I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Of course! And it's just that the height is a bit similar. Do you think Sister Lin Mu will take a bamboo sword and fight another girl until her face is covered in blood? I can't even imagine that scene, and I'm not some fake delinquent with a fierce look that can scare people away, am I?"

As a seasoned anime fan who has watched countless anime, Gu Linguo was quite adept at discussing the cute attributes of characters. In fact, Chen Junqian felt that if this kid had met his embarrassing system back then, they might have had a much better conversation.

"Yes, the charm of tsundere is the moment when tsundere turns into tsundere, but Mu Mu has been tsundere from the beginning. From the time I met her until now, it's more accurate to say that the tsundere attribute doesn't exist in reality. You either like someone or you dislike them. To arbitrarily assume that someone is tsundere is no different from one of the three great illusions of life, 'She likes me.' Maybe she just really dislikes you."

"Yeah, and in reality, there's no such thing as those weird lines that only anime characters would say, like 'I-I didn't make this bento for you' or 'No, don't get me wrong, you idiot.'"

Watching Gu Lingguo effortlessly and effortlessly replicate and roast lines from anime, Chen Junqian suddenly had a new idea, and then tentatively asked:

"But wouldn't it be interesting to recreate these classic scenes in real life? For example, the kind of scene in romantic comedies where you bump into a mysterious transfer student with a piece of bread in her mouth on your way to school."

"It seems like my brother's otaku symptoms are even more severe than I thought. Or rather, it's almost to the point of delusion. There really are people like that in real life... wait, is my brother talking about me?"

Gu Linguo didn't understand Chen Junqian's meaning at first, but after realizing it, she subconsciously stopped there, reached out and cautiously pointed to herself, revealing a subtle expression that seemed to say, 'Should I go and kill Tang Sanzang and his disciples?'

"But there are many girls who are very close to your brother, right? For example, Sister Lin Mu, who goes back to after-school care with you every noon and travels with you during summer vacation; or Sister Xu Youwei, who walks home from school with you every evening; and Sister Zhu Wenyun, who chats with you at the stairwell every day, participated in the essay competition together, and even mentioned you in the award interview."

"...So how do you know so much about this?"

"Because this is also necessary investigation work. Actually, if it weren't for the sudden encounter during the move, I originally planned to observe my brother for another two years. Hasn't my brother heard the saying that being an extrovert once can lead to being an introvert for life? And even my brother himself, after being a homebody for so long, has never shared this with anyone around him."

"Okay, but what you said also answers your question about why I contacted you. After all, you can't talk about these things with people who don't understand, even if you're very close."

"So why would my brother do something like this?"

"Just consider it my personal preference? Just like those cosplaying characters and pilgrimage enthusiasts, it's just situational cosplay, yeah, that's it. And Lin Guo, if you've watched so many anime, there must be some parts that you remember particularly well, like the 'Toradora!' I just mentioned."

"Ah, my favorite parts are the confession and proposal scenes, the one where Taiga uses a curtain as a wedding dress and says to Ryuji, 'Look, a veil...' As for other parts, I'd like to hear similar confessions from Fullmetal Alchemist or Clannad, like 'Equivalent exchange, I'll give you half of my life, and you'll give me half of yours,' and 'If we woke up tomorrow and became a couple, would you find that interesting?' And also..."

As she spoke, you could even feel her pupils sparkling.

If Gu Lingguo has been officially registered and recognized by the system as a female lead with the suitability for romantic comedies, Chen Junqian could gain two or three achievements just from this short segment.

But just like the shameless system that's still pretending to be dead, even Gu Lingguo started to fall silent as she talked. The more she talked about these beautiful things that only existed in the virtual world, the more likely she was to suddenly wake up at some point and realize that this was just a story between other characters in another world who had nothing to do with her.

She is not the female protagonist in these stories.

But the boy in front of her was dazzling, like the leading man in her own life.

"But if we don't try, even the first step won't happen. After all, not being able to do it is one thing, and not doing it at all is another. And before I met you, I never dared to do it myself. Two people always have more courage than one person."

In the years since his rebirth, Chen Junqian had been using opportunistic methods to cheat the system's achievement review mechanism. However, after meeting Gu Lingguo, he genuinely wanted to replicate those achievements exactly, because in his opinion, the other party truly possessed excellent aptitude in this area and was the most suitable candidate.

Moreover, just like his attitude and thoughts towards Chen Xi, even setting aside the so-called system and achievements, Chen Junqian would be willing to build a relationship and interact with this girl. After all, as she said, there was no other student in the entire school who was like them.

"If we were to compare reality to a two-dimensional work, we're currently only in the childhood and growth stage of the characters. We're still a long way from the beginning of the story and the first episode that the audience will see. Even if Lin Guo doesn't believe in herself, at least she should believe in me and my judgment, okay?"

He is the male protagonist of the romantic comedy as designated by the system, so the girl he chooses must be the female lead of this romantic comedy.

Even in the real world, one must have this awareness.

