The door opened, and there stood Jin Ziliang. This didn't surprise them, as everyone knew the youngest and possibly most powerful division commander in Fuhai Province was coming. What surprised them was that Lu Chen, hands in his pockets, followed behind with a nonchalant air!
Lu Chen looked at Xu Jiaqi, a wicked smile playing on his lips, and winked.
At that moment, Xu Jiaqi felt an indescribable surge of excitement.
It was like watching your beloved leave, feeling utterly desolate, and then turning around...
Huh? He's back?
The person most stunned present was Huang Jianfeng.
He stupidly pointed behind Jin Ziliang, exclaiming, "Commander Jin... the charlatan is behind you!"
Jin Ziliang slightly turned his head, immediately putting his arm around Lu Chen's shoulder and laughing loudly, "Are you kidding me! A charlatan? Who are you? What's your purpose in saying that? This is clearly a miracle doctor!"
As he spoke, he glanced disdainfully at Huang Jianfeng, not giving him a second look.
Although it was just that one glance, it was enough to make Huang Jianfeng's back drenched in cold sweat.
Jin Ziliang may have only glanced at him, but the murderous aura he exuded was enough to make one tremble!
Frankly speaking, although Huang Jianfeng was the deputy director of the orthopedics department at the First Hospital of Yunzhou City and was considered a second-generation official, he was still far inferior to Jin Ziliang, who was hailed as the First Division Commander of the Yunzhou City Military Region.
Even Huang Jianfeng's parents, if they were sitting, would immediately stand up when they saw Commander Jin approaching.
Jin Ziliang looked at his mother lying on the hospital bed, his eyes welling up with tears. He immediately strode over and knelt down beside her. He was truly a man of deep emotions; just moments before, he had been imposing and intimidating, like a god of war, but now he was a son filled with tender affection.
His voice trembled with tears as he asked, "Mom! How are you now? Are you feeling any better?"
His father had died a heroic death on the battlefield. Although his father had a large group of comrades and loyal subordinates who cared for the Jin family and supported Jin Ziliang wholeheartedly, that kind of familial love could not be replaced. And the kindness of his mother in raising him for over twenty years was deeply etched in Jin Ziliang's heart.
If his mother's condition could improve, Jin Ziliang would gladly shorten his own life!
However, as he spoke and looked at his mother's expression, Jin Ziliang was also slightly surprised.
He could clearly see a glimmer of light in his mother's eyes, a sign that even if her condition hadn't improved, her strength was returning. Jin Ziliang, of course, knew the extent of his mother's decline. Her apparent improvement—could it be the effect of the treatment Lu Chen had mentioned earlier?
Dong Cuiliu saw her son enter, a slight smile appearing on her lips. She turned her head forcefully to look at Lu Chen, who was still standing in the doorway. Then, her lips twitched.
Jin Ziliang quickly leaned closer.
Dong Cuiliu's voice was very weak; otherwise, it would have been completely inaudible.
"Son, that...that young doctor is very skilled. He treated me. Although it...it hurt a lot during the treatment, it felt much better afterwards. Dean Pan and the others...don't believe it, but I...I believe it. We need to keep him here..."
After saying this, Dong Cuiliu was breathless and could no longer speak, only gripping her son's wrist.
Jin Ziliang already believed in Lu Chen's medical abilities to a great extent; hearing his mother say this now, he believed it completely! Instantly, his face blazed with even greater excitement.
Over the years, he had consulted countless renowned doctors, both domestic and international, to cure his mother's ankylosing spondylitis! But for one of the world's ten most intractable diseases, all the top doctors could only slow its progression, not cure it.
And now, a miracle had finally occurred!
He sprang to his feet!
The surrounding department heads, experts, and even the hospital director all stared at Jin Ziliang. Although they were all over fifty or sixty, their respect and unease towards this special operations division commander, who wasn't even thirty yet, was particularly evident. Especially Dean Pan Wei.
Because Xin Zhichong, the commander of the Yunzhou Military Sub-district, had personally visited the hospital and instructed Pan Wei to cure Dong Cuiliu. This wasn't just because Jin Ziliang was a rising star in the Fuhai Province military, but also because Jin Ziliang's father, Dong Cuiliu's husband, Jin Guanglan, was Xin Zhichong's sworn brother and comrade-in-arms!
Dare Pan Wei disobey?
But now, let alone curing Dong Cuiliu, they can't even delay her illness!
That's why these experts are so uneasy.
Pan Wei forced a smile and went to greet her, saying, "Commander Jin, we are currently consulting on a treatment for your mother. Don't worry, there's always a way out, and with today's advanced medical technology, we're sure to find a cure. Your mother will be fine!"
This sounded very nice and appealing, but the reality was far from the truth.
Jin Ziliang sneered, "Oh, so when will you be able to find a cure for my mother's illness?"
"This..."
Pan Wei was sweating profusely, his lips trembling.
He really didn't know!
Jin Ziliang snorted and coldly asked, "Then why were you kicking out a doctor who came to treat my mother? He could have clearly cured her!"
