I turned reality into a romantic comedy

"Ahem, today's first game is '50 cents and 1 yuan.' Right now, the boys all have 1 yuan and the girls all have 50 cents. Every round, I will say a number, such as 3.5 yuan. Then everyone has to find someone to team up with to reach 3.5 yuan. More or less is not allowed. After ten seconds, everyone who has not reached this amount will be eliminated. The last five people left are the winners."

After confirming that everyone understood the rules of the game, Lu Cheng first announced an amount of two yuan and fifty cents.

While Chen Junqian was still pondering whether two yuan and fifty cents meant two yuan and one fifty cents, which would be a setup of two boys and one girl, Lin Mu and Xu Youwei had already stuck to him like glue. This made Zhong Yu, who was about to join his good buddies, hesitate. After all, he couldn't very well go over and throw one of the girls off the table to carry her himself, so he had to find someone else.

The missing five cents was equally simple. Apart from the fact that the last girl who came over could only hug Lin Mu and Xu Youwei's arms, which were tightly surrounding Chen Junqian from the front and back, there were no other problems. The first round was thus successfully passed.

The next two rounds were the same. His starting price had become a fixed two yuan. No matter what amount Lu Cheng reported, Chen Junqian would add two yuan up to calculate how much money and how many people were needed.

As the number of people on the field decreased, the amount Lu Cheng mentioned also gradually began to decrease.

"Final round, one dollar and fifty cents!"

One dollar and fifty cents, one dollar plus fifty cents.

That is, one boy and one girl.

Upon realizing this, an unlocked achievement in Chen Junqian's mind began to glow excitedly. It wasn't the usual perfunctory "Scandal in Progress," but rather another, more subtly named achievement...

[It was obviously me who came here first]

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

PS2: I've been organizing the outline for the junior high school section these past few days. The second volume is longer than I expected, so it probably won't be like the first volume where I finish writing the entire two years before switching volumes. I'll switch to a new volume after summer vacation when I start junior high. That's all.

Chapter 72: I'll Give Myself to You (Part 2)

[It was obviously me who came here first]

There is no hierarchy in love, but there is indeed a first-come, first-served order. Even though there is no essential difference between those who come first and those who come later, at certain times, we still subconsciously use this phrase as a bargaining chip on the chessboard of love.

Whether it's a childhood sweetheart facing a new love interest, a love-struck motorcyclist encountering a coward who can never face his own feelings, or an endless war between a literary girl and an athletic girl, in a battleground where at least two people are facing off, this sentence could be uttered by anyone.

After all, the word "first" has never had just one meaning. The first to meet him, the first to become familiar with him, the first to realize her feelings, the first to fall in love with him, the first to express her feelings... Which one would she be?

Condition for achievement: With at least two female leads who are suited for romantic comedies present, any one of them must personally utter the classic line, "I was here first!"

Unlike the "battlefield in progress" that had been flashing in his mind like the red light on Ultraman's chest for almost three years, this was probably one of the fastest achievements Chen Junqian could go from faintly glowing and giving off an ominous sign to being officially triggered.

The moment Lu Cheng announced the amount of 'one yuan and fifty cents' on stage, before Chen Junqian could even react, the two girls had already instinctively clung to him. Xu Youwei, who was hugging him from the front and nuzzling against his chest, spoke first in a low voice, as if kindly reminding Lin Mu, who was hugging Chen Junqian from behind around the waist:

"Lu Cheng said it was 1.5 yuan, but Mu Mu came over and it exceeded that, so now it's 2 yuan."

"But I was here first."

Showing absolutely no intention of letting go, Lin Mu adopted a similarly earnest and reasonable stance:

"So it's you, Weiwei, who should be leaving."

Okay, this famous line, which is full of emotional tension in the original work, sounds light and weak when Mu Mu says it. It lacks any intimidation or explosiveness, and instead sounds like a soft defense after being wronged. So Xu Youwei was not convinced at all and continued to answer unconvinced:

"I was the one who carried it over first, okay?"

"Ahhh, Qianqian, you tell me yourself."

Faced with Lin Mu, who had thrown the question back to him, Chen Junqian simply reached out and put his arms around both girls' shoulders, casually stating:

"It's just a little game, we all hugged each other, so if we get eliminated, we get eliminated. Why don't you guys let go now and find another girl to hug and make up the 1.5 yuan, then I'll find another girl..."

Chen Junqian, who had accurately grasped the Chinese character of always seeking harmony, hadn't even finished speaking when Lin Mu and Xu Youwei tacitly reached out and covered his mouth, making it clear that he was not allowed to say or do anything more, seemingly accepting the fact that they would all be eliminated as he said.

