Category: Shion’s Notes

Chapter 103: The Distance Between Hearts 

Holding her, letting her lean against her, the two remained silent for a long time, both lost in their own thoughts. Ye Zhiyun seemed to relish this quiet moment; as long as this person was there, nothing else mattered.

“Just let me lean on you like this…”

Her head rested against her chest, just lying there on her. Ye Zhiyun had always been a strong and assertive person. For her to have such a moment of vulnerability was truly unexpected for Yu Linna. But precisely because she saw her like this did she understand that even someone as strong as Zhiyun had moments when she couldn’t cope. After all, Ye Zhiyun was also just an 18-year-old girl.

“If I just leaned on you like this, forever… would you refuse?”

Her face pressed against her chest, her eyes hazy, her voice incredibly fragile. The pride ingrained in her bones had vanished overnight, losing so much; her heart could no longer be hard. Ye Zhiyun was that kind of complex person.

“Don’t talk about forever, even in the next life, it’s okay. You saved my life; you can do whatever you want with me.”

Yu Linna hugged her back and said these words.
If it weren’t for Ye Zhiyun, she would have long become Orange River’s toy, Nangong Ying’s substitute. She would never forget that day at the train station, that hand reaching out, forcefully pulling her back from the railway tracks. She had wanted to die, but she lived. Because of Zhiyun, she lived.

Originally having nothing, because of Ye Zhiyun, she lived on. Even with nothing, no attachments, she still had to live well. As long as she lived, she would definitely find meaning in life.

What Ye Zhiyun gave her, she would never forget. Even if she was told to leave immediately, she wouldn’t refuse.

“How can you say that? You can’t say that. Your life is your own. You have to live for yourself.”

Ye Zhiyun stroked her hair, inhaling her scent, just leaning against her like that.
She saved Yu Linna, spending 80 million to buy her from Orange River, precisely because she hoped she could live well. Although it was a losing deal, it was the deal she regretted least. She didn’t want Yu Linna to feel indebted to her because of this incident. She only hoped Yu Linna could live well.

This girl had never received love, never had a comfortable home, since childhood. She promised her that she would give her everything she lacked. So after she moved in, she didn’t let her do any work, didn’t let her take on part-time jobs, even bought clothes and shoes for her, all because she hoped that she could experience a home, a home she had never experienced before.

She didn’t know what family meant, so she would give it to her. No one ever bought clothes for her, so she would. She hadn’t experienced three meals a day, so she would make sure she had them.

Everything she lacked, she would give it to her.
She simply wanted Yu Linna to live well. Just this one wish.

She didn’t want to see that look of despair again, that unfocused, hopeless gaze she saw at the train station. No one knew, when she brought her home that day, Yu Linna crying in front of her, her heart ached. After that day, she swore, she wouldn’t let her cry anymore. She wouldn’t let go of anyone who made her cry.

Especially Nangong Ying.

“Nana, I want you to live well, live well. Don’t live for me, live for yourself…”

“…Okay.”

She hugged her back, just uttering this single word.
The two embraced, no longer speaking. Some things didn’t need words; as long as their hearts understood each other, that was enough.

Although Yu Linna still couldn’t fully comprehend the meaning behind it, she at least knew that Ye Zhiyun truly cared about her. Perhaps from childhood until now, no one else would be this good to her. Ye Zhiyun treated her even better than the uncles and aunties in her past foster families. Such a warm feeling, she didn’t want it to slip away. She held her tightly.

---

One night passed. They didn’t know when they fell asleep. The blanket on the bed was large enough to cover two people. Ye Zhiyun held Yu Linna in her arms, sleeping soundly. This night was the most comfortably she had slept in a while.

Ye Zhiyun, although just a child, acted like an adult, doing adult things. Even though she could endure, even though she was outstanding, she was still a child. There would be times when she couldn’t cope. Having Yu Linna in her arms made her sleep soundly. Holding her felt like possessing the whole world. With this in life, what more could she ask for?

When Yu Linna woke up, Ye Zhiyun was still sleeping. Looking at her up close, she discovered that Ye Zhiyun’s face was quite beautiful, especially those lips, truly alluring. Ye Zhiyun was a great beauty to begin with, her family wealthy. With her long legs, she was like a model in commercials. She must have many pursuers, but it was a pity she never paid attention to them.

Yu Linna tried to struggle a bit, but found she couldn’t break free at all. Ye Zhiyun held her tight; she couldn’t exert any force. Plus, she was afraid of waking her up, so she could only let herself be held like this. She looked at the clock on the table; it seemed it was only eight o’clock. Forget it, let her continue sleeping; she’s also very tired.

Yu Linna also closed her eyes. And with this closing, she fell asleep again.

Waking up again, it was already noon. Yu Linna opened her eyes to find that Ye Zhiyun had already been awake for a long time; she was just staring at her sleeping face.

Looking from up close, Ye Zhiyun discovered Yu Linna’s eyes were truly very beautiful, especially beautiful. Those long eyelashes evoked boundless imagination. Although she hadn’t eaten well when she was young, causing her height to remain stunted, her face was truly beautiful, prettier than many celebrities.

Sometimes she really didn’t understand why Yu Linna’s biological parents disappeared after giving birth to her. Whether they were alive or dead, why not even a single word? Letting such a child wander through society alone, living all by herself, did they even understand this child’s hardship?

“Awake?”

Ye Zhiyun discarded the thoughts in her heart and looked at her calmly, uttering this single word. Where was the fragility from last night now? She had reverted back to her usual, proud self.

“Mm… Good morning?”

“Morning? It’s noon.”

Flicking her forehead, Ye Zhiyun smiled. Yu Linna touched her forehead, staring blankly at her smile. This girl looks so beautiful when she smiles.

“What are you looking at? Get up, time for lunch.”

Ye Zhiyun sat up, a smile on her face, smiling at Yu Linna again.

Initially, she was a proud girl, never showing a pleasant expression to this blonde girl, arguing every time they met. Later, as their relationship grew closer, she no longer spoke coldly to her, but the pride ingrained in her hadn’t diminished. Until that time at the train station, she protected her. From then on, she let go of her pride, treating her wholeheartedly. As long as this girl was fine, she was also fine.

Although she needed time to walk out of the shadow of failure, as long as this girl named Yu Linna was by her side, she would get through any hardship. As long as she was there, everything could pass.

Yu Linna stared blankly at the smiling Ye Zhiyun. She found that Ye Zhiyun’s mood seemed to have improved significantly, no longer in the state from last night. And Ye Zhiyun’s smile was truly beautiful, stunningly so.

The two got out of bed together and went to the bathroom to wash up. Although they usually washed up together, a situation like this, where they both slept in late, was truly rare. The two girls, one with black hair, the other blonde, brushing their teeth and rinsing their mouths in the bathroom. Moreover, the two were of different heights, creating a comical scene standing together.

After brushing her teeth, Yu Linna changed clothes and checked the refrigerator for any leftover dishes. Because she had been eating alone these past few days, there weren’t many dishes in the fridge, just eggs, tomatoes, and frozen pork left.

“Not many dishes left. Let’s eat something simple today.”

“It’s okay. Anything is fine.”

Ye Zhiyun didn’t care what they ate, as long as she could eat with Yu Linna, that was enough.

Yu Linna put on an apron and used the few remaining ingredients in the fridge to simply cook sweet and sour spare ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and then used the remaining eggs to make fried rice. When it was done, two bowls of fried rice and two small dishes were neatly arranged on the table.

“Starving! Let’s eat.”

Ye Zhiyun had full confidence in her cooking skills. Even if it was just ordinary home-cooked food, she still ate with relish. A mouthful of fried rice went down, soothing her stomach. She had eaten many delicacies, but the simple home-cooked food whetted her appetite.

Seeing her eat so happily, Yu Linna smiled too. As a cook, having people enjoy the dishes she cooked made her quite happy.
The two just ate like that. Although not speaking, both were happy. This was the most relaxed meal Yu Linna had eaten since moving in. She was no longer reserved, no longer stiff, feeling relaxed for a rare moment.

After eating, Yu Linna went to wash the dishes according to usual practice, and this time Ye Zhiyun didn’t just sit there, but helped clear the table. After washing the dishes and wiping her hands, Yu Linna returned to the living room. At this moment, Ye Zhiyun was sitting on the sofa. Seeing her coming over, she waved, signaling her to come.

“Let’s watch TV together.”

“Okay.”

The two sat shoulder-to-shoulder, leaning against each other, watching the television content, another step closer. Although they said little, their hearts were incredibly close. The TV was currently showing a drama starring Li Yuexin. The two were quickly drawn in by the captivating story. Neither noticed their hands slowly clasping together…

At the very beginning, they were enemies.

Disliking each other, arguing upon every meeting. That encounter on the bus, because of two yuan, started their feud. Ye Zhiyun even said it was impossible for them to ever be on good terms in this lifetime.

But how could fate let them go? Drawing them closer again and again, interaction after interaction, the distance between them constantly shrinking. Although they had argued, and experienced unpleasantness, they ultimately reached this day.

Those clasped hands were a testament to the journey they took together.

As long as they could hold each other’s hands, what was there to be afraid of on the road ahead?

Chapter 102: Seeking Comfort 

Things weren’t looking optimistic for Wenqing Publishing Group lately. While it remained the second-largest novel publishing house in the country, the situation this month was truly precarious. The most obvious sign was that, over the past two months, many authors under their banner had jumped ship to other companies or websites.

Originally, Wenqing, as the second-largest publishing house in the country, had a solid foundation. Although not as good as Qidian, it was still a leading giant in the publishing industry. Compared to other publishing companies like Huanshi and Wanwenku, Wenqing was still quite large.

However, morale at Wenqing was unstable. These past few years, it was the veteran authors who kept things afloat. Newcomers could never rise up the ranks. Even in the annual Newcomer Grand Prize, it was always veteran authors using pseudonyms; there hadn’t been a true newcomer winning the prize for many years. Except for Kongqi that one time, the position had belonged to veterans for at least eight years.

Perhaps because of this, many newcomers felt they had no future here, staying was useless, so they left one after another, not even fearing the penalty for breaching their contracts. For a time, Wenqing suffered heavy losses. A lot of young blood flowed to other companies, especially Qidian, which poached many newcomers from Wenqing, promising cultivation and development.

This year was destined to be a disastrous one for Wenqing. Even before the Newcomer Grand Prize began, so many newcomers started leaving; this was definitely a fatal blow to them.

“As everyone is aware, our editorial department has been experiencing a significant number of departures recently. Several groups of authors have already left. We need to come up with a solution.”

Editor-in-chief Tang He raised this issue at the meeting, his expression serious. Over fifty years old, his face was etched with the marks of time, but his eyes were still incredibly sharp. Having worked in the editorial department for a long time, his gaze was known for its sharpness. Although he no longer directly managed authors, he still had several editors under him, all capable individuals he had trained. Especially Chen Xi, his personally cultivated ace. He had even considered passing the editor-in-chief position to Chen Xi.

“Chief Editor, the market recently has been sluggish. While it appears prosperous, in reality, it has already withered. Many authors feel there’s no future for them here at our company and are jumping ship to other companies. In my opinion, we need to reform first, improve the reward system for authors; we need to retain talent. Have you noticed that we at Wenqing lack new authors?”

Chen Xi stood up and expressed her views on the current situation. Having worked here for several years, she naturally knew the situation here. She also understood that the current Wenqing was severely lacking in fresh talent. Just having veteran authors fighting on the front lines wouldn’t do; they needed new blood.

