Chapter 15: Foreign Language
If your right to choose gets revoked, why are you everywhere?
\u201cYu Wen.\u201d
\u201cHuh?\u201d Being called suddenly, Yu Wen immediately responded. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d
Qi Yang said, \u201cDo you see anyone standing at the crossroads?\u201d
Yu Wen looked around blankly. \u201cAnyone? What people?\u201d
Qi Yang\u2019s gaze landed in the distance. \u201cFor example, certain proctors who haunt people like ghosts.\u201d
Yu Wen: \u201c…Don\u2019t tell ghost stories!\u201d
The subject hadn\u2019t even been chosen yet, so what would the proctor be doing here???
The others also turned to look around after hearing Qi Yang\u2019s words, but the four crossroads were completely empty except for the signs.
\u201cForget it. Nothing.\u201d Qi Yang said, \u201cAll four directions only show Foreign Language for me. I don\u2019t have any other choice. You still want to follow me?\u201d
Yu Wen replied honestly, \u201cForeign Language is actually my weak point.\u201d
Qi Yang glanced at him.
Yu Wen added, \u201cBut after thinking about it, I realized every subject is my weak point.\u201d
Qi Yang: \u201c\u2026\u201d
Yu Wen clasped his hands together and worshipped him shamelessly. \u201cBro, wherever you go, I go! I\u2019ll be your cow or horse if necessary. Please bless me to pass every subject and live a long life.\u201d
Qi Yang: \u201c\u2026\u201d
The entire group stared at him eagerly.
Qi Yang clicked his tongue, pulled his jacket zipper all the way up to cover his chin and lips, then muttered lazily, \u201cTroublesome.\u201d
\u201cBro, what\u2019d you say?\u201d Yu Wen didn\u2019t hear clearly and leaned closer.
Qi Yang\u2019s face looked like it could blend directly into the snow. \u201cI said, which direction is Foreign Language for you people?\u201d
Everyone pointed toward the left.
Qi Yang immediately started walking.
Inside the security booth, the loudspeaker began issuing death reminders again:
\u3010Friendly reminder: 5 seconds remaining to choose.\u3011
Everyone panicked and took off running.
The road marked Foreign Language was just like the other three\u2014completely covered in dense fog. Nobody knew what might be waiting behind it\u2026
\u30104 seconds\u3011
\u30103 seconds\u3011
\u30102 seconds\u3011
\u30101 second\u3011
\u3010Right of free choice revoked.\u3011
The moment the countdown reached zero, the final person barely managed to step into the fog.
\u2026
Qin Jiu wore a black overcoat with a dove-gray cashmere scarf tucked beneath the collar. One hand rested in his pocket while the other held a black umbrella.
He stood there calmly, patiently waiting.
Qi Yang\u2019s tall figure emerged through the fog.
His skin looked cold and pale, his expression lazy and tired. A black backpack hung loosely from his right shoulder.
Even from a distance, Qin Jiu could clearly see every detail. Qi Yang\u2019s light brown eyes always seemed covered by a thin layer of fragile glass, carrying the same cold gleam as the earring on one ear.
Qin Jiu slightly raised the edge of the umbrella, allowing snow to slide off the taut ribs.
As Qi Yang approached, Qin Jiu politely tilted the umbrella to cover him as well and lazily dragged out his words:
\u201cWhat a coincidence. We meet again. So, Mr. Hmm, have you been sleeping well these past few days?\u201d
Qi Yang: \u201c\u2026\u201d
The man clearly knew his name, yet insisted on using a nickname. Was he sick in the head?
Qi Yang stared at him for two seconds before saying coldly, \u201cSo revoking my right to choose means I run into you no matter where I go?\u201d
Qin Jiu narrowed his eyes and laughed softly. \u201cThat\u2019s not quite accurate. Revoking the right to choose means that rule-breaking candidates\u2014in other words, you\u2014lose the right to choose your next exam subject.\u201d
\u201cWhat subject you take depends on what the chief proctor\u2014that would be me\u2014is supervising next. Understand now?\u201d
Qi Yang: \u201c\u2026\u201d
The way Qin Jiu spoke sounded exactly like an adult patiently explaining reason to a tantrum-throwing child.
It was clearly deliberate provocation.
Qi Yang grew so angry his face nearly froze solid.
Watching his expression, Qin Jiu\u2019s smile deepened further.
\u201cAs for what subject a proctor supervises, under normal circumstances we can choose. But I\u2019m a little lazy, so I usually leave it random. This time it randomly landed on Foreign Language.\u201d
\u201cAlthough judging from your face, you don\u2019t seem very happy about it. Next time\u2014\u201d
Qi Yang cut him off with a dark expression. \u201cThere\u2019s still going to be a next time?\u201d
Qin Jiu replied, \u201cHard to say. After all, your criminal record is extensive.\u201d
Qi Yang: \u201c\u2026\u201d
Qin Jiu added, \u201cIf there\u2019s a subject you\u2019d prefer me to randomize into, you can tell me in advance. If your behavior is good enough, I might consider it.\u201d
Qi Yang wanted to say: I hope you randomize yourself directly into death. Can you consider that?
