I turned reality into a romantic comedy

"How about I provide you with stories? After all, there's never been a rule that you have to write about your own school or your deskmate's experiences. Can't you just write down what you've seen or heard?"

It must be said that Chen Junqian's angle was something Zhu Wenyun hadn't expected, so much so that she stood there stunned for a moment before stammering as she repeated:

"I... write the story you provided? But these are mostly in the first person."

"It's nothing more than mixing various stories you've heard into your own character. After all, different people will have different feelings about the same thing. A thousand readers will have a thousand Hamlets. Whether you're an observer or someone who's involved, as long as you record your feelings, it's a good story."

Chen Junqian's words touched her somewhat. After all, Zhu Wenyun did indeed harbor a real dream about writing. Or perhaps this was just a way for her to comfort herself, since students who found campus life boring all the time were more likely to hope for a major event to suddenly break out.

Just as Chen Junqian said, even though she doesn't have any rivals or memorable campus stories in her class right now, that's why she especially hopes that something will actually happen, even if it's just taking hearsay about other people's experiences and projecting them onto herself.

"But I write very, very slowly."

Upon hearing Zhu Wenyun's statement, Chen Junqian naturally recalled the rumors about her that he had heard from the class monitor a couple of days ago. He felt that he understood why Zhu Wenyun often performed well in her weekly journal entries, but always struggled to finish her essays when faced with Chinese exam questions.

It seems this child still uses the slow and meticulous writing style.

"It's okay, there's no rush anyway, just treat it as writing a weekly journal."

"Well."

Having said all that, Zhu Wenyun nodded in agreement, then looked up at Chen Junqian with some anticipation, wanting to hear what kind of story he could tell.

"Although the protagonist of this story is not your deskmate, you can assume she is when you write it. To protect her privacy, we won't reveal her name. This is entirely up to you, since none of the selected manuscripts used real names."

After rehearsing his story briefly, Chen Junqian recounted his conversation with Lin Mu last week about losing money and grocery shopping. Although he had just said he wouldn't reveal his name to protect privacy, Zhu Wenyun recognized the familiar time and place as the real person involved in the story, since she had been there at the time.

"So, there was something behind the scenes when I ran into you two at the market that day."

"Oh, by the way, your water spinach is really delicious. If the market over there weren't outside my mom's area, she would probably go there again the next day."

"Because they are indeed grown by our own family, they are bound to be fresh and delicious."

Unlike a certain picky eater, Zhu Wenyun seems to have no resistance to these green vegetables at all, which explains why she is much taller than her peers.

"But this is indeed a story worth writing, and I'm more familiar with the market area, so I can add a lot of details. However, as for cooking... I feel that I can either only gloss over it or I'll have to ask you to go into more detail."

"It's alright, you finish writing the first part first. Class is about to start anyway, so let's meet here again sometime."

Compared to the sunlit corridor, not many students would venture near the somewhat dark stairwell where the two of them were now. Zhu Wenyun thought about it and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, when you need to find me, just stand by the last window for a bit so I can see you... If I need to find you, if I need to find you..."

"How about we schedule a fixed time? That way it'll save us the trouble. I can't do it during the break before the third period in the morning or afternoon because I need to prepare in advance to get my eye exercises checked. What about you?"

"I'm fine with either option, how about the two breaks after the first get out of class in the morning and afternoon? Everyone takes a nap in the classroom, and there won't be many people in the hallway."

"okay."

After confirming with each other, Chen Junqian thought for a moment and decided to borrow another book from the other party. He finally chose Shen Shixi's "Wolf King's Dream". Although he later learned that most of the other party's books, such as the Leap of the Ibex, were pure fantasy settings that had little to do with nature, for children of their age, animals as protagonists were still quite novel and attractive in all aspects.

As the preparatory bell rang, Zhu Wenyun said goodbye to Chen Junqian. Even after walking into her class and sitting in her seat, she still felt a little dizzy and disoriented.

Unlike Xu Youwei, who was simply perceived as an oddball by her classmates because her overly conspicuous clothes made her stand out and was unconsciously distanced from them, she simply didn't want to communicate with anyone. After all, communication meant mutual understanding, and she didn't feel that she or anything in her family deserved to be understood.