Or rather, if we lose this awareness of 'making a story happen if there is no story, creating an event if there is no event,' then romantic comedies in reality would be impossible from the very beginning.

Of course, this was also because he was facing Gu Lingguo, so Chen Junqian used such a cringeworthy and childish argument. But as it turned out, it worked quite well because he could feel that the other party was persuaded by him.

"...So what should we do?"

"The first step, of course, is to be optimistic."

"optimism?"

"Yes, believe that romantic comedies will always end happily, and all the characters will find happiness at the end. All difficulties and setbacks will be overcome as tests. Believe in yourself, and believe in your friends and me."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Junqian asked Gu Linguo again:

"Has Lin Guo watched this season's Fate/Zero?"

"Yes, I'm watching."

“That makes things easier. Actually, I was planning to give you a ‘wish-granting’ coupon for your birthday today, but since you’ve already seen it, I’ll give you a Command Seal instead. However, since it’s also my birthday today, you have to give me a Command Seal as well.”

As he spoke, Chen Junqian reached out and traced the back of her hand with his fingertips, pretending to draw a Command Seal symbol from an anime that could command Heroic Spirits to do anything. Then he extended his own hand towards Gu Lingguo, gesturing for her to draw the same symbol on it as well.

"You can use it now, or you can keep it and use it whenever you want."

This is probably the most special gift Gu Lingguo has ever received since birth, so of course she doesn't plan to use it now, and her mind is already a mess.

Just as she subconsciously reached out her fingertips to touch it, Chen Junqian once again thought of the other person.

After returning home a few days ago, he finally recalled the source of his familiarity with the name of the neighborhood, 'Yunqi Jinyuan,' which he had never lived in, in his previous life.

That must have been during his high school years.

A girl a year below him committed suicide by jumping off a building there. Because Guoning is such a small county town, the news spread throughout the town by nightfall, and even Chen Junqian heard about it.

However, because the building was not tall, only three stories high, and because she did not land directly on the ground but first fell onto the roof of the electric vehicle shed below, she survived, but at the cost of paralysis of her lower body and permanent facial scars.

In the most widely circulated version, it was an ordinary evening after evening self-study, and before doing this, she politely said goodbye to her mother:

Goodbye, Mom.

----------------------------------

During the winter break of 2012, with Chen Jun's return from Tangshan after nearly a year, Chen Junqian's family began the final stages of their move.

Chen Junqian originally thought the move would end after the Lunar New Year, specifically after the tenth day of the first lunar month. However, he underestimated his parents' enthusiasm for finally owning their own new house after working hard for over a decade or two. As a result, the move was completed before the Lunar New Year.

Before officially leaving, the family turned back for one last look at the staff dormitory where they had lived for almost twenty years, a place that, though not theirs, felt no different from home.

Most of the furniture has been moved or recycled, leaving each small room empty. When you step out of the building and see the faded characters "Talented Scholar Building" still shining in the sunset on the facade, you can't help but feel a little sentimental.

"So what will happen to this house afterward?"

"They'll be taken back by the factory and then turned into dormitories for new employees. Maybe someone will be moving in tomorrow."

However, neither the father nor the son, who were chatting at that moment, expected that the residents of their old house would open the door a few hours later.

Lying on the bed in what used to be the other person's room, a bed now devoid of pillows, blankets, and everything else, just a cold, hard board, Xu Youwei pressed the button on the ultraviolet lamp in her hand.

The walls were covered with words and patterns, revealing their true form in the darkness. Even Xu Youwei herself suddenly realized at this moment that she had actually written so much, and in some places she had even forgotten that she had written them. The sentences and patterns were densely overlapping, like the scribbles and scribbles of a child.

She lay on the bed where Chen Junqian had slept for more than ten years, examining it bit by bit, trying to identify the words and patterns that were either blurred or still clear, like a great detective carefully investigating the truth.

But to be honest, I might be more like the kind of murderer in a detective story who has to go back to the crime scene afterward.

After all, the entire room was filled with her handwriting.

No one will be staying here anymore; she has already told her father.

After establishing a secret base for two, Hsu Yu-Wei once again had her own genuine secret base for one person.

But I felt completely unsettled.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that the impulse deep in my chest never disappeared after a certain period of time.

Whether sleeping or eating, this feeling is always present and gets stronger every day, to the point that it makes one wonder if they are sick.

However, Xu Youwei still didn't know the name of that impulse.

A powerful, nameless force, like a magnet, drew all her thoughts and actions in the same direction.

For the first time, Xu Youwei even had the thought that it would be great if Chen Junqian could just lie quietly in her arms like the teddy bear she hugged every night, and never leave.

Chapter 47: People Will Always Save Themselves Once Before the End of the World (Part 2)

The Spring Festival in 2012 was on January 23rd, and it was a leap year. However, Chen Junqian did not have any friends or classmates who were born on February 29th, a birthday that only comes once every four years. So the extra day in February had nothing to do with him.

In the early days of winter break, besides moving, Chen Junqian had three other things on his mind.

First, let's talk about Zhu Wenyun's novels.

