Doctor and His Glamorous Sister-in-Law

Upon hearing this, Liu Ergou deliberately dragged out his tone and responded, "Ohhh, so that's how it is! I need to submit the ancient formula to you, and then you'll be the one to distribute it!"

At this point, Liu Ergou put on a surprised expression.

"My, my. If we go by what President Mi is saying, then after any of us submit a formula, President Mi can obtain our ancient recipes without paying a single thing! And then you can do whatever you want with them. I'm right, aren't I?"

The moment these words were spoken, the color drained from Mi Xiaoying's face. She had not expected Liu Ergou to speak so bluntly. Moreover, with just a few simple words, he had managed to position her as the antagonist to everyone else in the room.

Realizing this, Mi Xiaoying began to take him seriously.

"You can't say that, friend Er Gou!" she retorted. "What do you mean I haven't paid any price? I've paid one as well! The most important factor in establishing this association is funding, and I'm the one responsible for that crucial funding! How can you say I haven't contributed?"

She then pointed a finger back at him. "I think it's clear that *you're* the one, friend Er Gou, who doesn't want to contribute your ancient formula. You're just trying to sow discord among everyone here to prevent the association from ever being formed!"

Mi Xiaoying's sharp retort flipped the situation once again. The others immediately began to chime in, siding with her.

"President Mi is right! I think you're just trying to stir up trouble between all of us!"

"Exactly! Do young people these days really think that holding on to a couple of ancient formulas makes them some kind of master? In reality, they're nothing special!"

"Hmph, that Ergou fellow better not get too full of himself. This association will be just fine with or without you!"

Listening to the wave of accusations, Liu Ergou's expression remained largely unchanged. If anything, his wariness toward Mi Xiaoying rose another level.

Indeed, none of the people who climb to these positions are ever simple. He had to tread carefully. One small misstep, and he could find himself in a situation with no hope of recovery.

Seeing himself become the target of everyone's condemnation, Liu Ergou took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Alright," he said, breaking the silence. "Since President Mi says I'm sowing discord, then so be it. And someone also said the association would be the same with or without me. I think that's quite reasonable, too. Since that's the case, I won't disturb you any longer. Farewell, and I hope you all have a wonderful time!"

After speaking, Liu Ergou stood up and turned to leave. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest hesitation.

They're the ones telling me to leave. It's not that I want to go.

Watching Liu Ergou's retreating back, Mi Xiaoying was completely dumbfounded.

Wait, by any normal logic, a person criticized by so many people should argue back, right? But this Liu Ergou... he just ups and leaves. If he walks out that door, how am I supposed to get my hands on his incredible medical techniques?

The thought gave Mi Xiaoying a splitting headache. She couldn't help but glance around at the people in the room and curse internally.

What a bunch of useless teammates!

But before Mi Xiaoying could say anything, Old Gongsun, who had been quiet as a piece of furniture the entire time, suddenly shot to his feet. He waved his cane and thumped it forcefully on the ground.

Pointing at Liu Ergou's back, he bellowed, "Liu Ergou, what kind of attitude is that? Is it wrong for everyone to criticize you a little? You're the youngest person here; it's perfectly normal for you to be corrected! I can't believe it. Someone says a few words to you, and you lose your temper and try to leave. Don't you realize how bad that is for unity? Get back here, apologize to everyone, and we can put this behind us! Do you hear me?"

Liu Ergou, who was already walking toward the exit, felt a cold smirk spread across his lips as he heard Old Gongsun's words.

As expected. This old bastard knows about my medical skills. Gongsun Feng must have told him. But if they think they can get their hands on my knowledge, they're delusional. Anything from my mind is priceless. They want me to just contribute it? In their dreams.

Without turning his head, Liu Ergou called back, "Old man, drop the moral grandstanding! I, Liu Ergou, have many things, but a sense of morality isn't one of them. And if your old eyes are failing you, you should go home and rest! When that mob was cursing me out just now, you acted like you didn't see a thing. Now that I'm leaving, you decide to throw your weight around? Let me tell you, if it weren't for my respect for my elders, I would've smashed your damn head in by now!"

Liu Ergou's harsh words made Old Gongsun's face turn green with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at Liu Ergou, sputtering for a long time without managing to form a single complete sentence.

But Liu Ergou paid him no mind, continuing his steady walk toward the exit. In just a few more steps, he was at the main doors of the conference hall, about to leave for good.

Finally, Mi Xiaoying could no longer sit still. She knew that if she didn't intervene now, Liu Ergou would be gone, and her entire plan would be ruined.

"Friend Er Gou, please don't be in such a rush to leave!" she called out. "We were in the wrong. On behalf of everyone, I apologize. I'm sorry. I hope you'll stay so we can discuss this matter again!"

As she spoke, Mi Xiaoying gave Liu Ergou a deep, ninety-degree bow.

Although Liu Ergou didn't turn around, he saw her gesture clearly in the reflection from the glass door. He couldn't help but admire her inwardly.

This woman knows when to advance and when to retreat. No wonder she can run a place as big as the Ting Tian Pavilion. That's not a skill most people have.

With that thought, Liu Ergou turned around and, along with Lu Shuangyue, returned to his seat.

I don't have a reason to leave anymore. If I insist on going now, it could stir up another kind of trouble—an online public opinion storm. That would be even messier than the current situation, maybe even impossible to clean up. Quitting while I'm ahead is the best choice.

However, just because he was back didn't mean he was done. There were still a few things that needed to be said.

Sitting back down, Liu Ergou's voice rang out across the room. "Some of you had better watch your mouths! If you can't control what comes out of them, I'll leave immediately, and I won't hesitate!"

The few people who had verbally attacked Liu Ergou earlier were so infuriated by his words they looked ready to jump up and fight him. But since they were still in a formal meeting, all they could do was shoot him a hateful glare and swallow their anger.