There were indeed many interns entering the hospital, and Zhang Yang encountered several more as he walked the halls.

Most of the people he met were young, both nurses and student doctors, all clad in white coats. Zhang Yang, however, was in ordinary street clothes, so none of them took him for a colleague.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Yang headed directly for Wang Guohai’s office.

It wasn’t his scheduled workday, and even if he wanted to clock in extra hours, he needed to report his arrival first. The hospital had already made numerous exceptions for him; he couldn't create more trouble for the institution.

Upon reaching Director Wang’s office, he discovered she wasn't there; she had already gone to the main office area.

Zhang Yang shook his head and had to turn back; the main office was not in this wing—it was where he had just been.

"I believe we should first perform an abdominal wall colostomy, then repair the urinary fistula, and wait a month before the final surgery!"

Just as he reached the doorway of the main office, a voice drifted out. Zhang Yang paused slightly before stepping inside.

The office was crowded, with at least thirty people, many standing on the periphery looking inward. Near the back, several doctors were seated, Director Wang among them.

Several film images were hanging on the wall. The voice just now belonged to Liu Chaoqiang, a relatively well-known doctor in the Gynecology department.

"Dr. Liu’s suggestion is prudent; I think it's viable!"

A doctor seated nearby chimed in. Observing their demeanor, Zhang Yang immediately understood: they were in the middle of a consultation.

A consultation that drew Director Wang’s attention meant either the case was extremely complex or the patient held considerable importance. Zhang Yang quietly stationed himself at the back, unwilling to interrupt.

"Who are you?"

The moment he settled in, a young female doctor in a white coat next to him inquired. She looked quite young, and Zhang Yang didn't recall seeing her before; she must be one of the new arrivals.

"Outsiders are not allowed in here; you should leave first!"

Before Zhang Yang could respond, someone else spoke to him—a young male doctor, also someone Zhang Yang hadn't met.

Zhang Yang felt a mixture of amusement and frustration. He had only been away from the hospital for a period; how had he become an outsider? He’d actually been registered here long before these people.

"I am an intern here, not an outsider!"

Zhang Yang could only whisper an explanation. Instantly, four people simultaneously turned to look at him.

Four individuals—three women and one man. The man frowned deeply, scrutinizing Zhang Yang from head to toe.

"You say you’re an intern? Which school are you from? Why aren't you wearing your uniform?" the girl who first spoke asked directly.

"I am an intern from the Changjing University School of Medicine. I just returned from approved leave and haven't had time to change!"

Zhang Yang stated his school and explained the reason with a sigh. He could have ignored them and called Director Wang out directly, but she was engaged in a consultation, and he didn't want to disturb her. These people would be his future colleagues, and Zhang Yang certainly didn't wish to leave a negative first impression.

"Liu Cheng, is he from your school?"

The girl immediately looked up and asked the young man across from her. He shook his head and murmured, "I don't know. I don't recognize him. He isn't among the group we came in with!"

It turned out this young man was an alumnus of Zhang Yang’s school, though not in the same year; he was a fifth-year student just beginning his residency. Fifth-year students generally paid little attention to school affairs, and since Zhang Yang had only gained some recognition in the Student Union, not many people knew him.

"Who exactly are you, and what are you doing here?"

Upon the young man’s denial, several female voices pressed him, and a few more onlookers were drawn to the commotion.

"I truly am an intern here. My clothes are over here; I'll go put them on right now!"

Zhang Yang shook his head helplessly, feeling quite vexed internally. Taking an extended leave and returning only to be treated like a stranger was, quite frankly, going to be a joke if it got out.

Those inside were still deliberating, and many interns listened intently. Zhang Yang decided not to disturb them, walked over to an open locker, retrieved the clothes he had stored there, and put them on immediately.

Putting on a white coat was simple; it didn't require a dedicated changing room.

The female interns’ eyes brightened when they saw Zhang Yang dressed. They hadn't felt much before, but once he donned the coat, he genuinely looked like a doctor—he exuded a certain medical gravitas. Being students of medicine, they held a peculiar reverence for physicians. Seeing Zhang Yang like this significantly improved their opinion of him. At least for that moment, they no longer viewed him with suspicion.

"Wait, where is your intern badge?"

The young man named Liu Cheng looked at Zhang Yang with envy. He seemed to have spotted something and urgently questioned him.

"Intern badge? What intern badge?"

Zhang Yang looked puzzled, and the impression the girls had developed instantly became guarded again.

"Every student from every school has an intern badge with their registration code on it—like this one. Where is yours?" Liu Cheng added, gesturing toward a tag pinned to his own chest.

