No matter what, the novel had to be written.
This was the career that Gu Yebai intended to pursue for the rest of his life.
Noon was drawing to a close.
After a long period of meditation, his emotions were finally, slowly brewed to the right state.
It was as if a scalding tide was being pressed into his chest, the heat spreading through his blood toward his limbs, feeling as though it would burst through a dam in the next second.
The urge to write surged within his body, repeatedly striking against his logic and restraint, urging him to pour the plot that had already taken shape in his mind into the document like a flood.
The coffee was ready.
The Pomodoro timer on the computer screen was quietly counting down.
The Writer’s Assistant app was switched completely to focus mode.
The curtains were drawn tight.
The afternoon sunlight was blocked out by the heavy fabric, and along with the clamor of the real world, it was barred from entering.
Well then, let’s begin.
The next part will definitely be a fantastic plot.
Gu Yebai took one deep breath.
He solemnly typed the first line at the beginning of the novel — So, the middle-aged detective planned to…
His fingertips hovered over the keyboard.
The plot in his mind had already unfolded; it only lacked one action for it to flow out smoothly.
….
But at the very moment his thoughts were about to pour out, the heavens refused to cooperate.
The iPhone hidden in the corner of the desk suddenly rang.
The ringtone pierced the silence of the study.
His hands, which were about to strike the keys, were forced to stop in mid-air, and his gaze followed the sound to the phone screen.
The caller ID originated from Linchuan County, Dongling Province.
That was the hometown Gu Yebai had already left.
The caller was Ai Lian.
During his time at Linchuan Fifth High School, she was one of the few girls Gu Yebai could call a friend.
She wasn’t exactly pretty.
To be blunt, her looks were not pleasing.
Her grades always hovered at the very bottom.
No matter how much time and effort she poured in, she remained at the tail end.
She was at the very base of the food chain in class.
She had become an object for certain people to repeatedly vent their malice upon.
Because Gu Yebai couldn’t stand seeing her bullied over and over again, he had spoken up for her more than once, stood up for her, and blocked trouble for her on several occasions.
Since then, the two had naturally become friends.
On the day he left, she had offered him her sincere blessings at Starbucks.
“Ai Lian…”
Gu Yebai didn’t hesitate for even half a second; he immediately reached out and answered.
He had never developed some sense of superiority just because he had left Linchuan.
…
Moreover, he wouldn’t take a person like Ai Lian for granted or ignore her.
Because he had promised her.
If she encountered schoolwork she didn’t understand, she could ask him at any time.
Presumably, she had run into another difficult problem.
The teachers at Linchuan Fifth High School were likely too lazy to explain things repeatedly to a student like her.
Other students were even more likely to find her an eyesore and avoid her like the plague.
Those questions she couldn’t solve would only pile up heavier and heavier in her heart.
In the end, she could only call him.
‘I have an obligation to help her…’
Gu Yebai clicked the answer button.
“Hello, Ai Lian.”
His voice was as gentle as it had always been.
“Student Gu…”
“Have you already reached Donghai?”
Ai Lian’s tone was still cautious.
The end of her sentence was so soft it was almost inaudible.
Perhaps it was because of this cowardice that she always became the target of others’ wanton bullying.
“I’ve reached Donghai.”
“What’s Donghai like?”
Ai Lian asked softly.
“Donghai is very nice,” Gu Yebai said, almost blurting it out.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that if he presented the city’s prosperity and glamour to her without filter, it might not be kind.
So, he changed his tone.
“But as you can imagine, being an international metropolis, the pace in Donghai is much faster than in Linchuan.”
“My living situation is just so-so.”
“I’m living in an apartment building now.”
“Living expenses are quite high.”
“The academic pressure isn’t small, either.”
“The street views are beautiful, but after seeing them a lot, they’re just like anything else, nothing special.”
He spoke as calmly as possible.
Restraining himself as much as he could.
He deliberately refrained from mentioning the skyscrapers.
He didn’t mention the night view of the river.
He didn’t mention that flash of vivid and dangerous red hair.
But he didn’t want to lie completely, either.
He didn’t want her to lose interest in Donghai.
Even more, he didn’t want her to lose the idea of leaving Linchuan.
“But, if you have the chance.”
“You must come see Donghai for yourself.”
