CH 49

Chu Ge found it difficult to believe in the stories that were merely told as jokes, such as “a struggling writer inherits a million-dollar fortune”. He would listen to them, laugh, but couldn’t imagine how such things could actually happen in reality.

He didn’t even know if he should go chat with Zhang Qiren, satisfying his curiosity as a writer and his concern for a friend. Zhang Qiren’s style was obviously that of a wealthy person, would it be weird for him to approach him? Would people around him think he had ulterior motives?

Chu Ge sighed inwardly.

Friendship, once mixed with money and power, can indeed make things feel strange for both parties.

On the other hand, the recent gathering with his classmates whom he was previously hesitant to meet was actually more genuine.

Like Lin Wuyang, who punched him on the shoulder with a smile and said, “I didn’t expect you to look so lively. I thought you were getting fat and staying home to write. Did you take Viagra recently?”

Although he was a policeman and a minor official, there weren’t too many barriers between old classmates. Chu Ge also smiled and said, “It’s a scorching hot day, how can I be lively? Did you think we were all like you, who have trained?”

Lin Wuyang laughed heartily, “Coincidentally, I’m from the group who hasn’t trained much.”

Chu Ge asked casually, “About that person just now…”

“That person? You know him better than I do,” Lin Wuyang smiled slightly. “He once rented a place for six months, and when I saw the names of the roommates, I was like, hey, isn’t this our writer friend?”

Chu Ge: “…”

Lin Wuyang didn’t say much and pulled him to sit down together. “It has nothing to do with you, don’t overthink it.”

Why did he feel like something was off with Zhang Qiren the more he heard about him?

Just as Chu Ge was about to hint at something, classmates started to arrive one after another, creating a noisy environment where it was difficult to have a conversation. Chu Ge had to put away his thoughts and warmly welcomed the new arrivals to take their seats.

The overall atmosphere of the gathering was very good. While there were occasional displays of boasting, comparison, showing off, and putting others down, they were relatively rare and usually not overt.

After experiencing the ups and downs of society for many years, there weren’t many people who were superficial. Even if someone had the intention to show off, they would only say it in a low-key manner. For example, Lao Hong said, “I went to Switzerland last year, someone showed me a watch, but I couldn’t understand it, so I just bought one randomly.”

Others would express some envy towards the watch he showed them, but that was it. If he wanted to brag, he could do so, and no one would show jealousy or try to put him down. It wasn’t necessary.

As for classmates who weren’t doing well, no one would show any discrimination towards them. If they were embarrassed, it was not because of what others said, but rather their own feelings.

On the contrary, people would become closer and reminisce about the past, to show that they valued friendship and weren’t materialistic.

For classmates like Lin Wuyang, who had clear potential, they were generally respected and became the “protagonist” at the table. But no one showed any flattery or sycophancy towards them. Lin Wuyang himself wasn’t a show-off, and due to something that was on his mind because of Zhang Qiren, he didn’t say much and just smiled and responded with a few toasts, so the sense of being the center of attention faded away.

After drinking a few more glasses, most of the conversation revolved around exposing embarrassing moments from the past, and everyone laughed heartily.

The most important thing was that there weren’t any teachers present at the table. Otherwise, it would turn into a thank-you dinner after many years, and the relaxed and lively atmosphere among classmates would disappear.

The only exception was someone like Chu Ge. It wasn’t that others looked down on him, but they really didn’t understand him, so after Lin Wuyang’s sense of being the center of attention faded away, Chu Ge became the protagonist. In the ten sentences that others said, there were five sentences asking Chu Ge:

“Hey, where can I buy your book? Does the Xinhua Bookstore have it?”

“Umm… no.”

“Then how do you make money? Through clicks?”

“Well…there is a model where you can calculate ad revenue based on clicks in recent years, but my method is more traditional: paid reading. The more people who pay, the more income I earn.”

“Clicks are only in recent years? That’s not right. I heard about it a long time ago.”

“…that used to be a measure of popularity and reputation. Now, in the era of traffic, it can be monetized. But I don’t think this model is good, mainly…uh, so I choose…oh, why am I even talking about this, let’s just drink.”

Chu Ge felt like he didn’t even know where to start with explaining. It was a long story and not important, so he might as well just drink.

But others couldn’t resist their curiosity: “Sometimes I see ads on WeChat, and when I click on them and read a few chapters, I get the urge to continue reading, but then I’m reminded that I have to pay to continue. I thought it was a scam.”

