The topic he presented was a crucial one approved by the Chinese Academy of Sciences—a project so significant that many participating professors had never been involved in one, and some institutions didn't even have a single representative working on it.

For such a prime opportunity, a chance to truly make a name for himself, to be claimed by a twenty-year-old student, it was disingenuous to claim that the others felt nothing.

It wasn't just them; the professor from Tongji Medical School felt the same way.

That’s why, upon receiving the previous day’s performance reports and noting Zhang Yang’s absence, this particular professor made it a point to inquire about him first.

Everyone looked toward Zhu Daoqi; some with schadenfreude, others anticipating a spectacle, and of course, a few who were on good terms with him.

“They did not return yesterday due to a special circumstance. Changjing University is willing to accept the point deductions this time!”

Zhu Daoqi cleared his throat and spoke slowly. If he hadn't gone to the Children’s Hospital yesterday, he might have been sitting there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

But since he had gone and knew the full situation, his mind was now clear of any internal conflict.

Yesterday’s situation was an emergency of a unique nature. The doctors at the Children’s Hospital were helpless against that patient’s condition; they had no effective treatment protocol. Zhang Yang did. He could save the life, so he stayed.

Zhang Yang returned late, violating discipline, but he saved a life and rescued a family.

Even knowing the breach of rules, Zhu Daoqi would support Zhang Yang’s choice. A disciplinary violation might cost a few points, but adhering strictly to the rules and having Zhang Yang return would have cost a living soul.

The Tongji Medical School professor gave Zhu Daoqi a deep look before slowly saying, “Since Professor Zhu states this, I will announce the disciplinary ruling!”

His tone seemed to have lost its initial smugness, as if he were displeased with Zhu Daoqi’s unexpectedly detached handling of the matter.

“In view of Zhang Yang and the other students returning late and flagrantly violating the activity rules, each student will now have two points deducted from this assessment score. Changjing University, a total deduction of eight points!”

The professor announced this, and the muscles in Zhu Daoqi’s face twitched unnaturally.

Eight points! In typical assessments, a major error would warrant a maximum deduction of two points. Minor infractions were usually docked one point at a time, and very small oversights might only cost half a point.

To lose eight points simply for not returning was excessive.

Initially, the plan was to dock four points, one for each student. Unfortunately, the disciplinary committee overseeing this activity was already jealous of Zhang Yang’s performance; once he was involved, the maximum penalty was applied across the board.

With these eight points deducted, Changjing University immediately plummeted to the bottom based on the current standings.

Before this, they had consistently been near the top.

“We accept!”

After a moment, Zhu Daoqi finally spoke slowly, though his heart ached with the declaration.

Eight points, just gone. If only Zhang Yang had stayed alone yesterday and the others had returned, the maximum deduction would have been only two points.

But regrets were useless now. Furthermore, having the other students present was a valuable teaching moment for them all. Exchanging two points for a learning opportunity was worth it.

“Good. Next, I will continue discussing the performance of the students yesterday!”

Seeing that Zhu Daoqi offered no opposition, the announcing professor lost the motivation to dwell on the penalty. He immediately shifted to discussing the situation of the other schools.

Many of the other supervising professors now turned their attention back to Zhu Daoqi.

The person wearing the widest grin was naturally Wang Jinhui from Jinling University. The heavier the penalty for Changjing University, the happier he was. He secretly wished they would be disqualified outright.

Their performance yesterday wasn't bad either, but overall, they couldn't quite match Changjing.

Now that Changjing had been hit with an eight-point deduction, they were definitively behind, giving Wang Jinhui a sweetness in his heart akin to having eaten honey.

“Ring! Ring!”

The Tongji professor, midway through describing the students' performance, was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his mobile phone.

This was a minor meeting, not intended to last long, and they hadn't specified that phones should be off. However, having his phone ring in front of so many people made him feel rather embarrassed.

“Excuse me, I need to take this call!”

The phone was still ringing, so he had no choice but to step away.

The call was from the Activity Command Center. He returned less than two minutes later, but his expression had shifted to one of profound awkwardness.

Mixed with the embarrassment was a clear sense of helplessness, even confusion.

Resuming his seat, he first glanced at Zhu Daoqi—a look that left Zhu Daoqi utterly bewildered and increasingly tense.

He genuinely feared that his students, specifically Zhang Yang, had caused some new trouble, leading to further point deductions. Zhang Yang was brilliant and a source of immense pride, but he was also the hardest student to manage; one never knew when he might stir up some fresh controversy.

“I just received a call from our Activity Command Center. The Children’s Hospital has submitted a report to the Command Center!”

