I turned reality into a romantic comedy

It seemed that for Chen Xi, achieving this was more praiseworthy than getting first place in an exam, and she immediately asked him impatiently:

"I saw online that this game allows Guan Yu to stay in our camp indefinitely. Is that true? How do we do it?"

"There is indeed an 'if' ending that goes against the historical course. In this case, you should try to choose the good side as much as possible when making choices, and keep lowering your villainy value until it reaches a certain point. Then, you will enter this branch after level 30."

As he spoke, Chen Junqian pointed to a diagram on the screen where the blue and red colors were currently evenly matched:

Do you enjoy playing this type of game?

"Yes! I like it."

Chen Xi's answer was much more decisive than he had imagined. It seemed that long before "Ya She" was officially serialized and published, this child had already developed an interest in historical works. After all, "Ya She," a work that is half true and half false, with a touch of fantasy and a touch of historical fact, is most likely to attract children like them who have a somewhat vague understanding of history.

As the saying goes, literature and history are inseparable. In his long career of reading and writing, Chen Junqian has naturally accumulated knowledge and creative experience in this area, and has also participated in work such as comics about Chinese history for elementary school students.

Just like how the plot of "Ya She" gradually veered off into a BL (Boys' Love) direction that he couldn't understand at all, when he turned around and thought about getting to know girls his age or younger readers with similar interests, he was somewhat surprised to find that these had already become things he hadn't anticipated.

I remember once, because of work, he met a woman who claimed to be a fan of the Three Kingdoms period and was about the same age as Chen Junqian. He casually asked her about her favorite historical figures and got Cece and Dengdeng as her answers.

After racking his brains, Chen Junqian realized that the other party was referring to Sun Ce and Chen Deng, and then he once again found himself in the awkward situation of stepping into a minefield.

Even if the other person expresses liking for a Three Kingdoms figure like Sun Ce, he can't tell whether she likes the character's deeds as a dream girl or as a CP fan who obsessively ships Sun Ce with other related historical figures.

If it is the latter, then Chen Junqian will have to enter the second stage of speculation and game, that is, he needs to determine whether the other party is from the perspective of a fujoshi who likes the male-male relationship between Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, or from the perspective of a heterosexual fan who likes the historical couple Sun Ce and Da Qiao.

That's not all, because the other party might actually like the pairing of Sun Ce and Xiao Qiao. Don't ask, it's all because of a certain comic called "Ninety-Nine Eighty-One" that will be serialized in "Zhiyin Manke" two years later.

As for the more specific content of the conversation, Chen Junqian has temporarily sealed them all away in the deepest part of his mind, not wanting to recall them again. He himself has never minded history being revitalized in a more vivid form of creative interpretation in the contemporary era. After all, he has been involved in related popular science writing and museum cultural and creative projects, and has also volunteered to tell the history of cultural relics to children visiting the museum in the most humorous way possible.

However, when something crosses the line in his heart, he still feels quite uncomfortable and strange, and even wants to say a few words of truth, that the adaptation is not a random fabrication or nonsense.

But thinking about it carefully, it seems that around this time next year, a new Three Kingdoms series that will definitely be considered a heavyweight even if we look back on it more than ten years from now will officially hit the screen.

Unlike Chen Junqian, who was already feeling deeply melancholic about the derivative works of the enduring historical theme of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Xi was undoubtedly still a novice who had just begun to experience its charm. At this moment, while controlling the game to enter the third level, the Battle of Hulao Pass, he earnestly spoke:

"I only wanted to play this kind of game after watching the animated version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As for the book, there are many words I don't recognize yet, so I can't understand it."

As a major animated series that premiered this year, the animated version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has indeed left a significant mark on Chen Junqian's childhood memories. In addition to the exquisite character designs and visual presentation that he still finds impressive even after growing up, the five theme songs and ending songs that change with the development of the plot, all themed around the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, have also left a deep impression on Chen Junqian.

In particular, the song "Dream Is Burning," which is based on the theme of fire and the lyrics of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, remained on Chen Junqian's playlist until his rebirth.

However, it seems that it hasn't been broadcast there yet.

"After watching the animated film, you can then watch the TV series."

"But I think it looks like a new version of the Three Kingdoms will be released next year."

"...Well, actually the old version was also very well made."