If nothing unexpected happens, she thinks that this repetition and cycle should continue until she finishes elementary school. After all, sometimes the unchanging is a good thing, for her grandmother's crops, vegetables, and herself.

But undeniably, even without a story of her own, she does want to write one, even if it doesn't happen to her, because she can make it feel like it happened to her, just like the fairy tales she's read over the years.

【today】

Zhu Wenyun wrote the following in his exercise book:

I spied on other people's stories, and then quietly experienced that happiness myself.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Now there are two people.

After working on it for almost a week, the blackboard bulletin board in the classroom was finally completed after school today. The four of them looked at it from all directions to make sure there were no problems, and then they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you all for your hard work. When evaluating outstanding Young Pioneers and good students at the end of this school year, this will also be considered as part of the criteria for awarding points for actively participating in class affairs."

Although he has won awards every year, and his orange-yellow certificates have covered an entire wall in his home, class monitor Lu Cheng is clearly the kind of person who is never satisfied. Chen Junqian even felt that Lu Cheng was about to blurt out something like, "Let the four of us do the blackboard bulletin next time."

"Yeah, especially the three of you. I was just doing odd jobs on the side."

"That's not true. Everyone contributed, so the contributions should be equal. There's no question of who contributed more or less."

Patting Chen Junqian on the shoulder, Lu Cheng then pulled him aside and whispered:

"Honestly, this is the most well-behaved Xu Youwei has ever been during a group activity. That's your biggest contribution here, you know?"

"...Is it really that exaggerated?"

Chen Junqian, of course, couldn't remember everything from his elementary school days, but Lu Cheng, who had been active in various class affairs as class monitor for the past two years, was different. Upon hearing this, he immediately began to complain:

"Of course! Otherwise, why do you think I dragged you along to help in the first place? It was half helping and half keeping an eye on things. Did you forget that last time, she was the one who applied for our class's blackboard bulletin, and she ended up arguing with the other students in charge of the blackboard writing about layout and design just two days after it was done?"

Even if you say that, I don't really remember it.

"Never mind, it's normal that you don't remember. After all, I've never seen you so proactive since elementary school. Be more proactive in the future. Consider it helping out as my friend. Sometimes I, as the class monitor, also feel a lot of pressure. I get scolded by the teacher and gossiped about by my classmates."

"I will definitely help if I can."

After chatting with Lu Cheng for a while, Lin Mu had already disappeared in the blink of an eye. It made sense, though; her parents had come specifically to pick her up, and everyone knew that parking at the school gate couldn't be done for too long, so her haste wasn't entirely unexpected. Xu Youwei, on the other hand, calmly packed her schoolbag, and when he glanced over, she confidently raised her chin.

"Finished talking? Let's go then."

Compared to Lin Mu, who last week tried to cover up the truth by insisting that the two of them separate first and then meet up again at the school gate, Xu Youwei doesn't seem to care about other people's opinions.

But that's normal. If she were the kind of person who cared a lot about what others thought, she wouldn't be so focused on being seen as a clueless charlatan by the other girls in the class.

"Oh, let's go."

Although he felt that the class monitor's gaze had suddenly become a little strange, Chen Junqian didn't ask any further questions. Xu Youwei had already casually slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the classroom. He quickly took a few steps to catch up with her and kept a side-by-side with her.

"Today I'll take you down a different path."

No one knows how many mysterious routes home Xu Youwei has packed into her little brain, but Chen Junqian, who was led back to the vicinity of the wear-resistant factory by her through a series of twists and turns yesterday, can only raise his hands in surrender now. He can't help but feel a sense of admiration for her, thinking that she could probably confuse even human traffickers.

"If yesterday's choice was a small alleyway with lots of firecrackers, then today's most important feature is that it runs through the middle of Yangning Park. You probably haven't been there at this time on a school weekday."

As soon as the two met up, Xu Youwei couldn't wait to share with Chen Junqian the route she had chosen for going home from school that day.

As the largest indoor park (though not very big), Yangning Park is indeed one of the amusement parks that Chen Junqian frequents, but mostly on holidays or weekends. Just as Xu Youwei said, he has never been there at that time.

"So is there anything special you can't see on the weekend?"

"You'll find out when you get there."

With practiced ease, Xu Youwei led Chen Junqian onto a completely different side road than yesterday. Her gaze began to wander restlessly, as if she were searching for something.