He then looked at Lu Chen. Lu Chen scratched his head, took two steps forward, and, still maintaining a degree of humility, chuckled, "I wouldn't call it a cure, but I do have a few methods; we can give it a try."
Huang Jianfeng had disliked him ever since he re-entered.
Now, finally getting his chance, he stepped in front of Lu Chen, his voice sharp and menacing, "Lu Chen, you dare come back? Get out of here right now! You almost killed Commander Jin's mother just now, and now you're back again? What exactly do you mean by this?"
Then, he turned to Jin Ziliang, his voice softening, "Commander Jin, please don't be fooled by this kid. He's just a street urchin, pretending to know medicine when he doesn't. Just now, Ms. Dong was almost... sigh, luckily we reacted quickly enough to drive him away and save Ms. Dong!"
He then recounted Lu Chen's treatment of Dong Cuiliu.
Huang Jianfeng truly lived up to his title of deputy director; even though he was a nobody, his eloquence was remarkable!
While his account of the events was largely factual, he managed to portray Lu Chen as a fraud, trying to profit from the chaos, only to be seen through by the hospital director and the experts, who promptly expelled him.
If Jin Ziliang hadn't witnessed Lu Chen's medical skills firsthand, and if his mother hadn't trusted Lu Chen, he might have been completely fooled by Huang Jianfeng. Therefore, no matter how eloquently Huang Jianfeng spoke now, he wouldn't believe him.
However, Jin Ziliang was patient. He waited until Huang Jianfeng finished his smug and self-satisfied speech before turning to Pan Wei: "Dean Pan, is this so-called deputy director… telling the truth?"
What deputy director? Upon hearing this, Huang Jianfeng felt a surge of frustration.
Pan Wei nodded vigorously: "That's exactly right! That's exactly right!"
The other experts also nodded in agreement.
Jin Ziliang chuckled, "I thought he had some grudge against Lu Chen, talking so smugly! This so-called deputy director... he's quite good at slapping people in the face like that!"
Huang Jianfeng was stunned, his face flushing instantly. He muttered to himself, "What does Commander Jin mean? Why is he speaking so sarcastically?"
He quickly explained, "Commander Jin, what grudge could I possibly have against such a petty person? Does he even deserve it? I'm the deputy director of orthopedics at the First Hospital! I'm just worried you'll be scammed! Losing money is a small matter, but what if your mother... well, that would be truly heartbreaking!"
As he spoke, he immediately adopted a pained expression.
"Good, very good! This so-called deputy director is truly public-spirited, not bad."
Jin Ziliang nodded slightly, then said, "But I've decided on one thing: I'll have Lu Chen, that charlatan you called the deputy director, treat my mother's illness!"
These words truly shocked everyone around.
Of course, besides Lu Chen, there was also Xu Jiaqi.
Xu Jiaqi wasn't shocked. She had always believed that Lu Chen, who knew the art of internal energy projection for healing, could help Dong Cuiliu's condition improve. She was just a little surprised—how did this kid gain Jin Ziliang's immense trust?
Pan Wei shook his hands frantically: "Commander Jin, this won't work! Absolutely won't work! This kid is strange. He just gave your mother a little treatment and he's already hurt her. Besides, he doesn't have any medical qualifications; how can he treat illnesses?"
As he spoke, he turned to look around: "Everyone agrees, right? We have to be responsible for the patient's safety!"
The experts and directors nodded repeatedly, except for Xu Jiaqi, of course.
Commander Jin wore a cold smile. He wasn't in a hurry to speak, but simply stood with his hands behind his back, glancing at each of his opponents. A single glance carried immense weight; anyone caught in its gaze felt as if a mountain had been crushed upon them, their breathing involuntarily quickening.
This was the gaze of a sixth-level martial arts master, intentionally using internal force to create an overwhelming pressure.
Then, Jin Ziliang slowly spoke: "First, treating illnesses, especially my mother's ankylosing spondylitis, is like fighting for territory in a war. There's always some rough play, some pain, before things are settled. I want to ask you all, when you perform surgery, don't the patients feel any pain? Can they drink tea and chat with you while you operate on them?"
These words were exactly like what Lu Chen had said before, but even more venomous.
Upon hearing this, the experts opened their mouths, but remained silent.
Jin Ziliang and Lu Chen exchanged a smile.
Jin Ziliang continued, "Secondly, a medical license only proves a person has the ability to treat illnesses, but it doesn't prove they lack that ability, right?"
The others opened their mouths again, but ultimately decided to remain silent.
Jin Ziliang had a third point.
"Thirdly, my mother's pain can't be delayed any longer. Although I'm not a doctor, I can see it! If this drags on any longer, how many days does she have left to live? And you, you're telling me you're having a consultation and research, saying things like 'Heaven never closes all doors,' and 'Good people are always blessed!' That's not what I want; I want my mother's life!"
"Stop dragging this on! Is there even a way to cure my mother? Huh? A consultation, a research, you bastards! What kind of so-called experts are you?!"