I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

Lin Mu closed her eyes, a sweet smile on her lips.

It's wonderful that there were no regrets, no absences, and no farewells.

She genuinely believed that.

Just as the girl, innocently and happily immersed in the afterglow of the happy ending, slowly drifted off to sleep, Chen Junqian received a call invitation from Xu Youwei.

Xu Youwei did not actually finish reading the entire book, but that did not prevent her from regarding Zhu Wenyun's "Never Left, How Could There Be Absence" as a kind of prophecy. The tragic breakup in the first half almost became her nightmare.

Even though Lian Xinyu in the book didn't lose everything because of this, and could even clearly explain her logic to Xue Ya, Xu Youwei knew very well that she couldn't do that.

Perhaps it was possible before, but it's absolutely impossible now.

However, Xu Youwei also knew that Xue Ya in the story and Lin Mu in reality were not the same person.

This understanding is like a key, even if it opens a door to a twisted labyrinth.

Xu Youwei began to dissect this logical loop herself:

Why does the story end in tragedy? Because Lian Xinyu "stole" Gu Yuan first. From Xue Ya's perspective, this is a betrayal; a supporting character steals the spotlight from the protagonist. It's precisely because Xue Ya is so dazzling and accustomed to being loved that she cannot accept being stabbed in the back by the person closest to her.

But what about the reverse?

Lin Mu is everyone's little sun. She is generous, kind, and willing to share. The world loved her first, and she naturally loves everything in this world in return.

The three of us will always stay together.

Although Lin Mu herself did not say this sentence like Xue Ya in the book, her behavior and thinking logic have always reflected this point.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is quite simple.

It's just a matter of changing the order.

What if... what if Lin Muxian and Qinqin got together?

If Lin Mu were to have Qinqin and become the main character in this relationship, then when she discovers that she also likes Chen Junqian, given Lin Mu's personality, while she wouldn't immediately think that a three-person relationship is acceptable, she certainly wouldn't feel betrayed either; at most, she would feel conflicted.

Lin Mu will only share if he gets it first.

Just like a few years ago when she secretly left a message on that glass bottle, and after she took the initiative to admit it, Lin Mu didn't think it was a big deal and even took her to buy a gift.

What I am doing now is challenging Lin Mu's bottom line and pushing the relationship between the three of us into the abyss. That is why I must stop, and do so immediately.

In fact, not only should it be stopped, but the plot should be redirected back in the right direction.

However, Xu Youwei is not sure of Chen Junqian's thoughts. In fact, the plan she has come up with is the least respectful to Chen Junqian. Although it is not like some third-rate romance novel that forces the person who likes her to like someone else, nor is it forcing the person who loves her the most to perform an impromptu act, the first step of this plan is that the two of them must break up temporarily.

Xu Youwei would feel very uncomfortable telling the other person all her thoughts, because she was the one who confessed in the first place, but she also couldn't think of another reason to suddenly end this secret relationship.

With these mixed feelings in mind, she finally decided to call Chen Junqian.

"Qinqin".

"Well, I'm here."

"Wen Yun's new book made me feel a little... no, I should say very uncomfortable. She must have guessed about our relationship a long time ago, it's not something she just found out recently."

"Indeed, but she really didn't tell anyone."

"But that already shows that others can see this."

Seemingly having finally made up her mind, Xu Youwei finally blurted out her thoughts to Chen Junqian late one night in February 2015.

In Chen Junqian's mind, the system's character panel for her was also changing in sync.

"It just so happens that we're about to take the high school entrance exam."

[Xu Youwei: Appearance adaptability A, basic ability adaptability B+, personality adaptability A, action adaptability B+, speech adaptability A (originally B+), current romantic comedy adaptability A-]

She felt like she was about to burst into tears, but she held it in and even forced a smile, because it was all for the sake of a more perfect ending.

"...Before Mu Mu realizes that she likes you, I have to try my best to suppress my dislike for you."

First love. Ex-girlfriend.

"OK?"

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

Chapter 43: This is the kind of author I am (4k6)

As it turns out, the world is never just about one or two people whose hearts are moved by the plot and ending of a story. Especially since Zhu Wenyun was already quite well-known, discussions about the book were already in full swing on the internet almost the day after the book was released, or rather, late at night on the first day.

