"Beep—" The card swipe was crisp, and Xiao Li stepped through the west gate of Peking University. Her slightly immature figure, clad in a deep blue security uniform, was incongruous with the surrounding lush green pines and cypresses. Who would have thought that she, who once harbored the dream of becoming a graduate student at Peking University, would now become a security guard guarding its west gate?
Chen Pi first felt that something was wrong with his face during his senior year's final exam. The invigilator, Old Wang, stared at his face for a full three minutes, then took off his reading glasses, rubbed his eyes, and looked for another three minutes. Chen Pi felt his cheeks burning, not because he was too nervous about the exam, but because Old Wang's gaze was like an X-ray, scanning for some secret.
"Bro, it's me." The voice on the other end of the phone was slightly hoarse, yet with a hint of barely concealed excitement. Xia Yizhou's hand, holding the phone, trembled slightly. This voice, he was too familiar with. It was his brother, Xia Yiye, who had been missing for five years.
"Fifth time, still a busy signal," the governor's assistant murmured, his fingers gliding across the phone screen as if it were burning hot. "The president is probably busy," he added, his tone laced with a reassurance he himself didn't believe.
Old Li looked at the dark, sooty thing in front of him and felt that life was indeed full of black humor. This thing, said to be a seed that had "studied abroad" on a space station, was treated like a treasure by the research institute and even escorted to their village by a special envoy. The task given from above was also very clear: he was to take good care of this "cosmic visitor" and strive to make it bloom and bear fruit on its native soil.
PeachHeiHei, an ordinary office worker, lives a life as precise as a machine, going to and from work, eating, sleeping, and scrolling through his phone. Recently, he noticed frequent out-of-place login notifications on his account. Initially, he thought his password had been leaked, changed his password, and bound his phone number for verification, but the issue persisted.
A-Qiang looked in the mirror, once again confirming the shape of his face. It was truly a perfect isosceles trapezoid, expanding outwards from his forehead down to the sharp right angle of his chin. He thought, he had completely said goodbye to the word “beauty” for the rest of his life.
"Welcome to the 'Starlight Shines' annual celebration. Please, stars, get out of your cars in an orderly fashion and collect your exclusive nameplates." A sweet female voice echoed in the parking lot, as uniform as the commands of a calisthenics exercise.
“Hello, this is Earth Support Center, how can I help you?” A formulaic female voice came from the other end of the line, with an artificial sweetness.