Very Pure and Ambiguous: The Prequel

VPAATP - V4C152 – Bribing

“Hello. Can I ask you to please help me look up in what patients name this receipt was registered?” I prepared to hand over the receipt to the person at the counter.

“No, I can’t do that!” The staff person at the counter didn’t even raise their head to look at me, declining my request directly!

I knew that there weren’t many people who would be willing to help anyone without getting anything in return, so I handed over a two hundred Yuan note.

“Do you want to know the room number? Or who the doctor is?” The staff person asked.

“I just want you to help me check which department this receipt is from?” I said.

“You should go to the Finance Department on the fifth floor. I can’t find that from here since the registration forms are the same. Only the Finance Department can tell since the various departments sent their registration receipts to be settled there on weekends!” The staff explained.

“Oh, ok! Thank you,” I thought that these 200 Yuan were probably just the beginning.

I rushed to the fifth floor. Since the entrance of each administrative office had a sign, it didn’t take long for me to find the Finance Department.

Of course, no one paid attention to me at the beginning, but once I started using the money offensive, a leader from the Finance Department finally came to see me. Looking at the thick stack of bank notes on the table, the man said to a nearby man with a dog-like appearance, “You go and check the registration receipt!”

Since the leader had spoken, that man obviously had to comply. Though all the money won’t flow to the bottom-feeders like him, it was still better having something than nothing. Even if he didn’t get any money, he had no choice but to do as the leader said!

It was good to have money. The results were soon out, the receipt was from the Cardiology Department!

“Can you look up which doctor took the case?” I took a look at the bottom of the receipt and pointed at the code “Heart 01”.

“Let me have a look!” The Financial Department leader took the receipt and said, “This seems to be Doctor Zhou, head of the Cardiology Department!”

“Alright, I must thank you then!” I knew that it was because of the money on the table that he was being so warm-hearted, but I didn’t think that the money had been spent in vain. After all, I now knew what I had wanted to ask him!

“Hehe, no need to thank me. Between the two of us, it was a matter of mutual benefit. Since we have had a good cooperation, I must remind you that Director Zhou is a well-known expert physician all over the nation, so if you tried to give him......” saying this, the leader of Finance Department pointed towards the money on the table and said, “It might not go well!”

I understood his meaning and nodded! Since Director Zhou was a famous doctor, it was possible that he might not even spare a glance if I tried to give him this much money! However, I will obviously act according to the circumstances. Just like now, I didn’t treat the Financial Department Leader and that Counter staff the same, did I?

“I understand what you mean!” I expressed my gratitude to the leader of the Financial Department and then left. I went directly to the bank and brought 50,000 in cash and returned to the hospital.

After I left, the Finance Department leader took out a few hundred Yuan from the stack of money and threw it to the staff member who had just checked the receipt. The staff member didn’t dare to be greedy. It was already great that he was getting something as well, so he quickly thanked the leader.

I soon found the Cardiology Department and couldn’t help but be shocked by the number of people lined up at the entrance! It could be, right? Were the registrations not limited to a certain amount of people daily? How come there were so many people here?

However, I still had to go, so I opened a path through the crowd and squeezed into the door of the Cardiology Department

“Oye, what are you doing? Go back in the line!” The person behind me complained and tried to stop me.

“Sorry, I am not here for a checkup, I am looking for someone!” I said.

Seeing me move so agilely, the person could tell that I didn’t have any heart issue, so there was no reason for him to stop me.

When I came inside the Department, I could see two doctors sitting at the desk treating their patients. As could be seen from their identification cards, one of them was called Dai Tianming, who was a regular physician. The second was called Qian Zhongtang, a deputy chief physician. Neither of them was the one I was looking for.

“Excuse me, is Director Zhou in?” Dai Tianming had just finished inspecting a patient when I immediately asked.

“Director Zhou? Who are you?” Dai Tianming asked me.

I wanted to say that I didn’t know Director Zhou, but the man might not tell me then, so I said, “I am Director Zhou’s patient and have come here for his assistance with a matter!”

“Oh, so you are Teacher Zhou’s patient. He isn’t on duty today. You can go to the 13th-floor ward, you will be able to find him there!” Dai Tianming didn’t doubt me after listening to me. In the hospital, it was normal for a patient to seek their doctor only, therefore, it was normal for me to be asking for Director Zhou.

“Thank you!” I expressed my gratitude to Dai Tianming.

“You are welcome. You can directly go up from the elevator!” Dai Tianming nodded.

Listening to his tone, I could estimate that he was Director Zhou’s student. Otherwise, how could he be so polite?

It was great that Director Zhou wasn’t on duty today, otherwise, with the battle formation at the door, I wonder just when my turn would come!

I went to the elevator and arrived at the ward on the 13th floor. Arriving there, I directly went to a nurse and asked her, “Hello, can you tell me where Director Zhou is?”

“Director Zhou? Are you talking about the Department head of the Cardiology Department, Director Zhou Zhiping?” The nurse looked at me and asked.

“Yes, it’s Director Zhou of the Cardiology Department!” I said with a nod.

“You can walk down this corridor, the doctor will be in the doctor’s duty room!” The nurse pointed to a corridor next to her.

I soon found the doctor’s duty room in the direction that the nurse had indicated. Inside, there was an old man in his sixties studying something with a few younger doctors.

“Hello, can I meet Director Zhou?” I knocked at the door and asked politely.

The old man raised his head and looked at me from head to toe. Once he was done, he said, “I am Zhou Zhiping. May I ask who you might be?”

When he was sizing me up, I was also observing the old man. Looking at his appearance, he appeared to be one who was rigorously involved in scholarly research. He wasn’t like other doctors who got registered and people couldn’t even see them then!

“Hello, Director Zhou!” I hastily walked and said to him after arriving next to him, “I need your help with a matter, can I have some of your time?”

Zhou Zhiping looked at me and then nodded, saying to the younger doctors, “You can leave first, we will end today’s session here!”

“Understood, Teacher Zhou. We will see you again!” The youngsters nodded and began to pack up their things and notes. These people were probably the interns who came here for the experience.

After the interns left, Zhou Zhiping closed the door and said to me, “You can now say why you were looking for me?”

Looking at Zhou Zhiping’s move, I sneered in my heart. It turned out that this guy was no different, after all, a crow will always be black! Ah, this guy closed the door so quickly, making it convenient for me to give him gifts!

“It’s like this, Director Zhou. I want you to help me with a matter, I want to look up a patients medical records!” Since I already found out that Zhou Zhiping was a man greedy for money, there wasn’t a need for me to beat around the bush, so I came to the point.

“The medical record of a patient? Who are you? Do you have an introduction letter?” Zhou Zhiping had subconsciously regarded me as someone from the police or secret agency.