I turned reality into a romantic comedy

"But someone also said that if I need anything, I can come to him anytime, anywhere, right?"

Glancing at him with her bright, clear eyes, Chen Junqian could no longer stare at the Calabash Brothers on the gourd bottle, hoping they would grant him some corresponding superpowers. He could only nod and admit it:

"Indeed, if the end of the world really comes, I would definitely welcome my sister to come and take refuge with me."

After all, the end of the world won't really come.

"Yeah, that'll be troublesome then."

Letting Chen Junqian's sophistry go, Shen Nianqiu simply rested her chin on her hand and looked at Xu Youwei again, half-feigning and half-genuinely expressing her feelings:

"It's a pity you're not from Lin'an, brother. Otherwise, I'd be quite free over there, and we could build another doomsday shelter together."

The geographical distance was indeed the biggest obstacle to the development of their relationship. Xu Youwei, who also realized this, regained her confidence. After all, she had always been with Chen Junqian. Not only did they play together after school and on weekends, as he had just said, but they were also deskmates at school.

"But Qinqin is a native of Guoning, and he will be attending junior high and high school here in the future. I will go with him."

"What about college?"

Shen Nianqiu just smiled at this, then reached out and poked Chen Junqian:

"If I say now that I want to go to the same university as my younger brother, will he agree?"

"Qinqin's academic performance is excellent!"

"Yes, I know. I'm a good student myself. I ranked third in my class and fifteenth in the whole school in the last final exam. If I ranked like that in the high school entrance exam, I'd definitely get into the special admission class of the best high school in our area. The rate of students admitted to top universities is 98%, and every year they produce students who get into Tsinghua and Peking Universities. So even if my younger brother wants to get into Tsinghua or Peking Universities, I'll try my best to go there first and wait for him."

Faced with Shen Nianqiu, a true all-rounder with expertise in academics, sports, art, and many other areas, Xu Youwei felt the intensity of numbers for the first time. It seemed that if things continued to develop in this way, it would be her who couldn't keep up with Chen Junqian.

It can only be said that the result of playing with Mu Mu is that she unconsciously compares her grades with Mu Mu's, and then falls into the habitual thinking of "what, didn't I do pretty well on the test?" Now, facing a real academic genius, Xu Youwei is a little stuck.

"...It's too early to talk about university now. Who knows what might happen later? I will study hard."

After a long while, Xu Youwei finally managed to utter this sentence, but her words had a familiar, self-comforting quality that Mu Mu often found in her, like "maybe I can grow taller in the future."

"For me, there are only four years left. For you, it's just another elementary school year, plus middle school and high school. Time flies by. My younger brother has always told me that Weiwei is different from other kids. She's a very precocious girl, which is why I'm saying all this."

"Actually, I can understand it quite well, because my family situation was also a bit unpleasant. Growing up in this kind of environment will definitely make you unconsciously think about a lot of things."

At this point in the conversation, Xu Youwei had visibly lost control of the rhythm of the conversation to Shen Nianqiu, and had long since relinquished the initiative. However, she still stubbornly tried to steer the conversation in a different direction:

"Sister Shen will be leaving Guoning to return to Lin'an in a couple of days, right?"

"Stay for a week."

As if in response to Shen Nianqiu's earlier words, Xu Youwei quickly retaliated in kind:

"A week goes by quickly, even six years goes by quickly."

Then, she looked into the other person's eyes again and said:

“There are quite a few fun places around Guoning. Qinqin and I have explored the entire city countless times in the past two years. Let’s go out and have some fun in a bit. It’s not interesting to just stay here and chat all the time.”

"Okay, where does Weiwei want to go? I'd really like to see the experimental primary school you two attend."

"Of course, there are several alleys nearby that you can take a shortcut through. Qinqin and I don't know where it is after school..."

Before Xu Youwei could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Shen Nianqiu, who had successfully fished her out. The mischievous older sister simply pointed to her lips with a puzzled expression, feigning confusion.

“But when my brother and I came here just now, we saw that they were setting up construction barriers over there.”

"……Eh?"

He subconsciously looked at Chen Junqian, who nodded somewhat helplessly.

It is now July 2012.

The campaign to create a civilized city has been launched in full swing, and a special working group has been set up to crack down on problems related to the city's appearance.

During the summer vacation when students are on break, the first places to be rectified are the messy and difficult-to-manage alleys around the school.

In Chen Junqian's memory.

