Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 5: Submission

The new phrase was “heart like dead ashes*”.

*(心如死灰) Idiom referring to a state of utter despair or hopelessness. 

It was a perfect description of Xu Wang’s inner state at the moment.

The fatigue and sense of powerlessness brought on by frequent setbacks made it impossible for Xu Wang to concentrate on gesturing or explaining. His first thought was to interrupt by directly saying the word to change to a new one, but then he reconsidered given his state.

He took a deep breath and steadied his mind in the quietly passing seconds, hoping to find some fresh hope when the next word appeared.

His teammates, guessing the word, were clueless. Wu Sheng looked at him puzzledly, while Kuang Jinxin directly asked, “Brother, why aren’t you speaking?”

Sun Jiang, having already given up hope, said sarcastically, “We shouldn’t have guessed in the first place; it’s just a trap.”

Ten seconds passed. “Heart like dead ashes” disappeared, replaced by “struck by five thunders*”.

*(五雷轰顶) Idiom referring to after someone does something very bad and harmful by nature, they will naturally be punished (struck by five thunderbolts—the five representing the five phases/agents).

Xu Wang rebounded from his low point, his arms unfolding rapidly, gesticulating wildly as if simulating thunder and speaking as fast as lightning. “Crash—crash—smack—” He slapped his forehead with the last word!

Wu Sheng had an epiphany. “Struck by lightning*!”

*(天打雷劈) Idiom referring to not having a good death. Often used to curse someone, like you’ll get struck by lightning (for doing bad things). While the meaning is similar to Struck by 5 Thunders, it’s a different idiom.

Kuang Jinxin suddenly understood. “Bolt from the blue*!”

*Thunder As Clear As Day ( 晴天霹雳) Idiom referring to an unexpected or shocking event. 

“It’s the thing about a bolt, but without the word ‘bolt*’!” Xu Wang was almost frantic. This was the closest they had ever been to the answer, and the closer they got, the more anxious he became.

*Clarity: The original idiom only has thunder (雷) in it. The other two answers include lightning (bolt) (雷劈) and (thunder) bolt (霹雳).

Sun Jiang said, “It seems like it moved!”

Xu Wang was happy that Sun Jiang was also getting involved in guessing the phrase, but said, “Brother, even if it’s irrelevant, at least guess an idiom!”

“I mean the bear!” Sun Jiang’s eyes were filled with increasing horror. “The bear seems to be moving!”

Xu Wang felt a chill and immediately shifted his gaze from the ice waterfall back to the present, to the dark shadow under the feet of the three men… Sun Jiang was lying. What does he mean the bear seems to be moving? It’s already getting up!

As if sensing the “intense gaze”, the black bear, finally standing steady, lifted its small eyes and locked onto Xu Wang.

A man and bear, less than two meters apart.

Xu Wang, on roller skates, moved back slightly. His throat was dry, and his palms were sweaty.

The black bear tentatively stepped forward, not encountering the mysterious obstacle that had hurt it before, and then took a second step.

Xu Wang’s tension reached its limit. With one push of his skates, he darted to a tree seven or eight meters away, holding onto the trunk, not daring to blink as he stared at the black bear.

The black bear didn’t take a second step but instead gently scraped the ground with one paw—once, twice—as if a racecar driver was revving the engine before a race.

“Roar—”

The roar shook the sky as the black bear charged at Xu Wang like a giant cannonball!

Xu Wang’s nerves completely snapped, and he fled for his life!

In the vast forest, only this small area had hard snow. It was difficult to move anywhere else on roller skates, so Xu Wang could only run circles around his teammates and the black bear!

His teammates inside the invisible barrier were anxious but couldn’t help. Kuang Jinxin loudly suggested, “Xu Ge, why don’t you just let it pounce and finish it off? Like yesterday, you can be bounced back to reality!”

Xu Wang narrowly avoided the bear’s paw and reestablished some distance, despairingly responding, “Brother, I can’t gamble with my life. What if yesterday was just a fluke? If I die now, my life is over in this damn place!”

“Then run somewhere else and shake it off!” Despite his previous cynical remarks, Sun Jiang was genuinely worried for Xu Wang.

“The snow elsewhere is too thick and soft; I can’t skate!” The more Xu Wang explained, the more disheartened he became. He had thought earlier that the roller skates weren’t very useful, but now he realized his naivety; it was like drawing the bear away with the Fishnado or racing towards a coordinate point on the sleigh. The skates were indeed there for him to skate, to take on the devil’s pace*!