“Editor Chen, I disagree with this. Just consider, the reward system we offer is already good enough. Look, which company’s reward system is like ours, providing monetary rewards even for word count on online serialization? Do you see other companies offering this? In my view, these people are just being ungrateful. Let them go. We shouldn’t bother keeping those who don’t want to stay.”

“Editor Wu, please don’t be so emotional. Although what Editor Chen said was a bit conservative, the market we’re in is different now. Times change. If we don’t change, we will be eliminated.”

“I think our company’s reward system is good enough. It’s those people lacking in skills. We should recruit more talented individuals.”

“Then how do you propose we recruit talented people? By just talking?”

At the meeting, all the editors argued endlessly, their faces red with debate. But everyone’s starting point was for the sake of the company, for Wenqing. So the editor-in-chief didn’t dissuade them.

Tang He was just thinking about where their system was lacking, how it should be improved, and how to recruit better, more talented new authors. This was a question worth pondering.

Admittedly, Wenqing wasn’t without its super newcomers; Kongqi was one of them. But just relying on Kongqi wasn’t enough; they needed more new blood.
Although Zhao Yuyan was capable, she was very young, with a long way to go. Moreover, she was still a university student who hadn’t stepped into society. She was still somewhat lacking.

The industry appeared very prosperous, but it was only superficial; it was already withering.

The most profitable industries in the entertainment sector were undoubtedly film and television, novels and comics, and games. Among them, film and television was the largest, covering the broadest range. Although the novel industry wasn’t small either, the current situation was quite severe. The competition was too fierce, the strong became increasingly stronger, the weak increasingly weaker, to the point that many newcomers couldn’t bear it and left the circle directly.

Chen Xi sat in her chair, feeling quite exhausted.
How she wished she could make Wenqing do better, but the current situation was too difficult. The changing of the old guard for the new wasn’t happening effectively. Too many veterans, too many newcomers leaving, resulted in a fatal blow for Wenqing.

At this time, Chen Xi suddenly thought of Yu Linna, this girl who once surprised her. If only she could be recruited here; then the situation would improve somewhat, right?
That girl truly had talent. She could craft wonderful stories. Although those stories weren’t quite to the editorial department’s taste, in the readers’ mouths, it was a different story.

Chen Xi wanted to gamble, bring her into Wenqing to be nurtured. But she was unwilling to come in at all. This really troubled her.
How to lure her over became her biggest worry. Because she couldn’t possibly force someone to do something they didn’t want to do.

---

That evening, Yu Linna stayed at home, watching TV alone in the living room after dinner. Since she was alone again, she had grown accustomed to this kind of life. She recalled that around this time last year, she still had to work night shifts. Especially on New Year’s Eve, she worked a whole night as a courier, sorting packages, didn’t even sleep. That night, she earned less than two hundred yuan.

And this year, she no longer had to work.

She was being “kept” by Ye Zhiyun.

But she didn’t like this kind of life. It felt too comfortable. She was used to being busy; suddenly being this idle truly felt unusual. Moreover, Ye Zhiyun wasn’t related to her at all. Her being so good to her made her feel uneasy. She always wanted to find something to do, at least not be so idle like now.

Suddenly, the door opened. Yu Linna quickly got down from the sofa, wearing her fluffy slippers, and went to the genkan to welcome Ye Zhiyun home. The only person who would open the door at this time was Ye Zhiyun.

“Zhiyun, you’re back. What’s wrong? Did you drink?”

Seeing Ye Zhiyun’s state, she felt something was off. She didn’t have her usual coldness and pride but looked utterly dejected.

Yu Linna thought she had been drinking, but there was no smell of alcohol on her.

“Help me to my room. I’m tired.”

She pressed her forehead, looking truly exhausted.

Having gone through so much in one day, it was inevitable to be exhausted. Especially the Li Muqing matter, it had consumed all her energy.

Yu Linna quickly supported her. This was the first time she saw Ye Zhiyun like this. No matter what, the past Ye Zhiyun was always a strong and reliable person. On the day Yu Linna was almost taken away by Orange River, it was she who shielded Yu Linna with open arms, keeping her here.

But the current Ye Zhiyun looked incredibly unwell.

Supporting her, Yu Linna could clearly see her fatigue, the dark circles under her eyes, the bloodshot eyes. Although she was wearing makeup, her sallow skin was still visible.

“What’s wrong, Zhiyun? What happened? Have you eaten?”

“I ate. I want to sleep. Take me. I’m so tired.”

Ye Zhiyun hardly ever said she was tired. When she said she was tired, that meant she was truly exhausted, truly couldn’t hold on anymore.

Having just suffered blows in both career and love, how could Ye Zhiyun possibly be in a good mood?
But looking at Yu Linna’s face, her mood seemed to improve slightly. Especially the worry on her small face was mesmerizing.
For the first time, she noticed how pretty Yu Linna was, her eyes truly beautiful. Her lips, so cute. I really want to bite them.

She reached out, stroked her hair, leaned against her, and with her support, returned to her room. As soon as her feet stepped inside, Ye Zhiyun closed the door, then forcefully pulled Yu Linna forward, pushing her onto the bed. Before Yu Linna could react, the large bed before her turned into the ceiling, her whole orientation forcefully changed.

Just like that, Ye Zhiyun pinned her wrists down, looking from above at the bewildered blonde girl underneath her, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

“Zhiyun, what are you…?”

Yu Linna didn’t understand what was happening. She struggled forcefully, but it was useless; Ye Zhiyun was too strong.

That cute little person was right beneath her. This is so nice. I can’t help but want to take a bite.

“Nana, you’re so cute.”

She lowered her body, smelled her scent, a rush of satisfaction overwhelming her. Yu Linna’s whole body trembled; she struggled violently.

“What are you doing?! Let go of me!”

Let go of her? How could that be possible?
Ye Zhiyun didn’t want to let go.

She stuck out her tongue and licked her earlobe. Yu Linna instantly froze, her face flushed, letting out a small, incomprehensible sound, completely surrendering beneath her.

“No, don’t do this to me, please don’t!”

Just seeing her struggling inexplicably excited her. How could this girl be so cute?

“Nana, my business deal failed. I’m so sad. Things with Muqing also failed. I’m so sad. Just comfort me, okay?”

She leaned against her undeveloped chest, her voice weak. Such a fragile Ye Zhiyun, it was her first time seeing her. Yu Linna didn’t even have the heart to struggle anymore.
Seeing Ye Zhiyun like this, Yu Linna’s heart softened. Everyone had moments of weakness, Ye Zhiyun was no exception. She remembered how Ye Zhiyun had helped her when she was most helpless. She couldn’t bring herself to abandon her heartlessly.

“Zhiyun…”

Her arms wrapped around her back, pulling her closer, letting her head rest more comfortably against her chest.

It seemed like only this way could she comfort her properly.

Chapter 100: Persuasion 

Being grabbed by her, Zhao Yuyan felt a bit flustered, a blush rising on her face. She tried to break free, but found the other person held her hand firmly, not letting go. This little girl used to be quite obedient; how did she become so strong now?

“No need for drinks. I want to talk to you now.”

Luo Nan said lightly.
Since childhood, she was her follower, always walking behind her. When she was little, she firmly believed that as long as she followed Zhao Yuyan, there would always be candy to eat. Later, as they slowly grew up and became more sensible, Luo Nan began to realize that she didn’t follow her just for the candy she gave, but simply wanted to play with her.

“Alright then, let me go first.”

Zhao Yuyan could only give up the idea of getting drinks from the fridge, obediently sitting down on the sofa to chat with her. Luo Nan was very clingy when she was little; wherever she went, she had to follow. Now that she grew up, it seemed not much had changed.

“Yuyan, have you noticed that the development of the novel industry has reached a bottleneck?”

She thought she was really here to reminisce, but unexpectedly, it was about work matters. Zhao Yuyan couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed inside, but her expression remained calm as water.

“What do you mean?”

“If there are too many stories of the same type, they will eventually be eliminated by the market. Not everyone can stand out, but those who do stand out, which one hasn’t followed the routine? Yuyan, a new era will soon arrive. Do you think our generation can survive the trend?”

The current era was one of rapid development. Without making changes, one would quickly be eliminated. What Luo Nan meant was this.
Indeed, whether it was Zhao Yuyan or Luo Nan, they were both genuine super newcomers. But in the tide of the times, whether they could stand at the top was still an unknown. After all, no one knew what the future would hold.

“I don’t know what kind of era it will become in the future, but… as an author, a novelist, what I need to do is just bring my stories into reality, let more people see them. This is my thought.”

Zhao Yuyan replied lightly.
In the upcoming era of change, she didn’t know how to stand out, but she was very clear about what she wanted. In this era, to become famous, one must clearly know which direction to go.

“Guessed you would say that. Yuyan, you haven’t changed at all. That’s why I left Wenqing and turned to Qidian. You know, relying on a few pages of illustrations can’t save the quality. Readers’ eyes are sharp; ultimately, quality speaks.”

Zhao Yuyan frowned, a trace of displeasure rising in her heart. If it weren’t for her relationship with Luo Nan, she really wanted to retort a few words.
But she still said nothing, just remained silent.

She had been at Wenqing Publishing Group for a year now. She knew the situation here: market homogenization, the flood of illustrations, uneven quality. All told people that Wenqing’s development was not optimistic.
In contrast, Qidian not only harvested the super newcomer Luo Nan this year but also had a great god presiding. That great god’s royalties reached 200 million. And in recent years, great gods emerged one after another, attracting readers with their unique writing styles, adapting their works into comics, further enhancing their fame. Recently, several works were about to be adapted into animation.

“Alright, Yuyan, let’s stop here. If you feel I spoke too harshly, I apologize. But, there’s one point I hope you understand: I want to help you.”

Luo Nan stood up, took her hand, her eyes carrying a trace of deep affection, making Zhao Yuyan feel a bit overwhelmed.

“Luo Nan, you’re…”

“Trust me, Yuyan. I’m not the follower from the past. I hope to have you accompany me in the days to come. Think about it carefully. Come to Qidian.”

Zhao Yuyan smiled, but not a happy smile, rather a helpless one.

“That’s impossible, Luo Nan. You should know.”

She wouldn’t leave Wenqing, impossible. No matter how harsh Chen Xi was to her, it was still for her own good. Moreover, just thinking of that blonde girl, she felt unwilling to let it go. Staying at Wenqing at least gave her a chance to see her again, right?
That blonde girl was really special. She felt that just seeing her gave her creative inspiration. She had even thought about digging into stories based on this blonde girl.

“…”

Luo Nan said no more, her eyes becoming cold. She grabbed Zhao Yuyan’s wrists with both hands, forcefully pressing her down onto the sofa. Zhao Yuyan was startled and struggled quickly, but her feet were also locked at this moment.

“Yuyan, promise me, come with me.”

“Luo Nan, what are you doing?! Let go of me quickly! If you continue like this, I’m going to get angry!”

“I won’t let go. I won’t let go no matter what.”

In the living room with only the two of them, an atmosphere of tense confrontation permeated. Within this dangerous atmosphere contained a peach-blossom-colored fragrance. A silver needle fell to the ground with a ding. The good show was unfolding.

---

When Ye Zhiyun walked out of the office building, her face looked very tired, her eyes not so spirited. Although wearing a suit, and even specially wearing glasses for work needs, making her overall temperament look a few points more mature, even so, it couldn’t hide the fatigue on her body.

