From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Tang Jinglun watched the hundreds of white pigeons fluttering into the sky and sighed inwardly. He felt as if Qiao Yuanjiang had stood him up. Just as he was feeling frustrated, something cold landed on his forehead—it was a dollop of pigeon droppings.

Tang Jinglun was in a messy state, and the nearby hostess couldn’t help but giggle at his appearance, which made him even more infuriated.

Dong Changhao was right beside him and quickly pulled out some tissues to hand to him. While wiping his forehead, Tang Jinglun scolded, "What are you doing? Standing me up? Only you could think of something like this!"

Dong Changhao felt somewhat wronged. It wasn’t me who stood you up, so why are you taking it out on me? Besides, it was Xu Chunliang who orchestrated the pigeon-release part of the ceremony.

Thinking of Xu Chunliang, Dong Changhao scanned the surroundings for him, noticing that Xu Chunliang was chatting with Xianhong Farm’s president, Tong Guangsheng.

Xu Chunliang hadn’t seen Tong Guangsheng for some time, and recently, Tong Guangsheng’s health had been improving significantly. Thanks to the Qi cultivation methods Xu Chunliang taught him, both his physical condition and various health metrics had greatly improved.

Xu Chunliang invited Tong Guangsheng to stay for lunch, but Tong Guangsheng told him Mo Han had arrived and was visiting Xianhong Farm for business talks, so he had to return by noon. Tong even invited Xu Chunliang to join him.

Xu Chunliang definitely couldn’t leave at the moment; he was too busy these days and didn’t even have the time to consider Mo Han’s real motive for coming this time. Given the sudden events today, he suddenly realized that her visit might not be as simple as discussing cooperation with Tong Guangsheng.

He remembered the first time Mo Han came to Weishan Island, she was investigating the Da Heng project. Luan Yuchuan had also tried to thwart Da Heng before. Although that attempt ended in failure, it didn’t mean they had given up.

Qiao Yuanjiang’s schedule was extremely secretive; even Tang Jinglun wasn’t notified beforehand. How did those retired folks find out? There must be an unseen hand at work.

Perhaps their original intention was to incite the retirees to cause trouble at the opening ceremony, thus accomplishing a double strike against Da Heng and Huayuan.

Compared to Tang Jinglun’s disappointment, Zhang Hengyang faced a more severe blow. Qiao Yuanjiang had already ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the Da Heng Hot Spring Town by the relevant departments in Dongzhou and Weishan. If any fraud or false advertising was found, they would be punished severely.

Zhang Hengyang immediately reported to headquarters, only to be reprimanded harshly by Vice President Zhou Guangda. If he couldn’t handle this problem properly, he might as well resign in disgrace.

Zhang Hengyang fully realized the seriousness of this crisis. Negative news would inevitably affect the capital market, adding to Da Heng’s already plummeting stock prices.

While smoothing out relations, Liu Jiaqi called to inform him that Town Mayor Qin Zhengyang had personally come.

It was rare for local officials to visit in the past. That Qin Zhengyang took the initiative to drop by meant he was likely here to sternly question the situation.

In the past, Zhang Hengyang wouldn’t have cared about a township-level cadre like Qin Zhengyang. But circumstances change—this trouble started with Da Heng, and Qin Zhengyang represented not only Hu Shan Town Government but also Weishan County, Dongzhou City, and even the province’s attention.

Zhang Hengyang finally experienced the feeling of misfortune never coming singly. Before he could step out to greet him, Qin Zhengyang had already entered the general manager’s office, with Liu Jiaqi following: "Secretary Qin, we are currently discussing a solution..."

Zhang Hengyang stood up and smiled at Qin Zhengyang: "Secretary Qin, welcome! Xiaoliu, please pour two cups of tea."

Qin Zhengyang’s face showed no sign of a smile: "No need, I’m here to understand a few things from President Zhang."

Zhang Hengyang invited Qin Zhengyang to sit down, while Liu Jiaqi quietly exited. Zhang Hengyang personally poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Qin Zhengyang.

Qin Zhengyang had no intention of accepting it and said indifferently, "No need, thank you!"

Zhang Hengyang placed the cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Qin Zhengyang and sat beside him: "Secretary Qin, I’ve understood the situation. Rest assured, we will clarify this misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Qin Zhengyang looked at Zhang Hengyang somewhat incredulously; at this point, he still dared to call it a misunderstanding.

Zhang Hengyang said: "It was our failure to do the job well; we weren’t strict enough in our staff training, resulting in irregularities during sales. I’ve reported the matter to headquarters, and those responsible will be punished severely."

Qin Zhengyang said: "President Zhang, you seem to not understand where the problem lies. Consumers are defending their rights because your Hot Spring Town project has exaggerated and falsely advertised during sales. The over one hundred hot springs you advertised don’t exist, and the healthcare and elderly care facilities you emphasized have nothing to do with Da Heng."

Zhang Hengyang said: "Secretary Qin, in today’s market, almost all real estate companies have some exaggeration in their promotion and advertising. There is one thing I can guarantee: we can fulfill all the contract terms."

