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

Deep within the compound, in a west wing room where thick curtains are always drawn, the air felt stifling, as if it were about to rain.

"Clang!"

An enamel mug with the word "award" printed on it crashed hard onto the cement floor. The already chipped white porcelain shattered into pieces, revealing the dark iron core inside, resembling an ugly scar.

Wei Peng slumped into an old rattan chair. He clutched today's Guangming Daily tightly in his hand; the newspaper had been crumpled into a ball of rotten vegetable leaves.

The scene he imagined in his mind—Ye Zhen being suspended from her job for investigation, taken away for questioning, and hated by everyone like a rat in the street—was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, what catches the eye is the bold, large-font headline that dominates the front page, almost painful to the eyes:

A Textbook Example of Management Miracle: A Record of Social Practice by University Students from the Beicheng Military Region General Hospital

The subtitle is like a resounding slap in the face: [Ministry of Education issues official document calling on college student unions nationwide to study the "Heart of China" system model]

Moving the gaze downwards, the black-and-white photograph in the very center was crystal clear. Ye Zhen stood before the blackboard in the simple warehouse, her eyes cold and her back ramrod straight. And standing beside her, leading the applause, was none other than Vice Minister Sun of the Ministry of Education, the very same person he had written the whistleblower letter to, hoping to destroy Ye Zhen.

"Hahaha……"

Wei Peng forced out a few dry laughs, like a broken bellows being pulled to its limit.

What was he trying to achieve by going to such lengths?

The picture ruined her! The picture made the woman who trampled him into the mud utterly disgraced!

But the result?

This whistleblower letter ironically became a stepping stone for others! If it weren't for this high-level investigation team, who would have known that the dilapidated warehouse had a system even more rigorous than that of a state-owned factory? Who would have known that Ye Zhen could not only wield a scalpel skillfully, but also set rules and establish order?

This isn't just ruining her; it's personally elevating her to a pedestal!

Now, with this Party newspaper headline and the Ministry of Education's official document, Ye Zhen is practically shrouded in an aura of invincibility. In this era where political winds are carefully considered, anyone who tries to touch her is going against the national call!

"Idiot... I'm a fucking idiot!"

Wei Peng suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face.

The smell of blood trickled down his lips, dripping onto the torn newspaper and spreading a glaring red that landed right on the word "miracle".

What a fucking irony.

……

At the same time, Beijing Railway Station.

The piercing whistle tore through the dry, cold winter air as a green train, panting heavily like an exhausted old ox, slowly slid into the platform.

As soon as the car door opened, a surging crowd, carrying with it the smells of sweat, stench of feet, and cheap cigarettes, poured out all at once.

Liu Tie squeezed it down with his shoulders.

This man from Datong, Shanxi, was wearing a black cotton-padded jacket whose original color was indistinguishable. The cuffs were worn and frayed, and his exposed palms were as rough as old tree bark, with coal black stains embedded in his fingernails that could not be brushed off.

He held a baby wrapped in an old sheepskin coat tightly in his arms, and clutched a newspaper that had been folded countless times in his other hand.

It was a copy of the Guangming Daily. He had read the article about "miracle doctor Ye Zhen" and "Heart of China" hundreds of times, and he even memorized how to write the character "Zhen".

"Child, don't be afraid, we've arrived." Liu Tie looked down at the child in his arms whose face was pale, his voice trembling violently. "This is Beijing... The doctors here are like living bodhisattvas, they can definitely save your life."

To pay for the travel expenses to get medical treatment, the family sold the pig they had raised for three years a few days ago.

After exiting the station, Liu Tie couldn't bear to take the bus that cost two cents a ride. Carrying a heavy burlap sack on his back and holding his child, he asked for directions as he walked.

This walk took two hours.

When the imposing gate of the North City Military Region General Hospital came into view, Liu Tie suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if frozen in place.

The sight before him made this rough man, who had spent his days rolling around in coal piles, feel dizzy.

Hundreds of bicycles were lined up neatly, their bells gleaming in the sunlight. The college students passing by stood tall and straight, as clean as clouds drifting down from the sky.

Right in the center of the steps stood a huge red cardboard box. Although it was a bit old, in Liu Tie's eyes, it was more majestic than the statue of the local earth god in his hometown temple.

He looked down at his worn-out rubber shoes covered in coal dust, then glanced at the well-dressed city folks around him, speaking fluent Beijing dialect.

That feeling of inferiority surged up like a tide, instantly overwhelming him.

He instinctively shrank back against the wall, desperately trying to hide his hands inside his sleeves. It was too clean here; he didn't deserve to go in, afraid of dirtying their ground.

"Uncle?"

A crisp voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Liu Tie shuddered in fright and looked up sharply, only to see a female student with short, ear-length hair and wearing a white coat standing in front of him.

She is Li Hong, a student at Peking University Health Science Center.

After these few days of "intensive training," Li Hong's eyes had become incredibly sharp. She spotted the man huddled in a corner, looking distressed, and the child in his arms who was clearly oxygen-deprived, at a glance.

"I...I'm not a bad person..." Liu Tie waved his hands frantically, instinctively trying to back away. "I just...I just came to take a look..."

Liu Tie held up the newspaper in his hand.

"Are you here for a medical checkup?"

Li Hong didn't mind the smell of coal dust on him. Instead, she strode forward, took out a stethoscope from her pocket, and hung it up. "Unbutton the child's coat, let me listen."

"Huh?" Liu Tie was stunned, as if he couldn't understand Chinese.

"Hurry up, it's cold, don't let the child get cold," Li Hong urged, her tone crisp and decisive.

Liu Tie hurriedly unbuttoned his sheepskin coat. Li Hong first warmed the cold metal stethoscope in her palm before placing it on the child's thin, bony chest.

Boom, boom, boom...

There was noticeable noise, accompanied by vibration.

Li Hong frowned slightly, her mind quickly flashing through the mnemonic rhyme of Ye Zhen's "Work Rules": *Excessive second heart sound in the pulmonary valve area, murmur at the left sternal border...*

"Uncle, is the child usually afraid to run? Does he have to squat down and rest after running a few steps? And does his lip turn purple and black in winter?" Li Hong put away her stethoscope and stared at Liu Tie as she asked.

Liu Tie's eyes widened instantly, as if he had seen a living deity: "Amazing! Doctor, you're truly amazing! Just like that! Exactly the same!"

Li Hong took out a yellow card and pinned it to the child's collar. "This is a yellow emergency room card, sir. Come with me here to fill out the form."

She led Liu Tie to the base of a sheltered wall, where a registration desk was set up specifically for people from other places. Liu Tie held the pen, his hand trembling like a leaf, unable to write a single word for a long time.

"Can't you read?" Li Hong noticed his embarrassment.

Liu Tie blushed, nodded, and wished he could bury his head in his crotch.

"It's okay, you tell me, I'll write it down." Li Hong took the pen and filled it in for him stroke by stroke.

Just as he finished filling it out, a loud "gurgling" sound came from inside. Liu Tie was so embarrassed that he covered his stomach tightly. To save money on the train, he had only eaten one dry steamed bun in two days.

An aluminum lunchbox was handed to him right under his nose.

When the lid was opened, there was a half-eaten white steamed bun inside, with a few strands of pickled vegetables sandwiched in it.

"It's leftovers from breakfast, I haven't touched it. If you don't mind, you can have it," Li Hong said casually, then turned to serve the next patient.

Holding the half-cold steamed bun, Liu Tie watched the female student's busy figure, and his eyes suddenly reddened. He turned away, took a big bite of the hard bun, and swallowed his tears along with the pickled vegetables.