Zhu Zhixiang called Zhang Yang, but the call wouldn't connect, which made him even more restless; he felt that if he delayed any longer, Zhang Yang would be snatched up by someone else.

He quickly dialed another number, and soon a voice answered on the other end.

"Hello."

It was Zhu Daoqi's voice on the line; at that moment, Zhu Daoqi had just stepped out of a restaurant with Guo Yong.

"Brother Daoqi!" Zhu Zhixiang paused slightly, seemingly gathering his thoughts, but before he could speak, the voice on the other end immediately asked, "Dean Zhu, are you also calling about Zhang Yang’s internship?"

"Ah, yes, that's right."

"Oh, in that case, Dean Zhu, you don't need to waste your effort. I can't reach Zhang Yang right now either. You know Zhang Yang; he's a rather special student. Regarding his internship, the college has decided to let go of the decision and let Zhang Yang decide for himself."

"Ah, is that so... Then when..."

"Here's the situation: we can't reach Zhang Yang either. Once we do get in touch, we will summon representatives from all Changjing hospitals to the Changjing Medical College to jointly decide on this year's intern assignments."

"Oh, I see..."

"Alright, Dean Zhu, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer. Goodbye!"

"Beep... beep..."

Zhu Zhixiang hung up the phone and sighed repeatedly.

In previous years, it wasn't they who were begging him for placement spots for a few more interns at Changjing Third Hospital; now, they were starting to give him the official runaround.

All of this, he thought, was thanks to Zhang Yang.

On the other end of the line, Zhu Daoqi hung up. Guo Yong, standing beside him, immediately asked, "Was that Dean Zhu Zhixiang from Changjing Third Hospital?"

"Mmm," Zhu Daoqi nodded. Guo Yong asked, "About Zhang Yang?"

Zhu Daoqi nodded heavily, then reassured him, "Don't worry, I will definitely put in a good word for you with Zhang Yang."

Saying that, Zhu Daoqi dialed a number.

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off..."

The busy signal coming through the phone made Zhu Daoqi pause for a moment. He then turned to Guo Yong with a helpless expression. "It seems we won't be able to reach Zhang Yang anytime soon. Rest assured, once Zhang Yang returns to school, I will certainly speak up for you."

Before his words had completely faded, the phone in Zhu Daoqi’s hand rang. Seeing the number, Zhu Daoqi quickly answered it.

"Mhm... ah... oh... that would certainly be best... Yes, I understand."

The call ended quickly, and Zhu Daoqi’s expression shifted slightly. Guo Yong quickly inquired, "What is it?"

"Nothing," Zhu Daoqi paused, sounding somewhat exasperated. "It's just that all the other students' internship hospitals have been assigned. Only Zhang Yang is left. And those hospital representatives are still fighting over Zhang Yang's internship placement. Especially the Provincial Hospital—several top figures have personally called the College Dean. Now the college has decided that once Zhang Yang returns, we will gather everyone, and ultimately, Zhang Yang will choose which hospital he interns at."

"I was just casually saying things to brush off Zhu Zhixiang before, and I never thought it would actually come true," Zhu Daoqi looked both amused and frustrated. He really hadn't expected the few sentences he spoke offhand to Zhang Zhixiang to turn into reality. It seemed the school leadership had been quite bothered lately.

"So that's how it is," Guo Yong couldn't help but muse again. In the past, the school always approached their hospitals looking for more intern quotas, but now, several parties were vying for a single intern.

"Don't worry, Old Guo. When I see Zhang Yang, I'll definitely speak up for you," Zhu Daoqi comforted him. "Right, well, I should head back now. Just be sure to notify me when Zhang Yang gets back to school." Guo Yong nodded, realizing that rushing things now was pointless, so he resigned himself to waiting.

After Guo Yong left, Zhu Daoqi called Zhang Yang one more time, but again, it was the recorded message that his phone was switched off. Zhang Yang's phone hadn't been powered on since.

Zhu Daoqi sighed softly, saying nothing. Back when Zhang Yang was working on the research projects regarding immune rejection and single-gene mutation therapy, he was always an absentee boss, frequently unreachable. So, not being able to reach him now was even more normal; he was used to it.

Just then, the phone rang again. Zhu Daoqi answered to find a director from a hospital in another province calling. They had crossed paths over certain patients before, and this director was now trying to leverage that past connection.

After hanging up, Zhu Daoqi's mood improved considerably; after all, his lunch for tomorrow was secured.

As for contacting Zhang Yang, Zhu Daoqi wasn't overly anxious. Zhang Yang would have to report back to the school eventually. In the meantime, let everyone else suffer the joyous agony of the wait.

The summer break passed quickly, and finally, it was time for the new semester. Zhang Yang reluctantly had to give up lingering in the sweet comfort with Mi Xue.

As required, Zhang Yang was supposed to complete a year of internship. In truth, with any of his current standing, he could have easily petitioned to be excused from the internship, but he didn't want the trouble, so he never pursued it.

