I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

[I suddenly remembered asking the other person when I was little, "We've been hiding from the rain our whole lives, won't the rain be sad?" So today I decided not to let the rain be sad. However, I didn't even realize I was feeling sad until I actually felt the rain running down my body.]

[So sensitive that I could almost touch the pain, yet so insensitive that I couldn't even take a step. It was as if multiple versions of myself were talking to others in the distance, while I was slowly spreading out like a dandelion seed, and all I could do was hug myself tightly in fear.]

Today I don't need to rack my brains about what to write in my diary like I have for many days before.

With a "snap".

The book slipped from Xu Youwei's hand and crashed heavily to the floor.

The crisp sound was like a thunderclap, instantly shattering those viscous and heavy illusions.

Xu Youwei suddenly sat up from the ground, panting heavily.

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and her back was soaked. She opened and closed her eyes several times before realizing that she was in the living room of her new home.

The sunlight outside the window had turned into the orange-red of the sunset, softly spreading across the fallen book.

It didn't rain, Lin Mu wasn't discovered, and no one was broken.

The room was quiet, with only the faint sounds of traffic and horns coming from downstairs.

"It's fake...it's just from the book..."

Xu Youwei murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly.

She wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, only to find that a fine layer of sweat had appeared on her forehead without her noticing. The fear, which felt like her heart had stopped, had not completely dissipated, and lingered over her like a persistent gloom.

The events in the book are fictional.

But her fear was real.

In reality, she, Chen Junqian, and Lin Mu are indeed walking on the road leading to the cliff, which is exactly the same as described in the book.

Xu Youwei slowly bent down, picked up the book, and instead of opening it again, placed it temporarily on the sofa.

...No matter what.

That's all for today.

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

Chapter 42: Ex-Girlfriend (5k2)

To be honest, Lin Mu's reading speed is actually not slow, but during the winter vacation before the New Year, there were always all sorts of strange and unexpected events. One minute she was called by her mother to help clean the house, and the next she had to go to the tutoring class she had signed up for. As a result, by the time she finally had time to sit down and read a novel properly, it was already after dinner.

Even though they are all junior high school students about to take the high school entrance exam, Lin Mu still has the habit of lying on the bed to read like a child, with her two legs raised and her toes swinging in the air. She occasionally puts them down to pinch the squirrel plush toy on the bedside table. Although it is the same size as the two squirrel plush toys at Chen Xi's house, it seems to be a little more life-size to hers, and its fluffy texture is excellent.

She had just finished showering, her hair still slightly damp, and she was wearing the same pajamas that Chen Junqian had seen from every angle on Christmas Eve. She propped her chin up and looked at the open book by Zhu Wenyun in front of her.

"Where did I leave off this afternoon... It seems like some people online have already finished watching it and started spoiling it, but thankfully I skipped over it in time."

Muttering this to himself, Lin Mu then grabbed a bottle of yogurt from the bedside table, inserted a straw, held it in his mouth, and found the page where the bookmark was.

It's still the childhood chapter at the beginning. Although you might have some wild thoughts at first because of the love triangle on the title page, as you read on, Lin Mu's mindset naturally and gradually becomes more relaxed.

After all, the setting in the book was just too familiar. Although she already knew that the author of this book was her childhood friend Zhu Wenyun, and that she had also learned from her that some of the characters of the two female protagonists were based on her and Xu Youwei, she was still amazed that the other party must have installed surveillance cameras in the three of them’s homes. Xue Ya, who liked to write diaries and was an optimist, was simply sculpted from her mold!

And then there's Lian Xinyu, sometimes quiet, sometimes lively, but always thoughtful—oh dear, isn't that just like Weiwei? As for the male lead, Gu Yuan, who always puts on a serious face and acts like an adult, yet is surprisingly reliable…

Lin Mu naturally pictured Chen Junqian's handsome face, always carrying a smile, a face that had always been able to handle everything perfectly since childhood.

"Pfft."

The girl couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even though she almost choked on the yogurt in the straw, she didn't care. She grabbed a tissue, wiped her mouth, and continued reading.

As the story unfolded, Lin Mu watched with great interest.

