Chapter 6

My roommates all urged me to accept him.

“He’s so handsome, and I heard his family’s pretty well-off.”

“He treats you well too. Why not give it a try?”

…

I refused.

Smoking, drinking, fighting-these things seemed rebellious and cool to girls of fifteen or sixteen.

But I didn’t like them.

About a month later, Zhao Liang started dating a new girlfriend, who turned out to be a Senior Schoolmate from the neighboring university.

He strutted around campus with her, and plenty of boys said he was able to pull it off.

He even made a point of showing off in front of me.

That night, during our dorm talk, my roommates were indignant.

“It’s only been a short while, and he’s already in someone else’s arms.”

“I don’t think that girl’s all that great-she’s three or four years older than us, and she’s not as pretty as you, Xiaxia.”

…

After a round of complaints, the dorm leader quietly said, “But she’s from the Normal University-a real college student.”

Suddenly, the dorm fell silent.

By then, we understood: there was already an invisible chasm dividing us from them.

Because of our reverence for academic credentials, those boys envied Zhao Liang. He had crossed that gap and held the hand of someone on the other side.

That Senior Schoolmate didn’t seem to have classes. She followed Zhao Liang around our school every day.

My younger sister passed the county middle school entrance exam, and my parents rented a small place in the county to accompany her while she studied.

This caused a stir in the village.

Grandma stomped her cane and cursed:

“Two girls, you put in so much effort, just to spend money for someone else’s family!”

“If you have that money, you should help your own nephew. Otherwise, when you die, no one will smash the funeral basin.” (In rural tradition, smashing a basin is part of funeral rites, symbolizing someone to mourn the deceased.)

The villagers mocked us, both openly and behind our backs.

They said my parents would have been better off marrying in a son-in-law.

Mom held her breath and told my sister she had to make her mark.

She also said to me, “You need to study hard too. Once you start your internship, our burden will be lighter.”

There weren’t many opportunities in the small county town back then.

My parents pushed a cart selling fried noodles. Sometimes they were chased off by city management, and the money they made was just enough for the family to get by.

Secondary Vocational School lasted three years, with the first two spent at school.

During the summer break of the second year, internships began, and the school arranged for everyone to work on assembly lines.

I refused, and together with a few classmates who also kept up with their studies, decided to find a job on our own.

For the past two years, I had always ranked among the top in my class.

I’d also participated in several competitions and won awards.

I had leverage.

I bought myself a set of professional attire and asked my roommate to do my makeup.

The weather was beautiful that day. When I stepped out, the sky was full of golden clouds-a good omen.

With my resume in hand, full of confidence and hope, I went to interview at a Foreign Enterprise.

To my surprise, I ran into that Senior Schoolmate from the Normal University-she was also among the interviewees.

For a moment, I panicked, but quickly calmed myself.

She skipped classes every day, spending her time in internet cafes or bars.

But I had always studied diligently.

While waiting, I rehearsed my self-introduction in Korean over and over in my mind, striving for perfection.

Finally, the interviewers arrived.

The HR Manager quickly scanned the collected resumes, then divided them into two piles.

“Li Lin, Zhang Kai, Li Bi, Zheng Xiaxia…”

She called my name.

I stood up quickly, ready for battle.

But the HR Manager’s next words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.