I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Okay, you wait."

Chen Junqian called his younger sister, who was munching on some snacks to pass the time, over and took a picture of him. He then sent the photo to her as a text message attachment.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Guoning, in the bustling lobby, Lin Mu proudly showed his grandparents and other relatives a photo of his best friend.

"This young boss has a very upright appearance."

"He looks spirited and has a lot of energy."

"He's so handsome, and his voice is so nice too. No wonder he's got my Mumu completely smitten."

"Remember to bring it over next year during Chinese New Year so we can see it in person."

After unlocking the system's second milestone reward for a significant improvement in physical appearance and personal charm, Chen Junqian's appearance and temperament have indeed improved considerably compared to before, as his facial features and figure have gradually matured. Even Chen Jun sometimes boasts that this is because he inherited his excellent genes and will definitely be able to marry a wife as good as him in the future, while also praising his own wife.

Lin Mu's relatives were initially just being polite and exchanging pleasantries, but after seeing the photos and hearing about his story, they couldn't help but feel a bit more genuine. After all, the boy was truly flawless.

Amidst the praise of his relatives, Lin Mu proudly raised his chin, declaring a well-deserved victory:

"Hmph, I'll definitely bring it next time so you can see it for yourselves."

Chapter Seven: Is this a shelter or a basement? (Combined Chapter)

After spending an afternoon helping his younger sister build a large snowman in the yard, which would eventually turn into a snow child, Chen Junqian, after saying a few words to his family on the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, rode his family's familiar tricycle, wearing the headlamp that his grandfather had given him, which they usually used to tie on their heads while working in the fields, and embarked on a journey to the neighboring village to visit Xu Youwei's maternal grandmother.

Actually, thanks to the streetlights that were quite common along the way, and the various fireworks that would rise into the night sky and explode every now and then, this road, which wasn't very long to begin with, didn't feel particularly difficult or scary.

However, when passing through a rather eerie culvert, Chen Junqian still turned on his headlamp as a precaution. After successfully passing through and descending the classic steep slope, Xu Youwei's maternal grandmother's house was already in sight.

"Qinqin's look is hilarious."

Xu Youwei, who was waiting for him at the gate of the courtyard, couldn't help but laugh when she saw his appearance. She ran to his side and reached out to touch the headlamp on his head.

"It's a bit like a hybrid of the Miner Zombie from Plants vs. Zombies that digs up the back and starts eating the plants, and the Basketball Zombie, except there's no basketball in the tricycle at the back."

"If I had a basketball, I'd throw it at your head first."

After parking the tricycle in the yard, Chen Junqian exchanged a few words with Xu Youwei. Taking advantage of her turning around, he reached out and gently grabbed her hair, then casually draped it over her shoulder.

"Now I'm going to start gnawing on your brain."

"Let's eat, I just took a bath at the public bathhouse today."

"Never mind then, what brings you to the public bathhouse?"

"I went with my grandma. Actually, it's quite comfortable to take a bath in the village bathhouse in winter. After the bath, you can lie there, eat some melon seeds, drink some tea, and chat for a while. Ah... I feel so refreshed."

As she spoke, Xu Youwei led Chen Junqian into his grandmother's house. His grandmother was watching TV in her room. When she saw him coming to play, she was about to get up to pour tea and bring over a tray of melon seeds, peanuts and other snacks. Chen Junqian waved his hands and refused, saying that he had just come to play with Xu Youwei. Then he put a box of Brain Gold that he had brought next to him.

"Grandma, you can just sit there and continue watching TV. Don't worry about us. Just pretend I wasn't here."

"Hey, if you hadn't come, would Yoyo have wanted to stay here with this old woman? Alright, alright, you two go play in the yard outside, it's the brightest there, I won't bother you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xu Youwei chuckled, straightened the old clothes covering her knees and thighs, and turned her attention back to the television program.

After greeting Xu Youwei's grandmother and confirming that he wouldn't disturb the elderly woman's rest, Chen Junqian prepared to go to the yard as she suggested. However, Xu Youwei pulled him back, and when he turned around, he saw her slightly sly smile:

"Let's go to my room first; this is my room."

"Oh, I remember now, isn't this the throne we made back then?"

"Yes."

They went into another room together. Unlike the view they had seen in the detached villa that morning, this room was undoubtedly much cramped and small. However, all sorts of decorations and objects were full of Xu Youwei's style, including the throne they made the earliest. Almost all the things they had made, whether successful or unsuccessful, in the past two years, along with the "Artistic Creativity" program, were placed in this room.

"Come, Qinqin, please sit on our shared throne."

