Chapter 10 Invitation to Tea

• “A bet?! What bet?”
• Dillon looked at Harvey in bewilderment. He didn’t hear anything about a bet when he arrived, but the onlookers directed his attention to Victor by pointing at him.
• “That’s the guy! When he came here, he claimed that this man was a swindler and was trying to cheat people of their money. He even made a bet where he would resign if he lost.”
• “Yeah, we all heard it loud and clear, but he refused to let up even after the man explained everything. He kept accusing the man of lying and even wanted him to run around naked with a sign hanging from his neck.”
• “He’s incompetent and a slanderer to boot. This sort of doctor has no morality at all. If we were to be treated by the likes of him, how can we not worry?”
• The crowd was here just to spectate, but now that they had witnessed Harvey’s amazing medical skills, they had grown to admire him.
• They could clearly see that Dillon also acknowledged this man’s skills. In the case of a headache or a fever or just plain sickness, it would be so convenient if everything could be solved with just a packet of medicine.
• Victor couldn’t keep his pride for much longer after getting called out, and the unwillingness to submit was evident in his voice as he said, “It was just a fluke. If he hadn’t boasted so shamelessly that he knew everything about the art of healing, I wouldn’t have gotten into a bet.”
• “Enough.” Dillon glared at Victor, his voice cold as he spoke word by word. “Victor, did you make a bet with this gentleman?”
• “Yes.” Victor was hesitant for a good while, but he quickly added, “Director Bruce, I was duped! He knew from the start that this medicine was made especially for this type of sickness, but he tricked me into making a bet with him. He clearly wanted to cause trouble for me!”
• “Just admit defeat.” Dillon had always been a matter-of-fact person who never swayed in his principles of justice. “You are a doctor in our health center, so you should know the rules very well. If you hadn’t made the wager, it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
• “Director Bruce, I can explain.”
• “You don’t have to. You should admit defeat when you’ve lost. This isn’t just about being a doctor; this is basic human etiquette.”
• Dillon knew that Harvey came from a distinguished family of doctors, and he also knew the immense power the family held. Moreover, if he insisted on siding with Victor in public, the people from that family only needed to pull some strings to bring about not only Victor’s resignation, but also the ridicule of Vanstead Health Center.
• “Victor, go and write up your resignation report. I will relay this to the higher ups.”
• This simple decision had spelled out Victor’s fate. Victor went ghostly pale and his knees buckled, for he knew the influence Dillon held in the medical field in Vanstead. Dillon only had to say the word to significantly raise the difficulty for Victor to find another job at any medical facility.
• This is all because of him! He messed with me on purpose!
• Victor glared at Harvey with a murderous look, as if intending to rush over and rip him apart. On the other hand, Harvey didn’t mind it at all. To him, Victor was nothing more than a mere ant. If Victor hadn’t kept jumping around and pestering him, he would’ve ignored him completely.
• After finishing his business with Victor, Dillon turned to Harvey and said in a mild demeanor, “May I know your name, respected doctor?”
• “Harvey Smith.”
• “Ah, Mr. Smith. Pardon me for bringing up a presumptuous request, but I wish you would accept it.” Dillon claimed it was a presumptuous request, but he actually had no intention of negotiating with Harvey as he continued, “There’s a patient in our health center who is in somewhat special circumstances. Try as we may, we couldn’t find a way to cure them. Could you kindly lend a hand to see if there’s any other way?”
• Harvey did not respond. He wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business; he came out today to deliver medication to Josh, and to look for a job on the side.
• Dillon saw the hesitation in Harvey’s expression, so he hastily lowered his voice to say, “Don’t worry, Mr. Smith. If you really do find a way to cure them, they would reward you accordingly, satisfaction guaranteed.”
• The meaning behind Dillon’s words was obvious enough. For a patient to receive such special treatment, they must be no commonfolk. If Harvey could find a way to cure them, he would be rewarded handsomely.
• “Okay.”
• Harvey reluctantly accepted the request for the sake of money. Delighted, Dillon exchanged contact information with Harvey before saying, “I shall go and make the arrangements now. I’ll notify you as soon as the patient arrives.”
• With that, Dillon turned to look at the doctors and nurses around them. He switched to a stern tone as he said, “Word of what happened today must never get out.”
• “Yes, Director Bruce.”
• Everyone gave their agreement while hiding curiosity in their hearts. Who is this Harvey Smith person that Director Bruce would value him so much and even try to get on his good side?
• As for the special patient Dillon mentioned, even though they had no idea who it was, they were still uneasy about the fact that Dillon had entrusted such an important figure to a young man like Harvey.
• It was especially so for Victor and Charles, who had begun formulating a wicked plan at that moment.
• People would tend to discredit those who were in the same field as them. It was truer still for doctors, who required experience, time, and effort to get better at what they did. To them, even though Harvey really cured Josh today, it was simply an accident. As for the prescription he claimed to have taken from The Emperor's Esoteric Manuscript, they figured it must be some sort of trick or some folk medicine he picked up.
• If this guy really has no sense of propriety and thinks of himself as some sort of genius, he might just slip up and offend some big names, then he’ll be the laughing stock of the town and pay dearly for his mistakes.
• Harvey paid no mind to the others’ thoughts. After leaving Josh’s restaurant, he decided to go for a walk around Alice’s company and see if he could find a suitable job.
• However, Harvey changed his mind halfway. A small smile crept onto his face as he quickened his pace and headed toward a deserted path.
• After about ten minutes of walking, Harvey found himself in an overgrown patch of land. After making sure there were no passersby, he stopped in his tracks and turned around to see two rascally people staring at him, whereupon he smiled.
• “Aren’t you tired from following me?”
• Right after he left the restaurant, Harvey could sense that somebody was secretly tailing him. Making sure not to alert them, he led them in circles and noticed that they even switched people halfway through. It was clear then that they really were targeting him.
• The two were startled upon hearing Harvey’s words. A cold light flashed across their uneasy gazes as they realized that Harvey had walked all the way here exactly because he had spotted them early on.
• “And you came here even though you knew we were following you? You don’t value your life very much, huh? Right, introductions first. We are from Sirius Security Services. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll come with us, or else.”
• The two grinned with savage looks on their faces. Or else we’ll break your legs.
• Harvey had never heard of Sirius Security Services before. He shrugged and smiled nonchalantly. “I can do that, but you should at least tell me what you’re going to do with me.”
• “Smart guy. I do appreciate conversations with smart people.”
• The two thugs from Sirius Security Services were satisfied with Harvey’s cooperative behavior, thereupon they snapped a finger and announced proudly, “The Wolf wants to invite you over for tea.”