At the administrative building of Changjing University School of Medicine, more than thirty people were gathered in front of the entrance.

It was already class time, and the campus was not crowded with people moving about freely; so many people standing before the office building didn't draw much attention.

Standing at the very front was Zhu Daoqi, the Vice Dean of the School of Medicine.

Zhu Daoqi was living quite well these days. Last time, when he attended the assessment event in Hangzhou, he not only brought back a substantial award but also secured two genuine research projects for the school.

Those two projects had saved Changjing University from a potential embarrassment and given real meaning to the award they received.

Every time Zhu Daoqi thought about that incident, a thrill still ran through him.

He had been in a truly wretched state back then. If Zhang Yang hadn't stepped up at that critical moment, not only he, but Changjing University itself would have suffered a severe loss of face.

Everything changed completely once Zhang Yang took charge.

In the end, Changjing University not only gained honor but also tangible benefits. The two projects Zhang Yang had introduced—immune rejection and single-gene pathogenic mutation therapy—were now seeing great progress. Because of these projects, the university had even been featured in medical journals and newspapers a few times recently, enjoying considerable prestige for a while.

Of course, Zhu Daoqi knew very well who was responsible for this glory. Therefore, no matter what Zhang Yang did, the school wouldn't interfere, as long as he didn't start committing arson on campus.

"Dean Zhu, is Senior Zhang really coming today?"

A small girl approached Zhu Yuanzhang. She was short, barely five feet tall, wearing glasses, and had a few freckles scattered across her face.

She looked quite young, perhaps younger than her actual age, and her glasses were very thick, indicating a severe prescription. A quick glance told anyone she was the diligent, hardworking type of good student.

"He will, he definitely will. He has never broken a promise!"

Zhu Daoqi nodded forcefully, affirming his statement.

He didn't even realize that when speaking of Zhang Yang, his tone had subtly taken on a respectful inflection. His attitude toward Zhang Yang was completely different from how he treated others; he no longer seemed to regard Zhang Yang merely as a student.

"Student Wenjing, rest assured, Zhang Yang will come!"

Li Yaohua, standing next to Zhu Daoqi, added, his eyes instinctively glancing outwards.

Li Yaohua was the department head of Zhang Yang's major and the one who had recommended Zhang Yang for the initial student exchange activity, which ultimately led to Zhang Yang's sudden fame.

After Zhang Yang became renowned, Li Yaohua also benefited considerably. He remained the department head, but his reputation had grown significantly, and his standing within the university had increased substantially.

For one of Zhang Yang's two projects this time, he was an assistant, effectively in charge while Zhang Yang was away.

"I understand, thank you, Director Li!"

The young girl nodded. This girl was named Li Wenjing, only a sophomore this year, but recently recognized by the department as a genius-level student.

A genius-level student was someone whose comprehension and achievements far surpassed those of their peers.

Zhang Yang was one such student, but in everyone's eyes, he was the genius among geniuses, unmatched by anyone. With Zhang Yang present, no matter how gifted other students were, they could only exist in his shadow.

Li Wenjing was also a member of Zhang Yang's project group, contributing significantly to the immune rejection research. Furthermore, she was the only sophomore among the members of both projects.

However, she was acutely aware that her contributions were made possible by the materials Zhang Yang had left behind. What Zhang Yang left was so comprehensive and excellent that they only needed to follow his documentation to conduct experiments and refine the work, thereby achieving results. It was as if Zhang Yang had already conquered these two projects single-handedly.

This made them intensely curious about Zhang Yang. Upon learning that Zhu Daoqi was finally bringing the person in charge of these two projects to the school today, most of them had rushed out, eager for the first glimpse of Zhang Yang.

"He's here!"

Zhu Daoqi exclaimed first, noticing a black sedan approaching in the distance. Zhu Daoqi recognized the car; he knew it belonged to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang’s Mercedes quickly pulled up in front of the administrative building. Seeing the crowd through the windows, he was slightly taken aback.

"Dean Zhu, what is all this?"

Zhang Yang stepped out of the car, followed by Long Feng. Long Feng had finally concluded his seclusion these past two days. His cultivation level hadn't advanced, but his foundation had solidified considerably.

However, upon learning that Zhang Yang had advanced yet again, Long Feng suffered another significant blow.

Zhang Yang’s rate of progress left him speechless. Because of this, he had a long talk with Shi Fang earlier, and they reached a complete consensus: in future cultivation, they absolutely should not compare themselves to Zhang Yang. Doing so would only lead to discouragement.

If they kept measuring themselves against Zhang Yang, they would surely end up insane.

"You are finally back. They all wanted to see you as soon as possible, so they waited here together!"

Zhu Daoqi said with a smile, stepping forward to greet Zhang Yang warmly.

Some of the people behind him had met Zhang Yang before, but others were curious, looking at him with interest—both faculty and students alike.

"Zhang Yang, after the project research began, because you weren't here, the school and I temporarily finalized the research group roster. I don't know if you are satisfied, but we can discuss this in detail later. Right now, there are a few documents that absolutely require your signature. If you hadn't come, I think I would have had to track you down!"

