I was in my final year of high school, and my deskmate found out I was writing a novel!

The three of them were still chatting when it was noon.

The agent smiled and said, "You two have considered everything so carefully. The house will definitely be very comfortable after this renovation. If you're sure you want this one, we can sign the contract next week. I can recommend a renovation team to you; they've done a lot of villa renovations and have an excellent reputation."

Miaomiao looked at Ye Feng, her eyes full of anticipation. Ye Feng took her hand: "Let's go with this one. I think this is our new home."

On the drive home, Miaomiao kept sending voice messages to her cousin.

"Sis! Ye Feng and I booked a villa! It comes with a 40-square-meter yard where we can grow gardenias and play on a swing. The kitchen is huge, big enough to fit a double-door refrigerator, and there's a terrace on the third floor where we can stargaze at night!"

My cousin replied to my voice message instantly, her voice full of envy: "That's wonderful! I'll be the first one to the housewarming party when you're all done! We'll have a barbecue in the yard, and then pick gardenias to make sachets. Just thinking about it makes me so happy!"

Miaomiao sent another video to her parents, showing them photos of the villa one by one.

"Dad, Mom, look, there's a room for the elderly on the first floor, with non-slip flooring and handrails. You won't have to squeeze into the small room anymore when you come to live here. You can grow your favorite vegetables in the yard. I've already reserved a spot for you to grow peppers and eggplants."

The mother on the other end of the video call couldn't stop smiling: "Okay, okay, once you've finished decorating, your dad and I will come and stay for a few days to help you plant some flowers and do some housework."

After hanging up the video call, Miaomiao leaned against the passenger seat, looking at the scenery outside the window with a smile that never left her lips. "Ye Feng, when do you think we can move in? I want to plant gardenias in the yard as soon as possible, and watch the stars on the terrace as soon as possible."

"The agent said we can start decorating as soon as we sign the contract. The minimalist style is quick to do, it can be finished in three months, and we can move in next spring." Ye Feng gripped the steering wheel and turned to look at her. "That will be the season when gardenias bloom, and we can smell their fragrance as soon as we move in."

Miaomiao nodded and started planning again: "After we move in, I want to hang strings of lights in the yard, and we can also hang lanterns during the New Year. I want to put a small sofa in the study so you can rest there when you're tired of writing. I also want to plant some succulents on the terrace and put them on the railing; it will definitely look really nice."

Ye Feng listened to her rambling with a smile, feeling a deep sense of peace. From the days of squeezing into a 70-square-meter teacher's apartment to now being able to give her a home with a yard, seeing the light in her eyes, he felt all his efforts had been worthwhile. As the car drove into the familiar neighborhood, Miaomiao was still flipping through interior design renderings, muttering, "Tomorrow I'm going to the flower shop to look at gardenia seedlings. I'll buy a few pots to put on the balcony and bring them with me when we move to the new house."

Back at the teachers' apartment, the first thing Miaomiao did was to put up the floor plan of the villa on the living room wall, along with several interior design renderings.

"We'll be able to see what our new home looks like every day from now on, and just thinking about it makes me happy."

She pulled Ye Feng to sit on the sofa and pointed to the floor plan.

"Look, this is the yard, this is the study, this is the terrace—our future home will be a hundred times more comfortable than it is now."

"How about we add a small massage chair? My mom always says her back is uncomfortable, and a ten-minute massage before bed is just right."

Should we reserve a shelf in the study's bookshelf for your manuscripts? And the children's room—we'll leave it empty for now, but we need to install a few electrical outlets in advance; it'll be convenient for placing a crib and humidifier later.

Ye Feng followed her finger and nodded in agreement.

"Choose a light gray massage chair to match the walls of the elderly person's room; the manuscript cabinet should have glass doors to prevent dust and allow you to see the covers; the electrical outlets in the children's room should be installed at a height of 1.5 meters to prevent children from bumping into them later."

Oh, and on the terrace, besides the barbecue grill, we should also install outdoor curtains. They'll block the sunlight when it shines at an angle in the evening, making it less glaring when we sit and chat.

Miaomiao's eyes lit up, and she quickly took out a pen to write down the details on the edge of the floor plan.

"I want off-white curtains for the outdoors to match the lawn in the yard! And for the kitchen, I'll choose a double sink so I can use it separately for washing fruit and washing dishes. I'll also install a garbage disposal so I don't have to take out food waste all the time in the summer."

The two chatted back and forth, the sound of pens scratching on paper mingling with laughter, as they poured their expectations for their new home into these small details of home planning.

......

The Shanghai market in November was already chilly, but the villas in the 15th building of Xi'an Manor were full of warmth.

The construction workers were making their way onto the site in an orderly fashion, the occasional sounds of drills and nails adding to the anticipation of the soon-to-be-completed structure. As Miaomiao walked into the yard in the morning light, carrying her breakfast, the workers had just secured the anti-corrosion wooden swing frame to the camphor tree. The dark brown frame and the emerald green leaves complemented each other, making it even more beautiful than she had imagined.

"Miss Miaomiao, the quartz countertop you ordered yesterday has arrived. It's near the kitchen door. Would you like to inspect it?"

The renovation foreman came up to us, holding a materials list in his hand.

Miaomiao immediately followed her into the kitchen. The white quartz countertop was laid on the U-shaped work surface. It felt smooth and delicate to the touch. She lightly scratched it with her fingernail, but it didn't leave a mark. "Not bad, this is the color. It matches the off-white of the walls very well."

Ye Feng arrived shortly after, carrying bottled water he had bought for the workers.

He first walked around the yard. The flower beds had already been dug, and there were several pots of gardenia seedlings piled up next to them. Miaomiao had picked them out from the flower shop last week, and she had specially chosen the variety with flower buds, saying that they would bloom in the spring.

How much drought-resistant grass seed was used for the lawn?

He asked the construction foreman, "Half of it has been laid. It will be finished tomorrow. After it's finished, we'll water it and let it cure for a week before you can walk on it."

The team leader pointed to the sprinkler on the lawn, "Don't worry, we will water it regularly to ensure a high survival rate."

The two went up to the third floor, where the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in the study had just been set up, their walnut-colored wooden planks exuding a warm and smooth texture.

Ye Feng walked to the desk and gestured to indicate its width: "Put a 2-meter desk here, leave space on the left for a small sofa, and place the bookshelf next to it on the right for easy access to books."

Miaomiao came closer and pointed to the bottom shelf of the bookcase.

"This floor needs to be made with glass doors to store your manuscripts. I organized your previous manuscripts yesterday and put them in brown paper bags so we can put them in directly when you move in."

The renovation proceeded smoothly, and Ye Feng also found time to focus on his creative work.

The popularity of the first season of "Joy of Life" has not yet subsided, and Tencent Video is urging the second season's script to be polished. He would spend two hours every day communicating with the writing team to confirm the details of the Northern Qi chapter.

For example, Sean's lines revealing the temple's secrets before his death, and Zhan Doudou's subtle facial expressions while disguised as a man, all need to be carefully considered.

But what worries him even more is the fans of Lord of Mysteries urging him to update the series.

Since the end of "Lord of Mysteries", his Weibo and reader groups have been filled with messages asking for "the next one" every day. Some fans have even spontaneously organized a "challenge alliance" to leave comments under every one of his posts.

When will you write the sequel to Klein's story?

When exactly will the Ring of Destiny be released?

At first, he would reply with "In preparation," but as more and more people urged him to update, he had to temporarily set up a comment filter.