I turned reality into a romantic comedy

"Happy New Year."

After ending the call with Lin Mu, Chen Junqian put his phone back in his pocket and continued cracking walnuts for his younger sister.

Compared to other girls who find it incredibly difficult to see him during the Spring Festival, Chen Xi clearly doesn't have this problem. In fact, since they first became acquainted, they've spent most of the Spring Festival together. Therefore, Chen Xi also doesn't quite understand the content of Lin Mu's phone call just now:

"It feels really strange to invite people who aren't relatives to my house to visit my elders during the Lunar New Year. It's like bringing your partner home."

The main reason Chen Xi made such a remark was because the group of adults not far from the two of them were launching a heavy attack on Chen Junqian's uncle, who didn't even have a girlfriend yet.

"Although we're not relatives, our two families have a very good relationship, so it's no problem, just like my family and Xixi's family."

"Right."

Continuing to enjoy the walnuts her brother offered her, Chen Xi didn't plan to think too much about the matter anymore. After all, neither Lin Mu, who had just called, nor the girl named Shen Nianqiu, who had called before her, seemed to have much to do with her.

It is said that children look forward to the New Year.

But she was actually the one who most hoped for it.

I have a leisurely holiday, snacks to eat whenever I want, lucky money to receive, and my older brother to keep me company. I wish every day could be Chinese New Year.

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Ever since she learned that Chen Junqian would be coming to Lin'an on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Nianqiu developed a new habit: she would collect flyers that she had never been interested in before, which were distributed to passersby or customers by various supermarkets or shopping malls. She would then examine the products on the flyers in the same way she had seen her mother, or she would seriously cut out and keep the KFC coupons that she had never paid attention to before.

In this respect, it feels a bit like an advanced version of the pretend play that other kids used to play when they were young. They would mark the items they liked on the board and fantasize about what they could buy if they had a hundred yuan. However, it is not exactly the same, because for Shen Nianqiu, this is not just a fantasy, but something that is actually feasible.

"I clearly said I would go and come back on the same day."

"But little brother, you should have somewhere to stay when you come here, or do you want to hide in my room?"

"...So why did it become the option of staying in your room? Mainly because I felt it was a bit unnecessary to book a room specifically for that purpose."

"It's okay, I've saved up my living expenses and I also have New Year's money. I can stay for ten days, let alone one day."

Just as Chen Junqian had predicted, Shen Nianqiu did not treat Chen Junqian's visit as a short day trip or meeting. She even went out of her way to book a not-so-cheap room for him at a hotel.

Chen Junqian knew it wasn't cheap because, according to Shen Nianqiu, the room even had a complete kitchen, and what she was doing now was preparing a New Year's Eve dinner that was five days late for the two of them.

Of course, Chen Junqian would have to take charge of the actual cooking. Although Shen Nianqiu was two years older than Zhu Wenyun, she had almost no experience in the kitchen. After all, she would never have been exposed to this kind of thing, whether at home or in the dormitories of the school. At most, she could only make instant noodles.

"But we can go grocery shopping together, and I can help out."

It can only be said that compared to Chen Junqian and Zhu Wenyun, who grew up in places like wet markets, Shen Nianqiu, who was born in a big city, would subconsciously lean towards shopping malls when it comes to buying ingredients, but Chen Junqian didn't care.

If his previous culinary skills were mainly based on his experience from his previous life, which was quite impressive for someone his age, then after receiving the system's [Multi-talented] milestone reward, which included culinary skills, his abilities in this area have also been enhanced. It feels like he could even star in an advertisement for Anhui New Oriental Culinary School with the tagline, "Sister, marry a chef from New Oriental if you meet him."

"Well, you're more familiar with that area, so I'll be going with my sister. But you'll have to tell me in advance if you have any dietary restrictions."

Holding the phone, Shen Nianqiu enjoyed the feeling of someone thoughtfully considering her needs. Or rather, the very act of going to the supermarket with the other person, pushing a shopping cart to buy groceries, easily gave people a sense of déjà vu.

