When An Changlin pushed through the crowd with two panting bureau directors and finally saw the figure standing at the courtyard gate, he felt as though he had crossed between two worlds.
Outside the courtyard walls was hell on earth. Wails, pleas, arguments, and sobs merged into a roar of anguish that threatened to tear his eardrums apart.
Inside the walls, the young man stood straight, his expression impassive, as though he stood above the clouds, looking down upon all living beings.
"Mr. Chen..." An Changlin hurried up and wiped the sweat from his forehead, his throat so dry it felt ready to smoke. "The situation... is almost out of control. I'll coordinate with the province immediately and bring in the armed police to maintain order!"
"There's no need." Chen Lin waved a hand, his gaze passing over An Changlin to the endless sea of desperate people behind him.
"You can't hold them back. The human desire to live can break through any dam."
His voice was quiet, yet it seemed to carry some strange magic, cutting clearly through all the surrounding noise.
"I called you here because there's something I'd like to discuss." Chen Lin turned back to An Changlin and, in a tone as casual as if he were asking what they should have for dinner,
said something that made every official present mentally freeze.
"I want to build a hospital outside Chen Family Village."
"A... hospital?" An Changlin thought he was hearing things. He dug at his ear and repeated the word blankly.
"Yes." Chen Lin nodded, keeping it brief. "A Grade III, Class A hospital. It will specialize in difficult and complex illnesses, especially cancer and terminal diseases."
"From now on, any patients who come here can go straight to the hospital. The reservoir in Chen