The reception this time was truly grand; the principal even held a special commendation ceremony for them that afternoon. Beyond the initial thousand yuan bonus they received, each student was awarded another fifteen hundred, bringing the total prize money for each person up to a staggering two thousand five hundred yuan.

For ordinary students, this was no small sum. During the commendation, Zhang Yang received the most praise, though the school leadership understood perfectly that the success achieved was entirely due to Zhang Yang's singular efforts.

However, the school had always emphasized collective honor; despite knowing the truth, they had to slightly downplay Zhang Yang’s personal contribution and highlight the group effort. Zhang Yang didn't mind this in the least; the school’s approach suited his own desires perfectly, as he had no wish to draw too much attention to himself.

Still, Zhang Yang received five hundred yuan more in bonus money than the others—this was his personal best reward. Following the commendation, the school generously treated them to a meal, acting as a victory banquet.

At the banquet, Zhu Daoqi was the one smiling the most radiantly, drawing envious glances from many others. The school had assigned the task for this event, but few truly took it seriously; the leaders from the university and colleges hadn't paid much mind, as they were well aware of their school's actual capabilities, figuring that achieving moderate results would already be quite good.

Under such circumstances, enthusiasm was naturally low. Yet, nobody expected that among their students existed such monstrous talents.

Not only did one conduct a project approved by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but they also received praise from numerous hospitals during practice, elevating them straight to the status of a top expert. And Zhang Yang, relying on himself alone, managed to pull the school’s overall ranking up, securing first place—a result nobody had ever anticipated.

This turn of events caused unease in the hearts of a few; had they known it would turn out this way, they too should have fought for the opportunity. If they had led the team, the one standing there accepting praise and accolades would not have been Zhu Daoqi, but themselves.

Some people are just like that: they don't think about it at the start, only growing jealous when others achieve success, lamenting how wonderful the result would have been if it belonged to them. The victory feast ended quickly, and Shi Yan and the others were extremely satisfied with their haul, which had arguably exceeded their wildest expectations.

With these results and commendations, their future job prospects upon graduation would be significantly boosted. After wrapping up all the formalities, Zhang Yang finally had time to return home.

He had informed Mi Xue in advance of his arrival, but he hadn't expected the school to be so enthusiastic, keeping him so late. Arriving at the base of his apartment building and seeing the light still on in his unit, a touch of warmth suddenly filled Zhang Yang’s heart.

He had been away for over ten days this time. Although they spoke on the phone every day, it wasn't the same as seeing each other constantly.

Especially for people in the throes of passionate love, a day apart feels like three years; ten-plus days was quite a long separation. Gently opening the door, Zhang Yang tiptoed inside.

Lightning and Shadow were staying with Long Feng, so they were currently at Long Feng's place; Zhang Yang planned to bring them back tomorrow. The living room was empty.

Zhang Yang stood still, listening intently, and a smile soon spread across his face. There was movement only from the kitchen; Mi Xue was clearly in there right now.

Setting down what he was carrying, Zhang Yang quietly moved toward the kitchen, intending to give Mi Xue a surprise. Inside the kitchen, Mi Xue was busy.

Zhang Yang slowly walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Ah!" Mi Xue shrieked and quickly twisted around, struggling slightly.

Seeing that the person holding her was Zhang Yang, her cry instantly cut off. Her beautiful eyes stared at him without blinking, the pupils still holding a faint glimmer of moisture.

She didn't even notice the oven mitts slipping from her hands onto the floor; she just stood there, gazing blankly at Zhang Yang. After a moment, her body began to tremble slightly, and the moisture in her eyes could no longer resist the pull of gravity, streaming down her cheeks.

"Zhang Yang, you're finally back. I missed you so much!" Mi Xue rested her head against Zhang Yang's chest, sobbing as she spoke; this short sentence conveyed the depth of her endless longing.

"Silly girl, I missed you too. Aren't I here now!" Zhang Yang was deeply moved, holding Mi Xue tightly.

His importance in her heart grew heavier, and Mi Xue became increasingly vital to him. What differentiated this life from his previous one was that now, he had someone deeply cherished to care for.

"Have you eaten? The food at school must not have been filling.

I made dishes for you; they’ve gotten cold, let me heat them up right away!" After a while, Mi Xue finally lifted her head, as if remembering something, and spoke urgently. She pushed Zhang Yang away and turned back to retrieve the covered plates of food, placing them in the microwave, ready to reheat them for him.

She had cooked all these dishes herself. She had expected Zhang Yang to be home for dinner, but he had been detained by the school.

"Silly girl, I'm not hungry. Have you eaten yet?" Watching her busy movements, Zhang Yang realized she had just been checking which dishes were ready in the kitchen.

Seeing this, he understood that Mi Xue must not have eaten anything yet; she had been waiting for him to return so they could eat together. "I'm not hungry either.

How about we eat a little later?" Mi Xue turned back with a smile, but before she finished speaking, her stomach let out a loud 'rumble,' instantly causing her face to flush crimson. Knowing Zhang Yang was returning, she had eaten very little at noon, having no appetite due to her excitement then.

