Volume One, Chapter 46: The Ex-Husband’s Relentless Entanglement

That afternoon, Ye Sheng attended a meeting with the department’s doctors to discuss the follow-up treatment plans for several patients. As usual, Qin Minshu was absent.

At first, everyone was a little tense—after all, the trending topic was causing quite a stir, and caution hung in the air. But Director Ye’s composure was unshaken, as if entirely unaffected, and her steadiness truly commanded respect.

After the meeting, Ye Sheng headed to the dean’s office. Dean Ji was in the middle of a phone call; when he saw Ye Sheng, he waved her over.

“You’re just in time. My phone has been ringing off the hook all afternoon.”

Ye Sheng’s brows drew together. “Has it affected the hospital?”

“What effect could it possibly have? Anyone can see that kind of trending topic is just the work of marketing accounts. We’ll release a statement to debunk the rumors and that’ll be the end of it.” Dean Ji tried to reassure her. “Don’t take it to heart. Focus on your work.”

“I haven’t taken it to heart,” Ye Sheng replied directly. “Was it you who approved Qin Minshu’s leave?”

Dean Ji was momentarily stunned. “Ah, yes, I…”

“So what’s going on? Is this how our hospital operates? If someone needs time off, they skip their immediate supervisor and go straight to upper management?” Ye Sheng’s gaze was sharp and dangerous.

Knowing Ye Sheng’s temperament, Dean Ji tried to smooth things over. “Oh, it’s nothing serious. You know what’s going on with little Qin and Huo…” He cleared his throat. “The Huo Group has a long-standing partnership with our hospital—we can’t afford to offend them.”

“Senior brother.”

Ye Sheng’s expression turned cold. “On my first day at Haici, I made it clear: if you want me in this position, fine. I won’t interfere in other matters, but the staffing of the Hematology Department is my responsibility. You remember that, don’t you?”

Dean Ji looked guilty. “I remember, I remember. Please, don’t be upset—let’s sit and talk.”

Ye Sheng took a breath. “I know running a hospital isn’t easy, and there are many things you have to consider. I won’t make things harder for you, but please don’t make things difficult for me either. Let’s be considerate of each other.”

“This time only. There won’t be a repeat. If Qin Minshu wants to take leave again, she’ll have to come directly to me. Whether I approve it or not is my business.”

“Alright,” Dean Ji nodded, his face flushed with embarrassment.

As Ye Sheng was almost out the door, she paused and called back, “Senior brother.”

Dean Ji looked up.

“There’s no need to worry about offending people. If the Huo Group won’t cooperate, we still have Huatai Pharmaceuticals. I will always be your last line of defense.”

Watching Ye Sheng leave with her head held high, Dean Ji smiled in relief, picked up the phone he hadn’t yet hung up, and said to Huo Lintong on the other end, “Uncle, you heard that, didn’t you? She’s so fiery, she’ll never let herself be taken advantage of… Don’t worry too much.”

—

Ye Sheng had no social media accounts. As long as she stayed offline, the fiercest storms on the Internet couldn’t touch her.

What she hadn’t expected was how quickly public opinion could shift.

Nearing dusk, Ye Sheng was reviewing a few medical records in her office when Mia knocked and entered, her face beaming.

“Boss, someone’s spoken up for you.”

This trending topic involved several parties. Whether the hospital or Huatai Pharmaceuticals spoke up, Ye Sheng wouldn’t have been surprised. What truly astonished her was that the voice raised in her defense was a young woman—the eldest daughter of the Shan family in Meishan County.

Shan Ni, a journalism student at Z University, instantly realized when she saw the trending topic that it was targeting Ye Sheng.

If it had simply been hype, she would have ignored it. But since it was clearly a smear campaign, there was no way she could stand by and do nothing.

“No wonder she’s a journalism major—just look at this article. The context and the entire sequence of events are laid out with perfect clarity,” Mia said excitedly. “The original trending post was taken down, and both Haici Hospital and Huatai Pharmaceuticals have reposted this article, pushing it to the top. The full video has been widely shared by major influencers, and even a number of celebrities have come forward to lend their support. The promotional video for medical aid has already garnered tens of millions of views, Boss—you’re going viral!”

Ye Sheng had remained calm before, and even now she wasn’t excited. She was utterly indifferent to all the buzz. Nevertheless, she read the news article three times over.

It was brilliantly written and cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Through this seemingly small incident, it highlighted the harsh reality of healthcare in impoverished and underdeveloped regions, as well as the current state of medical assistance efforts. The contributions made by Haici Hospital and Huatai Pharmaceuticals to medical causes over the past decade were soon unearthed by netizens, propelling Huatai Pharmaceuticals to the top of the trending list, and their stock prices soared.

Mia couldn’t stop laughing and joked with Ye Sheng, “If I didn’t know Chairman Ye’s character so well, I’d almost think it was all orchestrated by him from the start.”

Ye Sheng laughed too. If being maligned once could let her brother take a year off, she’d be quite willing to make that sacrifice.

There was a knock at the door. “Come in,” Ye Sheng called, and a figure entered.

“Still working?”

Ye Sheng looked up abruptly, her cool brows knitting together. “Why are you here again?”