. Looking back now, every word he had said seemed to have come true.

  Was he really He Jiarong?

  "Mayor Zeng, let me introduce you—this is my wife, Jiang Yan."

  Lin Yu walked over, took Jiang Yan's hand, and introduced her to Zeng Shujie, Wei Gongxun, and Deng Jianbin.

  "Jiarong, you're a lucky man to have married such a beauty," Zeng Shujie said with a smile.

  Wei Gongxun, however, looked as if he had swallowed a fly, his face twisted in dismay. How could Jiarong be married already—and so young?

  He and his wife had planned to offer their daughter to Lin Yu in marriage.

  Who would have thought someone else would beat them to it?

  Wei Gongxun was filled with regret. Why hadn't he met He Jiarong a few years earlier?

  What he didn't know was that if he had met He Jiarong a few years ago, he probably wouldn't have given him a second glance.

  "What are you all doing here? Who gave you permission to open this clinic?"

  A cold voice rang out from outside, followed by the entrance of seven or eight uniformed men—blue uniforms for industry and commerce, orange for fire safety, white for food and drug regulation, and two in plain clothes who appeared to be minor officials.

  "Does this place comply with regulations to operate? Who's the owner? Are all the permits in order?" a blue-uniformed officer demanded.

  "Who the hell are these people?"

  Wei Gongxun took one look at them and knew they were here to cause trouble. How could the clinic operate without all the proper permits? He couldn't help but feel annoyed.

  "Don't rush. Let's see what happens first. They're just doing their jobs—we can't interfere with official duties," Zeng Shujie quickly reminded him, pulling him back.

  "All the permits are in order."

  Lin Yu was puzzled by their sudden appearance but quickly retrieved a stack of documents from a drawer and handed them over.

  "Hmph, no need to look." The blue-uniformed officer glanced at the papers dismissively and swatted them out of Lin Yu's hands.

  Jiang Yan glared at him angrily before bending down to pick up the scattered documents.

  "Where did you source these medicinal herbs? Have they been inspected and approved?" A white-uniformed officer frowned.

  He walked over to the shelves, pulled out a few boxes of herbs, sniffed them, and carelessly tossed them back without bothering to sort them.

  Lin Yu was furious. It was obvious they were here to make trouble. But since it was the clinic's opening day, he didn't want to cause a scene, so he swallowed his anger and said, "The herbs come from the same supplier as Jishi Tang. There's definitely no issue with their quality."

  "That's not necessarily true. These herbs don't seem right to me—they smell moldy. I'll take samples back for testing. You can resume business once they pass inspection," the white-uniformed officer said flatly, scooping a handful of herbs into a transparent plastic bag.

  "Your fire safety inspection also failed. There's too much wood and clutter here—it's a fire hazard. Shut down for now!" the orange-uniformed officer added.

  "But your department already inspected before the opening and said everything was up to standard," Lin Yu said, his brow furrowing with displeasure.

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  "Our department? I'm the one in charge of inspections. I don't recall approving this place," the orange-uniformed officer sneered.

  "Excuse me, which department are you from?" Deng Jianbin could no longer stand by and watch. He stepped forward, his face dark.

  "We're from the Yuanhai District branch! Xianlin Road falls under Yuanhai's jurisdiction, so naturally, we oversee it!"

  The orange-uniformed officer clearly didn't recognize Deng Jianbin. He gave him a haughty once-over.

  "What about the rest of you? Are you all from Yuanhai District too?" Deng Jianbin glanced at the other officers.

  "That's right. This area is under our jurisdiction. We're just doing our jobs," one of them replied calmly.

  "And who are you? Why are you asking so many questions?" A fat man in plain clothes at the back snapped at Deng Jianbin.

  "I'm Deng Jianbin from the health bureau," Deng Jianbin said coldly, eyeing him. "And you are?"

  At the mention of Deng Jianbin's name, the minor official suddenly realized why he looked familiar—he was a high-ranking health official!

  Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. How could a small fry like him compare to a top-tier official?

  "Director Deng, my apologies—I didn't recognize you earlier. Please forgive me," the fat man said hurriedly, his tone now respectful.

  "Forgive you? How? We're just trying to open a clinic here, and you barge in claiming we're not up to standard? What's the meaning of this? How could we operate if we weren't compliant?" Deng Jianbin's voice was icy. As a leader himself, his authoritative tone carried undeniable weight.

  "Y-Yes, Director Deng is absolutely right. But we had no choice—we were just following orders from Secretary You Shipeng," the fat man stammered, quickly shifting the blame to You Shipeng.

  You Shipeng was Zeng Shujie's secretary—his most trusted aide. Though his rank wasn't high, his influence was substantial.

  The fat man assumed Deng Jianbin would back down at the mention of You Shipeng's name. What he didn't know was that Zeng Shujie himself was present.

  Deng Jianbin glanced back at Zeng Shujie in the crowd. Zeng Shujie gave him a subtle look, and Deng Jianbin immediately understood.

  "You Shipeng's orders? Do you really expect me to believe that? Either call You Shipeng here right now, or get the hell out!" Deng Jianbin barked.

