After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

The morning at the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital should have been orderly, but today it was a complete mess. In the director's office, the black bakelite landline phone kept ringing, its shrill ringing back and forth in the small space, making one's head ache.

Zhou Hai slammed his enamel mug, bearing the words "Serve the People," heavily onto the desk. Brownish tea spilled out, soaking the newly delivered People's Daily on the table. In the lower right corner of the front page, a report on "Modified Surgical Procedure for Congenital Heart Disease" was clearly printed, accompanied by a profile of Ye Zhen intently performing surgery under the operating lights.

Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. Nurse Liu, the head nurse of the outpatient department, pushed open the door and poked half her body in. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and even the collar of her neat white coat was crooked.

"Dean Zhou, the registration desk is really overwhelmed." Head Nurse Liu's voice was hoarse, clearly from shouting all morning. "Since yesterday afternoon, patients from out of town have been coming non-stop. This morning, the lobby was packed with about a hundred people, all of whom had read the newspaper and specifically requested an appointment with Dr. Ye."

Head Nurse Liu wiped her sweat and continued to complain: "Several family members from remote areas in the Northwest slept on the floor in the corridor of the outpatient hall. When our other surgeons went to see them, they didn't recognize the patients at all; they only recognized the name in the newspaper."

Zhou Hai pressed his throbbing temples. He knew Ye Zhen's surgical skills better than anyone; they were techniques even top German expert Klaus admired. But right now, this real expert wasn't at the hospital.

"Explain it to them clearly," Zhou Hai patiently instructed. "Just say that Dr. Ye is not currently at the main hospital; he has gone to the countryside to support grassroots healthcare. Tell them to book appointments with other specialists first, and arrange consultations immediately for urgent and critical cases."

"I've explained it all, my lips are practically worn out," Head Nurse Liu said with a bitter face, spreading her hands. "Those family members didn't believe me. They insisted that our main hospital had hidden the miracle doctor away, only treating high-ranking officials and not ordinary people. There were even a few hot-tempered ones who threatened to smash the glass at the registration desk."

Just then, the phone on the table rang again. Zhou Hai waved for Nurse Liu to go out and stabilize the situation, then picked up the receiver himself.

"Old Zhou, your North City General Hospital has really hit a snag this time!" The booming voice of Dr. Wu, Director of Cardiac Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, came through the phone, brimming with undisguised excitement. "Our entire department studied that video recording about the modified surgical technique for congenital heart disease for three days straight. That surgical technique, that approach—it's practically opened a new path for cardiovascular surgery in China!"

Without waiting for Zhou Hai's pleasantries, Director Wu went straight to the point: "When will your Dr. Ye Zhen be available? Our Union Hospital Party Committee has held a meeting and is preparing to send three young key personnel over to study under her for three months. We will take care of our own food and lodging and will not cause any trouble for your main hospital. We just want these young people to be able to observe from the operating table."

Zhou Hai tightened his grip on the receiver and chuckled dryly, "Old Wu, it's really unfortunate. Comrade Ye Zhen is not currently at the main hospital."

"Did he go abroad for an exchange program? Or did he attend a meeting at the Ministry of Health?" Director Wu asked, his tone carrying an air of self-assurance.

"I went to train in the county town below. I'm responding to the call to support the development of grassroots medical care," Zhou Hai said, forcing himself to tell the truth.

There was a few seconds of dead silence on the other end of the phone. Then, Director Wu's voice rose an octave, making Zhou Hai's ears ring: "Go to the county town for training? Old Zhou, is your brain filled with mush?! This level of surgical prodigy, you want her to go to the county town to treat colds and fevers? To give lectures to barefoot doctors? If your North City General Hospital can't accommodate this big shot, you should have said so earlier! If you don't want her, bring her to our Xiehe Hospital right now! We'll set up a separate cardiovascular intervention center for her!"

Zhou Hai was blushing with embarrassment, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal. He couldn't very well say that Vice Dean Lin Weiguo was deliberately making things difficult for his adopted daughter, and that Gu Zheng, that scoundrel, had conveniently taken her away to visit relatives in her hometown. He could only offer a few vague words as an excuse before quickly hanging up the phone.

After hanging up the receiver, Zhou Hai felt increasingly aggrieved. Lin Weiguo, for the sake of that shady personal grudge, had driven away a top talent capable of upholding the hospital's prestigious reputation. Now, the damage was done, and the mess had fallen entirely on Zhou Hai, the hospital's dean.

He stood up, walked to his desk, and deftly unplugged the landline. The world was quiet again. He picked up his military jacket from the coat rack and strode out the door.

The vice president's office was at the end of the corridor. Zhou Hai didn't even knock; he just pushed the door open and went in.

Lin Weiguo was sitting behind his large desk, a freshly brewed cup of premium Maojian tea in his hand, reading glasses perched on his nose, leisurely flipping through the documents in his hands. Hearing a noise, his hand trembled, and he almost spilled the tea on the newspaper.

"Old Zhou, what's the rush? You didn't even knock." Lin Weiguo put down his teacup, his brows furrowed, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure at being disturbed.

Zhou Hai walked to the desk, placed his hands on the surface, and looked down at Lin Weiguo. "Vice President Lin, you were the one who handled Comrade Ye Zhen's transfer to the grassroots level. Now, the backlash is coming."

Zhou Hai spoke curtly and rapidly: "The phone hasn't stopped ringing since yesterday; it's all been calling my office. Hospitals like Peking Union Medical College Hospital, West China Hospital, and the Provincial People's Hospital—they've all seen the newspapers and the surgical videos, and they're all asking to send key personnel to our hospital to study under Ye Zhen. The outpatient hall is even more chaotic; dozens of patients from all over the country are crowding in, specifically requesting Ye Zhen as their surgeon. Their families are even sleeping on the floor in the corridors, and the security guards can't stop them."

Lin Weiguo's expression changed slightly, and his eyes flickered. He hadn't expected Ye Zhen to cause such a sensation nationwide. But he quickly regained his composure and adopted the demeanor of a vice president: "Old Zhou, you're mistaken. Grassroots areas also need high-level medical resources. The medical conditions in Qingyun County are lagging behind. Sending Ye Zhen there to mentor them is also to improve the overall medical level. This is a hospital-wide arrangement, completely in accordance with organizational regulations."

"So this is what you call 'compliant with regulations'?" Zhou Hai sneered. "Sending an expert who can perform world-class, highly complex cardiovascular surgeries to a county hospital that struggles to even meet the standards for a sterile operating room—is that what you call coordinated planning? Since it was your brilliant decision, then Vice President Lin will be fully responsible for the reception and explanation work that follows."

Zhou Hai straightened up and straightened his military jacket: "I have an emergency meeting at the military region this afternoon, so I don't have time to answer these important calls. I'll also trouble Vice President Lin to personally comfort the families at the outpatient clinic."

After saying that, Zhou Hai turned and strode away, closing the door behind him. The sound of the door closing echoed in the corridor, carrying undisguised anger.

Lin Weiguo stared at the closed door, his face darkening. He felt Zhou Hai was making a mountain out of a molehill. It was just a few out-of-town patients and a few phone calls requesting further training. He'd been the vice president for so many years; what hadn't he seen? He picked up his teacup, blew on the tea leaves, and slowly took a sip.

It was 2 PM, just after the start of the workday.

The black Hongqi brand landline on the desk rang right on time.