I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"By the way, is she coming to Guoning for the Spring Festival again this year?"

"Yes, I went to Lin'an to bring my sister here, just like last year."

"Okay, then let her stay with me like last year. I haven't seen Sister Nianqiu for a year, and I miss her quite a bit."

"Let's see what my sister has to say."

Compared to last year, Chen Junqian now has a new house that no one knows about, so settling Shen Nianqiu in is much easier. Moreover, the decision of where to live should indeed be made by the older sister herself. Last year, it was because the two of them were discussing matters related to their new book, but this year it is indeed difficult to determine.

"Hmm, that works too."

"Wait a moment, I need to use the restroom."

After finishing his milk tea, Chen Junqian stood up and walked towards the restroom. Zhu Wenyun also stood up and slowly walked to the bookshelf next to him, gently stroking the spine of the book "Dearest Forever" on the shelf with her fingertips.

Pull out a book and you'll see a scene on the cover where the male protagonist is holding the female protagonist tightly, shielding her from the blizzard. In reality, the male protagonist had already arrived at the tollbooth on the highway before the snow even arrived.

It might be interesting to be the female protagonist who is always protected by others, but she is Zhu Wenyun, the author of "Dear Forever Dear". So compared to the female protagonist in the book, it is also interesting to be the writer who records these stories and the screenwriter who witnesses these stories being replicated in reality.

The idea of ​​a boy with a carefully crafted identity and a sincere heart going to a pre-written script to save another girl's life is the most standard way to write a romance novel, and it's one of the key reasons why this book, "My Dear Forever," is such a bestseller.

To be honest, Zhu Wenyun didn't really have any particular thoughts about Chen Junqian's actions. Perhaps it was because she already had a good relationship with Shen Nianqiu, perhaps it was because her way of thinking was different from that of most girls, or perhaps it was simply because of the biggest selling point of this story—

That so-called fake boyfriend drama.

She had already tasted it herself.

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

PS2: A new group will be launched tomorrow. Please pay attention. As mentioned before, there will be a regular group and a full subscription group. If possible, you can join both groups. It seems that the book's fan group is quite active.

Chapter 45: Isn't it pretty good? (Group number is available in this chapter)

"...I feel like we're about to see internal injuries."

"It's okay, Lin Guo. You should think positively. Most viewers would rather relax and listen to you complain about a bad movie than read your recommendations of obscure gems that you've spent a week writing about."

"But this is no longer just a matter of one game."

The interior design of Chen Junqian's new home is completely different from the bedroom that Lin Mu personally helped decorate and design back then. Instead, it exudes a certain otaku atmosphere. However, the two people lounging on the sofa here at this moment are indeed otaku.

The room next door, Gu Linguo's, was decorated even more extravagantly than his. He used almost all the related merchandise he had accumulated over the past few years. It was as if he had no choice but to hide them under the bed or in the closet before, but now that he had his own room, he naturally had to put them all out.

Unlike the female character figurine on his computer desk, whose eyes were sparkling, Gu Lingguo himself was staring blankly at the ceiling. Chen Junqian sat next to him, rubbing his throbbing temples while looking at the paused scene on the screen—a breathtaking battle scene from "The Holy Sword Tales." His lips twitched involuntarily.

"Hang in there, Lin Guo. In January, when the 'Four Great Classical Novels' are vying for attention, it's the perfect time for us to take advantage of the hype and launch a fierce attack with our critiques. I've already thought of a title for the video: 'Mid-Season Review of the January 2015 Anime Season: Is This Even Humans Can Watch?'"

"That's what they say, but I did everything myself, from the script to the voice-over. Just thinking about having to read all that stuff several times to write the script, and then briefly summarize it for the audience to criticize, gives me a headache."

"You're making it sound like I'm never eating with you. Besides, the editors and post-production team have to deal with all this disgusting material. So how's the script? Like this one."