The main difference is age.

Although Chen Junqian and Lin Mu had been to the supermarket together many times, the scene and the emotions were completely different. One of them was a little kid who seemed to wish he were a few years younger so he could sit in the shopping cart and push her around, while the other was a girl who was already fifteen or sixteen years old and was willing to follow him around with a smile and push the cart together. Moreover, the former was buying snacks and the latter was buying groceries.

"But to be honest, I really want to visit my sister's house once."

As Shen Nianqiu was pondering this, she suddenly heard Chen Junqian say something that made her pause for a moment before casually replying:

"Do you really want to hide in your sister's room?"

"Actually, it's not impossible, right?"

As he spoke, Chen Junqian focused his attention on an achievement in his mind:

[Absolutely must not be discovered]

As the footsteps outside the door grow closer, as she presses her fingertips to her lips to signal you 'absolutely do not make a sound,' as you are forced to curl up in a tightly enclosed space filled with air... such scenes are not only found in horror games, but are also common on the set of romantic comedies.

Conditions for achieving this: For some reason, you are forced to hide in the room of any female protagonist with romantic comedy potential, such as in a closet, under the bed, or behind the sofa.

Other achievements associated with this one include: "Why did you hide here too?!"

Of course, it wasn't entirely for the sake of achievement. After witnessing Gu Lingguo's family situation, Chen Junqian also began to care about his sister's family's specific circumstances. After all, many things can never be clearly conveyed to the other party just through language and writing; one needs to witness them firsthand.

Shen Nianqiu was also aware of this, knowing that Chen Junqian wanted to see her living environment more than her room, so after hesitating for a while, she temporarily agreed.

"Let's talk about it once you get here. Actually, I don't think it's anything to worry about."

There's really nothing to worry about.

At first, when Shen Nianqiu was on the phone with Chen Junqian, she would always pay attention to the noise outside, covering herself with the blanket and deliberately going out to walk a little further away. But later she found that no matter what noise she made in the room, her mother outside would not care.

If Gu Lingguo's room was a private space that her mother could never lock and freely enter and exit, then Shen Nianqiu's room was practically a lawless zone, as if the inside and outside were two separate worlds. Closing the door would easily sever all ties and prevent them from disturbing each other.

Sometimes Shen Nianqiu really wondered if she would still not react at all if she brought Chen Junqian home and into her room.

However, it was only a fleeting thought.

Shen Nianqiu didn't actually feel that there was much conflict between her and her parents. She had never argued with them and had always grown up according to their wishes. She performed well in school, and although she studied dance as a child, she has now shifted her focus to singing. To outsiders, there was absolutely no problem with her.

Just as the other party is supporting her now, she will support them in the future.

Frankly speaking, if they can successfully achieve this, their family will be at least ahead of more than half of all families in the world.

The Spring Festival at the beginning of 2012 was a bright and beautiful day for Shen Nianqiu. The computer on her desk was running the QQ Speed ​​game interface, and the background music of "Loves Me Not" was playing in her headphones. The fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl stretched lazily at her desk in her room, filled with a kind of anticipation for the upcoming meeting and the distant future.

Chapter 53: So You Killed Me (Part 2)

Yang Suling visited another community's mutual aid organization for families who have lost their only child today.

However, she was neither a psychologist nor a staff member of a children's welfare home. This wasn't her first time visiting such a place, and each time the reason was quite simple.

She wanted to chat with the families of those who had lost their only child; she longed to hear them speak, not because she was particularly lonely.

At this point, loneliness no longer poses any threat to her.

Yang Suling came here only to hear stories; she so desperately needed the unfortunate tales they told her, to the point of longing.

She longed for the families here who had suffered similar fates to entertain her with their own long and legendary tales, wanting to hear their various stories of losing their children, whether it was the process of losing a child due to an incurable disease that emptied the family's savings, the process of not being able to save them, or the process of suddenly passing away in an accident.

