Afternoon work continued, so everyone refrained from drinking much at lunch. At two o'clock, they returned to the TCM Association's office building and commenced the afternoon's work arrangements.
Wan Yunting brought Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao back to his office and first had them rest in his lounge. Following that, Gu Yuanbai entered. Wan Yunting, who was looking at some documents, looked up and greeted him with a smile, "Elder Gu, you're here?"
"Mm, where are Luotang and the others?"
Seeing Wan Yunting busy, Gu Yuanbai inquired. Wan Yunting stood up and gestured towards the lounge, "They are resting inside. Please have a seat, Elder Gu."
Gu Yuanbai nodded and sat on the sofa in the reception area. Knowing Gu Yuanbai had something to discuss, Wan Yunting prepared to boil water for tea. Gu Yuanbai then said, "Little Wan, Elder Liu, Elder Xue, and Elder Li have allowed that group of young people to join the association. How do you plan to arrange them?"
Wan Yunting, holding the kettle to fill it with water, placed it on its base and switched it on to boil. He sat opposite Gu Yuanbai and smiled, "Elder Gu, are you referring to Liu He, Gu Zichen, and Li Tianyi?"
Gu Yuanbai nodded and said, "These individuals are the direct grandchildren of Elder Xue and Elder Liu, and Li Tianyi is Elder Li's youngest daughter. They have personally arranged for them to work within the association, so we must pay attention!"
"Mm, I understand."
Wan Yunting nodded and added, "Especially Liu He, Liu Lao's grandson. Zichen mentioned that he's considered a leader among the younger generation in the Beijing TCM community. Although I've only met him twice, I can see he's a capable person."
Gu Yuanbai nodded and asked, "They are all quite good. In the future, they will be the backbone of the association. Therefore, my intention is that you should value them and also build good relationships with them privately, just as I arranged for you to be TCM teachers and interact with Xiao Song and Xiao Wei."
Wan Yunting smiled, "Rest assured, Elder Gu, I will get along with them well, and especially Liu He, he should be heavily utilized!"
Gu Yuanbai nodded and said, "Currently, the association relies primarily on your younger generation. With Elder Xue and me responsible for passing on our experience, within two years, you will be able to handle everything independently. Liu He is a talented individual, so I suggest we give him a Vice Chairman position!"
Wan Yunting's expression faltered slightly, and he smiled, "Elder Gu, do you intend for him to succeed you in the future?"
"That's right."
Gu Yuanbai chuckled, "The future belongs to you all. I think Liu He is quite good. Let's let him adapt beforehand. If his performance in future work is not outstanding, then we can reconsider."
"In conclusion, as long as you are the Chairman, we are at ease. Bringing Liu He and the others up is intended to help you share the workload, and besides, Elder Liu is his grandfather!"
Wan Yunting nodded and said, "Alright, then we'll hold a meeting this afternoon to announce this decision."
Gu Yuanbai nodded and continued, "And we should also give important roles to Elder Xue's granddaughter, Xue Xialan, and Elder Li's youngest daughter, Li Tianyi, and others..."
The old man and the young man chatted over tea about this matter. Soon, Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, who had been resting, woke up and joined them.
Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai convened a meeting.
Xue Dongshan, Liu Pingyi, Li Tiangui, Chen Ru, Chen Jiadong, and Yuan Jingguo were all present...
Concurrently, Liu He, Li Tianyi, Xue Xialan, Gu Zichen, Li Haiwen, Sun Wenhao, and Lu Dashun arrived sequentially...
Wan Yunting stood up and briefly explained the upcoming Beijing primary school education reform to everyone. Then, he announced, "After discussions between myself and Elder Gu, we have decided to elect Liu He as the Vice Chairman of our TCM Association!"
"Wow, Liu He is the Vice Chairman..."
Immediately, Li Tianyi, Li Haiwen, and others showed surprised expressions. Others also appeared astonished and whispered amongst themselves, discussing it in hushed tones...
Xue Dongshan, Li Tiangui, and Chen Ru also turned to look at Liu Pingyi, whose face was filled with surprise at Wan Yunting and Gu Yuanbai's decision.
Even Liu He, sitting next to Xue Xialan, was taken aback, looking at Wan Yunting with a confused expression...
"Elder Gu recommended him!"
