The night in Nanjing has a more profound and weighty feel than in Wuhan.
Inside the hotel standard room
The atmosphere was somewhat eerie.
Two single beds, separated by a bedside table.
On the left, Zhao Zichen sat upright.
The well-worn copy of "Guanzi" (Anthology of Classical Chinese Prose) lay open on his lap.
He was muttering to himself, speaking so fast it sounded like he was reciting a mantra.
On the right, Lin Que lay sprawled on the bed in a "big" shape.
He held his phone in mid-air, the screen's light illuminating his listless face.
"I'm talking to you, Lao Zhao."
Lin Que rolled over, unable to bear this human white noise any longer.
"If you keep chanting, I'll be the one who gets to the afterlife."
Tomorrow's test is an essay, not a dictation test. What's the point of memorizing this stuff?
Zhao Zichen pushed up his glasses without looking up:
"This is a sense of language."
Teacher Shen said that the rhythm of classical Chinese must be ingrained in one's very being. You don't understand.
"Okay, okay, I don't understand."
Lin Que jumped out of bed and grabbed his laptop from his bag.
"I'm going to the balcony for some fresh air. You can continue with the ritual."
Open the sliding door of the French windows,
The evening breeze, carrying the dampness of the lake, swept over us.
Lin Que sat down on a small rattan chair on the balcony and placed his computer on his lap.
The screen lit up, and I skillfully switched to an encrypted webpage.
That was the backend of the "Relief Cup" finals monitoring system sent by the technical department of the provincial writers' association.
As someone with profound insight, he should be sitting upright in his study at this moment.
Brew a cup of tea and wait for tomorrow's exam to be reviewed.
But as Lin Que, he could only huddle on the hotel balcony.
Using the free WiFi, I played the role of that unfathomable behind-the-scenes examiner.
In the chat box, Gu Changfeng's avatar was lit up.
[Teacher Jian Shen, the monitoring system has been debugged.]
The final will begin promptly at 9:00 AM tomorrow.
At that time, images of 3,500 candidates in 23 examination rooms across the province will be transmitted in real time.
Simply log in to your account to freely switch perspectives.
Lin Que's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out a line of text.
【Received. Thank you for your hard work.】
The other party replied almost instantly.
Chairman Gu: You've got some insight, haven't you rested yet?
The expert panel has finalized the topic for tomorrow as "Waiting." What do you think?
wait?
Lin Que raised an eyebrow.
The question was fairly standard.
It can write about the absurdity of waiting for Godot, and also the tenderness of waiting for flowers to bloom.
It perfectly matches the tone of the "Relief Cup".
[Insightful comment: Good topic. Waiting is a normal part of life, and also another name for hope.]
Chairman Gu: Haha, I knew you would like it.
By the way, I'll be in the monitoring room the whole time during the exam tomorrow.
If we see any interesting promising talents, let's discuss it anytime!
Lin Que paused, his fingers moving slightly.
Communicating anytime? That won't do.
Tomorrow at nine o'clock, he will be sitting in the examination room writing furiously. How will he have time to switch accounts and reply to messages?
What if Gu Changfeng sends a message saying, "Look at that sleeping kid, doesn't he look like an idiot?"
He can't exactly reply with "That's me," can he?
Yes, we need to shut this thought down.
[Jian Shen: Chairman, I have a habit.]
They prefer quiet when observing and do not like to be distracted.
The birth of writing is sacred, and watching these children through a screen is also a kind of fate.
It would be somewhat disrespectful of me to type and chat while simultaneously watching them think.
[Jian Shen: I will be online at 9:00 tomorrow and will remain silent to observe.]
We can discuss this further after the exams are over and the grading team selects the best entries.
This "aloof and dedicated" tactic resulted in a moment of silence from Gu Changfeng's side.
Chairman Gu: You are right. I was being presumptuous.
Then so be it; I will remain silent and observe, undisturbed by your writing.
Done.
Lin Que closed his laptop and let out a long sigh of relief.
As long as the account is logged in tomorrow, even if he's actually sleeping in the exam room...
Gu Changfeng would also think that "Teacher Jian Shen" was deeply gazing at all living beings from the other side of the screen.
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