Zhu Daoqi continued, pulling Zhang Yang inside as he spoke.

He had also heard about the Third Hospital's situation—how they had angered Zhang Yang by finalizing their self-made research group roster, leading Zhang Yang to kick out everyone the hospital had designated and select his own people instead.

It was precisely because of this incident that their school had benefited, managing to secure six students who joined the team.

The current research group members were also determined by the school, so he needed to clarify this upfront to avoid displeasing Zhang Yang.

In fact, from the very beginning of the group's formation, the school administration had reminded every member that they were only temporary participants; the final roster for the research group could only be fully confirmed once Zhang Yang returned.

The reason so many people were waiting downstairs today was partly due to this.

They all wanted to leave a good impression on Zhang Yang so they could remain on the research team as official members.

Neither of these two projects was minor. They might not compare to the Third Hospital's asthma research, but they were highly significant within their respective fields. Successful completion of these complex studies would bring considerable benefits and honor to every individual involved.

"How is the research progress so far?"

Zhu Daoqi quickly ushered Zhang Yang into the office, and Zhang Yang asked casually.

As for the crowd outside, they were still waiting, filled with anxiety.

"I knew you'd ask about this. I have everything prepared. But before you review the progress, you need to sign these documents first!"

Zhu Daoqi produced a stack of items, the most important files resting on top.

The projects belonged to Zhang Yang. While some internal school documents related to the two project leaders could be signed by Zhu Daoqi on his behalf, the documents submitted to the provincial and ministerial levels required Zhang Yang's personal signature.

Because of Zhang Yang's absence, failing to sign these documents had caused a minor impact on the project's research.

This impact mainly stemmed from the fact that higher-ups were unaware of their true research speed, which had long surpassed the reported figures. Different progress rates meant different levels of support provided by the authorities, potentially affecting the official commencement timeline of the projects.

"Finally finished! Zhang Yang, next time you disappear, could you please give me a heads-up?"

After watching Zhang Yang sign the documents, a brilliant smile returned to Zhu Daoqi's face, though he couldn't help but voice a slight complaint.

After returning from Hangzhou, Zhu Daoqi hadn't managed to meet him once. Furthermore, during that long subsequent period of no contact, it wasn't entirely his own bad luck; every time he tried to reach Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang was either in an area without cell service while traveling or simply occupied with other matters and hadn't turned on his phone.

He had even tried contacting Mi Xue once, but still couldn't get through.

This time, upon hearing that Zhang Yang had returned to campus, he immediately sent an invitation, only to find Zhang Yang in seclusion, unable to emerge for three days.

Only after Zhang Yang finished his seclusion and learned how urgently Zhu Daoqi had been seeking him did Zhang Yang proactively contact the Dean, who was almost at his wit's end, promising to visit the school once.

"Here is the recent progress report for the projects, the list of members for the research group, and the achievements of each individual. Please review it first. If you are dissatisfied with anyone, you can tell me anytime, and you can replace the roster at any time!"

Putting away the items Zhang Yang had signed, Zhu Daoqi handed the remaining materials to Zhang Yang.

This was the material he had prepared in advance.

As he spoke, Dean Zhu couldn't help but sigh again, feeling it was his misfortune to have Zhang Yang as the person in charge.

What kind of project leader was so irresponsible? Since the projects were established, he hadn't shown up even once, yet Zhu Daoqi had been the one managing and sustaining everything.

The thought brought a surge of grievances. Those unaware of the situation might assume these two projects belonged to him, as he had done far more work than Zhang Yang.

Fortunately, Wang Guohai wasn't here. If Wang Guohai knew his thoughts, he would immediately shake Zhu Daoqi's hand in tears. Only Wang Guohai could truly understand Zhu Daoqi's feelings.

Like Zhu Daoqi, he had encountered the same type of absentee manager. When Zhang Yang washed his hands of the matter, it was Wang Guohai who was struggling to keep the Third Hospital's projects afloat.

"The research progress is good. I think the list doesn't need changing; let's keep it as is!"

After carefully reviewing everything, Zhang Yang nodded immediately. The materials prepared by Zhu Daoqi were extremely detailed, including not just the research progress during this period but also the characteristics and accomplishments of every member.

This was something Zhu Daoqi had deliberately prepared. Since he had largely determined the research group members, he naturally hoped they would stay, so he made sure to introduce them thoroughly to Zhang Yang.

Now, it seemed his efforts had not been in vain, as Zhang Yang approved of these individuals.

Without Zhang Yang's consent, even as Vice Dean, he dared not make the final decision on the roster. The fate of Xu Wu's group from the Third Hospital's internal medicine department served as a vivid lesson.

However, Zhu Daoqi was overthinking things this time.

Zhang Yang had rejected those people because of their bureaucratic attitudes. If the Third Hospital had initially selected genuine experts, Zhang Yang wouldn't have objected.

The list presented by Changjing University School of Medicine this time featured targeted, truly professional talents. Only such individuals could properly advance the research and ensure its success.

Since they were the right fit, Zhang Yang naturally saw no reason to replace them. Besides, he truly had no one else available to replace them with.