Wu Youdao lifted his teacup and spoke softly. He wasn't surprised by Zhang Yang's proposal; he had already discerned that Zhang Yang was a man who valued freedom and possessed immense talent.

Zhang Yang slowly extended a single finger. "First, I require Changjing Third Hospital to provide twenty thousand in sponsorship for our school's student union!"

"Crash!"

Hu Xin's cup on the adjacent table also tipped over, spilling across the surface. This time it was his turn to frantically wipe up the mess. While cleaning, he couldn't resist glancing back at Zhang Yang.

The way he looked at Zhang Yang was as if regarding a monster.

A student, someone only just being hired as an intern at their hospital, was demanding twenty thousand right off the bat—and for the student union, no less. Hu Xin wondered if he should take Zhang Yang to see a psychiatrist later.

It wasn't just Hu Xin; Mi Xue was having similar thoughts at that moment.

Twenty thousand! That wasn't two hundred yuan. For two hundred yuan a month, the hospital could hire any number of temporary workers, let alone free interns. The current situation was an oversupply of interns and a shortage of placements, with good placements being even rarer. The Third Hospital was a renowned institution in Changjing, and students from multiple universities vied for internships there; many schools even paid bribes to secure spots for their students.

Wu Youdao's eyebrow twitched. After a pause, he spoke softly, "Twenty thousand seems a bit excessive. Besides, it isn't for you personally, merely sponsorship for your student union. Is that truly necessary?"

Hu Xin, having just finished wiping the table, gasped, his mouth wide open.

He had expected the other party to sternly reject Zhang Yang, perhaps even reprimanding him for being delusional or making an outrageous demand. He never imagined the tone would be one of inquiry and negotiation.

"Twenty thousand is not excessive. If you wish to have me join your hospital, you must show sufficient sincerity. As for who receives the money, that is my prerogative!"

Zhang Yang smiled faintly, took a sip of tea, and then quietly waited for Wu Youdao's reaction.

He spoke his truth; twenty thousand was genuinely not much to him. In his previous life, a famous hospital in the South had offered him an annual salary of three million just to practice medicine there, an offer he had refused.

A highly skilled doctor, especially one proficient in Traditional Chinese Medicine, was highly sought after everywhere.

Twenty thousand was the price Zhang Yang calculated based on his current circumstances and the local cost of living. He was confident he could generate value for the hospital far exceeding that amount.

"I can discuss this request with the Dean. I cannot give you an answer immediately. However, I do have one prerequisite: you must commit to working at our hospital for a minimum of five years, during which you cannot join any other medical facility!"

Wu Youdao pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. As soon as he finished, the people nearby slumped over their tables.

Demanding twenty thousand upfront was already unrealistic, but what shocked them most was that he seemed to agree—even if he needed to consult the Dean, an agreement was implied.

At this point, both Mi Xue and Hu Xin felt that the two men before them were lunatics.

If they weren't mad, then the world itself had become so insane that they couldn't comprehend it.

Their reaction was understandable; they were just ordinary students, unfamiliar with certain realities outside the campus. In the late 20th century, many people in the country understood the true value of talent.

Wu Youdao hadn't known Zhang Yang for long, but he had already recognized that Zhang Yang possessed an exceptionally high level of skill in both the practical application and theory of TCM, perhaps even surpassing his own.

This fact puzzled him. He couldn't fathom how someone so young had acquired such knowledge. Until he understood Zhang Yang’s background, he could only label him a genius.

But one thing Wu Youdao was certain of: a genius like this needed to be brought into the hospital as early as possible, by any means necessary.

"Five years is too long. Three years at most!"

He wouldn't accept three million a year, so naturally, he wouldn't agree to sell five years of his time for twenty thousand. Three years felt somewhat long even to him, but considering he could arrange his own work schedule, three years wasn't an issue. Zhang Yang had already resolved that in this lifetime, he would never allow a hospital to tie him down, nor would he ever become a professor.

"Fine, I will relay all of this to the Dean. Now, tell me your second condition!"

Wu Youdao nodded. Three years was neither short nor long. After three years, once Zhang Yang had developed a connection with the hospital, they could work harder to retain him. If the hospital failed to keep him within those three years, then there was nothing more he could do; he had done his best, and the rest was up to the hospital.

Throughout the exchange, Wu Youdao maintained unwavering faith in his intuition and judgment: Zhang Yang was undoubtedly a genius who would astound everyone in the future, and the sooner such talent was secured, the better. This was why the twenty thousand sponsorship demand hadn't shocked him; Zhang Yang was worth that price.

Zhang Yang smiled faintly and spoke again. "The second condition is quite simple: I will come to the hospital a maximum of two days a week, and only for half a day each time. I will determine those two days, and I will notify you in advance if there are any changes!"

"Thud!"

This time, Xiao Dai couldn't help herself; she dropped her head onto the table with a soft sound.

First, demanding an astronomical twenty thousand in sponsorship, and now insisting on working only two half-days a week? Did such an impressive intern even exist?

No matter how one looked at it—Zhang Yang was entering the hospital as an intern—both demands seemed utterly excessive to Xiao Dai. If she were the Dean, she certainly wouldn't agree, and might even shout at Zhang Yang to leave.

"Isn't that too little time? You are, after all, just an intern. One day of work per week is hard to justify, no matter what!"

Wu Youdao frowned. He hadn't expected Zhang Yang's demands to be like this. This requirement put even him in a difficult position. Wu Youdao himself was a renowned physician hired by the hospital, yet he worked three days a week, with the schedule determined by him.

Three days was significantly more than Zhang Yang's proposed one day.

"No. These two points are my fundamental requirements. If you cannot agree to them, I absolutely will not join the Third Hospital!"

Zhang Yang shook his head immediately. In truth, he didn't really want to work at the Third Hospital. If Wu Youdao hadn't come in person and shown such sincerity, he wouldn't even have bothered negotiating.

The reason Zhang Yang offered one day a week was to use his skills to help more people. Having been a doctor in his past life, he still possessed the medical ethics of saving lives and healing the wounded.

As for the ten thousand or twenty thousand sponsorship, if Zhang Yang truly wanted it, he could easily acquire it. As long as his medical skills remained, curing some difficult ailments would make securing a small sponsorship trivial.

"Fine, I will take this condition to the Dean for discussion as well. However, there is one thing you must agree to: if the hospital faces a major problem or requires a consultation for a critical case, you must come in to assist!"

Wu Youdao paused for several minutes this time before finally nodding, and then promptly added one more condition.

Hu Xin and Mi Xue were both numb, staring blankly at Wu Youdao. They even began to suspect he might have escaped from a mental institution. Agreeing to Zhang Yang's terms was simply too unbelievable.

………… Chapter One: Thanks to friends Xianren Luo, **luo123456, and Jitianyueying for their tips. Special thanks to Bi'anhua Xuan for the 1888 Qidian coin tip. Xiaoyu thanks everyone for their support!