110: Convenience Store No. 444

The high-speed train smoothly glided into Jiangcheng Station.

The familiar scent of the city, mixed with a faint breeze from the river, dispersed the tense hustle and bustle of Jinling from the past few days.

Lin Que, dragging a simple suitcase, followed Shen Qingqiu out of the exit.

He immediately saw Wang Xiulian, standing on tiptoes and looking around in the crowd.

"Mom!"

Lin Que called out.

Wang Xiulian's eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly pushed through the crowd to run over.

The first thing she did was not take his luggage,

but reached out to pinch Lin Que's arm, then touched his face.

"You've lost weight! I knew you would!"

Wang Xiulian's brows furrowed instantly, her tone full of heartache.

"Being away from home is suffering; you must not have eaten or slept well."

Lin Que didn't know whether to laugh or cry:

"Mom, I was only gone for three days. How much weight could I lose?

Besides, I've been eating big meals these past few days."

"That's still not as nourishing as home-cooked food."

Wang Xiulian unceremoniously snatched the suitcase and then warmly greeted Shen Qingqiu.

"Teacher Shen, you've worked hard these past few days. This mischievous monkey didn't cause any trouble, did he?"

Shen Qingqiu glanced at Lin Que, who was pretending to be well-behaved beside her, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

Cause trouble?

He almost overturned the Provincial Writers Association's tables!

But in front of a parent, Shen Qingqiu still gave him plenty of face:

"No, Student Lin Que... is very opinionated!"

...After bidding farewell to Shen Qingqiu,

they got into Lin Jianguo's gleaming Mercedes, the car filled with the comforting scent of leather.

At dinner, Wang Xiulian went all out.

Sweet and sour pork ribs, braised crucian carp, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a pot of milky white chicken soup.

"Come, Little Que, drink more soup, it's good for your brain."

Wang Xiulian unceremoniously served him a full bowl.

Lin Jianguo sat upright at the head of the table,

his face looking stern, but his hand picking up food slowed down,

his peripheral vision constantly glancing at his son's face.

"How was it? Any gains from going to the province this time?"

Lin Que was gnawing on a rib, vaguely replying:

"The world is big, there's lots of good food, and... quite a few interesting people."

He looked at the Jinling Roasted Duck he brought for his parents, lost in thought.

"No seriousness at all."

Lin Jianguo feigned a scolding, but the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes softened a bit.

"But speaking of which, I heard your mom say you even got some kind of membership?"

"Oh, it's just an honorary member of the Provincial Writers Association."

Lin Que said it lightly, as if he was talking about having too much physics homework today.

Lin Jianguo and Wang Xiulian didn't quite understand the words "honorary",

but they knew the weight of the three words "Provincial Writers Association."

Wang Xiulian's eyes turned red again:

"My son has made something of himself! He's even joined a provincial organization!"

"What organization? It's just a nominal title."

Lin Que spread his hands.

Lin Jianguo didn't speak, but turned and pulled out a bottle of baijiu that had been hidden for several years from the cabinet.

He poured a small glass for himself and some plain water into Lin Que's glass.

"Since it's a provincial organization, it's a legitimate path.

It'll give you more confidence when you're out and about, and it's a safeguard."

Lin Que raised his cup and clinked it.

He knew this was his father's highest form of approval.

The meal was full of joy, and Wang Xiulian's chatterbox was fully open.

"Oh, right, do you still remember Old Zhang's son downstairs?"

Wang Xiulian suddenly remembered some gossip.

"What about him?"

Lin Jianguo picked up a peanut with his chopsticks.

"Eek, he's in an early romance!"

Wang Xiulian's tone was both mysterious and critical.

"I heard he's with a female classmate from his class, walking home together every day after school.

Two days ago, his dad even caught them pulling and tugging in the small grove in the community park.

Tsk tsk, kids these days, not focusing on their studies, just thinking about all sorts of nonsense..."

Lin Que lowered his head to drink soup, not interrupting, but chuckling inwardly.

This familiar 'other people's children' criticism session,

it was never absent, in his past life or this one.

He thought Lin Jianguo would agree, but unexpectedly, he took a sip of wine and slowly spoke:

"You can't say that.

Kids in puberty, when they first experience love, it's normal to have a crush on someone of the opposite sex."

