I asked you to write a light novel, but you wrote about living?

9:03 PM.

The third residential area, Zhou Mingxuan's Hengwen Apartment.

In the upper right corner of the retinal projection, a crisp "Special Attention" notification sounded.

[The novel "To Live" has been updated with 6000 words.]

Zhou Mingxuan sat up from the zero-gravity sofa and pushed the unfinished synthetic steak aside.

He's been waiting for this update all day.

According to his prediction, the storyline of Fugui being conscripted has already been developed to nearly 10,000 words. The moment Lao Quan dies is the emotional tipping point, and tonight's update must be the climax of the awakening of the God of War.

He had even mentally prepared the long commentary he was going to say, "I already said that."

He starts by saying, "Brothers, wasn't my prediction accurate?" He then analyzes the situation in three parts and finally addresses those who criticized him, asking them if they feel embarrassed.

This book has already fooled him several times.

At the beginning, he bet that Fugui would make a comeback in the casino, but Fugui was swindled out of more than 100 acres of land.

He bet his father would die a heroic death, and his father ended up falling off the latrine and dying.

He bet that Fugui would have a stroke of luck if he went to the city to ask for a doctor, but instead Fugui was captured and forced into labor.

But tonight is different.

The author used nearly two thousand words to lay the groundwork for Lao Quan's death.

This length is meaningful in online novels.

No author would spend two thousand words describing the death of a supporting character unless that death is meant to introduce the protagonist's transformation.

Based on this length, Fugui should take action tonight.

Zhou Mingxuan picked up his drink, drew a line in the air with his finger, and the latest chapter began.

The first sentence popped up.

The next morning, we were gathered in an open space and made to sit neatly on the ground.

Zhou Mingxuan frowned slightly.

Wait a minute, why are they sitting down right away?

Old Quan just died yesterday. Logically, this kind of scene should be followed by a monologue of Fu Gui gritting his teeth and making a vow amidst a pile of corpses, and then the scene should change, with the timeline jumping to his emergence on the battlefield.

How come everyone is sitting in a row when I woke up?

He continued reading.

The PLA officer said that those who wanted to go home could leave, and they would be given travel expenses.

Next paragraph.

Fugui knelt on the ground and cried.

Zhou Mingxuan's eyes lit up.

coming.

The kneeling opening is a sign of a key turning point.

If Fugui were to utter a single decent line here, such as "I am willing to give my life for the great cause" or "I am willing to serve the commander like a dog or a horse," the commander would appreciate him, and the main storyline would be revitalized.

Even just a simple phrase like "A true man should die when he is ready to die" would be acceptable.

He looked down.

Fu Gui knelt there, unable to speak clearly, repeatedly calling out "Company Commander, Company Commander".

The person next to Fugui reminded him that it was the regimental commander.

Then Fugui said, "I want to go home."

Zhou Mingxuan stared at the screen for two seconds.

"...?"

"Dude?"

"You've already knelt down?"

"Is it so hard for you to tell the regimental commander, 'I am willing to serve my country'?"

"The commander is standing right in front of you."

"You knelt on the ground and told him you wanted to go home?"

He rolled his eyes and scrolled down.

Next paragraph.

Fugui is really gone.

The commander really let him go.

Zhou Mingxuan leaned back.

"I'm truly impressed."

He muttered to himself while looking at the screen.

"Fu Gui is truly hopeless."

He mentally made a bill for Fugui.

He lost all his wealth and never learned his lesson.

Dad fell to his death, and he never learned his lesson.

He was conscripted and crawled among piles of corpses for two years, but he still hasn't learned his lesson.

Old Quan died right in front of him, yet he still hadn't learned his lesson.

After going through so much, the protagonist should have grown a bit by now, right?

At least there should be something in their eyes, right?

At least when kneeling in front of the commander, shouldn't you say something decent?

There was nothing there.

He was still the same Fu Gui who had his entire fortune swindled away by Long Er in the casino.

He's still the same Fugui who cried and called for his father when he was arrested.

Even kneeling before the commander, all he could do was cry and shout, "I want to go home."

Zhou Mingxuan sighed.

He originally thought that Lao Quan's connection was meant to pass something to Fu Gui.

