They all conceded that what Wu Youdao said was true; Zhang Yang was indeed someone who specialized in creating miracles. They were all well aware of how severe Director Zhao's father's illness had been, and his recovery, to this degree, was already a miracle.

Furthermore, they had all heard that Zhang Yang could continue to regulate Director Zhao's father's health, potentially leading to a complete recovery in the future.

This was something they wouldn't have even dared to dream of before.

"The reason I gathered everyone today is to discuss this: if Zhang Yang truly can achieve this, it represents a chance for our hospital to truly soar!"

Zhu Zhixiang slowly voiced the thought, emphasizing that conquering a problem deemed unsolvable worldwide, particularly one related to such a critical illness, carried immense implications that everyone understood perfectly.

"Director, are you thinking of applying for this as a research project?"

Li Jiu, working in administration, was the sharpest; he immediately grasped Zhu Zhixiang's intention.

"Precisely. Not only will we apply for this project, but once approved, we need to let everyone else know we are pursuing it. We must give Zhang Yang our complete support on this matter. Only then, when results emerge, will our hospital share in the credit!"

Zhu Zhixiang nodded, stating his conviction firmly.

To make such a declaration was to place absolute faith in Zhang Yang. Otherwise, proceeding with such a venture would only invite ridicule should it fail.

"Director, isn't this moving a bit too fast? Right now, it's only Zhang Yang, and we don't even know the specifics of his treatment protocols?"

Xu Wu frowned. As the Director of Internal Medicine, his seniority granted him the standing to question the Director openly.

A project of this magnitude would not be submitted to the municipal or provincial levels; typically, such a significant endeavor would require direct application to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhongke Yuan), meaning the review process would be exceptionally stringent.

"You don't truly understand Zhang Yang. If we wait until the results are concrete, it will be too late for us to move!"

Zhu Zhixiang shook his head, recalling the process of inviting Zhang Yang.

If he hadn't been decisive in agreeing to Zhang Yang's demanding terms, Zhang Yang might have already been poached by another hospital. The same logic applied here: if they didn't extend trust to Zhang Yang early on, once he achieved success, countless hospitals would invite him to lead this research.

It wasn't just a domestic matter; internationally, everyone understood the immense honor associated with succeeding in this field.

"I agree with the Director's assessment!"

To everyone's surprise, the one who voiced agreement first was Tang Xiaojuan, the Director of Respiratory Medicine, who had never even met Zhang Yang.

Seeing everyone turn to look at her, Tang Xiaojuan smiled and spoke softly, "I simply feel this is a genuine opportunity for our hospital. Such a chance should not be missed. Even if we fail, at worst, we invite a moment of laughter, as many applications fail anyway. But if we succeed, the rewards for us will be monumental!"

"Director Tang is correct; I also agree. We should take the gamble!"

Vice Director Li Jiu nodded in concurrence. His reasoning was simple: better to act and be wrong than to miss out entirely. The potential rewards of success were sufficient to justify taking this risk.

With four out of five agreeing, Xu Wu had no choice but to concede, bringing the consensus to a unanimous five.

"Since we are all in agreement, the matter is settled for now. Old Wu, convey our intentions to Zhang Yang and ensure we secure his agreement. His internship certificate has been issued; we don't require him for standard duty now. We only need him to focus entirely on this endeavor!"

Zhu Zhixiang glanced around the room once more before continuing, "Until the project application is formally submitted, I expect everyone to maintain strict confidentiality. You should all understand the immense personal benefits that will come to you if this project succeeds!"

With these final words, the meeting concluded. Zhu Zhixiang had already resolved internally that Zhang Yang's matter would be treated as his top priority for the immediate future.

Wu Youdao quickly relayed the results of the hospital meeting to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang was unsurprised. Ever since he had brought up the topic at Su Shaohua’s home, he had anticipated Wu Youdao would take action.

Zhang Yang was more aware than anyone of the honor and sensation that curing this kind of disease could bring. However, if he treated the condition solely on his own, curing only Su Shaohua’s case, it would not garner international recognition.

Only by turning the treatment into genuine research, complete with detailed documentation and official filing with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, would the achievement be acknowledged externally and create a true sensation.

In his previous life, Zhang Yang had put just as much effort into conquering this challenge as Parker. While it brought him immense honor, there was one element that remained a lingering regret.

His regret concerned the primary credit for the breakthrough. Because he had collaborated with the renowned German physician Parker, the work was affiliated with Parker's institute, and ultimately, the achievement was credited there. In that era, anytime the subject arose, people credited Germany as the first to solve this problem—that was Zhang Yang's grievance.

In this life, Parker was gone, and he was the sole possessor of the knowledge for this research. Naturally, he would not allow this honor to fall to another nation again.

To reclaim that recognition, he needed to affiliate himself with a hospital and an institute, to be the true proposer of this research, so that it would ultimately be recognized. For Zhang Yang, if he was to affiliate somewhere, any location would suffice. He had a good relationship with the Third Hospital, and if the Third Hospital was astute enough to propose this arrangement, he wouldn't mind granting them the recognition; it was, after all, a mutually beneficial action.

