I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

The older sister responded matter-of-factly.

Then, Chen Junqian, having finally made up his mind, started walking towards the door. At the same time, he sent a message to another person he had already contacted. Before long, a car pulled up in front of him.

It was like a white brocade, and the snow outside was still falling continuously from the sky.

If this achievement called "The Miracle of Cherry Blossom" really craves some kind of accident, then compared to "5 Centimeters Per Second" where you can only meet at the last second, he would definitely prefer to make reality into a "Lost in Thailand" that the two of them experience together.

The Spring Festival is the perfect time to watch family-friendly comedy movies like this.

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Chapter 126: No Need for Miracles (Part 2)

You are a distant peace, and in order to understand and approach you, I must wage constant war.

In this snowy winter, Zhu Wenyun finally wrote the first sentence of her new book on her manuscript paper.

It's strange, really. The saying "you get what you pay for" seems to apply to love as well. People yearn for a simple and natural love, but they also feel that things that are too easily obtained will easily slip away again. So, before success, there is always constant torment, and after success, there is always constant testing.

They have to be together, but they can't just get together easily.

As a writer of youth campus romance novels, Zhu Wenyun undoubtedly understands this best. In fact, over the years of her writing career, she has become adept at applying and summarizing four writing laws in this regard:

First, a relationship that ended before it even began.

Second, a permanent missed opportunity that could have been avoided with just a little more effort.

Third, significant contributions that seem insignificant to the other party.

Fourth, it was only much later that I realized what I had truly lost.

If we extend these four laws related to tragic love stories, we can find the three treasures of Korean dramas: car accidents, cancer, and amnesia. We can also find plots such as changing college application choices, love triangles, and abortion in domestic youth dramas. These are classic formulas and model plays that Chen Junqian and Zhu Wenyun have joked and discussed countless times in the past.

If we put it in the current context...

In the 1910s, when communication technology was underdeveloped, the male and female protagonists kept missing each other, going in circles between three different destinations. The male protagonist, from "5 Centimeters Per Second," was delayed by nearly five hours due to a train delay caused by weather, turning their planned evening meeting into midnight. The male protagonist, unsure if the other would still be waiting at the agreed-upon location, and the female protagonist, unsure if the other would even come, each endured a long and anxious wait. Or perhaps, like in "Toradora!", something unexpected happened in the snowy weather…

Chen Junqian's biggest worry was naturally the last scenario. After all, unlike the previous romance works, in 2014, at least the two people could keep their phones on, so the plot of missing each other because they couldn't contact each other was really hard to achieve. As for what he thought was most likely to happen, it was actually like what was depicted in the domestic comedy film "Lost in Thailand," where the weather conditions made the journey home long, that is, there would be problems with transportation.

Of course, it would be best if nothing unexpected happened. Perhaps as a viewer, he would like to see all sorts of dramatic plot twists, but if he were the protagonist, he would hope that such plot twists would be as rare as possible. After all, he and Shen Nianqiu have already had their share of hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scenarios.

As he was thinking this, Chen Junqian heard Shen Nianqiu's voice coming through his earphones.

"Actually, it's quite nice to just keep on the phone with my brother like this. If my family wants to call me, the line is always busy and they can't get through."

"Didn't your sister tell the family when she left?"

"I left a note, and if it were before, it wouldn't have mattered, like when my younger brother came to Lin'an to find me. But things are different now, since I still have to do all the housework."

Since Yang Suling became pregnant again, even though there are no signs of her pregnancy and it doesn't affect her movements at all, she still takes extra care of herself. She goes for checkups and prenatal classes every few days, and doesn't do any housework. People who don't know her would think she has already given birth and is in postpartum confinement.

"What did it say on the note? Did it say you came to Guoning?"

"Yes, I told you I went to Guoning to meet an online friend. Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"It sounds like someone ran away from home."

