I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

Zhu Wenyun wasn't sitting at the table reading or writing; instead, she was lying on the long table, her gaze directed towards the doorway.

She took off her slightly stiff Tianjin Middle School uniform jacket, leaving only the soft white shirt underneath. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing her fair forearms. Unusually, she wasn't wearing shoes, and her feet, clad in white cotton socks, dangled in the air, swaying gently to some silent rhythm. Moonlight shone on her profile, outlining the girl's pert nose, her slightly trembling long eyelashes, and the eyes that were looking at him.

There was a lingering feeling that he had heard something like a countdown, but before Chen Junqian could ask any further questions, Zhu Wenyun spoke up first:

"You're here?"

The sound was very soft, but it was heard exceptionally clearly in the already quiet room.

Chen Junqian nodded, then closed the door, shutting out the outside world once again. He didn't turn on the lights, but instead followed the atmosphere and walked to the long table by the window, sitting directly next to the other person.

Should I ask now, 'Have you been waiting a long time?'

"...It's easy to calculate how long I waited, but I should answer 'not long' here, right? It was only one hour and thirty-six minutes."

As she said this, Zhu Wenyun pushed the blank sheet of paper in front of her to Chen Junqian and moved closer, adopting the same posture they used when they were researching together.

"But it's better than I expected. At least someone didn't just use the break time to brush me off like before. Or is it simply because this place is a bit far from the classroom?"

"We'll both be high school students next year, and we're still holding onto the memory of elementary school."

"After all, it's the beginning of the story, so it's only natural to care, right? Or would Junqian rather date and marry a girl he didn't even know when he was a child?"

Chen Junqian was already used to Zhu Wenyun's erratic thinking. Instead of giving a direct answer, he took the pen from her hand, casually wrote "childhood sweethearts" on the blank sheet of paper in front of him, and then asked:

"Is Wen Yun planning to write about childhood sweethearts again in her next book?"

"Well, I'm planning to change my style again and write about the war between childhood sweethearts. I'm no longer interested in the love triangle between childhood sweethearts and newcomers, and I always feel that newcomer characters don't actually exist in reality."

"...I feel like Wen Yun said the opposite of what she meant. After all, what many people lack most is a childhood sweetheart."

"I don't know. I only write down what I see."

As she said this, Zhu Wenyun snatched the pen back from Chen Junqian's hand and drew two branches, one on the left and one on the right, below the four characters "childhood sweethearts" that he had just written:

"Okay, now it's time for character setting. After all, there are all sorts of childhood sweethearts."

"First of all, there's the female lead, who is naive, clumsy, and extremely dependent. She can't recite the multiplication table, and she won't run home with an umbrella on a rainy day. She gets her mouth dirty when she drinks milk tea, and she's usually the one protected by the male lead before she even realizes what's happening."

"Then, please tell me honestly, does the male protagonist insist on staying by the side of such a female character out of love, or out of a sense of inertia of being needed, or even a sense of superiority?"

Chen Junqian pondered Zhu Wenyun's question for a moment before quickly giving his answer:

"Wen Yun only mentioned the female lead's character setting, without saying a single thing about the male lead's character setting. I don't know anything about his past or experiences, so there's no way to answer this question from his perspective. Both of the answers you mentioned are possible, but other possibilities certainly exist as well."

"For example, he might feel that he can only show his age-appropriate side when he's around her, or he might actually have some kind of mental illness, and she might be the anchor point connecting him to this world. Could the male protagonist be set up as a time traveler, and she might be the regret of his past life, and he's here to protect this beautiful thing in this life? Wouldn't that be fine?"

"Moreover, the need to be needed and being needed shouldn't be viewed from a too utilitarian perspective. After all, everyone hopes to be needed. It's just that some people only realize this when others say or do something, while others can easily give such feedback. If it's the kind of female lead that Wen Yun mentioned, perhaps as long as you're willing to eat the dishes she doesn't like, let her tie your shoelaces, and play with her, then you're her hero."

To be honest, Chen Junqian's answer was exactly what Zhu Wenyun expected, so she quickly changed the subject and drew a circle on another fork in the road.

"Okay, let's talk about the second female character."

At this point, Zhu Wenyun leaned forward slightly, getting a little closer to Chen Junqian.

"This is the male lead and the female lead's friend. In fact, all three of them are childhood sweethearts. However, compared to the female lead, this character's personality is more flamboyant and wild, like a cat that was once a pet but has now become a stray. Although she is not as close to the female lead as the female lead in terms of childhood sweetheart relationship or bond, there seems to be some kind of unspeakable secret between her and the male lead."

What do you think of this setting?

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

Chapter 5: The Achievements of a Time Management Master (Part 2)

Chen Junqian responded readily to the second question posed by Zhu Wenyun:

"Although I still don't know exactly what kind of character the male protagonist in Wen Yun's novel is, personally, I really like the second female lead's character. However, I still have to say that it's illogical to examine the female protagonists' ways of thinking and their logic of action in isolation, without considering the male protagonist's character. They should be influencing each other."

