CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 539 NO SUSPENSE

Jiang Xiaoxiao struggled to control her temper all day, until her head throbbed with pain and her stomach felt like it was on fire.

Even on the crowded bus, she didn’t lose her self-control.

All day long, she forced herself to remain calm, but her heart was full of frustration and rage. Now all she wanted was to be alone to calm herself.

Last night’s nightmare had left her heart racing for a long time.

The image of Song Moting riddled with bullets and bleeding profusely, and the scene of him being punched and kicked, scared her so much that she was afraid even after waking up.

Song Moting should be fine, but her dream was so real.

So real that it left one speechless to argue back.

Looking at Tang Yuan’s innocent sleeping face, the unease in Jiang Xiaoxiao’s heart only grew.

Today was the second round of the competition.

In truth, she had lost interest in competing, but her years as a doctor had given her excellent self-control.

Controlling oneself and not getting distracted by things is what a doctor should be able to do.

Arriving at the competition venue, she stood among the crowded throng, her mood irritable to the extreme.

The second round was a buzzer quiz, where one had to make the best emergency judgment from the chaotic scenes shown to the audience, scoring points for correct answers and losing points for wrong ones.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and the other competitors sat in order behind a long table representing their school, with buzzers placed in front of them.

Zhang Xun, sitting next to Jiang Xiaoxiao, asked, "Jiang Xiaoxiao! What’s wrong with you today?"

Sensitively aware of Jiang Xiaoxiao’s off mood, despite her efforts to suppress it, some of her emotions still leaked out.

Jiang Xiaoxiao was more reticent than usual.

Jiang Xiaoxiao tried hard to muster a smile, "It’s nothing! I probably didn’t sleep well last night, don’t worry! I won’t impact the progress of the competition."

She wouldn’t be a hindrance.

"That’s good! If you don’t feel well, you can rest. We won’t lose this round."

Zhang Xun and the others were confident that their medical university was routinely among the top three, even if not the undisputed champion.

Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded, with the competition still some time away from starting, and decided to wash her face in the bathroom to perk up her admittedly poor mental condition.

She needed a splash of cold water.

After washing her face with cold water, she walked out of the bathroom, only to see Mu Feng waiting right outside the door.

Mu Feng was leaning against the wall, his gaze inscrutable.

"Senior Brother Mu."

He was obviously waiting for her.

Mu Feng’s meaningful smile made Jiang Xiaoxiao a little uncomfortable.

This Mu Feng, from their first meeting, gave off an indescribable air of mystery, making him hard to read.

"Are you okay?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao paused, "I’m okay."

"Jiang Xiaoxiao! Actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. My younger sister has congenital heart disease and I was hoping you could take a look at her."

Jiang Xiaoxiao felt a stir in her heart.

"Mu, there might be a misunderstanding. I’m only in my second year of university; even Senior Brother Mu doesn’t have a license to practice medicine yet, so there’s no way I could have one either."

Mu Feng’s attitude was ambiguous, as if he were testing her.

"Jiang Xiaoxiao, didn’t you treat Wu Xiaocheng from the Wu family? Whatever price the Wu family offered, we will triple it. Just consider it, Jiang, any request you have will be granted."

Jiang Xiaoxiao didn’t know why Mu Feng was so confident she could provide treatment. She trusted that the Wu family would not expose her.

She had made it very clear back then.

Both out of loyalty and weighing interests, the Wu family wouldn’t betray her.

It seemed likely that Mu Feng was just trying to bluff her.

The curious and overly generous conditions proposed by the other party made it all the more surprising for a student like her, who hadn’t even graduated from their second year, to be approached for treatment.

There was nothing about her that should have revealed any value.

But they offered such significant concessions and sacrifices.

Even for someone like Mr. Feng, it would be more than ample treatment, yet they were offering it to her, a mere student.

Jiang Xiaoxiao didn’t believe in windfalls falling from the sky.

She had a feeling something was about to happen.

Mu Feng’s eyes flickered, "Jiang Xiaoxiao, just consider it. You can look into our family’s background. This could actually be beneficial for you."

His cryptic words intensified the strange feeling within Jiang Xiaoxiao even more.

"Senior Brother Mu, I’ll think about it."

Jiang Xiaoxiao knew she wouldn’t agree; she wouldn’t allow her secrets to be casually used by outsiders.

Especially when Mu Feng seemed so insidious at a glance.

Returning to the competition venue,

Jiang Xiaoxiao was unaware of how many people were watching her due to her arrival.

"Is that Jiang Xiaoxiao?"

"That’s right, she’s the one who tied with Wang Huan for first place with 9.5 points in the first round, Jiang Xiaoxiao."

"Wow, she looks so young!"

"Yeah, I looked her up, she’s only in her second year, just twenty-one."

"Are second-year students these days really that remarkable?"

"What do you think!"

A dozen reporters, alongside cameras, had gathered around.

The latest round of the competition required a full live broadcast.

Jiang Xiaoxiao, lost in thought, was completely unaware.

The five participating teams filed out in order and took their places, with the commentator announcing their names and home schools.

The host, Feng Zhiwei, appeared to announce that all five participating teams were newcomers due to the five-time defending champion, First Medical University, stepping down after last year’s competition.

The First Medical University had earned the privilege of entering the last final round with Zhijie.

This was a right only the victor could have.

For all of them now, defeating the Fifth Medical University was their lifetime goal.

The competition venue was not limited to the five teams; people naturally loved excitement, and anyone with a few minutes to spare would find an excuse to see what was happening.

Over a thousand supporters from various academies had crowded into the venue, unwilling to leave.

When Feng Zhiwei roared that this wasn’t a circus performance, many shrugged and said.

"We’re just the cheerleading squad; is the cheerleading squad not allowed to enter now? What about the spirit of the competition?"

Feng Zhiwei gestured for silence before beginning the competition procedure.

Reading out the type of riddles.

"Beep!"

"Arteriosclerosis."

"Beep!"

"Dr. McCormick."

Jiang Xiaoxiao answered.

"Beep!"

"Congenital heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, coronary heart disease, hypertensive heart disease."

"Beep!"

Jiang Xiaoxiao dominated the buzzers, not giving the competition a sliver of a chance.

Everyone stared at Jiang Xiaoxiao, dumbfounded.

"I could’ve answered that too."

A contestant murmured to themselves.

"Then why didn’t you buzz in just now?"

Another student asked.

"Silence!"

Feng Zhiwei shouted.

"Junior colleges."

"Bai Qiu’en."

Jiang Xiaoxiao answered, clutching the buzzer firmly in her palm.

It was very different guessing for fun at home with Song Moting and guessing right at such a crucial moment, perhaps people thought she was really just lucky to guess it right.

Who could understand the painstaking effort she’d put in?

"Coronary artery sclerosis."

"Cardiac stent surgery."

"Left leg!"

"Leg paralysis."

"End-stage liver cancer."

The competition venue fell silent.

One by one, the riddles were answered, with Jiang Xiaoxiao giving the correct answer each time.

Sometimes, she barely managed to respond before the hint lit up on the screen, but she always made it in time.

The First Medical University team led all the way, even if they weren’t the first to buzz in, they still managed to answer correctly when the other four teams erred.

Her score was already double that of the other four teams combined.

Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but want to end the competition.

The venue erupted in applause.

An overwhelming surge of exuberant passion.

A group of experts and all the audience watching the television screen were stunned.

It was apparent from the outset that this was a crushing defeat, with no suspense.