Lin Jie eventually left the charity dinner on an empty stomach.

Once An Kexin returned from greeting others, Lin Jie casually made up an excuse and said goodbye to the people coming to chat.

They first collected the saxophone, cane, and the set of baby ivory jewelry they had bid on, then drove back to the Golden Tripod Building, which was relatively close to the Binhai Grand Hotel.

Gently opening the door to their home, they were surprised to find that An Weize was still awake, enjoying tea in the living room.

"Dad, it's almost midnight, why aren't you resting yet, did something happen?"

An Kexin looked concerned.

An Weize poured a cup of tea for both Lin Jie and An Kexin, and chuckled, "Don't worry unnecessarily, isn't Kemeng going to stop attending school starting next week? She spent the whole day out playing with some classmates."

"She came back quite late tonight, and I also noticed she had been drinking."

An Kexin raised an eyebrow and angrily said, "She's still so young, how dare she drink outside? No way, I must…"

"Alright, alright, she just fell asleep a little while ago. Don't go and wake her up!"

An Weize stopped An Kexin from standing up and said, "She didn't drink much, just became quite spirited, clinging to me, asking me to tell her stories from her childhood, and even sang to me."

Hearing this, An Kexin disagreed and angrily said, "Dad, isn't this what being drunk is? Does one have to act crazy and cause a scene to be considered drunk?"

An Weize snorted and retorted, "Of course that doesn't count as drunk. Don't you find this version of Kemeng adorable?"

"It's like she's gone back to when she was four or five, sticking to me."

"I clearly remember the first time you got drunk, you puked all over yourself and hugged a pillow, calling for mom."

An Kexin felt rare embarrassment that even her neck turned red, and she coyly said, "Dad, you must remember it wrong. Even when I'm drunk, I maintain my grace, alright?"

"Oh, Dad, Ajie successfully bid on a cane for you, it's made of rosewood."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie quickly presented the cane and said, "Uncle, give it a try. If it doesn't feel right, I'll have someone adjust it."

An Weize took the cane, smiling, got up and walked a few steps with it, nodding, "Not bad, not bad, the weight and length are just right, and it's comfortable to hold."

"Ajie, you're very considerate."

"How was the charity dinner this time? Any new happenings?"

An Kexin helped An Weize sit down again and laughed, "Dad, let me tell you, our auction item was one of the spotlight pieces of the event, and they showed a short video about Lin Jie on site…"

An Kexin took the lead in storytelling, and Lin Jie supplemented, and the two recounted the events of the charity dinner that evening.

After listening, An Weize frowned and said, "Luo Wantong must have other plans because of his inconsiderate actions; the Wantong Group is likely to make a big move next."

Hearing this, Lin Jie couldn't help but admire An Weize's keen sense of perception.

He quickly said, "Later, Ye Hongqing told me that Luo Wantong's actions were probably aimed at making a strong impression on the Executive Vice Mayor, targeting a major project led by the mayor."

An Weize acknowledged with a sound and sighed, "Ye's intelligence is very much attuned; if he says so, there must be some truth to it. However, at the mayoral level, it's beyond my reach."

"If Ye Hongqing knew about this possibility, then surely, the informed heads of those major groups would also know. Let them be the ones to worry about this matter."

An Kexin laughed, "Dad, let me tell you, at the charity dinner, the Wantong Group was evidently isolated and targeted."

"Their donation piece encountered total silence, and in the end, it was Kangning Hospital that took it at the starting price."

An Weize chuckled dismissively, "Is Kangning Hospital trying to express goodwill and seek new alliances? However, with Luo Wantong's arrogance, I doubt he would accept this gesture."

"Kangning Hospital's reputation has been lingering in the doldrums."

Saying this, he couldn't help but glance at Lin Jie.

In the current situation, Kangning Hospital has been outshone solely by Lin Jie.

As long as Lin Jie maintains his current standing, unless Kangning Hospital obtains Lin Jie's complete forgiveness, they shouldn't think about making a comeback in Binhai.

When Anlin Hospital and the other hospitals in the Phoenix Mountain District begin operations, Kangning Hospital's circumstances will worsen.

An Weize also knows that Kangning Hospital has quietly started a self-rescue strategy.

They've invested a lot in advertising in neighboring provinces and cities, intending to offset the reduction in local patients with those from other places.

