I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

After focusing intently on Xu Youwei's scores in each subject for two minutes, and recalling her previous final exam results, Chen Junqian finally spoke up to offer his words of comfort:

"Youyou's grades were good before because biology and geography were her strong subjects. Now that she's in the third year of junior high, it's normal for her grades to drop a little after those two subjects are no longer in school. Although we haven't seen the specific test papers yet, judging from the scores of each subject, the subjects that dropped the most points were Chinese and Chemistry. It seems like she didn't memorize a lot of things."

"Politics and history will be tested in open-book mock exams later. I'll give you and Mumu the key points I've compiled. It won't be difficult to find them by following the outline. Besides, it's just a mock exam, not even a preliminary test. The third year of junior high has only just begun."

"Of course, Youyou, you really should settle down. Otherwise, Uncle Xu will come and ask me what happened, and I won't be able to explain it to him. The next mock exam for the three schools is after National Day. Before that, Youyou has to promise me that you will study hard without thinking about anything else."

"Oh...I understand."

In fact, both Chen Junqian and Xu Youwei are well aware that what they are pursuing is a longer-lasting relationship. Compared to the three years of high school and even longer afterward, the year of junior high school is indeed a short period that can be endured.

Therefore, the latter could only accept this fact for the time being, somewhat dejected.

Perhaps this is the reality: neither of them had to suddenly move away due to family changes, nor was their relationship discovered by the person they least wanted to know about due to an unexpected event. However, their way of getting along definitely needs to cool down.

You can't have your cake and eat it too, and besides, she's already got it; she's just putting it aside for now, and will take it back once she gets the fish.

While Xu Youwei was comforting herself with these words, Zhu Wenyun on the other side of Guoning casually glanced at her still-stable ranking and began to reread the manuscripts she had written in the past in order to find inspiration for her new book.

Flipping back through the pages one by one, aside from the earliest submissions to Sunshine Sister's Classroom and those that were closer to children's literature, her first article published in a youth literature magazine like "Fireworks" was "Plums that are too ripe will turn sour, and unrequited love that lasts too long will turn sour."

With a touch of nostalgia, Zhu Wenyun reopened the book and saw the very first sentence she had written as a romance novelist:

My youth was artistic, and the boys I met were also artistic. They say you can't have your cake and eat it too, but I just wanted to have it all at least once.

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

PS2: Merry Christmas Eve everyone! May you receive Christmas cards from girls like Mumu tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

Although taking the day off today will definitely be mistaken for going out for some kind of Christmas activity, that's not the case at all. I'm just feeling unwell and plan to go to bed early to avoid celebrating this Western holiday.

However, upon closer reflection, Christmas was the birthday of Hong Xiuquan's elder brother, so in a sense, it might not be considered a Western holiday.

Well... I still wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best.

Chapter Seven: Too Immersed in the Role (Part Two)

On a Saturday afternoon in mid-September, Chen Junqian came to help Zhu Wenyun move at her request.

However, saying it's a move doesn't quite fit; it's more accurate to say it's a move of books.

The other party's current situation is somewhat similar to Chen Xi's a few years ago. The new place has been settled, but she will not officially move in until she enters junior high/high school. However, for Zhu Wenyun, who still has her house full of things even after Chen Junqian helped her share some of the burden, this new house is a good place to store books.

Chen Junqian carried out various books, bundled together with sturdy cowhide ropes in a crisscross pattern, from his home. His bicycle was not very useful at this time, so he also brought out Grandma Zhu's tricycle, which she hadn't used in a long time, from the shed. Meanwhile, she rode her electric tricycle out to sell vegetables as usual.

"If we follow this method of transport, it should be finished in about two trips. After all, we're not transporting everything at once. I think we should keep some frequently used items in my study."

"Hmm, I'll follow you on my bicycle?"

After checking again to make sure each stack of books was properly bundled and wouldn't fall apart, Zhu Wenyun herself said this, but Chen Junqian shook his head indifferently:

"It's okay, you don't weigh much when you sit on it, I can lift you."

"Oh, then I'll sit down."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Wenyun casually took out a small stool from home, placed it in the back of the truck, and sat down. The familiar posture reminded her of her childhood, except that there were no vegetables piled up next to her, and her grandmother was not sitting in front of her house. She no longer needed to pretend to look down at the world around her with a book in her hand, even though everything was within easy reach of her now.

Sitting there, Zhu Wenyun turned to the side and reached out to poke the other person's back again:

"Will it really work?"

"Yeah, no problem. I don't even know how many times I've ridden this bike with Yoyo on it at high speeds over the past few years."

"Ok."

"Let's go—oh right, that hill ahead is a bit steep, hold on tight."

