The next day.
Eight-thirty in the morning.
When Ye Qiu arrived at Jinling University, he was stunned to see the athletics field packed with people.
The crowd was several times larger than yesterday.
“Why are there so many people?” Ye Qiu asked.
Zhang Jiuling replied, “After yesterday’s competition was broadcast live on CCTV, it attracted massive attention online. Today, many citizens came to watch in person.”
“According to statistics, there are over 80,000 spectators in the athletics field right now.”
Hiss, over 80,000 people?
Ye Qiu sucked in a breath.
“If it weren’t for the venue’s limitations, there could’ve been tens of thousands more.”
Zhang Jiuling said with a beaming smile, “Who would’ve thought a medical competition would draw such a crowd?”
“This is on the scale of a superstar’s concert.”
“I just heard from Dong Si that there are already seven million viewers online in the CCTV live stream, all eagerly awaiting the start of the competition.”
Zhang Jiuling added, “Xiao Ye, you were foresightful to invite CCTV for the live broadcast. Otherwise, this competition wouldn’t have garnered so much attention.”
Ye Qiu hadn’t expected such a huge impact either and said, “Only when more people pay attention to Chinese medicine and believe in it can we truly revive it.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Zhang Jiuling nodded, then continued, “By the way, Xiao Ye, some heavyweight guests arrived today. Let me take you to greet them.”
Ye Qiu asked curiously, “What kind of heavyweight guests? Big shots?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Zhang Jiuling led Ye Qiu toward the front row.
As they passed through, Ye Qiu noticed the entire athletics field was completely full, not a single square metre of empty space in sight.
Many citizens, unable to find seats, were sitting on the ground.
“Dr. Ye is here!”
Someone in the crowd shouted, and instantly, countless eyes turned to Ye Qiu.
Then, a spectator yelled loudly, “Ye Qiu, I want to have your babies!”
Ye Qiu glanced at the speaker, a burly, towering man.
Bloody hell, how’s a man supposed to have my babies?
Ye Qiu felt a chill run through him.
At that moment, university students started shouting too:
“Ye Qiu, I love you!”
“East, west, south, north, central, Ye Qiu’s the coolest!”
“Mars crashes into Earth, Ye Qiu, you’re the best!”
“Our idol is, Ye Qiu, oh yeah~”
Clearly, these were Ye Qiu’s die-hard fans.
Spurred by them, the rest of the audience joined in, shouting all sorts of bizarre slogans.
Eighty thousand people screaming in unison, their voices growing louder, like thunder, as if they might flip the entire athletics field.
Zhang Jiuling, walking beside Ye Qiu, was also caught up in the crowd’s energy, involuntarily joining in the chants.
Ye Qiu felt his blood surging.
At this moment, he was like a celebrity, basking in the spotlight.
Suddenly, Ye Qiu understood why so many people wanted to be stars, because this feeling of being worshipped was truly—
Exhilarating!
Several minutes passed.
The crowd’s momentum didn’t weaken, it only grew stronger. Ye Qiu quickly raised his hand, making a hush gesture.
Instantly, the entire field fell silent.
“Dr. Ye, everyone’s so enthusiastic, say a few words to them!”
Dong Si, who had appeared beside Ye Qiu at some point, handed him a microphone.
Ye Qiu took the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said, “Hello, everyone, I’m Ye Qiu.”
“Thank you all for coming to watch the competition in person. I’m thrilled to see you all.”
“Of course, I believe you’re thrilled to see me too. After all, I’m so handsome, surely no one dislikes me, right?”
Hahaha…
The crowd burst into laughter at Ye Qiu’s humour.
Ye Qiu continued, “Since you’ve all come today, I have one request: focus less on me and more on Chinese medicine.”
“My brilliance is known across the globe, but the wonders of Chinese medicine? Not everyone understands those yet.”
“Due to time constraints, the competition is about to start, and I need to prepare, so I won’t chat much longer.”
“Thank you again for coming to watch the competition.”
“Thank you.”
After speaking, Ye Qiu bowed to the audience before following Zhang Jiuling to the guest seating.
At the front row, Ye Qiu noticed that the people beside Qin Gang had changed.
Yesterday, it was Jinling City officials sitting next to Qin Gang, but today, it was a few white-haired elders.
“Xiao Ye, come here.”
Qin Gang waved at Ye Qiu, then said, “Let me introduce you to the seniors beside me.”
“Elder Nan, a dual-academy academician, our country’s renowned pharmacologist.”
“Senior Sima, a dual-academy academician, our country’s renowned biologist.”
“Elder Gu, a dual-academy academician, our country’s leading expert in respiratory medicine, once awarded the highest honour in our healthcare system.”
“And this is Elder Jiang,” Qin Gang pointed to a plainly dressed elder beside him, “Elder Jiang participated in over twenty battles before and after the founding of the nation, receiving two special merits, five first-class merits, and over ten second-class merits. He was awarded the title of First-Class Combat Hero.”
“These seniors came specifically to watch your competition.”
Truly heavyweight guests!
Ye Qiu quickly bowed to the elders and said politely, “Ye Qiu pays his respects to the seniors.”
The elders greeted Ye Qiu warmly.
Elder Jiang said, “Ye Qiu, you did well yesterday. Keep it up today.”
“Some Korean dares to act arrogant on our turf and call Chinese medicine rubbish? Utterly outrageous.”
“You must show that so-called Medical Sage the true power of Chinese medicine.”
Ye Qiu smiled, “Rest assured, Elder Jiang, I won’t let you down.”
Time ticked by.
Soon, the competition was set to begin.
However, Li Zhengxi and the Korean medical delegation were nowhere to be seen.
“What’s going on?”
“Why hasn’t Li Zhengxi shown up?”
“Did he get scared and run off?”
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
“Old Zhang, hurry up and call them,” Qin Gang said.
Zhang Jiuling pulled out his phone, about to call Li Minghan, but Ye Qiu stopped him.
“Old Zhang, no need to call. Li Zhengxi and his group are on their way,” Ye Qiu said.
“How do you know?” Zhang Jiuling asked, puzzled.
Ye Qiu grinned, “That old fox tried to flee after yesterday’s competition, but my people stopped him.”
“Damn, he actually tried to run? Shameless,” Zhang Jiuling cursed.
The crowd kept waiting.
Fifteen minutes later, there was still no sign of Li Zhengxi, and the audience started to grumble.
“What’s the deal? Why isn’t Li Zhengxi here yet?”
“Didn’t he say Korea is the most civilised country? Can’t even manage basic punctuality?”
“He lost yesterday and should’ve died already, and now he’s late today? Utterly shameless…”
Just then, a fleet of luxury cars appeared outside the athletics field.