She just wanted to go home and sleep well now. These days were really tiring, really hard. Busy non-stop every day, sometimes even without time to eat. Such days were too difficult. Although she had gotten used to this kind of life long ago, today, she was really tired.

“Hey, Zhiyun, I came to pick you up! How is it? Tired?”

Dai Wenqian popped out from somewhere, circling her like a little kitten. With this girl bustling around her, her low mood improved somewhat.

“Yes, quite tired. Let’s go, go eat something with me. A bit hungry.”

She took off her glasses and put them away. The usually polite, proud Ye Zhiyun was gone. She was now like an ordinary little girl, just longing for comfort.

“Zhiyun, if you’re sad, you can talk to me. We’re good friends. Although I can’t help you, I will comfort you well.”

Dai Wenqian’s usual playfulness was also gone, gradually becoming quiet. Beside Ye Zhiyun, she changed her usual personality of causing trouble or dying.

“Sigh, thought there was some chance. I spent a month smoothing relations, from bottom to top, talking every day. But still failed. This is fate.”

Ye Zhiyun was a proud person. She disliked failure, but failure was laid before her, and she had no choice but to accept it.
She originally had a plan, which was to invest in an animated movie as a producer, holding all the plans in her hands. She prepared a lot of preliminary work, even prepared a sum of money to buy the animation adaptation rights of a novel, just to smoothly launch the project.
But unfortunately, her bargaining chips weren’t enough. She failed to buy the copyright, unable to adapt.

Although the name Miss Ye was somewhat famous in the industry, she was still just an 18-year-old girl, lacking rich experience, and unable to produce sufficient capital, could only declare failure. The reason her previous movie investments succeeded was often because her vision was sharp enough, finding low-investment, high-quality scripts, allowing the movies she invested in to earn several times over after release.
But large investments wouldn’t work; the profit she could offer others was too little.
Ye Zhiyun realized that compared to her father, she was still far too lacking.

“Zhiyun, don’t be sad, there are still chances. After the New Year, I’ll accompany you to talk. If you feel the chips you can offer aren’t enough, then add mine. Investing alone is not as good as two people investing together. Don’t forget I also know business.”

Dai Wenqian patted her chest confidently.
Although Dai Wenqian’s family background wasn’t comparable to Ye Zhiyun’s, she wasn’t far off either, considered a rich young lady. She started playing stocks long ago. Investment and business operations, she was quite proficient.

The two found a high-end restaurant, sat down, preparing to eat. Ye Zhiyun didn’t plan to think about these things anymore; these days were too tiring. Especially the moment failure was declared, all fatigue rushed forward, attacking her body, almost making her unable to stand firm. She wanted to go home and sleep well; she hadn’t been this tired in a long time.

“By the way, that Little Sister Linna living at your place, aren’t you planning to go back and see?”

“…I’ll go back tonight. Don’t worry. Nana is very independent; she won’t be unable to survive without care.”

Ye Zhiyun really didn’t even have the heart to joke. She ordered a few dishes and waited for them to arrive, not wanting to think about anything else.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Ye Zhiyun took out her phone and looked. It was actually her father calling her.
A bad premonition struck. Ye Zhiyun pressed the answer key, her heart pounding.

“Lost again?”

“…Yes.”

Father only said three words, but these three words made her heart tighten, blood rushing to her head.

“Don’t care so much. Life, failure is common. Just learn to accept it.”

“Accept? Hehe… Dad, you succeeded, of course you’d say that. But I haven’t. I haven’t built my career yet. I can’t fail. I’m not allowed to fail. You know me.”

“Then do you want to throw away 80 million for nothing like last time?”

“I…”

“Failure isn’t scary. What I’m afraid of is that you yourself can’t get out of it.”

Ye Zhiyun gritted her teeth and directly hung up her dad’s phone. Her eyes could almost kill someone. Dai Wenqian felt scared just looking, couldn’t help but move her stool back a bit.

“Who failed? I didn’t!”

She slammed her fist heavily on the table, making the teacups on the table vibrate slightly.
Luckily they were sitting indoors, not in the main hall, otherwise, many people would be staring at this moment.

Ye Zhiyun was proud, strong. She didn’t allow herself not to achieve, didn’t allow herself to lose. Because her dictionary only contained success, not failure. Once failed, she wouldn’t be her anymore.

Chapter 101: Ye Zhiyun’s Disappointment

Ye Zhiyun had everything she could want since childhood. Good food, good clothes, no worries about basic necessities, and she could travel the world. With an older brother at home, she was the center of attention and affection. Her father might have been busy, but her mother always doted on her, never letting her lift a finger.

Ever since her father decided to “toughen her up” and cut off her allowance, pushing her into the world of stock trading, she had actively stepped out of her comfort zone.

The better she performed at work, the stronger her abilities became, and gradually, the pride ingrained in her bones grew stronger. For so many years, she had always been demanding in her work, never allowing failure.

“Zhiyun, calm down first. Have some tea…”

Seeing her like this, Dai Wenqian couldn’t help feeling a bit worried and poured her a cup of hot tea. In this cold weather, hopefully, the hot tea could warm her up a little.

Ye Zhiyun, competitive and unwilling to admit defeat, sat down angrily, arms crossed. These days, she had been incredibly busy, her body long past its limit, just pushing through. But when all her efforts turned to nothing, all the problems surfaced, especially the frustration suppressed in her heart, erupting at this moment.

Dai Wenqian understood her friend’s personality very well and didn’t dare provoke her easily, only offering comfort. After all, this was one of the few setbacks Ye Zhiyun had experienced in so many years. Previously, she had always been successful, everything she did yielding good results. A situation like this, with all efforts wasted and no progress made, was rare. It was only natural to have difficulty accepting it for a while.

Just like her father said, she had to learn to accept failure.

Although those words were simple, getting her to understand them was no easy task. Ye Zhiyun’s personality was competitive and strong-willed. Accepting her loss would take time.

This meal was quite awkward. The two barely spoke. Dai Wenqian deeply understood her friend’s personality. At this time, she could only stay by her side, hoping she wouldn’t go astray. Ye Zhiyun was good at everything except being too proud. Her inability to accept failure was also inevitable.

She needed time to accept this now.

After finishing the meal, Ye Zhiyun didn’t rush home, but wandered around outside. Dressed in her suit, she looked every bit the professional, which deterred a few would-be harassers. Even if they did approach, it wouldn’t have mattered; Ye Zhiyun could easily take them down.

Her mood clearly low, Ye Zhiyun sighed. She took out her phone and made a call. At this moment, there seemed to be no one she could rely on. Dai Wenqian stood obediently to the side, tactfully quiet.

“Hello, Muqing. I know you’re there.”

“What’s up? It’s so late.”

“My project didn’t go well, fell apart. I lost some money. Can you come out?”

“Zhiyun, don’t worry. It’s just one failure, not a big deal. You need to adjust your mindset, analyze your mistakes, so next time this kind of thing happens…”

“Could you just shut up?! I just wanted you to come out. Why so much nonsense!”

Ye Zhiyun didn’t understand why this low-EQ man had to enter her life. If only he were a little more perceptive, how great would that be?

But she also knew clearly that she and Li Muqing were probably impossible.

However, three years of feelings couldn’t be let go so easily. Now, she was tired, exhausted, wanting to find someone to lean on. No matter how strong and capable she was, she was still an 18-year-old girl, and she also got tired.

She also had to protect Yu Linna, who lived at her house. She couldn’t let her see her like this.

She could only look for Li Muqing.

Li Muqing drove over about ten minutes later. As soon as he got out of the car, he saw Ye Zhiyun and Dai Wenqian waiting outside the restaurant. He scratched his head and walked over.

“Zhiyun, Wenqian, hello. It’s so cold late at night, aren’t you going back?”

Sigh, low EQ, Dai Wenqian silently added in her heart.
For her good friend Ye Zhiyun, she tactfully stepped aside, giving them enough space.

“Muqing, come have coffee with me. I’m a little sleepy.”

“If you’re sleepy, I’ll take you home. Looking at you, you seem like you haven’t slept for several days. Let’s go, get in the car.”

“Do you care whether I slept or not? I want to drink coffee, come with me.”

“But drinking coffee late at night isn’t good…”

“I like it, mind your own business.”

Dai Wenqian silently threw up her hands from the side. There really was such a thing as low-EQ men in this world. These kinds of men all suffer from one disease called “deserves to be single” disease.

“I have something to do, going home now. Enjoy your coffee, hehe.”

Dai Wenqian proactively left them space and went home. Anyway, this was none of her business. Staying here wouldn’t be appropriate. Better not be tactless.

After Dai Wenqian left, Ye Zhiyun followed Li Muqing to the coffee shop and ordered coffee. Li Muqing was utterly bewildered. Why did she suddenly want coffee? Just seeing Ye Zhiyun in a suit, drinking coffee in a coffee shop at night, felt strange.

Shouldn’t one drink alcohol after a failed business deal?

“Do you think I’m really useless?”

At this moment, Ye Zhiyun seemed to have lost her usual assertiveness and pride, instead looking very fragile, her beauty enhanced.

“I thought I was all-powerful, capable of everything. I was still too confident. Without enough bargaining chips, people don’t even glance at me. Guess what they say? They say it’s because I’m that person’s daughter that they give me face.”

“Zhiyun…”

“Damn it, I’m so unwilling. I don’t want to lose. I want to succeed. I don’t want to fail. I won’t fall so easily.”

Ye Zhiyun was inherently competitive, a characteristic she displayed from her very first encounter with Yu Linna. At that time, she truly refused to admit defeat. Facing Yu Linna’s appearance, which threatened her relationship with Li Muqing, she showed strong aversion, even arguing upon meeting.
This was precisely because, at her core, she was extremely proud, not allowing anyone to steal Li Muqing. But since realizing she and Li Muqing were probably impossible, she had gradually let go of that persistence.

But it was undeniable, she had liked Li Muqing, liked him for three years.

This feeling had existed.

“Zhiyun, let me take you home.”

“Take me home? Haha, how funny. Even if you take me home, so what? Still an honest person. Haven’t you gained any enlightenment at all these three years? Why are you so dense? Why don’t you understand what I mean?”

If only Li Muqing were just a little bit more perceptive, how great would that be? Just a little bit, and he could have her. But he never understood.

Three years, she had liked him for three years, pursued him for three years. Yet he had never grasped her intentions.

She just didn’t understand why she fell for this low-EQ man.

“Zhiyun, what do you mean?”

“Sigh, when will you ever understand? You really are a fool.”

If it weren’t for the fact that she was drinking coffee, Li Muqing would have thought she was drunk.

“Muqing, haven’t you ever liked me? I liked you. But you never seem to notice me.”

Sure enough, Li Muqing’s face was blank; this was within her expectations.

Some things, if you’re not direct, they will never be understood. This is such a sad thing. She once thought he would understand, yet in reality, he didn’t.

Li Muqing, having the character of a male protagonist, but not a male protagonist’s destiny.

“Sorry, I’ve always regarded you as my younger sister.”

Li Muqing was silent for a while before finally responding to her confession.

This answer was also expected. Just, it still felt sad.

Her mother, Li Xiaoyue, was right. Li Muqing never had a place for her in his heart. To him, she was always just family, not a lover. She had always known this. Always.

