Seniors play a game to relieve exam stress in Donghai county, Jiangsu province. ZHANG ZHENGYOU/VCG

She enjoyed astronomy and drawing as a child, and even considered going to a fine arts high school.

"But the fine arts teacher said my sketches felt too 'heavy'," she says, smiling.

"Exams are easiest for me. They flowed naturally, like a boat floating along a river."

The exam was her ultimate life goal－until it was over.

"It was like the river finally ended," she says.

"I never imagined what life would be like afterward."

Her parents took her future for granted since she enrolled in Peking University. But she faced setbacks, especially while job hunting.

"I felt like I was falling from a high point," she says.

"I've only stepped out of that mindset in recent years."

The lesson, she says, is: "Play fully to advantages and work around shortcomings."

She still considers becoming a cartoonist.