"For example, in the character Wen Yun's setting, there's a 'secret that only two people know.' What is this secret related to? How did it come about? Why do only the two of them know it, while the female lead doesn't? What are their views on this secret? If the answers to these questions are even slightly off, it will seriously affect the reader's perception of the characters and the plot."

At this point, he looked directly into Zhu Wenyun's eyes and nodded confidently:

"But because the author of this book is Wen Yun, I believe you can handle the relationships between the characters well and give everyone a happy ending."

"...I don't think I've ever said what the ending of this story would be like. What if this time I'm going to write an ending about the pain of youth, where the one who chases two rabbits catches neither of them, and neither of them finds happiness in the end, and the two childhood sweethearts are defeated by an unknown girl who only appears in the last three pages? Anyway, a lot of readers will stand up and say that this is reality, that this is the ending of most so-called youth, blah blah blah."

"There are indeed such people, but there probably aren't many. After all, even in the world of novels, one doesn't dare to yearn for an absolutely perfect ending. It's a strange thing to think about. The ending of the story written by the author is determined by the author himself, unless Wenyun tells you that I'm going to have a literary fever."

"will not."

Zhu Wenyun's denial came almost instantly, and then she lowered her eyes again:

“I know I’m a commercial writer, and I need money—you know that better than anyone.”

Unlike the literary girls often depicted in various literary works who seem to stand atop the ideal snow-capped mountain of literature, so refined and out of place, Zhu Wenyun never denied that her reason for becoming a writer was to make money. Perhaps she did have a purer ideal at the beginning, but ever since she actually earned her first royalties through writing, she naturally regarded herself as a commercial writer; otherwise, she wouldn't have been selected by the editorial department of Huahuo.

"So Wenyun should know very well that in fact everyone still prefers to see happy endings. In other words, it's a story where everyone can be happy in the end. There may be arguments, there may be tears, there may be cold wars or conflicts, but in the end, everyone can still find happiness."

"You make it sound so easy for yourself, but how exactly are you going to design the plot? You'll handle it?"

"Then I can only say that I myself have never had such a successful experience. However, there is no need to be as serious about stories in novels as in reality. As long as it is generally acceptable in terms of emotion and logic, that is enough. If it were the story written by Wen Yun, I think I would probably add a layer of description of the friendship between the female lead and the second female lead. Otherwise, it would just be two one-way arrows, which cannot form a stable triangle."

"Moreover, we need to use psychological descriptions to downplay the so-called betrayal as much as possible. Didn't Wen Yun herself write a lot of childhood friend characters who didn't realize their feelings for the male protagonist before the appearance of the 'sudden arrival' type, or who only had feelings for the male protagonist? So sometimes it's never about betrayal, it's just that some people realize their feelings first, while others are a little slow to realize them."

Upon hearing Chen Junqian's suggestion, Zhu Wenyun unconsciously tightened her grip on the pen in her hand.

"Why does it sound like he doesn't have any experience at all?"

"These ideas just came to me while I was chatting with Wenyun. And didn't Wenyun also suddenly have a burst of inspiration after I arrived, and design both of the female leads in one go?"

As he spoke, Chen Junqian turned to Zhu Wenyun, who was momentarily speechless and had been staring blankly at the manuscript paper, repeatedly circling the words "childhood sweethearts," and said with a smile:

“I believe Wenjun is capable of writing this ending. In fact, I especially hope that you can write such an ending.”

"why?"

Zhu Wenyun looked up and asked instinctively, then heard Chen Junqian bring up the old story again.

"Because the story I initially wanted you to write for me had to have this kind of ending."

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When the bell rang to signal the end of the third evening self-study session, Xu Youwei's desk was a mess. Various stationery and messy draft papers were scattered on the desk, which still felt warm from the mental exertion she had just used to solve problems. This was probably because mental activities like doing homework in class do consume energy quickly. Even though she had eaten a decent amount of food for dinner, she could still clearly feel her empty stomach growling with the last bit of exhaustion in the night.

Clearly, Xu Youwei wasn't the only one; otherwise, the food stalls outside the school wouldn't have rushed to block the intersection so tightly after evening self-study. At this time, close to ten o'clock, fifteen or sixteen-year-old students who had just finished evening self-study were the best customers.

She stuffed the textbooks and unfinished homework on the table into her schoolbag in one go. Xu Zhiling was coming to pick her up in the evening, and the car should have been parked at the gate by now. However, whether she could find it immediately was still a big question. Maybe she should go out of the school gate and buy something to eat first.

Just as Xu Youwei was thinking this, her hands moved faster than usual as she tidied up, she suddenly noticed a familiar voice coming from outside the window next to her. It was Chen Junqian, who had been standing there at some point.

