Shawn thought he must have heard wrong, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Why are you talking nonsense here?" "You... you're being unfilial!" "He killed my mother, and turned me into this. Has he apologized to me?" Shawn retorted, disdainfully eyeing Kevin. "Otherwise, since a son should repay his father's debts, are you willing to kneel down and apologize to me?" Kevin was angered by his condescending attitude, and his expression turned cold. "Shawn, just because you're the eldest son of the Alter family, it doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. If it weren't for your interference, could Alter Group and H Capital have torn their faces apart?" "Torn their faces apart?" Shawn raised an eyebrow, casting a look that said, "You're an idiot." "H Capital has had a strong presence in City H for decades, and they've maintained a good reputation. If they can cooperate, everyone is happy. If they can't, they've never openly clashed with others. How did I manage to upset the Alter family so that they've torn their faces apart?" Kevin was prodded at his weak point by Shawn, and he wanted to refute, but he couldn't find any words to argue with. "You're not going to say anything?" Shawn sneered. "If it weren't for some secret promises you made to H Capital and then couldn't deliver on, would they act this way?" "Don't talk nonsense!" Kevin was irritated and wanted to argue, but he couldn't come up with a proper response. "Lost for words?" Shawn continued to taunt. "Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know in your heart." "Give me a break!" Kevin tried to defend himself. "Whether I give you a break or not, you know it," Shawn replied dismissively. He had no intention of wasting time with this father and son pair. The old one was cunning and vile, and the young one was inept and overly competitive, neither of them was a good person. "Get out of here!" Kevin was stunned by the overwhelming presence of Shawn. By the time he regained his senses, the other person had already closed the door. After taking a cold shower to calm the restless flames within her, Ivy finally emerged from the bathroom. "Shawn, who was that?" she asked."Someone collecting trash," Shawn replied. Shawn said lightly, and his deep, mysterious eyes once again started to send electric glances toward Ivy. This time, however, Ivy quickly averted her head and ignored him. "I have an early meeting tomorrow, and I need to leave very early. To avoid inconveniencing you, I'll sleep in the living room," she said, and without waiting for Shawn's response, she turned and started packing. Seeing the opportunity ruined once again, Shawn rubbed his temples in frustration and then took out his phone to send a message to his assistant: "Go and contact the companies that are planning to negotiate with Kevin Alter in the near future. Anyone who dares to approach him, don't expect to cooperate with DT Investment!" His assistant seemed to keenly perceive that their boss's mood was worsening and almost instantly replied: "Yes." The next morning, Ivy arrived at the clinic early. This was because the director of the County Clinic had returned from his trip early to resume work. Ordinary County was just the poorest town attached to the coastal city, and many people had gone to work elsewhere, leaving behind a small population. Therefore, apart from Director Malcom and the nurses, the main doctors at the County Clinic included two teams. One team was Ivy and her intern, Jessie, and the other team was Doctor Ticko and his intern, Jenny. Dr. Jenny often accompanied Dr. Ticko for mobile clinics and took shifts opposite to Ivy, so they would only be present together when Director Malcom returned for meetings. After everyone had gathered, Director Malcom briskly walked in and, upon seeing everyone, furrowed his brows. "Zaya, Maya, Jessie, why are your mouths so swollen like this?" Ivy then noticed that the three of them had swollen faces, with bruised areas the size of walnuts, and deep bruises that affected their appearances. "Yesterday, we were attacked by some crazy people. We don't know who they were. They came at us in a group and said our mouths were foul." Zaya replied, gritting her teeth in pain. "In today's society, there's a lot of repression, and people have become a bit twisted. You three lovely ladies should be careful. From now on, leave work with me, and I'll protect you!" Dr. Ticko pushed up his thick glasses and smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Ticko, for your concern," the three women said, then cast a subtle glance at Ivy.The meeting officially began, and Director Malcom took a sip of iced tea, gazing at all the medical staff in the conference room