I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

That's why, when Chen Junqian and the three of them walked into the screening room, he had already decided on the seating order. Instead of sitting in the middle, he took the lead and sat in the innermost seat against the wall, then pulled Mu Mu to sit on his right.

Chen Junqian knew very well that if he sat in the middle, Mu Mu would most likely move to a slightly further away place and give the two seats next to him to Xu Youwei and Chen Xi. On the other hand, if Lin Mu sat next to him alone, Youyou and her sister would not have any objections. So after a little thought, he took the initiative to adopt this seating arrangement.

Seemingly a little surprised that Chen Junqian would sit like that, Lin Mu felt a strange sense of security at the same time. After placing the popcorn bucket on her right so that Xu Youwei and Chen Xi on her right could both reach it, she did not let go of Chen Junqian with her left hand, leaving it suspended in the gap under the armrest of the seat.

Although it wasn't the first time the two had held hands, or even the first time in a movie theater, Lin Mu felt her palms unusually sweaty, probably because of Chen Junqian's somewhat inexplicably forceful behavior in retrospect. She fidgeted a couple of times, feeling a little uneasy.

Chen Junqian thought his childhood sweetheart was going to do something, so he subconsciously let go of her hand. However, two seconds later, she grabbed his hand again. When he turned to look at her, Mu Mu was already looking up at him, pretending to be completely absorbed in watching the commercials on the screen.

Just as he had initially thought, Xu Youwei and Chen Xi were indeed able to accept the current seating arrangement. In fact, because they were a little further away from Chen Junqian and separated by Lin Mu, they actually had some space to start arguing. You could say that the screenwriter in charge of the script and the illustrator in charge of the original artwork in the club are naturally going to dislike each other in a romantic comedy, but they don't have any problems working together.

To be honest, if it weren't for watching it with Mu Mu, Chen Junqian wouldn't be interested in any so-called variety show movies. After all, this kind of subject matter is more like going to the cinema and watching two episodes of a variety show compilation on the big screen than a movie. However, in his previous life, he had already developed the excellent habit of remaining calm and composed when watching any movie with children, and he could even chime in with their conversations and questions, so it didn't matter to him now.

However, as a reborn individual, Chen Junqian couldn't help but think about the current state of most of these families' lives more than a decade later when watching the handsome dads and adorable kids on screen. It was inevitable that he would be a little distracted, so much so that when Lin Mu next to him said, "I think Cindy will definitely be very beautiful when she grows up," he was momentarily dazed before nodding in agreement.

"But I feel that Mu Mu was cuter than her when she was little."

Their relationship wasn't exactly the most traditional childhood sweethearts, but the amount of effort they put into their relationship was no less than that of the former. Both sets of parents were happy to share embarrassing and cute photos of their daughters from childhood. To use a phrase that would be too old-fashioned in 2005 and too trendy in 2014, they were probably the kind of girls who grew up on cuteness.

At least Chen Junqian himself felt that even with some sacrifice in hardware strength, Mu Mu was still able to get the same A rating in the system's appearance rating as the other female protagonists, which was entirely due to her face. It was a charm that was completely opposite to Shen Nianqiu's. If Chen Junqian hadn't had the self-awareness of an adult, he probably would have joined the comments in shouting something like "Reject childish aesthetics, starting with you and him."

After spending an afternoon at the movie theater, by the time Chen Junqian and the others came out of the building, it was already getting dark. Winter nights always come exceptionally early. It was obvious that Chen Junqian, riding his bicycle, couldn't take all three girls home with him, so he simply locked his bike on the side of the road and hailed a taxi to take them all home before dinner time.

Unlike the bustling scene at noon, there were far fewer relatives at Chen Junqian's house for dinner in the evening. Those who remained were the closest blood relatives. Xu Youwei, who had already become familiar with the village, felt no pressure at all. Lin Mu was not the kind of child who was particularly timid in public. Chen Junqian even prepared a small table for the four of them in the room and served them some of their favorite dishes separately, which could be considered as giving them a special meal.

