Chapter 229
Just as Su Tao had predicted, everyone knew about this matter by the next morning, which meant someone must be behind promoting this incident.
As a result, many people came over to express their condolences. Amongst them, there were some gloating to watch this matter blow up, while some genuinely tried to keep this matter under control.
Even Zhang Ping, who was Du Ping's superior, as well as the person in charge of Hanzhou City, has also arrived. When he saw Su Tao, he had some impression of the latter. He waved his hand towards Du Ping and looked at Su Tao. "Can the patients regain their consciousness?"
Shaking his head, Su Tao frankly replied, "Not for the time being!"
However, Zhang Ping noticed that Su Tao might know more about it, so he asked in puzzlement, "There's a conspiracy behind this?!"
With a bitter smile, Su Tao shook his head. "The patient's condition is still within my speculations, but I do not dare to come to any conclusion without evidence. But don't worry, the riddle will be revealed when the time is right."
Zhang Ping was looking at Su Tao with a complicated gaze. He had no idea what Su Tao was trying to do, so he sighed, "The patient has a special identity; he's the heir to SG Chaebol. The South Korea Embassy has been applying pressure on the Province, and the Provincial Secretary has also been alerted by this matter."
"I can tell you that the restaurant might be related to this food poisoning incident, but they have nothing to do with the patients still being unconscious." Su Tao patiently explained as he continued, "Although this county hospital's facility is inferior to a city hospital, food poisoning isn't anything huge, and not to mention that the poison has already cleared up."
Zhang Ping more or less understood Su Tao's explanation, so he said in a grim tone, "We'll continue to wait, then." At this moment, there's nothing he could do as well. After all, he's not a doctor.
As he chatted with Su Tao, his secretary rushed over and reported, "There's a call from the higher-ups!"
With his brows knitted, Zhang Ping answered the call, and just as he had expected, the SG Chaebol was doing their best to apply pressure to all parties.
"How did this happen?!" Luo Xiao questioned with an unhappy tone from the other side.
"It's still under investigation, and I will keep you informed if there's any progress." Zhang Ping weakly explained.
"The SG Chaebol has brought a project worth billions to the Huainan Province this time, and if it wasn't for someone's strong recommendation, we wouldn't be suggesting the representatives from SG Chaebol to Hanzhou City." Luo Xiao was outraged.
"This is an incident that no one wishes to have happened, but since it has already happened, we will do our best to handle it." Zhang Ping displayed composure. He wasn't panicking from Luo Xiao's poor attitude.
Su Tao sighed as he watched this development. This matter has implicated factors, and at this stage, it's practically a contest for power. Thus, it's impossible to keep it under control with someone trying to blow up this matter in the dark.
The other party wasn't targeting Du Ping or Zhang Ping alone, but someone else above them.
He had also heard of the recent disturbance, but he never expected that the storm would be so close to him, not to mention that he already had half of his foot into this mess. Then again, Su Tao had already predicted that, as a doctor, it's unrealistic to be completely free from such incidents.
Two hours later, a group of people arrived, with a total of three vehicles. The first vehicle was the specialist sent over from the province's hospital; the second being the personnel from SG Chaebol; the third being Luo Xiao and his party.
When Luo Xiao saw Zhang Ping walking over, he waved his hand in annoyance. "Cut the formalities, I've brought the specialist from the province over along with the person-in-charge from SG Chaebol. Let's go take a look at Chief Park right now!"
Standing beside Luo Xiao was the person-in-charge of SG Chaebol's headquarters in China. He was in his thirties, wearing gold-framed glasses and stood at 5'9". He's wearing a South Korea-styled western suit that made him seem graceful. With disdain flickering across his eyes, he spoke in Mandarin with a weird accent, "Our specialist from South Korea is on the road, and they will be here in the afternoon!"
The meaning behind his words was clear; he had no trust for the doctors in China.
Luo Xiao had a smile plastered on his face as he pointed at a young physician beside him. "Mr. Lee, we've brought our best physician over, and I believe that he will be able to treat the Department Chief swiftly."
In South Korean enterprises, the highest position was a President, which was equivalent to the Chairman. Next, would be the Chief of Staff, equivalent to a General Manager, who supervises all operation. On the other hand, the Department Chief would be equivalent to Department Managers. Although Park Joong-sun was only a Department Chief, he resided at the headquarters, and his department was at the core of the company. Thus, his position wasn't at all inferior to Lee Jun-hyuk.
Standing behind the gathering of Hanzhou City's officials, Su Tao helplessly sighed. He never expected that he would meet Wang Guofeng here. It seemed that they're really fated.
Wang Guofeng had also noticed Su Tao and knitted his brows. He was thinking about whether he would encounter Su Tao in this mission to Hanzhou, which had come true. He felt a little depressed. Right now, just hearing Su Tao's name would cast a shadow in his heart. Su Tao was akin to his bane and it would go well for him every time he didn't run into Su Tao.
