The first item of the conferral ceremony is a chorus of the national anthem.

Under the leadership of Generals Qin Hanghai and Meng Yang, a grand chorus of the national anthem was conducted by hundreds of people on-site.

The second item of the conferral ceremony is Qin Hanghai reading Lin Jie's enlistment and rank conferral military order, and then presenting the military order.

The third item of the conferral ceremony is the change of uniform and rank conferral.

In an office on the first floor of the hospital building, Lin Jie put on an entire new set of military uniform brought by others, and then, in front of everyone, Lieutenant General Qin Hanghai personally affixed the shoulder insignia to Lin Jie.

Subsequently, in the chorus of a military song by everyone, the solemn yet simple rank conferral ceremony concluded.

Just as everyone was about to come forward to offer congratulations, Meng Yang spoke up, "Please hold on, everyone, I have another military order here!"

Amid the anticipation of Lin Jie and the crowd, Meng Yang took out a military order and read aloud, "First-Class Merit Reward Order!"

Hearing this, many people in the hall were somewhat unsettled.

It is not easy to earn a merit award in the military; there is a common saying that first-class merit requires life.

Lin Jie had just enlisted and was awarded the rank of colonel, but this is a professional technical rank and has significant differences from a commanding officer's rank. Considering Lin Jie's extraordinary medical skills, many people could understand this.

However, being awarded a first-class merit right after receiving the rank is somewhat hard to comprehend.

Did Lin Jie do something earth-shattering?

Everyone pricked up their ears and listened to Meng Yang read the First-Class Merit Reward Order, "… During the earthquake relief in Bamboo Sea, Comrade Lin Jie showed strong leadership and actively engaged in …"

As Lin Jie silently listened to the merit order recounting his efforts in the field hospital saving lives, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

This "strong leadership" was really not deserved, as the field hospital was all organized under Fang Jianbin's leadership…

Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed Lin Jie's mind.

This merit award wasn't granted because of his actions in the field hospital, but rather because he saved the military's set of critically important equipment.

Since that matter was classified, it was not suitable for disclosure, so they used the guise of treating injured in the disaster area to award him.

With this thought, Lin Jie's slight sense of shame disappeared instantly, and he stood a little straighter.

This merit award was well deserved.

"… Specially granting Lin Jie a First-Class Merit and providing a cash reward of two million…"

Upon hearing this sentence from Meng Yang, Lin Jie was even more satisfied.

Actually, Lin Jie was somewhat reluctant about enlisting and being awarded the rank of colonel, feeling a sense of being forced.

He felt the First-Class Merit reward was more honorary than practical, with limited benefits, but the two million was real, tangible benefit.

Overall, Lin Jie believed the military was not all talk and no action this time, and it was quite acceptable.

While pinning the First-Class Merit Medal on Lin Jie, Meng Yang whispered, "In the military system, rewards rarely come in the form of bonuses for active-duty personnel, and if there are, they are usually small amounts."

"This two million was achieved after I humorously reported your request for several million as a joke. The superior personally approved it …"

After the conferral and medal-awarding ceremony ended, Generals Qin Hanghai and Meng Yang were to rush back to the Capital City and directly took their leave.

Numerous friends and family members attending the ceremony were invited to move to the Crown Holiday Hotel to celebrate…

In the moving Phaeton car, Lin Miao looked at Lin Jie in his military uniform and said with a smile, "Brother in a military uniform, you look more imposing, Mengmeng, don't you think brother looks better and more handsome?"

An Kemeng, sitting in the front passenger seat, glanced at Lin Jie, just snorted lightly, and then turned her head and ignored Lin Jie.

Sitting on the rear seat, An Kexin beside Lin Jie, poked Lin Jie's waist with her finger, signaling him to do something.

Lin Jie cleared his throat twice and said, "Kemeng, I solemnly apologize to you, I shouldn't have doubted your writing skills."

"Would you forgive me this one time, okay?"

An Kemeng turned her head again, looked at Lin Jie for a while, and said arrogantly, "Once I finish the novel, I will post it online. By then, with many readers' comments, you will know whether my writing level is high or low."

"Hmph, for now, I don't want to forgive you."

Lin Jie turned to An Kexin, spread his hands, indicating he was powerless.

An Kexin just rolled her eyes, knowing that these two were purely throwing a childish tantrum and chose not to involve herself in the matter.

She then said, "We have found out that Xu Feng is a third-year student at Zhongnan University, and that lawyer Lai Huahui is his uncle, and he has some small local fame."

"Currently, there have been no online posts related to this matter."

Lin Jie nodded and said, "We'll proceed according to the previous plan and wait and see."

"Whether they post, stir up the heat, guide public opinion, or directly file a lawsuit and intend to face us in court, we'll let them."

"We'll not respond for now, and when they push and escalate the situation, we can publicly release the evidence we have …"

Lin Jie stated with determination, "This time, I want to drown them in the huge waves they have stirred themselves."

