Chapter Twenty: The Mortal's Song

  After Deng Tong answered the question, Officer Li Xing continued:

  "Zhang Tong, originally we know each other, you can ask me to recuse myself, but since we just know each other, it doesn't violate my principle as an interviewer. So I have a question for you, would you like to answer?"

  Your previous answer seemed ordinary, but you chose a method that was not correct, yet under certain conditions it would be correct. This question is actually very simple, anyone who has read the exam outline can easily give the correct answer, can you tell me why you chose such a completely different approach?

  The key points of this question are 5, among which the most important is the fifth point. This point is very important and can be used to see if the candidate handles problems decisively. The standard answer should be:

  If this typo has a significant impact and none of the above methods can solve it, then you can directly remove the background board and temporarily add some small promotional displays.

  Zhang Tong was secretly shocked, this female police officer had such a sharp mind, his answer obviously looked like he hadn't reviewed well and couldn't remember the correct answer at the moment, so he improvised on the spot, but how did she see through him from his brief response?

  "I'm very sorry, esteemed examiners, I didn't review well and wasn't fully prepared."

  Zhang Tong said calmly, which made the examiner Zhang Lu feel curious:

  "So, I'm asking you, are you aware of the consequences of doing so?"

  "I know."

  "What is it?"

  "Didn't get in."

  Watching Zhang Tong's seemingly casual response, Li Xiang smiled and whispered two sentences to the examiner. The examiner smiled and nodded for her to ask questions:

  "It seems you're very relaxed, that's good. I'm curious, since you came here, isn't it just to take the exam? Your conditions are supposed to be advantageous, in the 4.12 big case, you and two other auxiliary police officers from Xingfu Road Police Station successfully blocked four suspects who attempted to escape into the mountains by car, this is even specially noted in your file, don't you want to be a policeman?"

  "Not really..." An unexpected answer, Zhang Tong shook his head.

  "Good, this raises a question. According to the file notes, your performance at the police station was excellent, and theoretically you could become an excellent policeman. But you don't seem to want to develop in this career. Since you didn't want to before, why are you taking the exam now? Sorry, we have a lot of questions. I promise this is your last question for today." Li Xing asked somewhat begrudgingly.

  Zhang Tong lowered her head and fell into silence. The three examiners were also very patient, not urging her on. Only Li Xing's eyes showed a hint of delight.

  After a long time, Zhang Tong finally summoned up his courage and lifted his head to say:

  "I... really didn't want to be a police officer, but I needed a job that looked decent in my parents' eyes. I've always been a good kid, never lazy, never causing trouble, and every day after school I'd dive into my studies, but somehow my grades were still bad. My elementary, middle, and high schools all had high hopes for me, but they were disappointed. Later on, when I didn't get into college, they were even more disappointed... They pinched pennies to scrape together 100,000 yuan so that I could finish university. After graduation, I still couldn't find a job, and with each disappointment, I knew what was going on, so I knew this time's recruitment would be another letdown for them."

  I know I didn't do well on the exam, and even if I did okay, I wouldn't have a chance to wear the police uniform. Rather than letting them continue to have false hopes for me, it's better to make a clean break now. After this exam is over, I don't want to take any more exams. I just want to go home and find a job that suits my abilities, so I won't be wasting their hard-earned money anymore. From then on, I can also contribute something to the family... Can I leave now?

  The silence lasted for tens of seconds, and the four examiners looked at each other, all feeling a little inexplicably moved. Until Zhang Tong asked softly.

  Zhang Lu called out to Zhang Tong, saying to her:

  "Zhang Tong, you answered very well!"

  "Thank you!" Zhang Tong turned around, bowed solemnly, and then stepped out of the classroom quietly.

  After a long while, Zhang Lu saw that the other two examiners were looking at him, and he smiled self-deprecatingly:

  "Don't look at me, this kid is good. If my son had this kind of heart, I'd be overjoyed... how about you?"

  The remaining two people nodded to each other and smiled as they handed the evaluation form back to Zhang Lu's hands.

  Do you know why during the Anti-Japanese War period, our country was able to produce so many heroic martyrs who were willing to sacrifice themselves and die with dignity? Because in peacetime, they all experienced waiting for exam results.

  Gao Xiang has become a pseudo-intellectual since the exam, and started fantasizing about the relationship between Freud and Andy Lau. When he's at work, he explains to Er Mao, Leng Zi, and Dali Wan that Ostravsky and Automan didn't have any base, and Mark Twain and Maler Gorge are not biological brothers.

  Tian Miao Miao, although exhausted from following Su Jing every day, still showed deep concern after hearing about Gao Xiang's abnormal behavior. That afternoon, after finishing their patrol, Tian Miao Miao looked at her phone and saw it was almost 5 o'clock. A strong, savory aroma suddenly wafted into her nose from the side of the road, and following the smell, she found a new small lobster restaurant had just opened.

  Don't bother going back to the office to report anymore. Anyway, Su Jing has already taken half of the military supplies back with him. Might as well have a good meal instead.

  I called Zhang Tong and soon he also caught wind of it and came in...

  Two girls were eating crayfish and drinking ice cream, feeling very happy. Tian Miao Miao was peeling the shell of the crayfish while saying to Zhang Tong: "Tong, I feel like you've become a completely different person after taking the exam?"

  Zhang Tong wiped his mouth and said calmly, "It's all said that Su Shi Tai (Su Jing's nickname) is the most extraordinary person in our department, who can smell the scent of crime with her nose. Miao Pi Pi, after following her for a few days, your powers of observation have also become sharper? Then tell me, what's different about me?"

  Tian Niu Miao stared at her with a suspicious look, making Zhang Tong's heart feel hairy. She grabbed a small lobster and pretended to stuff it into Tian Niu Miao's mouth. Tian Niu Miao was distracted by this and focused on dealing with the lobster, no longer entangled.

  The two of them chatted and chatted, and the topic turned to Gao Xiang. Tian Miao Miao smiled with ill intentions and said to Zhang Tong: "Hey, I'm saying, your landmine has been stimulated by something recently, right?"

  Zhang Tong glared at her with a sideways glance, directly giving Tian Miao Miao a cold shoulder. Tian Miao Miao ate another lobster and worriedly said: "Alas, an artistic youth, standing at the crossroads of life, unwilling to gradually become an ordinary youth, what do you think he will end up becoming..."

  "Poof!" Zhang Tong's soda sprayed Tian Miao Miao all over her face...