A little worried that her childhood introduction to the Three Kingdoms might turn into a story of Cao Cao with the attitude of "Impossible, absolutely impossible!", Liu Bei with the attitude of "I've fought all my life, can't I enjoy myself a bit? Let's keep playing music and dancing!", and Sun Quan with the attitude of "Who is the master of Jiangdong, you or me!", Chen Junqian quickly tried his best to recommend the series for a while. He even taught her how to easily pass the third level and absorb all the experience from the boss Lu Bu before finally dissuading her from watching a certain new Three Kingdoms movie next year.

"Oh, Dian Wei is here."

The two chatted while playing the game, and soon they reached the part where Dian Wei joined the team. At this point, Chen Xi, true to Chen Junqian's stereotype, started asking questions about combat power.

So, who is more powerful, Dian Wei or Lü Bu?

"Because there is a saying that Lü Bu is the best in mounted combat and Dian Wei is the best in foot combat, we can conclude from the above that Lü Bu is the most powerful when he is riding Dian Wei."

Completely unprepared for Chen Junqian's words, Chen Xi was instinctively amused and giggled. Two dimples immediately appeared on her chubby face, and her high pigtails bounced merrily with her laughter, her eyebrows and eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Actually, if we want to create the ultimate humanoid weapon of the Three Kingdoms, we can also consider adding Huang Zhong, who is responsible for archery and long-range combat, and Zhao Yun, who is holding A Dou to stimulate his potential. In front of Lu Bu, we can also place his adoptive father to increase his rage..."

Chen Junqian chatted freely with Chen Xi for quite a while, enjoying himself immensely, and shared some interesting anecdotes related to the Three Kingdoms period. He also received a sincere compliment from Chen Xi:

"Brother, you read so many books, and they're all really fun."

Well, this kind of child is actually more accustomed to Chen Junqian than the adult woman he once encountered who was trying so hard to promote how beautiful, divine, and divine the new Fish Basket Guanyin skin of Dengdeng (i.e. Chen Deng) in the code name Kite was.

Chapter Thirty-One: Stop Changing Nursery Rhymes!

By the time they were called to dinner, the two had already made it to the Battle of Puyang. This is the advantage of turn-based single-player games that can be paused. You don't have to deal with the awkward situation that often occurs later, where you're in the middle of a MOBA game like League of Legends or Honor of Kings and suddenly called to dinner, struggling to explain to your parents that the game can't be paused and you have to finish before going to dinner, which ends up causing some unpleasantness for both sides.

Children seem to have a natural fondness for dogs and cats. Even though Chen Xi had only visited Chen Junqian's place a couple of times, she would call out to her family's little mongrel, Xiao Guai, as soon as she sat down. In no time, you could see Xiao Guai wagging its tail and running from the front yard into the living room, where it would wander around under the table picking up the chicken bones they had thrown away.

Unlike Lin Mu, whom they had just met this Friday, who was very proper and well-behaved at the table, Chen Xi, who was a year younger than them, was obviously not so quiet. Chen Junqian could hear his godmother saying a few words of exasperation, such as "Don't stick your chopsticks into the rice" or "Look carefully before you pick what you want to eat, don't stick your chopsticks in and pick and choose." Then there would be the usual tug-of-war between his grandparents, who said that it was okay for a child to do that.

Of course, for children at the dinner table, the thing they can't refuse and don't know how to handle is probably having food served to them by their elders. Chen Xi didn't have the courage to insist on eating by herself, so in no time, her small bowl was filled to the brim with food from Chen Junqian's grandparents, and her little face looked a bit bitter.

As someone who has been through similar experiences, Chen Junqian can understand the other person's mentality. After all, children are always picky eaters, and even in a dish, there are parts they eat and parts they don't. For example, in the simplest dish of stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork with dried tofu, he used to only pick out the shredded pork. But when the elders pick up food, they don't care about that. With one chopstick, they pick up all the ingredients, including green peppers, shredded pork, scallions, ginger, and garlic.

It can only be said that Chen Junqian gradually started eating green peppers under these circumstances, but Chen Xi obviously hasn't realized this yet, and is now caught in a dilemma of not wanting to eat them but not daring to pick them out of the bowl.

"give it to me."

Sitting next to her, Chen Junqian secretly moved his bowl a little closer. Seeing this, Chen Xi hurriedly moved the spinach and amaranth in her bowl over as well, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Because her grandparents still use a wood-fired stove, the rice they cook has a layer of crispy rice crust at the bottom, which Chen Xi seems to particularly like, chewing it with great relish.

The adults' conversation at the dinner table naturally revolved around the two children. Chen Xi, who was still smearing fermented bean curd and gnawing on the rice crust, immediately heard his mother mention him and looked up from his bowl in a daze.