All we can say is that the students who were eliminated so far were those who couldn't find teammates to reach the required amount after the allotted time. These three were truly the first group to be eliminated because they exceeded the limit. Even Lu Cheng, who was standing on the stage as the referee, was a little dumbfounded. But in the end, after the countdown ended, the rules still stipulated that Chen Junqian and his two companions were eliminated, falling in the last round before they could win the prize.

Although the final prize was just some snacks and stationery bought with the remaining class funds, Lin Mu was still a little resentful after returning to his seat. He sat there stuffing potato chips into his mouth and complaining to Xu Youwei:

"If Weiwei hadn't come to cause trouble, Qianqian and I would have already gotten the final prize."

"That applies to Mu Mu too. I was the one who arrived first."

It's a pity that this line achievement can't be triggered repeatedly, otherwise I could have gotten it twice in just one minute.

In Chen Junqian's mind, once Gu Lingguo is officially registered into the system and becomes a female lead with the ability to adapt to romantic comedies, all the achievements related to these lines can be handed over to her. After all, this is something that the two of them agreed on, and it is reasonable to replicate the lines while cosplaying the character.

"If you really want a prize, how about I buy it for you separately after school?"

"That's different. My family doesn't lack gifts from Qianqian."

Lin Mu merely pursed her lips at Chen Junqian's suggestion, then turned her head with a touch of arrogance to look at the classmate receiving the prize from Lu Cheng at the podium, and continued to mutter:

"The process is what matters."

"That's right."

Xu Youwei nodded in agreement, then pouted and complained to Chen Junqian:

"You definitely have enough money on you right now to buy Wenyun a brand new refrigerator or air conditioner, right? But she'll definitely only be happy if you go all the way to the end in 'Boys and Girls Rush Forward' and win the grand prize there."

"You knew about this?"

"She even wrote it into her novel!"

Perhaps because she was slightly upset after being singled out by Lin Mu earlier, Xu Youwei unconsciously raised her voice a little. However, Lin Mu didn't understand a word she said, so he blinked and asked:

"What refrigerator? What novel? I've read 'Boys and Girls Rush Forward,' is Qianqian going to participate?"

Compared to Xu Youwei, who bought and read Zhu Wenyun's first book multiple times since its publication and still reads every issue of "Fireworks" without fail, Lin Mu clearly had no idea what Zhu Wenyun was writing, since her favorite magazine now was "Zhiyin Manke".

Xu Youwei could only feel both exhausted and relieved about Lin Mu. She was exhausted because the child had no extra thoughts, but relieved because it was indeed good news for her. So she spent a little more time explaining to him.

If a typical novel is one where "this story is purely fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental," then Zhu Wenyun is the complete opposite. Most of the plots and events she writes about have actually happened in reality and have prototypes, with only some artistic embellishments. Xu Youwei now almost treats each issue of "Fireworks" as some kind of intelligence gathering tool.

After listening to Xu Youwei's explanation, Lin Mu's first thought was:

"Isn't this just like the diary I write?"

Xu Youwei first held her forehead.

Then, her second reaction was:

"Does that mean I can become a writer and earn royalties?"

So, Chen Junqian followed Xu Youwei and became the second person to hold his forehead.

Finally, Lin Mu contradicted himself again, shaking his head repeatedly:

"No, no, no, my diary cannot be shown to anyone else."

Okay, after spending a fleeting second mourning the passing of a minor writer in the literary world, Chen Junqian then offered an explanation:

"That's Wenyun's writing style. When she wrote about the things between me and Mumu, she even went to learn how to cook. Writers are not good at writing about things outside their own scope of experience, but this is especially evident in Wenyun."

This has little to do with imagination. After all, Zhu Wenyun grew up reading all sorts of imaginative children's literature, just like Chen Junqian. It's just that her unique personality has given rise to this down-to-earth writing style. If you really asked Zhu Wenyun to write those fairy tales, she would actually be able to write them well.

"Yes, when Wenyun was writing that book, she specifically came over to ask me a lot of questions and details about the time."

Watching his childhood friend effortlessly steer the matter away, Chen Junqian glanced at another childhood friend, Xu, who also considered herself his childhood friend but possessed all sorts of detective skills and could manually gather information on her own. He felt he really needed to take some time to have a detailed talk with her. After all, he hadn't subscribed to "Happy Detective" for her to learn these things back then.

However, just as the three of them were talking about Zhu Wenyun, Chen Junqian caught a glimpse of her through the window out of the corner of his eye. Just like the first time he had observed her through the window, Zhu Wenyun was also hiding there, observing inside. She was very low to the ground, and if anyone else were to pass by in the corridor, they might mistake her for some strange person.

