The Salted Fish’s Grand Ambitions

April 12th, afternoon.

Ying City.

The weather was gloriously clear, the sun shining brightly without a single cloud marring the sky.

The dazzling sunlight stained the treetops a vibrant gold, making the leaves appear even greener.

Propping his head with one hand, Huang Xiu stared listlessly out the window, resembling nothing so much as a salted fish that had lost its dreams.

Outside, birds chirped incessantly in the trees, while inside, the teacher’s voice droned on, an endless murmur.

One moment, they would declare a topic a high-frequency test point, demanding memorization;

The next, they would caution that while a subject hadn’t appeared on recent exams, it might this year, thus requiring diligent note-taking.

A few brief words sent the top students nodding furiously, like pounding garlic, and scribbling away with fervent pens.

But Huang Xiu only found it noisy.

“How much longer until these wretched days finally came to an end?”

The classes were dull, the world uninteresting, and life a monotonous cycle, day after day, without the slightest change.

He’d had enough!

Luffy became one of the Five Emperors of the Sea at nineteen, just a step away from being the Pirate King;

Naruto saved the world at seventeen, becoming Hokage;

The invincible Fish-Seller Qiang beat up a centenarian at seventeen… at twenty-eight, he assaulted a single office worker… *cough cough*, never mind, that one doesn’t count.

Ichigo could use Bankai to chop up Byakuya at fifteen.

The Death God Elementary Schooler (TL Note: A reference to the anime ‘Case Closed’ or ‘Detective Conan,’ where the protagonist, Conan Edogawa, is a brilliant detective trapped in a child’s body), not even in second grade, had already, in a fit of rage, solved thousands of cases, caused the deaths of thousands of people, achieving the “thousand-person slayer” feat.

So, friends who often find themselves saving the world should know: the younger one is when they save the world, the better.

And seventeen to nineteen years old was precisely the optimal window to save the world and forge a magnificent career.

As an outstanding high school student of this new era, with lofty aspirations and grand goals,

how could he waste his precious youth at seventeen, idly passing time in a high school classroom?

His fists clenched, taut with unspoken frustration!

Huang Xiu silently clenched his fists… then…

But alas, there was no ‘then’.

*Knock knock!

The teacher lightly tapped the table with their index finger. “Pay attention.”

Alright, before embarking on world-saving, his current main quest was to attend class, study diligently, and strive for a good university.

After all, if he couldn’t get into a good university, he’d inevitably end up in a factory, transforming into a merciless assembly-line beast of burden (TL Note: A metaphor for someone exploited and overworked in a factory, treated like cattle or horses).

Huang Xiu sighed deeply.

He turned to glance at his deskmate Shi Lei’s textbook, then silently flipped his own biology book, which hadn’t been opened for ages, to the latest page.

In truth, though his grades were average, he wasn’t usually one to daydream in class.

It was simply the last lesson before the extended weekend holiday.

Moreover, his phone, distributed at noon and now buzzing incessantly in his pocket, made it utterly impossible for him to focus.

“Damn it, what are they all chatting about in the group? Let me see.”

Huang Xiu couldn’t resist; he stealthily pulled out his phone during the interval when the teacher turned back to the podium.

The constant notifications were from Ying City First High School’s Baidu Tieba large group.

The number of members wasn’t large, only about a hundred.

But each one was a witty and articulate ‘surfing master,’ truly talented individuals.

Huang Xiu loved surfing this group.

The group was still spamming, with unread messages already at 99+.

He simply tapped the jump button in the upper right corner, returning to the top of the unread messages.

[Firsthand news: Tiandu University’s enrollment season has begun! Rumor has it they’ll be in Ying City next Monday. Our teacher just announced it in class. What do you say? Are we going for it or not?]

[Holy crap, really? Is this true?]

[Well, for this kind of thing, those who know, know. For those who don’t, there’s nothing I can do. After all, it’s Tiandu, you know? (smirk)]

[Damn right we’re going for it! No loss if we don’t get in, but if we do, we’re set! I remember last year, didn’t someone from our First High with average grades get in?]

[No way, you actually think you can get into Tiandu? How bold of you! What kind of pipe dream are you having?]

Tiandu University?

Huang Xiu’s expression froze. Just as he was about to scroll down, Shi Lei, his deskmate, suddenly nudged him lightly with his thigh.

His body reacted faster than his brain; before he could even wonder why, his right hand instinctively slid downwards.

As he straightened his posture, his phone was silently tucked away into the gap between his buttock and the chair.

Huang Xiu then feigned nonchalance, lifting his head as if yawning to scan the room, only to discover that their homeroom teacher, Bald Liu, had appeared at the back of the classroom without him noticing.

He had also caught a chubby student playing on his phone.

It was his roommate, Fang Yongyi, who had average grades—or rather, it was precisely because of his average grades that he became Huang Xiu’s roommate.

At that moment, Fang Yongyi stood behind his desk, a look of profound sorrow on his face, staring blankly at the teacher on the podium.

He clearly couldn’t believe what was happening.

With only one minute left until class ended, he had inexplicably fallen in the final darkness before dawn.

What awaited him next was a weekend without his phone, plus a two-thousand-word self-reflection essay.

It was nothing short of tragic.

Huang Xiu silently felt sorry for him in his heart.

The dismissal bell rang precisely. The biology teacher, having no intention of extending the class, decisively announced its end. After hastily assigning “plentiful” holiday homework, they relinquished the podium to Bald Liu.

Bald Liu was in a good mood, having successfully seized a phone today.

Like a triumphant rooster returning from a fight, he strode onto the podium with his head held high.

“Some students, ah, playing on their phones during class, I won’t say who it is here…”

He began with a reprimand that named no names, yet everyone knew who it was directed at.

Once his floodgates of speech opened, they were difficult to close.

The slightly overweight middle-aged man with a receding hairline spoke incessantly for five minutes.

The hallway outside was already packed with students from neighboring classes, their joyful chatter and playful antics seeping into the classroom from all directions.

From time to time, curious students would peer in through the windows.

The students of Class Four kept glancing between Bald Liu and the outside, scratching their ears and cheeks in frustration, their legs jiggling and chairs rocking.

Huang Xiu was among them; having felt “imprisoned” for twelve days, he could no longer suppress the restless stirrings of his teenage heart, yearning only to unleash havoc in Summoner’s Rift and revel in a few exhilarating rounds.

“Damn it, Bald Liu really knows how to drag things out, hell!” his friend Shi Lei’s disgruntled murmur came from beside him.

“How unlucky that we’re stuck with this damn teacher.”

He wasn’t the only one growing impatient; the entire classroom began to grow restless, with whispers starting to spread everywhere.

“Quiet!” Bald Liu surveyed the room, slamming his right hand forcefully on the desk, sending chalk dust scattering several feet into the air.

“One last thing, then you’re dismissed. I’ll only speak when you’ve quieted down.”

Such threats were always effective.

The classroom instantly fell silent, save for the unrestrained laughter and chatter from the hallway.

Seeing this, Bald Liu continued, “This year, a month earlier than usual, Tiandu University’s enrollment exams are about to begin again.”

“As in previous years, even if second and third-year high school students don’t take the written exam, the physical examination is mandatory. It also serves as a comprehensive health check. It will take place next Monday at the Municipal People’s Hospital. Everyone, remember not to stay up late these next few days, avoid heavy-flavored foods, and take good care of your bodies.”

“Alright, class dismissed!”