Although almost two years have passed, the throne is no longer as exquisite and dazzling as it was when it was first made, but it still has a certain chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) flavor that makes children's hearts flutter. Facing Xu Youwei, who took the initiative to give up her throne, Chen Junqian did not stand on ceremony and sat down directly. Then he subconsciously glanced at the place where he had left his mark back then.

After noticing Chen Junqian's unconscious little action, Xu Youwei also had mixed feelings. After all, she noticed his message as soon as she got back, but when would he see what she wrote in his room?

But more accurately, when will she be able to openly and honestly tell the boy in front of her about this?

"All the magazines you bought are piled up here too."

Sitting on the throne, Chen Junqian turned his gaze to the bookshelf in front of him. Unlike the standard bookshelf he had seen during the day, which was filled with extracurricular books that were required reading for primary and secondary school students, this bookshelf contained, apart from every issue of "Happy Detective" starting from October 2009, all kinds of suspenseful reasoning and even detective and exotic novels and magazines. Among them was the first book of the Charlie IX single volume, "The Ghost of Black Bay Street," which had just been published in January of this year.

To be honest, for a long time when he was a child, Chen Junqian often confused the title of this single volume with the sixth theatrical film of "Detective Conan", "The Phantom of Baker Street".

"This one is quite good. It's a bit like 'Adventure Tigers,' and it also has puzzle cards. It feels like a long series, just like 'Adventure Tigers.' The next one is said to be released this April."

Seeing Chen Junqian turn his gaze to the book "Charlie IX," Xu Youwei also took it down from the bookshelf and showed it to him:

"Qinqin, have you seen this? Do you want me to lend it to you?"

"No need, I've already seen it."

Moreover, he had read it more than once, and especially after growing up, he studied it again and again because of work-related reasons, so Chen Junqian politely declined.

"I see. But Mu Mu probably hasn't seen it before. This set might not be suitable for her, since it has a little bit of horror and suspense. But it's no big deal for me."

I have a feeling that Xu Youwei was a little guilty after what happened this morning. Now, she has to mention Lin Mu in a way that makes me look guilty.

"Indeed, I feel like you should be able to read those serious ghost stories without being scared."

He then found several more 'Goosebumps' series magazines on the bookshelf, and Chen Junqian nodded in agreement.

"How did Qinqin know I really have ghost stories here?"

Xu Youwei's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she pulled out two copies of "The Horror" from her desk drawer. This thing was about the size of a story magazine, and it was full of all kinds of horror stories. The price of six yuan for two copies was also quite affordable. Chen Junqian remembered that it was indeed popular in their primary and junior high schools for a while, to the point that the teachers had to confiscate it. However, it seemed to have disappeared along with the decline of print publications.

"You actually bought one of these?"

Seeing Chen Junqian frown slightly, Xu Youwei assumed he was a little afraid of ghost stories, so she leaned closer to test him:

"It looks quite exciting to pass the time. Is Qinqin also afraid to read ghost stories with supernatural phenomena? If I tell you a couple more, will you be too scared to go home? After all, there are plenty of ghost stories and legends in the countryside. But it's okay, I have a bed here too."

Seeing Xu Youwei's seemingly inescapable thought process—that seeing a white arm immediately conjures up images of xxx—Chen Junqian reached out and gave her a light tap on the forehead.

"What are you thinking? Just look at these things and don't take them seriously, and don't try to do any of those weird rituals or anything like that."

"Tch, I certainly don't believe it either. There are no ghosts in this world. Forget it, let's go play in the yard instead."

Xu Youwei pouted in disappointment at Chen Junqian's performance, thinking she had finally found his weakness or vulnerability.

The two of them left the room and walked into the yard. Unlike last year when Xu Youwei had to carry them to Chen Junqian's place herself, there was only one slight difference. Perhaps it was because her father had told her about it. The small house next to the yard was filled with all kinds of fireworks and firecrackers.

In fact, there are quite a few achievements in the achievement list that are related to fireworks or fireworks displays, but they are basically all closely related to the "Fireworks Festival". However, whether it was last year or this year, even though there were fireworks everywhere outside, the system did not seem to directly identify it as a fireworks festival.

Thinking about the upcoming ban on fireworks and firecrackers in the next few years, Chen Junqian felt a little melancholy. After browsing through the list again, he suddenly realized that if he couldn't find a way to get those achievements, such as "Fireworks Festival with No Sound", "Fireworks Festival Must Be Done in Yukata", and "You Can Watch Fireworks from Anywhere", through the system's evaluation in the next few years, he would probably have to go to Japan to experience them in person when he became an adult.