“I know. I know…”

As she spoke these words, the dejection on her face deepened. If not for her incredibly strong rational mind, she would have probably burst into tears at this moment.

Nothing is sadder than being rejected.

A three-year-long affection, three years later, ending in failure. She was never the person in his dreams; she was just someone who happened to appear in his life.

“Zhiyun…”

“You don’t have to pity me, or think too much of me. I came here just wanting to tell you that I once liked you. But that’s in the past. After tonight, we are still friends.”

“…Yes. You can come to me with any difficulties. As long as you are willing, I can support you for a lifetime.”

“Okay…”

She spoke this word with a wry smile, her heart bleeding.

Inexplicably, the figure of a blonde girl flashed across her mind, slowly soothing the wound in her heart. Somehow, she just wanted to see that girl now, wanted to hug her, wanted to meet her again. And this feeling intensified with the passing of time.

She looked up at the night sky outside the window, feeling melancholic, a trace of longing in her eyes.

Wanting to see Yu Linna, this feeling became increasingly strong. She so wished there were someone by her side, someone to comfort her.

Where was that blonde girl?
Missing her, wanting to see her. Where was she…?

“Are you okay? Let me take you home.”

“…Okay.”

She was no longer stubborn, no longer proud, just nodded. At this moment, she was just a child needing comfort.

Life is long. Experiencing a failure or two was normal. But whether she could get over it, that was up to her. Ye Zhiyun, such a proud person, had accepted two failures within a day: one in career, one in love. Could she overcome it?

It truly depended on herself now.

But in a certain sense, this was also a good thing. At least it severed her wishful thinking, allowed her to shift her focus to where it should be, and also let her clearly recognize her own feelings.

Some things, since you can’t force them, just let them go. No one will feel sorry for you because of your pity. In this world, the only one you can truly rely on is yourself.

Ye Zhiyun seemed to understand, yet seemed not to understand.

Chapter 99: Visitor

Yu Linna absolutely wouldn’t go live streaming again, not even if paid. Experiencing that kind of thing once was enough.

Besides, she wasn’t anyone special; why run off to live stream?

Are you sure there wouldn’t be lolicons appearing if she live-streamed? For her own safety, it was better not to.

“Do another interactive live stream with me, and I promise to make a video for you.”

“Even so, I won’t agree.”

“Linna~”

“Acting cute is useless.”

“You’ve become bad!”

No matter how Fang Jianing pleaded, she remained unmoved. If she said no, it was no. Just as she said, experiencing that kind of thing once was enough.
Besides, she really didn’t understand what was so fun about live streaming. Wasn’t it just dressing up and showing yourself to others? It wasn’t like acting in front of the camera.

However, Yu Linna herself didn’t expect that because of the previous live stream, she also gained a small group of fans. Some people even followed her “Little Nana” account on Weibo.

Strolling through the food street, enjoying this wonderful time, Yu Linna didn’t want to think about anything, just wanted to properly savor this moment. In the past, she was always worried and afraid. Now she could finally put aside these trivial matters and have a good meal.

“Classmate Linna, I heard from Ningning that you used to work part-time. What about now?”

Huo Ningning came up again, wanting to get closer. Yu Linna felt speechless about this, but after all, she had treated her to food, and she even said she would treat them to a buffet.

“I used to, not anymore.”

She said lightly.
In the past, she had no choice, no money to eat, and needed money to pay rent. Now she was being kept by someone; where did she need to consider this problem? The biggest problem she needed to consider was what to cook for Zhiyun when she came home at night.

“Then you… now…”

Huo Ningning seemed a bit worried, a strange emotion flashing in her eyes, her brows furrowing.

“If you have any difficulties, you can come find me anytime.”

“Oh…”

Yu Linna didn’t know what she was saying, but still subconsciously responded.
Although she didn’t particularly like Huo Ningning, from her eyes, she saw a trace of concern, completely different from the usual burning gaze. This somewhat melted her coldness towards her, becoming less repulsed.
Actually, if Huo Ningning didn’t stare at her with that kind of gaze, she was also a good person, right? Yu Linna couldn’t help thinking.

“Ningning, let’s go, we should have lunch. Where’s the promised buffet? Quickly take us there, I’m hungry.”

“Okay, I’ll definitely let you eat your fill. Follow me!”

Huo Ningning seemed to be spending money all along this way. Yu Linna had eaten so much, yet she never showed any stinginess. Now she even said she would treat them to a buffet. Could this cute girl with glasses be a hidden ojou-sama? Yu Linna couldn’t help thinking.

Yu Linna had a very enjoyable meal today. With free food, how could she not be happy? Today was truly a good day.

---

Wenqing Publishing Group was currently one of the top two large novel publishing houses in the country. They also established a website online. Generally, after novels published by novelists were released for a period, electronic versions would appear on this website, but they required payment to read.

And Qidian was different from Wenqing Publishing Group. Qidian initially appeared as an online novel platform, then grew bigger and bigger, also becoming a large publishing house. It was established earlier than Wenqing Publishing Group and held a higher status domestically. Currently, among the members of the National Young Writers Association, Qidian accounted for at least six, while Wenqing only had one.

This era was a time of flourishing development for novels, also the best of times. But everyone strived to be the best; not everyone could leap over the dragon gate and become a true dragon.

Zhao Yuyan was very lucky, having carved out her own path in Wenqing Publishing Group. Although just a newcomer, she had sufficient strength, forcefully carving a bloody path among many veteran authors, winning first place in the Newcomer Grand Prize.

With such strength, she also gained recognition and respect. Moreover, she was also an author edited by Chen Xi, the top editor in the editorial department. Her status was naturally different.

Whenever she came online in the QQ author group, many authors would come out to interact with her, asking for red envelopes. One could imagine how high her status was.

Most importantly, she was also a female author.

Although there were many female authors in the country, very few could become famous. Female authors like Zhao Yuyan, who peaked at their debut, were even rarer. It was precisely because of this status that male readers were more tolerant of her.

“Sigh, don’t want to rush the manuscript…”

On this day, Zhao Yuyan was at home playing Honor of Kings (a mobile game), not writing her manuscript, not preparing the outline. She clearly knew the deadline for publishing the short story was approaching, yet she hadn’t written a single word. If Chen Xi saw this scene, she would definitely skin her alive.

Zhao Yuyan herself was a very lazy person. She didn’t like working, always liked playing, especially playing games. Every time, she would only desperately rush the manuscript when the deadline was near. She called this “author syndrome.” In short, one sentence: I don’t want to write, I’m a pigeon (internet slang for someone who breaks promises/deadlines).

If other authors dared to miss deadlines like this, it would definitely cause public outrage. But Miss Zhao Yuyan had a beautiful face, a pretty and cute little face, long black hair tied into a braid behind her, average height, but the towering peaks on her chest captivated men.

Such a beautiful girl, even if she went on strike, no one would blame her, right? Zhao Yuyan firmly believed this.

Ding dong~

The doorbell rang, shattering her thoughts of continuing to be a pigeon. Even if she was extremely unwilling, she still had to open the door. Who would come to her house at this time? Besides Chen Xi, she really couldn’t think of anyone else. She had no choice but to surrender in the game, quickly ending it. But her teammates were unwilling to surrender, still wanting to fight. There was no other way; Zhao Yuyan could only go AFK (away from keyboard).

“Coming! Sister Chen, in the middle of the day, you… Eh? It’s you?”

Standing outside the door was a child about her age. She had short hair like a boy’s, and her clothes were also androgynous. From afar, she looked like a boy, but her facial features were too soft. Her bright eyes and delicate lips all told people she was actually a girl.

“Luo Nan, why are you here? Don’t you have to write your manuscript today?”

Zhao Yuyan opened the door, stood there, a bit bewildered. After all, under normal circumstances, this person wouldn’t take the initiative to come to her house. It was always she who took the initiative to find her.

“Since you became an author, you’ve completely become a hikikomori (shut-in). If I don’t come looking for you, I probably won’t see you until the New Year.”

This androgynous-looking girl was named Luo Nan, an old acquaintance of Zhao Yuyan. The two could be considered to have grown up together. Luo Nan was about two months younger than Zhao Yuyan. Zhao Yuyan always treated Luo Nan like a younger sister, taking good care of her.

“Not inviting me in?”

“Oh, of course you can come in. Sit down, I’ll prepare some juice for you.”

Zhao Yuyan still treated Luo Nan like her good little sister, just like in the past. When they were very young, they played together. They were even classmates in elementary school. At that time, Luo Nan was always the little follower behind her.

Their families also became close because of their relationship, visiting each other during the New Year. Especially Zhao Yuyan, who would go to Luo Nan’s house every year to ask for red envelopes. Luo Nan also enjoyed playing with her.

But Zhao Yuyan started living alone last year, partly because she started university, partly because she debuted as an author, and lived independently from then on. It was also from that time that she met Luo Nan less often.

“Yuyan, how have you been recently? I heard you have a new book planned for publication.”

“Cough, cough!”

Zhao Yuyan almost choked to death. Not mentioning this matter was fine, but mentioning it made her panic terribly. Her manuscript hadn’t been touched yet. A short story needed at least 100,000 words to be published. She was probably done for. Moreover, she still had serial novel manuscripts to write. Dragging it on like this would definitely ruin her liver (figurative, meaning exhaust her).

“Haha, isn’t it the same for you, Luo Nan? Didn’t you sign with Qidian?”

Zhao Yuyan smiled unnaturally, changing the topic.

Luo Nan also debuted as an author this year. At first, she originally wanted to go to Wenqing Publishing Group, work at the same place as Zhao Yuyan. But Wenqing didn’t meet her requirements, nor did they give her enough profit. She felt like she was being played, so in anger, she went to Qidian.

And she was quite lucky at Qidian. She initially posted her novel online for serialization, and its popularity instantly soared. She was quickly discovered by an editor, and her first long novel was published, earning her first royalty payment. Although her debut was later than Zhao Yuyan’s, her strength was also considerable. On the website’s monthly ticket rankings, her works could always reach the top five. You know, she was still a newcomer!

Also because of this formidable strength, the editor at Wenqing Publishing Group realized they had given a good seedling to Qidian, regretting it deeply. But things had come to this point, irreversible. Luo Nan was now a contracted author of Qidian.

“Qidian is very good to me, and the editor also takes good care of me. Recently, I’ve been focusing on writing. I already have a plan. I intend to create my own novel series, but that’s something that will take a long time to complete.”

“Isn’t that great? Having something you want to do, I think that’s wonderful. Really didn’t expect you, Luo Nan, to grow up and become so outstanding.”

Preparing the juice, Zhao Yuyan served it to her, smiling. In front of this younger sister, she still had to act like an older sister.

“Yuyan, do you think I got this for nothing? For me to have today, it’s also thanks to you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have thought of becoming an author. You made me understand that the world is so big, I should go out and explore. I’m very grateful to you.”

Luo Nan picked up the glass and finished the juice in one gulp. Her gaze fixed on her, seemingly carrying some inexplicable meaning. Zhao Yuyan felt goosebumps from being stared at. She stood up, wanting to get a drink from the fridge in the kitchen.

“I’ll go get something…”

At this moment, her hand was grabbed.

Chapter 98: Getting Closer

“You seem quite fond of that girl, Sister Chen.”

Holding her coffee, Zhao Yuyan teased.

After sending Yu Linna home, Chen Xi remained silent, sitting in Zhao Yuyan’s home drinking coffee. Perhaps her mind was heavy; her brows hadn’t relaxed.

