CH 2

Chu Ge’s rented apartment is apparently quite far from the luxury coffee shop in the city center. For a typical stay-at-home internet writer, living in the suburbs is not much different from living in the city center. The biggest difference is that the rent is much cheaper.

After eating a bowl of fried noodles casually, Chu Ge returned to his rental apartment. It was already dark, and the small living room was a bit dim.

This is a two-bedroom and one-living-room rental apartment. Neither of the two rooms had lights on, but there was a sound of typing coming from one of them. The noise of the typing sound floated in the dim room, entering the equally dim living room. Although someone was making noise, the rental apartment still felt empty and quiet.

That was Chu Ge’s writer friend, who shared the rent with him.

This friend had a very ancient name, Zhang Qiren. Chu Ge originally posted a shared rental ad on the writer forum with the intention of finding a writer friend to mutually promote each other. Zhang Qiren was also looking for a place to live, and the two hit it off and had been living together for half a year.

In the end, it was all nonsense about mutual promotion.

“Have you eaten?” Chu Ge asked casually.

There was a response from inside the room: “I just made something casually, and suddenly, I lost my inspiration, I feel like I have to pee all the time… Hey? Did you come back at this time because your blind date collapsed after seeing you?”

“She did, just like your inspiration.” Chu Ge pushed open his own door and was about to enter.

The sound of typing next door finally stopped, and a thin bespectacled man appeared at the door, examining Chu Ge’s dressed-up appearance and making sounds of admiration: “Our Chu Ge actually has a bit of Wu Yan’s style. How many points for the girl?”

Chu Ge replied irritably, “Zero points.”

“Give at least one point, come on. That’s basic courtesy,” the man retorted.

Zhang Qiren soon showed an “I understand” expression and said with regret: “You didn’t even leave a photo for me to appreciate…”

Chu Ge didn’t say anything but thought to himself, ‘If I really took a photo, you would probably say that I found a picture online to deceive you. How can there be such a beautiful woman on a blind date?’

Zhang Qiren asked, “What was the reason this time? Household registration? Money? Housing?”

Chu Ge looked at him and suddenly smiled, “Because we are jobless wanderers.”

Zhang Qiren’s smiling expression became a bit stagnant, and his voice suddenly became louder: “These frogs in the well don’t understand anything. Life is full of ups and downs, don’t bully the young and poor… oh, are we still considered young?”

Chu Ge didn’t answer and was silent.

Zhang Qiren nodded, “By the way, Chu Ge, my new book will be released tomorrow, remember to promote it.”

“I haven’t forgotten, I remember.”

“Thanks… I, I feel a little nervous.” Zhang Qiren unconsciously rubbed his hands and said in a low voice, “Recent feedback… seems to be quite cold.”

In fact, he had mentioned his feedback several times before, and Chu Ge also felt that it was a bit cold. However, he could only repeat the encouragement he had already given several times: “Don’t be nervous, this thing is very mysterious. Some people have high popularity but few subscriptions, while others have a niche following. In the end, whether it succeeds or fails, being nervous won’t help.”

Zhang Qiren forced a smile, “Yeah, whether it’s a success or a failure, who cares. If it fails I’ll just have to be a model” 

Chu Ge retorted, “You being unsuccessful might be because you’re too creepy.”

“You say it like you’re not creepy. Who wrote about that sister duo in his book…”

“So, I’m not popular either.”

“Then are you still going to write about the sister duo?”

“I am.”

“…We’re the same kind of people.”

Zhang Qiren had something to do, so he didn’t chat for long. The two of them went back to their own rooms, and Chu Ge made a cup of tea, sat at his computer desk, and opened his document. He didn’t move except for going to the bathroom.

This was the daily life of Chu Ge and Zhang Qiren.

If it wasn’t for Chu Ge’s blind date, they wouldn’t have talked that much on a regular day. Although they lived together, they were more accustomed to communicating online.

A common scene was the two of them sitting side by side at a fast-food restaurant downstairs, holding their phones and chatting in the author group… It seemed like they were more familiar with the profile picture of the group member than with each other’s faces.

