Must Pass the Civil Service Exam

The next day.

Morning.

The blazing summer sun was hidden behind clouds. It was a little overcast, and the misty air was much cooler than it had been the past few days.

The moment he got up and remembered that his underwear and socks were still at Aunt Xuan's place, Dong Xuebin felt uncomfortable all over. He hurried next door to 302 and rang her doorbell. After all, she was the woman he had a crush on. Dong Xuebin really wanted to show Aunt Xuan his best side, but underwear and smelly socks were just too... ugh. If he'd known, he would have fought to get them back last night. Hopefully Aunt Xuan hadn't washed them yet.

Click. The door opened. "Oh, Xiao Bin. I was just about to head to work. Come in."

Qu Yunxuan lived alone. Her home smelled lovely, carrying that unique scent of a woman's bedroom. The small living room had been tidied spotlessly, and the windows were so clean there wasn't a speck of dust on them. Dong Xuebin slipped inside and awkwardly rubbed his nose, his face heating up. "Um, my clothes..."

Qu Yunxuan was crouched on the floor, bending over to smooth the Nylon Stockings that had been wrinkled over her feet by her high heels. Hearing him, she looked up and smiled, gesturing toward the bathroom with her chin. "They're hanging in the bathroom. I washed them yesterday, but they might not be dry yet. What, do you need them urgently? Want Auntie to dry them with a hairdryer?" One of her legs was crouched low while the other was raised slightly higher. A dark gap showed between her skirt, inviting all sorts of thoughts.

Dong Xuebin's face grew even hotter. "Ah, no, no need. I'll take them home and hang them up myself. Thanks, Aunt Xuan."

Qu Yunxuan shot him a look. "Why are you being so polite? I should be the one thanking you."

While she wiped her shoes by the bathroom door, Dong Xuebin went in to get his clothes. His T-shirt and pants were hanging from a rack draped with several towels. His underwear and socks hung from the metal bar behind it as well. Dong Xuebin hurried forward and, without looking, quickly yanked the clothes from their hangers and hugged them to his chest. Thinking of Qu Yunxuan's soft little hands rubbing his underwear made him feel both excited and ashamed. In any case, his feelings were indescribably complicated.

After spacing out for a moment, Dong Xuebin was about to take the clothes home when he suddenly realized in shock that there was an extra pair of flesh-colored lace-trimmed panties in his arms. Fuck, he'd taken the wrong thing. Those weren't his underwear—they were Qu Yunxuan's. Dong Xuebin slapped his forehead and quickly grabbed Aunt Xuan's panties with trembling hands, intending to put them back on the metal rack. But the damp feel of the panties stirred something in his heart. After hesitating, he carefully squeezed them, then excitedly and nervously pulled apart the elastic band and peeked inside with immense curiosity.

So these were Aunt Xuan's panties.

They were so pretty.

Just as Dong Xuebin was staring in fascination, a head poked in from outside the bathroom. "Hurry up and get them. Auntie still has work..." She stopped halfway through her sentence. Qu Yunxuan saw the flesh-colored panties in Dong Xuebin's hand at once, and her face immediately turned red.

Dong Xuebin nearly fainted on the spot. Reflexively, he threw the panties onto the washing machine. "Aunt Xuan, it's not—it really isn't—"

Qu Yunxuan glared at him without saying a word.

It was over. Dong Xuebin felt that his good image in Aunt Xuan's eyes had been completely ruined. With no way to defend himself, he said, "It's not like that. I... I just took the wrong thing. I..." There was no way he could explain it. Then he remembered that he still hadn't tested whether he could turn back time today. He immediately shouted, "BACK!"

The scene flashed past.

The next instant, Dong Xuebin saw his hand stretched out in midair, unconsciously reaching for the flesh-colored panties hanging from the metal rack.

It was exactly one minute earlier.

It worked again. Time had gone back.

He abruptly stopped his hand and finally let out a sigh of relief. Hugging only his own clothes, he quickly left the bathroom. "Aunt Xuan, I-I'm heading back."