Qin Zhengyang became a bit angry; this was precisely where their cunning lay. They deceived consumers using sample areas and grand promises that were not reflected in the contract. Even if sued, they could use the contract as a defense, as the over a hundred hot springs or the supporting hospital weren’t mentioned in the contract.

Qin Zhengyang said, "The majority of those purchasing the Hot Spring Town project are elderly. The money they are using to buy their homes is a lifetime’s savings, their pension. They chose to buy here because they trusted your advertising, hoping to have a secure retirement without worries. Now they find themselves deceived by your false advertising, losing their sense of security, so their demand for a refund is justified."

Zhang Hengyang said, "Secretary Qin, we certainly will not create obstacles for those who meet the conditions for a refund. However, I hope you will also consider the interests of us developers. You can’t just side with them because they are making trouble. The contract, once signed, is legally binding and protects not only the buyers but also the interests of us developers."

Qin Zhengyang said, "President Zhang, you know the true situation of the Hot Spring Town project better than anyone. I am here today as part of a task delegated by a higher-level leader. I hope you will handle this cautiously and resolve it promptly to prevent the situation from further escalating. Otherwise, it will be detrimental not only to you but also to the entire Da Heng Group."

Qin Zhengyang’s words were undeniably severe. He was well aware that it would be very difficult for these developers to take out the money they’ve pocketed, but if this issue escalates, Da Heng might face more than just refunds.

The elderly seeking to protect their rights have already chosen to leave after receiving promises from Qiao Yuanjiang, who has handed the matter over to the Dongzhou side, demanding a solution within three days.

As the leader of Hu Shan Town, Qin Zhengyang naturally bore the specific responsibilities on his shoulders.

The deadline Qin Zhengyang gave Zhang Hengyang was one day. He no longer needed to consider niceties; if this issue wasn’t handled well, he might have to leave before his seat even got warm.

Zhang Hengyang did not see Qin Zhengyang out. Since you’re being rude to me, why should I be polite to you? When did it become your turn to order me around, Qin Zhengyang?

Liu Jiaqi saw Qin Zhengyang off and returned to Zhang Hengyang’s office, saying, "President Zhang, those defending their rights have already left."

Zhang Hengyang nodded, "We’ve been given one day to respond."

Liu Jiaqi said, "One day? How is that possible? What should we do? This issue has quite an impact."

Zhang Hengyang said, "I’ve delegated this to you, and you’re asking me what to do?"

Liu Jiaqi said anxiously, "President Zhang, that’s not what I meant. I was seeking your guidance."

Zhang Hengyang said, "Advertising is fine, but don’t engage in false advertising. A hundred-plus hot springs? Who are you kidding? Where are your hundred-plus hot springs?"

Liu Jiaqi whispered, "In our first phase planning, we have a hot spring resort..."

Zhang Hengyang said, "When did the Healthy Elderly Care Hospital become a part of our Da Heng facilities? Since Changxing hasn’t exposed us, you should have restrained yourselves. You’ve been excessively exploiting this, and now look, someone’s caught on, and it’s become widely known."

Liu Jiaqi said, "President Zhang, I was thinking, since the Huannian Health and Elderly Care Hospital is laying the foundation starting today, can we sign a cooperation agreement with them? As long as we sign this agreement, our previous promises won’t be empty talk, and our advertising will have a basis."

Zhang Hengyang said, "Why didn’t you do this earlier? Now you want to sign an agreement? With Huayuan Group in its current state, who knows if the hospital can even be built!"

Zhang Hengyang is well-acquainted with the situation of Huayuan. No one’s having an easy time right now. Why is Huayuan Group pushing to advance the health and elderly care hospital project at this time? It’s not because they have extra money, but because they’re short of funds. Lately, Huayuan’s negative news has been nonstop, and they’re eager to release positive news to boost stock prices and increase investor confidence.

Don’t be fooled by their grand groundbreaking ceremony. Strip away the surface, and it’s nothing more than capital manipulation.

Both Da Heng and Huayuan are in precarious situations, akin to birds of a feather.

Zhang Hengyang said, "You resign immediately!"

Liu Jiaqi was stunned; she didn’t expect Zhang Hengyang’s first strike to come so mercilessly at her.

Having Liu Jiaqi resign was just the first step. Once this matter is resolved, Zhang Hengyang will disband the entire sales team of the Weishan Island division.

The situation was more severe than he imagined. That very day, news of Da Heng’s alleged fraudulent sales had appeared on major portal websites, with articles appearing like mushrooms after a rain.

It started with news of the Hot Spring Town, followed by scandals about Da Heng emerging from all over the country, one after another being unearthed.

In the afternoon, the Hong Kong stock market observed a phenomenon of capital flight. By the close, the stock price had plunged by 17%, and this was just the beginning.

Zhang Hengyang convened the elite team from the entire East China Region to urgently come to Weishan Island, and they must come up with effective contingency plans quickly. For them and the entire Da Heng’s board of directors, this would be a sleepless night.