She remembered their first meeting, on that stage. When she saw this blonde girl, she believed this girl could emit her own light. Think about it, initially, it was she who first found an opportunity for Yu Linna, letting her become an actress. But later, seeing she made no progress on the path of an actress, she thought she had misjudged.

In fact, she did misjudge. Yu Linna shouldn’t be standing on the stage; she should be the person sitting behind the scenes.

If she could create well, she could definitely make a career. Regardless of her strength, just based on her way of thinking and imagination, even if she couldn’t successfully submit a manuscript at first, as long as she persisted, she could debut as a novelist. Based on her years of experience, this was possible.

She always felt she seemed to have missed the opportunity to discover her.

“No, I still have to go persuade her. Can’t waste such good raw material.”

Chen Xi’s tone was quite firm, her eyes revealing her usual persistence. Even if she was unwilling, so what? She still had to go pull her over. This circle, she would definitely reserve a position for her.

If the past Yu Linna knew about this, how happy she would be! Her talent discovered by someone, and wanting to be recruited. Unfortunately, the current Yu Linna was no longer the past Yu Linna.

The current her wasn’t so easily recruited.

Disheartened, wanting her to strive for her dream again, was it really that easy?

---

After Yu Linna refused her, she no longer cared about these matters. Having been deceived by Orange River once, she would never easily trust others again. Someone always told her she could succeed, she would become the most dazzling star. Unfortunately, those were all lies.

How nicely Orange River spoke to her back then, how wonderful it sounded. But what was the result? Didn’t they almost subject her to the unspoken rules, and saddle her with a debt of eighty million? If it weren’t for Ye Zhiyun, she really would have been done for there.

From then on, she learned her lesson. Anyone, absolutely anyone, could not be trusted. In this world, besides herself, no one could be trusted 100%. She had no relatives in this world; the only one she could rely on was herself. So she must protect herself well.

Even if she had nothing left, she had to live well in this world. Life is precious; it absolutely cannot be thrown away again.

“Linna, you seem preoccupied. Are you really okay?”

Fang Jianing, who came out to play with her, saw her spacing out all the way and couldn’t help waving her hand in front of her.

Since the last cyberbullying incident, Fang Jianing and Yu Linna’s relationship had taken another step closer. The two became more intimate, often eating together and hanging out together.

“It’s nothing.”

Yu Linna took a bite of the bingtanghulu (candied hawthorn on a stick), indicating she was fine. The cold wind blew, chilling air entered. The blonde girl followed the little angel walking on the road, feeling the temperature on the road. Sure enough, this kind of weather isn’t suitable for going out, Yu Linna couldn’t help thinking.

“Hello, Ningning! What a coincidence! Ahahaha.”

Suddenly, a small head popped out from the crowd, the glasses on her face very conspicuous.

“Hmm, isn’t this Ningning? Why are you here too? Come play with us.”

“Really? But you’re with Classmate Linna, I…”

“It’s okay, come along.”

“Okay~”

Fang Jianing wasn’t stupid. How could she not see what Huo Ningning was up to? Seeing her always wanting to get close to Yu Linna, she should know she really wanted to play with Yu Linna. But Yu Linna was always very cold towards her.

As for Yu Linna, what else could she say besides agreeing? Actually, she didn’t particularly like Huo Ningning. Because Huo Ningning always looked at her with a burning gaze, making her very uncomfortable. Moreover, Huo Ningning always intentionally tried to get close to her, seeming to have some affection for her. Anyway, Yu Linna wasn’t quite used to it.

“Classmate Linna, it’s rare to hang out together. How about it? Want me to take you to eat something delicious? I know there’s a food street nearby. The food there is delicious.”

Huo Ningning’s face flushed slightly, her eyes also drifting, but she still stood firmly in front of the blonde girl, issuing a fatal temptation to her.

And Fang Jianing tactfully left her some space, letting her invite Yu Linna herself.

Little Cutie Yu Linna didn’t particularly like Huo Ningning, but it had to be said, the two words “delicious food” held great temptation for her. Thinking about her pitiful little frame, because she didn’t eat well as a child, she hadn’t developed well even now. Now that she had the chance, she naturally wanted to eat well.

“Your treat.”

“Of course!”

Alright, Yu Linna lost again.

Perhaps she should change her surname to Wang.

Actually, she still hated her body for this. Whenever someone tempted her with food, she was always so weak. If only she could be a bit firmer.

Huo Ningning was overjoyed. Being able to invite Yu Linna, was there anything happier than this? You know, this girl had always been very cold towards her. Just by using the great method of treating her to food, she could lure a little animal home. This deal was truly 100% profitable.

After a short while, Yu Linna, holding a grilled sausage, had a satisfied smile on her face, walking happily on the road. At the same time, Huo Ningning’s face was also filled with happiness.

It could be seen she really wanted to play with Yu Linna. Ordinary people, after being rejected by Yu Linna so many times, would tactfully leave. But she was just thick-skinned, couldn’t be driven away no matter how hard one tried.

“Ningning, you really like Linna, huh? How did she attract you?”

Fang Jianing teased cheerfully.

If it weren’t for Huo Ningning being a girl, she would think Huo Ningning had feelings for her.

“…She’s special.”

Huo Ningning’s gaze towards Yu Linna dimmed slightly, but she was still smiling, just a bit unnaturally.

If possible, she naturally wanted to get closer to Yu Linna, like Fang Jianing. But she couldn’t.

Really want, really want, to get close to her, want to be closer to her.

Yu Linna, at this moment, held a grilled sausage, taking small bites. Suddenly, she saw a missing person notice posted on the advertising wall by the roadside. These stickers were often seen on the street, especially for missing children and elderly people. This one was looking for a missing child, but what was different from the usual missing person notices was that this one was looking for a child missing for ten years.

There was a very conspicuous title on this paper: “Child, I’m Waiting for You to Come Home.”

Yu Linna was sometimes always very sensitive to these missing person notices, probably because she was an orphan, having some understanding of families who lost their children. Although she became alone when very young, she vaguely remembered that she seemed to have been sold by someone.

But she couldn’t remember the specifics, only knowing she was sold. Later, after twists and turns, she ended up living in foster families. Living under someone else’s roof, it was inevitable to suffer their temper. Her life in each foster family never exceeded two months. One could imagine how many people’s homes she had to live in.

And because of this blonde hair, many people disliked her, calling her a foreign devil, a femme fatale.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have had this appearance in the first place. If it weren’t for this face, she wouldn’t have had so many troubles.

“Linna, what’s wrong? Spacing out again?”

Fang Jianing patted her shoulder, worried. But Yu Linna just shook her head.

“It’s nothing. Just remembered some things. Let’s go.”

Taking a bite of the remaining sausage, Yu Linna looked completely fine, planning to stroll around the food street again. She loved food streets the most. There were many things here, allowing her to eat non-stop. Most importantly, she didn’t have to pay.

And Huo Ningning stood there, looking at the missing person notice Yu Linna had just looked at, her expression becoming heavy. She stood there, her petite body trembling slightly, head lowered, the lenses of her glasses reflecting light.

If, a long time ago, she had cherished it, would things not be like this? Back then, she was ignorant, didn’t know what it meant to live under someone else’s roof, didn’t know what it meant to be helpless, thinking she was the whole world. Only after growing up did she realize the whole world couldn’t let her run freely.

She regretted it, regretted it immensely. But it was already irreversible.

That person had also long forgotten that matter.

If she remembered, she probably wouldn’t forgive her.

Because she was so hateful.

“Ningning, why are you spacing out too?”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming right away! I’ll take you to eat the best buffet! My treat today!”

She would use her own methods to make up for everything. Even if it was impossible to salvage, at least, she had to give herself an explanation.

Of course, Yu Linna didn’t know what Huo Ningning was thinking. Because right now, she was only thinking about how to make good use of this free opportunity, eat her fill all at once. People live in this world to eat. If you don’t eat well, how can you do justice to yourself?

“Speaking of which, my popularity has risen again recently. My fans all say they want to see Little Nana again, even if it’s just for a few minutes.”

Fang Jianing brought up her recent affairs on Bilibili. Given her relationship with Yu Linna, discussing this topic wasn’t strange.

“Want me to live stream? Impossible, impossible. Having that kind of thing happen once is enough.”

Yu Linna refused directly without even thinking.

“Ningning, when did you tell her?”

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you. Linna only found out these past two months, ehe~”

“So unfair! So envious!”

Huo Ningning bit her handkerchief, wishing she could knead Fang Jianing’s little face into a ball.

Regarding Fang Jianing being an uploader on Bilibili, Huo Ningning seemed to have known long ago. Before entering the third year of high school, she and Fang Jianing were always in the same class. They were only assigned to the advanced class after entering the third year.

Yu Linna was different; she had always been in the advanced class, just that the classmates had changed several times.

“Linna, really not agreeing to live stream with me?”

“Said not going means not going. Don’t persuade me.”

“Give you money~”

“I’m not going. Don’t ask me to go.”

Hey, money doesn’t work anymore! Fang Jianing miscalculated.

Chapter 97: A Person Without Dreams

The tea was changed five times in succession, the leaves steeped until mushy, forcing Zhao Yuyan to change the tea leaves several times. But Chen Xi kept drinking, never stopping. She had a habit: once immersed in a working state, she loved to drink something, often uncontrollably.

The tea was changed several times, and Zhao Yuyan felt quite helpless. In her memory, the last time Chen Xi drank tea like this was when she first wanted to sign her as an author under her banner.

Chen Xi and Yu Linna talked for quite a long time. Starting from their initial conversation at home, then moving to Zhao Yuyan’s place, they talked non-stop. Chen Xi enjoyed it immensely, wanting to talk more after finishing. It had been a long time since someone could pique her interest like this.

Indeed, Yu Linna might have many shortcomings in certain aspects. When dealing with commercial stories, there were some loopholes, and they weren’t attractive enough, too heavy. But it had to be said, this girl possessed a unique imagination.

She might really be a treasure misplaced.

“Sister Chen, I see you’ve worked hard talking. Take a break, I’ll make you some coffee.”

“Thank you, Teacher Kongqi.”

Chen Xi also realized she had been talking for quite a long time. Once she encountered something she was interested in, she couldn’t stop. Unknowingly, two hours had passed.

Her throat was also a bit dry. She had indeed talked a lot and should rest.

Chen Xi cleared her throat, planning to go out for some fresh air. Although Yu Linna didn’t bring her too many surprises, she did bring her an unexpected gain, making her feel she would have a different harvest this year. It was just that, asking her to enter the novelist profession now seemed a bit demanding.

After all, there were less than two weeks until the Newcomer Grand Prize. It was too late for her to prepare a manuscript; it was unlikely.

It was just a pity to waste such a good seedling. With her talent, even if she couldn’t get first place, she could at least secure a publication slot. Of course, she only dared to think this way. Yu Linna, without practical experience, how much strength she actually had was still hard to say.

The blame lay with her for not discovering this child’s talent earlier. If she had cultivated her sooner, perhaps there would still be a chance.

“Your name is Linna, right? You’re quite talented. Sister Chen rarely talks so much about work matters with people.”

Zhao Yuyan took the initiative to chat with this girl after Chen Xi left.

In her eyes, this little blonde sister not only had a good appearance but also a boundless imagination, a talented girl.

Of course, Yu Linna herself hadn’t noticed this point.

“Not really talented. I just read a lot… How could someone like me possibly have talent?”