Qu Yunxuan smiled and gave a soft hum. "If you have dirty clothes in the future, just bring them to Auntie. Don't stand on ceremony."

Whew, that had been close.

After returning home, Dong Xuebin tried BACK several more times, but it no longer worked.

It seemed this ability to return to the past really could only be used once a day.

He was going to make it. He was absolutely going to make it big.

Breakfast was porridge made from yesterday's leftover rice, an egg, and a small dish of pickled cucumbers. Eggs had gone up quite a bit at the Vegetable Market recently, so Dong Xuebin and Mom had not been willing to eat them for many days. He swallowed hard, then sat across from his mother and carefully peeled the egg, eating it one bite at a time.

"Aunt Xu might come over to visit later." Mom looked up. "How's your Civil Service Exam preparation going?"

"So-so." Dong Xuebin's good mood instantly faded. He sighed. "But there isn't much hope. You know my grades have never been very good." The main reason he had not casually found a job after graduating from university was that he had been preparing for the Civil Service Exam. But Lian University was a fairly ordinary school in the Capital City, and his grades there had also been fairly ordinary. All things considered, his chances of becoming a civil servant were minuscule. No, they should be called impossible.

"It's okay. If you don't pass this time, there's always next time. If it doesn't work out, find a job first." Mom touched her son's hand. "You'll pass eventually."

Faced with Mom's expectations, the weight on Dong Xuebin's shoulders suddenly grew heavier. "I... I'll do my best."

Sigh. Civil servants, civil servants.

Competition within the system was so brutal now. Could he really squeeze his way in through that sea of people? No matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely. It was not just him whose hopes were slim. Even among Dong Xuebin's university classmates, the few with excellent grades and sharp minds might not be able to pass. They had to clear both the written test and the interview, and the position they applied for generally only hired one person. Just think about it—it was truly one in ten thousand. How hard could that be?

Knock, knock, knock. Someone was knocking outside.

Mom quickly pulled Dong Xuebin along and went to open the door. Two people stood outside: a middle-aged woman in her forties and a bespectacled young man of around twenty-five or twenty-six. They were their neighbor Aunt Xu and her son Xiao Dong. Behind them, a potbellied middle-aged man with the air of a leader was coming down from the fourth floor.

The moment Mom saw him, she warmly greeted him first. "Section Chief Xu, heading to work?"

Dong Xuebin also said, "Section Chief Xu, Aunt Xu."

Section Chief Xu merely nodded slightly with an official air. He did not even speak to Dong Xuebin or Mom before continuing downstairs.

Aunt Xu called after Section Chief Xu, "Our son's exam is coming up. Come home early tonight so we can go out to eat."

Section Chief Xu and Aunt Xu were husband and wife. Dong Xuebin had heard that he had been promoted during the first half of the year and was now some small-time supervisor at Customs. Deputy section level or Zhengke Level, something like that. In any case, he was doing quite well around Beikou. But Dong Xuebin did not think much of their family, especially Section Chief Xu. Perhaps he was used to being surrounded and flattered by people; he always had his nose in the air and never looked anyone in the eye.

After Mom welcomed Aunt Xu and Xiao Dong inside, Dong Xuebin could still hear neighbors downstairs greeting Section Chief Xu.

"Oh, Section Chief Xu, you're up early today?"

"Section Chief Xu, thank you for helping me with that matter a while back. How about letting me treat you to dinner today?"

Their words carried a strong note of flattery.

Dong Xuebin could not help sighing inwardly. Being an official really was great. If only he could pass the Civil Service Exam too.

After closing the door and returning inside, Mom took out the best tea they had at home and, despite feeling reluctant, brewed two cups for Aunt Xu and Xiao Dong. But that "good tea" was only good by Dong Xuebin's family's standards. Naturally, Aunt Xu and Xiao Dong did not think much of it. After taking a sip, Aunt Xu frowned and set down her cup without drinking another mouthful. "Xiao Ping, I heard your son is taking the exam at Fifteenth Middle School too? Does he have any confidence of clearing the cutoff line?"

