332: Chapter 332 The Big Plan

In the background of the photo was that grayish-white load-bearing pillar in the first-floor lounge area of Century Book City.

Beside the pillar, several readers were looking down, flipping through the books in their hands.

At the very edge of the frame, an extremely blurry silhouette was sitting behind the book signing table, head down, writing something.

The outline of that silhouette was none other than himself.

Lin Que's finger, holding the phone, hovered above the screen, remaining motionless for a full three seconds.

He recalled their WeChat chat from a few days ago, where her phrase "I have a grand plan" had been dismissed by him as a joke.

Thinking back even further to the first week of school,

Ye Xi had mentioned on WeChat that there were adjustments to her piano lessons in Jinling, though she had been vague about the details.

Lin Que glanced at the posting time of the long review.

6:35 PM.

He looked again at the angle of the light in the lounge area in the background of the photo; it was natural morning light.

At that moment, all the clues clicked into place.

Lin Que stared at the young girl's eyes, the only part of her visible in the selfie, and remained quiet for a long time.

Having struggled through the vanity fair of his past life, he was accustomed to "full-force promotions" that came with strings attached and had seen through many price-tagged affections.

But returning to this year, at age seventeen,

whether it was his classmates on the slow green-skinned train or the piano girl who had traveled hundreds of kilometers,

their wholehearted support was devoid of even a hint of calculation.

Lin Que placed his phone face down on the table and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling.

The chandelier in the hotel room emitted a warm yellow light that reflected in his eyes, softening into an indescribable tenderness.

He picked up his phone again.

This time, he didn't look at the long review that was still going viral; instead, he exited the Microblogging platform and opened the WeChat interface.

In the pinned section, the profile picture of "Fugitive Beethoven" was quietly lit.

Lin Que's thumb paused over the input box for two seconds, then he lightly tapped out four characters.

[Mu Xia]: "Are you back yet?"

As soon as the message was sent, that line of small text immediately popped up at the top of the chat window.

[The other party is typing...]

After flickering for about five or six seconds, Ye Xi's message popped up.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "I'm already in Jinling! I told Sister Yang I was going to Magic City to hang out with friends. If I'd gotten back any later, the consequences would have been unthinkable [facepalm]."

Looking at the message, the corners of Lin Que's mouth curled up involuntarily.

Lin Que glanced down at the posting time of the long review, then combined it with the morning light in the photo and the bookstore's opening hours to mentally calculate the timeline.

This girl had most likely set off from Jinling last night or in the early hours of this morning.

She must have slipped in as soon as the bookstore opened in the morning, squeezed into a corner of the lounge area to devour the entire book,

then boarded the return high-speed train in the afternoon, typing out three thousand words while swaying on the journey.

By the time she posted the thread, she must have just gotten off the high-speed train.

Lin Que stared at the facepalm emoji on the screen, his fingertips pausing for a moment before he typed a line.

[Mu Xia]: "Thanks. This friend is very honored."

After this sentence was sent, the other side was silent for about ten seconds.

Then Ye Xi sent a voice message, but Lin Que didn't click it because a text message followed immediately.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "You saw it? How was it? Was any of my analysis off? [nervous]"

Lin Que switched back to the Microblogging platform and reopened the long review, his gaze landing on the character analysis of Old Knife in the middle.

[Old Knife is not a hero; he isn't even a brave man.

He is just a father backed into a corner by survival, using the clumsiest method to reach for that life-saving straw.

And the price of this straw happens to be ten thousand yuan.]

This passage was extremely accurate.

As someone who had read the original work in his past life, he knew all too well the difficulties of this book, and even more so where the character of Old Knife was hardest to write and most prone to being misinterpreted.

Most readers would interpret Old Knife as a tragic hero, but Ye Xi had not.

With extremely restrained prose, she restored Old Knife to the status of a most ordinary low-level laborer.

No sensationalism, no glorification, just a truthful presentation.

This precise judgment in literary aesthetics was far beyond what could be explained by a pianist's artistic intuition alone.