Chu Ge was very suspicious that he would lose his ability to speak if he continued like this… Today, in front of Gu Ruoyan, he spoke incoherently, and he gave a feeling of not being used to normal communication…

Hmm, why did he think of her again?

Chu Ge’s fingers hovered over the keyboard as he daydreamed. He didn’t know if he could add a character like her in his book, an intellectual and professional female white-collar worker… But he was writing a fantasy novel, so this character would likely correspond to a high-level member of some sect who was conquered by the protagonist…

It was a bit troublesome because there was already a main female character who had some similarities with this character—the sect leader of the protagonist’s sect, one of the strongest cultivators in the world, and also the most beautiful woman in the world.

And the next stage of the plot was mainly focused on her.

Yes, Chu Ge was writing a harem novel, and he had a bit of a small reputation in the industry.

As a writer of harem novels, Chu Ge knew that the key was to write distinctive female characters. This sect leader was aloof, arrogant, elegant, and domineering, which was actually very different from Gu Ruoyan, but if he were to add a female white-collar worker character in the sect, it would be somewhat similar and difficult to distinguish.

It was better not to think about it and just focus on writing this sect leader, who was the first main female character.

This book had just been released not long ago, with only two to three hundred chapters, and the plot had not yet fully unfolded. The protagonist, Chu Tiange, was still a minor character. He had been promoted to an inner disciple from a low-level servant due to an accident, and the sect leader appreciated him, giving him personal guidance from time to time. This was the beginning of the protagonist’s ascent.

The protagonist still respects the sect leader very much at this stage; the sect leader only sees the protagonist as a talented individual and provides guidance. As for how the protagonist’s filial piety will take a turn and the beautiful sect leader will have the idea to pursue a man younger than herself, a long-term plot needs to be designed, but foreshadowing can be started now.

For example, begin to depict the sect leader’s psychology from a side angle, sometimes feeling lonely, sometimes reflecting on what is missing in her long cultivation career, and whether her inability to ascend is due to something…and so on.

Why would a thousands-of-years-old cultivator suddenly have a spring in her step? This is all pre-logic.

Chu Ge is still very attentive about these things.

“Qiu Wuji pushed open the window and gazed at the moon. The moonlight was like water, gently sprinkling on the world, reflecting her perfect profile, hazy and dreamlike. She fell into a trance for a while, vaguely wondering whether she would ascend to the moon after she soared. If so, she would only move from one lonely place to another lonely place…”

Qiu Wuji’s name is taken from a poem by Jia Xu which happens to complement the protagonist Chu Tiange’s name and is also ingenious. If Chu Tiange is Chu Ge’s own projection, then Qiu Wuji is probably Chu Ge’s ideal type, with a deep emotional investment.

The reason why he said to Gu Ruoyan that his income isn’t very stable is precisely because the feedback to his previous book was a bit flat, but this book’s performance is getting better and better–characters with emotional investment will naturally receive readers’ approval.

“She didn’t know why, Chu Tiange’s smiling face suddenly flashed in Qiu Wuji’s mind. That sunny smile was so special in this world of everyone seeking their own way in immortality, it could make people’s moods open up…”

Chu Ge’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and as he wrote, he became more and more engrossed, as if with the emergence of the words, he could also see a stunning fairy pushing open the window and gazing at the moon, lost and lonely.

To the point where it seemed he could feel the cold wind coming in through the open window, sending shivers down his spine.

Wait a minute…

His window was in front of him, why was he feeling cold behind him?

Chu Ge turned his head in confusion.

A glint of coldness flashed, a dark blue long sword was rested against his neck, and the bone-chilling coldness seemed to freeze even his soul.

Chu Ge stared dumbfounded at the woman in an ancient dress behind him, holding the sword against his neck, her phoenix eyes full of murderous intent, fixed on the words he had just been writing.

The air seemed to be still for a few seconds, or maybe just a moment and Chu Ge’s mind had not even had time to react when he heard the woman say word by word, “How dare you write that I fell in love with that disciple? Even if the world collapses, I will take your life!”

Chu Ge was dumbfounded: “No, first, who are you?”

The woman’s gaze left the screen and fell on the dark blue sword tip: “Qiu Wuji.”

Chu Ge: “??? “