23: Chapter 23 A Myriad of Lights!

The barbecue restaurant fell silent for a full three seconds.

Wang Dandan stared at Su Ye's phone screen, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes nearly bulging out. Wang Luo was even more exaggerated; he almost lunged off his chair, wishing he could dig the screen out to check if there was a system bug.

First in the province.

This weight was simply too heavy.

They all knew exactly what the Medical Practitioner Qualification Exam entailed. Across the entire province, recent medical undergraduates, master's students, Standardized Resident Trainees, and young doctors from major hospitals were all tested together. It wasn't just a test of brains, but of accumulation, clinical thinking, and exam-taking experience.

Being able to pass was already a rare achievement.

Yet Su Ye, without making a sound, had directly taken first place in the province.

This was no longer just being 'excellent'.

This was total domination.

Su Ye, however, only glanced down.

In his view, this result was perfectly normal.

At its core, the Medical Practitioner Qualification Exam was still about basic theoretical knowledge—test points, frameworks, memory, and understanding. As long as one mastered enough knowledge points, organized them in their mind, and could quickly recall them in the exam hall, getting a high score wasn't actually difficult.

And for the current Su Ye, these things were precisely the simplest.

Things that could be scored through rote memorization.

Wasn't this child's play?

But the three people beside him didn't think so.

Wang Dandan slowly set her phone down and looked at Su Ye, her gaze somewhat dazed.

"First in the province..."

Her voice had softened by several degrees.

What did this mean?

It meant that Su Ye's desire to stay at the hospital in the future was basically a done deal. As long as no major problems occurred during his residency and his skills assessment remained stable, the hospital would never let someone like him go.

And further down the line?

Attending Physician, associate chief, or even further—transferring to the Provincial Hospital, to a larger platform.

The future was limitless.

While they were still worrying about whether they could qualify to stay at the hospital, he was already standing at a different starting line.

Wang Luo opened his mouth, suddenly feeling that the meat in his mouth no longer tasted good.

He was envious.

He even felt a bit frustrated.

They were all Standardized Resident Trainees, going to work together every day, assisting in surgeries together, and getting scolded together. How could the gap between people be this large?

Wang Dandan sighed and leaned back, spreading her hands in a gesture of resignation.

"This is just a monster, isn't it."

They hadn't actually known Su Ye for very long, but this guy gave off that kind of feeling—strong, too strong. He seemed to have the 'powerhouse template'; it felt like no matter what environment he was thrown into, he could quickly adapt and reign supreme with the posture of a powerhouse. It was truly sigh-inducing.

Wang Luo used to always say Su Ye was a legend at their school. She had thought it was an exaggeration before, but now she finally understood what a legend was.

"I'm convinced." Wang Luo put down his tongs and said seriously, "Brother Su, don't forget your brother when you make it big in the future."

Su Ye glanced at him.

"You're quite the drama queen."

"It's an investment! Hehe."

Wang Dandan couldn't help but join in: "Then I'll invest a bit too. When Director Su makes it big, remember to look out for small nobodies like us."

Sister Su Bei sat to the side, listening to their banter, not hiding the envy in her eyes.

But envy was just envy; she didn't feel any jealousy in her heart.

People were indeed different.

Some people were born to walk ahead of others.

She picked up her juice, lightly clinked the glasses on the table, and said with crinkled eyes, "In any case, Su Ye, congratulations."

"Congratulations!"

Su Ye raised his glass and lightly clinked it with theirs.

"Thanks."

...

At the same time.

On the other side of the city, in a small rented apartment.

Jiang Xiaoyue had just finished washing up. Wearing loose pajamas with her semi-dry hair draped over her shoulders, her cheeks were slightly flushed from the steam of the hot water. She plopped down on the sofa, skillfully opened her laptop, and logged into the Medical Practitioner Qualification Exam result query page.

She had already checked her own result.

Pass.

At the time, she had given a small fist pump, so happy she nearly jumped off the sofa. Her whole being felt much lighter.

Passing was good enough.

This hurdle was finally cleared.

Then she thought of Su Ye.

That guy had been acting strange lately, only asking her for study materials the day before the exam. It had made her both furious and worried to death. Logically, with Su Ye's previous foundation, he should be able to pass, right? But she still wasn't at ease, feeling like his state of mind hadn't been quite right recently.

Jiang Xiaoyue pursed her lips and reopened the query page.

She remembered Su Ye's admission ticket number.

Input, enter.

The page loaded for a moment.

Then, the results popped up.

Jiang Xiaoyue first saw the word "Pass." Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, her gaze shifted down, and she instantly froze.

Score Ranking.

Rank 1.

Jiang Xiaoyue blinked, then blinked again, thinking she had misread it.

She leaned closer to the screen, staring at that line of text three times over.

Su Ye, first?

First in the province?

"This..."

Jiang Xiaoyue sat up straight abruptly.

The Medical Practitioner Qualification Exam was not the same as a university course exam. Besides basic theory, it involved a large amount of clinical judgment and comprehensive assessment. The volume of questions was huge and the time was tight; it was on a completely different level than the papers back in school.

She had originally thought that even if Su Ye was a genius, being able to pass steadily after cramming for just one night would already be impressive.

And now you're telling her that this guy finished his review in one night and then directly took first place in the province?

"No way..."

Jiang Xiaoyue held her laptop, her eyes wide.

Even if this guy is a genius, he shouldn't be *this* much of a genius!

She sat dazed on the sofa for several seconds, then suddenly gave a soft hmph, her nose wrinkling with a young girl's annoyance.

"This guy must have finished his review long ago and was just teasing me, making me worry for nothing for so long."

She clenched her fists, looking quite adorable.

"Truly detestable."

Even as she said it, the smile in her eyes couldn't be suppressed.

She picked up her phone, originally wanting to message Su Ye immediately to scold him and congratulate him in passing, but her finger paused on the screen, and she put it down again.

Forget it.

Let this guy be smug for a while.

I'll scold him tomorrow.

...

The night grew deeper.

Su Ye returned to his residence.

Without turning on the lights, he pushed open the window and vaulted onto the rooftop. The night wind blew from the heights, carrying the unique chill and bustle of the city. The lights of the distant skyscrapers merged into a single expanse, like a sea of stars suspended above the ground.

Beneath his feet were the lights of ten thousand homes.

Above his head was the endless night sky.

Su Ye stood between this heaven and earth, slowly closing his eyes.

The sound of his heartbeat was infinitely magnified in his perception.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Every beat felt like striking a great drum in the empty expanse. His blood surged, his muscles and bones hummed faintly, and the gradually stabilizing spiritual energy passage within his body vibrated gently at this moment.

Inhale.

Exhale.

His breathing followed the change, gradually interlocking with his heartbeat.

The city wind seemed to stop for an instant.

A few strands of vines hanging from the edge of the rooftop swayed gently, and distant treetops trembled slightly. In the darkness of the night, those spiritual energy threads that ordinary people could not perceive were invisibly tugged at this moment.

Strand by strand, thread by thread.

They converged toward Su Ye from all directions.

Under the night sky, he stood there alone, a sea of light beneath his feet and a galaxy above his head, his whole being seemingly becoming the center of a vortex. The moment those spiritual energy threads drew near him, they disintegrated, turning into fine points of light that merged into his body through his brow and his breath.

"Not bad!"