Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Ah, you're so skinny and still can't get up!"
A girl with a high ponytail, wearing a black fitted sweater and jeans, complained as she pulled her hand back from the shoulder of Song Pearl, which was exposed outside the blanket. "Pearl, get up already! You really can sleep in; we have two exams today!"
Song Pearl sat up in bed with her hair down, blinking sleepily as she looked around. It took her a moment to realize she was lying in her dorm room. She was no longer the Pearl Fish who had just arrived; she was now Song Pearl, a soon-to-be college graduate who had lived among humans for over ten years.
Since she had come here, she had settled in, but now Song Pearl wondered if she was becoming more human or if she was simply regressing. She felt like she had lost all traces of the ethereal spirit of the former King of the Pool Fish.
With her plain appearance and ordinary style, she also lacked the enchanting aura that surrounded the other girls.
If she were to define herself now, Song Pearl would say she was a true hybrid of human and fish, combining all the flaws of both—directionally challenged, visually impaired, slow to react, and not very bright.
She didn't want to go to school at all, even though she liked peace and quiet.
Her fish soul felt quite old; perhaps her thinking was deteriorating. Sitting in class, she struggled to understand what the teacher was saying. Several times, her poor exam performance had caused trouble for her classmates, leading to phone calls home from teachers.
However, Song Shiting insisted that she attend school, and so she had been pushed all the way to college.
Last night, while listening to her roommates chat about handsome guys and beautiful girls from all over until midnight, she felt good despite having exams today.
She hadn't expected to dream about scenes from when she first arrived; memories buried deep within resurfaced vividly during the night.
Could something be about to happen? A slight unease crept into her heart.
Her roommate Wang Ziyan, seeing Song Pearl sitting there in a daze, smiled at her before rushing out of the dorm with her toiletries toward the washroom. It was Wang Ziyan's Duck-like Voice that had woken Song Pearl from her dreams.
There were eight girls in their dormitory, coming from various places across the province. Their initially clashing personalities gradually became familiar as they shared everything over three years.
Several roommates were already up early; some were fixing their hair in front of mirrors, others were sitting on their beds reading books, while some were at their desks eating Youtiao with pickles.
Clearly, she was the last one to get up. Fortunately, during the exam period, the management was relaxed and there was no morning run, allowing the students to have a more casual routine.
Song Pearl grabbed a handful of messy hair, gathered her disheveled locks at the back of her head, knelt on the bed to quickly fold her blanket, then hurriedly got dressed and washed up.
According to the dormitory rules, the last person to wake up had to be responsible for cleaning. Since she was always slower than others, she had to wake up earlier to avoid being last. Today, she couldn't escape the fate of cleaning.
“Pearl, there's no time left! I'll clean up; let’s just go straight to the cafeteria for breakfast!” Wang Ziyan, who had just come out of the washroom with a rosy glow on her face, said.
“Okay, I’ll help you next time!” Song Pearl smiled gratefully at Wang Ziyan.
“By next year you'll be working, how can you help? Why not treat us for lunch instead!” Wang Ziyan winked. “Hurry up!”
After this Graduation Exam, there would be another six months of internship. Most of their classmates were busy looking for jobs this semester; those who secured jobs or internship positions wouldn’t need to return to school when classes resumed next year and would only come back for their graduation defense after their internships ended.
Recently, some companies came to their school for recruitment. Song Pearl was quite lucky and actually passed the interview with the City Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Research Institute. After this exam, she could report directly there.
Song Pearl was not very noticeable in class; she had a weak constitution and didn’t like sports, and her personality was somewhat introverted and reclusive. Her classmates often unconsciously overlooked her presence.
Her grades were average across all subjects, and she didn’t actively participate in class; there were many classmates who were more outstanding than her. Yet she got hired, which surprised everyone in class; they all praised her as a fool who had good fortune.
However, after the interview results came out, her roommates' words noticeably lost some warmth, and their gazes held a bit more jealousy. Only Wang Ziyan treated her the same as before.