After Chen Junqian turned around and shouted, his feet and thighs simultaneously began to exert force, carrying Zhu Wenyun and the bundles of books in the truck bed through the streets and alleys of the urban village, heading towards the house that the other party had rented in advance, located near the high school section of Guoning Middle School.

Before long, he felt something pressing against his back.

"What's wrong?"

"...How come I never realized the cargo bed of this vehicle was so small before?"

"Is it possible that you, Yun, have grown up?"

While waiting at the traffic light, Chen Junqian turned his head again to look at the girl who was trying to stretch her long legs as straight as possible. Her hands were resting on the books next to her, and her back was leaning against his back. As she said, the back of the tricycle could no longer fit the small girl who was curled up like it had a few years ago.

"Aren't you too?"

Zhu Wenyun muttered something in a low voice that only she could hear, then turned halfway to look at the back of the boy in front of her. His simple white shirt was soaked with sweat and clung to his skin. Because of the effort, the muscles and veins on his arms were clearly visible, and his shoulders and back were also clearly taut with a kind of powerful lines in this late summer season.

When they first met, he wasn't even as tall as her.

There was another big uphill slope ahead.

"I'll get down and push it."

As she spoke, Zhu Wenyun was about to jump.

"Don't move."

After saying that, Chen Junqian stood up, leaned forward, and put all his weight on the pedals. The tricycle made a creaking sound and quickly climbed up the long slope.

"Hmm... it'll be fun going downhill soon. Youyou and I used to play down slopes like this all the time."

Zhu Wenyun didn't really have any particular feelings about Chen Junqian mentioning Xu Youwei twice in just over ten minutes, because he didn't seem to care much about any girl. The reason he mentioned Xu Youwei now was simply because the two of them had indeed ridden in a tricycle many times before. If he were to go to the library with Xu Youwei right now, it would be natural for him to bring her up as well.

Zhu Wenyun's new home is located in a relatively new neighborhood near Ningzhong High School. Most of the houses here are temporary "school district houses" rented to high school students. There are signs for rentals everywhere, as well as students and parents wearing Ningzhong school uniforms.

"I think today is Saturday."

"They must be senior high school students. I remember that senior high school students only get half a day off on Sunday mornings."

As the only reborn person in the small county town, and the person who genuinely attended Ningzhong High School for three years, Chen Junqian still has vivid memories of his high school life, especially his senior year. He had regular classes all day on Saturdays, including evening self-study. After a half-day break each week, there was a weekly quiz, which took place on Sunday afternoons and during evening self-study. It was quite tough in every aspect.

"Compared to this, it seems like our third year of junior high isn't all that great."

"That's what they say, but in reality, everyone's age and mental state are different."

While helping Zhu Wenyun carry the books upstairs, Chen Junqian also took the opportunity to chat with her about this topic.

"We are 15 or 16 years old in the third year of junior high school and 17 or 18 years old in the third year of senior high school. Moreover, the 50/50 split in the junior high school entrance exam is often much more brutal than the college entrance exam. The latter usually leads to a university, while the former may lead to a factory job if you don't reach the general high school admission line. Although there is a vocational high school option, it is sometimes very complicated."

As a local of Guoning, Zhu Wenyun understood what Chen Junqian meant. After all, the hierarchy of academic qualifications didn't start from university. And Guoning's local vocational high school certainly lived up to everyone's expectations. In recent years, almost all the rumors circulating about it were quite bad, such as fighting and giving birth in the toilet, which have almost become regular occurrences.

It can only be said that the environment sometimes has a great influence on shaping a person. Otherwise, so many parents would not go to great lengths to spend hundreds of thousands of yuan to send their children to Ningzhong, even if it is just to be in Class 17, which is not even involved in the grade ranking... Although in the end, something still happened.

"So if possible, I hope everyone can go to Ningzhong together."

"I feel that Junqian should have said these words to other people."

After moving all the books in the first batch, Zhu Wenyun sat on the sofa in the living room of the house, which had been renovated long ago and was ready to move in. She leaned forward slightly, rested her elbows on her knees, and supported her chin with her hands. She looked over Chen Junqian's shoulder and said this while looking at the gray sky outside the window.

"I heard that Youwei did poorly on her placement test this time?"

"Ah."

Chen Junqian nodded, his tone somewhat helpless.

"And she's probably a bit mentally broken down; she's probably still at home studying the questions she got wrong."

"I can see that, since I haven't called you yet. We're all still students, so studying is definitely the top priority, and it's the same for me."

In fact, Zhu Wenyun's life has been quite regular over the past few years. Apart from her nightly phone calls with Chen Junqian, she doesn't waste any free time like Lin Mu or Xu Youwei. She spends almost all her time reading, writing, and studying. When she occasionally calls Chen Junqian over, it's always for this kind of thing. In addition, Hejin Middle School is less competitive than Guoning Middle School, so she has been able to keep her grades stable.