Most readers certainly can't send a message directly to the author like Lin Mu can, but that's what the internet is all about. Zhu Wenyun can easily find a lot of related comments by simply searching on various platforms or opening the comment section of her own platform account.

"Let me look for it..."

After waking up early in the morning, Zhu Wenyun immediately picked up her phone, tapped the screen lightly with her fingertips, and began browsing the live discussions on Weibo.

[Delicious Dog Fried Hash Pancakes (2.3 likes): Help! I thought it was a melodramatic love triangle at the beginning, cried like a baby in the middle, and the ending completely fried my CPU! But... why do I find it so sweet and reasonable?! What kind of divine touch is this?!]

[Ninefold Sleepless Nights (1.8 likes): The author has gone crazy! This isn't just about destroying values, it's about opening up a whole new worldview! Since everyone is indispensable, let's lock them in! I'll swallow the key!]

[Handwritten vow (5k likes): Am I the only one who finds this disgusting? Isn't this just making scumbags sound noble and refined? In reality, this kind of relationship would have been reported to the police long ago, okay?]

[Who cares about my mental state? (Reply to Netizen C): You find this disgusting? Novels are novels, reality is reality. Besides, they're soulmates, what's it to you? I love happy endings for everyone; it's a million times better than those clichéd plots where one has to sacrifice the other two!]

Zhu Wenjun looked at these comments and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

"As expected, everyone longs for a perfect ending."

Although she said that, the girl actually took screenshots of several of the most offensive comments and then sent them to Chen Junqian on QQ.

[Because of someone's storyline, they were criticized]

A few seconds later, my phone vibrated; the other party had already replied to the message.

[Wen Yun, are you up so early? I thought you'd take a few days off after the new book's release. I see this one's selling really well; it even surpassed the previous one on its first day.]

Zhu Wenyun's lips curled slightly as she typed rapidly:

Sales are good, but I get a lot of criticism online. They say my values ​​are warped and my writing is disgusting. What can I do? Someone specifically asked me to write this story. [Images][Images][Images]

What she sent were those carefully selected screenshots of negative comments.

There was a moment of silence on Chen Junqian's end, followed by a message that read, "The other party is typing..."

Zhu Wenjun hummed a little tune in a cheerful mood, waiting leisurely. She hadn't read or written romance novels for nothing over the years. It was better to be a little mischievous in this kind of situation than to have to openly ask for praise on her face and say it out loud back then.

After all, they've all grown up. Many of the methods that were acceptable when they were children are no longer appropriate to use later on. Could this be considered one of the growing pains?

Seemingly feeling that simply typing wouldn't explain it, Chen Junqian called directly not long after.

Zhu Wenyun cleared her throat and adjusted her voice. By the time the call connected, Chen Junqian could hear a slight nasal tone in her voice.

"I just checked, and it's actually not bad. In today's internet environment, you can go out of business, but you can't be dead. This book has been discussed much more than the last one, and it's mostly positive."

As he said this, Chen Junqian was also scanning the public opinion and reputation on various platforms in real time. After all, even if the girl on the other end of the phone was just making up an excuse to ask for comfort and act coquettishly, the ending of the story was indeed written under his instructions. Therefore, he should indeed take the blame for the negative comments about the ending on the Internet and the resulting malice towards the author.

"But that comment that called it the 'headquarters of scumbags' got so many upvotes... It still makes me feel bad, and I didn't sleep well last night."

Well, even over the phone, Chen Junqian could already imagine what kind of expression and demeanor Zhu Wenyun had on the other end. It can only be said that if she could be affected by this little bit of online opinion, then Zhu Wenyun would not have entered this industry in the first place. If we only talk about mental strength, she is definitely among the best of her peers. After all, while others are still worrying about their studies, she is already saying "cyberbullying is terrible" while preparing to use her fans to launch an online campaign.

However, since Zhu Wenyun was deliberately displaying such an attitude, Chen Junqian went along with it and continued the conversation. After all, the book had indeed helped him a lot, and more importantly, he also realized that the other party had vaguely guessed his ultimate goal.

"A novel is an artistic creation. You've built a utopia in the book, where people just want a less painful way of life. If love can solve problems, why care about the form? If you're still feeling down, then stop reading these for now. It's winter break anyway, how about we go out and clear our heads? I happen to be free today. Then I'll take you out for a nice lunch to celebrate the book's success and get rid of any bad luck."

