Next to the office building and the teaching block, not far off, Zhang Yang walked quickly, arriving at the Department Head's office in a matter of minutes.

Department Head Li Yaohua was not yet forty, a relatively young cadre within the school. Li Yaohua hadn't studied at this university, but he was a clinical medicine graduate, finding common ground with many of the students.

Within the school, at least in Zhang Yang's major, he was well-liked by many.

"Director Li!"

The office door was ajar. Zhang Yang knocked politely twice. Li Yaohua, seated behind his desk, looked up and adjusted his spectacles.

"Zhang Yang, you've arrived!"

Li Yaohua came out with a cheerful smile, ushering Zhang Yang toward a small wooden sofa set in the corner—the only concession to visitors in his small office.

Once Zhang Yang was seated, Li Yaohua sat down beside him.

Li Yaohua personally poured Zhang Yang a glass of water, which caused the younger man a slight surprise; in his memory, he'd never received such treatment during his previous visits.

"Zhang Yang, I heard you were interning at Third Hospital, is that true?"

Li Yaohua got straight to the point after sitting down.

Zhang Yang looked up at him, unsure of the director's motive for asking. He finally nodded.

"I did an internship at Third Hospital a while back, but the agreement was terminated. I'm not there anymore," Zhang Yang said slowly, his mind churning over Li Yaohua's purpose.

His internship at Third Hospital wasn't a secret; everyone who had interned there from the school knew about it. It wasn't surprising the news reached the university, but he couldn't figure out why the school would pay attention to a mere intern like him.

"You're not there anymore? What a shame!"

Li Yaohua paused briefly, then shook his head. It seemed Director Li hadn't known Zhang Yang had already left the hospital.

"It doesn't matter, though. With your ability, you'll be an indispensable talent wherever you go. I heard Third Hospital actively invited you, and you even helped them solve several problems they couldn't handle. Is that right?"

Li Yaohua sat up straighter and asked in a low voice.

This was the core of his concern. Whether Zhang Yang was interning at Third Hospital or not was irrelevant; he was just making conversation. What he truly wanted to gauge was Zhang Yang’s strength, or rather, his medical skills.

Zhang Yang nodded. "That is true. I was just lucky, perhaps!"

Li Yaohua chuckled again. "How can there be luck in treating illness? I've long known you, Zhang Yang, are a multi-talented individual with an immeasurable future!"

After praising Zhang Yang first, Li Yaohua continued, "Here's the thing: Tongji Medical College in Shanghai recently initiated an event, inviting several university medical schools to collaborate on a student exchange meeting. If you have the time, I hope you can represent our department there!"

"A student exchange meeting?"

Zhang Yang's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected the reason Li Yaohua called him in was something like this.

"Yes, primarily for medical college students. Tongji Medical College initiated it, and reportedly twenty-some universities have responded. Our medical college plans to send a total of six students from Clinical Medicine, Stomatology, and Preventive Medicine. For the Clinical Medicine department, I want you and Shi Yan to attend as representatives!"

Li Yaohua smiled and nodded, briefly outlining the situation.

This request was actually a directive passed down from the higher-ups at the university. Since the school leaders had agreed to participate, they had to send someone.

However, choosing the representatives couldn't be sloppy. While nominally an exchange, the event also carried an undercurrent of inter-university comparison, and participants would undertake a collective internship period in Shanghai to test the students' capabilities across the schools.

The event launched by Tongji Medical College received dual endorsement from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education. It was a chance to assess the current cohort of students at various institutions and allow them to gauge the caliber of each university.

Since this was the inaugural event, the scale was kept manageable, involving schools from several southern provinces alongside Shanghai universities, totaling twenty-five institutions.

Each school would send between three or four to perhaps ten students, totaling around a hundred participants. The modest size ensured easy management and allowed for a true evaluation of skill levels.

Changjing University's Medical College had always been ranked among the top departments, so the leadership took this matter very seriously, tasking each department head to select the two most outstanding students to send to Shanghai.

Li Yaohua chose Zhang Yang and one other student.

"So, Zhang Yang, any difficulties with this? I have complete faith that you will bring honor to the school and glory to our department!"

Li Yaohua added with a smile. In truth, the moment the task was assigned, Zhang Yang was the first person who came to his mind.

He had a relative working at Third Hospital who had already spread Zhang Yang's legend far and wide.

To confirm the rumors, he had specifically sought out several students who had interned at Third Hospital and questioned them in detail.

The results were astonishingly consistent: Zhang Yang held considerable sway at Third Hospital and was the most widely discussed person there. According to the reports, Zhang Yang’s skill surpassed not only the experts at Third Hospital but even specialists from the Provincial Hospital. Zhang Yang had successfully treated more than one case that stumped those specialists, making him a figure of immense reputation within the hospital and in connection with provincial experts.