Veteran soldiers, before they die, always have some last words, like "Little Fugui, you must live well" or "My biggest regret in this life is not killing enough Japanese devils." Passing on a few secret words establishes the protagonist's character.

nor.

When Lao Quan died, all he said was, "Damn it, I don't want to die here."

If you're dead, you're dead.

Fu Gui continued to be as incompetent as ever.

He continued scrolling down.

Fu Gui walked for more than a month, returning from the north to his hometown in the south.

He was still wearing the same tattered cotton-padded jacket, and his shoes were worn through, so he wrapped his feet in burlap.

Zhou Mingxuan silently muttered another complaint in his mind.

"Dude, you've been traveling for a month without a single adventure. Okay."

He continued flipping through the pages.

Fu Gui arrived at the village entrance.

He saw a little girl, about seven or eight years old, leading a three-year-old boy as they cut grass. It was Fengxia.

Zhou Mingxuan slowed down his typing speed.

finally reached.

Even if the book has a bad ending, and even if Fugui is a complete loser from beginning to end, the part where the protagonist goes home should at least be normal, right?

Jiazhen waited patiently for two years with her child. When Fengxia recognized her father, she rushed over and hugged his leg. This was the most basic scene of their reunion.

He looked down.

Fu Gui squatted down and asked Feng Xia, "Do you still recognize me?"

Fengxia stared at him for a while with wide eyes.

His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

It's normal for a child to be a little slow to recognize people after not seeing them for two years.

Zhou Mingxuan continued scrolling down.

Fugui said to Fengxia, "I am your father."

Fengxia laughed; her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

Zhou Mingxuan didn't pay attention and scrolled down.

He wanted to see the scene where Fugui enters the house.

He flipped through a few lines and saw Jia Zhen sitting in the house sewing clothes. When she saw Fu Gui, she neither cried nor rushed over, but only asked, "You're back."

My mother is dead.

He's been dead for almost two years.

Zhou Mingxuan's heart sank.

He flipped down.

Jiazhen told Fugui that Fengxia had a high fever a year ago.

The family doesn't have the money to hire a doctor.

She spent three days running around town.

The fever has subsided.

He's better now.

It means I've lost the ability to speak.

Zhou Mingxuan's fingers, which were turning the pages, stopped.

"...What?"

He subconsciously scrolled back two paragraphs on the screen.

Fengxia laughed; her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

He glanced at the sentence again.

He hadn't noticed it just now.

He thought Fengxia was slow to recognize people, and that her mouth was moving as if she wanted to call out "Dad" but couldn't, so he didn't dare to confirm.

He's now certain.

Fengxia has really lost her way of speaking.

Zhou Mingxuan remained seated on the sofa.

He flipped the screen further forward.

I flipped back several chapters.

Turn to the paragraphs where Fengxia appeared before.

Fengxia first appeared before Fugui lost his family fortune.

She was only a few years old then, held in the arms of the servants. When she saw Fugui returning from outside, she would rush over and call him "Dad".

Later, Fugui lost his family fortune and moved into a thatched hut.

Fengxia followed Jiazhen to the fields, running barefoot along the ridges, and singing folk songs.

When Jiazhen was taken back by her father, Fengxia chased after her from inside the house, calling out "Mother".

On the day Jiazhen gave birth to Youqing and returned, Fengxia ran over from afar and hugged Jiazhen's legs.

On the day Fugui was conscripted, Fengxia held Jiazhen's hand, her eyes sparkling as she asked her father when he would return.

Zhou Mingxuan flipped back.

Turn the pages one section at a time.

That little girl who can sing.

That little girl who could call for her mother.

That little girl with bright, sparkling eyes.

All she can do now is open her mouth.

She can only use hand gestures now.

Now, when she sees her father, who has been away for two years and has finally returned home, she wants to call out "Dad," but she can't, so she can only smile.

Zhou Mingxuan sat on the sofa for a while.

There wasn't much of a reaction.

It just doesn't feel right.

My chest feels tight, like I ate a piece of meat that wasn't chewed properly.

He lowered the retinal projector, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling.

"Author, are you crazy?"

"It's one thing to torment the main character, and it's fine to torment that good-for-nothing Fugui, but why torment a little girl?"