She watched the trio in the book running on the playground, sharing a bottle of not-so-good soda on the rooftop, getting caught by the teacher passing notes during evening self-study, and exercising together for the physical test in preparation for the high school entrance exam. That unique youthful restlessness and pure friendship warmed her heart.

But if it were really like what's written in the book, it would be great if the three of us were in the same class in junior high.

However, when Lin Mu read about Lian Xinyu and Gu Yuan secretly holding hands and making small gestures under the table behind Xue Ya's back, he couldn't help but frown.

It's not that she finds such behavior disgusting, but simply that she can't quite understand it. If two people really like each other, wouldn't it be better to just tell Xue Ya directly? Is the other person some kind of unreasonable person?

In Lin Mu's simple logic, the world of emotions is black and white; liking is liking, and disliking is disliking, just as simple and direct as her childhood dislike of leafy green vegetables and fatty meat.

In that instant, she thought of the first two pages she had seen that morning, two diary entries that seemed strangely like flashbacks or reverse chronological order.

No, no, it seems this child isn't as simple as he seems.

The pages turned, bringing us to that rainy night when the relationship between the three of them collapsed and came to a standstill.

Lin Mu, who was drinking yogurt, gradually slowed down and finally stopped completely.

Because the characters in the book also expressed the thoughts she had just been having, asking almost the same questions, but Lian Xinyu gave the same answer.

"This is just hindsight, because you didn't even realize that your self-righteous generosity stemmed from never having truly experienced the possessiveness and exclusivity of love, nor did you ever consider that you could be deceived by the two people you trusted most. Standing in the sunlight, you naturally assume the shadows don't exist... I don't want to be the one to remind you."

For a moment, only the ticking of the clock could be heard in the room.

Unlike Xu Youwei, who focuses on Xue Ya's perspective and feelings throughout the story, Lin Mu faithfully observes the story from the reader's omniscient perspective. Therefore, although she feels emotionally impacted, she doesn't break down due to excessive immersion. Instead, she experiences a sense of confusion and helplessness, wondering why things turned out this way when everyone seems to have a point.

Although she still couldn't understand why they had to keep it a secret, she could truly feel Xue Ya's heartbreak. It wasn't because she had lost all the possibilities of love, nor was it jealousy, but because she felt excluded from the world. It was like when the three of them were playing hide-and-seek as children, and the other two secretly went home, leaving her alone in the park, foolishly waiting until dark.

That feeling of loneliness from being abandoned seeped into Lin Mu's heart through the words.

However, she could also sense Lian Xinyu's struggles and thoughts. After all, the first half of the book was told from the perspective of these two people. Moreover, compared to Xue Ya, who became completely unfamiliar from the third of the way through, the various connections between Lian Xinyu and Xu Youwei made it hard for Lin Mu not to associate them with each other. Just like a few years ago when she wanted to drag Chen Junqian along to 'save' Xu Youwei, she fell into the thought that she was also pitiful, so she wanted to help her.

And the male lead is too.

Lin Mu doesn't read romance novels much because she feels that the male protagonists are often too omnipotent. The main reason is that she actually has a childhood sweetheart in real life who seems to be exactly the same, which makes her feel a bit awkward about where to put that extra... well, maternal instinct?

Moreover, they often lack their own thoughts and initiative, feeling like mere tools being pushed along by the plot.

"Idiot Xue Ya, idiot Lian Xinyu... can't you just talk things out?"

Lin Mu sniffed, grabbed the life-sized squirrel plush toy next to him, buried his face in it, and wiped away his tears and snot, his voice muffled.

"Why say something like breaking up...? Isn't it enough to just talk it out? Nothing is more important than being together."

With a slight ache caused by the heart-wrenching plot and an unwavering determination to see the happy ending, Lin Mu didn't close the book and run away like Xu Youwei. Instead, she changed her posture, sat up, and leaned against the headboard to continue reading.

"You absolutely have to make up, or I'll send Wenyun razor blades—I mean, in person, for real?"

After a series of events, the three, now eighteen-year-old adults, reunite and finally confront each other on a snowy night.

Lin Mu's eyes widened as the plot grew increasingly wild.

When I stood there, I felt incredibly sad because I always felt there should be three of us standing there. Waiting can't be considered effort, because it's either waiting for others to leave or waiting for yourself to give up, so I stopped waiting. What I finally realized is that no one can understand me or accept me like you all do. My love and my friendship were all given to you long ago, and I can't take them back.