As a common trope in romantic comedies, the appearance of this character often leads to various amusing scenarios where the girl temporarily stays at the male protagonist's house. If we're being honest, Chen Junqian's first encounter with a runaway girl was probably Youyou, but her behavior was more like a child throwing a tantrum, and it also carried an element of parental tacit approval. Shen Nianqiu, on the other hand, fits the more traditional definition, so she readily admitted it:

"Yeah, that's running away from home. Why don't my younger brother run away from home with me too?"

"why?"

"Because when one person runs away from home, it's called running away from home, but when two people do it's called eloping. Doesn't that sound more romantic?"

As she spoke, Shen Nianqiu began to hum softly the lyrics of Zheng Jun's "Run Away": "I want to run away with you to the farthest town, I want to run away with you to be the happiest person." The Chinese music scene has never lacked love songs, and you can easily find songs about love and romance, no matter what the imagery is.

"Of course, I was just kidding. After all, I still have to visit my younger brother's house."

Hearing a small yawn from the other end, amidst the slightly noisy surroundings, Chen Junqian inquired about Shen Nianqiu's location again, continued to approach using the car's navigation, and then casually chatted with his sister about various everyday topics.

"Speaking of which, Zhu Wenyun recently won first prize in the New Concept Writing Competition? I saw the news that Mumu shared in our little group."

"Yes, we should sign a contract with Meili Culture, the publisher of 'Fireworks,' after the New Year. As for the new work, it should be coming out soon, but it depends on how fast Wenjun writes it."

"I never expected that I would actually know an A-level contracted author of 'Fireworks'... It's quite amazing."

For Shen Nianqiu, who has loved reading youth literature magazines since childhood, the sudden appearance of such a girl in her social circle was quite unexpected. However, it seems inaccurate to say that she was in her social circle, since it should be said that she was a girl in her younger brother's social circle.

"Actually, I think you could talk to Wenjun more. You two should have a lot in common, and if you ever need anything in the future, Wenjun might be able to help you more."

From the moment Chen Junqian learned last year that Shen Nianqiu had signed up for the "Chinese Character Dictation Competition," he could already guess that the other party had some foresight. Just like how no one cares about an ordinary student failing seven subjects in the final exam except for their parents and relatives, and how the news of Han Han repeating a grade can spark a series of discussions in society about the quality education policy and "whether schools should cultivate all-rounders or specialists," the level of social attention and public opinion can often change the course and outcome of an event.

In this respect, Zhu Wenyun was actually able to play a greater role than Chen Junqian.

After all, she is indeed accustomed to using other people's stories to create her works, or rather, most writers are like that. In the end, everyone's life experience is limited, so the prototypes of many stories are more or less drawn from their surroundings or social news.

To give a simple example, even if Zhu Wenyun only rewrote Shen Nianqiu's story into a short story and then stated that it was a true story from a friend of hers, she could easily weigh the matter when Shen Nianqiu really wanted to cut ties, turning a trivial family matter into a heavy topic.

Upon hearing Chen Junqian's words, Shen Nianqiu quickly understood his meaning, but she still felt a little strange. After all, if she really did that, she would undoubtedly owe Zhu Wenyun a huge favor. And when she thought about how the two of them were more like rivals than friends, she felt inexplicably complicated.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing that Shen Nianqiu remained silent on the other end of the phone for a long time, Chen Junqian asked another question.

"...It's nothing, I just feel a little uncomfortable, after all, it's not something to be proud of."

Severing ties with one's family is not easy to talk about, and it is indeed not simple to do, especially for middle school students who have not yet experienced the baptism of the internet wave and talk about biological fathers, marriages, and donkey mothers from their original families. Of course, Shen Nianqiu would not know her final ending in the original timeline. Rather, with Chen Junqian's constant companionship this time, her state of mind is more positive than at the same time in her previous life, and she is more likely to have wishful thinking.

After all, the first thing you forget about someone is always their flaws.

"It's okay, take your time."

"Ah."