Fireworks is published in January in two separate issues, A and B, with different styles. Zhu Wenyun's work was published in issue A, which was issued in the first half of the month.

Although Zhu Wenyun herself said there was no need for her to spend money, as she had a sample copy sent by the editorial department, Chen Junqian still went to the newsstand to buy a copy himself out of sentiment and support.

At this time, the print media industry was still in its last peak period, and newsstands had not completely died out. In Chen Junqian's memory, after Guoning began to apply for the title of National Civilized City, the first thing it faced was the standardization and rectification of the style of newsstands and breakfast stalls. As a result, the former became fewer and fewer as the changes were made, and eventually almost disappeared completely, leaving only a few.

To be honest, even though Chen Junqian had heard about the magazine "Fireworks" from Shen Nianqiu a long time ago, this was the first time he had spent money to buy and read it. Then he saw the promotional slogans on the cover, such as "No.1 Brand of Youth Literature" and "Designated Reading Publication of Hundreds of Key Middle School Literary Societies".

Compared to the former, Chen Junqian actually noticed the slogan "Literary Societies of 100 Key Middle Schools" immediately.

In fact, the Guoning Middle School he will be attending this year, as well as the senior high school section of Guoning Middle School, are both provincial key middle schools. The latter's undergraduate admission rate is almost 98% or 99%, and its first-tier university admission rate has been maintained at over 60% for many years. It can indeed be considered the second most impressive achievement of a small county like Guoning, besides walnuts.

Even so, Chen Junqian had never heard of any literary club in his junior high or high school in his previous life, so he had no thoughts or feelings about the system's words 'club activities' and 'ghost members' at first.

Besides these two promotional slogans, there's a whole bunch of long titles. In an era when Japanese light novels hadn't yet seen such a dramatic increase in title length, domestic youth magazines had already achieved this.

Chen Junqian glanced over and saw long titles like "What if we were still together now?" and "Those years of youth and us later." It took him a while to finally see the one signed "Wen Yun".

Likely a revision suggested by the editor, Zhu Wenyun once again chose a long title that perfectly matches the style of the magazine "Fireworks":

Overripe plums become bitter, and unrequited love for too long turns sour.

However, just as if he had anticipated that Chen Junqian would buy a magazine, Zhu Wenyun called him after he had only hastily flipped through the long serialized work twice, inviting him to her home.

"So you've already seen it, haven't you..."

The moment Zhu Wenyun saw the fireworks magazine in Chen Junqian's hand, she slumped weakly onto the table and muttered something under her breath. Then, she immediately sat up straight and confidently raised her chin at him.

"how do you feel?"

"At least the first chapter is fine. It happens to be about things from elementary school, which feels right in Wen Yun's comfort zone. If you just slightly modified the writing style of your previous book, it would be very relatable to readers. I also really like the narrative method. The switching between several perspectives is also very interesting. It's a good work that children of this age can empathize with, and older readers can also appreciate the emotions in it."

He looked at it carefully twice more on the way. Chen Junqian was quite satisfied with his magazine debut, which was only thirteen years old this year.

"So, have you figured out the outline and ending?"

As a writer himself, Chen Junqian knew very well that most authors in the world had very attractive initial ideas and concepts, but once the story went on for a while, they would start to fumble and add unnecessary details. So after praising her for a long time, he sat down directly opposite Zhu Wenyun and asked her this question.

"Yes, it's planned to be serialized in ten installments, with each installment around five to six thousand words. The outline and ending have already been written, but I can't show them to you yet."

"As long as Wenjun knows what she's doing, that's fine. But judging from the style of your first chapter, it seems to have a sweet tone?"

Faced with Chen Junqian's guess, Zhu Wenyun simply smiled and shook her head:

"It's clear that Junqian hasn't read much of the A-magazine of 'Fireworks' before. Each column here has a corresponding style. For example, even though they are all youth campus romance stories, they are divided into three. The kind of pure and warm sweet stories you mentioned would probably be in the column 'Peach Box,' while sad and painful youth stories would be submitted to the column 'These Young Men.' However, I submitted to 'Wings Against the Wind.' This column actually focuses more on growth and is not specifically about love. After all, I myself still don't understand what love is."

"What about the royalties?"

"The payment will be sent a month after publication. I currently receive 120 yuan per thousand words, which is about 600 to 700 yuan a month. If I can rank in the top three in the readers' vote each issue, I will receive an extra bonus. If I continue to do well, I will have the opportunity to publish a physical book."

"Wow, that's impressive. What do you plan to do with this money?"

Although an income of six or seven hundred yuan a month may not seem like a lot at first glance, considering that Zhu Wenyun is only a junior high school student, this royalties are particularly valuable. Putting aside the purchasing power of six or seven hundred yuan for a junior high school student, the fact that she can achieve a stable income every month is absolutely unique among her peers.

However, Chen Junqian himself is now a pioneer in entrepreneurship.

"Buy some furniture and home appliances for the house, and save the rest for when we need to get materials later."