She gave a wry smile.

Having experienced so many things, she didn’t think she still possessed something like talent. Talent belonged to Nangong Ying, belonged to Fang Jianing, belonged to Ye Zhiyun, not to her.
She still had self-awareness.

“Don’t say that. Some things, you just haven’t discovered them yourself.”

Zhao Yuyan smiled and said these words in the capacity of a senior.
Although she, this newcomer author, wasn’t qualified to say these things, she was, after all, someone who had been discovered. Before being discovered, she never thought she could actually do so outstandingly.

Becoming a novelist is a dream in many people’s hearts. But not everyone can become one.

Many people yearn for the upper echelons, yearn for higher and farther places, yearn for the peak of overnight fame. Becoming a novelist is definitely not as fast as becoming famous as an actor.

Novelists are always the group creating silently behind the scenes. They are always lonely. Except for a few works that are truly excellent, most novelists are very unfamiliar in the eyes of passersby.

“Linna, have you ever thought about realizing your own dream?”

Dream, what a beautiful word.

Countless people strive for their dreams, shedding blood and tears. Behind this beautiful word lies countless hardships. Some people lose themselves for their dreams, even betraying their close friends and family for their dreams. While some people always adhere to themselves for their dreams, never abandoning them.

“Dream? I had one. I once had one.”

Yu Linna gave a wry smile.

It wasn’t that she never had a dream, just that she no longer dared to walk forward.

Before, she wanted to fly higher and farther, just because she wanted to walk alongside Nangong Ying, wanted to walk with her, follow her footsteps. But Nangong Ying didn’t take her along, so she was ruthlessly abandoned.

She once thought that if she could become famous, she might have the chance to find her relatives in this world. She had no one to rely on; wanting to find her roots through this method was understandable.

But the idea was beautiful, yet reality was cruel.

She had already given up this boring idea.

“Then why don’t you continue walking forward?”

“I don’t dare to walk anymore. If one day you find your path covered with sharp knife fragments, would you continue walking?”

She was scared, dared not walk anymore.

The pain of being betrayed by her best friend, she didn’t want to experience it again.

Trusting someone again was useless; what she got in return was still unforgettable pain. You completely trust her, yet she ruthlessly hurts you. You obey her every whim, yet she cruelly abandons you.

At that time, Yu Linna even thought about suicide, thought about leaving this world. It was Ye Zhiyun who forcefully kept her, forcefully made her live, until today.

“You will change your mind, I believe. Because you’re like me; we’re the same kind of people.”

Zhao Yuyan smiled.

People in this circle all had dreams, wanting to fly higher and farther.

Zhao Yuyan also hoped her name could be remembered by people, passed down by word of mouth.

---

“Miss Yu, I have something I want to tell you.”

Chen Xi had stayed outside for quite a while before returning from the balcony. The previous fatigue on her face was gone, replaced by more spirit, and that sparkle in her eyes.

“Have you ever thought about becoming a novelist? Have you ever thought about writing down the stories in your heart for others to see?”

She spoke the words that would influence Yu Linna’s entire life.
This was the first time Yu Linna heard someone say this to her, and also the words that changed her life.

All along, Yu Linna really hadn’t thought about becoming a novelist, never thought about it. In the past, she always drifted with the current. Hearing Nangong Ying say she wanted to participate in the singing competition, she followed along. Nangong Ying chose to be an actress, so she also became an actress. Until being betrayed, she completely left the entertainment industry.

But novelist and actress are completely different concepts.

Being a novelist meant not having that much exposure, willingly being a diligent creator behind the scenes.

“I’ve never thought about it.”

“Then do you want to, take up this profession?”

“No, absolutely not.”

Yu Linna wouldn’t change her mind. No matter how Chen Xi persuaded her, she remained unmoved.

She had long lost her dream; how could she possibly chase dreams anymore? That was impossible. Novelist or whatever, it was still too far from her. Currently, she had no intention of becoming a novelist.

Chen Xi spent the entire afternoon lobbying, constantly brainwashing her, but it was useless; Yu Linna remained completely unmoved.
Finally, Chen Xi had no choice but to obediently send her home. Heaven always played cruel jokes on her. She thought she had found a treasure, but this treasure didn’t want to shine at all.

If Yu Linna were really placed in the right position, she could definitely emit her own light. It was just that all along, she hadn’t chosen the right position. Chen Xi believed her judgment was correct; Yu Linna had the potential to become the second Teacher Kongqi.

The blame lay with her for not recognizing Yu Linna from the beginning.

After Yu Linna returned home, she also carefully considered Chen Xi’s proposal, but she still firmly believed she was right. She would not become a novelist, absolutely impossible.

Asking her to become a novelist was absolutely impossible.

---

Speaking of Ye Zhiyun, since she went out to discuss business for several days without returning home, she finally planned to make a trip back. Although in the past she would also be too busy with various jobs to have time to go home, ever since Yu Linna moved in, she had always insisted on returning home every day, just to eat a hot meal.

It could be said that this was the longest business trip she had taken since Yu Linna moved in.

Leaving home for just a few days, yet she felt like several months had passed. She somewhat missed the food at home. Yu Linna’s cooking was always delicious. She would always adjust according to her taste. She knew Ye Zhiyun liked vegetarian food, so she always bought more vegetables when grocery shopping.

But actually, she really hoped Yu Linna could buy more meat dishes. They had known each other for so long; didn’t she know her taste? Yu Linna taking care of her like this only made her feel awkward.

If only Yu Linna could open her heart to her one day, how wonderful that would be. But this wish was still a bit too extravagant.

“Miss Ye, what’s wrong? You seem absent-minded.”

“…It’s nothing. Just thought about something for a moment. Please continue.”

Only then did Ye Zhiyun realize she had spaced out. She gathered her thoughts, putting herself back at the negotiation table. The appearance of the obese middle-aged uncle in front of her was really unflattering, but because of his status, Ye Zhiyun had to give him some face.

“You just said you wanted to buy the copyright of the works under our banner. I want to know how Miss Ye plans to use this copyright, how to maximize the value of the copyright in your hands.”

“First, my buying this copyright wasn’t on a whim. In today’s film industry, there’s no shortage of commercial films, but animated films that truly achieve box office success are few and far between, and they still need national subsidies. I want to invest in an animated movie myself, as a producer, to maximize this investment.”

Investing in an animated movie was something Ye Zhiyun had always wanted to do. But due to limited ability, she hadn’t been able to realize it. But now that the movie she invested in made some money, she wanted to try fully managing a movie, maximizing the movie’s value.

Therefore, buying a copyright was very important.

Especially works that were easy to adapt and had some popularity.

“But Miss Ye, your conditions are not sufficient for us to sell the copyright to you. You know, adapting film and television works always carries great risks.”

Ye Zhiyun frowned tightly, thinking about what other bargaining chips she could use.

Chapter 96: Hello, My Name is Zhao Yuyan

Chen Xi and Yu Linna sat and talked for a long time. Even Chen Xi herself didn’t expect she could talk for so long, mainly because she found Yu Linna’s many viewpoints aligned with hers. Regarding the understanding of stories, regarding the current problems in the novel industry, she had her own set of insights. Gradually, Chen Xi couldn’t stop.

“The current novel industry seems very developed, but it’s actually just a false prosperity. You can see there haven’t been many decent works in recent years. Even the older generation of authors are resting on their laurels, while innovative works are often buried in the market.”

“That’s true. As a reader, I still hope to see interesting stories. Many stories now are copied from a template; the beginnings are too similar. But doing so is indeed very stable.”

“In the years I’ve worked, I haven’t found many truly outstanding authors. Although there are excellent ones, compared to the past, they are somewhat lacking.”

Chen Xi felt her mouth dry from talking, picked up her teacup, and drank. Since she started talking, the tea in the teapot was almost finished by her.
When talking about problems in her profession, she just couldn’t stop. Perhaps she herself didn’t expect that Yu Linna could actually talk with her for so long.

Indeed, Yu Linna only had a beautiful appearance. Putting her on stage yielded no outstanding performance, and her acting lacked any spark. But… regarding stories, characters, novels, she seemed to have unique insights.

Although she herself said she was just a reader, it could be seen that the logic in her mind was very clear. She had clear ideas about commercialized stories and could predict the direction of the story. She also had her own thoughts on how to create conflict, clashes, and climaxes in a story.

She also pointed out a problem: the current homogenization of stories was too severe. Many things were clichés, yet people still used them. Because only routines were the most stable and least likely to fail, but this also resulted in the loss of a large number of innovative talents.

She hadn’t expected this little kid to understand this. Who knew she could actually express her own views?

It seemed Yu Linna wasn’t really useless after all.

Even… she might have her own talents in other areas.

Just that she herself hadn’t discovered them.

But Chen Xi couldn’t judge for sure either. After all, Yu Linna had never been involved in the novel industry. Her insights just now were only from a reader’s perspective.

She couldn’t possibly become a second Teacher Kongqi.

But based on Chen Xi’s experience in scouting authors, she felt there might really be such luck this time.

“Miss Yu, are you free?”

“Nothing much to do for now. What’s up?”

“I’m going to visit Teacher Kongqi’s home later. Can you accompany me?”

“Why me?”

“I happen to need someone to help me. If you help me, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“…Okay.”

Putting on warm clothes and tying her scarf, Yu Linna went out with Chen Xi. She would never admit she was swayed by that meal.

But it was really cold outside, cold enough to make her tremble. This weather was actually most suitable for snuggling in bed for warmth, but for that free meal, she endured it. Just one day is fine. One day could exchange for delicious white cut chicken and braised pork.

Chen Xi had a private car; she drove her there. Chen Xi had been an editor for several years, scouting many talents. This time, her intuition told her she might have a harvest. Although not very certain, and it might just be drawing water with a bamboo basket (futile effort), one had to try everything. Maybe there really would be a harvest.

Yu Linna, this girl whom she considered malleable talent from their first meeting. Although later Chen Xi thought this person wasn’t talented, once regarding her as just a pretty face, today, she seemed to discover this pretty face possessed something others didn’t.

Indeed, in terms of stage experience, she was inferior to Nangong Ying. In terms of video interestingness, she was inferior to Fang Jianing. In terms of business means, she was even more inferior to Ye Zhiyun.

But it didn’t mean she was truly useless.

She just hadn’t shown it in certain aspects.

Perhaps she just hadn’t been placed in the right place.

Chen Xi drove to a studio apartment building. The apartment looked ordinary from the outside, not luxurious at all, far worse than where Ye Zhiyun lived.

“We’re here.”

Teacher Kongqi’s real name was Zhao Yuyan, a 19-year-old girl. When she heard the doorbell, she had to quit her game and opened the door with a helpless expression. She guessed who came to visit her.

“Hello, Sister Chen… Eh? This child is?”

Zhao Yuyan looked at the short, blonde girl appearing at the door and asked puzzledly.
She remembered the blonde girl she met when she went out for food that day, the girl who left a deep impression. The figure in her memory overlapped with the person in front of her. So it was that cute girl she met that day. What a small world.

“Her name is Yu Linna. She’s my… um, cousin.”

Why do you lie without drafting? Your eyes look so strange too. It’s obviously fake, okay? You’re still pretending, keep pretending!
Yu Linna had a pile of complaints in her heart but held them back.

Zhao Yuyan wasn’t stupid. How could this blonde girl possibly be related to Chen Xi? After all, Yu Linna’s appearance was clearly mixed-race, completely different from Chen Xi, who was 100% Asian. How could there be a blood relationship?