He had a high position in the provincial health system. Although Su Tao has displayed his medical skills on several important occasions, those in the provincial health system would rather put their dime in someone with a clean background like Wang Guofeng; a talent from a TCM Family. Not long ago, Wang Guofeng had even entered the list of the provincial specialist group, becoming the youngest specialist in the province.
That meant that Wang Guofeng wasn't as simple as a physician, and there's another layer to his identity. Although that identity didn't grant him any authority, it was akin to a pass into the government.
However, Lee Jun-hyuk did not give any face to Luo Xiao and demanded, "Joong-sun is not only someone from SG Chaebol's higher management; he is also my younger cousin. If anything happens to him, you can bet that I will make you guys pay the price."
Although Lee Jun-hyuk wasn't proficient in Mandarin, his words were embarrassing when everyone heard it. Most importantly, the personnel from South Korea was in trouble after coming to China, and it was a responsibility that no one could avoid.
With a solemn face, Luo Xiao asked, "Who is Du Ping?"
Hearing that holler, Du Ping stood out with a bitterly smile. "I am!" He knew that Luo Xiao was going to find a scapegoat to appease the SG Chaebol.
"Starting from now, you are suspended from all duties!" Luo Xiao gave a decisive command before he turned to Lee Jun-hyuk and gave a promise, "I won't tolerate anyone involved in this matter, and I will certainly give you an explanation for this matter!"
With his brows knitted, Zhang Ping pleaded for Du Ping, "The investigation is not over yet, so should we not come to a conclusion prematurely?"
Luo Xiao waved his hand in annoyance. "Regardless of the outcome, it's negligent that a food poisoning incident occurred when receiving foreign guests, so there must be someone held responsible for this matter. Since Du Ping is responsible for receiving foreign guests, then he can't shirk from the responsibility! Furthermore, we can't let a fish slip through the net."
Rage flashed on Zhang Ping's face. Luo Xiao was being too overbearing when it came to handling this matter. It was unreasonable, albeit the latter trying to appease the party from South Korea. But despite the unhappiness, Zhang Ping kept his mouth shut, since he knew he could only go along with the flow for now. Otherwise, making a scene would just make a joke out of them before the foreigners.
Suspending Zhang Ping's trusted aide was akin to a slap to his face; he turned to Du Ping and gave an encouraging look.
Once everyone has gathered, they head towards the ward. Wang Guofeng's gaze flickered when he looked at Su Tao with unconcealable jealousy, despise, disdain, and all sorts of other emotions.
Su Tao had naturally sensed it, but he inwardly snickered. The condition of the two patients wasn't something that could be resolved by Wang Guofeng, and if it was that easy, he would've done it yesterday.
As he tailed the group, Su Tao turned to Du Ping and asked in concern, "Are you alright?"
Du Ping sighed, "Today, I've comprehended the meaning of no official is clean."
Patting on Du Ping's shoulder, Su Tao comforted, "Just treat it as a break. You won't lose your duties that easily."
Seeing the confidence in Su Tao, Du Ping asked in puzzlement, "You're that confident?" However, he was still infected by the Su Tao's confidence and felt that the latter would be able to resolve his problem.
Nodding his head, Su Tao replied, "Don't worry, just be patient for now, and you can focus on the investigation. As for the two patients, there are too many secrets on them, and it will be revealed when the time comes!"
Du Ping figured the meaning behind Su Tao's words. The latter was saying that not even the specialist with the surname Wang, could treat Park Joong-sun and Choi Beom-gyu. Wearing a complicated expression, Du Ping responded, "I've gotten someone to investigate the restaurant's ingredients, and there's no issue with their supplies."
Hearing those words, Su Tao reminded, "Why are only the South Koreans poisoned, but not a single one from your side?"
Shaking his head, Du Ping looked perplexed as he sighed, "It's a loophole, but no one managed to figure out the problem!"
"That's because they weren't poisoned from the meal, but their hotel rooms." Su Tao analysed, "The culprit knew where the South Korean party was staying, so they chose to put poison in the hotel rooms instead. There are many ways to poison, such as the kettle, or even bottled waters. But the evidence is probably erased by now, even if you start the investigation."
With a bitter smile on his face, Du Ping sighed, "Is there really no way to find the culprit?"
Su Tao continued his analysis, "The culprit's method is smart and has thorough planning. He used food poisoning to mislead everyone into thinking that the South Korean party ate poisonous food to divert everyone's attention and frame you. Food poisoning is extremely tough to obtain for ordinary people, and it has to go through professionals. So you can try to use this as a lead to narrow it down to those in Baoyou County that can obtain it, or if there are any previous cases of it. This way, you will be able to track down the clues and find the culprit."
Looking at Su Tao with a complicated gaze, Du Ping sighed, "Why do I feel that you're more like a detective instead of a physician?"
"Well, the fictional character, Detective Sherlock Holmes, is based on a doctor called Joseph Bell." Su Tao responded with a smile. One of TCM's diagnostic methods; inspection relied on observation, analysis, and reasoning. So if it's used in criminal investigations, it could be a handy weapon.