Chapter 160 Long Queues in Front of Exhibition and Sales Booths

At 7:00 AM sharp, the two finished getting ready and opened the door.

Today, Gu Baobao is wearing the uniform provided by the delegation: a high-quality black woolen long coat, a white turtleneck sweater underneath, matching straight-leg trousers, and black lace-up leather shoes.

Her hair was tied into a simple bun at the back of her head, revealing her smooth forehead and graceful neck.

Clean, neat, and with a cool, scholarly air unique to Eastern women.

Lu Zhanming also changed into the same style of black woolen suit, and his white shirt was neatly tied.

The soldier's upright posture was accentuated by the well-fitting suit, but the cold and sharp temperament created a strange sense of conflict with this office attire, making him even more eye-catching.

The two walked out of the room side by side and encountered several other delegation members in the corridor.

"Hey, Commander Lu, Expert Gu, good morning!"

A man in his early thirties greeted them with a smile, his gaze sweeping between the two of them, his eyes filled with good-natured teasing.

Gu Baobao's face flushed, and she quickly took a few steps forward.

Lu Zhanming, on the other hand, was quite composed and even nodded. His face, unusually, was not icy but instead had a smile that was like spring flowers in bloom.

"morning."

He said.

The comrades exchanged knowing glances, suppressed their laughter, and followed.

The delegation members had almost all arrived at the restaurant on the first floor.

Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming picked up their breakfast:

I had simple bread, butter, boiled eggs, and black tea, and found a seat by the window.

As soon as I sat down, I heard hushed laughter coming from the next table.

"See? Commander Lu smiled today!"

"He not only smiled, but his eyes never left Expert Gu!"

"Tsk tsk, this is amazing! A cycad blooming..."

Gu Baobao lowered her head and took small bites of bread, her ear tips turning bright red.

Lu Zhanming peeled a boiled egg without changing his expression, put it on her plate, and then glanced at the table next to him.

The table immediately fell silent.

But a few seconds later, the laughter grew louder; this time, they couldn't hold it in any longer.

Minister Sui Jianguo walked over with a tray of food, sat down opposite the two men, and coughed once:

"Alright, everyone, be serious. Today is the first day of the exhibition, let's get down to business."

As he spoke, he looked at Gu Baobao, his tone becoming serious:

"Baby, yesterday's performance really made us famous. Today is the official opening of the exhibition, and our booth is sure to be the center of attention. Are you ready?"

Gu Baobao put down the bread in her hand, sat up straight, and her eyes were clear and firm:

"Ready, Minister."

"good."

Sui Jianguo nodded.

"Remember our strategy: be neither arrogant nor humble, be polite and respectful. Technically, we are confident; in terms of attitude, we must be friendly. As for those with ill intentions..."

He glanced at Lu Zhanming.

Lu Zhanming said in a deep voice:

"Minister, rest assured, security is fully in place. The embassy has also deployed additional plainclothes officers; there are people of our own inside and outside the venue."

"Um."

Sui Jianguo relaxed a little and gave a few more instructions.

At 7:40 a.m., the delegation departed in two vehicles for the convention center.

The atmosphere on the bus was much more relaxed than yesterday, but a subtle mix of excitement and tension could still be felt.

Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming sat in the back of the second car.

As soon as he got on the bus, the young translator, Xiao Zhang, in the front row turned around and asked with a grin:

"Commander Lu, Expert Gu, how did you sleep last night?"

His question was quite meaningful, and the other comrades in the car all perked up their ears.

Gu Baobao pretended to look out the window.

Lu Zhanming, on the other hand, was quite calm and even smiled:

"Good."

"Oh—! That's good—?"

Xiao Zhang drawled out his words and made faces.

"How exactly is it good? Please elaborate."

A suppressed burst of laughter erupted inside the car.

Gu Baobao's face turned completely red, and she reached out and pinched Lu Zhanming's waist.

Lu Zhanming, without changing his expression, grasped her mischievous hand, enveloping it in his palm, then looked up at Xiao Zhang, his tone calm:

"Comrade Zhang, I heard your girlfriend is coming to visit next month? Has her accommodation been arranged? Should I talk to the logistics department for you?"

The smile on Xiao Zhang's face instantly froze:

"No, no, no! Commander Lu, I was wrong! You're so magnanimous!"

The laughter inside the car grew even louder.