Then there were the huge industrial chimneys belonging to the wear-resistant factory that he often saw in his childhood.

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

PS2: Okay, at the end of this second volume, the apocalypse in the volume title truly unfolds before Youyou's eyes. This is also why the previous chapter used "killing that Shijiazhuang man" as a metaphor for the title.

PS3: I recommend another original Japanese novel on the same site, by a veteran author of Shuke's work. The plot and writing are guaranteed to be good. If you're interested, you can check it out: "A World Where Love Comes First? It's Really a Mess!"

Chapter 79: Wenyun Through Her Sister's Eyes (Part 2)

"So, this is how we ended up coming out?"

"Yeah, Yoyo said she wanted to be alone for a while."

Standing on a country road, Shen Nianqiu used a bamboo skewer to poke a piece of savory pancake and put it in her mouth. It was still a little warm. If this were the world of a novel with chapters and epigraphs, this chapter could probably be titled "Warm Savory Pancake Slays Xu Youwei".

"Yoyo? Is that her nickname? The same one she calls you Qinqin?"

After asking that question out of curiosity, Shen Nianqiu chewed on the biscuit in her mouth and then dismissed her own doubts.

"That's not right, I've never heard of you having such a nickname, little brother."

"Why didn't you ask yourself when you were inside?"

"Of course, it's because I know my younger brother doesn't have this nickname that I can be sure this is bait they've thrown at me. I'll only take the bait if I actually ask them."

"Hmm... I don't understand, but how should I put it, this name should be considered a nickname or pet name that Youyou gave me. It's something that we only use when it's just the two of us."

"You see, that's why I didn't ask earlier. She was just waiting to tell me all this, like she deliberately chose this meeting place. The girls around my brother are very hostile towards me, his suddenly appearing older sister."

Although he said that, judging from his facial expression and tone, Shen Nianqiu looked eager to try, as if he really regarded each of the girls as some kind of boss guarding the gate, and couldn't wait to challenge the next one.

"She just said she wanted to be alone, so shall we go see the others? Zhu Wenyun, and that girl named Gu Lingguo."

"Lin Guo should be in tutoring class today. If you want to ask Jun, I'll ask her."

He took out the phone that Zhu Wenyun had given him, which he had been using for two years. Although his contact list had expanded considerably since it started with only one person, and he could now scroll through a couple of pages, just like Shen Nianqiu's QQ number was always in a separate column at the top of Chen Junqian's contacts, Zhu Wenyun still enjoyed the same treatment. In fact, the other person was still the emergency contact on this phone.

Among the girls Chen Junqian knew, Zhu Wenyun was the only one who didn't have to attend tutoring classes on holidays. Xu Youwei even had to take painting classes. So when Chen Junqian called, she said it was fine and that the two of them could just come over.

And so, following Xu Youwei, Chen Junqian and Shen Nianqiu rushed to Zhu Wenyun's home without stopping.

At the same time, Zhu Wenyun, who had just hung up the phone, put down her pen and started flexing her wrists. Then, she belatedly remembered that Chen Junqian had mentioned on the phone that he was going to bring another girl over.

"Netizens, sister..."

Unlike Xu Youwei, who could get relevant information from Mu Mu in advance, Zhu Wenyun, who knew nothing about Shen Nianqiu, a girl who appeared out of nowhere, quickly gave up thinking. Looking at the manuscript she was writing in front of her, she suddenly began to think about whether to add such an online interaction to the later plot.

As a staunch advocate of the writing philosophy of "only writing stories within the scope of my own knowledge and understanding," Zhu Wenyun indeed only writes about the male and female protagonists making phone calls late at night rather than chatting on QQ. After all, she herself has never chatted on QQ with Chen Junqian; she always makes a phone call, whether there's something to discuss or not.

As she pondered this, Zhu Wenyun fell into deep thought about the plot again. When she came back to her senses, Chen Junqian was already knocking on her door with Shen Nianqiu.

Unlike Xu Youwei and Lin Mu, whom she had met in the past two days, Shen Nianqiu immediately sensed Zhu Wenyun's immense potential, or rather, that it had already been partially realized, upon seeing her. She could hardly perceive the two-year age difference between them; in terms of height alone, they were almost at the same level. This made Chen Junqian, who was currently slightly shorter than both of them, feel somewhat awkward in the middle.

"Excuse me, I was writing something just now. I'll go tidy up the table."