When Zhang Yang’s Benz drove onto campus, it immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers.

In this era, very few people could afford a Benz, and a student driving one was exceptionally rare. Seeing the car, many students could immediately guess who had arrived.

Zhang Yang's reputation had already spread throughout Changjing University, reaching near household-name status. However, some new students were unaware, so the older students—seniors and upperclassmen—would embellish his exploits while describing him, acting as if Zhang Yang's achievements were their own.

Many of these older students also used these stories to build rapport with the younger female students, inadvertently setting up a few couples along the way—though that was a story for another time.

As Zhang Yang parked, Shi Yan pulled Wang Lu over to approach. Shi Yan had sharp eyes and spotted Zhang Yang’s car, so she naturally dragged Wang Lu along.

Having not seen them all summer, Zhang Yang genuinely missed them.

"Zhang Yang, where did you go on vacation?" Shi Yan asked, while glancing into the car, seemingly searching for someone.

Wang Lu chimed in, "Right, where's our campus beauty, Mi Xue?"

Zhang Yang chuckled, but before he could speak, he saw Vice Dean Zhu Daoqi jogging toward them. Upon seeing Zhang Yang, he immediately started complaining, "Zhang Yang, you finally decided to show your face! Why was your phone off again!"

Seeing Vice Dean Zhu Daoqi, Wang Lu and Shi Yan stopped crowding closer, said hello to Zhang Yang, and prepared to leave.

Knowing Zhu Daoqi had something to discuss with him, Zhang Yang smiled at the two girls and casually suggested they all get dinner later to catch up, before leaving with Zhu Daoqi.

Watching Zhang Yang depart, Shi Yan sounded a little wistful. "Seeing how anxious Dean Zhu is, it must be about Zhang Yang’s internship."

Wang Lu nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it. Everyone else did their internships over the summer, but Zhang Yang is the only one not worried. Instead, so many hospitals are fighting to secure him—I heard they nearly wore down the threshold of our medical college building!"

"Comparing yourself to others really kills you," Shi Yan sighed. "Only Zhang Yang has that kind of power."

"Tell me about it..." Wang Lu watched the retreating figures of Zhang Yang and Zhu Daoqi, feeling not exactly envious, but certainly somewhat wistful.

"Dean Zhu, what did you need me for?"

Zhang Yang was led into his office by Zhu Daoqi. The Vice Dean hadn't said a word to him on the way, which left Zhang Yang somewhat puzzled.

"Come, come, have some tea. See what you think of the tea from my hometown?" With only the two of them in the office, Zhu Daoqi wasn't in a rush and immediately prepared a cup of tea for Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang accepted the cup, smiled, and said, "Dean Zhu, please just tell me what's on your mind."

"Mmm, fine," Zhu Daoqi settled back into his seat, smiling at Zhang Yang. "Zhang Yang, what are your thoughts on your internship?"

"Internship?" Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned, then remembered. According to his academic schedule, it was indeed time for him to intern.

"Yes. The main reason I called you here is to ask if you have any requirements for an internship hospital." Zhu Daoqi smiled, waiting for Zhang Yang to speak, his heart involuntarily tightening, worried that Zhang Yang might have already decided on a hospital.

"Oh, is that so," Zhang Yang considered for a moment and asked, "Isn't this usually arranged by the school?"

Zhu Daoqi coughed. If it were any other student, the school would have certainly made arrangements long ago.

Zhang Yang understood immediately and asked, "So, many hospitals currently want me as an intern?"

Zhu Daoqi grimaced and said, "Are you only realizing that now? Right now, it's not just Changjing; many hospitals throughout the entire Southeast Province have sent representatives to our school, all with the goal of having the school assign you to intern at their facility."

Internship was an unavoidable part of college life. Since his rebirth, Zhang Yang had greatly enjoyed his current life, so he had no intention of seeking special treatment by skipping it. If it was an internship, serving people in a different location wasn't a bad thing.

Frankly, Zhang Yang had no real requirements for the placement location, as long as the hospital trusted him enough not to meddle with or overcomplicate his treatment plans, and certainly not to be bureaucratic like Changjing Third Hospital. With those conditions met, he felt it would be fine.

Zhang Yang didn't tell Zhu Daoqi all this, instead turning the question back: "Then, Dean Zhu, since so many hospitals want me to join them, how does the school plan to arrange this?"

Zhu Daoqi replied, "If you have no specific preference, the school plans to gather all the hospital representatives who are competing for your internship placement in one place. Then you will meet with them personally, and you will ultimately choose which hospital you will go to."

"Mmm, that sounds good!" Zhang Yang stood up and said, "That method works well. When exactly will this take place?"

"Everyone is already prepared; we were just waiting for you to show up. If it works for you, we can start this afternoon." Zhu Daoqi said.

"Mmm, then let's stick with that. If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out."

Zhang Yang nodded, preparing to leave.

"Wait a moment," Zhu Daoqi called out. Zhang Yang paused and turned slightly, asking doubtfully, "Does Dean Zhu have something else?"

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