Foreign language ┃ Does taking away my right to choose mean you have to be everywhere?
Yu Wen looked at the man's unchanged, icy expression and thought his cousin really had guts.
The seven days at the examinees' rest stop passed in the blink of an eye.
At 3:12 p.m. on the final day, everyone was automatically checked out, and Boss Chu personally chased them out the front door.
"There. Go straight ahead, and there's an intersection 200 meters away. Off you go." Chu Yue waved at them. "Don't dawdle. If you're late, your right to choose won't work anymore. I hope this isn't goodbye forever."
With that, she shut the inn's front door.
The light box that read "Lodging, heating, food" flickered twice, then abruptly went dark.
The buildings still stood in the snowy mist, but not a single light shone inside. They looked like unsafe structures that had been abandoned for years.
"This really isn't a haunted house?" Yu Wen shuddered.
You Huo recalled what he had asked the proctor before.
He had asked whether this was a supernatural incident, and the proctor had said it wasn't. The man had seemed about to add something, but before he could speak, he had received a violation warning.
So...
What exactly was this?
You Huo mulled it over, determined to find a chance to trick the proctor into telling the truth when the next exam began.
He hoped the proctor they drew this time would be honest and easy to fool.
Two hundred meters wasn't very far.
The group soon reached the place Chu Yue had mentioned.
It was indeed an intersection. A security booth stood alone in the middle, with a figure slumped against its exterior.
When the man saw them, he struggled to his feet.
Only when they drew closer did they see that it was the tattooed man who had refused to stay at the rest stop.
But he looked quite different now. He was covered in blood, his left arm hung limply at his side, and he was limping on one leg.
"How did you end up like this?"
Although none of them liked him much, no one wanted him crippled or dead. After all, they had originally been strangers, with no grudges between them.
The tattooed man said hoarsely, "I'm lucky I didn't go crazy."
"How long have you been here?" everyone asked, looking at the security booth.
"Two days," the tattooed man said.
"Why didn't you go back to the examinees' rest stop?"
The tattooed man looked a little embarrassed and a little angry. "I'd be a grandson if I went back. Besides... I couldn't find my way when I turned around. I retraced my steps, but I couldn't find those buildings, only this place."
"Then why didn't you keep going?" Yu Wen asked.
The tattooed man looked around and pointed at the roads. "Look at the signs yourselves."
Only then did everyone notice that the intersection led in four directions, with a sign standing at the entrance to each road.
Normally, those signs would have had street names on them.
But not here.
The four signs to the east, south, west and north each bore a different word:
Chinese
Foreign language
Math
History
Inside the security booth, a loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life, and the familiar voice from the radio spoke again.
[This round of exams follows a 3+1+1 format. Congratulations on successfully completing one subject. Four more remain.] [Examinees have the right to choose and may decide the order of their exams.] [Please make your choice within 30 seconds.] [Latecomers will be deprived of their opportunity to take the exams.]
Everyone: "..."
At an intersection like this, they would rather stand there until they died.
Yu Wen, the little lackey, grabbed You Huo. "Cousin, I'll pick whichever one you pick!"
The others all looked at him too.
To their surprise, You Huo glanced around and said expressionlessly, "What choice? All four directions say foreign language to me."
Yu Wen: "What???"
Even more annoyingly, You Huo could see a figure at every entrance.
The man was tall and stood in the snow beneath an umbrella, seemingly waiting for him.
You Huo gave a cold laugh, his face turning green with anger.
Chapter 15: Foreign language ┃ Does taking away my right to choose mean you have to be everywhere?
You Huo: "Yu Wen."
"Huh?" Suddenly called by name, Yu Wen answered at once. "What is it?"
You Huo: "Do you see anyone at the intersection?"
Yu Wen looked around blankly. "Anyone? Who?"
You Huo's gaze settled on the distance. "Some proctor who haunts me like a ghost, for example."
Yu Wen: "...Don't tell ghost stories!"
They hadn't even chosen a subject yet. What was a proctor doing here???
Hearing You Huo, the others also turned to look around. All four roads were empty except for the signs.
"Forget it. It's nothing," You Huo said. "I only have foreign language. I don't have another choice. Are you sure you want to follow me?"
Yu Wen said, "Foreign language is actually my weak point."
You Huo glanced sideways at him.
"But now that I think about it," Yu Wen added, "I don't think there's a subject that isn't my weak point."
You Huo: "..."
Yu Wen pressed his palms together in a plea to the boss. "Cousin, wherever you go, I'll go! I'll work like an ox or a horse for you, whatever it takes. Bless me so I pass every subject and live to be a hundred."
You Huo: "..."
The whole group watched him expectantly.
You Huo clicked his tongue and zipped his coat all the way up, covering his chin and lips. "What a hassle," he muttered lazily.
"What did you say, cousin?" Yu Wen hadn't heard him and leaned closer.
You Huo's face had almost blended into the snow. "I said, which way is foreign language for you?"
Everyone pointed to the left.
You Huo set off at once.
Inside the security booth, the loudspeaker began urging them on again:
[Friendly reminder: 5 seconds remain to make your choice.]
Startled, everyone broke into a run.
Like the other three roads, the one marked "Foreign language" was shrouded in thick fog. No one knew what would be waiting beyond it...
[4 seconds] [3 seconds] [2 seconds] [1 second] [The right to choose has been closed.]
The instant the countdown reached zero, the last person barely managed to step into the thick fog.