Wang Ziyan was very cheerful and said, “Come on, we’re not even twenty-one yet! We still have half a year to choose our workplaces. If we really can’t find anything, we can continue studying for our bachelor’s or take graduate entrance exams.”
Pearl really liked Wang Ziyan’s cheerful and outgoing personality. Despite their contrasting characters, they clicked well and became good friends.
When Song Pearl returned with her toiletries, her roommates had already left, and the dormitory was tidy thanks to Wang Ziyan. The two of them took their study materials to the cafeteria together.
The cafeteria had only a few scattered people eating; one serving window remained open with a somewhat bored-looking Helper in a slightly yellowed white coat staring listlessly at the entrance.
"Master, one bowl of porridge and a steamed bun."
Wang Ziyan placed her meal card on the card reader and called out to the distracted vendor.
The plump, round-faced Rice Vendor glanced at Wang Ziyan and quickly filled a takeout cup on the windowsill with two scoops of thick white rice porridge, then handed her a steamed bun to place on the lid.
"Just like her," Song Pearl said, pointing to her own takeout cup on the windowsill. Due to her voice, she had always been the overlooked one alongside Wang Ziyan, and buying food was no exception.
The vendor also looked at her, scooped a ladle of porridge, and handed her another steamed bun.
Song Pearl swiped her meal card and turned around to see Wang Ziyan already at their table with two pieces of salted tofu and a plate of shredded kelp.
Pearl smiled as she walked over with her food and asked, "Did you find another discount? Just ten cents?"
"Of course."
Wang Ziyan, the loud and extroverted pretty girl, often managed to get some bargains. What others could buy for twenty cents, she could get for just ten.
Song Pearl occasionally enjoyed riding on the coattails of Wang Ziyan's discounts.
Usually slow when eating, Song Pearl was in a hurry this time. Like Wang Ziyan, she quickly finished a steamed bun in a few bites and drank down the porridge in one go.
When they arrived at the Exam Room, they found they were surprisingly early. The classroom had four rows of desks set apart for individual examinees. They found their respective seats according to their exam numbers, with Song Pearl and Wang Ziyan surprisingly seated one behind the other.
The proctor had not yet arrived. Wang Ziyan tugged at Song Pearl's slightly faded down jacket hood. Song Pearl turned her head, and Wang Ziyan whispered, "We really are fated; after three years of sitting in front and behind each other, now for the Graduation Exam, we end up in the same arrangement again."
Song Pearl nodded with a smile. She often took a while to process what others said due to her slow reactions. After realizing this flaw, she tried to minimize misunderstandings by avoiding unnecessary conversations.
However, when she was with Wang Ziyan, she rarely had such concerns and would occasionally express her opinions freely.
Wang Ziyan had a great figure, an oval face, and lively phoenix eyes that sparkled with energy. She loved to smile, but her voice had a somewhat duck-like quality, which gave an impression of discordance. If she sat quietly without speaking, she was truly an outstanding beauty.
"I really don't understand why our Animal Husbandry major has to add a course on architectural drawing. Is it to build houses for animals?" Wang Ziyan propped her chin up with one hand while rhythmically tapping the table with the other.
"Not all animals need houses. For example, the fish we raise at home live in water. If I go home and raise fish in the future, I won't need this knowledge," Song Pearl replied.
"If I can't find a job and end up raising fish and shrimp at home, I'll definitely make money!" Wang Ziyan said, glancing around before leaning closer to Song Pearl's ear. "I don’t know if I can pass this class; keep an eye out for a chance to let me copy your answers later."
After nodding, Song Pearl felt a bit troubled. First of all, she only barely passed her exams each time, scoring much lower than Wang Ziyan. Secondly, although she often heard about cheating from others, she had never done it herself.
To prevent the earnest Song Shiting from being called to school by the teacher for criticism, she worked very hard and managed to get into this ordinary university, which cost her family a significant amount in tuition fees.
Although that money was meant for her education, she still felt somewhat guilty and always strived to do better, never violating any rules…
Comment 0 Comment Count