"I'm going to the restroom; I drank too much water."

Faced with Chen Junqian's statement, Xu Youwei and Lin Mu found it difficult to say "I'll go with you." While watching the other get up and leave the classroom, they continued their previous conversation in a whisper.

"So the reason why Wenyun can cook is because of Mumu! No, if we look at it this way, she also got to know Junqian because of Mumu. You two went to the market together that day to buy groceries, otherwise the two of them would never have crossed paths."

"If that's what Weiwei is saying, then you and Qianqian became friends because of me. Otherwise, you two would just be ordinary classmates after graduation."

"How does Mu Mu know that even without you, I wouldn't have gotten to know him and become good friends? We were deskmates in our second year."

Ignoring the two girls inside who were debating the contemporary "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish?" and "You are not me, how can you know that I do not know the joy of fish?", as soon as Chen Junqian walked out, Zhu Wenyun, who had been squatting there for who knows how long, quietly followed him. They stopped tacitly near the entrance of the building, which was quite far from Class 4 and which they knew very well.

"I've organized all the textbooks."

To Chen Junqian's surprise, Zhu Wenyun's first words were so puzzling that he instinctively asked a question.

"What textbook?"

"...It's what you said here about wanting all my textbooks, saying that I would become a great writer in the future and that signing them would be a meaningful keepsake. Now that I'm graduating, I've gone back and found all the elementary school textbooks I could find and put them together. You can come to my house to pick them up next time. The Chinese textbooks are the most complete; not a single one is missing."

Upon hearing Zhu Wenyun's explanation, Chen Junqian was both amused and exasperated. After all, he had only been joking at the time, and he hadn't expected the other party to actually do it.

Although he had never doubted that Zhu Wenyun would become a famous writer, the idea of ​​keeping all of the other's elementary school textbooks at home did sound a bit too far-fetched, so he quickly waved his hands and explained:

"It was just a joke. Besides, even if I really wanted an autograph, isn't Yun right here? I can get one anytime, right?"

"Then, now."

Before Chen Junqian could even process what Zhu Wenyun meant, he was already cornered against the wall. Zhu Wenyun, with an air of "it's normal for a writer like me to carry a pen with me," pulled out the diamond pen that Chen Junqian had given her before, which had gone through countless refills, from her pocket and pressed it firmly against his chest.

There wasn't a second button there that could be taken off and given away to express one's feelings. In fact, reality wasn't a romantic comedy set against a neon backdrop. Zhu Wenyun was completely unaware of these rumors. She simply felt that the large expanse of white on the school uniform shirt was the perfect background for her to write on. So, she held Chen Junqian's chest with one hand and pointed the pen tip at him with the other.

The pen tip landed lightly on the white cloth, the ink spreading slightly. She lay there writing slowly, each stroke careful, as if afraid of writing too heavily and the ink would bleed, or writing too lightly and the ink would fade easily.

Zhu Wenyun had written her name countless times—in the corner of her draft notebook, on the title page of her textbook, and in the signature column of her exam papers—but never before had her fingertips and pen tip trembled slightly as she did now.

Unlike Xu Youwei's meticulously designed signature, which included only her own understanding of Chen Junqian's initials and other illegible scribbles, Zhu Wenyun's signature was neat and tidy, even on the difficult-to-write fabric of her chest. Her handwriting was just as beautiful and elegant, comparable to Lin Mu, who had been taking calligraphy classes all the time.

As Zhu Wenyun wrote the last character, a bead of sweat suddenly slid down her forehead, hovering precariously between her chin and the tip of her thumb. Chen Junqian instinctively reached out and gently wiped away the bead of sweat, which caused Zhu Wenyun's body to tremble involuntarily. Fortunately, she didn't ruin the last stroke and managed to finish the signature perfectly.

"For you."

The girl then raised her head and reached out to touch the name she had written on his chest.

Her smile was so delicate, like the luster of ancient ivory, like homesickness, like a snowfall on Christmas Eve in a dark village, like pearls arranged around turquoise, like moonlight quietly shining on the most beloved book.

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

Chapter 73: All I Want Is a Smile at Me and Kindness to Me (Part 2)

"So, is it possible that I have to go back in a little while?"

Pulling the hem of his shirt out a bit, Chen Junqian looked at the name written near his chest and, feeling a little weary, spoke to Zhu Wenyun, who had put away her pen and stood there calmly as if nothing had happened:

"If you really want me to sign on clothes, I can come to your house and have you sign a hundred of them."