*Clarity: So his skates are called [My Skate Shoes] which is actually a reference to a song by John Pommelo. This line here is part of the song’s lyrics.

“Continue,” Wu Sheng suddenly said.

Xu Wang, having skated past, looked back at him. Wu Sheng’s face was calm and resolute.

“We don’t have any other choice, do we?” Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “Then continue. If we guess the phrase correctly, we should be able to escape.”

Xu Wang wanted to retort, “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one being chased by a bear!” But seeing the familiar determination on the other’s face, he swallowed his words.

This was Wu Sheng: when he really wanted to solve a problem, he would set aside all distractions, ignore what he considered unnecessary details, focus on the main points, and approach the core in a concentrated and efficient manner.

In Xu Wang’s heart, this was when Wu Sheng was at his most impressive, whether it was years ago in high school or years later in the present.

“Xu Ge—” Kuang Jinxin’s shout broke the tension.

Xu Wang tensed up reflexively and slid forward, the bear’s paw slashing through his down jacket, scattering a few white duck down feathers.

As Xu Wang’s life hung in the balance, Wu Sheng was almost breathless with fear, losing all composure and shouting, “What are you looking at me for? Look at the words; look at the bear!”

In fact, Xu Wang didn’t need the reminder and dared not be distracted anymore.

With the devil’s pace, he quickly regained distance, then lifted his head to glance at the ice waterfall.

The word on the ice waterfall, which had changed several times by now, was “fierce gaze*”, with seven seconds left on the countdown.

*(怒目圆睁) Idiom referring to a state of anger. It’s used to describe someone’s angry expression (glaring).

From the beginning, the ice waterfall had changed many phrases. Xu Wang suddenly realized that this “word bank” might not be infinite. Perhaps it was nearing its end, and perhaps each next word could be the last. Any further wrong guess could mean total defeat.

The sudden pressure made Xu Wang panic, but it also gave him a sense of determination to fight with his back against the wall.

He took a deep breath, calming his heart, and slowly separated his body and consciousness, letting his body rely on muscle memory to maintain skating in circles while focusing all his consciousness on the phrase.

This was the exam secret Wu Sheng taught him years ago, especially effective when stuck on problem-solving.

Xu Wang asked, “What was our high school’s dean like every day?”

Wu Sheng paused for half a second, then robustly replied, “Like a fierce demon¹, with stormy eyebrows², and an intense gaze!”

1(凶神恶煞) Idiom originally referring to a ferocious god, now later used to describe someone who is ferocious, intimidating, or evil.
2(横眉立目) Idiom describing someone’s fierce and intimidating expression. The literal translation is “horizontal brows and vertical eyes” which portrays someone who’s basically got their brows intensely furrowed while their eyes are curving in an angry way.

“Ding—”

A long-lost clear sound.

“Did we get it right? Did we?!” Kuang Jinxin was the first to exclaim, even more excited than Xu Wang.

Xu Wang didn’t have time to respond, but the uplifted corner of his mouth was the answer.

The countdown hadn’t ended yet, but the word on the ice waterfall had already changed for the first time.

Xu Wang saw the new word and spiritedly suggested, “She Haiyang’s singing!”

Wu Sheng retorted, “Wail like ghosts, howl like wolves¹! Makes your hair stand on end²! Hated by all³!”

¹⁽鬼哭狼嚎) Idiom describing a loud, shrill cry, resembling that of wailing or howling.
²(令人发指) Idiom describing something that’s extremely infuriating to the point it causes a strong emotional reaction (like your hair standing on ends).
³(人神共愤) Idiom referring to something so morally reprehensible or outrageous that it incites anger from everyone (to the point of even the gods).

“Ding—”

Xu Wang: “Zhang Lei chasing Zou Lulu!”

Wu Sheng: “In his dreams¹! Wishful thinking²!”

1(痴心妄想) Idiom referring to thinking about the impossible but now also refers to stupid and absurd ideas (basically, unrealistic hope).
2(白日做梦) Idiom referring to a fantasy that cannot be realized.

“Ding—”

“Qian Ai eating!”

“Like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds*!”

*(风卷残云) Idiom referring describing doing something so swiftly and powerfully, like a huge gust blowing away the clouds. In this context, it basically describes someone inhaling food at an extremely fast speed.

