On summer nights in the mountain village, aside from the chirping of cicadas and crickets, no other clamorous sounds could be heard.
Lin Yu once again affirmed that, in Fang Xinran’s heart, her hometown was a truly beautiful place.
There’s a saying that goes…
What people pursue is something they were born with.
It’s just a shame that Fang Xinran, who had only left home a few years ago, hadn’t yet realized this.
"Lin, what are you thinking about?"
Fang Xinran suddenly spoke up, asking Lin Yu.
Lin Yu looked up at the bright moon and said with deep emotion:
"Thinking about home."
The moon of his childhood was just this bright.
Bright enough that streetlights weren’t needed to see the surroundings.
Bright enough that decades later, when you describe it to younger generations, they simply wouldn’t believe a moon could shine so vividly.
Sometimes, even Lin Yu himself wondered—had his memories embellished its radiance in hindsight?
But upon reflection…
Perhaps it didn’t matter.
The moon, or home—
Both were things he longed to see but could never truly see again.
Those things remained sealed in his memories, glowing brilliantly.
Hearing this, Fang Xinran recalled Lin Yu’s background.
Unsure how to comfort him, she could only steer the conversation elsewhere:
"Sooner or later, we all have to leave home."
"When I was little, I thought these mountains were what blocked me from the outside world."
"But when I finally got out, I realized… the things holding me back weren’t them at all."
Lin Yu couldn’t help but glance at Fang Xinran.
Her delicate profile was bathed in a shimmering glow under the moonlight.
Before this, Lin Yu had always thought Tang Yimian was the quintessential literary girl—
The type who’d murmur, "The wind is rather boisterous today," by the lakeside.
Now, he realized…
The real literary girl might be the one right beside him.
"A girl from the mountains, yearning for the world beyond."
"But once she’s out there, she’s struck by a new confusion."
"How strange… It’s like…"
"This isn’t the life I dreamed of?"
"Then… what is it that I truly want?"
"Senior Fang, that’s how you feel, isn’t it?"
Lin Yu articulated it all smoothly.
These were likely the thoughts trapping Fang Xinran.
If someone asked Lin Yu now what to do or how to live—
Despite having lived a second life, he’d only made it to his thirties at most.
He hadn’t even figured out his own life yet—who was he to tell others how to live?
But analyzing things from the sidelines? That he could do!
Thud!
The moment he finished speaking—
A sudden impact slammed into Lin Yu’s chest.
If not for his sturdy physique, Fang Xinran’s force would’ve sent him tumbling.
She thrust a beer bottle right in front of him, exclaiming excitedly:
"Yes! Exactly!"
"Lin, you’re the first person who’s ever completely understood me!"
"I just knew… I always had this feeling…"
"If I shared my troubles with you, you’d be the one most likely to help!"
"I’m so glad I ran into you tonight. Alone in the dark, I never know where to place my heart."
Lin Yu: "…"
After the hug, where should I put my hands?
You could’ve just said it.
Or even sung it.
But no—you had to shove a beer bottle at me?
This strong?!
Her jumpy demeanor tonight was certainly… fitting.
He couldn’t predict which words might suddenly strike a chord with Fang Xinran—
Triggering another flare-up of her "mad dog" tendencies.
Rubbing his chest, Lin Yu reached out and grabbed at the air.
An identical beer instantly materialized in his hand:
"I brought drinks. Tonight, let’s drown your worries—or just talk about your past. I love hearing stories. We can—"
Clink!
Before he could finish—
Fang Xinran’s bottle collided violently with his.
Thankfully, this was a dream.
In reality, they’d both be holding shattered glass by now.
Fang Xinran beamed: "Lin, our personalities are so alike!"
Lin Yu raised a brow: "Oh? You like stories too?"
Fang Xinran shook her head: "No, I love telling them!"
Lin Yu: "Oh. Heh. Heh heh…"
At this moment, Lin Yu began to grasp the severity of the situation…
For what felt like an eternity—
Dream prison, round two.
Fang Xinran seemed determined to recount her entire life, jumping from memory to memory.
A few times,
Lin Yu tried to interject, steering things back to just drinking.
But while the beers kept coming—
Fang Xinran’s words never stopped. She was utterly engrossed.
No wonder…
No wonder she and Tang Yimian got along so well!
Their storytelling styles—starting from the dawn of creation—were eerily similar.
At one point, Lin Yu even considered—
Maybe I should just unleash cosmic laws, trigger an earthquake, and end this torment.
From now on, he’d think twice before stepping into a literary girl’s dreams.
Too refined.
Way too refined for a crude guy like him.
But just as Lin Yu resigned himself to the ordeal—
The conversation took an unexpected turn when Fang Xinran mentioned college…
"So, Lin, I also started writing in college to capture my feelings at the time."
"Though I never showed anyone, let alone thought about publishing like you."
"Even back then, I thought Yimian’s novels were great. But with your guidance, they’ve gained so much more depth."
"Lin, can I ask something bold…?"
"Is your own writing… similar to Bin’s style?"
Lin Yu: "???"
That’s not bold—that’s outright reckless!
A moment ago,
Lin Yu had been stewing in his dream prison, contemplating "self-destructing" for escape.
Now, the topic had pivoted sharply—
To Bin’s high school grades?!
This left Lin Yu…
Oddly delighted!
Playing along, he feigned hesitation:
"Not entirely. At least the main plot isn’t. Maybe I’m just good at writing romantic tension."
"And it’s not based on personal experience. Senior Fang, you know me—I’m what you’d call—"
Clink!
Their bottles met again.
Fang Xinran shot him a knowing look—
Before dropping an even more explosive question:
"When I write, I always imagine things vividly."
"If I describe a mountain, I picture the mountain. If it’s wind, I feel the wind."
"Everyone has their own mental projections, right?"
"Lin, when you write… who do you picture?"
"Is it someone you know in real life?"
Lin Yu: "!!!"
…
(First update today! Extra chapters coming later—your support fuels this little author. Thanks a million!)
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