Upon receiving these reports, Li Yaohua was utterly amazed. He hadn't realized his own department housed such a hidden master.

These accounts solidified his decision to send Zhang Yang to the exchange meeting. If he could rival specialists in a hospital setting, he certainly wouldn't fall short compared to other students. Perhaps Zhang Yang could bring back significant accolades. Rumor had it that representatives from both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health would be observing, and success would surely reflect well on him, the Department Head.

"Director Li, if you've assigned it, I will certainly go. When do we depart, and how long will it take?"

Zhang Yang considered it for a moment, then readily agreed. He had nothing pressing at the moment, and representing the school was fine, though he held little genuine interest in such student exchange meetings—he viewed it merely as an excuse for a brief change of scenery.

He mused that asking a university student to play games with kindergarteners would understandably cause reluctance, though the comparison was extreme, it accurately reflected the vast gulf between Zhang Yang and the current undergraduates.

"We leave next Monday. It will last ten days in total: three days for the exchange and seven days for practical application. Our school will have a teacher escorting you, and arrangements on the other end will be handled there!"

Li Yaohua smiled with satisfaction and detailed the itinerary.

The extended period allocated for practical work over the exchange activities suggested a clear intent to assess the students' capabilities across the schools. Good student performance would directly testify to the quality of a school's education.

Zhang Yang nodded again. Today was Thursday, leaving three days until Monday—ample preparation time.

Ten days was neither excessively long nor short. Since it was a school arrangement, it felt inappropriate for him to drive there himself; he would travel with the other students.

Leaving Li Yaohua's office, Zhang Yang bypassed the classroom and headed straight for the School of Foreign Languages. He had spent about half an hour in Li Yaohua's office, during which the director asked several other questions, driven by his curiosity regarding Zhang Yang's performance at the hospital.

However, his decision to call Zhang Yang in was clearly sound. Setting aside everything else, in terms of clinical practice, Zhang Yang was undoubtedly on par with top-tier specialists. Sending such a leading expert to a student exchange meeting made success almost inevitable.

"Zhang Yang, you're here so early today?"

After waiting a while, Mi Xue finished her classes and hurried toward Zhang Yang from a distance.

"How did you know I arrived early?" Zhang Yang smiled slightly.

"I switched seats. My new spot is right by the window. I saw you just now!"

Mi Xue smiled sweetly, pointing back toward the teaching block. Her new vantage point by the window allowed her to spot Zhang Yang immediately. She also knew he had waited for her for quite some time, which filled her heart with sweetness.

For a girl in love, every action of her partner captivates her heart.

"Let's go, we'll cook for ourselves when we get back!"

Zhang Yang took Mi Xue's hand, unconcerned that they were on school grounds, and they began walking off campus together.

Mi Xue's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't lower her gaze. This was not the first time they had done such a thing; she was long accustomed to it.

On the way back, Zhang Yang told Mi Xue about the school's arrangement.

Hearing that Zhang Yang would be gone for over ten days, Mi Xue felt a pang of reluctance, but then she quickly reconciled herself to it. Only two students from the department were selected, and one was Zhang Yang, which indicated his excellent results and the high regard the department held for him.

The more accomplished the man she loved, the prouder she felt. No one disliked having a powerful partner, a hero. Moreover, this separation was only for ten days, which would pass quickly. They had been apart before. Luckily, they still had a few days together before he left. Mi Xue decided to stay put during this time—no trips to the new place, no going out to eat—she would simply stay by Zhang Yang's side. They even had a weekend ahead where they could enjoy a romantic time alone. As for the student exchange meeting, Zhang Yang truly didn't place much importance on it.

He was only twenty years old, officially a student, but his mental age felt closer to thirty-plus, fitting the profile of an internationally renowned top specialist. In his past life, attending such an event would have been an honor for the organizers. Under these circumstances, it was hard for him to take it seriously.

He didn't take it seriously, but others did. After discussing it with Zhang Yang, Li Yaohua submitted the roster to the department. He had great confidence in the two students his department was sending. He was eagerly anticipating the good results they would bring back.

Although only twenty-something schools were participating, the event carried the weight of a national designation, altering its nature. Achieving good results in such an activity would certainly bring him significant benefits beyond just a little recognition.

Three days flew by quickly, and the weekend passed in a flash. It was time to depart.

Zhang Yang dropped Mi Xue off at the School of Foreign Languages before returning to the Medical College. As soon as he entered his classroom, classmates informed him that Director Li was looking for him. Before Zhang Yang arrived, Li Yaohua had already sent messengers twice, instructing him to go straight to the college administration building upon arrival.

When Zhang Yang reached the administration building, more than a dozen people were already standing outside, along with five young students—three males and two females. All five students had suitcases, whereas Zhang Yang was the only one carrying his rather unfashionable canvas bag.

Second update. Taking a rest day today, guaranteeing a minimum of two chapters!

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