"Are you planning to make another throne?"

In response to Chen Junqian's teasing, Xu Youwei simply extended her left and right index fingers to make a 'ten' sign:

"It's already the 10th today. You and Mumu are getting along so well now, you should know that her birthday is on the 10th of next month, right? It's only a month away now. I'm thinking about whether I should make something for her."

"...Is it possible that Lin Mu has always celebrated his birthday on the 13th of September according to the lunar calendar? This year, the 13th of September, according to my calculations, should be October 30th, which is still almost two months away."

"How was this calculated?"

"Because this year's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival are consecutive, Zhong Yu was complaining about this yesterday, feeling like he was at a disadvantage and missed a holiday. So when I got back yesterday, I specifically checked the calendar. This year, October 3rd is the Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. So by adding up, it's easy to count that this year's 13th day of the ninth lunar month is October 30th."

"Doesn't that mean that if we celebrate our birthdays according to the lunar calendar, the exact date will change every year?"

"Yes, so many people celebrate their birthdays according to their birthdate on their identity, which is the Gregorian calendar. Of course, some spoiled kids can celebrate both their lunar and Gregorian birthdays in one year. Looks like you're a Gregorian calendar supporter?"

"Yes, in my family, it is indeed fixed on the same day every year, which is what you call the Gregorian calendar."

Although she made a slight fool of herself due to her limited knowledge at the elementary school level, Xu Youwei didn't seem embarrassed at all. On the contrary, she felt that she had learned something new and waved her hand quite nonchalantly.

"It's almost been two months, that's good. It's a good opportunity for us to try out different little gadgets. Then we can let Mumu pick her favorite one as her birthday present."

"It feels like you're just using this as an excuse to pull me into your craft team... It's not that complicated. Didn't I help out a couple of days ago in the countryside when I had nothing to do with Lin Mu?"

"That's what you said."

Seemingly having finally extracted this promise from Chen Junqian, and as if afraid he might go back on his word, Xu Youwei quickly pulled a list from her bag, glancing at it and nodding as she said:

"If two people work together, they can create many handmade items that one person can't replicate. Plus, you can take the finished product home and keep it, which is much better than me having to throw it in the trash."

After browsing through the list with satisfaction—a list of various trinkets copied from "Artistic Creativity" that were previously impossible to replicate due to limited manpower but now had a chance of being made again—Xu Youwei put them back in her bag. She then led Chen Junqian through a maze of turns and successfully entered the back gate of Yangning Park. Emerging from a small path, they even gave him a sense of awe, reminiscent of the "Peach Blossom Spring" described as "initially extremely narrow… suddenly opening up into a bright and spacious place."

The park was indeed not very crowded on a weekday, especially since the two of them were currently near the even quieter back entrance.

The gradually setting sun slowly penetrated every corner of the field of vision. The stone table and benches still retained a little bit of warmth and heat. In the sandpit not far away, the swing was still, and the shadow of the chain was cast obliquely, like a stretched clock hand. Even time seemed to stand still here.

"This is another secret base of mine. How does it feel?"

Just as smug as yesterday, like a king surveying his private domain, Xu Youwei ran to the swing next to her in a few strides, threw down her schoolbag, sat down, and casually sank her shoes into the sand as if completely unconcerned about getting them dirty. She smiled smugly at Chen Junqian:

"At this time, the adults are still at work, and the elderly are either picking up their children or going out to buy groceries to cook dinner. If it were half an hour earlier or later, this place would be full of people again. So only at this time of day is it completely quiet and deserted."

Chen Junqian originally wanted to sit on the swing next to Xu Youwei with her, but as soon as he walked over, he was stared at by her round eyes:

"Hey, there's something I couldn't do alone before, but I feel more at ease with two people here. Come here."

Pushed behind her by Xu Youwei in a tone that sounded almost like a spoiled child, the child finally seemed satisfied and turned back around, gripping the chains on both sides of the swing tightly with both hands:

"Okay, remember to hold on tight for me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Junqian finally understood and reached out to pull the swing back to a moderate angle, then slowly released it. The next moment, he heard Xu Youwei's laughter.

"Haha, higher!"

