Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

Escaping is futile; debts still need to be repaid.

But what can a yet immature child do besides spouting platitudes?

Go on a solo mission like a lone hero to get the money back?

Either that, or not having money for a lawsuit, while needing to attend school.

Some things are easy to imagine and easy to write in articles, but actually doing them is not very realistic.

Later, by relying on the goodwill accumulated over the years, I managed to borrow eight thousand yuan from dozens of classmates to get through the toughest time — all of which I returned without any discrepancies.

From that point on, an extraordinary life of poverty began.

During the final phase of high school, due to rental issues, we moved through four or five different places, enduring life's hardships while studying.

I held up, standing strong with my mother.

Though not completely, as my grades were still somewhat affected.

The final college entrance exam results were average; due to a massive failure in mathematics, I, a science student who usually scored 110 in math, only got 80, barely surpassing the first-tier university line by 13 points in total.

That year the first-tier science line was 480 points, and I scored 493 points, neither high nor low, not enough for the best first-tier universities, only able to select from some second-tier options.

Actually, there were two classmates who scored the same as me and went to a local military-managed 211 university, with one major right on the mark, but my poor health forced me to reluctantly give up.

When choosing a school later, due to being too disheartened about math, I opted for a language major that didn't require studying math.

Against all odds, I chose Arabic. Well, my initial goal was simply to go to a wealthy place in the Middle East after graduation to earn money to support my family and escape my current predicament.

Once school started, I discovered, hey, surprisingly, the weird scribbles of Arabic are quite unique and interesting to learn—this joy lasted only half a month, after which only painful torture remained.

Painful trilled "r" sounds, morning and evening self-study, strict exams, a university student who still had winter and summer homework, a professional level four major exam (you can only take it twice, no pass means no more chances), English level four and six exams can only be taken in the second year, and a full Arabic graduation thesis...

Due to financial issues, I once survived a month on instant noodles with just three hundred yuan, later deciding it wasn't necessary and resumed eating normally...

Later on, I started dating a girlfriend, and life became enjoyable for a while.

In my junior year, with the help of relatives, I got an exchange spot to study in North Africa for eight months, witnessing some unique landscapes.

Lucky enough to take a photo with Ambassador Wang, then still the special envoy and plenipotentiary ambassador to the Tunisian Republic, truly elegant and extraordinary.

(Later Ambassador Wang became a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and now the ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia… Wow, the value of this photo keeps rising!)

Over there, I worked as a foreign language (Chinese+English+Arabic) tour guide a few times, leading seven-day-six-night tours, sharing meals and accommodation with tourists from back home thanks to my Arabic and English guide status (this really paid off), seeing sights I never imagined before.

Shivering alone wrapped in a blanket in a tent hotel in the Sahara Desert, fighting with a poorly functioning hot air conditioner, witnessing the dazzling and brilliant stars in the lightless desert.

Visited a Star Wars filming location, saw an oasis deep in the desert with flowing springs, met residents living in caves, and saw the ruins of an Ancient Rome colosseum.

The most memorable was explaining the history of various exhibits to tourists in a museum transformed from an ancient Royal Palace…

(Let's insert just one photo in the article here, for the rest, if you're curious, I'll post them in the comments later; having too many pictures in the article feels a bit weird, even though I've already talked so much, it still feels a bit strange…)

The first tour was unpaid, mainly to gain experience, but on the second tour guide job I earned what was for me at the time a substantial payment—over three thousand yuan.

I thought I could work as a guide a few more times, earn some more, and help ease the burden on my family.

But then, unfortunately, the pandemic hit, and we had no choice but to come back early with help from the embassy, which burst my plan to work while studying after finishing my studies there.

Oh right, upon returning, I was quarantined for two weeks in a hotel in Chengdu in May, on a high floor facing the sun, with windows that only opened a crack and no central air conditioning… I barely survived by showering eight times a day (not exaggerating), until later I got a standing fan which made it a bit better.

After quarantine, I interned at a local branch of a public company, thanks in part to my decent appearance at the time (words from the woman who interviewed me), my English passed the level six exam, and I managed to get an administrative position.

The work wasn't complicated; I mainly organized the warehouse, handled employees' departures, had a company shuttle bus in the morning and evening, and provided one meal at midday, earning two thousand eight hundred yuan a month, interning for three to four months, and got an internship certificate.

However, just as I planned to continue the internship to gain experience and earn money, I was urged by the counselor to return to school, although going back served little purpose as classes had finished, which felt quite pointless.

It was during this slightly free time after the thesis defense that I began writing my first novel of my life—a fake-fake-fake DND Western fantasy novel in the Amber flow style, The Divine Calamity series.