As the two were talking, Shen Nianqiu suddenly heard the bus she was on slow down again and then come to a steady stop in the middle of the road. Looking out the window, she saw a long line of vehicles ahead, with traffic police maintaining order in the middle of the road. They were informing the vehicles that the road ahead was temporarily blocked by heavy snow due to weather conditions, and that relevant departments and personnel were working hard to clear the snow and carry out emergency repairs. They asked everyone to be patient and that the road would be open soon.

"...The traffic seems to be stuck; the road ahead is being cleared of snow."

"This weather is really troublesome, let's wait and see."

However, it must be said that the wait time was longer than anyone expected. At first, the bus engine was running to keep the air conditioning and heating working, but later the driver felt that burning fuel like that was not a good thing, so he turned off the engine and got off the bus to check on the situation. When he got back on the bus, he brought the passengers more bad news:

"The traffic police said we'd have to wait a while, but there's a service station not far ahead. We can go there and rest for a bit, use the restroom, and then come back to the car once the road is clear."

Having said all that, the passengers, who were already shivering from the cold on the bus, filed off and followed the driver to the service station ahead.

"I'm going to the service station ahead with the driver and passengers to rest now, and I can charge my phone."

Because she had been on the phone with Chen Junqian, and because Shen Nianqiu was using a second-hand phone with a bad battery, the remaining battery level of her phone had already entered an unhealthy range.

However, the crowds here were also quite large. Restaurants, shops, and rest areas were all packed with people, which boosted product sales and kept the service station staff extremely busy.

Shen Nianqiu, who couldn't find a seat, didn't bother to find a place to sit against the wall. Instead, she walked around the entire service station in search of a power outlet. Unlike the usual two-way service stations on highways, this one served vehicles in both opposite lanes. The main buildings, such as restaurants and shops, were built together, while the parking lots were on opposite sides, connected by an underground passage.

"I can't find a place to charge my phone..."

Just as Shen Nianqiu muttered this to herself, holding a charging cable but unable to find an empty socket, she heard a "ding-dong" sound from the other end of her phone, which had been connected to her phone, indicating that the call had ended.

At first, she thought that she or Chen Junqian had accidentally hung up the phone, but before Shen Nianqiu could call back, she heard her muttered reply from behind.

"I brought a power bank with me."

For Shen Nianqiu, the most important reason why her relationship with Zhu Wenyun improved afterward was probably that even after hearing her completely incomprehensible description, the other party was still able to accurately summarize her feelings in words:

[We can't see all the snow that falls in a person's life, so we always feel that everyone spends their winter alone. But later I finally understood that some people, though as unpredictable as the weather, are also as unavoidable as the weather.]

The most effective way to shorten the waiting time is to have both construction teams, A and B, start work from both sides simultaneously. Likes and regrets have to be mutual to count, and the same goes for waiting. That's why Chen Junqian chose to take a car from Guoning towards Lin'an and meet Shen Nianqiu ahead of time at a shared service station along the way.

The achievement that had been flashing in my mind since morning finally quieted down, but not because it was achieved, but because it completely went silent and extinguished, just like its predecessor, "The Battlefield in Progress".

After all, it requires that even when there are various unexpected circumstances that almost lead to missing or reuniting with a certain heroine, they can still meet again in the end through the efforts of both parties.

But this time, there were no surprises, and it wasn't almost a missed opportunity.

This was an achievement that Chen Junqian neither needed nor wanted to trigger.

So let it be.

Chen Junqian took the initiative to open his arms and hug his sister.

He just came here to meet her sooner, so that even if something unexpected happened later, they could be together.

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

Chapter 127: You Write, I Say

Of course, for a system that has seen countless romantic scenarios, even if Chen Junqian directly avoids triggering an achievement through his actions, it can still find a way to add another achievement. As Chen Junqian and Shen Nianqiu successfully meet at the highway service station, another achievement that had appeared long ago but had not been officially triggered was thus openly lit up and unlocked.

[The Secret of the Sports Warehouse]

Whether it's the sports committee member's carelessness causing the lock on the sports warehouse to click shut, or the god of love's prank causing the elevator to suddenly stop running, or all sorts of extreme weather, rest assured, neither storms nor blizzards will attract any perverted killers. After all, this is the set of a romantic comedy, so even these seemingly unlucky accidents are just the most ingenious arrangements.