Seeing that the other person made a gesture to go out first, Xu Youwei didn't even bother to pack her schoolbag. She nimbly jumped up from her seat and quickly made her way out of the classroom through the back door.

The bell for the end of evening self-study had only rung for less than a minute, and there weren't many other students in the corridor. Chen Junqian, who had gestured for Xu Youwei to follow him, led her to the playground behind the teaching building. There was no one there at all; all that could be seen were a few moths circling the light source under the dim streetlights.

At this moment, Xu Youwei noticed that Chen Junqian suddenly pulled out a bulging plastic bag from somewhere nearby. The zipper of his school uniform jacket was casually open, and the collar of his white shirt inside was slightly disheveled, as if he had just run back from somewhere.

"Didn't Qinqin attend the last class? Why did she come out so quickly? Did she really skip evening self-study?"

As Xu Youwei asked this question, she walked closer. Before she could get a reply, she was immediately enveloped by a strong yet tempting aroma of fried food.

Only then did Chen Junqian hand the plastic bag to her and explain her question:

"I ran out twenty minutes early because I thought Youyou must be hungry. I made freshly cooked cheese-filled chicken cutlet with double cumin and chili powder, and this drink, cheese grape, less ice and 50% sweetness."

Without a doubt, upon seeing the two ready-made late-night snacks Chen Junqian handed over, Xu Youwei's eyes lit up almost instantly, like a kitten smelling cat treats. She even subconsciously uttered an exclamation:

"Holy crap, the teacher actually let you leave the school early and then come back in?"

She took the bag, feeling its heavy heat, and took out the chicken cutlet inside:

"As expected, Qinqin understands me best. She specially bought the uncut ones, ahhh—"

With a crisp 'crack', the golden and crispy skin of the chicken cutlet split open, and the cheese mixed with meat juices burst out, scalding Xu Youwei so much that she gasped for breath, but she couldn't bear to spit it out, so she could only keep breathing out with her mouth open.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

"I've already informed our homeroom teacher about evening self-study. Leaving the school is also simple, since I'm quite familiar with the gatekeeper. Otherwise, why would Wen Yun keep running into our school for no reason?"

"I really envy you academic superstars."

While munching on a chicken cutlet, Xu Youwei asked, somewhat indistinctly and subconsciously:

Where is Mu Mu?

"She should be going to our activity room to pick up her phone now, around the same time. I was actually planning to buy her one, but before she left, I asked her, and Mu Mu said she doesn't eat late-night snacks."

"So I don't need to ask, right? Qinqin just wants me to gain weight... Then you have to eat too."

Upon hearing this, Xu Youwei rolled her eyes and handed the half-eaten chicken cutlet in her hand to her boyfriend's mouth, while she stuck a straw into the milk tea next to her.

It can only be said that as a classic case that is common and enduring in romantic comedies and even real-life scenarios, the achievement related to indirect kissing, "Come on...ah," was also the first repeatable achievement that Chen Junqian had completed, but it is still being triggered continuously.

Following Xu Youwei's teeth marks, I took another bite of the chicken cutlet. Sure enough, she showed a satisfied smile, took a big gulp of the milk tea straw, and handed it over as well, seemingly intending to share it all.

"Late-night snacks really make me feel guilty, so it's all your fault, Qinqin."

"I'm 100% sure that even if I don't bring you any, Youyou will run out of the school gate to find something to eat after school."

Are you so sure?

"Because she's my girlfriend."

Startled by Chen Junqian's blunt words, Xu Youwei paused for a moment, but immediately retorted with a hum:

"It's too late to think about bringing food for your girlfriend now. Someone has been bringing food for Mumu for two years already. Every morning after my morning exercise, I see you two eating candy. You've probably tried all the candy from the convenience store several times over."

"So, can we say it's not too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost?"

"Then Qinqin, you're finished."

Xu Youwei suddenly laughed, her eyes crinkling like a triumphant little fox.

"Ok?"

"After you say that, you'll never get rid of me in this lifetime."

Unlike the bustling playground during the long break for morning exercises, the playground was completely dark and quiet right after evening self-study. However, the familiar surroundings made Xu Youwei unable to help but imagine, so after she finished speaking, she tiptoed and gently kissed the other person's lips.

The kiss carried the sweetness of cheese and grapes and the cumin flavor of fried chicken, while also carrying a certain restlessness and passion unique to adolescence.

"Hmm...not sweet enough, let me give you another bite, Qinqin."

As she spoke, Xu Youwei held the milk tea to his lips again:

"If the two of us drink, it will be faster. I still need to go back and pack my schoolbag. I feel like I can still make it out of the school gate with Mumu."

Chen Junqian took a sip through the straw, and the sweet taste instantly filled his mouth.

The two continued walking slowly along the track. Two minutes later, after finishing their late-night snack and throwing their trash into the nearby bin, they returned towards the classroom.