Shen Xi Fan was utterly confused, frozen like a plaster statue. Across from her, He Shou Zheng winked at her. She murmured to herself, “What’s going on here?”
Su Shan pulled her to sit down as Qiu Tian reached for a rope. While passing it, he explained, “The five of us guys…” He paused, reconsidering, then turned to He Shou Zheng. “Hey, He Shou Wu, are you even one of the guys?”
He Shou Zheng snorted, “Of course! I even know about Li Jie’s retake exam in junior year!”
He Su Ye burst out laughing and patted He Shou Zheng on the head. “Kid, are you sure you want to be a groomsman?”
Shen Xi Fan was dumbfounded. Pointing to the rope, she exclaimed, “Don’t tell me you’re dueling for the position of groomsman?”
Su Shan and Fang Ke Xin nodded solemnly.
Qiu Tian dangled the rope in front of her eyes and gave it a quick twist. In no time, a neat and beautiful surgical knot appeared. “This is a surgical knot. Whoever ties the most in one minute becomes the groomsman.”
For the first time, Shen Xi Fan carefully observed the hands of a surgeon, filled with an inexplicable sense of awe. A qualified doctor undergoes rigorous training starting from their student days.
It was also her first time watching He Su Ye’s hands so attentively. They were truly elegant—long, slender fingers with distinct joints, exuding a sense of steadiness and strength. As he tied the surgical knots, his movements were as fluid as playing the piano, his fingers creating an astonishingly beautiful rhythm.
Feeling her gaze might be too intense, she discreetly shifted her focus to someone else—namely “He Shou Wu,” He Su Ye’s young nephew. The boy was imitating the knot-tying earnestly, but his small fingers weren’t as nimble as an adult’s. Soon, she realized the competition would likely be between He Su Ye and Qiu Tian.
She secretly hoped He Su Ye would win.
But in the end, her hopes were dashed. After one minute, He Su Ye had tied 98 knots, while Qiu Tian had managed 101. She wasn’t surprised—Qiu Tian was a cardiovascular surgeon and had the edge in practice.
However, the other doctors were visibly astonished, especially Qiu Tian. Comparing the results, he raised his sharp eyes and teased, “Falling behind, huh, Pointy Corner?”
He Su Ye remained unbothered, calmly wiping juice off He Shou Zheng’s lips. “I haven’t tied ‘knots’ in years.”
His words sent everyone into fits of laughter. Qiu Tian reminisced, “Back in the day, we were obsessed with knot-tying during exams. We tied knots while eating, in class—even our shoelaces were surgical knots. Pointy Corner slept on the bunk above mine, so I hung a rope from his bed frame for practice. Two weeks later, the rope broke from overuse!”
Li Jie interjected, “Our surgery instructor once told us the record for surgical knots at our school was 128. I nearly fainted. Later, I complained to our senior brother, and he innocently admitted, ‘Oh, that’s my record.’”
He Su Ye waved dismissively, “Ancient history, don’t bring it up.”
But young He Shou Zheng, full of righteousness, declared, “Forgetting history is betraying the past!” The room erupted in laughter.
Shen Xi Fan couldn’t help but admire He Su Ye. His smile was open and sincere, showing no trace of disappointment. It made her feel a little petty for caring so much about the result. Fair is fair—if this was how they chose the groomsman, so be it.
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