In the conference room, Wan Yunting and Dai Qiuyue, along with Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, Song Sinan and Wei Renxin, and Zhang Xiaoyu and a group of young TCM teachers they had recruited together, all attended the meeting as they had no classes in the afternoon.
"President Gu is right, that Ye Zhaohui doesn't deserve to be a physician at all!" Zhang Xiaoyu said, her big eyes wide and indignant. "Look at his conceited and arrogant demeanor, acting like a complete idiot in front of us, as if he's afraid no one knows who he is. I detest him."
"Exactly." Another female teacher complained, "You don't know, but he and that Wang Wei privately invited us to bars to 'enhance our relationships.' They don't even know what they're like. Who knows what scheming they have in mind? I'd never be willing to go out with them."
"No way, Teacher He? He invited you too? He even sent private messages to us..." Another female teacher exclaimed in surprise, which made Wan Yunting pause. Immediately, Qi Miaomiao beside him said, "Brother Yunting, you don't know how annoying Ye Zhaohui is. He also sent private messages to my senior sister, calling her an otherworldly fairy and saying that a marriage alliance with his Ye family would be a great joy for the TCM community in Lingnan Province. Tsk, I can't stand it."
"Is that so?" Wan Yunting was surprised. He looked at Gu Luotang, making her feel embarrassed. She quickly nudged Qi Miaomiao, "Alright Miaomiao, stop talking. Don't mention that disgusting person."
"By the way, Teacher Wan," Wei Renxin then said to Wan Yunting, "The photos and videos of you at the bar that were posted in our Star Brilliance Elementary School teacher group chat were actually sent by Ye Zhaohui and Wang Wei!"
Wan Yunting smiled and nodded, "I guessed as much." Because he had conflicts with Ye Zhaohui during his interactions with these teachers, Wan Yunting had guessed that he was the one who did it.
As everyone was chatting, Gu Yuanbai and Jiang Yichun, Sun Yutang and Ding Huixiang, Meng Kang and Song Chengqi, along with Wei Datong and Zhang Fenglin, several representative TCM physicians from Lingnan Province, Xisheng Province, and Minsheng Province, had already taken their seats on the stage.
"Master, everyone is here," Lu Zijin came up and informed Gu Yuanbai. He waved his hand, then scanned everyone present. Seeing Wan Yunting and Dai Qiuyue sitting with his granddaughter Gu Luotang and the young teachers, Gu Yuanbai beckoned Wan Yunting, signaling him to come up to the main stage.
Wan Yunting was stunned. He naturally wanted to decline, as he was a junior and how could he sit with those elders? However, Gu Yuanbai beckoned him again. Gu Luotang turned her head and smiled at him, "Brother Yunting, my grandpa is asking you to come up."
"Yes, Brother Yunting, hurry up and go up," Qi Miaomiao also urged him.
However, Song Sinan, Wei Renxin, Zhang Xiaoyu, and others looked puzzled, wondering why Gu Yuanbai was calling Wan Yunting to sit on the main stage. After all, those who could sit up there were all elders of the older generation. How could Wan Yunting, a mere junior, possibly merit such a position?
Helpless, Wan Yunting had to go up. He arrived beside Gu Yuanbai. He didn't sit down, but bent over and said, "Elder Gu, I'll just sit down here."
"Tsk, I told you to sit here." Gu Yuanbai grabbed him and pressed Wan Yunting into the chair beside him. Jiang Yichun on the other side smiled and turned to Ding Huixiang and Meng Kang, explaining what was happening.
"How did he get up there?"
"I don't know..." This scene immediately caused many people below to whisper and discuss. Especially the young physicians. Although they knew Wan Yunting had recently been awarded a special honor medal by the police and was a hero in the fight against drugs, other than the physicians from Huadu City, physicians from other cities and provinces were completely unaware of Wan Yunting's medical skills. Therefore, everyone thought inwardly about how Wan Yunting could possibly merit sitting with elder TCM masters like Gu Yuanbai and Jiang Yichun.
"This Wan Yunting, he really doesn't know his own capabilities." The most unconvinced were those young physicians. Seeing Wan Yunting sitting to Gu Yuanbai's left, some people looked displeased and spoke maliciously.
Besides Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao, who knew what was going on, Song Sinan, Wei Renxin, Zhang Xiaoyu, He Yan, and Liu Jianqi did not know about Gu Yuanbai's decision to appoint Wan Yunting as the Vice Chairman of the newly established Lingnan Province TCM Association!
"Everyone, please be quiet," Gu Yuanbai said into the microphone, and everyone in the room immediately fell silent.
"This meeting was called by me on short notice yesterday," Gu Yuanbai said with a serious expression, his old eyes sweeping across the more than a hundred people seated below. They were all colleagues from various cities in Lingnan Province, as well as a small number of colleagues from Xisheng Province, Minsheng Province, and Guizhou Province. Those from these three provinces were basically friends of Gu Yuanbai, perhaps young students who had graduated from Huadu TCM University.
"And the theme of the meeting is..." Gu Yuanbai then raised his voice a bit. His old eyes widened, and he scanned the audience, shouting with a resolute tone: "I want to discuss with everyone the re-establishment of our TCM Association for the Lingnan region!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many people below became restless, whispering to each other. They had heard the news before coming to the meeting, but now that it was spoken by Gu Yuanbai, everyone finally believed it.
"Why do I propose to re-establish the TCM Association?" Gu Yuanbai's emotions ran high, and he couldn't help but stand up. The people below also quieted down, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"Because our current TCM Association is internally corrupt, with all sorts of people who have nothing to do with TCM holding important positions. This has led to endless smear news about TCM, which is shameful and disgraceful."
"I don't need to elaborate, you all know who I'm referring to, right?" Gu Yuanbai's old eyes widened as he swept across everyone present. Wan Yunting, sitting beside him, also had a serious expression. Then Gu Yuanbai shouted, "That's right, I'm talking about the Sima family!"
"A few days ago, Vice Chairman Sima Hongyun came to our Huadu City for a meeting. But besides the first day at our office, he disappeared for the next two days until someone exposed him for living a life of luxury in hotels and various high-end venues, colluding with certain people in Huadu City for private profit. I won't name names here!"
"But what I want to say is," Gu Yuanbai then said sternly, "Sima Hongyun's incident is just the trigger. And the underhanded dealings the Sima family has been involved in using their power in the TCM Association, I believe everyone present is well aware of, right?"
Gu Yuanbai's words successfully ignited the suppressed anger that many physicians present had harbored against the Sima family for years. Someone even stood up and shouted, "The Sima family monopolizes everything behind the scenes!"
"Especially the market for high-grade medicinal materials, which has basically been monopolized by the Sima family. To obtain those precious medicinal materials, you have to buy them at a high price from them. The Sima family is the most wicked capitalist!"