Who wants to be a male model after being reborn? I want to be a male god.

Chapter 364: The Book of Healing
Xu Wen was also somewhat curious about what Xia Ning's new book would be about.

Because this is not just her book, it also represents her current mental state.

Xu Wen turned off his phone, started the car and returned to Shan City.

His fingers tapped lightly on the steering wheel, the rhythm was chaotic, just like his thoughts at the moment.

The city scenery outside the car window quickly receded, and the street lights cast light and shadows on the windshield.

The Hongjing Industrial Building gradually shrank in the rearview mirror and finally disappeared around the corner, but Gu Hong’s words “I’m old” were engraved in his mind like a brand and could not be erased.

The cold air from the car's air conditioner blew directly on the back of his neck, forming a sharp contrast with the scorching heat of the kang in his memory.

Xu Wen loosened his tie subconsciously and his Adam's apple rolled.

Every detail of the conversation in Gu Hong's office replayed in his mind.

The bumps on the middle-aged man's knuckles when he stroked the photo frame, the brown age spots on his suit cuffs, and the meaningful look in his eyes.

"Retreat." Xu Wen repeated the word softly, and his voice was particularly clear in the closed compartment.

The word was like a key that suddenly opened a drawer in his memory.

He remembered Li Qingyun's warning at the hotel that day: "Every gift given by Gu Hong has a hidden price tag."

At that time, he just thought it was his senior being overly cautious, but now thinking about it, Li Qingyun was clearly reminding him of Gu Hong's style of doing things.

The red light came on, Xu Wen stepped on the brakes, his fingers tapping the steering wheel unconsciously.

In the back seat was the "Feasibility Analysis of National Expansion" that Gu Hong gave him.

The document was thick, at least two hundred pages long, detailing every obstacle that Shancheng might encounter in its national expansion, as well as every resource that Hongjing Industrial could provide.

From the logistics network in the Yangtze River Basin to the political and business relations in northern cities.

"It's too perfect, so perfect that it doesn't look like a business plan, but more like a..." Xu Wen murmured to himself.

His thoughts suddenly got stuck and he couldn't find the right words to describe it.

A contract of sale? A betrothal gift? Or a way out?
The green light came on and the car behind honked impatiently.

Xu Wen suddenly came to his senses and stepped on the accelerator.

The car rushed forward and his back hit the seat hard.

The phone vibrated in my pocket.

Xu Wen held the steering wheel with one hand and took out his cell phone with the other hand and glanced at it.

It was a message from Lan Qiusheng: "Squad leader, there is new news from Meituan. Their CTO suddenly resigned."

Xu Wen raised an eyebrow and threw his phone onto the passenger seat.

The internal turmoil in Meituan is still going on, which should be good news, but he can't muster the slightest interest in it now.

The clock on the dashboard read 6:17 PM.

Xu Wen suddenly realized that he had not eaten dinner yet, and felt a slight pain in his stomach.

He reached out to open the car refrigerator, took out a bottle of mineral water and took two sips.

The cold water flowed down my throat, but it couldn't extinguish the inexplicable irritability in my heart.

The outline of the Flash City Building finally came into view.

Xu Wen parked the car in the parking lot but did not get out immediately.

He leaned his head back against the headrest, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

"No matter what Gu Hong is planning, at least now, Shan City is still mine," he said to himself.

He said this sentence silently like a spell.

Xu Wen entered the building and took the elevator.

The elevator rose steadily, and Xu Wen stared at the floor numbers lighting up one by one.

His reflection was blurry in the metal door.

When the elevator made a "ding" sound to indicate its arrival, he adjusted his tie and got out of the elevator.

The lights in the office area are still on and everyone is working at their workstations.

When he appeared, everyone greeted him.

Xu Wen loosened his clothes and threw himself into the swivel chair.

The leather seat creaked slightly, as if welcoming its owner's return.

He took a long breath and scanned every corner of the office.

Those childish ornaments that didn't fit in with the environment made him feel at ease.

The computer screen lit up as he touched it, and the lock screen wallpaper was a photo of Gu Xingruo taken on the opening day of Shancheng. She was smiling so hard that her eyes curved into crescents.

Xu Wen entered the password and couldn't wait to open his QQ mailbox.

The inbox is full of unread emails, most of which are about Meituan’s follow-up processing and market analysis.