Having already received two large red envelopes during her visit, Xu Youwei pulled them out of her pocket as soon as she entered the room and casually tossed them to Chen Junqian beside her.

"Qinqin, keep it. We can use it for our future expenses."

Her words were quite vague, and given that similar things had happened before, Lin Mu initially thought they were still playing that apocalyptic role-playing game they'd been doing for years. He was completely unaware that adding "date" to the prefix "funds" wasn't a problem. Meanwhile, the younger sister next to him pursed her lips, and then he saw Xu Youwei take out another red envelope:

“This is what my dad asked me to bring to you. He said you didn’t go home this year, but we’ve had this every year before.”

"Yes, please give my New Year's greetings to Uncle Xu."

After all, he was still a minor, so Chen Junqian would accept the New Year's money given by his elders as appropriate. However, he would usually spend it on the corresponding girls. He would spend the money given by Xu Zhiling on Xu Youwei, and the money given by Lin Youfeng on Lin Mu... It was a kind of left hand to right hand.

"Oh right, I took some of my saved-up New Year's money to buy a cell phone this year. I forgot to tell you guys when we were watching the movie this afternoon, ta-da!"

Seeing Xu Youwei and Chen Junqian talking about New Year's money, Lin Mu suddenly realized that there was such a thing. He unzipped his small bag, took out a brand-new smartphone, and waved it in front of everyone as if to show off.

For a long time, Lin Mu didn't have her own mobile phone. She usually used her family's tablet, mainly because she felt that the larger screen was more comfortable for playing games or watching TV. She also used the built-in QQ function to call Chen Junqian. As for why she suddenly bought a mobile phone this year...

"Because my mom said that I will be in my third year of junior high school after the Chinese New Year this year, and I will have to attend evening self-study sessions at school. At that time, there are a lot of parents and cars picking up their children from evening self-study sessions, so she told me to bring a mobile phone so that I can stay in touch. During the day, I can just leave my phone in the activity room of our club."

At Guoning Middle School, the third period of evening self-study ends at 9:45 PM. By the time the students finish packing their bags, it's almost 10 PM. Most parents aren't particularly comfortable letting their children go home alone at that time, and picking them up earlier would allow them to get home sooner and study more... well, go to bed a little earlier. So, just as Lin Mu said, the traffic at the school gate is indeed more congested than during dismissal time, especially since it's already evening.

"I've already entered all of your phone numbers into my contacts, so please enter mine too."

When Xu Youwei heard Lin Mu say this, she felt a little guilty and tried to cover herself up, as if she was afraid that the other person would suddenly lean over and look at her phone screen and find that someone's name in the contact was wrong. However, Mu Mu was not the type to do such a thing. After repeating her phone number twice, she continued to eat.

Chen Xi, who had been watching Xu Youwei closely the whole time, just chuckled to herself. Ever since she learned that Xu Youwei had secretly drawn on an entire wall in her brother's old room with an invisible pen, she hadn't hesitated to look at Xu Youwei with the most secretive eyes. Maybe Xu Youwei's password was some strange, shameful number, or maybe her contact name contained some strange, self-deceiving fantasies.

In contrast, Lin Mu was much more open. She had barely feigned curiosity to ask what the other person had saved her as in their contacts when Lin Mu unabashedly displayed the entire screen, filled with repeated two-character phrases, leaving Chen Xi a little dizzy. After glancing at it, she immediately sent it back, then casually asked her brother:

"What should we do tonight?"

"How about we go for a walk? Actually, there are still some shops open. For example, our KFC should be open by now, and the other late-night snack shops are about the same, just a bit more expensive."

"Shopping is fine, but late-night snacks are out of the question."

You were the one who ate the most lamb skewers every time I took you out, weren't you?

After mentally complaining like that, Chen Junqian asked Lin Mu another question:

"Speaking of which, where is Mumu staying tonight?"

