Long Cheng was the first to react, immediately turning his head back. "Zhan Tao, is Zhang Yang's father the person Xiao Ling mentioned?" Long Cheng asked, and the others all turned their gaze toward Su Zhantao.

Young Master Su had already stunned them once yesterday, and Zhang Yang's arrival today was like dropping two consecutive bombshells on them. Zhang Yang's revelation was even more significant.

The top leader of the Provincial Party Committee—that was truly the supreme authority; no one within the province held a higher official position. Su Zhantao nodded slightly; there was no need for concealment now.

Glancing at everyone, Su Zhantao continued, "Remember what I just said: Zhang Yang stated that he is him, and his father is his father. They are two separate individuals!" Su Zhantao emphasized the point again, having clearly registered Zhang Yang's exact words.

A few people looked at Su Zhantao, then exchanged glances among themselves. Su Zhantao had already mentioned earlier that Zhang Yang did not get along with his family.

His repeated reminders now made his meaning clear. But even if they were two people, two incompatible people, that relationship could not be erased.

With that connection existing, no one dared to look down upon, or rather, offend Zhang Yang. A true master hides their power.

Only now did they realize that their previous understanding of Zhang Yang was superficial. Even based on background alone, Zhang Yang was in no way inferior to any of them.

Especially when Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao were together, even they dared not casually offend them; these were not people they could afford to cross. The combined status and background of these two were definitely not a simple case of one plus one; their influence was magnified by several times at least.

"You two, you've kept us in the dark for so long!" Huang Hai shook his head helplessly, letting out a soft sigh. At first, he had assumed Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao were just young masters who were rich and lucky.

He never imagined that both of them possessed such formidable backing. "Exactly.

If I had known Zhang Yang was this influential, I wouldn't have needed to step in and find people for that last incident!" Wang Chen chimed in, referring to the time Zhang Yang helped Xiao Dai and Nannan get justice—an incident that led to the forced bankruptcy of the restaurant owner, in which Wang Chen had played a part. "Wang Chen, Zhang Yang has a good temperament, but there is one boundary you must never cross with him.

That boundary is his relationship with his family. I have already reminded you twice, and this will be the last time.

From now on, never bring this up in front of him, or he will sever ties with you!" Su Zhantao’s expression instantly turned serious as he spoke sternly to Wang Chen. Wang Chen stared blankly at Su Zhantao, finally nodding in acknowledgment.

Su Zhantao's grave demeanor thoroughly convinced him of the matter's importance. "We understand.

We absolutely won't bring it up in front of him again!" Li Ya nodded gently. Everyone had heard Su Zhantao's previous two reminders, but they hadn't truly internalized the warning then, still reeling from the shock of learning Zhang Yang's identity.

Su Zhantao's third explicit warning, directed specifically at Wang Chen, finally made everyone treat the matter with utmost seriousness, preventing future missteps. "No wonder Secretary Zhao had that kind of attitude toward Zhang Yang," Chang Feng murmured softly.

The others nodded in agreement. Understanding Zhang Yang's background immediately explained Secretary Zhao's deference.

Secretary Zhao was capable, but his influence stemmed entirely from the person behind him; naturally, he dared not slight Zhang Yang. As they spoke, they finished the soup on the table.

With food in their stomachs, everyone felt somewhat better. They prepared to leave in their own cars to return to the nightclub, and the revelation of Zhang Yang’s and Su Zhantao’s backgrounds left a few of them genuinely thrilled.

The most ecstatic among them was Li Ya. Both Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao had invested in his ventures; they were his shareholders.

With these two young masters aligned, coupled with his own local influence, he felt virtually unassailable in Changjing. Thinking back, when he first invited Zhang Yang to invest, he had genuinely intended it as a favor to repay Zhang Yang for saving him at the car accident scene.

Li Ya had been absolutely certain he could guarantee stable profits for their investments; his reputation as a financial genius was hard-earned. He had simply never anticipated that his well-intentioned gesture would yield such immense returns.

Zhang Yang was unaware of these discussions. At that moment, he was busy back at the university.

Upon returning, Shi Yan and the others resumed classes the next day, but Zhang Yang took a leave of absence for that entire day to spend time with Mi Xue. The break was over, and he had immediately returned to school.

Having been away for so many days, he had fallen behind on his university responsibilities. With exams looming, he spent the morning catching up on these minor details.

Fortunately, they were seniors now; the coursework wasn't overwhelming. Zhang Yang knew that with focused effort, he could manage the upcoming tests.

"Zhang Yang, Dean Zhu is looking for you!" Just as Zhang Yang was engrossed in his work in the classroom, the class monitor walked in and told him quietly. Zhang Yang had recently caused quite a stir accompanying Shi Yan to the event.

