CHAPTER 56
I vaguely heard a conversation; though I didn't open my mouth, the sounds seemed to leap from my lips and tongue on their own. I clearly heard something being said, but the voices seemed lost, unable to find their way from my eardrums to my heart.
She heard herself seemingly agree to something.
Someone was repeatedly confirming something with her.
Crying and laughing, shouting at the top of one's lungs, furious and overjoyed, it's hard to tell whether it's an old memory or something that's happening now.
Then, in the shimmering reflection of the water, she saw a figure in a bright red wedding dress and a pair of bright, sparkling eyes smiling at her, a smile that seemed almost dreamlike.
A burning sensation came from my left index finger.
She turned her head and her gaze met that of a young man in black clothes, with black hair and black eyes. He seemed to smile, but it looked worse than crying.
She felt it was a bit unlucky, as it was a rare and joyous day.
But she still managed to force a smile.
Then a group of people dressed in bright colors and wearing red silk ribbons, though not clearly visible, waved enthusiastically at her.
She walked briskly into the crowd, ignoring the burning sensation still radiating from her left index finger.
Suddenly, a gust of evil wind blew by, and everything disappeared, leaving her all alone.
She could clearly sense her heroic spirit and confidence.
When she saw the ferocious monster transform into a boy, her heart surged even more.
The boy's dreamy eyes and lingering expression were perfectly disguised; everything was under his control.
The moon rises and sets, and the fragrance of plum blossoms has been smelled many times over.
She finally found her opportunity and struck decisively.
Bright red blood dripped from her hands, warm blood and scalding tears, staining her snow-white clothes, like a plum blossom standing on a snowy branch.
Her heart suddenly paused for a moment.
But only for a moment.
She returned to the crowd, where she was welcomed on all sides, standing high above, looking down upon the piety.
Suddenly I caught a glimpse of a familiar face, but he looked so unfamiliar.
A fine young man from some family has stumbled upon the one he loves most.
Who are you?
You've mistaken me for someone else.
She has a bad temper, quite different from him.
Oh dear, I'm getting old, my eyesight isn't what it used to be.
She began to miss the snow and the fragrance of the plum blossoms in full bloom.
He laughed and said it didn't smell as good as you, and he swore he was telling the truth.
She had no interest in that.
She was overjoyed to discover that his heart was on the right side.
The slideshow in my mind was of the still-beating heart she was holding in her hand, which was just like a human's.
Cruel beauty is forever recorded and preserved, nourishing her beneath the high throne.
The heart, old and depleted, filled with deep furrows, is reunited with the plum blossoms, which stand proudly in the cold wind amidst the snow.
Obsession, endless and ever-flowing, until it is awakened from its slumber.
She exhausted her spiritual energy, and he clung to her, burning her to ashes willingly.
A young body, fresh blood, and as always, she exuded a unique fragrance.
She carefully cultivated and kept her for his own use, only so that he could burn her ashes.
But is he still himself?
It is unknown.
No.
She is not herself, but she must be herself.
He must be him.
They knew perfectly well what was going on, yet they consciously succumbed to it.
"Wake up!"
Do you know what you're doing?
Wake up!
"I'll take you away, okay?"
"Come with me, okay?"
Lips and tongue tightly closed, red clothes more vivid than blood, the cry of a crane and the sound of wind passing by.
Clad in white, they pursued relentlessly.
Is it for the heart beating beneath that touch of red, or for that rich, exotic fragrance that is noticed even before sight?
If this is your decision, you should still try to fight for it.
Is it raining? The raindrops, long since cooled, drip onto my cheeks.
"Captain?" The raging consciousness subsided for a moment, regaining control of the body, and Sheng Qing's memories became clear.
"Sheng, Qing?" The voice was suppressed.
Who else could it be but me?
"Are you...crying?" The person in front of her was backlit. Sheng Qing raised her hand, wanting to touch her, but fell halfway down. A warm hand caught her hand and held it tightly.
"Is it really you?" Meng Yunxi asked, her voice trembling, as she reached out to wipe away Sheng Qing's tears.