Yang Suling was most fond of stories about people who were quite old and whose children were nearing or already adults.

After raising her son for over a decade and sending him off to university, he suddenly suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the basketball court. The man who had never had any bad habits and who had promised to take care of them and give them a good life was gone when she saw him again. Isn't this even more unfortunate than her experience?

Therefore, she loved listening to her father's endless, repetitive complaints, and she never felt disgusted by his constant ramblings. It was as if each repetition of his words acted as a painkiller to relieve the pain in her heart.

Yang Suling has become fascinated with all stories of disasters and misfortunes. She even hopes that the more tragic and regrettable the stories are, the easier they are to avoid. But it's better if they still happen in the end, just as the more unfortunate the other side of the world is, the easier it is to lift the scales on this side where she is weak and frail.

She relished the feeling of being overwhelmed by the sadness of others, which would then join hands with the sadness in her own heart, exchanging greetings and embracing like long-lost friends, as if it were a cruel emotional training exercise for humanity.

However, it must be admitted that this kind of emotional training is very effective, at least for Yang Suling.

After all, amidst a resonance of utterly negative emotions, she could always find some comfort or even a sense of smug satisfaction.

Perhaps only at this moment would she remember that she had a biological daughter, a very sensible and obedient daughter who had never argued with them, who would not suddenly jump off a building because of her rebellious phase, nor would she suddenly have a suicidal thought because of being deceived by bad boys outside.

But those sorrows were real, so even though she went to so many similar places, no one doubted Yang Suling's experiences.

She truly lost her son, lost her own child.

So at such times, equal amounts of sorrow and comfort would transform into two burning candles, offering a tribute on her behalf to the departed spirit of her child.

But that's the only time.

Because once she got home, Yang Suling would be completely drawn to the familiar black and white photo on the wall and the umbilical cord preserved in the bottle.

Without other people's stories, their sorrows, their misfortunes, the things that were suppressed in your heart will naturally resurface, just like the pain will still linger after the effects of painkillers wear off.

Just when Yang Suling thought that this kind of life, this kind of cycle, would continue indefinitely, she heard a term from a family member of another family who had lost their only child during another storytelling session.

This was probably the first time Yang Suling, who never cared about policies, had taken the initiative to learn about them and even ask questions, wanting to know if they would actually be implemented.

Then, Yang Suling had a second thing to be secretly pleased about.

However, unlike the first comfort that you would forget once you got home, this comfort was more like a shot in the arm.

It completely overshadowed the first comfort, and thus also covered up the daughter.

She had her first child when she was eighteen.

Among the unfortunate women around her, she was the youngest.

Therefore, she can still have children.

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On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Junqian rode in Zhong Yu's car to Lin'an in the neighboring province.

When asked about his family and Lin Mu's situation, he always said he went to Zhong Yu's house to play. After all, Chen Junqian would often stay at Zhong Yu's house for a whole day playing games, so no one suspected anything.

Zhong Yu's father was a very talkative middle-aged man, so the atmosphere along the way was quite pleasant. Chen Junqian just chatted with him casually about the walnut industry in Guoning and Lin'an and the current e-commerce model. The car had already arrived at Lin'an, which was not very far to begin with.

"Call me on the phone that night, and call me anytime if there's anything else. This place is definitely unfamiliar to you."

"Ah."

After accepting their kindness, Chen Junqian bid farewell to Zhong Yu's family and went to the address Shen Nianqiu had given him. Once he arrived nearby, he called his sister again, but as soon as the call connected and the phone rang, someone hugged him from behind.

"You've grown so much taller... I almost didn't recognize you."

After all, it had been almost two years since they last met. Chen Junqian, who had been subtly undergoing the transformation of the system's talent, had changed quite a bit. It might not be very obvious to the other girls who spent every day with him, but in Shen Nianqiu's eyes, he really did look like a completely different person.