Chen Xi was going back with his parents that night. He knew that Xu Youwei stayed at her maternal grandmother's house in the countryside every Lunar New Year's Day. After all, in the two years before the ban on fireworks and firecrackers, the two of them would always run around playing with firecrackers together. However, he didn't seem to know where Lin Mu would sleep tonight.

"Qianqian is here."

Lin Mu answered Chen Junqian's question quite confidently. After all, Chen Junqian slept at her house last year, so she would definitely have to sleep here this year too. Otherwise, would she have to go back to her home in the city to sleep alone?

"Okay... there's definitely a bed."

Since there's no need to prepare a guest room for Chen Xi's parents tonight, and Chen Jun and Wang Hongling are going back to their house in the city to sleep, there's definitely an empty bed available. The main concern is that once he said that, he was worried that Xu Youwei would join in the commotion. However, Youyou was quite quiet at this point, since the two of them had slept in the same bed countless times. Mu Mu can just sleep here.

They finished dinner chatting. During the Spring Festival, children are indeed quite reluctant to stay within the sight of adults, so after telling his father, Chen Junqian took the three of them out again and slowly made their way towards the KFC they had just mentioned.

It's clear that Lin Mu really likes her new phone. Even when she's walking down the street, she takes it out every now and then to look at it and use it, either taking pictures or browsing her QQ space, having a great time.

On the other side, Xu Youwei and Chen Xi suddenly started competing with each other. After taking a few steps, they suddenly suggested having a small snowball fight. Before Chen Junqian could react, the two of them ran ahead and opened up a small battlefield. They took the readily available weapon—snow—and started kneading it into balls and fighting. However, the intensity seemed to be just for fun. After confirming this, Chen Junqian was about to go back to Mu Mu's side when he saw her talking to a middle-aged woman on the roadside through a fence that was almost as tall as a person.

"Excuse me... I need to make a phone call."

Hearing these words sporadically, Chen Junqian subconsciously recalled a classic scam on Guoning Street and quickened his pace. However, before he could stop him, Lin Mu handed over the phone without hesitation. Then, he watched as the other person, after receiving the phone, made no attempt to make a call and instead started running wildly on the road where there were few cars during the Spring Festival.

Just as Lin Mu stood there bewildered, Chen Junqian, who had already run up to her side, also jumped over the fence separating the road from the sidewalks without hesitation. He then accelerated and rushed towards the conman and thief ahead. After about 400 meters, he finally got close enough to leap over and use his knee to pin the other man's entire body to the ground. At the same time, he reached out and snatched the phone from her pocket. Finally, he twisted the thief's wrist behind his back.

If he were to define the world of comedy, one of his rules would be that kind children should live their entire lives among people who are just as kind and warm as themselves, instead of being taken advantage of or deceived. After all, if one can live a life free from suffering, then there is absolutely no need to deliberately pursue suffering.

Treasures should be cherished.

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

PS2: This last part is actually based on my personal experience from over ten years ago...

Chapter 142: Mu Mu's First Step (Part 2)

Just like the performance in the low-budget, high-reputation web series "Mao Pian" that Chen Junqian watched many times when he was in elementary school, street scams often don't require any technical skill. They just take advantage of the victim's momentary greed or kindness. The scammer he is currently subduing is just like that.

Intentionally asking passersby to borrow a phone from someone across a fence under the pretense of making a call, and then making a quick getaway after getting the phone, is an extremely simple method that often works wonders. However, today he ran into Chen Junqian, who was already on guard and had exceptional physical abilities, and it was like kicking a steel plate.

This unique chase naturally attracted the attention of some other pedestrians. Chen Junqian explained to them while calling the police on his phone. He then contacted a captain he knew from his contacts and explained the location and the details of the incident. Soon after, the captain arrived.

"You can't even have a moment's peace on the first day of the Lunar New Year? You want to spend the New Year in the police station again, don't you? We don't have dumplings where we're from."

