As night falls, the largest banquet hall of the German Consulate in Binhai is brightly lit, bustling with people.
At least two to three hundred people are gathered here, mostly from the business and academic circles of Germany working in Binhai City, as well as consuls from consulates of various countries who have co to observe the ceremony.
There are also quite a few fellow countryn, the most naturally being family and friends accompanying Lin Jie, Cheng Xingguang, Jiang Hao, Lei Jun, Pang Leshan, Wei Haiyuan, and others.
Additionally, there are so official figures, such as a deputy minister from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a deputy mayor from the Binhai City Governnt responsible for external liaison.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the award ceremony officially begins.
Lin Jie was surprised when an elderly man, introduced as the President of Germany, appeared on the hall's projection screen.
Under An Kexin's introduction, Lin Jie learned that although the German President is the head of state of Germany, representing the country internally and externally, he is essentially a figurehead.
He has no say in national policy and mainly engages in ceremonial diplomatic work and signing approvals.
The German Chancellor, now the Iron Lady, is the actual head of the German governnt, holding real power.
Through a live video broadcast, the President of Germany first joined everyone in the banquet hall in a minute of silence, mourning the residents who unfortunately perished in the Heidelberg terror attack.
After the silent mourning, the President delivered a speech.
In the speech, the President severely condemned the violent acts of international terrorist organizations with a stern expression, and then strongly praised the actions of Lin Jie, Cheng Xingguang, and others, as well as Sino-German friendship.
Next, the Deputy Minister from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was also invited to give a speech condemning terrorism and endorsing Sino-German friendship.
What follows is the highlight of the evening, the award ceremony.
The German Ambassador personally adorned Lin Jie, Cheng Xingguang, Jiang Hao, Lei Jun, Pang Leshan, and Wei Haiyuan, who were dressed formally and full of spirit, with a shiny dal.
After the ceremony was concluded, waiters began endlessly serving wine and drinks.
The cocktail party had started.
Lin Miao looked at the dal on Lin Jie's chest, curiously asking: "Brother, is it gold?"
Lin Jie took off the dal, about three centiters in diater, and weighed it in his hand. Compared to the size of the dal, the weight was still relatively heavy.
He handed the dal to Lin Miao, smiling, "It should be gold, but even if it's pure gold, it wouldn't sell for much."
"Don't talk nonsense, this is a trendous honor, how could you think of selling it."
An Kexin gently chided Lin Jie, retrieving the dal from Lin Miao and reattaching it to him, reminding, "Ah Jie, you are now at the German Consulate, representing the Chinese, so avoid making any inapproriate actions."
She then linked arms with Lin Jie, looked at the crowd enjoying their drinks in the hall, and, smiling, said, "Ah Jie, many Germans here are entrepreneurs investing in Binhai and nearby provinces and cities. They are indeed major benefactors."
"I reckon our charity fund might receive quite a few large donations."
Lin Jie was naturally aware of her intentions.
To garner more donations, he was about to set aside his reserve and proactively converse with foreigners, when he saw Congressman Fedor and Elenna's father, Warner, approaching together.
Warner raised his glass of red wine, gestured to Lin Jie, took a sip, and gratefully said, "Dr. Lin, thank you for giving Elenna a second chance at life."
"Dr. Goebbels was thrilled to inform us after a detailed examination that the residual tumor in Elenna was extraordinarily minimal."
"He promised that as long as follow-up control is slightly adequate, Elenna's survival for another two years is absolutely guaranteed."
Fedor corrected him, "Warner, you got it wrong."
"Did you forget about Dr. Lin's experintal therapy?"
He looked at Lin Jie, full of anticipation, and said, "With Dr. Lin's exquisite dical skills, our little Elenna will be with us for ten years, twenty years, maybe even longer."
Warner chuckled softly, "I could never forget about this."
"It's just that the surgery was so perfectly perford, I'm extrely thrilled."
He excitedly said, "Elenna told us that Dr. Lin has a habitually conservative estimate, saying survival can be extended by one or two years, but the result is certainly at least two years."
"Now, the outco of Elenna's surgery also proves this point."
"This further strengthens our belief that Dr. Lin, your experintal therapy will certainly achieve even greater results."
He took a deep breath, and solemnly said, "Dr. Lin, your previous request for Elenna's physical data will be expedited in acquisition by us."
"The laser 3D imaging instrunt will also be delivered here as quickly as possible."
"Additionally, apart from Elenna's regular dical expenses, we have decided, under the na of Morris Precision dical Equipnt, to sponsor Dr. Lin's experintal therapy with a research fund of two million euros."
Two million euros, fifteen to sixteen million yuan — what a delightful surprise.
A very pleased Lin Jie thanked the Morris Clan for their sponsorship and, with Fedor's introduction, acquainted himself with and exchanged ideas with a dozen or so Germans present.