In the afternoon, she had been busy buying groceries and cooking, wanting Zhang Yang to taste her culinary skills firsthand upon his return. By now, she was famished, and her words had clearly been untrue.

Her cooking skills were learned directly from the head chef at the restaurant. Their establishment was sizable, and the chef was quite renowned.

As the owner and a beautiful woman, no one would refuse to teach her. The chefs had all diligently instructed her.

"No 'a little later'; let's eat now, I'll stay with you!" Zhang Yang immediately shook his head and walked over to look at the covered dishes. Most of these dishes were cold and needed reheating.

Seeing such an array of exquisite food, a pang of emotion struck Zhang Yang's heart. Mi Xue had prepared so much, yet she hadn't touched a bite while waiting for him.

This affection moved Zhang Yang deeply, but it was mingled with regret and guilt. Knowing Mi Xue had been waiting for him, he shouldn't have wasted time at that tedious dinner with the school leaders.

If he had returned earlier, Mi Xue wouldn't have had to wait with an empty stomach. The food heated up quickly, and soon both were carrying all the dishes out.

Mi Xue had made a substantial amount—eight dishes and two soups, just for the two of them. Although Zhang Yang had eaten earlier, he opened his appetite wide and ate heartily; by the end, they had finished more than half of the entire spread.

His voracious appetite brought a laugh from Mi Xue, who teased that he would soon rival Hu Xin in eating capacity. Hu Xin probably couldn't eat as much as Zhang Yang.

After dinner, once everything was cleaned up, Zhang Yang finally took out the gifts he had brought back for Mi Xue from Shanghai. The most striking was the ruby necklace named 'Fiery Passion.' Seeing the beautiful ruby necklace, Mi Xue's eyes instantly became moist again.

She knew Zhang Yang wouldn't forget her and would certainly bring her a present. However, she hadn't anticipated that Zhang Yang would bring back something so valuable.

"This necklace truly suits you perfectly. It seems it was destined to belong to you; if I had been delayed just a little longer, it would have been gone!" Zhang Yang personally fastened the necklace onto Mi Xue and said with satisfaction.

Mi Xue looked even more radiant with the necklace on, gaining a touch of luxurious allure, layered with a tender vulnerability that tugged at the heartstrings. Mi Xue blushed slightly and nodded, then asked with some curiosity, "If you had been delayed, it would have been gone?

What happened?" Zhang Yang briefly recounted the incident with Young Master Li, though he omitted the part where Young Master Li later brought people to cause trouble for him; there was no need to mention such things. Telling her would only make Mi Xue worry.

Moments of warmth always pass too quickly; they chatted only briefly before it was late at night, and regardless of Mi Xue’s preference, they needed to rest. Zhang Yang bid Mi Xue farewell and returned to his own bedroom.

Watching Zhang Yang leave, a hint of disappointment flickered in Mi Xue’s eyes, but the thought of the gifts he brought filled her heart with sweetness once more. Sleeping at home was infinitely more comfortable than sleeping outside.

The next day, when Zhang Yang went out to practice, Long Feng had already arrived at the training spot ahead of him. Lightning and Shadow were there too.

The two little ones immediately bounded over to Zhang Yang upon seeing him. Long Feng said nothing to Zhang Yang; they spent time practicing their breathing exercises separately, then sparred to test their moves.

With Long Feng as a training partner, Zhang Yang's practical combat ability had been steadily improving. His ability to defeat the Spiritual Ape using strategy last time was partly thanks to this ongoing practice.

When they returned from training, Mi Xue was already awake and preparing breakfast. Lightning saw Mi Xue and immediately jumped toward her, chirping incessantly.

It was expressing its longing for Mi Xue, coupled with a complaint against Zhang Yang for not taking it yesterday and making it stay at Long Feng's place. Unfortunately, Mi Xue couldn't understand its words, so its accusations were destined to be fruitless.

Mi Xue didn't go to class or the restaurant today. Zhang Yang spent the entire day with her, making up for the more than ten days he had been away.

They spent the day shopping wildly and bought many nice clothes. Mi Xue's consumer habits had finally shifted.

When buying clothes for Zhang Yang, she no longer settled for cheap stall items costing tens of yuan, but started purchasing designer brands, opting for expensive garments costing thousands. Environment can change a person; as Mi Xue became a boss and interacted with different people, her mindset slowly began to evolve.

She knew Zhang Yang wasn't lacking money, and if he wasn't short on cash, there was no need to be so frugal with him. Clothes often represented a person's standing; she didn't want Zhang Yang to look bad or be ridiculed when out in public.

Long Feng hadn't returned all day; Zhang Yang had dispatched him on an important errand. Long Feng personally traveled to Jiaoyi to procure a batch of valuable medicinal herbs Zhang Yang required.

Compounding the Spiritual Ape’s essence blood pills demanded many high-grade auxiliary herbs; the better the auxiliary ingredients, the better the efficacy of the essence blood pill. This was essence blood voluntarily contributed by the Spiritual Ape; if it were wasted due to insufficient auxiliary herbs, Zhang Yang probably wouldn't forgive himself.

………… Second update, more to follow.