Among the many entries strongly related to "fireworks festival," judging solely from the description, "fireworks festival where the sound disappeared" seems to be judged more leniently:

If confessions could be easily conveyed, the suspense and tension in romantic comedies would undoubtedly be reduced. Therefore, the various unexpected events that occur when deciding to confess are an essential element to appreciate in romantic comedies.

Condition for completion: You are confessed to by the female lead, who is suited for romantic comedies, while fireworks are being set off, but her voice is drowned out by the explosion.

It only mentions that the fireworks and firecrackers are being set off, without specifying a fireworks festival scenario. However, it also stipulates that the female lead must take the initiative to confess. Otherwise, Chen Junqian would have already found a time on New Year's Eve when the fireworks and firecrackers were so loud that people were about to go deaf, and deliberately whispered something ambiguous, such as "We should watch fireworks together in the future." Even if someone heard it, it would be easier to explain.

As he watched another rocket shoot straight into the sky and then burst into flames in the night sky, Chen Junqian suddenly felt a weight on his back. It turned out that Xu Youwei had suddenly leaned over there and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm... I just suddenly remembered when I was very young, every year on the Lantern Festival, my parents and I would go to the city square to watch the fireworks. Back then, my dad would carry me on his back like this, but I could also sit on his shoulders."

Upon hearing the other person mention the fireworks display at the municipal government square on the Lantern Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar), Chen Junqian had a vague recollection of it. He remembered that there was indeed such an event, but since he hadn't been to many places as a child, he asked another question:

Are they still available?

"I'm not too sure either, since I haven't been there for two years."

As she spoke, Xu Youwei brought her mouth close to Chen Junqian's ear and whispered:

"Qinqin, are you going to take me to see it again? Then you'd better grow a little taller, so it'll be easier for you to carry me then."

"So I had to carry it back then too?"

"It's because you carried me on your back last year. I didn't even realize it at the time, and I was even showing off by saying something like 'Don't move around so you can save me some energy,' although I admit I did look pretty cool."

Just like when she was a child, Xu Youwei put all her weight on another person. For a moment, she even felt as if she had returned to the time when her family had not changed before. As a result, she unconsciously wrapped her arms around Chen Junqian's neck and tightened them. It was a bit like the kind of supernatural curse that would haunt you for life if you were just slightly involved in the ghost stories she had read.

"It's too tight."

Chen Junqian almost blurted out, "I can't breathe," but he only managed to move two steps with the koala on his back before pretending to be exhausted and sitting down, putting Xu Youwei down as well.

"Sorry, would you like me to blow on it and rub it for you?"

"That's not an exaggeration."

Chen Junqian stretched his neck a little while sitting there, and looked up at the girl standing behind him who was also looking down at him, as well as the entire night sky next to her. Suddenly, he inexplicably thought of the couple nicknames that Zhong Yu and his girlfriend had just seen earlier today, and what she had said after brushing her teeth that morning: "Even my saliva tastes a little sweet like oranges."

"Speaking of which, your dad secretly slipped me a red envelope before he left today. I opened it this afternoon and saw that it contained exactly two thousand yuan. You should return it to him for me."

Perhaps simply to distract himself, or perhaps because he felt the atmosphere was somewhat subtly romantic, Chen Junqian suddenly remembered this matter and took out the red envelope he had received from Xu Zhiling that morning from his pocket, intending to hand it to Xu Youwei.

“This was specially given to you by my father. He definitely won’t accept it if you return it. If Qinqin doesn’t want it, how about I help you think of a way?”

"any solution?"

"Just spend the money on me."

Xu Youwei reached out and affectionately ruffled Chen Junqian's hair, then spoke with great enthusiasm about the idea she had been thinking about all day:

"In preparation for the impending 2012 doomsday, we should start making the necessary preparations now. This is our Noah's Ark plan for the two of us. How does that sound?"

"...So you're still thinking about this, huh?"

"Otherwise, besides, I always felt that the name Noah's Ark was not quite appropriate."

Hsu Yu-Wei seems to be seriously considering this matter.

"What we have should be called a shelter, a home for the two of us after the end of the world actually happens."

"It should be well-hidden so that it won't be easily discovered, and sturdy enough so that it won't be easily destroyed even if it is discovered. It should also have our favorite food, drinks, toys, and books so that the two of us can stay inside for a long time without any problem. Doesn't that sound great?"

"Um, probably."

Rather, Chen Junqian only felt that things were getting worse.

At least for this type of romantic achievement, he doesn't want to unlock any of them.