It seemed to be a repeat offender. When the police arrived and recognized him, they were also a bit helpless. After exchanging a few words with Chen Junqian, they took the swindler back to the police station. The crowd that had gathered to watch the commotion dispersed, allowing the person in question, who had been blocked outside due to his height, to finally squeeze in with great difficulty.

"Qianqian, are you alright?"

"Of course I'm fine. Here, take a look at your phone. You should be more careful. Don't lose it after only a few days."

Although Lin Mu wasn't the kind of naive girl who would only ask "Where's the snack?" when she heard "be more careful," she was definitely not as shrewd as her best friend Xu Youwei in terms of being thoughtful. So, after Chen Junqian said that, she started to take it seriously on another point:

"Whether it's a phone or not doesn't matter, but what Qianqian just did was very dangerous, okay? What if that scammer had some kind of weapon on him?"

"...Okay, anyway, be more careful in the future."

Seeing his childhood sweetheart run over to him after saying those words, brushing the dust off his clothes, Chen Junqian seemed unable to insist on anything more. Chen Xi, standing beside him, looked on with a regretful expression.

"I thought there would be a classic remake!"

"What classic remake?"

"It's a very common crime-solving story. After the swindler is caught, he turns around and accuses you of being the thief. Then an official will appear and cleverly solve the mystery by suggesting that the two of you have a race. In the end, the slow runner is the swindler because he was caught because he was slow. By the way, this story was first recorded in the biography of Fu Rong in the Book of Jin, but later Di Renjie and Bao Zheng both created similar stories."

"There are surveillance cameras, and it's not like Mumu can't point it out."

After patting his younger sister's head, who was eager to start telling historical anecdotes, Chen Junqian turned to Xu Youwei, who was still a little out of breath and resting on her knees, and asked with concern:

"Is Yoyo alright?"

"Cough cough—it's nothing, it's nothing."

Running in the dead of winter is indeed quite painful. As Xu Youwei spoke, she coughed violently twice, feeling a burning sensation in her throat. Her relationship with Lin Mu was still excellent. After seeing that Lin Mu's phone had been scammed, she also took off chasing after him, but she didn't catch up with Chen Junqian before he did.

"But Qinqin, you're too good at running. It's a real loss that your class didn't send you to the sports meet."

"I might participate this year, well, we'll see."

After keeping them in suspense for a moment, Chen Junqian, having concluded this little episode of the evening, continued to lead the three of them on a leisurely walk, chatting as they went. After more than ten minutes, they finally arrived at their destination.

Just as Chen Junqian had initially predicted, KFC was indeed a good place to collect lucky money from minors during the Chinese New Year. Many children who hadn't eaten enough at home or simply wanted to go out to eat KFC surrounded the ordering counter on the first floor. However, because he had informed the store in advance, he took his prepared meal and went straight to the slightly quieter second floor, finding an empty spot to sit down.

Theoretically speaking, in this KFC, which is the only one in Guoning, Chen Xi could probably display a similar kind of hostess temperament as Lin Mu in the Three Fierce Xu flagship store. However, it is obvious that his sister does not have such thoughts. She just sits there with a French fry in her mouth, watching the children at the end of the second floor play area, going up and down a slide as if they never get tired of playing.

If the heroines in romantic comedies always seem to have a second stomach for desserts, then the second stomach that real children have is probably for junk food. Even though their dinner was just a short while ago, they can still easily put fried chicken, hamburgers, and chicken wraps into their mouths, seemingly without any concern about not being able to sleep at night after eating too much.

Having passed that age, Chen Junqian casually ate a sundae. Even though Crazy Thursday and V50 had evolved into countless variations more than a decade later, he was still past the age where he really wanted to eat these things. Even if he were to return to that time now, he wouldn't feel the urge to eat them. So he simply watched Lin Mu and Xu Youwei, occasionally reaching out to grab tissues to wipe the oil and sauce stains from their mouths or cheeks.

It has to be said that in such a large gathering, the club activities that Chen Junqian had been laying the groundwork for long ago have proven effective. At the very least, they can easily create a common topic for all of them. If Gu Linguo were also there, she would probably chime in with a comment that the current setup of the four of them is the most standard template for a romantic comedy.