Now, nearly everyone in the School of Medicine was talking about him, which only intensified the monitor's resentment. "I'll be right there!" Zhang Yang set down his books and agreed immediately.

The class monitor shot him a look filled with jealousy before returning to his seat, unable to resist glancing over now and then. Zhang Yang didn't notice; he packed his things and promptly left the classroom.

It was Professor Zhu, Zhu Daoqi, whose office Zhang Yang rarely visited. He had to ask someone to finally locate the room.

Before reaching the door, he heard voices speaking inside—voices he recognized. Upon entering, he found the Dean of the Third Hospital, Zhu Zhixiang, and the Director of the General Internal Medicine Department, Xu Wu, already there.

They were seated on the sofa, with Zhu Daoqi hosting them. When Zhang Yang entered, all three stood up.

"Zhang Yang, come sit!" Zhu Daoqi greeted him enthusiastically. Having recently gained great prominence and substantial rewards from a major event, he knew exactly who was responsible.

Therefore, in front of Zhang Yang, he entirely dropped his airs as a professor and Vice Dean. "Zhang Yang!" Zhu Zhixiang also greeted him, though a hint of embarrassment crossed his face.

Zhang Yang was back, yet he hadn't visited the hospital. This worried Zhu Zhixiang; the Chinese Academy of Sciences had approved their research project, and initial funding had been disbursed.

They were due to submit their progress report soon. If they couldn't present anything, it would be a huge embarrassment.

"Professor Zhu, Dean Zhu!" Zhang Yang responded with a smile. Although both shared the surname Zhu, they worked in different institutions and were unrelated beyond the name.

"Zhang Yang, Dean Zhu is here to discuss something important. I've already spoken with your Director Li and secured a special leave for you for a few days.

You don't need to take these exams; the school will automatically award you an excellent grade!" Zhu Daoqi said with a smile. Zhu Zhixiang and the others had come specifically to requisition his time.

The project couldn't remain stalled; without a lead researcher, they couldn't begin work. They needed to secure Zhang Yang immediately.

To achieve this, Zhu Zhixiang had already conceded several terms to Zhu Daoqi, including agreeing to accept a batch of students from Zhu Daoqi’s school. This arrangement essentially helped Zhu Daoqi's school address some student employment quotas, as job placements were no longer guaranteed after graduation, putting pressure on the institutions.

By agreeing, the Third Hospital was doing them a favor. It was clear why Zhu Daoqi was so generous, waving his hand to give Zhang Yang to them—he had gained an advantage in return.

Zhu Zhixiang and Xu Wu were both looking at Zhang Yang, their eyes laced with concern. Zhang Yang glanced at them and said softly, "I understand.

I will report back as soon as I finish up." Zhang Yang's words finally eased the worry on Zhu Zhixiang and Xu Wu's faces, and they smiled as they said goodbye to Zhu Daoqi and departed with Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang was slightly surprised they had come to him directly, but he wasn't entirely shocked.

He could understand their anxiety; they had secured a major CAS project but lacked the person in charge. Anyone in their position would be frantic.

Zhang Yang had already planned to attend the project after handling his exams. This development saved him the preparation time, which counted as a small favor he was doing for them.

Zhang Yang had little to pack. As they left, he bid farewell to Zhu Zhixiang and the others.

He promised them he would report to the hospital that very afternoon to officially take charge of the research project. This commitment finally reassured Zhu Zhixiang.

During Zhang Yang’s previous time at the Third Hospital, they had gotten a sense of his character and knew he honored his promises. After seeing off Zhu Zhixiang, Zhang Yang paused, then headed toward the School of Foreign Languages.

It was nearly the end of the school day, the perfect time to pick up Mi Xue and take her home for lunch. Long Feng was still in Jiaoyi.

It was inconvenient for Zhang Yang to bring Lightning to campus, so he had left the two small ones at home. Zhang Yang communicated smoothly with the two pets now, and they were always obedient.

He had no doubt they would stay put until he returned. After having lunch with Mi Xue at home, he dropped her off at school in the afternoon and then drove off.

He was driving the Bugatti gifted by Gu Fang; Long Feng had taken the Mercedes. Having grown accustomed to the Mercedes, Long Feng rarely drove his own Hummer, which mostly remained parked in the garage.

The remaining cars at home were the Bugatti, the Mercedes sports car, and the Hummer. Any one of these three would turn heads, but Zhang Yang preferred driving the most comfortable one.

At least, not many locals recognized that particular brand, leading to curiosity rather than astonishment. The Bugatti, with its deep, resonant engine note, swept into the gates of the Third Hospital.

The security guards at the entrance watched it go for quite a distance; it was the first time they had seen a supercar of that caliber. Some of the more eager guards even ran back inside to make phone calls, inquiring about the make of the stunning sports car they had just witnessed… Third update, 77 chapters remaining for the hundred-chapter bonus!

(To be continued) RQ