An elderly man, around sixty or seventy, walked up to the podium with an expressionless face. He had gray hair and a white beard and was wearing glasses. That was indeed Professor Flores-the eccentric professor they had met last time at Inassea University.
Once Professor Flores took his seat at the podium, the chatter in the room gradually subsided, and everyone quickly found their seats.
One had to admit, Professor Flores had the presence of a true master. The moment he took the stage, the whole room fell quiet.
Everyone in attendance held the professor in high esteem. In the southwest region, he was the pinnacle of the medical field. Whether it was traditional medicine or modern medicine, he had his unique insights. That was why his peers found him eccentric-truly knowledgeable people are often hard for common folks to understand.
Professor Flores cleared his throat, and the room instantly fell silent. He then began speaking into the microphone.
“I’m sorry, Kayden. My dad is just like that. He cares way too much about his image. Please don’t take it to heart,” Nadia sat next to Kayden, her face filled with guilt as she whispered apologetically.
“No worries,” Kayden replied casually, unbothered at all.
Nadia looked at Kayden’s face with wide eyes, and then continued, “By the way, those people were just talking nonsense. All that fiance and future son-in-law talk, please don’t take it seriously. They were just trying to get on my dad’s nerves because of their beef.”
“No worries,” Kayden repeated, still calm and indifferent, his gaze fixed on the podium.
Feeling a bit bored, Nadia sighed, “I hate these forums. I find them very dull and tedious. By the way, are you into medicine? My dad always wanted me to go into medicine, but I never did.”
Feeling more at ease than she had in a long time, and with all her past worries gone, Nadia couldn’t help but fire off a string of questions at Kayden.
Dr. Hall and the doctors from before were seated nearby. Seeing the two chatting, they pointed in their direction and one of them said, “Look at that guy, sitting there like he knows what’s going on. Does he really think he understands any of this?”
Dr. Hall glanced at Kayden, then at Hank, and asked, “Got any plans?”
The doctor next to him smirked, leaned in, and said in a low voice, “Professor Flores is a giant in the medical field, respected by many. Having an outsider like that guy attend such a prestigious event, don’t you find it an insult to the professor? If we can find a way to get the professor’s attention and let him find out that someone like that guy is here, and it was Hank who brought him, what do you think he’ll do? Do you think he might kick both of them out?”
The two exchanged a glance, then shared a wicked grin.
Last year’s failure to get the award hit Dr. Hall hard. He’s retiring in two years, and if he had been selected as one of the Top Ten Doctors, he could have retired as the hospital’s director. It was practically a done deal, until Hank entered the scene out of nowhere and derailed his career, forcing him to remain the deputy director. Today’s encounter was the perfect chance to settle the score.
“Let’s do it then,” Dr. Hall said lightly, but his sharp glare at Hank betrayed his calm tone.
The other doctor immediately stood up and left the room. Shortly after, two uniformed security guards came in, heading straight for Kayden. Seeing the vast difference between Kayden’s attire and everyone else’s, they immediately put on disdainful expressions and shouted at him, “Who let you in here? Do you even know what kind of place this is?”
This sudden commotion broke the silence in the auditorium, causing a rustling of chairs as people all turned to check it out.
Professor Flores’s paused mid-sentence, his attention drawn to what was happening as well.
Kayden, confused, looked up at the security guard, and already had a good idea of who was behind this. Sure enough, Dr. Hall immediately stood up from his seat and said with a smile, “That young lady is the daughter of Dr. Garcia from the Inassea First Hospital. So the young man beside her must be her fiance, and Dr. Garcia must be the one that brought him here.”
Hank’s face darkened instantly. He looked agitated as he turned to Dr. Hall and asked, “Dr. Hall, is this really necessary?”
Dr. Hall sneered and asked coldly, “Then tell me, was it you who brought this young man here or not?”
Hank glanced at Kayden, his eyes bloodshot and resolute, gritted his teeth and said, “Yes! But he is not my daughter’s fiance.”
“What’s going on here?” A sharp voice suddenly cut through the air.
Upon hearing the shout, everyone turned around and saw Professor Flores walking down from the podium, the expression on his face stern and distant. Everyone was looking at him as if he were a god, their eyes filled with utmost admiration.
Professor Flores was a leading figure in the field, a role model for all the doctors present, who took great pride in being qualified enough to be there. Attending one of his lectures was considered an honor in itself, let alone being near him.
“Professor Flores!” Seeing him walk down, Dr. Hall quickly put on a flattering smile and stepped forward to greet the professor. He said, “Dr. Garcia from the Inassea First Hospital brought an outsider here to your lecture. I believe such a prestigious event shouldn’t be open to just anyone. By bringing this outsider here, Dr. Garcia is clearly insulting you. This is a grand venue, and allowing a good-for-nothing hooligan to sit here is the greatest offense. So we…”
Before Dr. Hall could finish, Professor Flores raised his hand and slapped him across the face.
The slap instantly silenced Dr. Hall, leaving him completely stunned. Not just him, but all the doctors watching were taken aback. Many of them knew Dr. Hall, the deputy director of the Inassea Second Hospital. He was a man of considerable status, and no one could believe that Professor Flores had actually slapped him.
Dr. Hall blankly raised his hand to cover his face, staring at Professor Flares in confusion, and was just about to ask why when the professor shouted in anger, “You are the biggest insult to this auditorium! This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!”
He snorted at Dr. Hall and then walked over to Kayden. Without hesitation, he bowed deeply, his voice trembling with reverence, and said, “Sir, I, your student Otto Flores, greet you!”