Mom pulled Dong Xuebin over to sit down and sighed. "Not much hope. Sigh, but Xiao Dong shouldn't have any problem, right?"

Xiao Dong pushed up his glasses and silently read a set of essay-test study materials, looking as aloof as his father.

Aunt Xu smiled proudly. "Of course Xiao Dong can pass. He was careless during last year's National Civil Service Exam, and his essay test didn't reflect his true ability. If he studies seriously this year, placing near the top won't be a problem." After a pause, Aunt Xu lowered her voice boastfully and smiled. "I'm only telling you this. Xiao Dong's father has already spoken to the people at Customs. As long as Xiao Dong clears the interview cutoff, they'll definitely let him through."

"That's really wonderful. Your son has a bright future." Mom blinked enviously and moved a little closer to Aunt Xu. "If Xiao Dong isn't too busy, could you ask him to help Xiao Bin with his studies?"

Xiao Dong had already been annoyed that his mother had dragged him here to visit. Hearing that, he immediately turned and said stiffly, "Mom, I don't have time."

Seeing Mom get rebuffed, Dong Xuebin's temper flared at once. "You think I have time?"

Mom grew anxious and nudged Dong Xuebin with her elbow. "What are you doing? Don't you have any manners?"

The atmosphere froze. Aunt Xu chuckled. "Actually, your Xiao Bin doesn't need to rush into taking the Civil Service Exam. Look at university graduates these days—they all go work for a few years first, build up some experience, then take the exam. Their pass rates are a little higher that way. How can they take the exam when they haven't even experienced society? How many fresh graduates actually become civil servants? Not even one in a thousand."

Mom gave two dry laughs and said nothing.

Dong Xuebin thought, Are you cursing me? How do you know I can't pass?

He could see it now. Aunt Xu had brought her son here just to show off.

Half an hour later, Aunt Xu left with Xiao Dong. Before leaving, Xiao Dong gave Dong Xuebin a cold glance, then disdainfully looked away. In his eyes, Dong Xuebin's family was too poor, and Dong Xuebin himself was useless. Forget the Civil Service Exam—even finding a job would probably be a problem. He was the kind of person destined to live at the bottom of society for the rest of his life, completely unworthy of association.

Afternoon.

Mom went back to her room for a nap, while Dong Xuebin sat in the living room with a stack of past Administrative Aptitude Test and essay-test papers, writing and working through them as he made his final push. But after reading for a while, he could not focus anymore. He felt that even if he performed beyond his normal level, he still would not reach the Civil Service Exam cutoff. Continuing to study was just a waste of effort. Sigh, what was he supposed to do?

Faint voices suddenly drifted into his ears.

They seemed to be coming from inside the room, but he could not hear them clearly.

Following the sound, Dong Xuebin looked toward the bedroom door. He walked over, gently turned the handle, and opened it a crack.

Mom was holding Dad's black-and-white photograph. She sniffled and wiped her tears with her sleeve as she cried silently. "Why can her son get into a government office while mine can't? His dad, you have to bless our son so that he passes his exam. As long as he can get into a government office, I... I'd be willing to live a few fewer years."

"...Mom." Dong Xuebin's eyelid twitched as he strode over.

When Mom saw that her son had caught her crying again, her old face reddened. She hurriedly wiped her eyes and smiled. "Mom's fine. I'm fine."

Standing before his mother, Dong Xuebin hardened his heart and gritted his teeth. "Don't worry. I'll definitely pass the Civil Service Exam this time. Even if it kills me, I'll pass." His mother's sorrowful appearance stirred his fighting spirit. A man lived for his pride; even Buddha fought for a stick of incense. Why were other people's parents all officials and their sons all civil servants, while he could only be an ordinary nobody, unable even to do the simplest things, like let his mother eat well and dress warmly?

Everyone had one head on two shoulders. Who was better than whom?

He had to pass this Civil Service Exam.

This time, he only wanted to win a breath of pride for himself and his mother.

P.S. It was midnight. Please vote with Recommendation Tickets. The rankings were urgent right now. Thank you.

...!!!