Upon receiving Zhang Yang's assent, Wu Youdao became even more energized. He had already spoken with Su Shaohua, who raised no objections.

Now, all they waited for was for Zhang Yang's treatment to show tangible effects, instilling hope, so that the research project could be successfully submitted.

After responding to Wu Youdao, Zhang Yang’s days returned to a tranquil rhythm.

In the ensuing days, besides performing follow-up recovery treatments for Director Zhao's father, Zhang Yang spent his time with Mi Xue, and their relationship rapidly deepened. Although neither had explicitly crossed that final threshold, in the eyes of outsiders, they were already a couple.

Three days later, he treated Su Shaohua again. This time, Su Shaohua experienced another marked improvement, and his condition eased further, prompting him to exclaim that Zhang Yang was a miracle doctor. His faith in Zhang Yang grew even stronger.

Two days later, Mi Xue was discharged after her stitches were removed. She had recovered excellently, but the scar on her chest was a source of considerable distress. Only when Zhang Yang secretly assured her that he had a way to completely eliminate these marks did her mood improve. No girl liked bearing a large scar, especially not in such a conspicuous area on her chest.

…………

"Finally back. Home is best, much more comfortable than the hospital!"

Mi Xue collapsed onto her bed immediately upon returning home, breathing deeply.

"Comfortable, huh? That’s what you get when you have manual laborers around to do all the hauling!"

Xiao Dai followed Mi Xue into the room and stood smugly by the doorway, laughing, while Hu Xin and the other male students were huffing and puffing in the living room, carrying various bags and boxes.

Today was the first time Hu Xin and the others fulfilled the terms of their previous wager. When Mi Xue and Xiao Dai left the hospital, they had carried nothing; everything was loaded onto Hu Xin and the others. The items weren't inherently heavy, but they were numerous and awkward to manage; anyone who had been hospitalized knew that moving back with this much baggage was a genuine ordeal.

"We admit defeat this time! Wait till the next round, then we'll talk when we win!"

Hu Xin gasped, grabbing a bottle of mineral water from the large refrigerator and chugging it down. Gu Cheng, who had been fanning himself with a newspaper nearby, rushed over to grab some water too; he had carried his share of the load today.

He casually tossed the newspaper aside, and it landed right at Zhang Yang’s feet.

It was a copy of the Changjing Evening News. Zhang Yang had bought one every day while accompanying Mi Xue over the last few days, and they had enjoyed discussing the headlines together—analyzing the news was a source of amusement for them both. In the entertainment section, Zhang Yang could immediately tell which stories were manufactured hype and which were genuine scoops, always making Mi Xue laugh heartily. On current affairs and political news, Zhang Yang could often deduce the underlying intentions—spotting a piece of news and correctly predicting a certain official’s imminent promotion, or deducing from another report which official was about to fall from grace. Indeed, Zhang Yang had been proven right once or twice, leading to another wave of admiration from Mi Xue; the rest still awaited the test of time.

"Drought conditions are severe in Yunnan Province, water shortages reported in multiple areas!"

Zhang Yang picked up the paper and saw this piece of domestic news. It was a very ordinary report, the kind found in nearly every newspaper: news of floods somewhere, droughts elsewhere, or fires. Most people would glance at such an article and move on; Yunnan was too far from Changjing for most to care.

However, Zhang Yang frowned. He remembered some details about the 1998 Yunnan drought, but something specific about it felt elusive, slipping his memory for a moment. The 1998 Yunnan drought was most memorable to him because it lasted an unusually long time—nearly half a year—leading many regions to donate to Yunnan; he himself had donated some money in his previous life.

"Zhang Yang, what are you thinking about?"

Mi Xue, having changed her clothes, walked out and noticed Zhang Yang staring blankly. She immediately approached and asked softly.

Zhang Yang smiled slightly and habitually pointed to the news item. "Nothing, just catching up on the news. This drought in Yunnan is likely going to last a long time; many areas in Yunnan will see reduced or halted production!"

He stopped speaking mid-sentence, frozen on the spot.

He finally realized what he had overlooked.

The Yunnan drought of that year caused widespread crop failure in many areas, leading to famine and starvation for numerous residents. It was ultimately the state that coordinated aid to help Yunnan through the crisis. But that wasn't the main point. Beyond grain, many of Yunnan’s key medicinal herb production areas suffered catastrophic losses. The most prominent example was the famous Yunnan herb, Sanqi (Notoginseng). Zhang Yang clearly recalled that at the time, he was working with his advisor on an intra-campus project studying external trauma, which required a large supply of Chinese herbs for experiments, including substantial amounts of Sanqi. The subsequent spike in the price of Sanqi had forced them to revise their budget and cut expenses elsewhere.

………… First chapter update. There are slight deviations from reality; friends, please do not cling too rigidly to the mundane. Thanks to A_for_Andrew and Changyougehai friends for the tips. Special thanks to old friend Wu'a Tang for the 10,000 Qidian coins tip. Wu'a Tang has been a supporter since my previous book. Thank you all again! C

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