An Kexin smiled gently and said, "If they guide public opinion through the internet, this plot twist is enough to make netizens who feel deceived dig three feet into the ground and pursue them relentlessly."

Suddenly, An Kemeng said, "If we wait and see like this, what if the other party lowers their flags and stops making noise?"

"Just let them get away with it like this?"

"How could that be?"

Lin Jie snorted, "I have the lawyer's letter they submitted, it's all in black and white stating their demands."

"If the other side doesn't act within a week, we'll make this lawyer's letter, along with the evidence, public."

"For this ungrateful, disgusting person, we have to deal with him somehow."

Lin Miao agreed, "Yeah, we have to do it this way. Without Lele, this guy wouldn't have been discovered by us, he would have surely died under a pile of rocks. Without our help, he would have definitely died too!"

"We saved him; he didn't even say thank you, and now he wants to bite back. This is really just how it is, the forest is big, and all kinds of birds exist."

An Kemeng also said angrily, "For such a jerk, I've already decided I'll write him as a huge villain in my novel and make him die miserably."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jie chuckled and asked, "Kemeng, aren't you writing about our real experiences? Can you still write someone to death?"

"I'm writing a novel, not a documentary!"

An Kemeng clarified, "Novels are creative works based on facts, they can be processed and modified."

"This novel, I'm mainly basing it on our thrilling experience from that night, adding some conflicts and tear-jerking scenes."

Hearing "tear-jerking," An Kexin worriedly asked, "Mengmeng, you won't write me to death in the novel, will you?"

"No, no, you're my sister!"

"Besides..."

An Kemeng shook her head like a rattle, saying, "Sister, you're the female lead, but as for the male lead..."

Saying this, she glanced at Lin Jie a few times with an implicit threat.

Lin Jie didn't mind, saying, "If you can create a classic scene like 'You jump, I jump' from that big ship, offering myself up in the novel once, what harm can it do?"

"No way!"

Lin Miao suddenly strongly objected, very seriously saying, "An Kemeng, if my brother dies in your novel, we won't be friends anymore, I'm serious."

Lin Miao's sudden seriousness and sternness chilled the atmosphere in the car.

After a brief silence, An Kemeng pouted and said aggrievedly, "I know, I was just saying that to scare him, I wouldn't really write it that way..."

The celebratory gathering prepared at the Crown Holiday Hotel was in the form of a buffet and cocktail party.

The high-standard buffet of a five-star hotel, naturally offered an excellent selection of ingredients and dishes.

After a hasty shower in the hotel room to relieve some fatigue, Lin Jie, looking at the delicious food in the banquet hall, found himself salivating and his stomach growling.

Having been busy all day, he hadn't even had time for lunch.

However, as the main character of this celebratory gathering, Lin Jie had to hold a glass of juice, face the hundreds of attendees, first deliver a short speech, and then announce the start of the buffet and cocktail party.

Then, Lin Jie mustered up some energy to exchange a few words with friends and relatives who came to congratulate him individually.

After handling thirty or forty people, and noticing another twenty or thirty entered the banquet hall, Lin Jie decided he couldn't hold out any longer, it was time to fill his stomach.

Lin Jie got himself some appetizing-looking food with a plate, went to the dining area set up in the banquet hall, and prepared to eat.

Just after taking a bite, he realized someone had sat next to him, looking up to see it was Ye Peihua.

In front of him, a plate holding half a portion of various delicacies.

Ye Peihua took a bite and nodded, "Tastes not bad."

He put down his chopsticks and said, "Expert Lin, let me first offer my congratulations. Because I have a flight to catch later, I'll quickly inform you about the progress of those players."

Lin Jie swallowed his food and asked, "All settled? When will they receive treatment?"

"No, two people explicitly refused, only three have tentatively signed an intent agreement."

Ye Peihua laughed lightly, "But having three sign the agreement, I'm already very satisfied. In my original plan, these people belonged to the first tier, having even one come I would have considered a blessing!"

"You have a prepared second tier?" Lin Jie asked curiously.

Ye Peihua nodded, "Yes! At that time, Nie Yuming brought another batch of people's medical records, but their fame and abilities are at a secondary level among football stars."

Lin Jie exclaimed a soft "Oh," then pursued, "When will these three come to Binhai for treatment, so I can make arrangements?"

Ye Peihua replied, "Still uncertain, it's just a tentative agreement, many details need to be discussed first, and there are some miscellaneous agreements they hold that haven't expired, requiring time to handle as well."

"It'll probably take at least three or four months."

Lin Jie nodded gently, indicating he understood.

Ye Peihua said in a deep voice, "Expert Lin, the other two refused us because they look down on our country's medical standards and do not believe in the promises I offered."

"And the main reason these three agreed is because they have nothing more to lose."

"Expert Lin, I'm very much looking forward to you changing foreigners' perceptions of our country's medical standards, even making them see us in a new light..."

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