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

Beijing Capital International Airport.

The wind vane at the end of the runway was blown straight up, and the sky was that unique azure blue of early spring in the north, so clear that there wasn't a single cloud in sight.

A three-meter-long red banner was neatly strung up on both sides of the terminal exit passage.

White background with red lettering, each stroke neat and tidy: Warmly welcome the delegation of experts from the Royal College of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of the United Kingdom to China for exchange.

At each end of the banner was a large red silk flower, about the size of a bowl. Underneath the silk flowers stood two rows of Ministry of Health staff in blue Zhongshan suits, their backs straight and their hands pressed against their trouser seams, like a military parade formation.

But the most amazing thing wasn't the banner.

A large cowhide drum was set up next to the banner.

The drumhead was taut, the drumsticks rested against the edge of the drum, and a young man stood beside it with his sleeves rolled up, looking eager to try.

On either side of the drum stood a girl with braids, each holding a small copper gong, its surface polished to a shine, reflecting the early spring sunlight.

Vice Minister Li stood in the center of the banner, looking at the spectacle, and his lips twitched twice.

He turned to look at Gu Zheng beside him.

"Xiao Gu, did you arrange this gong and drum performance?"

Gu Zheng was wearing a brand new military overcoat today, with the collar buttoned up neatly, and he looked incredibly energetic.

He glanced at the large drum, put his hands behind his back, and looked completely innocent.

"Uncle Li, this is the heartfelt gift from our comrades at the grassroots level."

"Just think about it, this is the first time that experts from the Royal Society of London have come to China in a group to study. What does that mean? This is an unprecedented event."

"We can't show our sincerity without giving them a couple of drumbeats."

Vice Minister Li stared at his face for three seconds.

His expression was sincere, his posture was upright, and there was not a single flaw to be found.

Dean Zhou Hai stood on the other side, holding a reception schedule in his hand, his glasses fogged up with a thin layer of mist.

He leaned close to Vice Minister Li's ear and lowered his voice.

"Vice Minister, the more polite Gu Zheng is, the more nervous I become."

Vice Minister Li did not respond.

He was nervous too.

Xu Wenqiang stood half a step behind Gu Zheng, holding a notebook with two printed itineraries inside, one in Chinese and one in English.

He peered over the flip-page flight information board above the exit passage. The white plastic flip-page with black lettering flipped twice, and the status bar for the British Airways flight changed to "Arrived".

"Reporting to the commander, the British Airways flight has landed and is expected to clear customs in ten minutes."

"it is good."

Gu Zheng nodded, took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his coat pocket, pulled one out and put it in his mouth without lighting it.

He turned his head and waved to the young man by the drum.

The young man came running over excitedly.

"When the person comes out, just beat the drum three times."

Gu Zheng, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, mumbled his instructions, then held up three fingers and waved them in front of the young man.

"Three connections. No more, no less."

"If we knock too many times, people will think we're holding a funeral."

The young man grinned, patted his chest, and nodded vigorously.

Vice Minister Li stood to the side, his eyebrows twitching.

A simple airport pickup is being turned into a huge spectacle, like drumming up support for a battle.

Ten minutes later, the sound of luggage wheels rolling on the ground could be heard from the exit passage.

The glass door was pushed open by the staff inside, and two groups of people came out one after the other.

Leading the way was a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit, with neatly parted hair, carrying a black briefcase in his left hand and pushing a luggage cart with his right. On the luggage cart were two medium-sized leather suitcases.

He was followed by four people, three men and one woman, ranging in age from their early thirties to their fifties, all dressed in dark suits, each with a silver company badge pinned to their chest.

Gore, Europe.

That middle-aged man was Parker.

Following closely behind this group of people, less than a few steps away, was another group of people.

Sir Williams walked at the front.

He was wearing a thick tweed coat and his signature top hat today, followed by Anderson and Green, as well as a young surgeon from St. Mary's Hospital.

Four people were pushing six suitcases.

Parker glanced at the large red banner and drums outside the exit, then paused for a moment.

A tall, thin man wearing wire-rimmed glasses approached him from behind and whispered something in English.

Parker ignored him, forced a polite smile, and continued pushing the luggage cart forward.

Williams' gaze swept over Parker's group and landed on the man standing under the banner.

He wore a military overcoat, had a buzz cut, broad shoulders, and long legs, and smiled like a brother.

Williams was a beat slower than usual.

Anderson, who was behind him, craned his neck to look outside, and his eyes lit up.

"Arthur, is that the Chinese officer you were talking about? He's got quite the entourage, even drums?"

Williams didn't turn around.

His gaze was fixed on Gu Zheng, then swept over the large drum, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Anderson, no matter what happens later, keep a close eye on your suitcase."

Anderson didn't understand and was about to ask when the two groups of people walked out of the passage one after the other.

Boom, boom, boom.

Three drumbeats, no more, no less.

The sound of drums echoed outside the empty terminal, making one's chest tingle.

The two gongs rang out twice, their crisp sound dispelling the chill of early spring.