with barely concealed excitement as he announced: "Ladies and gentlemen, yesterday I received a call from the Alter Group, stating that they intend to invest in our Plain Clinic, upgrade our medical equipment, and benefit the residents of Ordinary County." With these words, everyone immediately burst into applause. It had been a long drought, and they had endured much at this small, run-down clinic. Having a major group invest meant not only potential wage increases but also improved benefits. Thinking about this, everyone couldn't help but clasp their hands together, feeling that the Alter Group was their savior. However, Ivy had a sinking feeling. Her intuition told her that this had something to do with Kevin. As if confirming her thoughts, Director Malcom continued, "Alter Group's President, Mr. Kevin Alter, has requested that we send someone over this afternoon to negotiate the details of the cooperation and finalize this matter as soon as possible." After saying this, Director Malcom looked at Ivy and said, "Dr. Jones, you're a thoughtful person. I'm entrusting this cooperation project to you. If you can successfully reach an agreement with Alter Group, I'll promote you to Associate Chief Physician." Ivy was taken aback. She was dedicated to medicine; what ideas did she have? None of the other medical staff understood either. Even if it was someone else's turn, it should have been Dr. Ticko. Why did the stoic and indifferent Dr. Jones get the opportunity? Director Malcom must have a personal agenda! His intention to elevate her was too obvious! "Director Malcom, you're biased!" Dr. Jenny pouted. She was very voluptuous, and the white coat on her looked like it was about to burst its buttons. She stood up slightly, swaying, and used her usual coquettish tone to stand up for her Professor, "This cooperation was clearly initiated by our Dr. Ticko. If he hadn't been continuously in contact with Alter Group behind the scenes, Mr. Alter wouldn't have responded so quickly." Dr. Ticko, sitting beside her, coughed softly and consoled his student, "Dr. Jenny, don't say that. We all work in the same clinic, and our purpose in discussing this is to make the clinic better, right? Dr. Jones is an exceptionally talented doctor, and she needs this opportunity more than I do." "Doctor!" Jenny twisted to the side and pouted, "You're just too kind!""Enough! Let's not talk about this anymore!" Dr. Ticko advised again, then looked at Ivy, who had remained silent all this time, and said with a smile, "So, Dr. Jones, we'll leave this project in your capable hands. It's really hard for you, dealing with troublesome household matters and being responsible for the project. Don't worry, once we've reached an agreement with Alter Group, I'll personally ask Director Malcom to give you a raise!" He said it very graciously but with an underlying scheme, subtly hinting that Ivy couldn't even take care of her personal life. Sure enough, after hearing his words, Director Malcom furrowed his brows and asked, "What household matters?" Dr. Ticko was momentarily stunned and immediately smacked his own mouth, making it seem like he had misspoken. "Well, you see, my mouth..." Ivy, with an expressionless face, looked at his pretentious appearance and inwardly smirked. She then recounted everything that had happened over the past few days and even proactively turned down the project, saying, "Director Malcom, during this period, my personal matters have indeed been rather complicated, and with a high number of patients on my hands, I'm truly stretched thin." In reality, she had no desire to get involved with Alter Group or Kevin Alter. If someone else was willing to wade into these murky waters, she would gladly step aside. Moreover, she had heard from Jessie in the morning that DT Investment was in negotiations with companies interested in collaborating with Alter Group. While a county-level clinic like County Clinic was unlikely to be on DT Investment's radar, the business world was a battlefield. If DT Investment took an interest in them, and the subsequent dealings weren't managed well, it could only lead to headaches. Ivy had a very clear understanding of herself. She simply wanted to be a professional doctor, not an entrepreneur or strategist. As for the strategic planning for the future expansion of the County Clinic, let others handle it. So, she turned to Dr. Ticko and generously praised him, "Dr. Ticko is the most experienced senior director at our Clinic, and he also has excellent ideas for the clinic's future development. Furthermore, he has put in a lot of effort for this collaboration with Alter Group. I believe he can certainly seal the deal. I have full confidence in Dr. Ticko." ***