As soon as he said that, Du Heng instantly felt better. He still preferred this straightforward style.

Director Zheng's fat face twitched unnaturally as he took a deep breath and said, "Dean, do you have any arrangements for the position of Dean of the Health Clinic?"

It feels so good not to have to guess.

With just this sentence from Director Zheng, Du Heng immediately knew what he was trying to do, and he couldn't help but laugh. "I haven't thought about it yet. I plan to discuss it at tomorrow's meeting.

What? Does Director Zheng have some ideas?"

Director Zheng smiled sheepishly. "I do have some ideas."

"It's a good thing to have ideas. Director Zheng, why don't you prepare a development plan for the Health Clinic first? You can share it with everyone at tomorrow's meeting."

With Du Heng's cheerful remark, Director Zheng's eyes lit up immediately, but then he hesitated, "Dean, the meeting is tomorrow, and there's not much time. I'm afraid I won't be able to do a good job."

"The ideas are what's important, don't you think?"

"You're right, Dean."

Afterward, Director Zheng, showing considerable tact, immediately got up to leave, not wanting to disturb Du Heng and Wu Shengnan from finishing their meal.

Director Zheng turned to leave, but the bag he'd left on the table was extremely conspicuous. Du Heng quickly picked it up and stuffed it back into Director Zheng's arms, refusing to keep it no matter what. Du Heng's expression even darkened before Director Zheng finally took the item back.

Once the door closed, Du Heng and Wu Shengnan looked at each other and smiled.

Wu Shengnan joked, "President Du, this is the first time someone tried to give you a gift, right? How does it feel?"

Du Heng smacked his lips and chuckled, "It feels pretty good, but also kind of boring."

"Why didn't you accept the tea? What if there was something surprising inside? You might regret it."

"TSK, you might be right." Du Heng feigned regret, but the slight upward curve of his lips clearly showed he didn't care.

Wu Shengnan rolled her eyes at Du Heng and walked towards the dining table. "Alright, stop reminiscing. Let's eat quickly; the food is getting cold."

The two of them sat back down at the dining table and resumed their dinner, but the food had indeed cooled down quite a bit by then.

Of course, it wasn't just Du Heng's meal getting cold, but also Director Zheng's heart.

Du Heng hadn't accepted the gift, and Director Zheng's initial enthusiasm had cooled considerably. Still, at least he had received some guidance from Du Heng, so the trip hadn't been a complete waste.

But when the topic was brought up at the meeting the next day, Director Zheng was dumbfounded on the spot.

It turned out that he wasn't the only one who had made preparations—many others had as well.

Section chiefs from the Administrative Department, and directors and deputy directors of frontline departments all had some rough ideas and thoughts.

If it weren't for Du Heng's sharp eyes, even the logistics section chief, Jiang Guangtou, might have stood up to express his thoughts.

What was even more surprising was that the Vice Dean in charge of the Hospital Office also harbored this ambition.

Director Zheng felt numb. His immediate superior, due to his age, was basically just a figurehead. He hadn't expected the old boy, after all these years of coasting towards retirement, to harbor thoughts of being a 'big fish in a small pond'; to actually want to be the top leader for once in the final stretch of his career was truly something else.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Although the Health Clinic wasn't impressive and had an additional superior, it was still a semi-independent workplace. Once there, one could be their own boss.

It wasn't like the current Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital. There, Du Heng possessed strong connections, high professional skills, and a constantly rising status in the Jianghu, making him overwhelmingly dominant. While middle-management like Director Zheng were relatively fine, the Vice Deans were in a genuinely difficult position. Therefore, it was understandable that some wanted to leave for the Health Clinic role.

However, with the old boy suddenly making this move, Director Zheng didn't feel comfortable expressing his opinion anymore.

If he revealed his own ambition to become the Dean of the Health Clinic, what would happen? If one of them got the position, it might be manageable, as at least one would leave and they wouldn't have to see each other daily. But what if neither of them got it? How could he then continue to work smoothly with his direct superior?

Director Zheng was deeply troubled!

Du Heng was also troubled. He truly hadn't expected so many people to be vying for the position of Dean of the Health Clinic. What on earth were they after?

He had originally thought that Lu Zhongjiang was due for retirement next year. Since Lu Zhongjiang likely wouldn't want to cause any upheaval, either Cui Guanghaia or Yu Haiting could have smoothly ascended to the position.

Now, there were too many competitors. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

As for Director Zheng, who had visited him last night, Du Heng honestly felt he couldn't shoulder the responsibility of developing a hospital.

Director Zheng's greatest strength was his excellent execution, making him a very good middle-level manager. However, this was precisely why Du Heng was reluctant to give him the Health Clinic Dean position. Director Zheng wasn't from a technical background, nor was he a manager known for his administrative skills. Strong execution alone wouldn't be enough for a Dean.

Another point was that Director Zheng had become an old fox, too accustomed to meticulously weighing pros and cons.

Take the current situation for example: his direct superior had merely hinted at an interest, and Director Zheng was already this conflicted. If, in the future, the Health Clinic had disagreements with the township, the district, or their own main hospital, a person like him would lack decisiveness. That could be disastrous.

From the moment Du Heng introduced this topic, he said very little, sitting quietly and listening as everyone expressed their views. He endured it until the meeting ended, then, leaving behind a curt "We'll discuss this further," he hurriedly made his escape.

However, he had just returned to his office and hadn't even had a moment to collect his thoughts when Kang Zhirong walked in, holding a mobile phone.