When will this forced solitude transform from awkward silence to a racing heart? In complete darkness, will the lack of sight actually sharpen other senses? The sweltering heat of summer makes you want to take off your clothes, while the damp chill of winter makes you want to huddle together for warmth. In any case, please make the most of this time of being trapped, sharing food, body heat, and the secrets between you two.

[Condition for achieving this: You and any female protagonist with romantic comedy aptitude are trapped in a closed indoor environment due to an unexpected situation]

...But isn't this indoor environment a bit too big? And it's not even a place for being alone, is it?

Chen Junqian, who was too lazy to complain about the matter at this point, continued to carefully maintain the posture of holding Shen Nianqiu in his arms. The two of them had finally reached the same height at this moment. Among the girls around Chen Junqian, the only one who was slightly taller than him was Zhu Wenyun, but in another year or two, she should be able to surpass him.

The main issue is that if you're shorter than a girl, it feels a bit inconvenient to hug her. At least Chen Junqian can't forget the memory of his first encounter with Shen Nianqiu four years ago during the Shanghai World Expo, where he was hugged so tightly that he unlocked a certain mysterious facial cleanser achievement. Now, he can finally hug her again at a near-equal height.

"So, your brother kept asking me my real-time location on the phone just now so he could come and meet me?"

"Well, I heard that the road conditions here haven't been very good these past few days, so I thought I'd come and check it out. If I really run into any trouble, I'll be able to help."

As for Chen Junqian himself, he had already considered all sorts of possible scenarios before today. Compared to the worst natural traffic accidents, he felt that the most likely scenarios were accidents such as snow blocking the road or the bus breaking down. Rather than leaving Shen Nianqiu to wait alone on this road, he thought it would be better to come and wait with her. After all, waiting can indeed show the sincerity and purity of feelings, but it can also wear them down.

So, as I said before, there's no need to achieve achievements just for the sake of achieving them. Especially after unlocking the final milestone, Chen Junqian's mindset has become quite Zen. Not to mention that there are still a lot of achievements to be achieved with Gu Lingguo, he has only taken the initiative to achieve his sister's brushing teeth achievement during this period.

However, Shen Nianqiu was of course unaware of the thoughts and considerations behind Chen Junqian's series of actions. She was simply immersed in the joy that he was worried about her and had come out to pick her up in advance. If it weren't for the fact that the service station was indeed quite crowded and had nothing to do with any enclosed sports warehouse, she would have wanted to try to share some of her lipstick with him. After all, lips are always prone to dryness in winter, and so is the heart.

Unlike Shen Nianqiu, who had brought almost nothing and was now struggling to find a spare outlet to charge her phone, Chen Junqian, who had also prepared for the worst-case scenario of a snowstorm and even wilderness survival, was undeniably well-prepared. After all, romantic comedies do often feature scenes where people are suddenly stranded on a deserted island or drowning in snow, completely at a loss. However, events presented in a comedic way on set are entirely different in reality. So, when Chen Junqian led Shen Nianqiu to the other side of the parking lot and she saw the trunk of the car overflowing with various supplies, she was quite awestruck.

"Is my brother really planning to elope with me?"

"Run away my foot! Just think of me as having a phobia of the apocalypse and that's why I like to hoard supplies."

"That seems to be true. I remember you and Xu Youwei had some kind of secret base."

Connecting the prepared power bank to Shen Nianqiu's phone, Chen Junqian then took out a thermos and poured a cup of hot water for his sister. Looking at her bare neck, he asked curiously:

"By the way, where's the scarf I bought for my sister? Why isn't she wearing it?"

"I left it in my dorm room at school and didn't bring it back. Actually, I leave most of my things at school."

After receiving the hot water from Chen Junqian, Shen Nianqiu didn't drink it immediately. Instead, she held the cup in her palms, her breath dispersing into a thin mist. As she and Chen Junqian walked back from the parking lot to the service area, she continued talking: