Their Mistake, Her Rise - Chapter 348: Chapter 348

Zoe was determined to make it known to everyone that Shawn was her man. No one else in this world was more suited to be his wife than she was.
"Ms. Evans, are you trying to clear Shawn's name, or is this your way of announcing your engagement?" Chase chimed in from the side, teasing.
"If Shawn is willing, why not?" Zoe quipped with a playful smile.
Shawn was about to give a serious answer when his supervisors' motorcade arrived, forcing them to cut short their conversation. At that moment, Rick appeared with several Elders, with Sophia in tow.
Sophia's hostility flared the moment she spotted Zoe. 'Ugh, she just won't disappear,' she fumed inwardly. 'She's already caused a mess that hasn't even settled, and now she's out here parading around again. Zero sense of boundaries.'
After a moment's thought, Sophia deliberately stepped between Zoe and Shawn, flashing a sweet smile. "Shawn, today's such an important day. I came all the way here just to cheer you on."
Sophia deliberately squeezed herself between Zoe and Shawn, trying to push Zoe aside in a bid for Shawn's attention. But before she could succeed, Shawn swiftly pulled Zoe to his side, his protective gesture making his choice crystal clear to Sophia.
Sophia seethed inwardly at her failure, but with others around, she bit back her words.
The motorcade pulled into the venue, and Rick immediately led the Elders over to greet them.
Just then, as a high-ranking official stepped out of the car, he suddenly clutched his chest in visible distress, his face paling as if on the verge of collapsing.
Someone shouted, "Emergency! Mr. Mathis's chronic condition is acting up again. Quick, help him sit down and rest!"
"Let me take a look." Zoe's voice rang out clearly.
All eyes turned toward Zoe. These were high-ranking officials whose health was normally tended to by a dedicated medical team.
Faced with this unexpected situation, they were at a loss. They were unsure whether to wait for the official medical staff or let Zoe, a young girl, take a look first.
Just then, Shawn spoke up firmly. "Sir, please trust her medical expertise."
The officials exchanged skeptical glances. Zoe was too young to earn their belief.
Sophia noticed the officials' skepticism and immediately seized the chance. "Sir," she said pointedly, "we should wait for the military medics. Allowing an unlicensed practitioner to treat patients would set a bad precedent." Inwardly, she smirked, thinking, 'Wanna steal the spotlight? As if.'
Malcolm Mathis collapsed then. Zoe warned urgently, "If you don't let me treat him right now, he'll die."
Her words were unsettling, but Shawn trusted Zoe. While everyone else hesitated, he overruled all objections and brought her straight to Malcolm. "Save him. I'll handle the rest," he said firmly.
Rick's face darkened with rage when he saw Shawn blatantly defying discipline to protect Zoe. He thundered, "Is disobeying orders the only thing this woman has taught you? In that case, I'll make damn sure she doesn't stay here a moment longer."
One after another, the Elders chimed in, their voices laced with open disdain for Zoe.
Shawn stood protectively in front of the elders, blocking their path and making sure they couldn't get close or disturb Zoe at all.
Without hesitation, Zoe examined the unconscious Malcolm. She quickly diagnosed a chronic mucus blockage in his throat. "He's suffocating," she warned. "If we don't act now, he'll go into complete respiratory failure."
Zoe helped Malcolm sit up and delivered a series of firm back blows, attempting to dislodge the phlegm blockage. But the method proved ineffective.
Zoe swiftly drew several silver needles from her pouch and inserted them precisely into the lung-regulating acupoints. The stimulation immediately accelerated phlegm expulsion.
With one final cough, the stubborn phlegm blockage was finally expelled. As the air rushed back into his lungs, Malcolm jolted awake, gasping for breath. "I've never breathed this freely in my life. It's a miracle," he exclaimed hoarsely.
Zoe explained, "I simply used acupuncture to stimulate your windpipe and accelerate phlegm expulsion. For a complete recovery, you'll need a full course of treatment."
"You're telling me this chronic condition of mine can actually be cured?" Malcolm asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Yes, but it's a bit complicated," Zoe replied. "I'll write down the acupuncture method, and with the prescription I give you, you'll be just fine." As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately began jotting things down.
Malcolm had been observing the whole time. The moment he received the prescription, he snapped a photo and sent it straight to his personal physician.
Within moments, the doctor called and said, "Malcolm, where on earth did you get this prescription? This acupuncture technique is highly unconventional, and I've never come across a remedy like this before."
"Is there a problem?" Malcolm asked, looking at Zoe.
Zoe stood her ground, calm and unflinching.
Seeing the situation shift, Sophia immediately snapped, "Zoe, I knew there was something off about you. Spill it; are you trying to harm him?"
Hearing this, Rick and the others flew into a rage. Rick bellowed, "Just as I thought, she's nothing but trouble. What are you all gawking at? Drag her out of here at once. Stop disgracing yourselves here."
As soon as Rick spoke, many in the crowd immediately turned on Zoe, their words sharp and accusatory.
"What an impudent little upstart!"
"Since when did our prestigious institution lower its standards to let just anyone waltz in here?"
"Clearly, Shawn brought her here."
"How shameless! This military base is practically turning into their personal love nest."
As the crowd's insults grew increasingly vicious, the visiting high-ranking officials' expressions darkened, their gazes toward Zoe now openly disdainful.
At this moment, Quran Perkins, who was standing beside them, was just about to defend Zoe. "All of you—"
"Enough!" snapped Malcolm. "All of you, shut up. You're spouting nonsense before the facts are clear. Do you want the younger generation to see their superiors making fools of themselves?"
Everyone was perplexed. Rick stepped forward to explain, "Mr. Mathis, she was disrespectful to you. We'll take her away immediately."
Malcolm completely ignored Rick, striding toward Zoe with visible excitement before grasping her hand firmly. "You're a miracle doctor," he exclaimed.
Gasps erupted through the crowd.
Malcolm put the call on speakerphone and handed the phone to Zoe. "My physician needs to speak with you," he said.
Zoe took the phone and declared, "There's no way my treatment is wrong."
"It's really you, master!" came the excited voice from the other end.
Zoe instantly recognized the voice; it was Claude from the Clusian Institute of Science and Technology.
When the others heard Claude call Zoe "master," several jaws literally dropped. A chief physician actually addressed a young girl as his master. They started to guess how extraordinary Zoe was.
Sophia stood off to the side, her face darkening. She thought, 'I always thought she was just bluffing. That curing Amy last time was pure luck. But now? Maybe she really does know her stuff.'