Uneasy daily life

Was it a comedic silent film?

"Good, I'll keep an eye on things. Do your best." Bai Ying nodded in satisfaction, then the topic suddenly veered off course, "Speaking of that performance, I secretly observed Bai Yinghua cleaning the toilets beforehand and learned a lot from her experience..."

"Alright, let's get down to business." Yukino Yukinoshita interrupted, not wanting to know too much, afraid that this guy would suddenly say something like "I'll help you clean the toilet."

"In short, that treacherous Bai Yinghua deliberately pretended to be a playwright one day and bet me whose next script was better. So I turned off my phone, quit the internet, and secluded myself in my room to think—but when I came out, I found that the theater troupe had already gone to Okinawa for a vacation and performance."

"Of course I headed straight to Okinawa. On the way, to save time, I took a taxi. The driver was a talkative middle-aged man..."

……

"Young man, you look quite young."

"Uncle looks quite old, he must be seventy years old today."

“No, no, I’m only fifty-five.” The driver skillfully played the professional card. “What do you do, young man?”

Bai Ying calmly replied: "Writer, thinker, military strategist, polymath, literary figure, and philosopher."

driver:"?"

Bai Ying skillfully returned the cards to the player and asked, "What does the uncle do?"

"……driver."

The driver managed to stammer out an answer, which immediately filled him with question marks, before solidifying into an exclamation mark—"He's a master!"

"Since you're a creative person, have you ever written a movie script?"

"Not this one."

A hierarchy of occupational contempt has been established.

"Then we can develop in this direction."

The driver began to speak eloquently: "Look at this movie script..."

"I write play scripts."

Bai Ying said, "It's a performance style where a stage is set up and a group of people go up to sing."

The professional hierarchy has been overturned.

Opera = Artist > Film > TV Series > Popular Novels

In the driver's simple understanding of professions from the previous era, those on stage were more capable than those on TV, and those on TV were more capable than those at roadside stalls. The ceiling for creative professions was, of course, writing plays.

What? Famous works by famous people? I'm fairly clear on domestic ones, but they won't be included in professional discussions. As for foreign ones...

That "ski" and that "ski" seem to be the same.

Not very familiar with each other.

"Well, that's really impressive..." the driver managed to manage, then asked suspiciously, "Young man, you're not just trying to flatter me, are you?"

"Don't believe me? I'll give you a performance. Although I mainly focus on creative work, my acting skills are not bad either."

Bai Ying's eyebrows twitched, and his voice became somewhat smoky and hoarse: "Don't be fooled by my skill as a taxi driver. I used to be a dashing and debonair man, singing and dancing on the crest of a wave. Now I'm just chatting with you about everyday life."

At the red light, the driver stopped temporarily, gave a thumbs up, and said, "You're awesome, young man! Do you still have that female vocal style?"

"That's simple, but whether it's a male or female voice is secondary; the singing and speaking skills are what's important..."

Bai Ying enthusiastically gave a brief explanation of the topic.

"Hmm... Young man, you're in the creative field, have you ever thought about writing screenplays for movies in the future?"

The driver clearly couldn't forget his favorite movies.

"The style of the drama is rather exaggerated, and I guess the people in the troupe aren't very interested in acting in movies. As for writing screenplays for movies, there's a big difference in terms of technique..."

Although he was criticized by the playwright for a short time, it didn't stop Bai Ying from talking and bragging: "To be honest, the filming process is more important than the script. As long as there are enough explosions and the scenes are grand enough, the plot is secondary. Simply put, it looks like a circle, but it is actually a completely different thing from drama."

"Aren't they all just writing?"

"Since you're a taxi driver, you must drive a heavy truck, right?"

"Well... that's true."

In the taxi, the two chatted about everything under the sun, and soon began to analyze career prospects. The older man insisted that although the younger man wrote plays, the symbol of success was still writing movie scripts.

"Sigh, I don't know what you young people are thinking. My son is over thirty and still not married... Young man, you look quite young, have you thought about this?"

"Uncle, we live in an aging society now. Society is moving so fast, how can anyone not be running themselves ragged and breathless? Plus, life is so convenient. When you're young, you work alone for ten years or so, and you get used to being alone. You don't have the mood or need to think about another person, so naturally you don't want to get married."

