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

Gu Zheng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the churning heat in his chest.

Li, the clerk, was still shouting outside the door in his hoarse voice.

Gu Zheng took half a step back, increasing the distance between the two.

"Let's go." He picked up his coat from the sofa armrest, put it on skillfully, and tidied his appearance meticulously.

Ye Zhen picked up the small leather bag from the bedside table and followed him out of the room.

Hotel lobby on the first floor.

The scene outside the door was indeed astonishingly large.

The busiest main thoroughfare in downtown Rochester has been temporarily blocked off by six police motorcycles with flashing lights. A black Cadillac limousine is parked in the middle.

The Mayo Clinic went to great lengths to present a grand welcome tonight, almost like a state-level reception.

Xu Wenqiang and Secretary Li stood inside the revolving door, their palms sweating as they looked at the grand occasion, which resembled a state visit.

"Capitalism is all about showing off," Li muttered to himself.

Gu Zheng opened the car door and helped Ye Zhen into the car.

The convoy slowly started and headed towards the Mayo family's private estate on the outskirts of the city.

The North American Medical Association's joint awards banquet will be held there tonight.

The manor’s tall, ornately carved wrought iron gates slowly opened to both sides.

The main venue is a huge European-style castle building. The lawn is filled with all kinds of luxury sports cars and private cars.

Those attending tonight's dinner include professors from top medical schools across the United States, leading figures in the field of cardiovascular medicine, senior officials from the FDA, and representatives from Wall Street giants that specialize in investing in the healthcare industry.

All the power and money in the North American medical community is concentrated here tonight.

The motorcade stopped in front of the steps covered with a red carpet.

The doorman respectfully stepped forward and opened the car door.

Gu Zheng got off the car first.

He turned around and offered his broad, warm hand into the carriage.

Ye Zhen placed her hand in his palm, lifted the hem of her black velvet skirt, and calmly got out of the car.

Inside the banquet hall.

A giant, crystal chandelier illuminated the venue as if it were daytime. A melodious string quartet played softly in the corners. The air was filled with the fragrance of fine clothes and the clinking of glasses.

Several professors from Harvard Medical School were gathered together, discussing in hushed tones the incredible three-stage heart surgery they had performed the previous day.

The heavy, five-meter-high double walnut door in the hall was slowly pushed open from the outside.

The once noisy banquet hall.

The sound seemed to be instantly severed by an invisible pair of scissors.

Everyone turned their heads at the same time and looked towards the doorway.

Ye Zhen, arm in arm with Gu Zheng, walked in on the red carpet.

Wearing a simple black dress, devoid of any jewels or jewels, Gu Zheng exuded an aura of cool composure that outshone all the elegantly dressed ladies and socialites present. His tall, strong physique and sharp presence were like a drawn steel blade.

After a brief silence.

Old Cohen, who was sitting in the front row, put down his wine glass.

He stood up without hesitation, raised his hands to his chest, and clapped his hands loudly.

The crisp applause was like a signal.

Stephen, Harrison, the director of Boston Children's Hospital, the director of the Cleveland Clinic...

More than 300 top medical professionals from North America stood up in unison.

Thunderous applause echoed through the dome of the hall, lasting for a long time.

The crowd automatically parted to the sides, creating a wide passage in the center of the red carpet, leading directly to the VIP main table at the front.

This respect is earned through absolute strength.

Ye Zhen remained calm, nodded slightly to the applause around her, and walked steadily toward the main table.

Halfway there, a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit with a large belly approached from the side, holding a glass of champagne.

The applause subsided slightly.

Many people recognized the man as Mullen, the current commissioner of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

It was the same culprit who issued the emergency injunction yesterday, almost driving that three-year-old girl to her death.

Mullen's smile was forced. Under pressure from the White House and boiling public resentment at home, he had only one task tonight: to achieve some form of reconciliation with Ye Zhen at this public dinner, in front of all the media and the medical community.

"Dr. Ye," Mullen said, holding his wine glass and adopting a humble tone, "there were indeed some misunderstandings in the communication regarding yesterday's executive order. The FDA highly respects your expertise."

He handed the champagne glass in his hand forward.

If Ye Zhen were to raise a glass, tomorrow's headlines would read "FDA and Chinese doctor reconcile," and he could save half of his precarious job.

Ye Zhen stopped in her tracks.

She didn't even take the champagne offered by the waiter.

She turned around and picked up a glass of plain water from the long table.

Upon seeing this, Mullen's facial muscles twitched slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and brought the cup closer.

Ye Zhen slightly turned her wrist, avoiding the other person's clinking of glasses.

"Director Mullen," Ye Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the surrounding ring to hear, "Medicine is a tool to fight death, and it shouldn't become a victim of your political games and capital blockades."

"I'll drink this water, but please save your wine for those patients who are kept out of the operating room by the rules."

After saying that, Ye Zhen tilted her head back and drank the water in the cup in one gulp, then put the empty cup back on the tray.

The entire room fell silent.

Mullen's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air, caught in a dilemma, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

He was humiliated in public, but he didn't dare to say a word in rebuttal.

Several center directors around him even let out a few sneers.

Gu Zheng gave Mu Lun a cold glance, put his arm around Ye Zhen's waist, and bypassed the awkward politician to take a seat at the most central position at the head table.

The banquet reached its climax.

Dean Stephen straightened his tie and strode onto the temporary podium at the front of the hall.

He adjusted the position of the microphone.

"Dear colleagues."

"Tonight, we are not only celebrating two historic heart surgeries, but also witnessing the birth of a new standard."

Stephen's voice was loud and clear, reaching every corner.

"It was decided by a unanimous vote of the Supreme Council of the North American Medical Association."

"We have decided to break with the tradition that has been in place for 114 years since the founding of the Society."

Stephen turned around and picked up a heavy, gleaming gold medal from the velvet tray in the hostess's hands.

"Dr. Ye Zhen is officially awarded the title of Honorary Foreign Fellow of the North American Medical Association!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Even old Cohen stared in shock.

Honorary Fellow of the North American Medical Association is the most prestigious title in the medical community in the United States and even globally. For over a century, the very few foreign nationals awarded this title have all been Nobel Prize-winning medical giants.

For the Chinese, this was an unprecedented event.

The spotlight shone on Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen stood up and walked onto the stage amidst thunderous applause.

Stephen solemnly pinned the medal to the front of Ye Zhen's black velvet dress.

The golden metallic sheen contrasted beautifully with the pure black fabric, making Ye Zhen appear like a queen who held the power of life and death.

At that moment, the arrogance of the Western medical community was completely shattered, and they personally placed the crown representing the highest honor on the head of a young Chinese female doctor.