“Uh, it’s not a scam. It’s just to get you interested first, and then you pay to read. That’s the usual process.”

“So, if you pay, can you read something erotic? Like that one about the lonely country sister-in-law…”

“?” Chu Ge rubbed his forehead. “No, with the current strict regulations, it’s impossible. Don’t be fooled by the book titles and summaries that attract you. In reality, they only have a little suggestive content.”

“If there’s no erotic content, then why do you have to pay?”

Chu Ge: “…”

No, how is only erotic content and paying directly related? You just asked me how I make money – if I don’t charge, am I supposed to starve?

Seeing him struggle to explain, people understood: “So you’re that kind of writer?”

“I’m not quite the same as them. I write on a website, but if you want to think of me as that kind of writer, the essence is pretty similar.”

The looks of his classmates changed a bit, feeling like he writes about his mother-in-law or sister-in-law.

Chu Ge didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn’t really explain himself, and his own writing was pretty risqué anyway, so it didn’t matter: “Just drink, guys. Why are you all surrounding me and asking me questions? I’m just writing erotic books to make a living. Do you want Wuyang to arrest me?”

After watching the play for a while, Lin Wuyang grinned: “I’m not with the Internet police. Don’t worry, I also know the guards in the prison. If you really end up there, I’ll at least put in a good word for you so you won’t get bullied.”

Chu Ge: “…Thank you very much.”

As Chu Ge identified himself as a writer of risqué novels, his classmates’ curiosity was temporarily quelled. However, a female classmate sighed, “It’s a pity. Chu Ge used to be a good writer.”

With a somewhat regretful expression, it’s unclear whether she used to have a secret crush on him. Chu Ge smiled faintly but didn’t say anything.

This remark sparked a new topic for everyone else. Lao Hong’s wife, Yu Xiaomei, asked, “Hey, Chu Ge, have you found a girlfriend?”

Chu Ge joked, “No. The one I liked back then married Lao Hong, so I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.”

Yu Xiaomei spat and burst into laughter at the table.

Lao Hong pointed at Chu Ge and laughed, “Do you want to duel?”

Lin Wuyang said, “You like your wife, Chu Ge also likes your wife. You’re both on the same side, why fight?”

Chu Ge couldn’t help but burst out laughing, and the whole table joined in. They pointed at Lin Wuyang and said, “How can such an unscrupulous person become an officer!”

Zhang Manli from the civil affairs department laughed and said, “On the other hand, Chu Ge, who spends all day at home writing books, has very little social life. It might be difficult for him to find a girlfriend at his age. Should we introduce him to some of our classmates?”

Lao Hong laughed and said, “What do you know? Writers have female fans. I saw a video on Kuaishou last time that said an author married a fan and even dated an editor. That’s really amazing. Do you know about this, Chu Ge?” (TL: Kuaishou (快手) is a Chinese social media and video sharing app that allows users to create and share short-form videos, like TikTok )

Before Chu Ge could answer, someone said, “That must be a famous writer. Chu Ge writes about… um, erotic stuff.”

Realizing they misspoke, the person quickly apologized and took a drink as a gesture of apology. There was a moment of awkwardness at the table. In fact, Chu Ge’s classmates didn’t really think much of him, but they didn’t show it on their faces. Sometimes it would inadvertently leak out. It wasn’t intentional, but Chu Ge didn’t take it to heart.

In fact, Chu Ge not only didn’t mind, he felt a secret sense of pride.

Date a fan?

My heroine has come out of the book…

Just then, a girl in a white shirt, blue jeans, and a high ponytail ran over and said excitedly, “Are you Chu Ge? I love your books so much. Can you sign my book for me?”

Everyone was shocked.

He really has female fans! And she’s so pretty, too pretty!

Is Chu Ge really that famous? He’s recognized by fans even when he’s eating in the hall? Wait, doesn’t he write erotic novels? Why would he have female fans? Could it be they misunderstood him? 

Little did they know that Chu Ge was even more shocked than they were. He stared blankly at the “female fan” who suddenly appeared and was dumbfounded.

What are you doing, Qiu Wuji? I don’t remember telling you to act like this!

Upstairs in the VIP room, Zhang Qiren suddenly laughed and instructed his subordinates, “Go settle the bill for Lin Wuyang’s two tables. Tell them that your boss loves Mr. Chu Ge’s works and this is just a small token of appreciation. We hope he will create more great works in the future.”