"Okay! Should we invite Youwei and Lin Mu too?"

Zhu Wenyun asked deliberately.

"...I won't call anymore."

Chen Junqian paused for a moment, and once again noticed this person's perverse sense of humor.

"They've been a bit busy lately, so it was just the two of us, simply chatting about your book."

"Okay, see you at the library later."

After hanging up the call with Zhu Wenyun, Chen Junqian, who had already finished washing up, went straight out the door, but his mind was still on the phone call Xu Youwei had made last night.

It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that all of this was within his expectations or guidance, but this ending was indeed what Chen Junqian wanted to achieve. Zhu Wenyun's new book also helped him achieve this goal. Just like the comments on Weibo attacking the male protagonist for toying with other people's feelings, Chen Junqian also knew that if people knew his thoughts, he would definitely be attacked in the same way.

But love itself might be like this, especially in reality, which is not a two-dimensional world. From this perspective, the plot in Zhu Wenyun's book is more realistic. There is no comedic portrayal, no cheerful comments about cheating cats and vixens, and no internal monologues about a chaotic love triangle. Interpersonal relationships during adolescence can explode at any time, and repairing them requires the author's intervention and ambiguity.

However, it was precisely because of this that Youyou was provoked into saying those things to him last night.

First love. Ex-girlfriend.

But now, looking at the two suffixes following the other person's name in his mind, Chen Junqian did feel a little inexplicably melancholy and lost. Although he knew that this moment would come when he agreed to Xu Youwei's confession, now that it had actually arrived, he still felt a little guilty.

From this perspective, it seems that those wooden characters whose affection and memory are refreshed naturally after a character's solo episode ends are more suitable to be the male lead in a romantic comedy.

Chen Junqian could even foresee that his future interactions with Xu Youwei would not be as easy as she had described last night as 'going back to the way things were before.' After all, if such a relationship could be broken off so easily, there wouldn't be so many literary works about exes in the world. Moreover, the two of them really did need to pretend that nothing had happened and continue to be childhood sweethearts.

With these complex thoughts in mind, Chen Junqian rode his bicycle to the city library where he often met with Zhu Wenyun. At the entrance, he saw a promotional sign for Zhu Wenyun's new book. The brand-new book was placed in the most conspicuous spot marked "Youth Literature." Next to it was the "Ten Deadly Sins" series, which remained popular even after several years and had already published its second, third, and fourth installments. This made Chen Junqian chuckle to himself, and he recalled Zhu Wenyun's own sharp commentary on the series a few years ago.

Just then, two junior high school girls carrying shoulder bags walked into the library.

"Hey! This is the book! Buy it now! The ending is absolutely amazing. Now when I see three people walking together on the street, I feel like I'm shipping them!"

The short-haired girl in front of me excitedly recommended it to her best friend.

"Really? A threesome? Isn't that a bit too much...?"

The other long-haired girl had obviously already heard the ending from her best friend and was still a little hesitant.

When her best friend hesitated, the short-haired girl just kept urging her on:

"Oh, you'll see when you read it! The author writes so convincingly! That kind of inseparable bond is so much more compelling than a romance between just two people! After reading it, you'll wonder, why did they have to let the third person leave? Three people together make a complete circle!"

"Moreover, this topic is being discussed online, with many influential figures analyzing the feasibility of this kind of 'polygonal relationship' and saying it's a future trend in relationships!"

Hearing this, Chen Junqian couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The two girls then noticed a handsome guy standing next to them and fell silent, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Buy it if you like it."

Seeing that the two were looking in his direction, Chen Junqian took the opportunity to promote Zhu Wenyun's new book.

"It's very well written, I guarantee it."

Although the two girls didn't know who he was, seeing the smile on Chen Junqian's face, they immediately felt that his words were incredibly reassuring and seductive. Blushing, they took the books to pay. When they excitedly returned with the books, ready to find Chen Junqian to use this as a common topic to see if they could exchange contact information, they discovered that he had already disappeared.

"...You've already started chatting with a girl again in such a short time?"

"Um, I swear on my conscience, I was really just promoting Wenyun's new book. At least Wenyun should give me half of the royalties from that book."