Luo Ziling’s lecture wasn’t long, only about forty minutes.
Including the opening remarks and Lou Zhiyi’s introduction, it took exactly an hour.
Some people who initially attended just for credit quickly found themselves drawn in after hearing a few words from Luo Ziling. Many lacked interest in traditional medicine primarily due to a lack of understanding, but Luo Ziling’s unconventional teaching method sparked their curiosity.
Those engaged in traditional medicine, especially in acupuncture therapy, found Luo Ziling’s class filled with delightful surprises.
They realized that the legendary miraculous acupuncture skills were not just myths but actually existed.
After Luo Ziling’s class ended, many people were reluctant to leave and wanted to interact with him.
Luo Ziling originally thought he could leave once the lecture was over.
He planned to visit Chen Yining again and discuss collaboration matters.
He felt that after a few days, Chen Yining might have cleared his mind and was waiting for him to return.
This afternoon, Luo Ziling hadn’t scheduled any other activities, and he had greeted a few from the relevant departments.
However, due to the enthusiasm of 401 Hospital’s military doctors and nurses, he couldn’t extricate himself and had to continue interacting with them.
The exchange lasted for half an hour, ending only when Luo Ziling explained he had other business to attend to.
Luo Ziling promised Lou Zhiyi and others who escorted him out that he would return in a few days to lecture once more for the hospital’s doctors.
Lou Zhiyi proposed his idea: he wanted to hire Luo Ziling as a part-time professor for 401 Hospital and asked if Luo Ziling was willing.
"I’ll just come over a few times to teach; I can’t dare accept ’Professor,’ it’s beyond me!" Luo Ziling was quite embarrassed.
Even though "part-time" was added to the professor title, it’s still a lofty title, and he felt unworthy.
He knew that achieving the title of professor as an academic rank usually takes many years, so calling him "Professor Luo" when he’s just a student seemed quite absurd. Moreover, the main reason was that Luo Ziling didn’t like these empty titles and feared being envied, hence his reluctance to accept the "part-time professor" title.
Lou Zhiyi only regarded Luo Ziling’s refusal as politeness and humility, not taking it seriously.
When Luo Ziling was leaving, he instructed the personnel department to find a way to give Luo Ziling an official status at 401 Hospital.
The leaders and staff at 401 Hospital appreciated him and were very welcoming, which put Luo Ziling in a great mood.
When leaving the hospital, he was feeling very pleased.
After leaving 401 Hospital, Luo Ziling planned to continue as scheduled and head to the place where Chen Yining was detained.
Wuyue escorted him there.
The detention location for Chen Yining was in the suburbs, which took nearly an hour’s drive from 401 Hospital. Wuyue worried about potential dangers, so after finishing his tasks, he came personally to escort Luo Ziling.
When Luo Ziling arrived at the detention location for Chen Yining, it was already three in the afternoon.
The people he had arranged with last time to accompany him were already waiting there.
Luo Ziling apologized and explained briefly, then entered the detention center with their company.
Chen Yining’s treatment was still good, and his mental state was much better than the last time Luo Ziling saw him; he even seemed to have gained weight.
Seeing Luo Ziling come to visit again didn’t surprise him at all.
"Mr. Chen, I stopped by again to see you!" Luo Ziling greeted with a smile, "It’s been a few days, and you seem a bit fatter, Mr. Chen."
Chen Yining gave a cold chuckle, without answering Luo Ziling’s question.
This place is very remote, yet Luo Ziling claims he came by the way—how could this road be "en route"?
Luo Ziling didn’t mind and continued, "My parents got married a few days ago, it was quite lively. The Group of Seven, except for your father, all others came to attend. I guess it was unprecedented and likely never to recur."
Chen Yining appeared slightly surprised, looked at Luo Ziling and nodded lightly, "Quite prestigious indeed."
"Prestige is irrelevant; it’s mainly about seeing their intentions." Luo Ziling smiled, "I think their attendance at the wedding shows their stance. It means your father has become isolated, abandoned by all."
Chen Yining remained silent.
Upon hearing Luo Ziling say that apart from Chen Ruchang, all other big shots attended the wedding, he caught on to the implied message. However, discerning it and having Luo Ziling state it outright felt different, making Chen Yining somewhat disconcerted.
"So, are you gloating?" Chen Yining looked at Luo Ziling with a sneer, "Came to show off before me today?"
"That’s not the case!" Luo Ziling shook his head, "There’s nothing to show off; I’m just telling Mr. Chen about this incident. The purpose, of course, is to let Mr. Chen understand that if you don’t come forward to save the situation, the Chen Family is doomed. At least, that’s how I see it; believe it or not is up to you."
Chen Yining remained silent, not wanting to respond to Luo Ziling’s statement.
Luo Ziling continued: "I imagine in these few days, Mr. Chen must have thought a lot; even if some matters are unclear, there should still be some answers, right? I’m here today to hear how Mr. Chen has been considering things. I assume we should have an answer on whether we can collaborate?"
"What do you expect me to say?" Chen Yining looked at Luo Ziling mockingly, "You hope to see me surrender to you?"
"Wrong!" Luo Ziling shook his head, "We’re talking about a win-win collaboration, there’s no notion of surrender. Certainly, Mr. Chen can choose not to cooperate, in which case I’ll just leave."
"You’re threatening me?" Chen Yining’s expression slightly changed.
"Why would I threaten you?" Luo Ziling chuckled, "At worst, others can divide up everything that belongs to the Chen Family."
Saying this, Luo Ziling seemed to suddenly remember something and lowered his voice: "A few days ago, I obtained black materials collected by someone with ulterior motives related to several Chen Family members. You, Chen Yining, your father, your brother Chen Yijing, your cousins Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping all have records; unexpectedly, you’ve done so much shady stuff. I think, by exposing these matters, your Chen Family will have a tough time. Also, Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping have collected quite a lot of black materials about you and your family, those materials are even more severe, capable of destroying you."
Upon hearing Luo Ziling mention Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping, Chen Yining’s expression instantly changed.
But soon, his expression returned to normal.
"Are you trying to tell me that Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping want to ally with you to seize control of the Chen Family?"
"I haven’t said that." Luo Ziling replied with a smile, "Today I came simply to inform Mr. Chen about what’s happened in the past few days and to hear how you plan to handle things. It’s not hard for us to find collaborators. Everyone is pursuing benefits; as long as the benefits are big enough, surely someone will cooperate, it’s not necessarily you. I only approached you because of Chen Xiaoyi."
"I agree to collaborate!" Chen Yining finally couldn’t stand Luo Ziling’s attitude and decisively agreed. After agreeing, he made a request: "But you must exert all efforts to help me control the situation, preventing other Chen Family members, especially Chen Yijing, from threatening my position."
"You’re asking us to kill Chen Yijing?"