Lin Que switched back to WeChat and carefully typed a reply.

[Mu Xia]: "It's written very well. Especially the part analyzing Old Knife; you didn't elevate him to the position of a tragic hero. You handled that sense of proportion perfectly."

Once the message was sent, the other side was quiet for a full twenty seconds.

Then, a tsundere cat emoji popped up on the screen—an orange cat holding a piece of dried fish in its mouth, nose in the air, and tail held high.

A line of text followed.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "Hehe, so is the support from this big V with millions of followers worth a barbecue meal? [drool]"

Lin Que almost laughed out loud.

Just as he was about to reply, Ye Xi's second message arrived.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "But seriously, my hands were shaking while I was reading your book at the scene.

During the part where Old Knife crawls into the trash chute, I almost cried out loud sitting behind the pillar,

An uncle next to me even looked back at me. It was super awkward [crying]."

Looking at this message, a scene surfaced in Lin Que's mind.

A young girl wearing a mask and a baseball cap huddled behind a structural pillar, a book with a cold gray cover spread across her knees.

Her eyes reddening at the emotional parts, and when a passing uncle cast a puzzled glance, she quickly lowered her head to pretend she was rubbing her eyes.

Meanwhile, on the signing stage dozens of meters away, her "friend" was writing furiously, composing inscriptions for three hundred books,

completely unaware that a pair of eyes was silently watching him from the crowd.

Lin Que leaned back against his chair and slowly typed a line on the screen.

[Mu Xia]: "It's worth it. Two meals."

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "Deal! The ledger has been updated [smug]."

[Mu Xia]: "But that line of yours, 'What is folded is not just space, but fate'—did you think of that on the high-speed train?"

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "Mm-hmm! After finishing the book, my head was full of images; if I didn't write them down, I would've exploded.

My fingers hurt from typing on the train, and I still have to play the piano when I get back. I hope my master doesn't find out [side-eye]."

Lin Que stared at this lighthearted message, knowing she was deliberately downplaying what she had done.

An authenticated "Big V" with millions of followers using her real account to endorse and write a long review for a high schooler's book.

Ye Xi couldn't possibly be unaware of what this meant in the entertainment and cultural circles.

Yet she hadn't asked for his consent beforehand, hadn't treated it as a "collaboration" that needed discussion, and certainly didn't bring it up afterward to claim credit.

She simply did what needed to be done and then sent a cat emoji to ask him for a barbecue meal.

Lin Que looked down and typed.

[Mu Xia]: "Next time we meet, I'll make up for everything I owe."

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "Keep your word! [expectant]"

[Mu Xia]: "Mhm."

The chat window was quiet for a few seconds before Ye Xi sent another one.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "By the way, that line you said on stage today, 'Daring to unsheathe one's blade before the highest peak'—I almost stood up and cheered when I heard it at the scene.

Luckily I held back, or else the mask and hat would've been for nothing [giggle]."

Looking at this line, Lin Que imagined the scene, and the curve of his mouth lifted a bit more.

[Mu Xia]: "It's good you held back, otherwise tomorrow's headline would be 'Young Pianist Secretly Fangirls Over High School Student'."

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "Ahhh!!! Who's fangirling over you!!!"

That was called literary research!!! Academic investigation!!! [angry cat]"

Multiple exclamation marks, plus an emoji of an orange cat with its fur standing on end.

Lin Que chuckled softly and didn't tease her further.

He put down his phone and walked to the window.

The night view of Magic City spread out below him, with neon lights reflecting the skyline toward the Bund.

In the distance, a cruise ship on the Huangpu River slowly passed by, trailing a golden band of light.

The phone vibrated again behind him.

Lin Que turned around and picked it up; it was one last message from Ye Xi.

[Fugitive Beethoven]: "Lin Que, don't mind those voices of doubt.

Just charge forward. I believe that in the near future, China will definitely have a great writer who shakes the era!

As your number one die-hard fan, I'm pre-ordering a privileged front-row signing spot for all your future books~ [smug]"

...