Wan Yunting looked at him, then at everyone present, and said with a smile, "I believe everyone here is more aware than I am of Liu He's abilities and medical skills. He is more than capable of being Vice Chairman, so I agree with this decision. I will apply to the Health Commission tomorrow, though of course, this requires their approval."
"Wonderful..."
Li Tiangui immediately applauded with a smile. Xue Dongshan, Chen Ru, Li Tianyi, and Sun Wenhao also joined in the applause, knowing that Liu He's position as Vice Chairman was set.
"Xiao He is an outstanding figure among the younger generation in the Beijing TCM circle, both in terms of ability, character, and medical skills. We have no objections to him being Vice Chairman," Li Tiangui said with a smile.
"Yes, by having capable young people like Xiao He take on more responsibility, we older folks will be much more relaxed," Xue Dongshan said, turning to Chen Ru and the others with a smile.
"Exactly..."
Chen Ru and the other members of the board of directors nodded in agreement with smiles.
"Liu He, congratulations..."
Li Tianyi, Li Haiwen, and Lu Dashun also congratulated Liu He. He smiled, stood up, and bowed slightly to Gu Yuanbai and Wan Yunting, thanking them, "Many thanks to Vice Chairman Gu for the recommendation, and many thanks to Chairman Wan."
"Ah, no need for such formality."
Gu Yuanbai waved his hand at him and said with a smile, "We recommended you as Vice Chairman based on your personal abilities. Work hard and assist Chairman Wan in bringing about the revival and great development of TCM as soon as possible."
Liu He nodded. His refined demeanor gave an impression of steadiness. He smiled at Wan Yunting and said, "I will."
Wan Yunting also nodded at him with a smile and continued to announce the work positions for Xue Xialan, Li Tianyi, and Lu Dashun within the association...
The meeting continued until half-past six in the evening, which was the end of working hours. Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang stood at the entrance to see Li Tiangui and Xue Dongshan off. Then, Liu He and Xue Xialan approached and said, "Chairman Wan, we haven't added each other on WeChat yet. Let's exchange contact information."
"Alright."
Wan Yunting immediately took out his phone and smiled, "I'll scan yours..."
Thus, they all added each other on WeChat. Li Tianyi said, "Chairman Wan, we're going out for dinner and drinks now. Would you like to join us?"
Wan Yunting immediately turned to look at Gu Yuanbai beside him. Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, "You young people are having dinner, so we old folks won't join. Have fun."
"Elder Gu, please take care."
Wan Yunting watched Gu Yuanbai and the others leave by taxi. Finally, Wan Yunting, Gu Luotang, Qi Miaomiao, Liu He, and Xue Xialan remained. As their assistant, Shangguan Hui'er, locked the building's doors, Li Tianyi said, "Liu Ge is treating tonight. Where should we go?"
Liu He smiled and said, "Let's go to Dongpo Restaurant then."
"Whoa, it looks like Liu Ge is going to splurge," Sun Wenhao and the others joked.
Wan Yunting smiled and said, "Okay, I'll follow you in my car. I don't know the address of that restaurant yet."
"Alright, you follow behind us..."
Li Haiwen nodded. Liu He and the others went to get their cars to pick up Xue Xialan and Li Tianyi.
Wan Yunting drove a regular Audi, with Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, following Liu He and the others towards the Dongpo Restaurant he mentioned...
A gathering of young people naturally involved a lot of drinking. However, Wan Yunting, with his remarkable tolerance, managed to get Li Haiwen and Lu Dashun drunk. In contrast, Liu He was completely fine and even arranged for a designated driver to take Li Haiwen and the others home.
It was evident that Liu He was a very rational person. Although he also drank a considerable amount with everyone, he always kept a little back, not letting himself get completely drunk.
"Chairman Wan, I'll take Xialan home first then."
After seeing everyone else off, only Liu He, Xue Xialan, and Wan Yunting and his companions remained.
"Alright, we plan to stroll around nearby. You take Xialan home first," Wan Yunting waved and said with a smile.
Liu He nodded, then smiled politely at Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao. He then opened the car door to let Xue Xialan in, followed by himself, and had the designated driver start the car.
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang watched them leave. Qi Miaomiao then said, "Senior Sister, Yunting Ge, do you think Liu He and Xue Xialan are a couple?"
"Definitely."
Wan Yunting glanced at her and smiled, "Who can't see they're a couple?"
Gu Luotang giggled and said, "Liu He seems quite good, and Xue Xialan is gentle and quiet. They are quite well-matched."