“Ding-ding-ding—”

[Owl: Congratulations on passing. 1/23 successfully submitted! Dear, see you tomorrow~~]

A familiar voice sounded in their ears, but the message changed from yesterday’s “Early holiday. Sending you home in advance” to today’s “Congratulations”, with the same playful tone.

Xu Wang felt a sense of weightlessness again, wanting to call out to others but couldn’t, trying to grasp something but found only emptiness.

After what felt like an eternity yet just a moment, he finally felt the ground beneath his feet.

A breeze brushed his cheeks.

Xu Wang looked around in the darkness, slightly panicked, and instinctively called out, “Wu Sheng?”

“Here.” The reply came from close by.

“I’m here too, Xu Ge!” Kuang Jinxin announced without being asked.

“What the hell is this place?!” Sun Jiang, always on the edge, exclaimed.

With teammates around, Xu Wang felt slightly reassured.

His eyes, coming from the bright snowfield, slowly adjusted to the dark, and he saw the moon shining behind the clouds.

Another breeze passed.

It should’ve been cool in late autumn, but it felt warm and itchy on their frozen red faces.

It was night in Beijing.

They had returned.

Xu Wang finally felt relieved, withdrew his gaze, and looked around. He naturally assumed he was still standing at a crossroads like yesterday, but upon looking, he was stunned. Instead of a road, the four of them were standing on a bridge over a lake. The lake wasn’t very wide, seemingly like an artificial lake in a park. The bridge’s railings were made of wrought iron, delicate yet carrying an air of simplicity. On the opposite side of the bridge, there seemed to be shade from green trees, lush vegetation, and branches swaying gently in the moonlight, casting faint and shifting shadows…

Wait.

Xu Wang squinted and recognized the familiar scenery. “Isn’t this Qingnianhu Park?”

After this reminder, Kuang Jinxin and Sun Jiang, who lived nearby and often visited for fresh air, realized the same. “It is!”

As Xu Wang was about to discuss further with his teammates, Wu Sheng recited a string of numbers, “116.4085, 39.9616.”

Looking over, Wu Sheng was staring at his phone, the screen’s cold light illuminating his furrowed brows.

“Where… Where did you get a phone?”

“I put it in my pocket before being sucked in tonight, but it’s useless. There’s no signal inside…” Before he finished speaking, Wu Sheng suddenly realized, “The phone is not the point!”

“Ok, ok,” Xu Wang hurried to soothe and returned to the topic. “What were you reciting just now?”

“Coordinates.” Wu Sheng showed his phone to Xu Wang, displaying a satellite map with coordinates. “Our current location exactly matches the coordinates on the [Cheat Sheet].”

Kuang Jinxin instinctively looked at his arm to review the coordinates, only to remember that the mysterious patterns had disappeared along with their return to reality.

“You mean that place and reality share the same geographic latitude and longitude?” Xu Wang didn’t bother to verify. Wu Sheng’s mind was like a calculator. If he said the coordinates matched, they matched. But it didn’t make sense. “It’s day there and night here; a snowfield there and a park here, no similarities. What’s the point of using the same coordinate system?”

“Who’s there—”

Suddenly, a loud shout from the patrolling security guard was heard at the end of the bridge, interrupting the four people’s “research”. It was followed by a flashlight beam illuminating their “suspicious” figures.

Xu Wang was law-abiding, Wu Sheng was still focused on coordinates, and Kuang Jinxin had never been out past midnight before. So, under the flashlight, they all looked stunned.

At this time, Sun Jiang’s street smarts came in handy. He immediately responded, “We’re exercising—on a night run!”

The security guard was suspicious but somewhat convinced.

Sun Jiang immediately rallied the group. “Enough rest. Continue. One two one, one two one!”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin hurriedly followed, running in a straight line.

At three in the morning, their loud slogans echoed over Qingnianhu Park. “One two one! One two one! Staying fit promotes a healthy lifestyle!”

Mixed in were some murmurs—

Kuang Jinxin: “Xu Ge, who were those people you mentioned in the guessing game?”

Xu Wang: “High school classmates.”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Sun Jiang: “You two must’ve spent all your time back then gossiping about classmates.”

Xu Wang: “They weren’t idle either, saying he’s a show-off.”

Wu Sheng: “Saying he’s a chatterbox.”

Xu Wang: “Saying he’s always sucking up to teachers.”

Wu Sheng: “Saying he’s buddy buddy with everyone.”

Xu Wang: “Fuck, who said the last one?!”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Youth is fleeting and unretainable; why bother looking back?

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