"Didn't Xixi recently get selected for the school's children's choir? Come on, show Grandpa and Grandma what she's made of."

Faced with his mother's invitation to show off a talent, Chen Xi could only hum a couple of lines from "Di Li Di Li". In fact, for a long time, Chen Junqian thought the song was called "Where is Spring", after all, he only knew those two lines: "Where is spring, where is spring? Spring is in the green mountains and forests, there are red flowers and green grass, and there is a singing little oriole."

Perhaps because Chen Xi was just humming along somewhat reluctantly, Chen Junqian couldn't quite tell how well she sang. However, the other people at the table were quite accommodating and gave her unanimous praise, which made his godmother beam with joy.

"You've been playing games all morning, so don't stay in your room playing computer games all afternoon. Go and walk around the village with your brother."

After the meal, the other party gave the highest instructions, and Chen Xi, who looked a little dejected, could only nod listlessly.

Actually, if the family had a bicycle, Chen Junqian wouldn't mind taking the other person for a ride, but the only means of transportation the family currently has are the motorcycle his father drives, the tricycle his grandparents use to sell vegetables, and the car his aunt drives.

Oh, and there's also a children's rocking horse that's been lying in the corner of the room for who knows how many years.

With virtually no other options, the two decided to set off on foot, taking a walk around the village to digest their food.

It is currently the season when rice is about to ripen, and the fields all around can be seen with drooping rice ears, which from a distance look like a shallow beach after the tide has receded, floating with tiny golden lights.

The aroma of rice mixed with the earthy smell, baked by the warm sunshine, creates a unique flavor. At first, Chen Junqian thought that he had never lived in the countryside before. Even Chen Xi, who always brought her computer to pass the time when she came, would find it boring. But in no time, she was attracted by a threshing machine on the ridge of the field. She ran over and curiously circled around it to observe its structure.

"If we had come two weeks later, the rice would have been ripe by then."

As he said this, Chen Junqian suddenly thought of the variety show "Transformation" that he used to enjoy watching in elementary and middle school before his rebirth. However, he was not one of the two extreme cases of needing to be transformed or being transformed; he was just an ordinary person. As a result, he had already given up watching it when the script and dramatic conflicts deliberately designed by the production team became more and more obvious and excessive.

"Can you see the haystack? It's that line, 'We sat beside the tall haystack, listening to Mother tell stories of the past—'"

Unlike her behavior at the dinner table at home, Chen Xi was much more poised and confident when she started singing again, probably because she was now outdoors in front of children her own age. Her voice was noticeably louder.

"Actually, I used to always hear it as 'We sit next to the tall ashes and listen to Mom tell stories of the past.'"

"That's terrifying, ashes and stuff..."

After Chen Junqian said that, Chen Xi gave him a subtle look, as if she could never look at that lyric the same way again. But she quickly shook her head and smiled at him again.

"Brother, would you like to hear me sing other songs? Consider it a thank you for helping me earlier. I've learned a lot of nursery rhymes at the choir."

"Okay, then sing, I'm listening."

"Hmm... let's sing this one first."

"Little Erlang, carrying your schoolbag to school—"

"Carry your computer with you, and get help from renowned teachers?"

"Student computer reading book... Ahhh—don't interrupt, you're leading me astray."

"Well, I can only say that I've seen too many ads for Reading Boy student computers on TV, so I felt a little embarrassed and just answered the question subconsciously."

As someone who, in this era, was subjected to the same brainwashing advertising slogan as BBK lighters and e-readers ("Point to where you don't understand"), Chen Junqian felt that his DNA had been completely rewritten, which is why he couldn't help but respond with the adapted lyrics from the advertisement.

"So what was the original word again?"

It means "not afraid of the scorching sun, nor afraid of the raging wind and rain".

"Oh, I see."

Chen Xi nodded with a hint of pride, then spread her two small arms out like a little sparrow flapping its wings, swaying back and forth on the narrow ridge to maintain her balance, while she sang another song:

"Little swallow, wearing a flowery dress, comes here every spring. I asked the swallow why it comes, and the swallow said—"

"Is it clear that labor and management are clearly black and white?"

"Waaaaaah... Brother!"

Faced with Chen Xi, who had stopped and was pouting, looking like she was about to knock him down on the spot, Chen Junqian readily and immediately chose to surrender:

"I'm not going to say anything more, I'm so sorry."

"If you keep causing trouble, I won't sing for you."