“Please come in. Hello, my name is Zhao Yuyan, pen name Kongqi. I’m the author edited by Sister Chen.”

Zhao Yuyan smiled slightly and opened the door for them to enter. From the first glance at this blonde girl, she had a good impression of her. Girls all like cute things. A species as small and kawaii as Yu Linna, who wouldn’t like?

The place Zhao Yuyan lived wasn’t very large, nor luxurious, just right. Furniture and everything were complete, cabinets, desks, all there, just not that pretty.

“My humble abode has nothing much to offer. Please sit down.”

Zhao Yuyan went to make tea, preparing to serve the guests. It seemed her home hadn’t had guests for a long time. Chen Xi often came to her place; she habitually classified her outside the category of guests. And Yu Linna was the first guest to her home in these few months.

Yu Linna was indeed very beautiful. Soft facial lines, exquisite features, especially those beautiful big eyes, captivating like they could speak. Those long eyelashes added a trace of charm.

The people who gave birth to this child must also be incredibly handsome men and beautiful women.

“Teacher Kongqi, I came looking for you this time to tell you, I got you a slot for publishing a short story. Regarding the manuscript, do you have any ideas?”

Chen Xi sat down and directly talked about work matters, not beating around the bush at all. And Yu Linna just sat on the sofa, doing nothing.

“Well, I thought of a story last night. It’s about a girl who picks up trash. What do you think?”

“You want to write a shojo theme?”

“No, I want to write about a boy who accidentally picks up a trash-picking girl, takes her in to live at his place, leading to a series of interesting stories.”

“Teacher Kongqi, writing like this is equivalent to writing a long novel. Your beginning, it’s hard to expand your content in just one short book.”

Zhao Yuyan fell silent for a moment, scratched her head, seemingly pondering something.

“Got it! I’ll write it into a heartwarming story. Just write about the daily life of the boy and girl living together. The girl gradually develops feelings for the boy during their time together. This should be good.”

“Changing it like this is quite good. With fewer characters, the length should be sufficient. By the way, what kind of female protagonist do you plan to write?”

“The female protagonist’s final identity is actually a young lady who ran away from home. Because she wanted to escape the family’s arranged marriage, she left home, met the male protagonist, and the two fell in love.”

“Ojou-sama again…”

Even Chen Xi couldn’t help but complain.

Zhao Yuyan had written so many books, several short stories, one long novel, all featuring an ojou-sama as the female lead, just different types. Like a venomous ojou-sama, a well-mannered ojou-sama, a tsundere ojou-sama. She really liked ojou-samas.

No wonder fans jokingly called her Ojou-sama Kongqi.

“This story is quite good.”

Yu Linna, silent for a long time, finally spoke up.

“Although the story is a bit cliché, who doesn’t like heartwarming stories? Healing stories often easily attract people. If such a story can attract more people, it might even become a long serial.”

Zhao Yuyan just looked at her, seemingly wanting to see through her.

“Oh, sorry, this is your work time…”

Realizing she had spoken too much, Yu Linna quickly shut her mouth, saying no more.

“It’s okay, you can continue talking. Tell me, if it were you, how would you create conflict in this story?”

Chen Xi grabbed her shoulder, hoping she could express her views.
Although puzzled, Yu Linna still thought seriously for a moment.

“If it were me, I’d probably shape the female protagonist into a tennen (naturally clumsy/airheaded) girl. If the male protagonist is a boy with high emotional intelligence, the story would be very interesting. After all, a young lady running away from home to pick up trash feels too cliché. If the young lady is actually a very clumsy girl, a very natural girl, encountering a boy with high emotional intelligence, maybe it could produce a very interesting chemical reaction.”

“Hey, writing like this, wouldn’t it become a story about a scumbag and a pure girl…”

Zhao Yuyan complained speechlessly. She would never write such a messy story; it would attract too much hatred.

But in Chen Xi’s view, this was a very good proposal. At least, she successfully attracted others.
There were so many routines in the market. Suddenly coming up with an anti-routine, catching people off guard, was indeed a very good idea.

At first, she was still skeptical. Now, she could be sure.

Yu Linna, her body contained energy she herself didn’t know.

Her talent was far stronger than she appeared. Her thinking was very clear, she had ideas on how to create interesting conflicts, and even, she could immediately create likable characters.

Yu Linna might be a natural novelist.

She could create many worlds others couldn’t imagine.

“Miss Yu, could you tell me more about your thoughts? I really want to know how you would create conflict and suspense, how you would attract me.”

Chen Xi had a premonition: a new era was coming.

Chapter 95: Newcomer Grand Prize Begins

Chen Xi got off work very late today. Long-term work took a toll on her body. She had just passed thirty, but already suffered from gastroenteritis. This was also a result of her long-term work. Although she thought about resting well, wanting to do more while young, this problem had been dragging on.

Compared to these ailments, she cared more about how well the authors under her charge could do. She was now the top editor in the editorial department. Many outstanding authors had emerged under her guidance; no one could achieve what she had. Authors edited by her basically secured a spot on the bestseller list. Although there was some gap compared to the largest publishing house in the country, she had also helped the publishing house enter the top few domestically.

“Hello, Teacher Kongqi. You have a slot for publishing a short story in a month. Please prepare the manuscript in advance.”
“Okay, okay, I will work hard.”
“Okay.”

Teacher Kongqi was a newcomer she had recently discovered. This newcomer was a girl, only 19 years old, very young. Chen Xi wanted to cultivate her well. Given time, this author named Kongqi really had the chance to become a first-tier author in the country. Think about it, for a newcomer to sell her book like this was already quite remarkable.

She was just afraid that Teacher Kongqi’s peak would stop here. Many authors peaked at their debut, and subsequent works never reached the initial brilliance. Hopefully, Teacher Kongqi wouldn’t be like that.

“Sister Chen, are you ready for tomorrow night’s meeting? I heard the editor-in-chief intends to give you his position.”
“Yes, I know what to do.”
“Sister Chen, while the market is booming, why not quickly sell the works of the authors under our banner to major companies? Only animation adaptation can make big money.”

In the novel industry, for an author to become popular, besides their own books selling well, the most important thing was for their works to be adapted into film, television, and games. Only then would the work’s fame increase and influence more people. After all, throughout the country, there would always be people who didn’t like reading novels.

Like the previous movie called “Finding Your Past Life,” the copyright was bought from an author in Chen Xi’s editorial department and adapted into a movie.

Sometimes Chen Xi would think, if she could create more brilliance in her hands, how exciting that would be. Her life was still long, but she really wanted to bring out an author capable of shaking the entire country, even the world.

If one day, their library could produce an author who could completely elevate the novel industry to another level, how wonderful that would be. But she didn’t dare to hope extravagantly for such a thing.

She adjusted her glasses, took her bag, and squeezed onto the subway home.

---

Yu Linna seemed to be living quite comfortably these days. Ye Zhiyun hadn’t been home these past few days, so she lived alone at home. Eating and sleeping every day, there seemed nothing much to do. Since losing her job, she no longer had constraints, nor worries.

But most importantly, she seemed to have lost herself.

With nothing to do, Yu Linna would pull out a few novels to read. Most of these novels were bestsellers on the market, some already slated for film and television adaptation. But Yu Linna couldn’t stomach many of them. Compared to novels, she preferred manga. Manga had richer visuals, far beyond what novels could compare to.

But even so, there wasn’t much good to watch. Maybe her taste was too picky.

“Sigh…”

She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, not knowing what to do.

Living in someone else’s house, doing nothing, was this kind of life really good? After a long time, it always felt a bit strange. In the past, she was always worrying about survival, about her daily meals, but now she didn’t have this worry.

Speaking of which, what was her relationship with Ye Zhiyun now?

Ye Zhiyun was her benefactor, someone she had to repay for a lifetime. But she felt their relationship was more than just that. Inexplicably, some change seemed to have occurred between them.

Yu Linna sat up, turned on Ye Zhiyun’s computer, entered the password Ye Zhiyun gave her, logged onto a website to find something to do. She, who had struggled for survival since childhood, rarely played games. Even with a computer, she didn’t know what to play, at most playing 4399 (a website with simple flash games). She unintentionally opened the **tuan (likely referring to a specific web novel site, name obscured) website. This website was one of the largest novel websites in the country today, second only to Qidian. Both had rich experience in publishing novels.

But relatively speaking, the latter was more famous because the latter had produced god-level novelists. The annual royalties of that deified author exceeded one hundred million.

Yu Linna had also dabbled in novels, but there weren’t many she could read through. Qidian had many genres, which were somewhat readable. But the quality of **tuan was uneven; there weren’t many readable ones. If she had to find something readable, perhaps the recent author named Kongqi was decent.

“**tuan’s annual Long Novel Newcomer Grand Prize has begun! Welcome all newcomers to participate actively! First place will receive a prize of up to three million yuan, plus publication qualification, and priority for short story reprint qualification.”

Those large characters on the website were particularly conspicuous. She had some understanding of this website, knowing this library had produced god-level figures, though that was a long time ago.
Now, domestically, it was Qidian’s world.

Closing the website, Yu Linna stopped browsing. She wasn’t very interested in this. Thinking about how naive she was before, even running off to be an actress, resulting in almost being subjected to the unspoken rules. Having such a lesson once was enough. She knew it was impossible for her to become a big shot in this lifetime.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Yu Linna jumped off the bed, went to the genkan in slippers to open the door for them. The moment the door opened, the woman wearing glasses was stunned, just standing there.

“Miss Yu, why are you at Miss Ye’s home? What’s your relationship?”

Chen Xi was a very direct person, disliked beating around the bush. When she saw Yu Linna appear at Ye Zhiyun’s home, she felt extremely puzzled. She was a bit curious about their relationship.

“This… I’m temporarily staying here. What about you, Sister Chen? What brings you here?”

“I originally wanted to find Miss Ye to discuss matters concerning the copyright of an author under my banner. Why did you open the door?”

“Zhiyun went out. I haven’t seen her these past two days. Sister Chen, since you’re already here, why not sit down for a bit?”

“…Forget it.”

Seeing Yu Linna’s beautiful eyes, she felt unable to refuse.
Anyway, finding Miss Ye at this time was already unrealistic. Going straight back to the editorial department with nothing to do wasn’t great either. Sitting down wasn’t bad.

“Speaking of which, what does Miss Ye usually do?”

While she was making tea, Chen Xi took the initiative to start a topic.

“Zhiyun is quite busy every day, often discussing business outside. I’m not clear on the specifics. Sister Chen, what did you want to discuss with her?”

“Regarding copyright matters, it’s not convenient to tell you the specifics. **tuan is holding a Newcomer Grand Prize recently. Our library plans to invite Miss Ye as a VIP guest to attend the award ceremony. The invitation has already been brought over. Please help me pass this on to her.”

Taking this red invitation, Yu Linna felt its weight. As expected of the upper class, even the invitation looked so good.
Yu Linna was born at the bottom. She didn’t know what upper-class life was like, but it was probably a height she could never reach in her lifetime.

“This Grand Prize, is it held once every year?”

“Yes, this is our competition to select outstanding newcomers. Last year, Teacher Kongqi won first place, and she also officially debuted through this Grand Prize.”