"An aging society? How come I don't know that society is aging?"

"You're over fifty, are you planning to drive a taxi until you're seventy?"

We'll reflect on social issues in a bit.

As the taxi continued its lively discussion, it was nearing its destination when it encountered a traffic jam ahead, with a smartly dressed female traffic police officer directing traffic.

After all, Okinawa is a popular tourist destination in the summer, and traffic jams are common.

"Tsk, the roads people build can't hold all the production vehicles, so of course there will be traffic jams, right?"

"Uncle's words are quite philosophical."

"Damn it, this traffic jam will last at least half an hour."

The driver, still wanting more, hadn't had such a pleasant chat in a long time. However, the young man's words were a bit harsh, so he brought up another topic: "You literary writers, do you have any... erotic ones?"

Men like to establish policies and appreciate beauty.

Although the little brother is still young, he is still a man!

"Sexy?"

Bai Ying was quite surprised: "That's illegal and against the rules, and goes against public morals."

"I know that. If it's not censored on the surface, it's bound to be censored in private," the driver said, sounding quite knowledgeable. "But if you ask me, I think literary works are more interesting than videos..."

Bai Ying thought for a moment, then described in a calm tone: "In the entryway, two pairs of shoes lay scattered on the floor, one pair being men's heavy black leather shoes, and the other being women's light-colored sneakers. Less than a meter in front of the shoes, a beige short-sleeved shirt, a gray pleated skirt, a men's white shirt, black slim-fit trousers... clothes from the outside in, laid out in a messy path, leading to the bedroom door. A pair of men's boxer shorts lay by the door, and a pair of white cotton underwear hung on the doorknob. Through a crack in the dark brown door, a faint sliver of light shone through..."

The driver's eyes widened in surprise, and he briefly commented, "Hmm...it's somewhat interesting, but it's also a bit lacking..."

Bai Ying: "When I was thinking this, I realized that among all the clothes on the ground, I didn't see any socks."

Driver: "Hiss—this is very interesting."

"The words, though not straightforward, possess a hazy, imaginative beauty," Bai Ying summarized. "That's probably what the uncle was trying to express, right?"

"Ahem, indeed." The driver coughed and chuckled, "It seems you have some side business, young man."

"I wouldn't call it a side job. Most literary techniques are universal. In fact, when it comes to creative techniques, the metaphors, personifications, hyperbole, etc., that teachers teach in school are enough. The rest is just a flash of inspiration that comes naturally."

Bai Ying smiled and said, "If I had to point out a personal characteristic, it would be that I prefer tragic stories."

The driver asked with interest, "How so?"

Bai Ying: "My wife's happy voice came through the crack in the door, so I could only tiptoe and hide in the bathroom."

driver:"……?!"

Bai Ying: "I didn't dare to come out of the bathroom until that man left the house. My wife smiled and gave me the money, and I smiled and took it. It was our unpaid rent for this month."

Driver: "Fuck!"

Middle-aged men can't stand hearing this, and they'll argue with their younger brothers about it.

bang bang.

The two turned their heads, and the traffic policewoman outside the car window smiled and said, "You two great writers, the road ahead has been cleared, don't block the way here."

Bai Ying glanced at him twice: "Speaking of which, you probably like uniforms too, right? That's a strange question. Do men like uniforms, or do they like the sense of immorality that uniforms represent...?"

The driver stepped on the gas and reached the speed of a Formula One car.

"Many years later, when the driver sees a young passenger, he will recall that afternoon when he talked about literature with a young man before heading towards the end of his life."

Bai Ying finished speaking in a deep and solemn tone, creating a profound sense of loneliness.

"Let's not let white fungus contaminate classic works," Yukino Yukinoshita said quietly.

Yui Yuigahama snapped out of her reverie as Shiroki recounted the story vividly, and asked curiously, "Shiroki, is this related to that...that...topic you were talking about?!"

"Of course there is. I was chatting with the uncle, and the topic he brought up in the end was sex." Bai Ying said seriously, "Recently, I've been studying various light novels and found that they all have similar themes. As for sex, to give you an example, you might not be familiar with 'Jin Ping Mei,' but 'The Tale of Genji' is also a literary classic..."