Looking at the animation Chen Junqian pointed to on the computer screen, Gu Linguo almost gritted her teeth as she read out its name:

"The Forbidden Incantation of the Holy Sword Master! Is it even possible? It's already 2015! Why are we still seeing fights where they have to cover the screen with huge, unidentified letters for incantations? And that male protagonist, before every fight, he has to start chanting with 'I remember now' as a signal. Are his past life memories like a USB drive that can be plugged in and used at will? And that 3D-modeled nine-headed dragon, is that even a dragon? If you can't model, can you at least not model? The picture-in-picture animation in the Shirobako anime next door is better than that. And the battle effects are just a bunch of sticky stuff covering everyone. Who came up with that?!"

"It's difficult to make, the plot is cheesy, and the characters start off with a girl who's all over you and throws herself at you. It's the classic one who's clueless and the other who's unhappy. Then there's the formulaic villain, the formulaic provocation, and the formulaic 'pretending to be weak while actually being strong'. If you're going to imitate a masterpiece like Wall, you should at least have the production quality of that one. Besides, it's not like it was a few years ago."

"And those two, 'Absolute Duo' and 'Fafner in the Endless Gun King,' feel like they were industrial waste pressed out of the same mold. No, all three should be like that. Classic Academy City setting, there will definitely be fanservice as soon as you enter, and then there's cohabitation or accidentally wandering into the locker room..."

After launching into a barrage of complaints, Gu Linguo suddenly turned to look at Chen Junqian beside her:

"Um, just a quick interview, do you yourself like this kind of storyline?"

"Ah, I think it's quite enjoyable to watch without thinking too much. It's essentially a romantic comedy with added battle elements. The female lead, who is an absolute double-edged sword, is quite cute. Although the formula for living together is that you wake up in the morning to find your partner disheveled in your bed, I think it's alright."

After all, even the protagonist of this real-life romantic comedy has to achieve these formulaic events. However, unlike the male protagonists in anime who can unlock a whole bunch of achievements in the first episode, his situation is much more complicated.

Gu Lingguo only showed a subtle "I knew it" expression in response to Chen Junqian's answer.

Well, it seems the other person's chuunibyou symptoms haven't worn off even as they're about to enter high school. They can still enjoy this kind of plot even now, so it's hard to say they haven't become involved.

"And the good news is that the anime adaptation of 'Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend' is quite good."

"Yes."

Mentioning this anime, Gu Lingguo's face also lit up with a smile. After all, she is a veteran fan of the original work. Speaking of which, Galgame players have never lacked the experience of being disappointed by anime adaptations. Compared to Maruto Fumiaki's previous work, "White Album 2," which was mediocre in production but felt like it didn't live up to the quality of the original work, this "Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend" anime is undoubtedly more sincere.

"A-1 Pictures really put their heart into this."

"Maruto's scriptwriting skills are truly impressive, and the adaptation is also quite good. The voice actors are all very fitting, except for Matsuoka, who has been doing too much this season, making it a bit jarring. And the cinematography in this anime..."

"Hehe, brother, you mean the senior's black stockings, right? I really don't know how they drew the texture of the black stockings in this anime. It's definitely different from other anime. And the camera always hovers at this height on purpose. Anyway, the comments are all saying 'cameraman, give him a chicken leg' in every episode."

"Hmm, it feels pretty real."

"That sounds just like you've seen black stockings in real life, brother. Maybe I should cosplay one next time."

Although Chen Junqian's romantic comedy achievement system did indeed have a large number of stocking-related achievements that were still locked, compared to the girl in front of him who, even standing on tiptoe and with her arms crossed, seemed only capable of bullying Yukinoshita from the next film set, he would definitely be more hoping to unlock these achievements on the other two female protagonists with double D personality adaptability. So he just smiled at this.

"She said she was going to cosplay Kaori Miyazono, but she changed her mind so quickly."