But among the pile of work emails, a familiar sender's name made his finger hover over the mouse.

The two words "Xia Ning" lay quietly in the sender column, and the subject of the email only had three simple words "For you" without any unnecessary decoration.

They haven't been in touch since they said goodbye in the cafe.

Xia Ning said she would take a year off from school, but she didn't expect to "appear" again in this way.

Xu Wen opened the email and found no text content, only a document attachment named "1".

This simple, almost cold style was exactly what Xia Ning always did when she was in high school.

Never explain, just show.

He downloaded the attachment, and before double-clicking to open it, he felt inexplicably nervous, as if he was about to open a gift whose contents he didn't know.

The moment the document was opened, the first paragraph caught his attention:
"Jiang Mu stood at the exit of LS Airport. The sunlight on the plateau was like a sharp knife, cutting her pale skin painfully. The doctor said that the sunlight and air in the snowy area might cure her depression, or at least temporarily dispel the dark thoughts that entangled her. She dragged a suitcase containing antidepressants, a laptop and a well-read copy of The Tibetan Book of Life and Death."

Xu Wen sat up straight unconsciously, staring at the screen without blinking.

Jiang Mu.

This name is obviously another projection of Xia Ning's self.

He continued reading and soon discovered that this story was strikingly similar to Xia Ning's experience that he knew.

A writer suffering from depression goes to the snowy area to find inspiration and healing.

The male protagonist "Jingchuan" first appears in the yard of a small hotel. He is helping a single mother post a missing person notice to find her lost daughter.

The book describes it this way:
"Jingchuan's fingers were long and strong, but he was very gentle when he pressed the missing person notice. Jiang Mu noticed a long scar on his wrist, as if he had been scratched by a sharp object. When he turned around, the sunlight shone through the hair by his ears, casting tiny spots of light on the ground. 'Are you here to help too?' He asked, his voice deeper than Jiang Mu had imagined."

When reading this description, Xu Wen's mouth corners unconsciously rose.

The Jingchuan created by Xia Ning has too many of his shadows.

What surprised him even more was that the description of the snow area in the book was so detailed, as if Xia Ning had really been there.

The pilgrims on the Potala Palace Square, the old men circumambulating the temples on Barkhor Street, the aroma in the sweet teahouse, every detail is vivid. Xu Wen was completely immersed in the story and even forgot the time.

The process of Jiang Mu and Jing Chuan helping a single mother find her daughter is also the process of the two gradually getting to know each other.

Jingchuan's identity as a reporter makes him good at listening and asking questions, while Jiang Mu's sensitivity as a writer allows her to capture the subtlest emotional changes.

They walked through the alleys of LS together, discussed the poems of Tsangyang Gyatso at Maggie Ami restaurant, and waited for the sunrise by the Namtso Lake.

Every scene reminded Xu Wen of every little detail of his past with Xia Ning, except that the location had changed from Linjiang to XZ.

When he read the following paragraph, he suddenly felt an indescribable emotion in his heart:

"When Jiang Mu broke down and cried in front of Jing Chuan for the first time, he didn't say those empty words of comfort, but just hugged her quietly until her trembling stopped. 'It's okay,' he whispered in her ear, 'Tears are also a kind of language.' That night, Jiang Mu fell asleep for the first time without relying on drugs."

This was so similar to the night he and Xia Ning had experienced.

It’s just that the two of them were in a completely enclosed rental house at the time.

At that time, he held her in silence until she fell into a deep sleep.

Xia Ning wrote such private memories into the novel. Was it a way to let go or to commemorate the past?

Xu Wen couldn't be sure, but he could feel the complex emotions behind the words.

As the story continues, Jiang Mu's depression gradually improves under the dual influence of Jingchuan and the snowy environment.

She began writing a new book about "loss and recovery", while Jingchuan took a series of shocking photos to record the daily life of ordinary people in the snowy area.

Their relationship slowly developed from travel companions to lovers. On a starry night, outside the tent at the Everest Base Camp, Jingchuan kissed Jiang Mu, and she did not dodge.

When Xu Wen turned to the last chapter, the sky outside the window had already darkened completely. The lights in the office reflected on the computer screen, and he had to adjust the angle to see the text clearly.

The ending of the story is warm and perfect.

Jiang Mu's new book was a great success and her depression was under control; Jing Chuan's photo collection was published and won an award.

