"Long Xingyue, you're going too far!" Xiao Anning snapped, pointing angrily at Long Xingyue.
"That's a personal attack! What do you mean by a con man's student? Everything is in black and white. If they can't fulfill our requirements, they'll compensate us according to the contract terms. There's no need for you to meddle."
Long Xingyue stood his ground, not backing down even half a step.
"By the time compensation comes into play, it'll already be too late. Han Weicheng had the nerve to lie through his teeth—calling him a con man is hardly an exaggeration."
"Unless, Assistant Xiao, you're defending him? Or should I say, this entire contract is something that can't see the light of day?"
"Was it the result of collusion between just a few of you? What did Luo Jialin offer you in exchange?"
"You—stop talking nonsense!" Xiao Anning's face paled slightly.
"Dean, please believe me. This contract followed the proper procedures and wasn't done in the shadows."
Shu Lanzhou smiled lightly. "Well, whether it was shady or not is easy to verify. The hospital has an auditing department, doesn't it? Have them go through the entire process—from the contract negotiation to the final signing."
"Let's check if the due diligence on the pharmaceutical company was properly conducted, whether their submitted data was adequately reviewed before the deal was made."
"And one more thing…" Shu Lanzhou turned to Long Xingyue. "Director Long, does the contract specify what types of medications are being supplied?"
"Does Luo Pharmaceutical actually have the qualifications to produce all of them and supply them on demand?"
Long Xingyue's eyes lit up. He immediately responded:
"Of course not. That new drug they're about to release? They're not even certified to produce it, and there's no way they can supply it as required. Speaking of black-and-white contracts, Assistant Xiao, hasn't Luo Pharmaceutical already breached it?"
"And you—signing a bulk procurement contract before they even submitted a single sample? That's not a violation?"
Xiao Anning felt his face sting, like he'd just been slapped hard by Long Xingyue's words.
Elder Xiang was fuming, breathing heavily. He couldn't understand it—Long Xingyue, who had always focused solely on his own medical department and never involved himself in administrative matters, was now suddenly meddling in procurement?
He shot a look at Shu Lanzhou and, thinking of the Mu family behind her, began to grasp the likely motivation.
"That's enough." Xiang Hua slammed a palm on the table.
"Director Long is right. Assistant Xiao, your responsibilities lie elsewhere. You had no business interfering with procurement. Since Luo Pharmaceutical has already breached the contract, it's null and void."
"Director Long, why don't you arrange for someone to reassess and select a new supplier after a proper audit?"
He wanted to see exactly what this Long character was up to. Was he seriously planning to openly partner with the Mu family?
Long Xingyue gave a cold snort. "Null and void? A breach is still a breach, and that means a penalty. You think one sentence from Dean Xiang is enough to let Luo Pharmaceutical off the hook? That's a bit too generous."
"Besides, I'm just a department head—not in charge of procurement. Who exactly am I supposed to assign?"
"I say bring in the auditing department. Have them and procurement jointly re-evaluate and assess whether Luo Pharmaceutical is capable of meeting our medical supply needs."
"If everything checks out, fine—we can draft a new contract according to regulations. But if not, then the contract should be terminated accordingly. And not a single cent of the penalty should be waived."
"And as for the irregular signing of the contract, Dean Xiang, you might want to investigate thoroughly. If someone needs to be held accountable, they should be. We don't want this to become a bigger disaster for the hospital."
Xiang Hua's face was burning—he was the dean, yet here he was, being publicly reprimanded by a department head.
But what could he do? With all the senior leadership present, and a glaring management lapse, there was no escaping accountability.
"You're right, Director Long. Assistant Xiao, go inform the auditing team and the procurement lead. This situation has gone far beyond acceptable."
Long Xingyue flung his arm with a sharp gesture.
"Unacceptable, indeed. If procurement can't even handle a contract, what's the point of having a procurement lead?"
With that, he left with Shu Lanzhou in tow. He wasn't here to gain favors or argue—just to drop a bomb and walk away with his hands clean. Xiang Hua couldn't quite figure him out.
Were they not causing all this drama just to push a deal with the Mu family?
Wasn't the Mu family worried the hospital might sign with another company?
Just as Xiang Hua was pondering in confusion, Long Xingyue stopped a few steps away and turned back suddenly.
"Oh, by the way, Dean Xiang—I recall this matter was handled by the vice dean you promoted yourself, right? It's only been, what, two years? And there's already such a huge screw-up? Shouldn't you give the hospital an explanation?"
The other attendees began nodding in agreement.
"Dean Xiang, this scandal could affect the entire National Hospital's reputation. You can't take it lightly."
"Exactly. You can't just let it go because he's your pick."
"And that Assistant Xiao, causing trouble the moment he got dismissed—I say he shouldn't be kept around either."
These voices belonged to the same senior staff who had risen through the ranks on skill, ethics, and solid work during Elder Long's time. Usually quiet and dependable, focused on research and clinical excellence.
They'd never taken sides nor helped Long Xingyue in political battles. That's why Xiang Hua had tolerated them all these years.
But now, suddenly, they were united in turning against him.
The vice dean who had been called out shrank even further into the corner, not daring to speak.
After all, the contract had been signed under Xiang Hua's direct orders—what could he say? Whether he liked it or not, this mess was his to own. A few harsh words from his colleagues were the least of his worries.
If he really angered Xiang Hua, his hard-earned title as vice dean might be gone in a flash. Like the proverbial temp worker who always takes the fall—he was Xiang Hua's temporary scapegoat.
With a grim face, Xiang Hua promised everyone he would give a proper explanation and would not tolerate anyone who disregarded hospital regulations.
Watching Long Xingyue and his group disappear around the stairwell, Xiao Anning was fuming with rage.
He had clearly underestimated that girl Shu Lanzhou. In just a few short years, she had gone from a timid, bullied university student into someone bold enough to challenge them with Long Xingyue.
Back then, Long Xingyue had always been meek and reserved around them—never once dared to challenge them, especially when Elder Long was still around. Every time he met them, it was always smiles and polite small talk.
Now that Elder Xiang was the dean, shouldn't Long be keeping a lower profile?
How did he suddenly find the nerve…
Xiao Anning was starting to suspect it was all Shu Lanzhou's doing. After all, she was part of the Mu family now. Wasn't everything she was doing just to push National Hospital to sign with the Mu Corporation?
"What are you standing around for? Go call in the responsible departments!" Xiang Hua barked, face flushed with anger. Then he turned to the vice dean:
"You—come with me to the office." His tone was much gentler this time.
The vice dean had a sinking feeling—his position was likely finished. Just like those "temporary workers" who always took the blame, he was Xiang Hua's fall guy now.
Xiao Anning didn't move right away. He waited until the meeting room had cleared out, then took a few steps toward Xiang Hua and asked quietly, "Dean… you're not seriously going to bring in the auditing team, are you?"