Chapter 6, Just Getting By
"What kind of symptom?" Yan Ke had never heard of it
As a young woman's room, it is indeed too messy. Ye Zilu sleeps alone on a double bed, which is piled high with various clutter. The quilt is never folded throughout the day, and beside it are unwashed clothes, casually tossed aside magazines and books, snacks and their wrappers, as well as a computer. It encompasses everything, reaching the level of a miniature Walmart on a bed—just enough space left on the enormous double bed for one person to barely lie down, which can be considered her nest.
Procrastination is when one always waits until the last minute to do things. For instance, during my undergraduate studies, I completed my thesis in just three days. I often skipped classes and neglected assignments, and I have crammed an entire English textbook of over 600 pages the night before an exam, surprisingly passing the next day. Ye Zilu said this with a hint of shameless pride. "During my senior year, I delayed paying for the graduate school entrance exam until the very last day, almost forgetting about it. I was out when my roommate called to remind me. I rode my bicycle frantically, crossing half a district in just half an hour, and finally made it back to the dormitory just in time to pay online before the system closed."
That night, Ye Zilu managed to show off in front of the speechless Yan Ke, and not long after, she found herself "suffering" as a result
What? You have worked for five minutes! Is this the number after the thousand separator?
Twelve days have passed this month, how are you, young lady
Having completed these tasks, she lowered her head to glance at her book, picked up her pen, and wrote down two characters. She fiddled with the pen for a while, seemingly realizing that she was a bit out of sorts. Thus, she repeated the previous actions... once again indulging in the "Four Small Items"... This time, however, misfortune struck, as she stumbled upon two lengthy articles written in a refreshing style that piqued her interest, and once she clicked in, she ended up reading for over forty minutes.
Soon, Yan Ke realized that this "fallen girl" was not so easy to save
For Yan Ke, a quiet evening without overtime or social obligations is quite rare. This ambitious young person of the new century will seize every moment to enrich themselves. At the very least, they can repeatedly contemplate their plans and direction for the near future
The words "Hehe" caught Ye Zilu's attention. She looked at Yan Ke, who had a bear-like expression, and said with some suspicion: "Why do I feel like you are mocking me for being a fool?"
Yan Ke raised Wang Laura's long-standing question: "Then why did you sign up?"
Well, this can barely be considered as replenishing energy before staying up late to study
The moment she realized that this was not the last night before the exam, her little ambitions had nearly dissipated by the time she had not even finished reading the preface
However, less than five minutes later, she reopened the unclosed webpages and went through her daily routine of "four small items"—Weibo, Renren, Douban, and Tianya—spending a total of fifteen minutes
As for other more in-depth information, they were unable to extract it.
Yan Ke knew she should say something polite like "That must be very certain," but when the words reached her lips, they took a turn and transformed into: "Are you trying to tease the examiner by taking the exam without even reading the book?"
Ye Zilu glanced up amidst her busy schedule and said: "Oh, the month has just begun; I will look through it again in a couple of days"
Then Ye Zilu, as if awakening from a dream, remembered that she was still reviewing, and shifted her attention back to her book. This time, she managed to focus for a slightly longer period, probably because she had just spent enough time online—she read for ten minutes.
Yan Ke said: "Hehe, quite thrilling, you must have considerable talent"
She finally understood that sometimes, it is not enough to simply want to get by; one cannot truly survive by merely getting by.
Beside Yan Ke was a desk lamp that shed dust at the slightest touch, along with a calendar. He focused his gaze and saw that the calendar was filled with various plans and arrangements written in different colors. Just looking at this, one might think that this was a young lady full of enthusiasm and a love for learning, except for...
Yan Ke met her gaze with those shiny black plastic eyes without any pressure: "This is exactly the point. Looking at you like this, you are just meant to be the denominator for others. Don't bother going on the exam day; it's quite a hassle to travel such a long distance, and you would still have to spend on transportation."
Ye Zilu : " ... ... "
Ye Zilu sighed and said with a hint of self-mockery: "I originally intended to come and see, but I kept procrastinating until now. Haven't you seen what they say online? AIDS and cancer are terminal illnesses for some people, while procrastination is a terminal illness for all of humanity"
Yes.
Yan Ke glanced at the calendar where it was scribbled in a crooked manner, "Final Sprint Plan for Civil Service Exam Review," and, trying to make conversation, said: "You are also taking the civil service exam, right? It's coming up soon, isn't it?"
Yan Ke, who witnessed all of this, was at a loss for words.
As she watched, her eyes widened and then became half-open, which then turned into a narrow slit, and finally the pen tip traced a long arc on the page—she was about to fall asleep
Yan Ke: "How many characters have you read, young lady? Can you count them on your fingers?"
Yan Ke asked in confusion: "Why is your calendar still showing last month?"
Ye Zilu thought for a moment, and finally got up silently, hopping on one leg to the corner of the wall. She finally tore open the plastic packaging, took a fluorescent pen, placed the book properly, and sat upright at her small desk, determined to study hard with the breath of encouragement given to her by the bear-faced Yan Ke.
Ye Zilu naturally said: "Yes."