Actually, Chen Xi didn’t explicitly mention one thing: although this Grand Prize claimed only newcomers could participate, every year there would be many veterans changing their vests (using pseudonyms) to pretend to be newcomers. Usually, those who got into the top three were very likely new vests of veterans. Like Teacher Kongqi, truly winning first place based on strength was rare. Most authors needed to endure the toughest period before getting a publishing opportunity, unlike Teacher Kongqi, who peaked at debut.

“When’s the deadline?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just asking casually.”

“If you mean the deadline, there’s still half a month. We will have ten editors review, select the best works. Those shortlisted will be directly notified, and the results will be announced during the Grand Prize ceremony.”

Those who could get into the top three in this Grand Prize all had publishing opportunities.

First place: publication slot, priority for short story reprint or publication opportunity, and three million yuan prize money.

Second place: novel publication slot, 800,000 yuan prize money.

Third place: short story publication slot, 100,000 yuan prize money.

One could imagine how heavy the first place was. Those who could win first were kings among kings.

Just looking at these rankings, Yu Linna knew these things couldn’t possibly belong to her. It was just that sometimes she envied these people. These people all had the chance to realize their dreams, gain everyone’s attention, become truly superior.

“This year, I wonder who can get first place. I don’t think last year’s situation is likely to happen again.”

What Chen Xi referred to as last year’s situation was Kongqi winning first place as a newcomer.

“An excellent novel needs the best script, the best characters, and also the desire to make readers continue reading. But a novel can never be perfect.”

As a professional editor, Chen Xi had unique insights into novels, but she felt she might have said too much. After all, the girl in front of her was a complete novice. How could she possibly understand what she meant?

“Sorry, I said too much. Did you understand?”

Although she knew she was talking nonsense (to a novice), she still habitually asked her.

“I understand what I heard. I’m also a reader; I know how important a good story is. In fact, I’ve read many novels, but there aren’t many I can get through. Many stories are too homogenized. So I feel having an excellent script is not easy. As a reader, I hope there are many excellent stories.”

Unexpectedly, Yu Linna didn’t show confusion, but was very composed. She expressed her views as a reader.

Her words caught Chen Xi’s attention.

Chapter 94: I Want Your Smile

Fang Jianing’s matter temporarily came to an end. Although experiencing this online storm brought her quite a bit of trouble, it also caused more passersby to notice her as an uploader. Many people even created Bilibili accounts to follow her because of this. This could be considered a blessing in disguise; her popularity had now reached a new level.

With this matter perfectly concluded, Yu Linna also felt relieved.

She returned to her usual life, nothing much happening, just living her daily routine peacefully. It was already the end of the month. The old year was about to end, and the new year was approaching. Sometimes Yu Linna would pull open the curtains and look at the scenery outside. Although it didn’t snow in the southern winter, falling leaves could still be seen.

Unknowingly, she had lived in Ye Zhiyun’s home for so long. Was it really okay for her to continue living like this? Although Ye Zhiyun was quite good to her, giving her food, clothes, and even gifts. But Yu Linna, who had boarded in others’ homes for a long time, understood that no matter how well one lived in a place, there would eventually come a day when they were tired of it.

She was afraid that one day Ye Zhiyun would get tired of her and kick her out.

Although the probability was small, it wasn’t impossible.

How much longer could she stay here?

The cold wind blew, hitting the glass. Yu Linna’s particularly beautiful eyes gazed out the window, lost in thought.

“What’s wrong, spacing out again? The weather’s decent today. How about going out with me to buy some things? We’re almost out of vinegar and salt at home, and I also want to buy lipstick and cosmetics.”

“Okay, sure.”

Yu Linna quickly agreed.

She was so obedient, which made Ye Zhiyun feel unaccustomed. You know, at the very beginning, the two of them couldn’t stand each other, couldn’t get along at all. Now Yu Linna was so obedient, she started to miss the blonde girl from the beginning who couldn’t get along with her and would argue upon meeting.

Yu Linna was gradually changing, just that she herself hadn’t noticed. Deep down, a seed had long been planted. As for what kind of big tree it would grow into, no one could say for sure.

Yu Linna put on her winter clothes and went out with her. She wore the pink and blue scarf Ye Zhiyun gave her, carefully putting it on. And Ye Zhiyun today also wore a white coat, tied a scarf, and went out with her.

The cold wind outside was quite chilly. It was already the winter solstice. The cold wind was biting; the temperature was probably around seven or eight degrees Celsius. Southerners spending winter weren’t like northerners warming themselves on a huokang (heated brick bed). Southerners were known as the race that couldn’t freeze to death, although every year after winter began, they would shout, “I know I was wrong, it’s so cold!”

“Not many people around.”

“Yeah.”

Ye Zhiyun wanted to find a topic to chat about, but unfortunately, Yu Linna didn’t seem to plan on chatting with her at all, which made her quite depressed. When did this girl Yu Linna become such a quiet introvert?

Along the way, they just bought things, necessary things, doing nothing else besides that. Ye Zhiyun had a plan before going out, knew what she wanted to buy, so she always acted according to plan when shopping. As for Yu Linna, she just followed her, making no moves herself. She was originally the “exclusive chef” bought by Ye Zhiyun. Her entire life was owed to Ye Zhiyun; how could she dare to make any requests?

If it weren’t for Ye Zhiyun, she might have already become Orange River’s prop.

Towards Ye Zhiyun, she was full of gratitude.

“Nana, living with me, are you used to it?”

Inexplicably, Ye Zhiyun asked a question she herself couldn’t figure out why she asked.

The time she lived with Yu Linna wasn’t long nor short, but during this period, Yu Linna had clearly become much more obedient. Ye Zhiyun saw her being reserved during meals several times, eating in small bites. After dinner, she would proactively wash the dishes without needing reminders. Whenever Ye Zhiyun felt the house was a bit dirty, within a minute, she would immediately fetch water and clean. And whenever Ye Zhiyun was tired, she would proactively quiet down, giving her an environment to rest.

She was too obedient, like deliberately submitting to others.

Perhaps because she had boarded in others’ homes for a long time, she retained her old habits.

Yu Linna knew that no matter how good others were to her, she was always an outsider; no one would truly love her. In this world, besides parents, no one would love a child unconditionally.

Yu Linna never had parents, didn’t know this kind of love. She only knew she couldn’t get love, could only exchange obedience for others’ tolerance.

“I think it’s quite good. You’re very good to me. How could I not be used to it?”

Here it comes again, this smile, this smile, it’s really too fake. But she couldn’t say it to her face.

Actually, she should have thought of it long ago. Deep down, Yu Linna would no longer trust anyone.

She was grateful for her rescue, but she didn’t dare to excessively enjoy her care. She was afraid she would be ruthlessly abandoned again.

“Nana, are you hungry?”

“Haha, I’m not hungry. If you’re hungry, I’ll go home and make something delicious for you.”

She was lying.

With this foodie’s personality, how could she not be interested in food? She just didn’t dare to show it.

“Wait for me a moment.”

Ye Zhiyun asked her to stop here. She proactively ran to a street stall, found the boss, and bought a snack. Yu Linna watched this scene dumbfounded but said nothing.

After a short while, Ye Zhiyun came back with a box of takoyaki balls. She directly handed it to her, asking her to accept it.

“For you, eat.”

“This… maybe you eat first?”

“I said it’s for you, so it’s for you. Eat quickly.”

Just looking at this box, Yu Linna was already drooling. How could she care about anything else? She took the box of takoyaki, picked up a bamboo skewer, speared one, and put it in her mouth. The soft meatball was chewed, the seaweed flavor filling her mouth, stimulating her taste buds.
The corners of her mouth curved upwards. Eating these few takoyaki balls, she felt blissful ascension.

Yu Linna’s biggest dream in this life was to eat well and wear warm clothes. Although this dream seemed to have been realized, what she wanted most was to be able to eat all the delicacies in the world. Life is so long; if she didn’t eat more, how could she justify coming to this world?

“Is it delicious?”

Seeing her reveal such a smile, Ye Zhiyun’s brows relaxed, and a slight smile appeared. Only this Yu Linna was the Yu Linna she was familiar with.

Initially, they met on the bus. Their meeting wasn’t harmonious, almost causing a scene over two yuan. It could be said they were truly incompatible from the start.

Later, when they met, it was either arguing or arguing, or Ye Zhiyun unilaterally bickering. Ye Zhiyun hated her, hated her entering her world, disturbing her and Li Muqing. So that time impersonating her parent, all conflicts erupted, completely exploding.

And then? They still reconciled, just because Ye Zhiyun stood out when the blonde girl was cornered in the alley, helping her out. Yu Linna let go of her aversion towards her. Perhaps from that time on, they became different.

At that train station, Yu Linna, having nothing, originally wanted to jump down and end her life, but was ultimately pulled back by Ye Zhiyun, pulled back from the abyss. At that moment, their fates intertwined again.

“It’s delicious.”

Yu Linna finished these few takoyaki balls in a few bites. These little things weren’t much to begin with; finishing them was quick. Especially for her, this foodie, this little bit wasn’t even enough to fill the gaps between her teeth.

“There’s more here. Want some?”

“…Yes.”

Although her brain told her this should be refused, her body couldn’t help but tremble. Thinking of those delicious foods that could be eaten without money, she felt cheap again.

This time, Ye Zhiyun no longer refused her, but took her hand and led her into the snack street. Yu Linna’s eyes lit up, staring at these foods, as if these foods all had a golden glow. Ye Zhiyun chuckled lightly, a trace of softness appearing on her slightly arrogant face. She pulled her hand towards the stalls.

“Boss, one serving of beef tendon balls.”
“One grilled sausage.”
“One serving of gluten.”
“One serving of squid.”
“One cart noodle.”

Yu Linna ate non-stop along the way. She felt like she had entered heaven; her mouth never stopped. And Ye Zhiyun showed no impatience, constantly buying food for her, often buying another serving right after she finished one, tirelessly.

Yu Linna ate and ate, forgetting the existence of the person behind her.

As she ate these delicacies, she thought in her heart, Lao niang’s life is really worth it. If I died just like this, that wouldn’t be bad either.

“Can you still eat?”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“Then let’s go.”

Usually arrogant and assertive Ye Zhiyun, in front of this blonde girl, softened for a rare moment. She thought, if this girl wanted to eat all over the world, she quite wanted to take her on a trip around the world.

Why did she have this thought? She didn’t understand either. Just… wanted to do it.

Yu Linna, clearly the most annoying person, yet now she wished she could give her the whole world.

Just wanting to see the most sincere smile on her face.

If spending this little time could exchange for her smile, that wouldn’t be bad either.

“Nana, stay by my side in the future. Let’s live together. What do you say, is that okay?”

“…Okay.”

She didn’t answer directly, just gave a vague word.

“Nana, let’s go home.”

Following Ye Zhiyun, Yu Linna walked behind her, still holding the unfinished grilled gluten in her hand. Ye Zhiyun didn’t see the dimmed light beneath her eyes.
Staying by her side, living together, what beautiful words.

Yu Linna knew that was ultimately impossible.

No one would be with her, always, always like this. She was an outsider after all.

Even the best friend, the most trusted person, what then? Didn’t they ruthlessly betray her in the end, heartlessly abandoning her? No matter how good the relationship, in the face of benefits, it was forever worthless.

Yu Linna knew it. She couldn’t trust others anymore, absolutely couldn’t. She just hoped that if she was ultimately destined to be abandoned, then at least let her enjoy that brief warmth. Even if it was fake, even if it couldn’t be permanent, it was better than nothing.