Of course, it's moving in a positive direction.

"elder sister."

"Hmm... say it again."

"Sister—can you let go now?"

Although Chen Junqian's current physical condition made it easy for him to break free from Shen Nianqiu's embrace from behind, who was playfully blowing air into his ear while resting her head on his shoulder, it would be rather unromantic to do so at this moment. So, he went along with her wishes and called her name again.

They addressed each other in the same way when chatting online, but when they actually met in person, Chen Junqian felt a strange sense of shame.

However, Shen Nianqiu was clearly not embarrassed, or rather, she wanted to see Chen Junqian's expression. After getting what she wanted, she let go of her hands that were originally around his waist and turned around gracefully.

Compared to her appearance at the Shanghai World Expo, Shen Nianqiu now looks every bit the teenage girl. Even under the slightly bulky down jacket of winter, she still exudes a lively and cheerful energy. Her teeth, now straight after her braces were removed and successfully corrected, are displayed as if deliberately showing them off to Chen Junqian. It's a big, welcoming smile that's even brighter than the sun in the sky.

"Does it look good?"

This was probably the first time Chen Junqian had faced such a direct question, but his answer was equally straightforward:

"Of course it looks good."

"Hmm, but it's not good to just stand here. Let's take you to the hotel first."

Upon hearing Shen Nianqiu mention the hotel room, Chen Junqian, somewhat curious, asked:

"By the way, how did you manage to open a hotel, sister? You should still be under eighteen."

"Oh, I used my grandpa's ID to open the account. I took it out quietly and put it back quietly. Nobody noticed."

Shen Nianqiu's answer reminded Chen Junqian of a few years later when the law restricting minors' gaming time became popular on the internet, and a sudden surge of news stories such as "80-year-old man gets a pentakill in King of Glory at 5 a.m." and "75-year-old grandfather plays games for eight hours straight on New Year's Eve." It can only be said that this is a kind of "where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure."

At this time, Lin'an had not yet been incorporated into Hangzhou as a district under its jurisdiction. Instead, it was a county-level city, just like Guoning, but with a larger population. The scenery on the streets was also similar, as they were originally two adjacent places.

However, Shen Nianqiu showed absolutely no sense of ownership, nor did she intend to introduce the local sights to Chen Junqian, the new tourist. She simply pulled him toward the nearby hotel they had booked, glancing at his empty hands as she did so.

"My brother really didn't bring anything with him this time?"

"I brought my phone and money, but as for gifts, my sister said earlier that she didn't need them."

"It has nothing to do with gifts, but it's okay if I didn't bring any. It's winter anyway."

Saying these seemingly nonsensical words, Shen Nianqiu quickly found the hotel she had booked in advance, took Chen Junqian's hand and led him to the floor where the room was located, and then opened the door with the room card in her pocket.

Just as Chen Junqian had expected, it was indeed a large room with a high price but all the necessary facilities. The kitchen and bathroom were even better than the rooms he stayed in last year in Tangshan and Qinhuangdao. In fact, the bathroom didn't have a shower, but a large bathtub.

"Alright, little brother, you can stay here for the next couple of days."

"So how did it become these past two days?"

Faced with Chen Junqian's complaints, Shen Nianqiu simply adopted a matter-of-fact attitude, as if she had completely forgotten what she had said before.

"Because it's not easy for me to come all this way, I feel like two days isn't enough."

As she spoke, Shen Nianqiu closed the door again, inserted the room card into the notch next to the door to provide power, and then sat down on the sofa in the room. She naturally opened her arms to Chen Junqian, unlike a certain little girl who was still fantasizing about when the teddy bear in her arms would become real and hug him unreasonably again.

Although the achievement for "Face Cleanser" is not a repeatable type, the achievement for "Of course, there must be fan service in a romantic comedy" is not. Therefore, the moment Shen Nianqiu made this action, it simultaneously achieved another progress in Chen Junqian's mind.