Zhu Zi Hai's words had barely landed when the crowd below began to murmur amongst themselves.

Not every doctor present recognized Chen Xiao, and even those who did weren't all convinced he was qualified to join the council.

In their view, entering the council wasn't just about medical skill; seniority was far more important.

And Chen Xiao was so young that his seniority could be disregarded entirely.

This was the typical mindset of mediocre people, and most of the world was made up of them.

People like Zhu Zi Hai, who had clear likes and dislikes, were the exception.

The council primarily admitted new members based on the votes of its existing members, and those votes were based on consideration of various recommendations.

But after Zhu Zi Hai recommended Chen Xiao, the lukewarm reaction from the doctors present caused several council members to hesitate, unable to make a decision.

Everyone was waiting for one person's attitude: Qin Shou Chen.

After all, he was the oldest and most respected person present, and most importantly, he was the vice chairman of the council.

If he took the lead in agreeing, then anyone else's opposition would be useless.

Qin Shou Chen squinted as he sized up Chen Xiao, then turned his head to ask Zhu Zi Hai, "Zi Hai, what's the background of this Chen Xiao?"

Zhu Zi Hai understood that Qin Shou Chen was asking about Chen Xiao's connections.

Unfortunately, Chen Xiao didn't seem to have any, or at least Zhu Zi Hai wasn't aware of any.

So, he vividly recounted the events of yesterday to Old Qin, filled with effusive praise for Chen Xiao.

But after listening, Qin Shou Chen's expression remained unchanged, showing no great reaction.

Zhu Zi Hai thought to himself, *As expected of Old Qin, not even such an impressive young man can stir his emotions. His level is truly high!*

But little did he know, Qin Shou Chen didn't believe a word he said.

In Qin Shou Chen's opinion, there was no way Chen Xiao could have mastered that legendary acupuncture technique at such a young age. Zhu Zi Hai probably had failing eyesight and was tricked by the young man's trickery.

Besides, this young man was about the same age as his grandson, and his grandson hadn't even gotten into the council yet. What right did he have?

Zhu Zi Hai quietly waited for Old Qin to continue, but Qin Shou Chen remained silent for a long time.

Just then, Qin Li Fu walked onto the stage and whispered a few words into his grandfather's ear.

After listening to Qin Li Fu's words, Qin Shou Chen's expression underwent a subtle change.

This grandfather and grandson were whispering on stage in front of everyone, which infuriated Liu Shuai.

"Hmph, that bastard is definitely trying to smear Brother Chen!"

Liu Shuai was right.

Qin Li Fu told his grandfather that this Chen Xiao was his rival in love, and he wanted his grandfather to prevent Chen Xiao from becoming a member of the council at all costs!

When he saw that his grandfather remained unmoved, he added that Chen Xiao was associating closely with people in the underworld and was definitely not a good person!

Qin Shou Chen frowned upon hearing this.

He waved for Qin Li Fu to return to his seat below the stage, then lowered his eyelids and said faintly, "Zi Hai, I think this person you recommended is inappropriate!"

Zhu Zi Hai was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Old Qin, do you have a better candidate to recommend?"

Qin Shou Chen nodded, "Yes, although one should avoid nepotism when recommending talent, I'm going to break that rule today because I think my grandson, Qin Li Fu, is a better candidate than Chen Xiao!"

As soon as he said this, the entire room erupted in an uproar!

Liu Shuai muttered under his breath, "That old geezer is really shameless. No wonder Qin Li Fu is so shameless too. It's all inherited!"

Wu Fei Er said apologetically, "Chen Xiao, is this because of me? I'm sorry you can't join the council..."

Chen Xiao smiled slightly, "Do you think I have much interest in this council or whatever it is?"

Wu Fei Er shook her head.

Chen Xiao continued, "That's the thing. Joining or not joining isn't important to me, so there's no need for you to apologize."

"But, you're clearly the more qualified one. Aren't you unwilling?"

Wu Fei Er asked, biting her lip.

Chen Xiao sneered, "Let's wait and see. It's not like there's a final decision yet!"

Although Qin Shou Chen was openly supporting his grandson, his proposal was still supported by most people.

After all, Old Qin was highly respected, and Qin Li Fu had risen to fame at a young age, so he deserved to be elected to the council.

Compared to Chen Xiao, Qin Li Fu was definitely the safer choice!

However, Zhu Zi Hai refused to accept it. He said bluntly, "Old Qin, I think your proposal is biased. Of course, I've watched Li Fu grow up since he was a child, and everyone has seen his abilities, but I don't think his medical skills are better than Chen Xiao's. After all, there aren't many people in this world who can use the Tong Gui Shen Zhen (Bronze Demon God Needle)! If even someone like that can't enter the Jiangbei Council, then Jiangbei will inevitably become a laughingstock in the entire medical community!"

Qin Shou Chen sneered, "Zhu Zi Hai, do you know what you're saying? Are you saying that our great Jiangbei medical community will become a laughingstock because of a young kid who hasn't even grown all his hair?"

"You say his medical skills are amazing, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes, so I won't comment on it. But a doctor must first establish virtue. If a doctor doesn't have the most basic medical ethics, then he doesn't deserve to be a doctor at all!"

Zhu Zi Hai was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "Old Qin, I don't know where Chen Xiao's medical ethics are problematic. Please tell me!"

Qin Shou Chen snorted disdainfully, "It is said that he is associating too closely with underworld figures. If such a person joins the council, it will be a disgrace to the entire Jiangbei medical community!"

As soon as he said this, Zhu Zi Hai was speechless.

Even those who had just been indignant for Chen Xiao all closed their mouths.

After all, they had personally witnessed Chen Xiao and Da Xiang's friend addressing each other as brothers yesterday.

Although they didn't think Chen Xiao and those people were birds of a feather, once such a thing was involved, it would be difficult to disentangle.

Seeing that Zhu Zi Hai was no longer speaking, Qin Shou Chen immediately pressed on, "Everyone, let's vote. I recommend Qin Li Fu to join the council and become a new member of the council. Who agrees and who opposes!"

As soon as Qin Shou Chen finished speaking, more than half of the directors raised their hands.

The remaining few also followed suit and raised their hands.

Zhu Zi Hai helplessly glanced at Chen Xiao, and finally slowly raised his hand, agreeing to Qin Li Fu's joining the council.

Qin Li Fu was overjoyed when he saw that his nomination had been unanimously approved. The gloom of yesterday had been swept away.

"I announce that the new member of the council is..."

However, just as Qin Shou Chen was about to announce the result, a resonant voice came from outside the venue.

"Sorry I'm late, but if the council wants to recruit new members, it has to ask for my opinion as the chairman first, right?"