Yui Yuigahama: "The Tale of Genji? What's that?"

Hikigaya Hachiman: "..."

“Ha…” Yukino Yukinoshita sighed and corrected her, “Haku-kun, don’t try to argue. The Tale of Genji is not as shallow as you make it out to be, from a historical and cultural perspective…”

Bai Ying's gaze sharpened as she said, "You've seen it, you pervert!"

Yukino Yukinoshita: "I already said they're not the same thing..."

Bai Ying: "It's the same thing! I've figured it out. To become a master of light novels, you must understand the eroticism at the end of literature!"

"I'm going to write the most erotic light novel ever! I'm coming! I'm going to see it! I'm going to conquer the world that I could never conquer before!"

The white figure uttered a boast powerful enough to make Napoleon turn in his grave.

boom!

The door to the activity room was suddenly pulled open!

"Hey kid! I think I heard something really weird. What are you planning to do?!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka stood in the doorway with one hand in her pocket, and Sakurajima Mai stood next to her with a subtle expression.

Chapter Sixty-Six: Reassure Me, It's Already in the Late Stage

A convergence of forces, a clash between two titans.

You use a grappling technique, I use a leaping leap; you shout "Stop!", I say "Don't chase!" The two figures maintain their relative distance, circling the activity room twice before Hiratsuka Shizuka has no choice but to stop this pointless chase. She sneers, "You brat, it's one thing to mess around as usual, but do you even remember you're a student? Talking about impure things in front of your teacher? I think you're itching for a beating!"

"ridiculous!"

Bai Ying retorted confidently, "This is the path I've gleaned from reading over a dozen light novels, enduring dizziness, blurred vision, and a crooked nose and mouth! So what if it's a teacher and a student? The people love this, who does the teacher matter?"

"Oh." Hiratsuka Shizuka took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth, glancing around at the people in the activity room. "Anyone here who supports this guy? Speak up."

"Wait a minute, asking people to express their opinions through actions is stifling their right to remain silent!" Bai Ying corrected. "We should be asking who doesn't support my ideas and who is expressing their opinions..."

Yukino Yukinoshita coldly replied, "I never supported it."

"That doesn't count; it's settling a personal score."

Bai Ying turned her gaze toward Yui Yuigahama.

"Uh, uh..." Yui Yuigahama was a little flustered. Huh? If she were to say she supports it, wouldn't Shiro be writing things like "male and female sex" "her socks" and "I am her husband" in the activity room every day from now on?

She immediately and decisively replied, "Absolutely not!"

"That doesn't count; we have different perspectives."

The white figure looked confidently at Hachiman Hikigaya.

"..." Hachiman Hikigaya sensed that everyone else was staring at him with sharp eyes. What kind of man would dare to support the department head in this kind of environment? He made up an excuse, "Department head, light novels can only skirt around this kind of content, otherwise the editors will reject it. If you can only skirt around it, can you write what you want to write? In the end, you'll just compromise with each other and become one of the countless pieces of toilet paper."

"That doesn't count. You're a rebellious general, a mere subordinate, yet you dare to underestimate my abilities. You haven't even reached the level where you can look at someone without flinching, and think of them with even greater flinching!"

Hachiman Hikigaya remarked, "People who reach that level must wear yellow glasses all the time."

The white figure cast its last hope at Sakurajima Mai: "The Hero Plus must understand, right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita became slightly alert, recalling a poem that someone had once written, one with a somewhat erotic undertone!

"Hehe." Mai Sakurajima chuckled perfunctorily and said with interest, "Whether this statement is right or wrong is another matter, but Hater-kun certainly couldn't do it."

"Holy crap! A mere Warrior Plus dares to challenge me?" the white figure roared. "I can do anything!"

“Then let’s test you.” Mai Sakurajima thought for a moment and looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka. “The teacher will give you a topic. Black Fan will write a paragraph using your idea and we’ll see if he can do it.”

The white figure immediately jumped back and raised his hand, saying, "Come at me!"

"what?"

Hiraizuka Shizuka gave him a strange look—"You're making this guy write erotic fiction in public?!"

I didn't think the other party would be that unreliable; they seemed quite confident, especially since I was the one who set the questions...

"Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty."