I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

If at the beginning Zhu Wenyun was overjoyed by the sudden increase in praise and recognition, and read the fan letters several times, now, as her threshold has risen, the only ways she craves positive feedback that can make her feel excited again are a few and far between.

Or rather, there is only one such person.

It's not that I've become so deprived that all I have left is his recognition and affirmation.

In her heart, the support and recognition of just one person was enough to surpass the crowds and excitement of ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or even one million people.

"Ok!"

So Zhu Wenyun nodded vigorously in agreement.

She has solidified her confidence and even envisions a future where she will win first prize in the New Concept Writing Competition, be officially signed by "Fireworks" magazine, and become a leading teenage idol writer promoted by the editorial department.

However, while encouraging Zhu Wenyun, Chen Junqian still felt a vague unease in his heart.

It originates from two points.

One point is that when Zhu Wenyun holds this view of him, it also means that the negative feedback from him will overwhelmingly overwhelm all the affirmation from others.

Secondly, there's the last thing he said.

In fact, parents should be their children's first fans, first readers, and first viewers.

It would be fine if it were just absence.

Chen Junqian was indeed more worried after Zhu Wenyun had initially realized her dream.

They will seamlessly enter the area called the ticket counter.

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Chapter 112: Her Kiss (Part 2)

Although January 2nd is Chen Junqian's birthday, he doesn't have the habit of insisting that others wish him a happy birthday at midnight. He just eats and sleeps as usual when the time comes. After all, in his view, a birthday is just an ordinary day, no different from the other 364 days of the year.

If there's anything to say, it's that my sister is a little different today than usual.

At least when Chen Junqian was woken up today, he was almost startled by the way the other person addressed him, thinking that he had really traveled into the world of some two-dimensional romantic comedy again.

It wasn't the single-word "brother" he'd changed to two years ago, nor the reduplicated "brother" he'd asked for yesterday. Instead, it was an "onii-chan" that was full of romantic comedy tropes in every way. It felt like all that was missing was "suki suki dai suki" (I love you, I love you the most) at the end. It was the kind of thing that woke Chen Junqian up from his dream in an instant.

"...What the hell?"

"Hmm? Isn't that wrong?"

Chen Xi seemed a little surprised by Chen Junqian's reaction. She quickly took out her phone from her pocket, pulled up her chat history with Gu Linguo, and started studying it again.

Although in many Japanese urban legends, "Onii-chan" has become the standard term for "older brother" in many people's minds through various Japanese anime works, in reality, this term is mostly only used by very close siblings in private. Siblings with normal relationships will generally use the more formal "Nisan" when addressing each other in front of others.

But actually, Onii-chan isn't the most intimate way to address siblings. Above that, there are terms like "ni," "ani," and "ni-ni," which are so affectionate they're almost embarrassing. For example, in the light novel "No Game No Life" and the bishoujo romance game "Amagami SS," the younger sister used these terms to address her older brother.

Of course, there are many more extended ways to address someone, such as "お兄様" (onii-sama), which means "elder brother." Then, combining these with a specific name or nickname, it's safe to say that the industry has explored the art of addressing someone as "older brother" to its fullest extent, easily creating no fewer than twenty different combinations.

However, for Chen Xi, who only held the idea that "her brother would be happy to hear such a title," this was completely incomprehensible. After all, in the only work she had ever watched, the female lead simply called the male lead by his name, calling him "You, You, You" all day long.

Well, all I can say is that Chen Xi really can't imagine herself calling her brother by his full name. I just don't know if this is a difference between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds, or simply a difference in national customs.

Seeing his younger sister trying to switch between all sorts of nonsensical terms of address for her older brother in Japanese that matched Guan Gu's amazing level, Chen Junqian quickly raised his hand to stop her:

"This is too strange, maybe we should switch it back."

"Oh, Onii-chan."

"...No, that's strange too. A normal older brother is fine."

Chen Junqian, who felt like he was about to dig a whole three-bedroom apartment out of the sheets with his toes, continued to wave his hand. The main problem was that his sister calling him that felt too incongruous. Although it wasn't quite to the point where Li Kui was shouting "Onii-chan" while wielding two axes, it just didn't match her overall vibe. In a sense, if Gu Lingguo called him that a couple of times, it wouldn't feel so incongruous.

"Ok."

Feeling slightly annoyed that Gu Lingguo had tricked her, Chen Xi pouted a little. She thought that the boy would be happy to hear such a nickname, but in the end, they came back to the nickname they used for each other.

After the little incident involving the nickname, Chen Junqian, who had gotten dressed and gotten out of bed, glanced at his phone on the bedside table. He was quite popular, and most of his friends had sent him birthday wishes at midnight or in advance. After replying to them one by one, he saw Xu Youwei's instant reply.

"Qinqin, are you awake?"

"Hmm, just got up. Yoyo, are you up so early today?"

"Because I went to bed early yesterday, the midnight message was sent on time, and I was already asleep by then."

Xu Youwei's enthusiasm these past two days has indeed been a bit too high. If Chen Xi weren't currently at Chen Junqian's house, it feels like she would be asking for something like, "Let's video chat while we shower."

However, it only stays online. According to Xu Youwei herself, if she were to meet Chen Junqian in her current radiant and energetic state, Chen Xi would definitely see through her immediately. Therefore, she needs to spend a few days calming down and gradually accepting this matter both physically and mentally.

After chatting with Youyou, whose warmth he could feel even through text messages, for a few more minutes, Chen Junqian temporarily logged off under the pretext of washing up and having breakfast. He greeted his mother, who had also just gotten up, and casually mentioned that his mother had suffered on his birthday, only to be waved away by her with a "go away" gesture.

After all, Wang Hongling didn't have the same extreme controlling nature or PUA-style education towards her children as Lin Su next door. Moreover, since a few years ago, their family has been enjoying the blessings of their son's birthday and their mother's happiness. With each year Chen Junqian grew older, the family's situation improved year by year. While their former colleagues of the same age were still struggling for their retirement pensions, they were already living a life of leisure ahead of time. They couldn't wait for Chen Junqian to grow up faster so that they could jump to ten years in the future and give her a grandson to play with.

"By the way, when is my dad coming back this year?"

"There are still two weeks left. I estimate you'll be back when winter break starts, and you'll leave around the eighth day of the Lunar New Year."

"Oh, Uncle Xu asked me to tell you two to have a meal together when my dad gets back."

"Chairman Xu, I can understand him inviting your father to dinner, but why did he invite me as well?"

"Since they also plan to invite me, we can't just leave you out, can we go together?"

"You're so cheeky, fine, I got it. But I heard the factory's profits seem to be lower than before."

"There's nothing we can do about it, but it shouldn't have much of an impact on my dad. If all else fails, he can just go back to work at the company."

Although the scenario of a son telling his father that he would go back to work at his family company if he didn't have a job seems abstract, it is indeed the case in Chen Junqian's family. Even Wang Hongling's current business, the chess and card room that is doing quite well in Guoning, was all arranged by Chen Junqian, from the idea to the location to the equipment and decoration, and then he parachuted her in to be the boss.

That's why people say the poorer they are, the more willing they are to have children; it's true that giving birth to an SSR child can change the fate of a family.

"But if you're talking about dinner, your Uncle Lin has also invited us to dinner. It seems like everyone is free during the holidays. I've already agreed on behalf of you two, and we'll invite you when we've made plans."

"Oh, I see."

Sure enough, compared to Xu Youwei's side, in terms of the relationship between the parents alone, Mu Mu's side is still far ahead. But thinking about it, it makes sense. If he were Wang Hongling, he would definitely like Mu Mu a little more. The main reason is that Youyou really doesn't like to come to his home in the city. All his goodwill is going to his grandparents.

Chen Junqian quietly added two more items to his schedule for this winter vacation. Having initially transformed into a time management master, he accepted the red envelopes that his mother had prepared in advance.

WeChat's red envelope feature won't be officially launched until the end of January this year, so for now, red envelopes are mostly in cash. Although Chen Junqian himself doesn't really need that much, it's still better to accept the gesture since it's the thought that counts.

Chen Junqian's breakfast today was longevity noodles prepared by his mother, with two poached eggs in it. However, it couldn't be said that it was specially prepared for him, because in fact, the three of them ate the same meal. The main reason was that Chen Junqian himself didn't have a strong sense of ritual for his birthday. Just like in previous years, he just celebrated it in an ordinary way.

Eating, washing dishes, taking my younger sister to tutoring classes.

Taking advantage of the absence of Chen Xi and Gu Linguo, Xu Youwei finally had the opportunity to meet Chen Junqian. It can only be said that her understanding of a secret relationship was limited to the word "secret," which inexplicably had a strong sense of clandestineness.

However, thinking about it, it seems there is really no way to overcome it. After all, both Chen Xi and Lin Mu are two obstacles that Xu Youwei feels she can't get past. The former is an objective obstacle, while the latter is a psychological one. Especially when she entered Chen Junqian's room and took in all the things he left behind, this psychological effect became even more obvious, to the point that she felt a little guilty.

...This is a hundred times worse than the time she secretly left a message on the gift the other party gave to Chen Junqian. If Mu Mu knew, would she really be able to forgive her as easily as last time?

Is there a solution that doesn't make anyone feel uncomfortable?

Well, I feel like it's not really appropriate to be thinking about this kind of thing while I'm clinging to my best friend's childhood sweetheart.

But this feeling is really addictive—sucking, sucking, sucking.

Even the scent of the other person would seem pleasant. The physical stimulation from physical attraction is the most direct. Given that interesting souls are one in a million, good looks are certainly not the same everywhere. After all, Xu Youwei herself had never seen a boy more handsome than Qinqin.

If Shen Nianqiu's physical contact was filled with an impulse to merge the two of them into one, then Xu Youwei's current state was closer to that of being both curious and confused. She wanted to get closer to him, but at the same time, she was worried that her actions might make him uncomfortable or unhappy. So she would occasionally look up and steal a glance at him. It was a state of wanting to let go a little but restraining herself, but her hands were still firmly on his side.

However, since it was still winter, even though the two of them had gotten to a rather ambiguous or intimate distance, their actual contact was still quite limited. To be more precise, it was just about using their fingertips to hook and twirl on the exposed skin, or reaching in a little bit at the wrist and neck, or stroking down from the ear to the nose and then outlining the contours of his face.

But this was already enough for Xu Youwei. What she wanted was a long-term and stable relationship, and this gradual approach was the best way. Besides, they were just middle school students at the time.

That being said, what can a middle school student do?

Couple nicknames and couple profiles are definitely unchangeable; any slight manipulation will be detected.

Calling each other husband and wife? Xu Youwei felt that this was not as good as Qinqin and Youyou, who were already used to calling each other that. After all, there are many husbands and wives in the world, but Qinqin and Youyou are just the two of them.

But there should definitely be other things that can be done.

"Oh right, I bought Qinqin a small cake."

Although Chen Junqian himself doesn't care much about birthdays, Xu Youwei still sent him one.

"I just had breakfast, I'm not hungry."

"It's okay, after all, cake isn't just for eating."

"Speaking of which, Qinqin, do you know? The reason we eat cake on birthdays is because medieval Europeans believed that birthdays were the days when the soul was most vulnerable to demonic possession. So, on birthdays, family and friends would gather to offer blessings and give cakes to bring good luck and ward off evil. The custom of lighting candles on cakes originated with the Greeks, who lit small candles on crescent-shaped honey cakes and placed them on the altar of the moon goddess Artemis. According to the folk beliefs of that time, candles lit on birthdays possessed magical power and could grant wishes."

Xu Youwei led Chen Junqian by the hand to the living room, then directly opened the cake box, picked up a piece, and carefully and slowly approached him. Then, at an even slower pace, she patted or rather, pressed the cake onto Chen Junqian's face.

"Snapped--"

Since there was no sound at all, Xu Youwei even dragged out her own tone and said it aloud. Finally, she looked at Chen Junqian's face, which seemed to be completely unaware and whose lower half of his face was covered in cream, and subconsciously raised the corners of her mouth and laughed out loud like a child who had successfully played a prank.

"...This is a sneak attack."

Just as Chen Junqian was about to pick up a piece of cake to retaliate, the girl in front of him pressed herself against him again:

"Qinqin, don't move—"

According to the legend about birthday cakes she just mentioned, birthdays are the days when the soul is most vulnerable to demonic possession. Yet, she felt even more susceptible to demonic influence than the boy in front of her who was celebrating his birthday today. It was as if something deep within her soul was desperately craving something that was about to go mad.

"I'll clean it up for you."

Her lips enveloped the sweet cream and the rest of it.

The girl's eyes seemed even sweeter because of the stolen glances, on this hazy winter morning.

The morning in Guoning was cold, and the snow outside was piled up thickly. Birds flew away from the trees, creating a rustling sound of falling snow.

Guoning is a city on earth, and Earth is a star in the sky.

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Chapter 113: I will talk to Mu Mu (Part 2)

Four years after the birth of the nickname "Qinqin," Xu Youwei, the master of puns, has finally completed the best pun art of her career to date. She turned the double-reduplicated nickname "Qinqin Qinqin" into a subject-predicate structure of "Qinqin Qinqin," and finally put herself as the object, placing the object of the subject's action on her.

If a literary girl were here now, she could probably quickly create a fairytale-like dream atmosphere through descriptions of the environment and the characters' actions and expressions. After all, the kiss between a boy and a girl is the most poetic topic in the world. However, because of the piece of cream cake that was smeared on Chen Junqian's face, Xu Youwei, who had leaned over, also had large patches of cream on her originally clean lips, nose, and cheeks.

The prince and princess atmosphere vanished in an instant. The two children, like children who had successfully played a prank on each other, couldn't help but laugh at their own creations. After licking the cream off their lips, they hurriedly rushed to the sink, pushing and shoving each other to wash the cream off their faces.

When Chen Junqian and Gu Linguo were browsing through light novels about youth and school life or watching anime adaptations of those novels, they naturally discussed the so-called 'turn-based' format. This meant that it was quite obvious that each part of the story was the main focus of a particular female protagonist, and the atmosphere created throughout the story conveyed the message that 'she is the most special person to the male protagonist.' Well-written episodic stories could even lead viewers to think, 'If this isn't love, what else is there to look forward to?'

However, if the same story structure is repeated too many times, it will lead to questions such as "Why does it seem like the two people's affection level is reset after this story ends?" and "Why does it seem like everyone is special to the male lead?" Of course, the former problem will not occur in reality, and Chen Junqian also has his own logic and ideas for answering the latter problem.

Just like what Zhang Wuji, the male protagonist of the wuxia novel "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" that he read when he was young, said:

"Zhiruo, I have always respected you; I am grateful to the younger sister of the Yin family; I feel pity for Xiao Zhao, but I am deeply in love with Miss Zhao."