Unlike Xu Youwei's barbed and aggressive demeanor when they first met, Xu Youwei seemed to have no real sense of his presence and was engrossed in his own world.

"Yes, it's alright. After all, we were the ones who were disturbed unexpectedly. I'm Shen Nianqiu."

After giving a friendly greeting and introducing herself, Shen Nianqiu subtly surveyed Zhu Wenyun's home, getting a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Hello, I am Zhu Wenyun, the same 'Yun' as in Wen Tingyun."

It was clearly Mu Mu who first used this phrase when introducing Zhu Wenyun, but probably because she found it really useful and convenient, Zhu Wenyun has now started using it to introduce herself as well. After simply nodding to Shen Nianqiu, she turned around and tidied up her desk, then took a cup from the kitchen cabinet.

It seemed she initially intended to pour out cooled boiled water, but as she passed the refrigerator, she remembered there was still chilled plum juice at home. So Zhu Wenyun paused slightly before taking it out of the refrigerator, filling all three cups, and bringing it over, seamlessly saying to Chen Junqian:

"I made this myself, as I mentioned last year."

"Yes, thank you, it's pretty good."

Watching her younger brother interact naturally with Zhu Wenyun, Shen Nianqiu felt that the other's mentality and way of getting along was even more difficult than Xu Youwei's earlier. After taking a sip from her cold glass and offering a compliment, her gaze swept over Zhu Wenyun's study and found some magazines that she knew all too well.

"Does Wenyun also like watching 'Fireworks'?"

"I've been contributing articles to them recently."

After receiving this calm reply, Shen Nianqiu suddenly remembered a time when Chen Junqian asked her if she was still watching "Fireworks." Smiling, she twirled the cup in her hand to her lips and asked again:

"Can I see it?"

"Of course, I'll go get it for you."

Zhu Wenyun naturally had no shame about not wanting others to see her published works, since she didn't try to hide her pen name at all and simply used the last two characters of her real name.

After bringing over all the previous issues of "Fireworks" published this year, Zhu Wenyun took advantage of the moment when Shen Nianqiu was looking through his own work to pull Chen Junqian into the study and begin to discuss with him, as if no one else was around, the problems they had recently encountered in their writing.

"Do you want to write a storyline where the male and female leads have to be separated for a period of time due to special circumstances and can only chat on QQ?"

Chen Junqian was completely used to the various sudden ideas that would pop into Zhu Wenyun's mind from time to time, and without much thought, he followed the other's train of thought and offered his own thoughts and insights:

"Actually, online connections and bonds will eventually have to be transferred to offline. If I were to design it myself, I might have the female lead make a mini notebook after they meet again. It would be the kind where she prints out screenshots of important chat logs between the two of them and makes them into inner pages, and then writes down her feelings and mood at the time, or reviews after the chat ends."

"good idea."

"good idea."

As soon as Chen Junqian uttered his suggestion, the two girls inside and outside the room unanimously agreed. Shen Nianqiu, in particular, who was outside reading Zhu Wenyun's novel while eavesdropping on the conversation between the two inside, felt that if she had thought of this before coming, their mutual affection last night would have increased even more.

But if you remember this now, it's good to try it again later.

However, Shen Nianqiu soon noticed a change in the situation: Zhu Wenyun, who had remained quite indifferent and even apathetic since she entered the room, showed some unease and disgust for the first time, and her gaze towards her carried a hint of warning.

"Ahem, excuse me, please continue."

After apologizing, Shen Nianqiu shifted half of her attention back to the magazine in her hands, continuing to read the article in front of her and keep an eye on the two people in the room at the same time.

As a long-time reader who had read "Fireworks" for several years during elementary school and would occasionally buy a couple of issues after junior high, Shen Nianqiu noticed Zhu Wenyun's special qualities after just a few glances. Judging from the writing skills and plot design, she really couldn't imagine that the author was a girl who was only in junior high this year.

Shen Nianqiu herself is also a top student, with no problem in Chinese and composition. However, she still couldn't write a novel full of inspiration. She glanced at the certificate for winning the first prize in the provincial composition competition on the wall and secretly clicked her tongue, appreciating the excellence of this girl named Zhu Wenyun.

After browsing through all the contents of the first seven issues of the magazine published this year, Shen Nianqiu did not directly ask any questions or express her thoughts on the reading. Instead, she turned her head and read the sentences that she was concerned about twice more. Her fingertips brushed over the "sour plum soup" in the paragraph, and she picked up a cup and took a sip of the chilled sour plum soup. Thinking about what the other person had just said, she finally grasped the creative idea behind the novel.