They decided to return to city life together, but promised to return to XZ every year to "recharge".

The last page is a hand-drawn illustration: Jiang Mu and Jing Chuan are walking hand in hand on Barkhor Street, with two familiar figures vaguely visible in the background.

The hero and heroine in "The Name of the Disease is You" are passing by them.

This little Easter egg made Xu Wen laugh out loud.

Xia Ning declared her relief in this way. The pain of the past has turned into characters in the story, and in reality she is creating a new story.

After closing the document, Xu Wen felt a strange sense of calm, as if he had just had a conversation with Xia Ning across time and space.

He picked up his phone and sent a text message to Xia Ning: "The new book is very good. I read it all in one go. The description of Tibet is so realistic. It's like I really traveled with you. The story of Jiang Mu and Jing Chuan is very beautiful."

After sending the text message, Xu Wen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The image of Xia Ning in XZ appeared in my mind.

She might be sitting in a sweet teahouse writing, or daydreaming by some unknown lake.

The plateau sunshine will tan her skin into a healthy tan, and her smile may become freer than before.

Xia Ning, who was once trapped by depression and obsession, has now completed self-redemption through writing.

There was a gentle knock on the office door, and Lan Qiusheng's voice came from outside: "Squad leader, are you there? There is a document that needs your signature."

Xu Wen opened his eyes, took one last look at the closed document on the computer screen, then got up to open the door.

When he took the documents handed over by Lan Qiusheng, he found himself unusually calm, and even had a long-lost sense of relaxation.

The message Xia Ning conveyed through text was clear: she had found her way, and he should move on.

"Have you seen the news about Meituan's CTO's resignation?" Lan Qiu Sheng asked, his eyes sweeping over Xu Wen's slightly tired face.

Xu Wen nodded and signed his name on the document: "I see, but now in Jiang Province, Meituan is no longer our main competitor."

He handed the signed document back, "I have a new expansion plan to announce at tomorrow's morning meeting."

Lan Qiusheng raised his eyebrows: "So fast? I thought we would consolidate the Jiang Province market first."

"The time has come." Xu Wen answered briefly, his eyes unconsciously drifting to the window.

The night view of the city forms a blurred reflection on the glass, overlapping with the lights inside the office, forming a peculiar visual effect.

In that light and shadow, he seemed to see countless possibilities.

The future of Shancheng, his relationship with Gu Xingruo, and the truth behind Gu Hong’s “retreat”.

After Lan Qiu Sheng left, Xu Wen sat back in front of the computer again.

He opened a new document and began drafting a plan for Shem City's nationwide expansion.

My fingers fly across the keyboard and my thoughts are clearer than ever.

No matter what Gu Hong is planning, no matter what challenges lie ahead, at least at this moment, he feels ready.

Xu Wen remembered a sentence Jiang Mu said in the book: "Some journeys are for escape, and some are for return."

He didn't know what Xia Ning was thinking when she wrote this sentence, but he understood that both he and Xia Ning would eventually return to their own life trajectories.

And tonight's reading journey, like the sunshine of XZ, shines briefly but brightly into his heart.

At the end of the document, Xu Wen wrote a line: "Flash City 2.0, connecting the taste buds of every city."

This is not only a business plan, but also his commitment to the future.

After saving the file, he turned off the computer and the office suddenly fell into darkness.

Only the city lights outside the window are still bright, like countless stars falling on the earth.

Xu Wen stood in front of the window, looking at the tall buildings in the distance.

Farther away, there is a building called Hongjing Industry.

The lights on the top floor of the tall building might still be on, and Gu Hong might still be there, thinking about his "retreat".

But at this moment, Xu Wen no longer felt confused or afraid.

He took out his cell phone and sent a message to Gu Xingruo: "Are you free tomorrow?"

Almost immediately, the phone lit up: "Anytime! I just have a new idea for you!"

The text was followed by a string of excited emojis.

Xu Wen put away his phone with a smile, took one last look at the city at night, then turned off the lights and left the office.

The sensor lights in the corridor lit up one by one as he walked, and then went out one by one behind him.

But Xu Wen knew that no matter what lay ahead, he was ready to face it.

Because just like what Xia Ning wrote in the book.

In this world, some journeys are for escape, while others are like his and Shem's future.

Destined to return and be reborn.

(End of this chapter)