The more Chen Junqian interacted with Zhu Wenyun, the more he understood why the other party could get an A rating in the system's action adaptability. If he used League of Legends as an analogy, it was like Mu Mu saying "One, two, three, engage!" while Youyou had already rushed in first. When the two of them looked closely, Zhu Wenyun was already lying there, having triggered his resurrection armor. He himself didn't know how many times he had been ambushed like this by the other party.

"Different processes lead to different feelings."

Zhu Wenyun simply replied with the same words that Chen Junqian had already heard twice in the classroom. Strangely, her focus shifted back to Chen Junqian's complaint that signing a hundred would be no problem. She once again uncapped her pen, looking eager to try again.

"Forget it, I'm going back."

Seeing this, Chen Junqian had no choice but to retreat. After all, he had come out under the pretext of going to the restroom. If he stayed outside for too long, Lin Mu probably wouldn't care much, but Xu Youwei would definitely chase after him to see what was going on.

But Zhu Wenyun didn't seem to be giving up yet. Unlike Chen Junqian, who hadn't brought her phone to school today, she had brought hers and was now taking it out of her pocket before running over to Chen Junqian.

"Let's take a group photo."

Of course, two people who aren't even in the same class can't take a graduation photo, whether it's a formal elementary school graduation photo or that group photo on the top of Jingting Mountain. But Zhu Wenyun still wanted to take a photo of the two of them together at this special time, which is now.

"Ok."

Chen Junqian understood what the other person was thinking. After all, taking a group photo would only take a short while, so he readily agreed. They found a well-lit spot near the entrance of the building they were most familiar with, and then he took the phone from Zhu Wenyun and turned on the camera.

However, since there was no third party to take photos for the two of them, even though Chen Junqian stretched his right hand holding the phone forward as far as he could, his arm was not a selfie stick that could be extended at will. Even when stretched to its limit, the camera could only capture a small part of the face, and someone's half of their face would always be missed.

Without even needing to say anything like the arrogant "If there's no other way, let's get closer" kind of thing, Zhu Wenyun had already leaned her head closer, and their faces naturally pressed together, so close that their breaths and nostrils overlapped, even giving Chen Junqian the illusion that he and Zhu Wenyun were breathing the same oxygen.

Neither of them had the habit of saying "cheese," so after confirming that everyone was in the frame and their expressions were fine, Chen Junqian decisively pressed the shutter button. Under the fleeting, somewhat glaring flash, a group photo of the two of them on the eve of their elementary school graduation was born.

"Judging from the final result, it looks a bit like those old-fashioned photo booth pictures that were popular on the streets."

After getting her phone back, Zhu Wenyun immediately pulled up the photo from her album and looked at it from every angle before finally putting it back in her pocket with satisfaction. She watched Chen Junqian wave goodbye and return to his class, but she stood there alone for a while longer before going downstairs. Instead of returning to her class, she just wandered around the campus.

She held up her phone and looked at the group photo, returning to a moment of solitude, as if no one knew her and she didn't need to care about anyone. She detached herself from the entanglement of worldly affairs and freely entered a state akin to being slightly tipsy.

With a slight joy in her heart and a slight sway in her body, everything felt like a girl slowly waking up, walking through the campus she was about to leave with two photos of the two of them. Just breathing in the air and gazing at the scenery, she felt herself gradually becoming an adult.

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

"...So you can get your name printed on the chest of your clothes after using the restroom?"

Since it wasn't written in any hidden place, Xu Youwei, with her sharp eyes, noticed the mark left by Zhu Wenyun as soon as Chen Junqian returned to the classroom and sat down. It was even more conspicuous than the scarf that her deskmate had worn around her neck after going out for a while around Christmas last year. It blatantly showed its presence, making it impossible for Xu Youwei to ignore it.

"Huh? Her name? Zhu Wen-yun, did she go to the restroom just now? No, she wouldn't take a pen with her to the restroom, would she?"

Even the slowest-witted child, Lin Mu, realized something was wrong. He and Xu Youwei quickly put on a show of "confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely," flanking Chen Junqian on either side, wanting to ask him what was going on.

There wasn't really any need to hide it, since both of them knew that Zhu Wenyun was currently writing a novel. So Chen Junqian quickly explained the autograph issue, but the focus was naturally on the joking banter and the possibility of the book appreciating in value, easily deflecting Lin Mu's question.

"So this can be considered a kind of early investment, just like when Dad invested in your company, Qianqian. If Wenyun really becomes a great writer in the future, will I also become famous? After all, her first book... or rather, her debut work is about me and Qianqian."