As her toes swept across the sandpit, kicking up fine dust, Chen Junqian gradually added a little more force, and the swing swung higher and higher. The girl's hair rose and fell in the twilight glow, the ends occasionally brushing against his wrist, a slightly itchy warmth.

As the swing landed in front of him again, Xu Youwei playfully tilted her head back suddenly, her head resting against Chen Junqian's chest in that instant. His reflection appeared in her dark pupils, and she simultaneously called out:

"Okay, I've had enough fun. Now it's your turn—"

"I'm not interested in swinging."

Upon hearing the other person's words, Chen Junqian gradually controlled the swing's amplitude to slow down, and finally brought it to a steady stop.

"How can someone not be interested in swinging? What are you interested in then? Or is it only when you're with Mu Mu that you're interested in playing on the elliptical trainer in the neighborhood for quite a while?"

"...So you really were stalking me, weren't you!"

"You two followed me too, so this evens out."

Xu Youwei nimbly jumped off the swing, and as if playing a prank, suddenly pulled at her lower eyelids and the corners of her mouth, making a face at him. Finding that Chen Junqian still had no change in expression, she kicked at the sand beside her feet in disappointment.

"You're really strange."

Even as the person who has received this assessment from all sorts of people over the past few months, Xu Youwei can guarantee that Chen Junqian is many times stranger than she is.

Most importantly, even though the other person could easily see through all her thoughts, she had no way of figuring out what the other person was thinking. She really didn't know how he and Lin Mu suddenly became such good friends, or whether the other person was different in front of Lin Mu than in front of her.

It can only be said that Chen Junqian's personality is just like that. Even Lin Mu, whom Xu Youwei is now talking about, originally wanted to use the monkey talisman to turn him into a little rabbit and rub his arrogant face.

With the mindset that she must get the other person to show some other expression or positive attitude, Xu Youwei's little head turned a little, and she immediately picked up her schoolbag that she had put aside.

"Since you're not interested in swinging, I'll take you to play this."

Xu Youwei dragged me by the arm all the way to the small lake near the front gate of the park. This area is a gathering place for various amusement facilities. In the evening or on holidays, it is always full of stalls for various small games such as ring toss, target shooting, and basketball. There are also slightly larger amusement parks nearby, including haunted houses and bumper cars.

However, at this rather awkward time, most of the stalls were either closed or half-open, since there weren't many customers.

"Sometimes it's a good thing to be alone."

Leading Chen Junqian, Xu Youwei quickly passed through the stalls covered with tarpaulins and walked down the steps to a small hut by the lake. This was where boats were rented, as the park's small lake offered boating services.

But Xu Youwei's purpose was clearly not to row a boat. After briefly negotiating with the seemingly dozing administrator, she waved to Chen Junqian, signaling him to come over. Before he could react, she was jokingly pushed into another amusement facility behind the hut, which was also floating on the water.

It was a large, transparent inflatable ball or wheel shaped like a hamster's running wheel. The next second, Xu Youwei, who had thrown off her schoolbag, also crawled in. Then, with lightning speed, she stood up straight inside and began to run and manipulate the water wheel towards the center of the lake.

Chen Junqian, who had no time to maintain his balance, naturally fell to the ground with her movement. He then began to bounce uncontrollably along with the entire wheel. After a while, he finally recovered and grabbed Xu Youwei's shoulder from the side, pulling her down into the soft, inflatable ball that wouldn't hurt even if she fell.

Even so, Xu Youwei did not stop her mischievous actions. She pushed off hard with both feet in a certain direction, and the entire ball tilted sharply in the direction she exerted force. Taking this opportunity, Xu Youwei successfully turned her body around and pressed Chen Junqian down again.

In that instant, all Chen Junqian could see in his vision was the sphere with its edges slightly shimmering with iridescent light and the tiny water droplets sliding down its curved surface. Then, he saw the wisps of hair that had broken free from their restraints due to the two violent movements, now looking rather messy and disheveled, clinging tightly to the other person's forehead.

Below that were her almost clear, transparent pupils, brimming with a sense of triumphant joy.

"Isn't this more fun?"

"whispering sound."

Chen Junqian simply looked away and decided to start strengthening his physical training from today. Although he was completely ambushed, and there are indeed differences in the development of boys and girls at this time, being so easily overpowered by a girl of the same age still made him feel a little bit ashamed.