Sui Jianguo sat in the passenger seat, watching the group of young people making a ruckus in the rearview mirror. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes showed more satisfaction.

It's a good thing that these children, who have come to a foreign land with heavy responsibilities, can maintain such spirit and morale.

The car entered the convention center parking lot at just past 8:10.

The exhibition officially opened to the public at 9:00 AM, but the parking lot was already quite full, and staff at each booth were making final preparations.

Gu Baobao and her entourage got out of the car and entered the exhibition hall through a side door.

Before even reaching their own booth, Xiao Zhang, who was walking at the front, exclaimed "Huh!" and stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?"

Sui Jianguo asked.

Xiao Zhang rubbed his eyes, took a few more steps forward, then suddenly turned around with a strange expression:

"Minister... something seems off about our booth."

Everyone immediately quickened their pace.

Turning a corner, their own deep red booth, tucked away in the corner and deserted just yesterday, suddenly came into view.

Then, everyone was stunned.

A neat line stood in front of the booth.

It wasn't just two or three people, but a line of at least twenty people that stretched a long way from the front of the booth, around a corner, and almost reached the entrance of the booth of a British company next door.

The people in line were dressed in various ways: some were in suits and ties, some in white coats, some in trench coats and top hats, and their skin and hair colors were also different.

They either chatted in hushed tones or flipped through the materials in their hands, but without exception, their eyes kept glancing at the still empty Huaxia booth.

A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around the booth, pointing and commenting on the people queuing up.

"What...what's going on?"

A young woman in the delegation murmured.

Sui Jianguo was also momentarily stunned, but being a seasoned diplomat, he quickly recovered and whispered the instructions:

"Xiao Zhang, go and find out what's going on. Everyone else, prepare to start the show as planned!"

Xiao Zhang responded and quickly walked to the front of the line to a gray-haired European man in a gray suit, politely inquiring in fluent French.

Gu Baobao stood beside Lu Zhanming, her heart pounding as she looked at the completely unexpected scene before her.

She subconsciously called out in her heart:

[Defu! What's going on?]

[Ding!]

The system's cheerful voice immediately rang out, its electronic tone filled with the excitement of having made headlines.

[Host! Based on this system's analysis of the attire, name tags, and micro-expressions of those queuing, among these twenty-two people in line...]

Nine of them are senior executives or technical leaders of various pharmaceutical companies, five are private clinic owners, four are medical school professors or researchers, and the remaining four are... suspected to be assistants or bodyguards queuing up for important figures!

[Based on preliminary assessment, they are after you, or more precisely, after the miraculous Eastern medical skills you demonstrated yesterday!]

Host, your moment to create value has arrived! Go for it! This system predicts your merit points will reach a new all-time high today! Charge! Reach the pinnacle of life!

Gu Baobao: "..."

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, turned to look at Sui Jianguo, and whispered quickly in Chinese:

"Minister, our opportunity has arrived. Quickly have our technical staff take this chance to find out who these people in line are, and which companies or organizations they represent. This is much more efficient than us actively reaching out!"

Sui Jianguo's eyes lit up!

Good heavens!

This child is not only a skilled doctor, but also quick-witted!

That political awareness and business acumen are incredible!

He immediately gave a wink to the two colleagues next to him who were in charge of technical research.

The two men understood and pretended to organize documents, subtly approaching the queue while keeping their ears pricked up.

Just then, Xiao Zhang returned, his face slightly flushed with excitement, and reported in a low voice:

"Minister, I've confirmed! The person at the very front of the line is a technical advisor for Roche Pharmaceuticals' European division."

He said he witnessed Dr. Gu treating Mr. Mendelssohn yesterday, which sparked his great interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine. He hopes Dr. Gu can examine his pulse and discuss the possibility of collaboration!

"The second person is a professor from the Paris Medical School in France, who would like to invite Expert Gu to their school for academic exchange!"

"The third person is the owner of a private medical institution in the UK, who wants to purchase the 'miracle pills' that Dr. Gu recommends in bulk!"

"Fourth place..."

Xiao Zhang rattled off the reasons why seven or eight people had come, becoming more and more excited as he spoke.

Sui Jianguo was deeply moved, but remained calm on the surface.

He patted Gu Baobao on the shoulder, his voice filled with barely suppressed anticipation:

"Baby, it seems like today... it's up to you."