"Because blonde hair is something I feel I can't pull off. It requires too much skin. I'm already doing well just trying to keep my face from getting pimples. Now that I'm on vacation, I don't dare to stay up late too much."

"I can only say that you should really learn from Xiaoxi in this respect; her daily routine is so regular."

"Heh, I feel like I was trained by you, brother. After all, I have to make sure I get up early every day to wake you up. If I were here, my schedule would definitely be more regular."

Mentioning her good friend, Gu Linguo asked another question out of curiosity:

"By the way, Xiaoxi shouldn't have to go to tutoring class today like me, right? Where is she?"

"Read books at home."

"Wow, you're still working this hard even on vacation? That's amazing."

"It's not really studying, it's reading Wen Yun's novel, the new book that was just released a couple of days ago. Has Lin Guo finished reading it?"

"Just a little bit. I'm not particularly interested in realistic youth literature, and I've been busy with video scripts lately. Okay, I've rested enough now. Let's continue, senior. It's time to watch the latest episode of 'The Holy Sword Master's Forbidden Incantation'."

"Okay, let's get back to work then."

If it were another three months, Hsu Yu-Wei would probably be lying in bed alone at home, listening to the two singles from Xue Zhiqian's new album "Gentleman" on repeat, silently reciting lyrics like "I should play along with your act, pretending not to see, don't force the person who loves you the most to improvise" or "The more you hide, the deeper it becomes, you say, I say, I heard, enduring the insincere parts, I've decided to be sad myself." But right now, she's just lying there alone, radiating a kind of softness and emptiness as if her spine has been removed.

However, compared to the outcome of the story, she is the only one who is sad now, so it should be an acceptable fact. Perhaps her future self will even thank her for making that choice a couple of days ago, thus preventing a more serious situation from developing in the future.

Although she kept comforting herself with these words, Xu Youwei was still aware that she was feeling terrible. Fortunately, it was winter break and she didn't have to go to school. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to go back to how she had promised Chen Junqian on the phone, let alone return to how she was before. She couldn't even go back to the quirky and clever person she was when they first met. After all, she could feel the gloomy atmosphere all over her body when she looked in the mirror.

Zhu Wenyun wrote in her book that "a hot bath can't cure all diseases, but it won't make much of a difference either." However, when Xu Youwei took a bath in the big bathtub in her new home with this idea in mind, she felt even more suffocated. After all, this place was originally prepared for the two of them.

Childhood sweethearts are often mistaken by those around them for being in a romantic relationship. This was something Xu Youwei herself had said to Lin Mu before. But now, what she had to do was go back to a relationship that couldn't be perceived as a romantic one by others. Otherwise, she would feel that they weren't even childhood sweethearts anymore, but just ordinary friends.

Moreover, she is currently in a wait with no end in sight. Perhaps Lin Mu will realize that he likes Qinqin tomorrow, or perhaps it will be a long, long time from now. And this is only the most ideal situation. Only Lin Mu can accept her. But what if another girl confesses to Chen Junqian before him?

For example, Zhu Wenyun, or Shen Nianqiu.

Just like Chen Junqian, who is visibly precocious both physically and mentally among his peers, these two girls are also more precocious than her and Lin Mu, so such a situation is entirely possible.

In other words, she even had to take the initiative to act as a wingman, acting as a go-between for her two best friends.

Just thinking about this made Xu Youwei feel a twisted and intense emotion churning in her stomach.

"As long as we can endure this period, as long as we wait for that ending..."

Just as the girl was immersed in that almost self-destructive and tragic emotion, she suddenly heard her doorbell ringing again. She subconsciously looked up, a feeling of anticipation or fear welling up inside her:

Did Qinqin or Mumu come to see me?

I walked over and opened the door, and a gust of cold wind swept in the chill from outside.

However, standing there was not the tall, gentle boy, nor the petite girl who was bundled up like a dumpling in this winter season, but a girl with a cold expression and sharp, piercing eyes:

Chen Xi.