Since we can't take it back, then we won't.

At that moment, Gu Yuan made a decision. He reached out and embraced both girls simultaneously. In this secluded, snowy night, worldly opinions were shut out. They didn't need to explain to anyone; they only needed to follow the pull of each other's souls. A triangle might be the most stable shape; if one corner is missing, it will collapse. Since they couldn't be separated, they would merge.

Lin Mu's mouth slowly opened into an "O" shape.

The book ends without a wedding, with no one marrying anyone off, and no sense of relief or regret.

They were like this from the beginning, and they will be like this in the end. Just like a childhood sweetheart relationship, it's simply a matter of one person getting used to it first, and then the other person getting used to it. That's all.

Lin Mu was completely stunned until the very last word of the story was read.

The deathly silence in the room lasted for a full minute.

"Wow... damn..."

As an incredibly innocent girl who had never been in a relationship or even knew much about love, Lin Mu felt that her worldview had been shaken like never before.

"This...this is the legendary...that thing?"

Her face flushed slightly, and a jumble of random words flashed through her mind.

But strangely, after the initial shock, a strange feeling of sudden enlightenment suddenly welled up in my heart.

Lin Mu reread the last heartwarming passage.

There were no arguments, no tears, no one left for anyone else, and no one felt superfluous because of anyone else. Everyone stayed, everyone was in that home, and everyone was laughing happily.

"This is definitely a good ending, isn't it...?"

Lin Mu rolled over in bed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She had completely ignored the complexities and shocking nature of this relationship in the real world, focusing only on what mattered most to her—

No one needs to leave.

"I knew it! Why do we have to choose one of two? Only children make choices; adults want it all! Besides, it's just a novel. As long as a novel is enjoyable to read, that's enough, right? Wen Yun, who doesn't have any pretentious literary tendencies, is a genius!"

Her thought process achieved logical consistency at an astonishing speed:

Since Lian Xinyu can't live without Gu Yuan, Xue Ya can't live without Gu Yuan either;

Since Xue Ya cannot live without Lian Xinyu, Lian Xinyu cannot live without Xue Ya;

Since these three are together, it's the happiest time...

Why should we be bound by the rules of dating between two people?

The more Lin Mu thought about it, the more reliable it seemed. For her, who was still in the early stages of understanding relationships, this threesome didn't really involve much sex; it was more of a commitment to ultimate companionship.

After all, it's just reading a novel, so having fun is definitely the most important thing.

Completely immersed in this ingenious logical conception, Lin Mu closed the book with satisfaction, carefully placing it on the bookshelf. He then casually patted the head of the Ali doll next to him before picking up his phone.

She initially planned to share her thoughts in a small group chat, but then worried that others might not have finished watching it yet and that her post might be considered a spoiler. So, she decided to open a private chat window with Zhu Wenyun and send her the message.

"Wen Yun really scared me to death. The middle part was so tragic, I thought it was going to be a bad ending. I didn't expect the ending to be so sweet and so ahead of its time."

"Mumu, did you just finish watching it? It's so late and you're still not asleep."

Zhu Wenyun replied to the message quite quickly. Lin Mu glanced at the time on her phone; it was almost 1 a.m., but she was still wide awake and had no desire to sleep. A warm and fulfilling feeling filled her chest.

"Yes, I just finished reading it. Wen Yun's writing is really excellent. I wish it great success."

"I'm glad Mumu likes it. Speaking of which, you read it pretty quickly. You should be the second person in our group to send me their thoughts."

"The second one? Who was the first one?"

“Junqian, he finished reading it here this afternoon, but that’s because he had already read many of the parts, so he was able to finish much faster.”

What was Qianqian's assessment?

"Similar to you, I just complained that although the ending was good, the process in the middle was really torturous. I also said that it was lucky to be a physical book that I could read the whole thing in one go. If it were an article that I had to follow in a magazine or online, the experience probably wouldn't be so good."

I agree with that.

After having a pleasant chat with the author about his impressions, Lin Mu finally put his phone on the bedside table, pulled the covers over himself, and decided to go to sleep.

"so good."