Chapter 120: He Who Digs a Pit for Others Falls into It Himself!

"What, what did you say?!"

He Qingtian could not believe his ears. He grabbed the servant by the collar, spraying spittle as he demanded an answer.

"Director Wei said it himself—this prescription bears the mark of the new master of White Emperor City..."

The servant produced the seven prescriptions and handed them back to He Qingtian.

"You fool! Where is there any mark?!"

"Wei Jianxun is clearly playing you for a fool, and you just took the prescriptions back like this?!" Enraged, He Qingtian slammed the papers into the servant's face.

He flipped through them several times, but found no sign of a mark. Had there been one, he surely would have noticed it when Li Jie handed them to him earlier. Knowing as of this morning that Qin Mu and Fu Yuantu were close friends, and that Wei Jianxun shared a deep connection with Fu Yuantu, it was not hard to imagine that Wei Jianxun was deliberately obstructing him and had rejected the patent application.

"You useless wretch, you’ve ruined my entire plan!"

Unable to contain his fury, He Qingtian struck the servant across the face.

"Why are you still standing there like a statue? Go and resubmit the application!"

"If Wei Jianxun dares to obstruct it again, connect his call directly to me! I want to see if he has the audacity to defy me!"

As He Qingtian barked his orders, the servant nodded repeatedly and turned to run out with the prescriptions. However, before he could reach the door, he came to a sudden, jarring halt.

"Why have you stopped?!"

He Qingtian needed to seize every second; if he could secure the patents for these seven prescriptions, he could at least diminish the influence of White Emperor City. The rest would be left to the other two senior families of the Jiang Alliance.

"Ma-Master, this..." The servant trembled, pointing toward the door.

A middle-aged man stepped into the room.

"There is no need for Elder He to make another trip."

The person who had arrived was none other than the man they had just been discussing: Wei Jianxun.

"Wei, you dared to scheme to block my application, and I haven't even settled that with you yet—now you dare to stand in my way?"

"Do you think I, an elder, cannot touch you, a mere Director of the Health Bureau?!" He Qingtian glared at Wei Jianxun, shouting a challenge.

Wei Jianxun waved his hand, feigning a look of apprehension. "Why is Elder He so angry? I am merely here to deliver a notification."

"Just moments ago, through official channels, all seven of these prescriptions were granted patents."

"However, the patent holder is not the He family, but Mr. Qin."

"What?!"

He Qingtian was shocked, but he was a seasoned veteran of life. Especially when facing Wei Jianxun, whose authority was not as formidable as Qin Mu's, he managed to force himself to remain calm.

"Was this Qin’s application filed after mine?" He Qingtian asked, feigning indifference.

"That is correct..."

Wei Jianxun answered casually, but as soon as the words left his lips, he realized the mistake and was filled with regret.

"Hahaha! That is all I needed to hear from you, Director Wei!"

He Qingtian suddenly shed his previous state of defeat and looked up to the heavens with a loud laugh.

"You, Wei Jianxun, have obstructed an application without cause! You are suspected of corruption and abuse of power! One report from me to your superiors and you will be finished as Director!"

He Qingtian pressed his advantage, forcing Wei Jianxun to take a step back.

"This..."

Wei Jianxun had never expected to fall into the trap of an old fox like He Qingtian. He looked toward Qin Mu, seeking a way to resolve the situation. After all, with He Qingtian's connections, if he really reported him, it would not be easy to block. Given the current momentum, He Qingtian might even dig deep enough to implicate Fu Yuantu.

"My He family is the true developer of these prescriptions! You, a junior, dare to steal my family's work and even attempt to register the patent first?"

"Notify the higher-ups! Claim this Qin's prescriptions are of dubious origin and have them revoked! Then, register mine in their place!"

He Qingtian waved his hand grandly, as if he had reclaimed his authority. The servant beside him hurried to leave. Wei Jianxun wanted to stop the servant, but Qin Mu gestured for him to desist.

"Mr. Qin, if he manages to get them registered..." Wei Jianxun frowned.

Qin Mu merely shook his head, appearing content to let He Qingtian have his way. Seeing this, Wei Jianxun had no choice but to stand aside and watch in silence.

Seeing Qin Mu's reaction, He Qingtian sneered. No matter how arrogant you were when you gathered your evidence, so what? Now that the storm has passed, aren't you still forced to retreat in the face of the He family's might?

He Qingtian composed himself, picked up his severely injured grandson, He Fan, and faced the crowd.

"There have been some unexpected disturbances and unpleasantness this evening. I ask you all to grant me a favor and refrain from spreading rumors or gossip."

"What are you saying, Elder He? We are all people who can distinguish right from wrong. This fellow came in and started attacking people at random, and even brandished a pile of obviously fake evidence to act imposing."

"I never imagined the new master of White Emperor City would be so desperate for success that he would steal the He family's prescriptions for the sake of his company's future. It is truly shameful! My newspaper strongly condemns this!"

"Exactly! The contributions the He family has made to the Jiang City medical industry are unparalleled. How could they possibly do something so inhumane?"

Several reporters who leaned toward the He family spoke up first. Even those who harbored doubts had no choice but to chime in. After all, the vast power of the He family was not something they could afford to offend.

Watching this, Wei Jianxun could only clench his fists in the dark.