After giving this warning with wide, round eyes, Chen Xi, as if afraid Chen Junqian would steal the words again, proactively changed to a fast-paced children's song, the lyrics of which even felt a bit too hot to pronounce:

"Amen, there's a grapevine in front of us, its tender green buds just sprouting. A snail, carrying its heavy shell, climbs step by step upwards—"

"Two orioles are on the tree, laughing at it. The grapes are far from ripe, what are they doing up here now—"

"Ah Huang, Ah Huang, oriole, don't laugh, it will be ripe by the time I climb up!"

Finally, without being interrupted by Chen Junqian's mischievous antics, Chen Xi sang "The Snail and the Oriole" completely for the first time. The child's voice was clear and bright, and compared to the previous slow-paced ballad, Chen Junqian sincerely felt that this kind of song was more suitable for her.

"How is it? Does it sound good?"

"Hmm, it sounds good, I feel like I could be a lead singer."

"That's not enough. Our choir's lead singer seems to have been taking vocal lessons since first grade, and she sings very professionally."

Perhaps because singing while walking was indeed quite tiring, Chen Junqian, noticing that Chen Xi seemed to be considering stopping, took the initiative to speak up:

"Go sit over there for a while, there's a small shop there, I still have 1.5 yuan here."

Actually, as a child, Chen Junqian really enjoys having guests at home during holidays, because that means his grandparents will likely ask him to go to the small shop at the village entrance to buy drinks. They won't refund if he buys too much or too little, and he'll have to pay the difference, so he gets another kickback. Today is no exception. The 1.5 yuan he has left is the balance after buying a large bottle of orange juice.

What's Xixi's favorite food?

"McDonald's!"

"Well, let alone our village, we don't have any like that in our city right now."

"Yes, I ate it when I went on a trip with my parents last time, but it was really delicious."

"Although there is no McDonald's, there are fake ones. After all, Xixi probably isn't hungry right now. Even if you were given a real one, you might not be able to eat it."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Junqian gestured for Chen Xi to wait for him there, then jogged to the small shop at the village entrance, quickly selected the item he wanted, and then ran back to Chen Xi's side to show it to her.

"Look, McDonald's."

Seeing the two bags in Chen Junqian's hand, which were supposedly printed with McDonald's iconic 'M' logo and the title of the '5+2' meal, but were actually just small snacks made of gel candy, Chen Xi couldn't help but chuckle, but still clapped her hands in agreement:

"Okay, okay, let's eat this."

Unpack the package, sandwich a few pieces of gel candy deliberately shaped like steaks and vegetables between the candies shaped like hamburger slices, pinch the rather miniature hamburger with your fingers, and then pick up the gummy candy next to it shaped like a cola bottle. It actually looks quite convincing.

They put a bag of McDonald's in their mouths and crunched it, the sweet and sour taste bursting out from the tip of their tongues. The two of them leaned against the stone bench by the roadside and enjoyed the 50-cent bag of McDonald's, but they felt even happier than if they had actually gone into a McDonald's restaurant and ordered a meal.

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

"So, my brother had a lot of fun playing with his god-aunt's daughter, who is also his god-sister, yesterday. Shouldn't his sister be called his sister-in-law? ...No, no."

It was still his regular Sunday afternoon live stream with his online friend Qiu. Chen Junqian took the opportunity to share his story with Chen Xi, but unexpectedly, it seemed to cause a little confusion for Qiu.

"Actually, I can sing nursery rhymes too. If you had told me earlier, I would have hummed a lullaby to you when you were sleepy last week."

"Did your sister also participate in a choir?"

"Yes, and I was the lead singer back then. I also participated in a solo singing competition and won first prize. The song I performed back then... Ah, I remember now, let me find the accompaniment."

After a rustling sound from the other end of the internet cable, Chen Junqian heard a familiar prelude, followed by a deep, mature, and gentle voice that was completely different from Chen Xi's crisp, childlike voice.

"I came from the mountains, carrying orchids. I planted them in my small garden, hoping they would bloom early. I checked on them three times a day, watching the blooming season pass. But the orchids remained the same, without even a single bud..."

"Phew, it's been a long time since I sang. How was it?"

"Sounds good!"

If last week it was because he was too tired and the other person was just humming a tune, then this week, after hearing the other person sing such a lyrical children's song in its entirety in his ear, Chen Junqian sincerely believed that his online sister had indeed had experience as a lead singer and even won awards.

"Actually, the internet connection does have some impact. If possible, I would really like to sing it for you in person. Besides 'Orchid Grass,' I also practiced 'Jasmine Flower' for a long time back then."