"Early romance generally affects studies... so I always avoid this topic in my books, or simply gloss over it. I even avoid writing scenes where the male lead helps the female lead whose grades drop because of this, because I feel it would only have the opposite effect."

At this point, Zhu Wenyun glanced at Chen Junqian again:

"I've always felt that this approach would actually make the woman even more restless. What do you think?"

"Perhaps. I think it depends on the stage. During the honeymoon phase, the situation that Wenyun mentioned can indeed occur, but it might be better during the earlier ambiguous phase or the later stable phase."

"...very experienced."

Zhu Wenyun lowered her eyes and chuckled softly. She didn't refute him, but suddenly walked up to Chen Junqian, who was resting in a chair, and squatted down in front of him.

This movement made her shrink down instantly, so much so that she had to slightly raise her head to look up at Chen Junqian, who was sitting in the rattan chair. The girl's posture, with her hands wrapped around her knees and her chin resting on them, naturally reminded Chen Junqian of the kitten at home that had been named by a childhood sweetheart. However, unlike the pet, the girl in front of him was docile but also had an obvious probing intent hidden within her.

"But someone doesn't seem to be affected at all; they're still number one in the grade this time."

As she spoke, Zhu Wenyun stretched out a hand and gently hooked her fingertips around Chen Junqian's trouser leg that was hanging down by his leg.

"From the woman's perspective, it might seem quite unfair, right? Because even in matters of love, there will always be people who want to prove that they love you more deeply, that they have given more for you, and that they have sacrificed more for you, right?"

Without giving Chen Junqian a chance to speak, Zhu Wenyun, who seemed to have prepared these words in advance, continued speaking as if talking to herself:

"However, I think that love is inherently unfair because people are not the same. That's why social norms and customs have always opposed teacher-student relationships. After all, in an unfair relationship, this is the most unfair one, with huge disparities in economics, physiology, ideology, social status, etc."

"If we apply this to campus romance, it would probably be about academics. After all, relationships between minors often don't involve family issues, let alone the pursuit of social status. They like someone or they don't like someone, but everyone's learning abilities are different."

Only at this point did she finally begin to slowly reveal her true intentions.

"Some people will sacrifice their sleep for studying and instead spend time on sweet phone calls with their boyfriends because they are in love. They will be forced to skip homework and tutoring classes because they need to go on dates, so their grades will drop. But for others, love is more like an add-on. Even if they are involved, it will not affect their original rhythm of life too much."

She straightened up slightly, bringing her plain yet delicate face even closer to Chen Junqian. He could even see the fine downy hairs on the tip of her nose clearly visible in the light.

Then, Zhu Wenyun suddenly reached out and placed her hand on the back of Chen Junqian's hand, which was resting on his knee.

The girl's hands are not actually as delicate as those of the heroines in her works. After all, housework, cooking, and writing all leave traces of time. Compared to flowers in a greenhouse, her hands are more likely to give people a sense of strength and vitality, like wheat sprouting from the soil.

"In romance novels and in real life, there are stories of couples who have been in a long-term relationship since middle school, encouraging, supporting, and helping each other grow, and finally becoming better versions of themselves. That's probably what everyone envies and wants the most—to grow together in a relationship."

"None of us are love-struck. We don't think about being together 24/7. We're not unreasonable or capricious. We don't give in to others' demands when we're happy, and we don't wallow in self-pity when we're jealous. We respect each other's personal space and time because we know that we all have more important things to do. We don't want to let our emotions and mindset affect others excessively."

"Of course, all of the above are just my own wishful thinking, completely imagined in my mind, as an author who has never actually been in a relationship."

"So, I'd like to conduct another experiment, or rather, to gather more materials."

Chen Junqian looked at Zhu Wenyun, whose breathing was visibly becoming more and more rapid, and at a certain achievement in his mind that was shining brighter and brighter with the other party's words:

[Too immersed in the role]

Whether it's due to parental pressure to get married, peer comparisons, or the classic reason of avoiding an increasing number of suitors, the scenario of the male and female protagonists pretending to be lovers is a common trope in romantic comedies. This pseudo-relationship, resembling a marriage of convenience that blossoms into love, will inevitably turn out to be real in the end.

Of course, this may also be a common tactic used by some female protagonists who struggle to transition from friendship to romance. They deliberately play dumb from the beginning, pretending to be too immersed in the role to make the fake relationship real.

After all, who would want to play this game of pretending to be lovers with someone of the opposite sex with whom they have absolutely no feelings?

Condition for achievement: Pretend to be lovers with any female protagonist who is suited for romantic comedy.

"Even if it's just pretending, let's give it a try, shall we?"