It is said that a person's looks are judged by looking up at them. When Sheng Qing looked up, he had a well-defined jawline. He was quite handsome, and she was somewhat infatuated.
"Where am I?" Sheng Qing struggled to move her body, a wave of fatigue washing over her, and she forcefully suppressed the hysterical voice in her head.
“There’s a hidden world inside, you remember?” Meng Yunxi gently helped Sheng Qing sit up, leaning back and raising her gaze so that she could just see a small part of the furnishings in the room.
"Let me in!"
"Let me out!"
The whole house trembled, and Sheng Qing's mind trembled as well. The unstoppable flood was about to burst its banks.
They tacitly and spontaneously added a layer of protection.
"Captain?" A dying man's words are often kind.
Ptooey! Ptooey!
"Um."
"What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly." Sheng Qing felt the spiritual energy in his sea of consciousness disappearing visibly, being drawn by an invisible black hole.
"What did you say?" Meng Yunxi leaned closer, too close.
The house is about to collapse, my brain is about to explode, I can't hold on much longer!
If you don't take the plunge now, you might never have another chance.
"I might be starting to like you." Sheng Qing frowned, suppressing a flood of memories, and barely managed to inhale some oxygen through her mouth and nose.
It's better to remove the unnecessary parts.
Why isn't he saying anything? Didn't he hear me clearly?
"Liking it isn't enough."
Yes, just liking it isn't enough to describe the hardships and wanderings along the way.
His answer was the intertwining of lips and tongue.
Fatigue and dull pain struck at the same time, and Sheng Qing felt as if she were in an endless, dark abyss.
The once vibrant, planet-like sphere of consciousness was now dim and lifeless, emanating a decaying, heavy aura. It was shrouded in clinging black mist, the two forces complementing each other, inseparable and interdependent.
We've been targeted!
The emanating black mist peered in, coveted, and feared, cautiously yet swiftly and relentlessly approaching to devour it.
The dust rises, the beauty falls.
The smell of blood in his nasal cavity brought Sheng Qing back to reality.
What came into view was a sky full of scattered blood droplets and incredulous eyes. Gradually, they resigned themselves to their fate and accepted what destiny had brought.
A kiss for a heart, that's fair.
...
The long dream finally ended. Sheng Qing touched the dried tears on her cheeks and was in a daze for a moment.
It is said that people who dream a lot have bad kidneys, but she is so young, how could that be?
It is also said that remembering the contents of a dream after waking up is a very unlucky thing, but fortunately she has forgotten it all.
The class group on Sheng Qing's phone showed 99+ unread messages. She quickly scrolled through them, but apart from the table of names in the tripartite agreement and the notice to leave school sent by the counselor, there were no urgent messages.
A notification popped up on Sheng Qing's phone. He clicked on it and found it was an interview invitation. The interview was scheduled for 10 a.m. two days later, and the address was somewhere two hours away by car. The company name at the end of the email looked unfamiliar.
It's likely that she found a company that was recruiting on campus and clicked on the online application page to fill out the application. Sheng Qing got out of bed, turned on her computer, and searched for the company. The encyclopedia entry seemed quite legitimate.
"I heard the national civil service exam results are out. Have you checked them yet?"
That's right, all four of Sheng Qing's roommates followed suit and applied for the exam. Of course, the result was obvious: in a fierce competition, they were just one of the many who failed.
The dormitory was filled with groans once again.
"Yay, I got an internship offer!" My roommate C exclaimed with delight.
"Which one? Let me see if I have it?" Roommate D asked curiously, glancing at his email.
"XXX, please inform us that you will be starting work next week."
Congratulations!
"Finally, one was sold!"
"Speaking of which, the boys are more sought after. In the interview I attended the other day, the interviewer said directly that they would give priority to boys for this position."
"This is sexism! Report him! This is outrageous!"
The dormitory was noisy, but Sheng Qing felt a sense of unease.
Two days later, Sheng Qing dressed up in a tailor-made suit for a certain company for the interview, only to be tragically abandoned by a bus a few kilometers away from the interview.
"This damn navigation system, why didn't it notify us before it stopped working?" Another unlucky guy also cursed as he got off the bus with Sheng Qing.
