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

As the morning sun shone on the plaque of Peking University Health Science Center's gate, a long queue had already formed at the entrance.

The staff member from the Academic Affairs Office stood by the door, holding a registration book in his hand, his voice hoarse from shouting.

"Students in the five-year clinical program, please enter from the left; graduate students, please enter from the right. Young doctors from affiliated hospitals, please show your work IDs first. Do not push. Anyone who pushes will have to wait on the playground."

Someone in the line peeked inside.

"Comrade, is there really enough room in the auditorium?"

The clerk wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Even if there isn't enough room, you have to enter in an orderly manner, and the fire exits must not be blocked."

The boy behind him, wearing glasses, hugged his canvas backpack to his chest and whispered to his companion.

"I came all the way from Peking University. I got up at 4:30 this morning. If Peking University Medical School doesn't let me in, I'll really cry."

His companion glared at him.

"You still dare to say you're from Peking University? If the academic affairs office hears this, they'll kick you out."

Another female student in a gray shirt took half a step forward and answered in a low voice.

"A few people from Tsinghua University also came. I just saw them carrying engineering drawing books and pretending to be medical students."

"Stop talking, Professor Sun is at the door."

Sun Shouyi stood by the steps of the auditorium, leaning on his cane. His blue cloth jacket was faded from washing, but his face was full of energy.

Looking at the increasingly long queue, he turned to ask the director of the academic affairs office.

"Old Zheng, have you added all the folding chairs in the back?"

Director Zheng was clutching his keychain, the keys jingling in his haste.

"We've added more, the aisles are full, and the second-floor stands are packed with people. The director just asked me if we could let another batch in, and I said if we did, something bad would happen."

Sun Shouyi frowned.

"Students who want to attend classes can't all be kept outside."

Director Zheng had a bitter face.

"Mr. Sun, don't try to scare me with those words. If we really let everyone in, the auditorium doors won't be able to close properly."

Someone shouted from below the steps.

"Teacher, we can listen standing up."

Another voice immediately followed.

"Sitting on the windowsill is fine too."

Director Zheng turned around and glared at him.

"Is the windowsill for you to sit on? Who's responsible if you fall?"

A burst of laughter came from the crowd.

The laughter had barely subsided when the sound of a Jeep engine came from outside the school gate.

Director Zheng looked up and saw Sun Shouyi also take two steps forward, leaning on his cane.

A military green Jeep was parked outside the side door of the auditorium.

Gu Zheng got out of the car first and went around to the other side to open the car door for Ye Zhen.

Ye Zhen was wearing a military green jacket over a clean white shirt. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and she was carrying a handbag in her left hand. The silver ring on her ring finger gleamed in the morning light.

The students in line fell silent for a moment.

Someone asked in a low voice.

"Is it her?"

The person next to him folded up the newspaper and compared it with the photo.

"It's her."

She looks about the same age as our senior.

"Keep your voice down."

After getting out of the car, Ye Zhen did not immediately go to the backstage, but first looked at the line at the entrance of the auditorium.

Gu Zheng closed the car door and asked in a low voice.

"nervous?"

Ye Zhen shook her head.

There are more people than I thought.

Sun Shouyi had already come to greet them.

"Girl, you've come."

Ye Zhen took two quick steps and reached out to support his arm.

"Professor Sun, why are you standing at the door?"

Sun Shouyi waved his hand.

"I feel at ease keeping watch here, lest those little brats collapse the auditorium."

Director Zheng quickly followed, speaking so fast he was almost stumbling over his words.

"Dr. Ye, this way please. The dean and several professors are waiting for you."

Ye Zhen nodded.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Upon hearing those three words, Director Zheng gripped the keychain in his hand even tighter.

"It's no trouble at all. It's a blessing for our school that you could come."

As soon as the backstage door opened, the president of Peking University and several senior professors stood up at the same time.

The dean, surnamed Liang, had mostly white hair. When he saw Ye Zhen, he quickly came over and took her hands in his.

"Dr. Ye, thank you for coming."

Ye Zhen grasped his hand in return.

"Dean Liang, it's my turn to come."

Dean Liang's lips moved, but he didn't speak for a long time.

"These kids need someone to light a lamp for them."

Ye Zhen looked at the door leading from backstage to the auditorium, and could hear the students whispering through the crack in the door.

"The lamp is not in my hands, it is in their own hands."

Sun Shouyi stood to the side, nodding with a smile.

"You should say that to them when you go on stage later."

Gu Zheng did not go backstage.

He escorted Ye Zhen to the door, then turned and went to the last row of the auditorium.

Several male students who hadn't managed to get seats were crammed into the back row against the wall. When they saw him coming, they all moved aside in unison.

A tall boy mustered up his courage and asked.

"Comrade, are you here to listen to a lecture too?"

Gu Zheng had his hands in his jacket pockets, his gaze fixed on the empty microphone on the stage.

"Um."

The boy glanced at his upright posture and then at the military boots on his feet.

"Are you from the military?"

Gu Zheng turned his head to look at him.

"Just listen to the lecture, why are you checking my background?"

The boy immediately shut up.

The female student next to her suppressed a laugh and opened her notebook.

At 9:00 AM sharp, Dean Liang walked onto the stage and picked up the microphone, while the audience was still whispering among themselves.

He only said four words.

Hello, students.

The auditorium fell silent immediately.

Dean Liang unfolded the manuscript in his hand, read a few opening remarks, and his tone became increasingly steady.

"Today, we have invited a special teacher."

Someone in the audience looked up; their pen was already in hand.

Dean Liang looked towards the backstage area.

"She is a specially appointed expert at the General Hospital of the Beicheng Military Region."

The students in the front row gasped softly.

Dean Liang continued.

"She is the founder of the China Heart Foundation."

Some people leaned even further forward from the second-floor stands.

"She is a founding member of the Global Cardiovascular Disease Expert Committee."

Even the sound of turning pages in the auditorium had diminished.

"At an international medical conference, she showcased the skills and commitment of Chinese doctors to the world."

Dean Liang put down his manuscript and looked up at the audience.

"She came to Peking University Health Science Center today not to bring us glory, but to talk to you future doctors about how the word 'doctor' should really be written. Welcome, Dr. Yeh Chen!"

The backstage door opened.

Ye Zhen walked onto the stage.

applause.

All the thousands of eyes in the audience were fixed on her.

Ye Zhen walked to the microphone, glanced at the blackboard, and then looked at the densely packed young faces below the stage.

The pen in the girl's hand in the front row stopped on the paper.

On the second floor, someone was holding onto the railing, barely daring to sway.

Ye Zhen moved the microphone half an inch closer to herself.

"Relax, I'm not taking the exam."

The auditorium fell silent for a moment, then laughter spread from the front row to the back, and even the students standing in the aisle burst out laughing.

Gu Zheng leaned against the wall in the last row and smiled as well.

After the laughter subsided, the atmosphere actually relaxed.

Ye Zhen picked up the chalk but didn't rush to write.

"Why did everyone here choose to study medicine?"

The microphone carried those words to every corner of the auditorium.

The students, who had been smiling just moments before, slowly stopped smiling.

Someone looked down at their white coat.

Someone put the pen cap back on.

Ye Zhen waited a few seconds before turning around and writing a name on the blackboard.

The chalk swept across the blackboard, leaving a string of English letters.

Sir William Osler.

She put down the chalk and turned to look at the audience.

"This is a question that someone asked themselves a hundred years ago."