Yan Ke looked at her, feeling a sense of moral satisfaction rise within, as if he had just rescued a wayward girl. He began to fantasize in his mind: what if, under my encouragement, she happened to have a stroke of luck and got accepted? Wouldn't I then be her benefactor? At that time, what would it matter if she ran errands for me? I wouldn't mind her recognizing me as her godfather!
Yan Ke felt deeply moved—he believed that his current happiness index was particularly low, having reached a point where as long as he was still alive, anything would suffice. Suddenly, he felt that life had regained some hope, as at least his current state could no longer be considered that of a wandering soul.
She was astonished that she had actually been "studying" for so long. She decided that she had worked hard enough for tonight, so she contentedly set down her books, happily went to take a shower, and prepared to rest her mind before browsing the internet and going to sleep
Ye Zilu even compassionately comforted him, saying: "I know you are not feeling well right now; no one can handle such a situation easily. I see that you, like me, just need to take it a bit easier. Think about it: whether in a human body or a bear's body, we are still alive, right? Rest assured, you are made of black heart cotton now, and you don't have bear bile; I definitely will not mistreat you."
It was not until Ye Zilu finished her shower, crawled into bed, and happily started reading the unfinished novel on her computer that Yan Ke timidly asked, "Are you done reading it already?"
Yan Ke felt greatly relieved—indeed, this is exactly the meaning!
It is convenient to ask her to handle matters
Yan Ke thought to himself, briefly describing the fact that he was still alive, while laboriously scrutinizing Miss Ye's room in an attempt to infer what kind of person she was, striving to find the right approach.
As a result, Ye Zilu effortlessly defeated Mr. Yan with a single sentence, casually stating: "Then let's just make do with living!"
Yan Ke : `` ... ... ''
Ye Zilu: "I suppose you find your current job unsatisfactory"
Ye Zilu waved her hand impatiently and said: "Why push yourself so hard? I am not in a do-or-die situation where I must pass the exam. It's enough to do reasonably well; I can put in my effort, but the rest depends on fate"
Yan Ke and Liang Xiao share a relationship akin to that of open-crotch pants; even as they gradually grew up, one becoming increasingly eccentric and the other increasingly pretentious, this bond, once formed by their similar natures, remained unbroken.
He indeed got into trouble, and it seems quite serious—his friend Liang Xiao has been keeping watch at the hospital, having not shown up at his own company for several days. However, the good news is that he is not dead yet
However, ideals are abundant, while reality is skeletal
Yan Ke watched as she sat there quietly for no more than five minutes, before she began to unconsciously scratch her ears and rub around, then ran out to get herself a bottle of yogurt and a pack of snacks to eat
Ye Zilu turned her head to look at him, a large mass of resentment atop her head
He never knew that a young person like her could so shamelessly squander the precious six or seven hours of free time after returning home at night, even taking pride in it instead of feeling ashamed
When there are no business dealings, they also enjoy gathering together, and Yan Ke can be considered a half-acquaintance in Liang Xiao's territory
It feels as though I have been struck by an arrow
Indeed, it is a profound saying
Why bring up something that is irrelevant or inappropriate
The pen fell from her hand, Ye Zilu blinked her eyes, startled awake, stretched lazily, and looked up. From the moment she opened the book until now, nearly two hours had passed.
Yan Ke still thought she had found an entry point, and thus she earnestly advised, "Since you find this job unsatisfactory, you should study harder. Are you willing to return to a poor job without having passed the exam?"
Yan Ke stared blankly at her, feeling that he had gained some insight—he had never known that there were people in the world who could take such pleasure in being useless
Ye Zilu also discovered that settling down to study earnestly is indeed a significant challenge on the path of life
Surely they won't pass. If the public servants are of this caliber, what can the masses of the people expect?
However, there is an old saying: To seek prominence in front of others, one must endure suffering behind the scenes
Ye Zilu grabbed the little bear's shoulder and turned him around. Yan Ke's line of sight shifted, and she saw a pile of reference books in the corner that had not been unwrapped from their plastic packaging, covered with a layer of dust
The four characters "衣食父母" finally could not suppress Yan Ke's critical heart any longer. He looked disdainfully at Ye Zilu, who was foolishly giggling at the novel that she could not seem to finish. Unable to hold back any longer, he spoke up: "Getting admitted is not just about not reading books or doing exercises; not everything can be passed with a last-minute effort—like, did you get into graduate school?"
Thus, when he shamelessly hid in Wang Laura's bag, eavesdropping on the gossip of the young men and women for an entire day, he still managed to gather some information for himself
Yan Ke continued, "You see, even if a pie falls from the sky, it will only hit those who are looking up with their necks craned. If you don't even lift your eyelids, I think the probability of stepping in dog poop is even higher."
He then began to feel more lively in his heart, starting to ponder how to trouble Ye Zilu with more matters. Yan Ke thought that in the future, the help she would need from her would not just be limited to stuffing a bear into her roommate's bag, so she must ensure that her attitude and tone are more pleasant, striving to cultivate a good personal relationship with the current "provider".
Yan Ke and Yan Yue asked with a smile, "How is it going? You will definitely pass, right?"