"Uncle An, there's one more thing. Ye Hongqing told me that some people up above have said that I am too young and need to be held back a bit!"

Lin Jie then recounted the news he got from Ye Hongqing in detail.

An Weize's expression darkened, and after pondering for a while, he said, "This news can't be considered good, nor can it be considered bad. Ajie, your age does indeed make you very young."

"The people above might think that giving you too much honor might make you easily satisfied and complacent."

"Another concern might be that if they give you the honor now, later on, when you achieve more, there will be an awkward situation where there's nothing left to reward you with,"

he sighed and said, "Many people have a habit of giving final judgment only after one's life story is complete."

"The current reality is that many people are only recognized as academicians of the two academies when their prime inventive years are over, and they're at an age for retirement."

At this, An Weize reminded, "Ah Jie, if this thinking becomes mainstream, even if you accomplish great things in the future, you might face obvious suppression in award selections and social honors."

Lin Jie chuckled lightly, not minding too much, and said, "It's fine as long as my actual economic benefits are not affected."

"After all, I'm not navigating the bureaucratic waters; my work is healing and saving people, doing medical research, not bearing various honors and titles to go around giving presentations and speeches."

An Weize nodded lightly and said, "Ah Jie, it's best if you can think like that."

He chuckled again and said, "When you achieve a level where no one can ignore it and can't deny it, then at that time, no one can use any excuse to stop you."

Lin Jie looked at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, his tone calm, "Uncle An, Kexin, my long-term goal is only one, and that is the Nobel Prize in Physiology."

"This is my promise to myself, and other honors and awards won't mean much to me."

An Weize and An Kexin exchanged a glance; this was the first time Lin Jie had candidly shared his goal with them.

But this Nobel Prize in Physiology...

An Weize seriously said, "Ah Jie, you're so young, as long as you work hard, anything is possible."

"Gurgle..."

At this time, Lin Jie's stomach inconveniently growled.

An Kexin stood up and explained with a smile, "Dad, Ah Jie and I haven't eaten anything yet. At the charity gala, there was no time to eat at all; people came one after another to meet Ah Jie."

"Ah Jie, I'll go make some wontons. You stay here and chat with dad. Dad, do you want some too?"

"Make me half a bowl."

As he was now in the mood to eat, An Weize suddenly remembered something and said, "Ah Jie, a while ago, did you not diagnose Slophel's nephew with epilepsy just through his laughter on a video call?"

"Yes, that did happen!" Lin Jie responded softly.

"That Slophel now knows that it was you who cured my tumor."

"At that time, I had privately asked him to invite some top neurosurgeons in the United States for me, so he's well aware of the difficulty of my brain tumor surgery."

"Because of my case and your diagnosis of his nephew's epilepsy, Slophel is very impressed with you. He will come to Binhai this month and hopes to invite you to a meal to express his gratitude in person."

Lin Jie casually replied, "No problem, I should be able to make time."

"Ah Jie..."

An Weize hesitated for a moment but then spoke, "Kemeng will start learning medical skills with you on Monday, and I know you're very strict in this regard."

"Kemeng is only seventeen this year and has hardly faced any hardships…"

"Uncle An, you don't need to worry."

Lin Jie smiled lightly and said, "Kemeng, like Miaomiao, is my sister. I have a good sense of her limits, and even if I test her, it won't exceed her limits."

"Honestly, Uncle An, I really think highly of Kemeng; her talent is quite decent."

Lin Jie thought for a moment and continued, "Let me make an agreement with you, half a year."

"In half a year, if Kemeng can persist and perform well in all aspects, I will do my best to train her."

"If Kemeng can't bear the hardship or doesn't perform well in some aspects, then her future will be left to you to arrange, how does that sound?"

An Weize nodded satisfactorily and said, "Alright, we'll agree on half a year."

"Regardless of the outcome after half a year, Kemeng will have learned a lot and grown a lot under your guidance."

"Though studying medicine is tough, I do hope Kemeng can persevere because she's serious about studying medicine. Hold on one moment, I'll show you something."

An Weize went upstairs, and when he came back, he was holding a pair of girl's jeans.

Lin Jie took it and noticed that the pant legs had been cut into strips and then sewn back together.

Only the stitches were quite unsightly.

"What's this?"

An Weize proudly smiled and said, "This is Kemeng's work; she uses surgical needle holders and suture needles to practice stitching every day, quite diligently..."

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