At these words, Du Heng and Yu Haiting fell silent. It wasn't until they saw Du Heng's former office that he finally said unhurriedly, "Death is terrifying, so people want to cling to life. But they don't realize that they are only prolonging a life that is not worth living."

Lu Zhongjiang sighed, "Indeed. In the past two months, five patients in our hospital have passed away. It seems that they did not die due to their diseases, but rather the unbearable pain."

Seeing the office door close by, Du Heng hurriedly interrupted the heavy topic. "Let's not talk about this. Let's go in and rest for a while." Then he turned to Vice Dean Zhang and Director Zheng behind him, "Please take everyone else to the conference room. I'll join you shortly."

After saying this, Du Heng walked into the all-too-familiar office.

Everything in the office was so familiar; every object was in the exact place he remembered. It seemed as if nothing had changed. However, looking more closely, he could see faint traces on the floor where objects had been moved. Du Heng clearly remembered that there were no such scratches when he was still using this office.

These thoughts flickered past as his gaze wavered slightly, and he quickly invited Lu Zhongjiang to sit on the sofa. "Secretary Lu, why didn't you tell me about such a huge incident? We even had two phone calls during this time, and you still managed to hold it back."

He then turned to Yu Haiting. "And you, too, Old Yu. Not to mention phone calls, we even met face to face, but you never mentioned it."

Yu Haiting gave an embarrassed smile while Lu Zhongjiang immediately explained, "It's not Xiao Yu's fault. I told them not to inform you."

"Why?"

"The doctor had given me a deadline, so I figured there was no need to trouble you. You had just started working at the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital and had a pile of troublesome matters on your hands."

Du Heng looked at Lu Zhongjiang reproachfully and said in a deliberately annoyed tone, "Secretary Lu, have you forgotten what I do? You're underestimating me. That so-called deadline—don't you know I specialize in tackling such things? And isn't Liu Amei still in the hospital? Her situation unfolded right before your eyes. She was even given a death notice by the Capital's hospital, yet in the end, wasn't it I who brought her back?"

As Lu Zhongjiang watched the chattering Du Heng, he wasn't angry at all; instead, a broad smile spread across his face. Just as Du Heng finished and Lu Zhongjiang was about to speak, Director Zheng suddenly came in. "Dean, the leaders from the district and city are arriving soon."

Du Heng was slightly stunned, then realized the reason for his visit today. He said to Lu Zhongjiang, "Secretary Lu, let's stop chatting for now. You can rest in the office, and I'll go greet the leaders. After the busy morning, I'll come back to give you a proper check-up. I want to see if this deadline is really the end."

He then stood up and walked out of the office, telling Yu Haiting, "Old Yu, find someone to take care of Secretary Lu. Let's take care of the immediate matter."

Yu Haiting nodded. "Alright, I'll arrange it."

After exchanging a few more words with Lu Zhongjiang, the two left the office together. Once they were far enough away, Yu Haiting lowered his voice. "Dean, Secretary Lu wasn't lying. His condition is serious. The tumor is ulcerated and has spread. His half-year time estimate is already optimistic."

Du Heng paused, his expression turning very serious. "I haven't performed a detailed check-up yet, so it's hard to say. But since Secretary Lu hasn't undergone surgical treatment and is only on medication for control, I think there's still hope. If it really doesn't work..."

Du Heng fell silent, and Yu Haiting said no more. Sighing, Yu Haiting turned and walked towards the nurse station; he was going to find someone to take care of Lu Zhongjiang. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

At the entrance of the Health Clinic, everyone who had just gone to the conference room had reappeared at the doorway. Even the people from the Township Government, whom they hadn't seen earlier, were now present. Dong Yuezhang and a middle-aged man in his forties stood at the very front, with a crowd of familiar faces behind them.

Seeing Du Heng, everyone smiled. Dong Yuezhang brought the middle-aged man over. "Du, let me introduce you. This is the new Secretary Wang."

"Hello, Secretary Wang."

Following Dong Yuezhang's introductions, Du Heng chatted with the group. He also introduced the leaders from the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital to Dong Yuezhang and his companions.

After a short while, several black sedans pulled up in front of everyone. As the passengers got out of the vehicles one after another, the plaque-hanging ceremony officially began.

Such events had become routine for Du Heng, and he adeptly went through all the motions—communication, chatting, taking photos, giving speeches, and applauding.

The scene was lively and the atmosphere high-spirited, but he couldn't muster any interest in it, even wishing he could press a fast-forward button to quickly end the proceedings.

Once all the formalities were over, it was exactly twelve o'clock. The hotel arranged by Director Zheng came in handy, and everyone got into their cars to head there in a grand procession.