As a mber of parliant, the people introduced by Fedor are all either wealthy or influential, with significant investnts dostically.
During his interactions with them, Lin Jie also appropriately highlighted An Kexin's role as the head of the Anlin Charity Fund.
Besides these few individuals, several consuls from other countries also ca over to greet Lin Jie briefly.
Especially the consul from the United Kingdom, who specifically thanked Lin Jie for curing Freddy's daughter's eyes.
According to this British consul's explanation, Lucy's vision has now recovered quite well; she can see things within a distance of ten to twenty ters, though the clarity still has so issues, as if veiled by a thin layer of gauze.
Additionally, her ability to differentiate colors is sowhat impaired.
Lin Jie understood that Lucy's vision would recover only to this extent.
While continuously mingling with the guests, Lin Jie, though abstaining from alcohol, had several drinks, causing so bloating in his stomach. He seized the opportunity to visit the restroom, alleviating so internal pressure.
After coming out and intending to grab a bite to eat, Lin Jie encountered the Deputy Minister from the country's Foreign Affairs Ministry.
"Expert Lin, there was ping-pong diplomacy in the past, and now there's dical diplomacy. Thank you for your contribution to the nation's diplomatic efforts."
Such praise was sothing Lin Jie could hardly bear.
He hurriedly replied modestly, "The minister is exaggerating. We rely did what needed to be done at that particular mont and place."
The Deputy Minister lightly chuckled and said, "Not everyone can accomplish what needed to be done."
He leaned closer to Lin Jie, lowering his voice to say, "Expert Lin, you might not know. At the ti, there was also a dical exchange team from EU countries present in Heidelberg."
"When the terror incident occurred, this dical team forcefully stopped the German armored vehicle arriving for rescue and hid inside without daring to co out."
"This matter has already made headlines in so German dia, and the comparison between the two sides further highlights your courage and comndable actions."
The Deputy Minister added thoughtfully, "Expert Lin, you might believe this is nothing, but we in the diplomatic service can profoundly feel the changes your actions brought about in Sino-German, and even Sino-EU relations."
"With the enhancent of economic strength, our country has direct competition in many advantageous fields with the EU and other developed nations, causing so tensions in our relationship with the EU."
"If one pays attention to the news, many people would notice that EU officials frequently spew 'China threat' rhetoric, initiate anti-dumping investigations, restrict investnt fields from our side, reject acquisition applications from our enterprises, limit technology exports, and so on."
The Deputy Minister smiled and said, "Your actions have significantly increased the goodwill of German residents and the business community towards our country. Naturally, the attitude of the German governnt, a democratically elected entity, has also shifted accordingly."
"The most direct manifestation is that within these few days, several long-delayed governntal and comrcial negotiations have reached conclusions, resulting in the signing of important cooperation agreents and business contracts."
Lin Jie joyfully replied, "It seems we've indeed made a significant impact."
"That... that..."
Lin Jie asked sheepishly, "Minister, has the nation provided us with any comndations or rewards?"
The Deputy Minister montarily drew a blank and said, "Does verbal comndation count?"
Lin Jie grimaced and said helplessly, "Well, that... that... counts as well!"
Seeing his unwilling deanor, the Deputy Minister chuckled, saying, "Your contributions haven't gone unnoticed by the nation, and they've been deeply appreciated."
"The recognitions and honors you deserve will be bestowed upon you when the ti is right..."
As he watched the Deputy Minister leave, Lin Jie couldn't help but internally criticize, utilizing official rhetoric, offering verbal promises but failing to deliver tangible results.
He walked over to the food counter in the hall, picked up a few slices of ham, a sausage, so fruits, and a bit of vegetable salad on his plate, looking for a nearby seat to eat.
"Brother!"
"Brother Jie!"
Lin Jie raised his head to see Lin Miao and An Keng each holding a plate of food, sitting down beside him.
Seeing the lack of excitent on their faces, he softly asked, "Are you feeling bored?"
An Keng pouted and said, "It is pretty boring, and there aren't any people our age!"
"Many of the things they're saying, I don't understand. The things I do understand, I have no interest in at all."
"Mm, it is a bit boring!" Lin Miao also softly echoed the sentint.
Lin Jie laughed and said, "This is a diplomatic cocktail party hosted by a nation after all, so it's naturally focused on discussions rather than entertainnt activities."
"Have so food; the German sausages and ham are quite good. After you finish eating, I'll take you ho."
Lin Jie had just taken a few bites when Lin Miao tugged at his sleeve and said, "Brother, look at that person. Does he seem unwell?"
Lin Jie turned his head toward the direction she indicated.
He saw a middle-aged foreign gentleman slumped over a nearby dining table, with beads of sweat covering his face...
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