This was a small apartment measuring a mere 58 square meters, featuring two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
The furniture was old, yet everything was clean and tidy, though it ultimately radiated one single word: poverty!
A young woman wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt, slightly flared blue jeans, and black hair cascading down to her waist was scrolling with her right mouse pointer, her large, fox-like eyes locked onto an old-fashioned computer.
Her slightly pursed lips inadvertently betrayed a trace of tension.
A plump housewife of around 50 was cooking in the kitchen, wearing an apron.
Suddenly, the young woman bit her lip, her eyes misting over with tears, her face a mask of utter disappointment.
"Yanan, are the civil service exam results out yet?"
"Mom, I... this isn't my fault! There are too many freaks out there. The total score was 300, and someone actually got 269! I... my 199 isn't low either, it's just that my rank is 123... Mom, not the face..."
A twenty-something woman with black hair cascading to her waist, standing 152 centimeters tall, of average build, with fair skin, a small black mole on her lip (they say people with moles on their lips are big eaters), phoenix eyes, a round face, and a somewhat refined aura, bolted out of the front door in a blind panic at a dead sprint. From behind came a roar that could shake the heavens: "You little brat, you stop right there... Where did she go? Just you wait until you get back, I'll deal with you..."
Patting her chest, Ouyang Yanan panted heavily. "Phew, a good thing I ran fast. I'll buy a chicken cutlet to calm my nerves."
"Boss, one chicken cutlet and an orange juice. Here, take the ten yuan."
"Coming right up!"
Sitting on a bench in the small park, a certain someone munched on a steaming chicken cutlet while muttering under her breath, "Is my mom going through menopause or something? She starts swinging the moment she says two words, seriously. My face hurts so much; my girl-next-door face wasn't anything special to begin with, and now she's pinched it all red. Talk about a real mother!"
Yanan reflected on the past three years since graduation. It had taken her five attempts just to pass the written portion of the teacher certification exam. Having finally gotten her teaching certificate, she still couldn't pass the actual teacher recruitment exams, always hovering around thirtieth place. Let alone the civil service exams—she was cannon fodder every single time. *Sigh, I guess I really just don't have the knack for studying! My future looks utterly bleak!*
Ouyang Yanan, a post-90s generation member with a junior college degree in graphic design, simply wanted to become a primary school art teacher. During class, she would teach cute children how to draw, while incidentally instilling in them proper values and moral principles, guiding their minds onto the right path.
When she had no classes, she would curl up at home watching TV, and in her spare time, paint entries for competitions. With a guaranteed salary and a stable life, it was truly an ideal lifestyle!
Yet, while the ideal was plump, reality was painfully skeletal. Good grief, it had taken her five tries just to get a certificate, and she'd only pushed forward by holding onto the spirit of "the more you are defeated, the stronger you grow" and "failure is the mother of success."
And yet, actually passing a civil service or teaching exam was no simple feat. Could it be that my abilities are truly limited, and I've just been blowing hot air?
"Bah! What nonsense am I telling the truth for?"
Why was the gap between people so enormous?
"Ah..." she let out a long howl toward the heavens...
"Is this kid okay?" an older sanitation worker asked by reflex.
"Who knows? Young girls nowadays mature early. Maybe she got dumped!" a housewife said, rolling her eyes.
"Tsk, whose kid was raised so poorly?"
Disapproved a woman with disdain.
"Young lady, don't do anything foolish. You're still young, what kind of man can't you find?" a middle-aged uncle kindly reminded her.
"That's right, don't do anything rash!"
"I reckon she's a lunatic, aren't she?"
"Better stand a bit further back. Nutters don't get punished for hitting people!"
"Right, right!"
"Probably not, she looks pretty normal!"
"Who knows? We've got nothing better to do anyway, might as well watch the show!"
"Still, there are plenty of scam artists staging accidents nowadays. What if something happens and they pin it on us?"
As soon as that was said, Yanan found herself instantly surrounded by the people in the park, though they all kept a distance of three meters, pointing and whispering. Some even took out their phones to take pictures and post them on WeChat Moments, muttering about some heartbroken girl...
"Speechless!" Yanan rolled her eyes dramatically, scanned the circle, and shook her head with a sigh! This very action only convinced the onlookers even more that she was a mental patient!
"Look at what she's doing, shaking her head like that. Could she actually be a lunatic?"
"I think so too!"
She was utterly speechless. She thought of a line by the Living Buddha Jigong: "The crowd laughs at me for being too mad; I laugh at them for failing to see through it all!"
Life had all sorts of facets, and people came in every variety. Those who watched the fun, those who made sarcastic remarks, and those who felt genuine pity were all different. Although a coward afraid of death like her would never commit suicide, what they said wasn't entirely untrue. Nowadays, young people really did jump from buildings and commit suicide over broken hearts. But did suicide really end all one's troubles once and for all?