But after thinking about how insane this system was, he suspected the system might drag him down to die together with Qin Jiu.
So he swallowed all his anger, wore a funeral-level expression, and silently waited at the edge of the fog.
\u2026
Not long later, Yu Wen dragged Old Yu out of the fog, followed by Yu Yao and Mike.
\u201cBro!\u201d Yu Wen hurried over, only to slam on the brakes the moment he saw Qin Jiu. \u201cY-you\u2026 why are you here?\u201d
His intense survival instinct forced him into using polite honorifics, but it still couldn\u2019t hide the horror on his face.
Qin Jiu answered leisurely, \u201cKeeping your brother company while waiting for all of you.\u201d
Yu Wen looked even more horrified and immediately turned to stare at Qi Yang.
Qi Yang: \u201c\u2026\u201d
If looks could become knives, Qin Jiu would already be dead.
Gathering his courage, Yu Wen asked, \u201cDoes the full-process monitoring from the previous exam carry over into this one too?\u201d
Qin Jiu glanced at him.
Yu Wen: \u201cOh.\u201d
In Yu Wen\u2019s eyes, Proctor 001 was also a terrifyingly powerful figure.
Powerful people were always arrogant. Only someone equally formidable\u2014like his brother\u2014could attract their attention and make them speak a little more.
Yu Wen possessed strong self-awareness, so he didn\u2019t dare continue the conversation.
\u2026
\u201cZhou Jin and the others still aren\u2019t here?\u201d Yu Yao and Mike also walked over.
Old Yu said, \u201cThey were right behind us. Let\u2019s wait a bit longer.\u201d
But after waiting for a while, two unfamiliar faces emerged instead.
One had a square face and wasn\u2019t very tall, but his body was packed with muscles. A sports bag hung from his shoulder.
The other was thinner, tightly wrapped in his coat while constantly blowing warm air into his hands.
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on? There are other people too?\u201d Yu Wen exclaimed in surprise.
Qi Yang looked toward Qin Jiu.
Qin Jiu tilted his head slightly and asked, \u201cDid anyone ever say exam participants remain fixed?\u201d
Qi Yang: \u201c…No.\u201d
Qin Jiu said, \u201cChoosing the same subject doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll end up in the same exam room. For example, Proctors 922 and 154 also randomly got Foreign Language this round, but they aren\u2019t supervising this exam.\u201d
\u201cWhat does that tell you?\u201d
Qi Yang replied expressionlessly, \u201cIt tells me they don\u2019t want to see you either.\u201d
\u201c\u2026\u201d
Yu Wen glanced nervously at Qin Jiu, deeply afraid his brother would anger the proctor to death on the spot.
Unexpectedly, Qin Jiu merely narrowed his eyes and smiled. \u201cWrong. It means this exam has very few candidates, so only one proctor is necessary.\u201d
\u201cVery few candidates?\u201d
Qi Yang frowned.
\u2026
Sure enough, after waiting another five minutes beside the fog, no one else arrived.
Facts proved that Zhou Jin and the others had all been assigned to different exam rooms.
Although their previous group had contained every possible combination of old, weak, sick, injured, and troublesome people, they had at least spent time together and knew each other a little.
Now there were two complete strangers.
They would need to adjust all over again.
Whether that was good or bad remained unclear.
\u201cThank god Old Yu didn\u2019t get split up,\u201d Yu Wen said fearfully.
\u2026
The two strangers seemed completely unsurprised about having new teammates.
The square-faced man kept his brows tightly furrowed, making him look fierce. He simply nodded at everyone once before ignoring them.
The thinner man was friendlier.
\u201cMy name\u2019s Chen Bin. I\u2019m from Chongqing. This guy\u2019s Liang Yuanhao, from Hebei, right?\u201d
He turned and asked Liang Yuanhao, who merely glanced around at the group and grunted in acknowledgment.
\u201cFrom Chongqing? I was stationed there for several years when I was in the army. Guess that makes us fellow townsmen.\u201d Old Yu, master of social interaction, managed to claim another hometown connection through several conversational detours and quickly became familiar with Chen Bin.
\u201cLiang Yuanhao and I were in the same exam room last round, and now we got assigned together again. Guess it\u2019s fate.\u201d Chen Bin looked depressed while saying this. \u201cThis is already my third subject.\u201d
\u201cI barely survived the previous two exams by sheer luck. My scores are terrifyingly low. Passing feels hopeless.\u201d
Old Yu was about to comfort him when Qi Yang suddenly interrupted.
