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PUBG: Surviving in Despair
墨書 Inktalez
“Zhao Jun, do you have any plans for the summer vacation?” Dule asked with a grin, sliding his chair in front of Zhao Jun with his foot.
Being a teacher is a respected profession. Although the salary is a bit low, the long winter and summer vacations every year make everyone envious.
Zhao Jun was tidying up his desk and smiled at Dule, saying, “What’s up? Are you inviting me to join you on your trip to Emei Mountain?”
Dule quickly replied with a laugh, “That won’t work. My girlfriend finally managed to get a week off, and if you, the single guy, tag along, it would ruin the mood.”
Zhao Jun knew that Dule was just coming over to flaunt his plans to take his girlfriend to Emei Mountain for a vacation. In fact, this had already become common knowledge in the office a month ago.
Zhao Jun turned Dule's chair around and playfully kicked it back while threatening, “Teacher Du, if you bring this up again, I’ll book a flight to Emei Mountain right now and wait for you two. I can guarantee that for seven days, your girlfriend won’t be able to touch a single finger of yours. Go ahead and try me.”
Dule laughed heartily as he slid back to his desk and turned to boast to Lily White across from him, no longer bothering Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun smiled as he organized his desk. After graduating from normal university, he had taken a job as an elementary school teacher at Weicai Private School, primarily teaching geography and nature. He was quite satisfied with his current job; it was enjoyable, relaxed, and filled with childlike wonder every day. As for having a girlfriend, Zhao Jun wasn’t in a hurry. At just 26 years old, he didn’t want to trap himself in the mundane routine of life too soon.
Just as Zhao Jun sent off the show-off Dule, Teacher Chen from the opposite desk leaned over his computer and whispered, “Teacher Zhao, if you don’t have any plans for the summer vacation, why not come help me? I’ve started a tutoring class with more than ten students.”
Zhao Jun quickly responded, “Thank you, Teacher Chen! Well, I plan to borrow a car from a friend and drive around. I might even go to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. By the time I get back, summer vacation will be almost over.”
Teacher Chen chuckled and gave Zhao Jun a thumbs-up. “Youth is great; no strings attached. When I was young, I wanted to visit the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau too, but unfortunately…”
At just 35 years old, Teacher Chen seemed a bit premature in calling himself young. However, if one knew that his pair of twin children had already started school, they would understand why he couldn’t afford to relax during the holidays.
Just as Zhao Jun was about to tease Teacher Chen further, Lily White from the same grade group excitedly asked him, “Teacher Zhao, are you really going to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?”
Zhao Jun was startled and quickly replied, “Uh… I haven’t planned it out yet; it’s still tentative.”
Lily had been interested in Zhao Jun for about a year or two now. All the teachers in the office knew about her feelings for him. However, her thick glasses with nearly eight hundred degrees of myopia didn’t exactly stir any romantic feelings in Zhao Jun. Although he also wore glasses—plain black frames for show—his vision was excellent. He had high standards when it came to finding a girlfriend and wouldn’t settle for less.
Lily White smiled brightly at Zhao Jun and said, “Teacher Zhao, I’d love to go to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau too! If you’re sure about going, let’s go together.”
Lily White looked at Dule with a sly grin and said, "The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is great, with its desolate mountains and wilderness, devoid of human presence. We can admire the beautiful landscapes of our motherland while enjoying the thrill of the car's vibrations. At night, we can light a bonfire and crawl into a small tent together, intertwined... tsk tsk..."
"Shut your mouth," Zhao Jun snapped, grabbing half a pack of Hongta Mountain cigarettes from his desk and throwing it at Dule. Ever since Dule started dating a girl from the education bureau, he had become insufferably smug, especially when he kept pushing Zhao Jun to get closer to Lily White, as if that would give him some psychological edge.
Dule caught the cigarettes with a laugh and said smugly, "Thanks!" He pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, winking at Lily White. "Teacher Bai, our great leader Sun Yat-sen taught us: The revolution has not yet succeeded; comrades still need to work hard. Hehe, Teacher Bai, I have high hopes for you two. Go for it!"
Lily White spat in Dule's direction but her eyes were fixed on Zhao Jun.
"I like him; so what? Love is about equality between men and women. As the ancients said, with enough effort, an iron pestle can be ground down to a needle. Maybe in two years, if he hasn't found the right girlfriend, he'll realize I have so many good qualities."
