Andrew arrived at the Blumedale Government Building, his mind in complete turmoil.

Chantelle had been waiting impatiently and urged, “Hurry up, stop dawdling! Almost all the medical bigwigs are here, and they’re just waiting for you!”

Andrew replied coldly, “At this moment, you’d better not provoke me. Otherwise, I won’t be able to resist recalling that lovely image of Ms. Garcia wearing absolutely nothing.”

Chantelle was furious. This bastard had immediately brought up her embarrassing moment—what was wrong with him? She thought he must have been upset elsewhere and was now taking it out on her, which was completely unmanly.

The doors to the luxurious conference room swung open on both sides as Andrew walked in. Pairs of eyes filled with disdain, mockery, or indifference immediately focused on him.

In the spacious conference room sat almost every notable figure in the medical field from throughout Gabo Creek Province. With a casual glance, Andrew spotted the most prestigious seats in the front row, where Mosby, Thomas, and Malcolm were seated. Additionally, two men with goatees wearing robes, legs crossed, exuded extreme arrogance.

From the chairman’s podium, Derek smiled and said, “Mr. Lloyd, please take your seat!”

Francesca waved her hand, “Andrew, over here!”

Just as Andrew began to move, one of the goateed men barked coldly, “Hold it! Where did this little nobody come from? Get out. Everyone here represents the medical field of Gabo Creek, and you alone don’t qualify to sit among us!”

Several people snickered, believing that Andrew was done for.

Andrew looked over coldly, “Old timer, where did you pop up from, making all this noise?”

The goateed man glared with anger, “How dare you! Who gave you the audacity to speak to me this way? Do you have any idea who I am?”

Andrew scoffed. “I don’t know, and I’m not interested!”

Thomas frowned. “Andrew, mind your manners. We’re all in the medical field, and we should show respect where it’s due.”

He gestured to the two elderly figures beside him. “These are Dr. Preston Fuentes and Dr. Clifford Phelps from the Advanced Medical Institute. They’re members of the Grand Medical Summit judging panel. Show some respect, will you?”

Andrew did not even bother pretending. He chuckled dismissively. “Respect? Just because they’ve been around longer? If they want my respect, their skills should be sharper than mine. If we’re just counting years, then should I bring in a thousand-year-old tortoise and have everyone ‘respect’ it?”

The room fell into a stunned silence before erupting into a mix of whispers and gasps.

Someone shouted, “You arrogant brat! Watch your tongue!”

“How dare you speak to the elders of the Advanced Medical Institute this way? Do you have a death wish?”

“Throw him out! We can’t let a disrespectful fool like this stain the reputation of the medical community!”

In the far corner, Chantelle felt cold sweat trickling down her back. She had warned Derek not to bring Andrew to this summit, but he had not listened. Now, he had unleashed a storm.

Not only did Andrew refuse to respect the Advanced Medical Institute, but he practically declared himself better than them.

She could hardly believe it. What was this guy’s backbone made of? Diamond?

Sitting just one row behind Malcolm, Francesca turned pale, her usually bright face draining of color. She leaned in, her voice trembling. “Dr. Goddard, please say something on behalf of Andrew. He didn’t mean to offend anyone.”

Malcolm managed a bitter smile, glancing over at Thomas. “Thomas, you’re the head of the Blumedale Hospital delegation. Maybe you should say a few words.”

Thomas’ face darkened, and he huffed. “Malcolm, it’s not that I don’t want to defend him, but Andrew is simply too arrogant. Of everyone here, at least nine out of ten could be considered his seniors, yet he acts like he’s above them all. We at Blumedale Hospital can’t afford to be dragged down by someone like him, so no, I’m not speaking on his behalf.”

Jared, a young rising star seated next to Francesca, smirked. “They’re right. Blumedale Hospital has no reason to stand up for someone as reckless as Andrew.”