Capítulo 31: Back to Normal?
There was one thing Zhang Mei Xing observed when the mission finally ended. The moment she returned to that dark room where she planned to commit a crime against her mother's ID, she realized the system was no longer with her.
When she glanced down, the phone that lit up upon being powered on displayed 12:01. Her eyes went to the displayed date that said it was still June 14, 2010… It meant tonight was the night when the whole Zhang family celebrated a bit for her astounding rank in her grade level.
She briefly closed her eyes. Wondering. The system was not with her, and she could no longer see a faint image of an hourglass in her subconscious. Does it mean the fake world and everything that happened there were false? Xiang Linxin, Song Heng, and Shen Li... Were they just a product of her imagination?
'Hah…' After a full minute, Zhang Mei Xing collapsed on the floor, feeling powerless and hopeless.
Zhang Mei Xing was sure of her mental health, and even if she was not, she at least knew that her imagination was NOT that powerful to conjure two months' worth of fictional events. Not to mention, those events were so clear to her down to the most minute details.
"12:01, huh?" she almost laughed dryly.
The other thing that ratted it out was the time.
She doesn't believe there was a single writer out there who would conjure a whole plot and imaginary world in just a few seconds.
After all, when she tried to sneak into her parents' room was at exactly 12:01… just right when everyone else in the house was snoring to dreamland. Even though two months had passed for her, this detail was very vivid in her mind.
If her guess was true, then it meant that her brain became much sharper. It was even possible that she had acquired a photographic memory.
Unfortunately, at the same time, it meant that everything that happened in the Test World was true. Amongst those she got involved with, only the Temple had the power to do that.
Zhang Mei Xing somehow found herself back to her own room. It was the magic of muscle memory. Even though her mind was somewhere far away, her body knew where to go. Her body knew that she badly needed a place that was both safe and where prying eyes would not be able to get to her so she could calm down and think things through.
…
Four days passed since then. The user interface never once popped up again.
It took some time to digest the information in her head. But now she was back to normal. Albeit, she had a hunch, this normality would not last long.
But who cares!? Her body was back to that of a sixteen-year-old brat who only needed to eat, sleep, study, and play.
After going through such a sh*tty but magical experience, how could she not cherish her normal and peaceful days? There was no need to endure a long period of loneliness or risk being strangled by some random person!
On that afternoon, the streets were wet due to the drizzle a few hours ago. However, the sun was up again so people were back to the streets. In the town's local myth, it was said that if it rained and shined at the same time, or if the rain immediately got replaced by a bright sky, it meant werehorses were being wedded above the clouds. It was a good omen, a sign that something good was about to happen.
Of course, the Zhang household never really believed in such a superstition.
Outside the house that was just ten or so meters away from the riverbank.
Zhang Mei Xing, who had just approached the man resting in the shade of the cotton fruit tree, laughed.
"Dad, why are you making that expression?" She asked as she handed the change over together with the vegetables she bought from the market.
Her father was at home. Because Mother Zhang requested help in repairing and cleaning some appliances, the middle-aged man did not go to work that afternoon. When four pm came, he sent his eldest daughter to the market with some money to buy groceries.
When the girl returned, this happened.
Father Zhang was indeed looking at Zhang Mei Xing like she was a strange creature. "Are you feeling sick?"
Zhang Mei Xing's left cheek twitched a bit due to that question. "What the hell are you saying, Dad? Do I look ill to you?"
The door to their house was open so the man peeked at his wife's face and saw that the woman was in a good mood as she teased their house-cat. This should mean that nothing alarming happened.
Father Xiang once glanced at his daughter again and honestly said, "Sorry, I was just terribly shocked. You actually still know how to return change after an errand."
"…" This time, the smile on her face became stiff and she couldn't help but reflect.
'Was I this shameless and irredeemable in my teenage days?' she inwardly thought.
'Every time my parents ask me to buy this or that, did I frequently not return the excess?'
Thanks to her enhanced brain, it became easier to retrieve relevant memories.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and a wry smile formed on her lips.
In no time, the girl from 'Huh? Why would I take an interest in such a little amount? I don't think I am like that?' to 'Sh*t, I really was, in my high school days!'
The father passed the plastic bag to Mother Zhang. The girl almost scratched her head as she whispered to herself, "Oh, well, it's not too late to be honest and sensible."
At this moment, the girl forgot that just a week ago, she illegally borrowed her mother's credentials to open a guardian account in an online trading site. That while the motive was good, it could not be denied that her action had no whatsoever relation to the word 'honest'.
Three more days went by. The interchange between the night and day appeared quick since Zhang Mei Xing was busy.
She was busy studying.
In her previous life, she had so many regrets during her third year in high school. Although not as good as her current memory, she was previously blessed with a brain that was quite above average and could retain knowledge longer than her peers. After all, most stuff learned in school would usually be forgotten by students in a week or two. She, at least, could retain the knowledge learned longer, or could easily recall them as long as there were keywords.
However, she took this slight advantage for granted. She did not study as much as the others. As a result, on the day of examination for an all-in government-sponsored scholarship to any reputable university in the country, she did not even manage to pass the minimum score.
To be honest, Zhang Mei Xing still planned to go to the third-rate university she went to previously. Her ambition was small. It was her first choice since it happened to be the closest and the most familiar to her.
Yet despite that, she at least wanted to get that scholarship. It would not only solve her schooling fees, it would also give her tens of thousands every month. That amount as an allowance would be a huge help for poor families like hers.
Of course, while she was being serious about studying this time, she had not yet forgotten how to socialize and enjoy life. In actuality, as she had no way to guess when she would be required to meet an examinee again, Zhang Mei Xing knew she had to be more appreciative of her normal days.
On the seventh day of her vacation from school and from the examination, Zhang Mei Xing appeared at the bus station where she waited for her friends An Qi and Mu Chunhua.
The latter brought her boyfriend Li Qiang with her. Yet the boyfriend also shamelessly dragged two people that surprised Zhang Mei Xing.
"Hello, this is my best pal, Wang Lei, and my older cousin who's basically my big bro, Li Renshu. Goddesses, we're all more than willing to be your escorts and bag carriers."
"You're dead, Li Qiang! You didn't tell me about this!" Mu Chunhua blushed and to cover up her embarrassment, she punched her boyfriend's left shoulder. This cute action of the girl made the shameless happy-go-lucky guy laugh.
The two other people had their own reactions. For example, An Qi joined the girl beating up her own boyfriend. Their shy classmate Wang Lei snuck glances at Zhang Mei Xing from time to time.
Unfortunately, Zhang Mei Xing's eyes were on the tall and handsome cousin that was standing behind the two boys.
Her expression was weird, as if she had just swallowed a mouthful of flies.
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