The people who loved you would be heartbroken to the point of collapse, the people who hated you would clap in glee, and the spectators would merely use your suicide as gossip over tea and dinner. To others, your death would be like a pebble sinking into the ocean; with the passage of time, a dead person's light is blown out.
Only your family, your parents, would forever linger on the brink of painful collapse.
Humans are born to suffer; only by enduring the harshest hardships can one rise above the rest!
Some deaths are lighter than a feather, while others are heavier than Mount Tai. Since one has made a trip into this world, one must accomplish something great. How could one dare speak lightly of life and death without achieving success or renown?
"You've all misunderstood, I just failed an exam, please leave me alone!"
The crowd froze, their faces burning hot.
"Uh..."
"Sorry about that!"
"..."
The crowd dispersed. At precisely six o'clock in the afternoon, she didn't dare go home and face a scolding.
It seemed her only option was to go hide at her best friend's place for the night. She pulled out her phone: "Linlin, where are you?"
"Yanan, I'm at home! What's wrong?"
"Can I crash at your place for a night? My mom is furious because I failed my exam!"
"This..."
"What's wrong?"
"Yanan, my sister is here, and she's staying for a few days. My single apartment only has two rooms, and a single bed isn't enough for both of us. How about I book a hotel room for you?"
"Forget it then, I'll call Meizi and ask!"
She hung up and called her good friend Meizi: "Meizi, can I sleep at your place tonight?"
"I'm away on a business trip, and my husband is home with the kid. Why don't you..."
"Never mind, I'll ask some other friends!"
"Hello, the number you have dialed is not answering, please try again later..."
"Hello, the number you have dialed is powered off..."
"Ah, heaven is truly trying to destroy me! I've hit rock bottom!"
"Whatever, I'll go take a walk."
Walking down the bustling main street, this small county town where she was born and raised was exceptionally lively. The aunties in the square were dancing to loud music with high enthusiasm, and shops were holding clearance sales with crowds coming and going. Blaring music mingled with the sound of haggling, creating a bustling scene.
On the street, a family of three walked hand in hand; couples strolled arm in arm looking deeply affectionate; groups of ambitious young people loudly discussed doing big things; old married couples took leisurely strolls...
Passersby streamed past Yanan.
And she was like a dispensable stranger, wandering aimlessly, utterly broke and without a single penny to her name...
"Why am I so stupid? I didn't even bring money when I went out, and the only crumpled ten-yuan bill in my pants pocket went to buy that chicken cutlet. The job I found pays 1,800 a month and hasn't even been paid out yet. Sigh, I really am a total failure. A college graduate earning 1,800 a month—that's not even as good as a street cleaner or a waitress, ugh!"
Walking up to a billboard, a small housing rental flyer caught her eye—no, it crushed her spirit.
"What? A one-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom for 3,500 a year? Two bedrooms for 4,600 a year? Three bedrooms for 6,800 a year?!
Even renting a place in this small county town has gotten this expensive! To support me, my sister, and my younger brother, my mom and dad are still renting a place to live. They still have to give us living expenses and tuition fees, sigh... and as for me, with my 1,800-yuan salary in a county town with such high living costs, it isn't even enough for food, let alone rent, daily necessities, clothes, shoes, friends' wedding gifts, and what else...?"
Instantly, she felt deflated and utterly devoid of the will to live. It truly felt like she couldn't go on!
At that moment, she really wanted to read a poem — *If Life Deceives You*!
It fit the mood quite well, yep!
"What should I do? Where is my way out? What am I even suited for? They say poverty strips people of their ambition and limits their imagination—isn't that description tailored for the current me? I'm just one of the countless ordinary folks! Ordinary and mediocre..."
"Sigh! Being born human is truly not easy. Where should I go from here? Where is the starting point of my success?"
...
She raised her hand to check her watch: 9:30 PM. Where should she go? After wandering around, she ended up right back at the small park. Sitting on the bench, she tried to figure out a way out, but couldn't come up with anything. Drowsiness washed over her, and leaning against the backrest, she drifted off to sleep without realizing it!
In her dream, she dreamed she had lots of money. She built a grand villa, let her mom and dad live in a fine house, and the whole family lived happily together, letting them enjoy their twilight years in comfort...
"Rumble..." A burst of combat accompanied by the sound of a collapsing courtyard wall snapped the daydreaming girl awake.
She shuddered all over and opened her hazy, bewildered eyes.
She just happened to hear an inexplicable exchange between two men...
"Young Master Ye, you won't be so lucky today. Hand over the Body-Refining Divine Art. Considering you're also a towering figure, I'll grant you a swift death! Heh heh heh..." Followed by a spine-chilling laugh.
That bone-chilling laughter instantly chased away all of Yanan's sleepiness!
How terrifying!
Who were they? What body-refining technique? Was she still dreaming? She pinched herself hard on the arm and instantly winced, baring her teeth: "Ouch, it hurts! I'm not dreaming!"
Then a magnetic male voice rang out...