Well, she was still quite curious about what Chen Junqian thought when he read the novel himself. It was just that the current plot didn't actually depict that kind of part, otherwise just thinking about it would make her feel uneasy.

However, thinking about it from another perspective, it might also be because the author himself lacked the relevant experience and knowledge. Just like children of this age who have strange dreams, they only get stuck at the last vague step, because their brain's database does not support reading any further.

Zhu Wenyun was unaware that Shen Nianqiu had already spread her thoughts to this extent. She was still immersed in her conversation with Chen Junqian as always. This was probably her favorite part of summer vacation. She was free from the twenty-minute time limit she had at school each day and could fully enjoy the time she spent with him.

If reading is like conversing with great writers from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, on a spiritual level, then her relationship with Chen Junqian is also a spiritual communication and fusion. This wonderful feeling, which cannot be described in words, can never truly satisfy Zhu Wenyun no matter how many times she experiences it; it only makes her look forward to the next time more and more.

"Um, I've finished reading it."

Shen Nianqiu's words pulled Zhu Wenyun's thoughts back to reality. When she saw Chen Junqian shift his gaze from her to the door following the sound, the girl sitting at the desk twirled the pen in her hand with a hint of irritation for the first time.

She was certainly not a pen-spinning expert like Xu Youwei, so the pen in her hand naturally fell to the ground. Fortunately, she wasn't using the diamond pen that Zhu Wenyun had always regarded as a gift, otherwise she would have been heartbroken for a while.

"How does it feel? Wenyun is really amazing, isn't she?"

However, after hearing Chen Junqian's speech, which was full of pride and self-satisfaction, Zhu Wenyun took the opportunity to bend down and pick up her pen to readjust her mindset and expression.

Indeed, as long as her unique position in the other person's heart remains unchanged, it doesn't matter to her whether it's Shen Nianqiu or someone else like Chunxiadong.

"Yeah, it's really amazing. I remember now, someone in my dorm likes reading this. If she knew I was right next to the author, she'd be so envious."

Shen Nianqiu also gave a very polite compliment, then waved the magazine in her hand at Zhu Wenyun:

"The writing is vivid and the emotions are delicate. The plot and story design also show a variety of clever little touches. If I really had to nitpick and find a flaw, it would probably be that in many places, it pursues literary expression too much and is not direct enough. It is all about hinting and allusions."

Seeing that Zhu Wenyun's attention had been successfully drawn to her speech, Shen Nianqiu smiled and then spoke her thoughts:

"I admit that the soulmate relationship between the male and female protagonists that Wen Yun constructed in this novel is very attractive, but this kind of setting will become an obstacle as the story progresses. To put it bluntly, if you don't even feel any desire for the person you like or don't want to describe it, then readers will only find it boring and uninteresting after reading for a long time."

"Of course, all of the above are my personal opinions. If this is the kind of story you want to write, then please just ignore what I have to say."

At this point, Shen Nianqiu curled the corners of her lips at her again, and the smile that appeared to Zhu Wenyun for a moment seemed to reveal a kind of mockery.

"After all, in Wen Yun's story, the male protagonist's social network is so narrow that he only knows the female protagonist, a woman of the same age."

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

Chapter 80: As everyone knows, the boss is always at the end of the level (Part 2)

"...So are we having some kind of speedrunning challenge?"

Standing on the road in Guoning once again, Chen Junqian began to wonder if his sister also had a mysterious system in her mind giving her some kind of mission. In just one morning, the other party had already successfully taken down two of the key members of the Guoning trio.

If we include Lin Mu, who had already voluntarily retreated yesterday, his three childhood sweethearts in Guoning were all dealt with in one fell swoop, and it didn't even take 24 hours.

"No, it's just that the girls my brother knows all have their own awkward personalities. I was always in my comfort zone and didn't notice. I was just giving them a little reminder from an outsider's perspective, but they all reacted so strongly. I feel like they're not as strong as your little Mu Mu."

Chen Junqian remained noncommittal regarding Shen Nianqiu's statement. There were indeed some things that were difficult to say from his perspective as the person involved. Moreover, he had not expected that Xu Youwei and Zhu Wenyun would react in the same way, burying their heads in the sand. Did they intend to wait until Shen Nianqiu returned to Lin'an before showing his face?