\u201cYou know what score counts as passing?\u201d
Chen Bin froze. \u201cSixty. You guys didn\u2019t know?\u201d
Old Yu shook his head. \u201cNo clue. The total score for our last subject seemed to be\u2026 twenty-four? Plus random bonus points and deductions. We couldn\u2019t figure it out. It wasn\u2019t even a whole number, and we never heard how many points the other subjects were worth either, so we couldn\u2019t calculate the passing line.\u201d
Chen Bin asked, \u201cYou never met any experienced candidates?\u201d
Old Yu replied, \u201cNo. Everyone from our last exam was taking it for the first time too.\u201d
\u201cOh, that explains it.\u201d Chen Bin said, \u201cI happened to meet an experienced guy once. He told me the scores for individual exams vary slightly, but the five subjects together total exactly one hundred points.\u201d
\u201cSo we need over sixty total to pass.\u201d
\u201cSixty\u2026\u201d Old Yu muttered while counting on his fingers with a worried face.
Chen Bin looked even more miserable. \u201cAfter two exams, I only have ten points. What kind of miracles do I need in the remaining three?\u201d
Liang Yuanhao\u2019s face turned greenish with frustration as he walked several steps farther away.
Chen Bin explained to everyone, \u201cHe\u2019s actually a decent person. It\u2019s just that after three subjects, his scores still aren\u2019t ideal, so he\u2019s anxious\u2026\u201d
Since this literally concerned life and death, everyone understood completely.
Yu Wen pointed at Mike and comforted them. \u201cDon\u2019t panic! Look, we have a secret weapon! Since this exam is Foreign Language, we have our foreign friend Mike!\u201d
Chen Bin replied tactfully, \u201cI noticed him the moment we arrived. But I also realized he doesn\u2019t seem very good at speaking Chinese? If nobody understands each other, we\u2019re still screwed\u2026\u201d
Yu Wen immediately pointed at Qi Yang next. \u201cIt\u2019s fine! My brother lived abroad for a while too, so he can help. Although\u2026 he doesn\u2019t really like talking.\u201d
Chen Bin instantly looked revived. \u201cThat\u2019s okay! As long as someone understands the language!\u201d
Even Liang Yuanhao seemed to come back to life slightly.
Mike and Qi Yang became like two powerful stimulants, instantly improving the atmosphere of the group.
\u2026
\u201cSo\u2026 where exactly are we supposed to go now?\u201d
After chatting endlessly, everyone finally addressed the main issue.
Qi Yang expressionlessly pointed left.
Only then did everyone notice that about three meters away stood a bus stop sign.
It was the simplest kind possible, just a metal pole holding up a sign.
Fortunately, the words on it were Chinese:
Intercity Bus
Below that was a polite English translation.
As for where the bus went or what stops it passed through\u2026
The sign was completely blank.
While everyone stood there blankly, a horn suddenly sounded through the snowstorm.
A vehicle emerged from the fog and rattled shakily to a stop before them.
The bus was so coated in dust that its original paint color was impossible to identify. Mud splattered across the wheels. Calling it a \u201cbus\u201d was honestly giving it too much credit.
It looked more like one of those shaky minibuses from the 1990s that sounded like they were dying every time they turned a corner.
This thing?
For a Foreign Language exam?
Everyone\u2019s expressions became strange.
Even Proctor Qin Jiu looked unhappy.
The moment Qi Yang noticed Qin Jiu wasn\u2019t pleased, he immediately felt better.
Carrying his backpack, he boarded first.
The inside of the vehicle wasn\u2019t nearly as rundown as expected. The seats were reasonably clean.
Qi Yang sat in the back row by the window.
When he saw Qin Jiu board as well, he took out his phone, fiddled with it briefly, then plugged in a pair of white earphones and leaned against the window to sleep.
The driver was a dark-skinned middle-aged man who never spoke from beginning to end. Nobody knew if he was mute.
After watching everyone board, he simply stepped on the accelerator and drove off.
\u2026
Just as Qi Yang was genuinely about to fall asleep, the bus broadcast system suddenly began announcing doom again.
\u3010Current Beijing time: 6:30 PM.\u3011
\u3010There are 30 minutes remaining before the official start of the examination. The examination rules will now be announced.\u3011
The familiar exam regulations repeated one by one.
With Mike and Qi Yang acting like stabilizing anchors, everyone\u2019s emotions were relatively calm this time. Nobody shook as badly as during the first exam.
\u3010If violations or cheating are discovered during the examination, candidates will be expelled from the exam room.\u3011
\u3010All other examination requirements will depend on the specific questions.\u3011
As though deliberately playing a prank, the broadcast paused there for a moment.
Only after everyone had fully absorbed the information did it slowly continue with the final announcements.
\u3010Due to the special nature of this examination, examination details will be announced in advance.\u3011
\u3010Examination duration: 10 days.\u3011
\u3010Examination subject: Foreign Language\u3011
\u3010Foreign language category: Gypsy\u3011
\u3010We wish all candidates excellent results.\u3011
Everyone: \u201c\u2026\u201d
Say that again???<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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