The screenwriter, illustrator, chief planner, and a girl who was identified as the lead actress but for a long time had no awareness of this role.

What is Mu Mu thinking about?

Watching the girl finish a chicken wrap and then start sipping her cola from a plastic cup, Chen Junqian, who was eating a sundae, casually asked her a question.

"I'm thinking about what to write in my diary tonight... I actually brought my diary with me today."

Lin Mu, lounging lazily on the table, tapped his fingertips and drew circles on the tablecloth.

For her, writing in her diary on the same day was a habit she had maintained for an incredible number of years. As a result, she had gone through countless diaries, which, when stacked together, formed her own castle. The girl from the past to the present stood within it, smiling radiantly, contentedly watching this wall of time grow higher and higher, until it reached a height that would make any outsider feel that they had no chance and could only retreat in disappointment.

"Mumu is still writing in her diary? That's amazing."

The person who said this was Xu Youwei, who was enjoying a piece of original recipe chicken. She had always firmly believed that diaries were written for others to read. After all, who would write a diary? She had only suggested that Mu Mu write one casually, but she never expected that Mu Mu would stick to it until now. Moreover, it was really just for her own amusement. Neither she nor Chen Junqian had ever read it or knew anything about its contents.

Even the invisible wall painting she had been secretly working on for two years was shown to Chen Junqian last year.

However, these two things shouldn't be confused. After all, Xu Youwei didn't think that Lin Mu's diary was full of what she wrote on the wall. It should just be ordinary daily records. But thinking about it, she felt a little sorry. If she had kept the habit of writing a diary from the beginning, all those historical records... cough, memories would have been much easier to keep. There would have been no need to move secret bases around and scribble with invisible pens.

"Mmm..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu simply pursed her lips. After all, just as she had said, as she got older, it became increasingly difficult for her to write in her diary. If it were just the simplest daily record, it would be fine, but the more important function of a diary should be to record one's real-time feelings and moods. However, she now felt more and more that she was often unable to express herself clearly, and what she wrote was dry and lifeless.

In 2010, she could certainly write "Hen-Hen is the best" with a very relaxed attitude.

But four years have passed, and now, in 2014, Lin Mu, who was once again helped by Chen Junqian, is at a loss for words to describe and embellish his story.

Qianqian is definitely the best, so—

So what?

Even after eating, drinking, and having fun outside until ten o'clock, when he returned home with Chen Junqian, washed up, and sat at his desk facing the blank pages of his diary, Lin Mu still couldn't figure out the problem.

"Dong dong dong."

A polite knock came at the door. Lin Mu, who had temporarily put away her diary, put on her slippers and went to open the door. Sure enough, it was Chen Junqian, who had also finished washing up. She had invited him herself.

Compared to this time last year, Chen Junqian could clearly feel the marks left by a whole year on his childhood sweetheart. After all, the fact that she had changed little only compared to other people her age did not mean that she had not grown at all. Both her height and body size had increased, and her facial features had gradually begun to mature. At this rate, Chen Junqian boldly estimated that Mu Mu's height would be around 1.55 meters.

Of course, in reality, this height is still considered short for a girl, but it's definitely normal. Unlike those anime girls who are obviously just filling in the height numbers with their feet, real-life girls can't possibly be 1.4 meters tall and still have curves in all the right places. And anyone who has met her in person can clearly understand what 1.4 meters is like. At least Chen Junqian felt a bit out of place watching "Toradora!" after knowing that Taiga Aisaka's height was set at 1.43 meters.

After all, they had been childhood sweethearts for several years. Chen Junqian glanced at Lin Mu and she knew he was calculating her height again. However, she didn't care about complaining or arguing about it anymore. After pulling him to lie down on the bed, she told him about the phone scam that had just happened that night.

"Does Qianqian think that I'm sometimes... well, a little bit clumsy?"