  The fat man hesitated, then said, "Fine. Just wait—I'll call Secretary You right now."

  He stepped outside to make the call. You Shipeng told him not to worry—he'd be there soon.

  With You Shipeng backing him, the fat man regained his confidence and returned with a much less deferential attitude.

  "Deng Jianbin, aren't you overstepping your bounds as a health official? No wonder you've never been promoted!"

  You Shipeng's mocking voice rang out before he even entered the room.

  As a close aide to a high-ranking leader, he didn't put much stock in someone of Deng Jianbin's rank. Many promotions or demotions came down to a single word from him to Zeng Shujie.

  "Secretary You, these people claim they're here on your orders. Is that true?" Deng Jianbin asked coolly.

  "Indeed. I received reports of illegal medical practice here and sent them to investigate," You Shipeng said arrogantly, his chin raised.

  "This isn't under your jurisdiction, is it?" Deng Jianbin retorted. "Besides, I personally helped Brother He obtain all his permits. There's no way there's an issue."

  "I'll oversee whatever I damn well please! So what if you helped him? I'll inspect it anyway!"

  In front of so many people, You Shipeng was especially brazen. He had already decided—once he got back, he'd suggest to Zeng Shujie that Deng Jianbin be removed from his position.

  "Secretary You, you've got quite the nerve. You're even scaring me."

  Zeng Shujie stepped forward slowly from the crowd, his hands clasped behind his back.

  "M-Mayor Zeng!"

  You Shipeng trembled, his face instantly breaking into a fawning smile. "Mayor Zeng, what are you doing here?"

  "Oh, my dear friend Brother He is opening his clinic today. I came to show my support and deliver a gift from Secretary Xie Changfeng as well," Zeng Shujie said leisurely.

  "H-He's... he's with you—?" You Shipeng nearly collapsed on the spot.

  "Never mind his connection to me. Go ahead with your inspection—do it thoroughly," Zeng Shujie said, waving a hand dismissively.

  The fat man and the others turned pale at the sight of Zeng Shujie. How could they dare to continue?

  "Misunderstanding, Mayor Zeng! This is all a misunderstanding! I had no idea he was connected to you—" You Shipeng forced a laugh, his back drenched in cold sweat. He cursed the curly-haired woman inwardly—she had gotten him into deep trouble by making him offend someone close to Zeng Shujie.

  "What misunderstanding? I told you to keep inspecting!"

  Zeng Shujie's expression darkened. "If you don't find any problems today, then resign immediately and get out! I don't need scum like you abusing their power around me!"

  "Mayor Zeng, I was wrong!"

  You Shipeng's legs gave way, and he crumpled to the floor, pleading tearfully.

  This position had taken him over a decade to attain—his entire livelihood depended on it. If he were dismissed, his life would be over.

  "Are you all done humiliating yourselves? Drag him out of here!" Zeng Shujie snapped at the fat man and the others.

  Terrified, they immediately grabbed You Shipeng and hauled him out like a dead dog.

  Now that You Shipeng was nothing, they no longer had to fear him.

  "Brother He, my apologies. This was my oversight—I failed to manage my subordinates properly," Zeng Shujie said regretfully to Lin Yu.

  "Not at all, you're too kind," Lin Yu replied quickly.

  "By the way, I have a few friends from the Jiangnan Military Region visiting today. Why don't you join us for lunch? Jianbin and Gongxun will be there too," Zeng Shujie invited.

  "No need, I wouldn't want to intrude," Lin Yu declined with a smile.

  "Not at all, Brother He. Please join us," Wei Gongxun urged.

  Lin Yu shook his head firmly. He still had a crowd of relatives to entertain.

  Zeng Shujie didn't press further. After bidding Lin Yu farewell, he left with Deng Jianbin and Wei Gongxun for their lunch engagement.

  "Doctor, please save my son!"

  Just as Lin Yu was about to take his relatives out for a meal, a middle-aged man rushed in frantically, carrying a toddler in his arms.

  The child's face was flushed, drenched in sweat, his eyes rolled back, his body arched rigidly, and his limbs convulsing violently. It looked like epilepsy but wasn't quite the same.

  "Quick, lay him on the examination bed!" Lin Yu immediately cleared the area and directed the man to place the child on the bed.

  As Lin Yu turned to help, Jiang Yan grabbed his arm. "What do you think you're doing? His condition looks serious—how could you possibly treat him?"

  "Jiarong, the child is so young. What if you make a mistake?" Li Suqin chimed in anxiously. Hadn't he promised only to treat minor ailments? How could he dare to take on such a severe case?

  "Jiarong, if you don't know how to treat this, don't force it. If something goes wrong, you could end up in jail."

  "Yeah, you never even went to medical school. How can you treat patients?"

  "Don't push yourself—overestimating your abilities could kill someone."

  Though the relatives' tones lacked their earlier mockery, they still privately doubted him. Just because he knew influential people didn't mean he could practice medicine.

  To them, He Jiarong was getting carried away—overconfident to the point of recklessness.