Li Yun's written exam for the MLE was scheduled a week before the national holiday, so he had been focusing on studying in between waiting for patients in the ER. The exam covered basic medical knowledge, medical ethics, psychology, public health, and clinical medicine. Even with textbook knowledge, Li Yun couldn't just ace the tests.
"Male, 61, came in with a headache and vomited after running 3 hours," An Luchang's monotone voice asked Li Yun in the resident's lounge. "During the physical examination, he was not cooperative, drowsy, had double pupillary light reflex, neck rigidity, free movement of limbs, and muscle tension slightly high. Bilateral Babinski sign is evident, CT of the head as shown in the figure. Which is the correct diagnosis of the patient?" *
Li Yun thought for a moment. He knew the answer was likely ventricular hemorrhage, but why couldn't he say tumor of the ventricle?
"Dr. Li, what's the answer?" An Luchang pressed.
"Tumor of the ventricle?" Li Yun.
An Luchang shook his head. "It's ventricular hemorrhage. But why would you say a tumor when you know the odds are less than 5% and you can't diagnose with just the evidence presented?"
That was the problem with written tests, Li Yun second-guessed himself often. He felt a bit of pressure, but if he didn't pass the test, it would be embarrassing; everyone expected him to pass.
"Thanks for your help, good luck on your test too," said Li Yun after they finished studying.
"I don't need luck," An Luchang replied.
"This brat is more arrogant than me, fine, you're not getting the luck blessing charm," Li Yun thought. In all honesty, An Luchang didn't need the luck.
During the day of the test, Li Yun entered the testing location downtown and sat down on a combo desk and chair to take his test. After the first couple of questions, he was in the zone, and he easily completed the rest of the test. Once all the paperwork was approved, he would be officially a licensed doctor.
With the exam out of the way, Li Yun traveled to Macao with Lui Jing and An Luchang; the other residents decided to go home instead. The three residents arrived to the airport and took the hotel shuttle to their lodging.
In the hotel lobby, Li Yun and the residents rolled their luggage inside and looked at the bright flashing lights of the lobby. People in the West thought Vagas was flashy and bright, but Macao was more extravagant than any other casino capital in the world with forty-one casinos within the peninsula. The front suite was loud and noisy, filled with chatter from tourists and entertainers. Li Yun spotted Fatty Fang near the reception desk; a figure who was easy to spot a mile away.
Lui Jing and An Luchang's heads tilted up and greeted the heavy-weight Yide City's sanda champion, Wang Fang. His towering height and muscle-packed physique were shown through his plain tees and jeans.
"Everyone is waiting by the casino lounge, but I'll take you guys up to your room first," Fatty Fang said as he escorted them to the hotel.
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Unlike the residents, Fatty Fang and his other friends had more vacation days off from the national holiday, so they had arrived a day earlier. After dropping their luggage, they met up with the rest of the gang lounging around in a private room.
Bufu, Xuxu, Fatty Fang, Ju De, and Mu Lian were there drinking and karaoking like usual. The others had other obligations and couldn't make it. Li Yun introduced them to the residents.
Lui Jing and An Luchang were in awe when they saw Xuxu. Although she had short hair, she was tall and had a beautifully sculpted face. Her demeanor was sharp, and stood out from the rest of the group.
Bufu was handsome, but he did not have an aura that stood out like Xuxu. Li Yun had an aura, but he could blend in with the crowd if he wanted to. Fatty Fang was big, but not out of the ordinary. Mu Lian was cute, but her aura was soft.
Lui Jing then looked at baby-faced An Luchang, who looked like a cartoon character. "Why do I get a feeling I don't belong?" Lui Jing asked.
"You will get used to it," said Ju De, who was just a regular finance student, couldn't even measure up.
Lui Jing liked Ju De who seemed the most normal.
After everyone settled in, they made their way to the casino. The sound of slot machines echoed in the background. Closer to the tables, people were cheering and chattering. Everyone dispersed to take a look around, Bufu and Xuxu preferred blackjack while Fatty Fang and Mu Lian went to play baccarat.
Li Yun searched for the Texas Hold'em poker table with Ju De, Lui Jing and An Luchang. There were very few casinos that offered poker in Macao, and the majority were baccarat tables. However, Li Yun didn't want to test his luck, he wanted to test his ability to read people. Out of all the variations of poker, Texas Hold Em was simple and relied more on betting skills. He finally found a table at the corner of the casino and signed up for the next round.
It wasn't long before the waitress told him a seat was available. He took his seat while the others decided to watch from the spectator area.
"If you want to count cards, the blackjack table is in the other corner," one of the players jeered in Cantonese.
The other players chuckled. Li Yun smiled, ignoring their jabs as it was typical for them to feel out the new player' temper. A lot of newer players were advantaged players or newbie players who taught themselves the skills online. The table had likely encountered a lot of those types of players. Li Yun didn't mind their provocation, it was part of the game, and threw in the starting bet.
With Zuowang, Li Yun had placed himself in different players' positions as they played through the world poker tournaments, so although he had never played high stake poker, he knew what it was like. There was a lot of pressure that poker players had to hide and suppress during a tournament where millions were at stake.
However, that kind of stress was less intense during cash games, which allows players to play with a different sort of game style and strategy. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of cash games to watch online.
The players at the tables were regulars. Although they were not considered professional, they had far more experience than an average person and were retired foxes with large bankrolls. With the minimum buy-in of 15000 hk dollars ($2000) and 50/100 blinds the table loved seeing newcomers who had the guts to sit with them.
Li Yun folded on the first two starting rounds, throwing away 100 hkd into the pot from the mandatory blinds. For the most part, the table of ten players was quiet, except for the man who initially jeered at Li Yun. In between every flop and river, he would mock the other players.
"Come on Bullnose, your wife makes a quicker decision than that," the man jeered at a man with a large round nose.
"Quit jeering Old Cao, or you'll end up sounding like your wife," Bullnose jeered back. A moment later, he threw in a chip. "A call and raise."
As soon as he made the call, Old Cao smirked. He had a pair of kings, and with a King on the turn, he pretty much got the round in the bag. Bullnose threw his card when he saw the Kings and fling his pair of Queen onto the table.
"Dammit! I knew you had a pair Kings!" Bullnose wildly acted out.
"Yah, whatever," Old Cao replied, happily chewing his cigar as he took in the pot.