Xu Youwei's heart sank. She subconsciously wanted to raise her eyebrows and revert to being the 'annoying childhood sweetheart' who was always at odds with him, with minor conflicts and mutual dislike. However, Chen Xi's gaze was like a precise bullet, immediately fixing on her face, as if he had caught something.

"Excuse me, may I come in and have a seat?"

"Ah, yes, come in."

While the other person was putting on slippers, Xu Youwei turned around and quickly composed herself, trying her best to show an aggressive attitude. But when she turned back, she saw that Chen Xi had already placed the book "Never Left, How Could There Be Absence" on the coffee table in the living room.

"Sister Youwei, you should have read this book by now, right?"

Xu Youwei's heart skipped a beat.

If it were before, she would probably have been happy about being called "Sister Youwei," since Chen Xi had always called them by their names directly. But now she felt like the other party was deliberately targeting her.

"Wen Yun's new book? I haven't finished reading it yet, what's wrong?"

"Haven't finished reading it yet? I don't believe it. You're always the first one to finish reading Yun's new book."

Chen Xi leaned forward, his eyes, which resembled Chen Junqian's but were even more piercing, fixed intently on Xu Youwei:

"Especially the character 'Lian Xinyu'. On the surface, she's gentle and harmless, and she's good friends with everyone, but in reality, she's more scheming than anyone else. Behind her best friend's back, she has a secret affair with the male lead, and she even calls it 'uncontrollable feelings.' So, when I was watching, I was thinking... how come this character's personality is so similar to yours?"

Xu Youwei's breath hitched, and her face paled instantly, but she still stubbornly insisted:

"A book is a book, and a person is a person. Xiaoxi, are you bored because you have too little homework and are starting to make wild connections?"

"Am I making wild assumptions?"

Chen Xi sneered, revealing a small tiger tooth, but in Xu Youwei's eyes, it was anything but cute.

“I’m different from Lin Mu. She might not be able to see it, but I am. The fact that Wen Yun was able to write this book means that she saw it too. Not to mention, last year on your birthday, my brother didn’t come home that night, and he didn’t even let me wake him up the next morning… We’ve been talking for so long.”

To be honest, Chen Xi's words lost their aggressive tone towards the end; instead, they became increasingly melancholic, as if she was recalling the day Chen Junqian came to her room just to tell her that she didn't need to be woken up tomorrow.

However, for Xu Youwei at the moment, these words were like tearing open a wound that hadn't even scabbed over yet.

In fact, if Chen Xi had asked yesterday, Xu Youwei might have panicked, felt guilty for having to hide it, or more likely would have retorted as confidently as before, saying, "Think what you want." But now, the situation has become incredibly distorted.

Because now she should be called the "ex-girlfriend".

This feeling of grievance and forbearance, mixed with the intense pain of heartbreak, made Xu Youwei take another deep breath. She suddenly felt that since she would have to pretend anyway, she might as well practice in front of Chen Xi first. After all, Chen Xi was different from Zhu Wenjun and Shen Nianqiu, and some things could be said more clearly.

"You're overthinking it. Qinqin and I are just good friends. He did sleep at my place last year, but it's the same as when we were kids. Nobody else would think that way except you. Besides, to be honest, didn't your brother sleep at Mumu's and Wenjun's houses a lot? It's all the same thing."

Seeing that Xu Youwei had dragged Lin Mu and Zhu Wenyun into the mess, Chen Xi shook his head.

"Since you're all good friends, Wenjun and Sister Linmu have both invited your brother out to play since the winter break started, so why are you the only one hiding at home and not coming out?"

The word "alone" in that sentence hit Xu Youwei's sore spot precisely, but she could only try to defend herself by looking away:

"Why not prepare for the high school entrance exam? Your grades on this final exam were just so-so. We've all agreed to go to Ningzhong High School together."

"Keep pretending, keep pretending."

Chen Xi rolled her eyes, took out her phone from her pocket, and waved it.