However, Qi Miaomiao said, "Xue Xialan is fine, but I don't really like that Liu He!"
Wan Yunting was walking with the two of them down the bustling street, planning to stroll around before taking them home. Hearing this, he glanced at Qi Miaomiao and asked, "Why don't you like him?"
"Yes."
Gu Luotang also looked at Qi Miaomiao curiously. She glanced at Wan Yunting and her senior sister, pouted, and said, "My intuition tells me that Liu He is putting on an act, especially at this dinner. Lu Dashun and Sun Wenhao kept trying to get Yunting Ge to drink, but he just sat there smiling. Although he drank, he clearly held back!"
"Hmph, why is it that Yunting Ge and Master recommended him as Vice Chairman, but he acted like it was a given? That's why I don't like him!"
This statement caused Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang to exchange glances and simultaneously turn to Qi Miaomiao, smiling, "I didn't expect our Miaomiao to be so observant, observing things at this level."
Qi Miaomiao stomped her foot and gave Wan Yunting a big glare, "Yunting Ge, so you already saw that Liu He was arrogant and calculating. Then why did you recommend him as Vice Chairman? I say, even if this Vice Chairman position was given to Senior Sister, it would be better than giving it to him."
"I can't take it."
Gu Luotang quickly said, "My grandfather is already Vice Chairman. If I were to become Vice Chairman too, wouldn't people accuse us of favoritism and nepotism?"
Wan Yunting also smiled, "Let's not even discuss whether Luotang has the ability, but Liu He certainly has the ability to be a good Vice Chairman."
"Of course, his arrogance is normal. After all, in the Beijing TCM circle, he's a leader among the younger generation. It's normal for him to not be subservient to me as Chairman, considering we are outsiders."
"However, Elder Gu and I chose him as Vice Chairman primarily for his capabilities. As for his arrogance and calculating nature, these are not important. The main thing is that he can do his job well, and everything else can be discussed later."
"Mm, Yunting Ge is right, ability is important," Gu Luotang nodded and said with a smile.
"Tch."
Qi Miaomiao was dismissive, "Even though you're right, I personally just don't like him."
"Alright, alright, him being Vice Chairman is already decided and cannot be changed, so let's not overthink it. Let's go shopping," Wan Yunting cut Qi Miaomiao short and said with a smile.
"Mm, shopping..."
Gu Luotang nodded, linking her arm with Wan Yunting's. She didn't want to think about anything else. Now she could just be with the man.
"Forget it, I'm full. I don't want to eat your 'dog food' anymore. I'll just take a taxi back by myself." Seeing them linking arms, Qi Miaomiao felt a pang of sourness in her heart, and she turned to hail a passing taxi.
"No, Miaomiao, you're really not going shopping?"
Wan Yunting and Gu Luotang hadn't even reacted when Qi Miaomiao had already gotten into the taxi. She waved her little hand and smiled, "Yunting Ge, Senior Sister, you guys take your time shopping. I won't be a third wheel. If you don't go back tonight, Senior Sister, you must let me know in advance. I'll tell Master."
"Miaomiao..."
Watching the taxi drive away, Gu Luotang didn't know what to say to her.
Wan Yunting held her small hand and smiled, "It's alright. If she were here, she would indeed be in the way."
This statement made Gu Luotang give him a charming glare. She could only agree: "Then where are we going now?"
Wan Yunting pointed to a private cinema ahead and said mischievously, "How about we go watch a movie?"
Seeing the private cinema, Gu Luotang's pretty face immediately flushed, and she said coquettishly, "You're annoying..."
"Haha, let's go..."
Wan Yunting eagerly pulled the woman towards the private cinema. Because he had been too busy lately, they hadn't had any time for a date alone. Tonight, with such a rare opportunity, how could he let it pass?
After opening a private room, Wan Yunting immediately looked around, causing Gu Luotang to ask curiously, "Yunting Ge, what are you looking for?"
"Mm, looking for hidden cameras..."
Wan Yunting said, searching here and there. Gu Luotang was surprised, "Cameras? Then maybe we should go back..."
After searching the area and finding no cameras, Wan Yunting returned, put his arm around Gu Luotang, and said with a smile, "The owner of this place seems honest enough. Shall we begin?"
"Ah, aren't you going to watch a movie?"
"Watch a movie? I'm about to burst..."