Wang Xiulian's eyes widened:

"Old Lin! What's wrong with you today? Didn't you used to be most against this?"

"Times change."

Lin Jianguo had a very open-minded look.

"As long as it doesn't affect their studies and they don't do anything out of line, a budding crush,

might even encourage them to study harder.

Besides, if you keep a child cooped up in a cage all day, when he grows up,

he won't even know how to talk to girls, and that's real trouble."

"You..."

Wang Xiulian was choked speechless for a long time,

and finally turned her attack on Lin Que, who was watching the show.

"Little Que! Listen to what your dad is saying!"

As Wang Xiulian spoke, her chopsticks suddenly stopped,

her gaze swept over Lin Que's face twice, and her tone became rather meaningful:

"Speaking of which, son,

you're quite a popular figure now,

at school... are there any female classmates who particularly admire you?"

Here it comes.

Lin Que's internal alarm bells went off.

This roundabout tactic, this familiar recipe.

He put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at Wang Xiulian with a serious expression:

"Mom, your thinking is too dangerous."

Lin Que put down his chopsticks, his face full of anguish.

"Do you know how clingy the comprehensive science subjects are?

Physics wants me to accompany it every day, Chemistry throws tantrums at the drop of a hat, and Biology needs coaxing.

I'm drained every day dealing with these three demanding subjects,

how could I have the energy to flirt with other female classmates?"

Wang Xiulian was amused by his serious nonsense, feeling both annoyed and entertained:

"You child, I'm talking about something serious, and you're spouting nonsense again."

"I'm not spouting nonsense."

Lin Que sighed, his face filled with the 'burden of studies' weariness.

"Those comprehensive science textbooks are thicker than my skin.

I don't even have enough time to 'date' them every day, how could I think about anything else?"

Seeing that the meal was about to turn into a family interrogation, Lin Que decisively used his escape technique.

"Dad, Mom, I'm full.

The air in Jinling was dry, and my inspiration is almost depleted.

I need to go back to my studio to rehydrate, otherwise, if I can't write the final exam essay, Teacher Shen will have to talk to you."

After speaking, he grabbed his jacket and, under his parents' helpless yet doting gazes, he dashed out of the house... SOHO Future City.

Lin Que threw himself onto the beanbag sofa and let out a long sigh.

Dealing with his parents was much more tiring than dealing with the Chairman of the Writers Association.

He pulled out his phone and clicked on the familiar rabbit avatar.

[Mu Xia]: Finally returned safely, and achieved a phased victory.

Not long after he sent the message, a reply came.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: Oh, the great writer is back? Didn't your mom nag you to death? [smirking]

[Mu Xia]: Almost. But with my excellent literary skills and love for learning, I successfully diverted the firepower.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: [Image: A rabbit giving a thumbs up.jpg]

[Fugitive Beethoven]: Speaking of which, your idol 'Hell Dream Weaver' is causing trouble again.

Have you seen it? The internet is practically tearing him apart.

[Mu Xia]: I saw it. That's good, it means there's high attention.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: Your mindset is something else [facepalm].

[Fugitive Beethoven]: But, I just listened to a very strange piece of music.

Suddenly I feel that since Jian Shen ferries the living in the sunlight,

then a Dream Weaver ferrying the dead in the darkness doesn't seem wrong either?

[Fugitive Beethoven]: One is responsible for making the living want to die, the other for making the dead want to live.

Waiting for this fire to ignite,

to see if Li Kui chops down Li Gui, or if these two were wearing the same pants all along. [eating melon]

Lin Que looked at the screen, the smile on his lips gradually deepening.

This girl's intuition was terrifyingly accurate.

He closed the chat window and scanned the major forums.

The topic #Dream Weaver Clashes with Jian Shen# was still trending,

the square filled with insults between fans of both sides, and countless sneering onlookers.

The heat had fermented enough.

All that anger, doubt, and ridicule would become the best fuel for his new book.

Lin Que closed the social software and opened his writing application.

He stretched his fingers, his knuckles cracking crisply.

It was time to light the fire.

He created a new document and slowly typed in the title bar.

[Chapter One: Convenience Store No. 444]

[Have you ever wondered if ghosts truly exist in this world?]

...