As Dule rambled on with his nonsense and smoked his cigarette, he walked toward the door. Several non-smoking teachers were in the office, including female teachers. The male teachers who smoked were always considerate enough to step out into the corridor.
Dule opened the office door and nearly bumped into someone who was about to push it open. Both of them jumped back in surprise.
Seeing who stood outside, Dule quickly took the cigarette out of his mouth and greeted the person with a fawning smile. "Li Wei! You're here! Zhao Jun is inside."
As he spoke, Dule turned back to shout at Zhao Jun, "Zhao Jun! Li Wei is here!"
Li Wei pulled out a pack of Huanghelou 1916 from his pocket and handed one to Dule with a smile. "Thanks, Teacher Du. I need to talk to this guy about something. By the way, you guys are about to start summer vacation, right?"
"Tomorrow! Tomorrow we have vacation," Dule replied with a grin as he took the Huanghelou from Li Wei's hand and casually stuffed the Hongta Mountain he had just received from Zhao Jun into his pocket.
Li Wei chuckled at Dule and said that was perfect before swaggering into the office. He walked straight to Zhao Jun's desk, tossed half a pack of Huanghelou 1916 along with his handbag onto the desk, pulled out a chair with a flourish, and plopped down with a smile. "Zhao Laoshi! Tomorrow's vacation! Congratulations! To celebrate your successful survival through another half semester, I'm treating you to a week-long trip abroad. What do you say? Aren't I generous?"
At the door, Dule watched Li Wei and Zhao Jun chatting enviously before closing the door behind him. He pulled out his lighter from his pocket and lit up his cigarette while glancing at the flashy Ferrari parked in the lot below. He couldn't help but shake his head lightly.
Damn it! Why don't I have a rich second-generation friend like Li Wei? What a fate.
In the office, Zhao Jun grinned at Li Wei and said, "Aren't you supposed to be going with Jiang Rui? What happened? Did Jiang Rui dump you?"
Li Wei laughed as he reached down to pull open the drawer under Zhao Jun's desk. With practiced ease, he took out a bag of pistachios, cracking them open and munching on them as he spoke. "Jiang Rui's dad has a business deal to discuss in Europe, and he suddenly dragged her along to be his translator. Otherwise, this opportunity wouldn't have come to you. Damn it, one spot costs 180,000 yuan. If it weren't for my desire to shoot some guns, I wouldn't be willing to spend that much."
Zhao Jun grabbed a few pistachios from Li Wei's bag and said while eating, "Thanks for the offer, but just give me the 180,000 yuan instead. I'm planning to borrow your Land Rover to take a trip around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau."
"Dream on! I told the travel agency about it, and they said the fees have already been spent. If I want a refund, I can only get back 10,000 yuan. If I push for a full refund, I'll lose 170,000 yuan. These guys really think I'm a fool! No way am I backing out. So what do you say? Either you come with me on this trip or you compensate me for the 170,000 yuan loss. I'm sticking to you today."
"What? How can you be so unreasonable? How does your 170,000 yuan loss have anything to do with me? Damn it, just because your girlfriend has something going on, you're dragging me into this? Your shamelessness is reaching master level."
Li Wei chuckled and said to Zhao Jun, "I'm sticking to you now. What can you do about it? Who told you we're old pals? Just enjoy yourself; where else can you find such a good deal? I'm paying for your trip and still have to come begging you. Enjoy it while you can."
Zhao Jun looked at Li Wei's shameless expression and shook his head with a smile. "Fine, I'll go. But when I get back, you have to let me drive your Land Rover for a month. That should give me enough time to explore the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau."
Li Wei raised his hand and high-fived Zhao Jun. "Deal."
Not far away, Lily White had been eavesdropping on their conversation with her ears perked up. She looked up at Zhao Jun and asked, "Are you really going to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau?"
Zhao Jun hurriedly replied to Lily White, "It's still undecided."
After saying that, Zhao Jun stood up and dragged Li Wei toward the door.
Lily White pouted her rosy lips and huffed softly before looking down at her slightly plump figure. Determinedly, she said, "This summer vacation, I'm signing up for a yoga class to lose weight. When you come back, I'll surprise you."
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