After a pause, the professor slowly continued.

Hearing the words "Children’s Hospital," Zhu Daoqi let out a silent sigh of complaint. Of course, it was that place. Thirty-plus students from Changjing were there, but he couldn't imagine any student having the clout to make the hospital send a direct report to the Command Center.

All he could do was pray that Zhang Yang hadn't caused a disaster. If it was a minor issue, losing points wouldn’t matter; discovering talent like Zhang Yang was already a huge gain for the trip.

The other professors exchanged glances.

Those whose students had been at the Children’s Hospital were particularly anxious.

But most eyes still fell on Zhu Daoqi, since Changjing students were notorious for causing trouble, instinctively linking the issue to them.

Wang Jinhui, on the other hand, wore a malicious smirk. He now wished the hospital staff would expel Changjing University’s students; that would be the best possible outcome for him. If students were sent away by the hospital, other institutions might refuse to take them in, effectively ending Changjing’s participation in the activity, marking their failure in advance.

“Ahem!”

The Tongji professor suddenly coughed lightly, his face still holding a trace of awkwardness.

After clearing his throat, he began to speak slowly, “The Children’s Hospital sent a letter of commendation, praising Changjing student Zhang Yang for his quick-witted actions in the emergency room last night, which successfully saved a severely injured patient and preserved a life. Considering Zhang Yang’s exceptional performance, the Command Center has specially awarded…”

He paused here, his helplessness intensifying, “…specially awarded Zhang Yang with personal recognition, and granted Changjing University an overall bonus of ten points!”

Having finished this, he immediately stopped speaking and bent down to take a drink of water.

He truly felt helpless. He had just disciplined the student over this very incident, deducting eight points, and now the Command Center called with the exact opposite news—a direct bonus. The penalty and the reward involved the same student and the same event, yet the outcomes were diametrically opposed. He didn't know what to make of the situation, having deducted points only to have them immediately compensated, plus two extra.

The professors from the other schools were also completely stunned.

This result was entirely unexpected. To issue a penalty only to follow it up with an award—what was the point of the deduction in the first place? Wasn't it redundant?

Some looked toward Zhu Daoqi with renewed suspicion. If Zhang Yang stayed behind to save a life, why hadn't anyone explained the circumstances yesterday?

Zhu Daoqi himself was even more bewildered. He was the clearest on Zhang Yang’s actions at the Children’s Hospital. A life was saved, and the ultimate result was the best possible, but the process involved a clear violation of protocol.

Frankly, even if the Children’s Hospital chose not to pursue the matter, they shouldn't have issued a commendation for what happened yesterday.

Yet, not only did they commend him, they reported it directly to the Command Center, making the whole affair public. Zhu Daoqi couldn't fathom their reasoning.

Regardless, this reward was excellent, precisely what Zhu Daoqi desperately needed right now.

This bonus not only covered the deductions but added two more points, pulling Changjing University back into the upper tier. Achieving a good final ranking by the end of the activity was now a distinct possibility.

What they didn't know was the perspective of the Children’s Hospital staff.

Early this morning, Doctors Wang and Qu had sought out their hospital director, praising Zhang Yang effusively.

They finally stated their purpose: Zhang Yang was an outstanding student, and they needed to find a way to keep him at their hospital; they would gain a formidable physician in the future.

The director was no ordinary doctor. Director Zhou, though nearing retirement, was extremely well-informed, and he had already heard about Zhang Yang’s performance at the theoretical exchange. He too coveted that research project.

When Doctors Wang and Qu presented their case, he decided to do them a favor: a commendation letter along with a detailed report was sent directly to the Command Center. Naturally, the report contained absolutely no negative remarks about Zhang Yang.

Upon receiving this, the Command Center staff were dumbfounded. The penalties levied against Zhang Yang and Changjing University only took effect after their approval, and now they learned the "punishment" was actually a good thing—the student saved a life.

Saving lives is the sacred duty of a doctor. To be penalized for saving a life felt inherently unjust, yet failing to penalize the procedural breach would undermine the importance of discipline.

After a brief consultation, they decided on a policy of both reward and punishment, with the reward weighted more heavily to offset the deducted points, serving as a minor form of compensation for Changjing University.

This was the true sequence of events, a reality hidden from outsiders who could only resort to conjecture.

………… The 10 PM alarm didn't go off; I woke up past 3 AM. Sweat drop.

Xiao Yu still owes four chapters of bonus content. This chapter counts as today's guaranteed minimum, the first one. Xiao Yu will now continue writing to catch up quickly! .RT