The two rows of staff members clapped in unison.

As the highest-ranking official present, Vice Minister Li strode forward to greet him.

He walked towards Parker first and extended his hand.

"Mr. Parker? Welcome to China."

Xu Wenqiang followed along, providing explanations and translations.

Parker shook hands with Vice Minister Li, his smile perfectly composed.

"Vice Minister Li, it's an honor to meet you. Thank you for your warm hospitality. We have brought four highly experienced experts in the field of cardiac surgical materials science, and we hope to have an in-depth academic dialogue with Dr. Ye."

"Welcome, welcome."

Vice Minister Li said a few polite, official words, nodded, and turned to walk towards Williams.

Vice Minister Li's smile stretched from the corners of his mouth to the corners of his eyes: "Sir Williams! We've been waiting for you!"

He grasped Williams' hands with both of his and shook them vigorously twice.

"On behalf of the Ministry of Health and my colleagues in the Chinese medical community, I warmly welcome you!"

Williams was flattered and nodded repeatedly, managing to utter two words in broken Chinese: "Thank you!"

Parker stood two steps away, maintaining his smile, his gaze lingering on the large red banner for two seconds.

We warmly welcome the delegation of experts from the Royal College of Cardiothoracic Surgery (RCCS) of the United Kingdom to China for exchanges.

Their Gore company name is not mentioned.

Parker's smile remained unchanged, but the fingers pushing the suitcase tightened slightly.

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, Dean Zhou Hai stepped forward and began to direct the flow of patients.

"Mr. Parker, this way please. The car is ready."

Zhou Hai adjusted his glasses, a polite smile on his face. Without saying a word more, he led the five people from Gore Company to the beige Toyota van in the parking lot, making the arrangements neat and efficient.

Parker glanced back before getting into the car.

Over there, Gu Zheng had already strode towards William.

Their enthusiasm was like welcoming a close relative.

On his side, they were received by the dean.

It's not low-grade, but the taste is off.

Parker looked away, bent down, and got into the car.

Xu Wenqiang understood immediately and pulled out an English version of the itinerary from his notebook, handing it through the car window.

"Mr. Parker, this is the general schedule for the next three days. Please take a look."

Parker took it, flipped through it, and nodded.

The bread truck started up and drove out of the parking lot first.

---

Over there, Gu Zheng had already put his arm around Williams' shoulder.

"Old Wei!"

He grabbed Williams' hand with a force even stronger than before.

"I've been waiting for you! You must have had a long journey!"

Williams was shaken so badly he almost lost his balance.

He used all his strength to pull his hand out and straighten his top hat, which had been shaken askew.

"Mr. Gu, thank you for your hospitality."

His gaze involuntarily drifted to the six suitcases behind him.

Still.

It's still available for now.

Gu Zheng followed his gaze and glanced at the pile of luggage, raising an eyebrow.

"Old Wei, are you carrying so much this time? Won't it be heavy on the road?"

Williams' fingers clenched tightly on the luggage cart handle.

"It won't sink."

"Some of these are personal belongings."

Personal belongings.

Gu Zheng repeated the four words thoughtfully, his gaze slowly sweeping over the boxes.

Then he laughed.

She was smiling very brightly.

"Understood, understood. We won't touch personal belongings."

Williams breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could fully relax, Gu Zheng had already put his arm around his shoulder and led him toward the Hongqi sedan.

"Let's go, let's get in the car and talk, it's windy outside."

"Old Wei, you don't know, this time I specifically instructed that the guesthouse I arranged for you is quite nice, with good heating and hot water available 24 hours a day."

Anderson and Green were led behind by two guards.

Anderson looked at the large drum and red banner outside the terminal and whispered something to Green in English.

"Green, I take back what I said before."

Which sentence?

"I said they might not take it seriously."

"Now it seems they took it a little too seriously."

Green didn't respond.

His gaze followed the two guards in front of him as they loaded all six of Williams' suitcases into the trunk of the Red Flag car.

While packing, Gu Zheng's eyes never left the boxes.

Green held his briefcase tightly for two points.

Vice Minister Li watched the whole thing unfold, then walked over and patted Gu Zheng on the arm.

"Xiao Gu, I'm heading back with my colleagues from the Ministry of Health. You'll coordinate the foreign guests' itinerary with Zhou Hai. Call me if anything comes up."

"Okay, Uncle Li, don't worry."

Gu Zheng stood up straight and gave Vice Minister Li a standard military salute.

Vice Minister Li glanced at him, swallowed the words he was about to say, and turned to get into another car.

He leaned out of the car window before the car door closed.

"Xiao Gu."

"exist."

"Very polite."

You can rest assured.

Vice Minister Li's car drove out of the parking lot.

He sat in the back seat, watching Gu Zheng and Williams walk towards the Hongqi car through the rearview mirror, and felt a vague sense of déjà vu about the scene.

What was it again?

He thought about it for a long time.

Oh.

Like a smiling tiger leading a flock of sheep unaware of the danger, it walked into the cave.