TSTFTR Chapter 07

Xuan Yun’s eyes were so beautiful that just looking at them felt like being silently drawn in. As he gazed into those eyes, he suddenly felt a stir in his heart, as if a cat’s tail lightly brushed against him.

Xuan Yun lowered his voice, “I want to be your only audience.”

Yu Qiu said, “Okay.”

Back home, Yu Qiu sat on the sofa, holding his hands, not thinking about anything, spacing out for a while until the sound of a child’s laughter outside the window pulled him back to reality.

He took out his phone and checked his Alipay balance.

– 527.36.

Yu Qiu felt a little troubled, how could he spend that six cents?

He should now be considered half unemployed, and continuing like this was not a viable option. Yu Qiu thought to himself that he probably wouldn’t be able to secure any high-level position and didn’t have any hope for it. He had always seen writing as his aspiration, but now that the only wall he leaned on had collapsed, he found himself in an extremely awkward situation.

What should he do after this?

Wait for the storm to pass and then pretend as if nothing had happened and try to get published?

He might not be able to do it.

He couldn’t lower his head that much.

He couldn’t settle down and continue living as if nothing had happened while wearing a hat that didn’t belong to him.

Yu Qiu sighed and prepared a resume on the computer, but unfortunately, there wasn’t much to write on it, except for a few awards from essay contests – a pitifully empty one.

He sent out a few applications.

Only one of them got a response after a week, from a small company. He didn’t mind the company’s size, after all, he didn’t plan on staying for long. Yu Qiu just wanted money – he was just an ordinary person.

But soon he couldn’t smile anymore.

The interviewer asked very specialized questions, leaning towards economics, and many of them he couldn’t answer. Finally, he leaned back on the chair and chuckled softly, “Am I not up to par?”

“I guess, did all the applicants who sent their resumes get called for an interview?”

The interviewer frowned, displeased with his impolite response.

Yu Qiu stood up, turned around, and prepared to leave.

The interviewer called him back as he was leaving, not mincing words, “Mr. Yu, let me tell you a fact: with just a high school education, you can’t find a job here or anywhere else. If you manage to find a decent job, why should you get it over those college graduates?”

“Thank you,” Yu Qiu turned his face to the side and smiled, “Decency isn’t determined by one’s job, but by the person.”

As Yu Qiu walked out, the weather was beautiful, with a gentle breeze and bright sunshine.

The sunlight embraced him.

He walked through the bustling streets and saw job advertisements posted on shop windows.

“Hiring Dishwasher, salary negotiable.”

“3 Cashiers needed.”

Yu Qiu stopped in his tracks, biting his lips until they turned pale.

He stood outside the shop window for a long time, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

He turned and walked away.

Yu Qiu bought a piece of bread at a dessert shop. While at the checkout, the cashier girl suddenly stopped him, “Sir.”

Yu Qiu looked up, “What’s up?”

“Do you mind if we exchange WeChat?” The cashier girl was very cute, with baby fat on her face and a dimple when she smiled. It reminded him of Xuan Yun. She said, “It’s not about promoting coupons, it’s private. We can be friends.”

“No, thanks.” Yu Qiu smiled, “I don’t use WeChat often.”

“QQ is also fine,” the cashier girl said, “You look like my brother, and I haven’t seen my brother for a long time. You seem familiar to me.”

“Maybe in the future.” Yu Qiu paid the bill, “Thank you.”

That piece of bread was his entire meal for the day.

Yu Qiu returned home and started to eat the bread slowly, only to realize that it tasted salty. He then noticed that his tears had dropped onto it.

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