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

The winter morning light pierced through the thin mist and fell on the open space west of the old office building of the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital.

Several heavy Soviet-style bulldozers were parked nearby, their exhaust pipes belching white steam. The once overgrown wasteland had been cleared and leveled, and a ring of red and white flags was strung around the perimeter. The flags fluttered in the wind. In the center stood a simple wooden platform covered with a red carpet, and a banner with large characters written in gold powder read: Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Interventional Center Building of the North City Military Region General Hospital.

Zhou Hai was running around the venue early in the morning, carrying an enamel mug, a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. He was directing Wang Pangzi, the head of the logistics department, to arrange the flower baskets and adjust the microphone position. Not far away, under the shade of trees, the hospital's medical staff and department directors who had come from all over the country for further training stood in two rows. Today, they were all wearing crisply ironed white coats, their expressions solemn, their eyes revealing an barely suppressed fervor.

At nine o'clock in the morning, two Hongqi sedans with special license plates slowly drove into the main gate of the hospital.

The car door opened, and Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of Health, dressed in a dark blue woolen Zhongshan suit, strode in, accompanied by military leaders. Zhou Hai quickly went to greet him and firmly grasped Vice Minister Li's hands.

"Vice Minister Li, thank you for making this trip in person." Zhou Hai adopted an extremely humble attitude.

Vice Minister Li waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing precisely on Ye Zhen, who was standing in the front row. He shook off his entourage, walked directly to Ye Zhen, and extended his right hand.

"Comrade Ye Zhen, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, I thank you for your contributions to the country!" Vice Minister Li's voice was loud and clear, heard throughout the entire hall. "Your improved surgical procedure has even attracted inquiries from surgical associations across the ocean. This is a true victory for our country's medical and health undertakings on the international stage!"

Ye Zhen, dressed in a neat white lab coat, shook hands with Vice Minister Li, her expression calm and composed: "It is the country and the General Academy that provided the platform. Only with this building built can this technology truly take root."

"Good! Not arrogant or impatient, you have the demeanor of a great general!" Vice Minister Li nodded approvingly and turned to walk onto the podium.

A sharp static sound came from the microphone, which was then drowned out by Vice Minister Li's deep voice.

"Comrades! Today, on this very land beneath our feet, the nation's first modern cardiovascular interventional center is about to rise! In the past, our children with congenital heart disease could only resign themselves to fate, and our patients with coronary heart disease could only endure their days with painkillers. Western medical barriers surrounded us like an iron barrel. But today, Comrade Ye Zhen, with her scalpel, has forcefully cleaved a path through this iron barrel! Once this center is completed, it will not only be the heart of China, but also a cutting-edge medical front facing the world!"

There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by thunderous applause.

Director Wu, standing at the forefront of the crowd, had tears welling up in his eyes. This highly respected expert, who commanded respect in the local hospital, clapped his hands until they were red, and his blood seemed to rush to his head. He turned to his colleagues, his voice hoarse, "Old friends, this trip was truly worthwhile. To witness this center being built in our lifetime, to assist Dr. Ye like this, our lives have not been in vain!"

The trainees nodded in agreement, their eyes shining with an astonishing light. They were respected chief surgeons in the local area, but at this historic moment, they were willing to serve under Ye Zhen.

In stark contrast to this exhilarating scene was a figure standing on the outermost edge of the venue.

Zhao Tiancheng, wearing a slightly pilling white lab coat, hid in the shadows between two old locust trees. He stared intently at the radiant young woman on the stage, biting his lip so hard that he tasted blood.

This was his former fiancée. The country girl who grew up in the Lin family. On the day he broke off the engagement, he even told her in a condescending tone that country people should accept their fate and not try to climb up to a social class that doesn't belong to them.

Now, he watched helplessly as the unapproachable Vice Minister of Health showered her with concern, and as those medical giants who only existed in textbooks lined up behind her like students. And what about him? He became the laughingstock of the entire hospital. The head of general surgery, under the pretext of training new staff, cut his schedule in half, and now he had to fight for even the chance to perform surgical retraction.

The stark contrast between reality and reality gnawed at Zhao Tiancheng's internal organs like a venomous snake. He gripped the edges of his white coat pockets with both hands, his fingernails scraping against the thin fabric with a harsh, grating sound.

Several young nurses happened to pass by him, whispering among themselves.

"Dr. Ye is so amazing. He is the first department head in the history of the hospital to be in charge of his own department."

"Have you heard? Her funding is all accounted for separately, and even Vice President Lin can't control her. Yesterday, a junior doctor in the emergency department tried to use connections to transfer to the interventional center, but President Zhou rejected her outright. They only want the top technical staff."

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhao Tiancheng sneered and interjected, "The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows. This building has a budget of several million, and all the equipment is imported. Does she, a mere twenty-something-year-old girl, really think she can handle such a large project with just a few scalpels? If there's a medical accident, or the project exceeds the budget, and the higher-ups investigate, she'll be in deep trouble."

A nurse turned around, looked him up and down, and rolled her eyes. "Dr. Zhao, instead of wasting your time complaining, you should go back and memorize some anatomical diagrams. Yesterday during rounds, the head doctor tore up the wrong prescription you wrote in front of the patients. I don't know if Dr. Ye can get away with it, but your position is definitely in jeopardy."

The nurses burst into laughter and walked away.

Zhao Tiancheng's sore spot was exposed, and his face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, with veins throbbing on his forehead. He took two steps back, stepped into a mud puddle, splashing dirty water all over his trousers, and turned away from the venue in a disheveled state.

Right side below the podium.

Gu Zheng, dressed in a crisp military uniform, had one hand in his pocket and an unlit cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. Although he stood in the corner, the aura of a soldier—a chilling and imposing presence—made the area within two meters of him instantly quiet. His deep, sharp eyes never left Ye Zhen's profile for a moment.

Ma Zhigang stood next to Gu Zheng, his eyes wide like saucers, his jaw practically dropping to his chest. Looking at the leaders cutting the ribbon on stage and hearing those terrifying titles, he stammered, "Old Gu… your wife has such a huge operation in Beicheng? I thought she was just a skilled attending physician… this is a project personally endorsed by the Ministry of Health!"

Gu Zheng glanced at him sideways, took out a match from his pocket, struck it with a "snap," lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, Gu Zheng spoke calmly, yet his tone carried an undisguised arrogance: "This is nothing. Once this building is completed, she'll be in charge of all the rules inside. Don't just stand there watching the show; did you bring the blueprints with you? The chief engineer from the construction team will be here to hand over the work after the ceremony, so don't let me down."

"It's in my bag!" Ma Zhigang patted the black leather bag in his hand and puffed out his chest.

On the dais, the ribbon-cutting ceremony was drawing to a close.

Vice Minister Li wielded a shovel tied with a red ribbon, shoveling down the first handful of soil. A celebratory cannon boomed, and colorful confetti exploded in the sky above the main hospital.

Ye Zhen descended the steps amidst applause. She ignored the leaders' pleasantries and turned directly to a jeep parked next to the bulldozer. Several men wearing yellow hard hats stood there, led by the chief engineer of the provincial construction company.

She gestured to Gu Zheng. Gu Zheng stubbed out his cigarette and followed, with Ma Zhigang carrying his briefcase running closely behind.