“Especially the Bund.”
Gu Yebai paused.
“The city everyone sees is different.
“In the eyes of different people, there is a different Donghai, just as there is a different Linchuan.”
He hoped her expectations wouldn’t be raised too high, nor would they be shattered by reality.
He wanted it to be somewhere in between.
Enough to give her the motivation to work hard.
But not so much that her self-esteem would be crushed by the massive gap when she actually stepped into the city.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line.
The silence was very light.
After a long time, a laugh that was barely audible came through.
“Student Gu is as gentle as ever.”
“Ai Lian, did you run into a difficult problem that needs me to solve? Tell me about it, just like usual.”
“I have a math problem I need Student Gu’s help with. I’ll read the question… In quadrilateral ABCD…”
Gu Yebai quickly mapped out the diagram in his mind.
Segments intersected.
Angles emerged.
The moment Ai Lian stopped speaking, the answer had already taken shape in his mind.
“Ai Lian, you can solve it like this. Draw an auxiliary line between A and C, then use the Law of Cosines to calculate triangle ABC and triangle ADC separately. Substitute the given data, then rearrange and solve.”
The other end of the phone was quiet for a brief moment.
Then came an irrepressible gasp of admiration.
“Ah, that’s amazing! You solved it all at once. As expected of Student Gu, you’re so smart!”
Her tone carried admiration.
It also carried a certain secret dependence.
“By the way, Student Gu is very happy, right?”
“Actually, when I made this call, I was wondering if I would be disturbing your current life.”
“Not at all, Ai Lian.”
“On the contrary, I’m quite happy you called. It might just be my personality, but I’m not used to taking the initiative to contact others, no matter how lonely I am.”
“So, I’m really happy that you reached out.”
“Ai Lian, if you study hard, you will definitely leave Linchuan County one day in the future. You will have a better life, so you must keep at it.”
“Our friendship will also surely last forever.”
The other end of the line was quiet for a few seconds.
“Even if I’m ugly?”
“No, you aren’t ugly. Your appearance shouldn’t be interpreted or defined by anyone else. You are you.”
Gu Yebai suddenly remembered what Yukino had said just now.
So, he immediately scrolled through his chat history and read it aloud.
“No matter what happens in the future, tell me.”
“I don’t want you to be alone.”
“And you shouldn’t be alone.”
“You still have me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he stunned even himself.
Such a tone between boys would be considered ironclad loyalty.
But for a girl, it seemed to carry too much weight.
“Student Gu…”
“I’m very ugly.”
“And, you already have that red-haired girl. Some say that ugly people tend to cause trouble. I don’t want my heart to be ugly along with my face.”
“I think this is probably the last time I’ll call you. If I keep thinking about you, I might never be able to leave in my entire life.”
“Don’t worry, I’m very strong. After asking this trigonometric function question, I think I won’t bother you again.”
“Ai Lian, did I do something wrong?”
“No, Student Gu, you are wonderful. The only one who is wrong is me.”
“I can’t keep over-relying on you. I need to have a brand-new start. If I keep thinking of you, I’ll never be able to move forward.”
“So, goodbye.”
“Ai Lian! If someone is bullying you, tell me, and I’ll definitely find a way, so — “
“Please also give me your blessing, Student Gu.”
The voice on the other end of the line suddenly became so light it was almost transparent.
“I love Student Gu, too…”
“But not everyone is worthy of love.”
“I’ve confessed, so let’s end our relationship here. I can’t keep thinking about you, do you know? How much courage did I need just to tell you this?”
“Am I… making progress, too?”
“Hehe, let me say it one last time. I love you, Gu Yebai.”
She ended the call unilaterally.
Gu Yebai called back.
It signaled a busy tone.
He tried again.
The prompt indicated the person was out of the service area.
Presumably, he had been blocked.
Gu Yebai stared at the phone screen, speechless for a moment.
Right.
The novel wasn’t finished yet.
He returned his gaze to the screen.
The paragraph stopped at…
So, the middle-aged detective planned to — planned to what?
Gu Yebai’s mind was a complete blank.
The inspiration that had felt like a bursting dam just now had been taken away by that phone call.
He stared blankly at the screen for 1 minute.
Finally, Gu Yebai let out a long sigh.
Forget it.
Let’s just play a game first.