It's 9:30, how about we take a taxi?
"Excuse me, are you going for a job interview?" Sheng Qing sized up the unlucky guy's formal attire and intrigued expression.
"Yes, are you going to XXX?" the unlucky guy asked.
"What a coincidence, me too! Let's take a taxi." The two hit it off immediately and finally arrived at the interview location at 9:50.
Led by the receptionist, Sheng Qing followed them into the interview room.
The three interviewers sat opposite Sheng Qing and seven or eight other interviewees, their expressions serious.
The venue was much smaller than the interviews of the previous two days, and the space seemed much cramped today.
Sheng Qing's feigned composure seemed to have won over an interviewer, who asked her several questions in a row before finally nodding in satisfaction and recording the information on the form on the table.
After the first interview, some people stayed, while others left with regret. Sheng Qing was lucky enough to stay and was taken to another interview room for the second interview.
The second interviewer introduced himself as a human resources manager. After briefly learning about Sheng Qing's situation, he left a test paper for Sheng Qing to complete in 45 minutes.
Sheng Qing hadn't received any news for a week after her interview. Could she have been rejected? The interviewer seemed quite satisfied with her. Could it be that her score in the second interview was too low?
It's a bit of a shame, it's a pretty reputable company.
Sheng Qing shook his head, sighed, and started looking at the new job postings.
Ding! A new text message has arrived.
It was an offer letter from a company that had only been established for a few years and had only a dozen or so employees.
I asked some of my classmates who also went for the interview, and several of them received offers. The offers seem to match their majors quite well, and the locations aren't far away. If you don't have any better options, you might as well give it a try.
After making the decision, Sheng Qing submitted an application to stay at the school during the winter break, thus beginning her challenging internship.
After working there for half a month, Sheng Qing came to the conclusion that this company was unreliable.
It's ridiculous enough that there are no workstations and people have to work in the conference room, but now there's a new notice that says one day on, one day off. Isn't that just plain disgusting?
With the Spring Festival approaching, Sheng Qing was torn between resigning and having a peaceful holiday, and then looking for another job next year.
It was at this moment that Sheng Qing received the third interview invitation from the company she had been longing for for several days.
Who's so kind as to wait almost a month before getting a third interview invitation?
But Sheng Qing still reluctantly agreed, since she didn't have a reliable job offer yet.
The third and final interview was with the same person who had asked her many questions during the initial interview. They talked for almost an hour. Haha, things look promising.
After waiting for further notice, Sheng Qing worked two more days at the unreliable company. Around noon, she received a call from a landline number.
The administrative manager on the other end of the phone informed her that she had passed the interview and inquired about a convenient start date, which was finally set for after the Spring Festival.
Back in the dorm, Sheng Qing shared the good news with her roommates. After everyone analyzed the situation, Sheng Qing decided to hold off for now and wait for the official offer to come before resigning.
Sheng Qing persisted for a few more weeks until he received a formal offer, and then resigned just before the Spring Festival.
Everything went smoothly after the holiday. Sheng Qing rented a house near the company. Except for needing to go back to school to deal with her thesis, she basically went between her rented house and the company.
Sheng Qing took a day off and returned to school.
"Have you passed your thesis defense?" Roommate A pushed open the door and entered, looking dejected.
"Uh, I wasn't selected." Sheng Qing guessed that A's defense hadn't gone very well.
"Ugh, what bad luck. I don't even know what questions they asked, and then they told me to revise it and prepare for the second review." Roommate A hung her backpack on the closet doorknob and then plopped down in a chair.
"Change, change, change what? I haven't even found an internship yet." Roommate A opened her phone to browse messages. "You're lucky, you weren't selected for the defense. I'm so envious."
"Hehe. These teachers are just bored. Do they have to make it look better if they have a few second-round review slots?" Sheng Qing complained a couple of times, then obediently didn't dare to say anything more.
Roommates B and C also came back, and the group of them cursed at the teachers together to vent their anger.
These days are numbered, and we'll have to say goodbye to them one by one until we take graduation photos and receive our diplomas.
Everything is proceeding smoothly.
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