Zhang Yang noticed that every one of them did indeed have a small tag pinned to their chest, each bearing a number—except him.

Zhang Yang glanced down, then answered honestly, "I don't have a badge. I was an intern here before you all; I never received one!"

He truly didn't have one. Wang Guohai had never mentioned the existence of intern badges to him. He had planned to ask Director Wang later why he lacked one. In this matter, Zhang Yang had inadvertently wronged Director Wang. All the other interns had badges because they were dispatched by the school for unified management. Zhang Yang, hired directly by the school as an intern, was treated more like a full employee, thus bypassing the need for a standardized intern tag.

"You were an intern before? We are the first batch; we never heard of any interns coming before us?" The girl who spoke earlier frowned. Zhang Yang looked convincingly like a doctor, and they were reluctant to believe he was an imposter. If he were faking it, it implied malicious intent and would destroy the positive image he had just cultivated in their minds.

"I came in alone; there was no batching system. There’s nothing I can do if you don't believe me!" Zhang Yang spread his hands helplessly. The situation struck him as truly bizarre. Returning to work after a long absence only to be treated as an outsider provided a feeling that was both absurd and funny, though he couldn't entirely blame them for not recognizing him given how long he’d been away.

"What are you arguing about out there?"

Wang Guohai, seated inside, suddenly called out, his voice carrying a note of stern authority. All the standing interns turned their heads toward Zhang Yang and the group. The girls immediately fell silent; Director Wang was an unassailable figure in their eyes.

Liu Cheng glanced at Zhang Yang, hesitated slightly, then spoke loudly, "Director Wang, there is someone pretending to be an intern trying to sneak in. We were just questioning him!"

"Pretending to be an intern?"

Wang Guohai, sitting furthest back, hadn't seen Zhang Yang outside. The other interns scrutinized Zhang Yang, their eyes filled with doubt. He didn't look like an imposter, yet none of them recognized him.

Zhang Yang felt awkward under their gaze. Director Wang stood up now, and the surrounding people quickly parted a path for him.

"Zhang Yang, when did you get back!" Seeing who it was, Wang Guohai froze briefly before exclaiming with surprise and delight. Zhang Yang’s leave had been quite long, and he hadn't specified a return date. Wang Guohai had assumed he wouldn't be back until the start of the fall semester, having interpreted his leave as a trip home.

"Director Wang, I just got back yesterday, and I came straight to the hospital today!" Zhang Yang scratched his head. Being misunderstood felt deeply unpleasant, but thankfully, Director Wang was present; otherwise, dealing only with the interns, he wouldn't have been able to clear things up.

"You're back just in time. Hurry and come inside; we have a troublesome case here!" Wang Guohai walked directly to Zhang Yang’s side and pulled him toward the inner area without further ado. The surrounding interns were stunned, especially the young man named Liu Cheng.

Wang Guohai was known among them as the sternest person, even secretly nicknamed the Cold-Faced Director by some. Director Wang rarely spoke to interns, let alone show special favor to one. Seeing his attitude toward Zhang Yang, many felt confused.

"Could it be he’s not an intern, but a doctor at the hospital?" Liu Cheng and the girls simultaneously entertained this thought. Zhang Yang was already a doctor here, which would explain the lack of an intern badge—doctors certainly wouldn't carry those. It was normal not to recognize a doctor who had taken an extended leave. However, Zhang Yang had already admitted to being an intern, and why would a permanent staff member claim to be an intern? This was the source of their confusion.

"Come, everyone, let me introduce you. This is our hospital’s intern doctor, Zhang Yang. He started a month before you all, but his achievements are far superior to yours!"

Pulling Zhang Yang inside, Wang Guohai introduced him to the group with a smile.

Liu Chaoqiang, standing nearby, shot Zhang Yang a look of intense resentment before immediately turning his head away, pretending not to see him. Zhang Yang had taken that last patient away from him. That patient ultimately underwent surgery, which was highly successful, and the patient had already been discharged home, receiving only nominal nutritional support from the hospital. The successful treatment had even earned the Obstetrics and Gynecology department a commendation from the hospital, resulting in a bonus of twenty thousand yuan. Director Wang, who was responsible for the patient, received a separate bonus of ten thousand yuan. But everyone knew that this bonus rightfully belonged to Zhang Yang, and Wang Guohai had stated that this money would be given to Zhang Yang upon his return. This fact only deepened Liu Chaoqiang’s sense of imbalance; he firmly believed that since the patient was under his care, both the resulting honor and the ten-thousand-yuan bonus should have been his.