The next morning, Chu Ge, as usual, meditated using the pearl. While he went for a run, Qiu Wuji washed up. After Chu Ge finished running and washed up, Qiu Wuji made breakfast, and then the two ate together.
During breakfast, they exchanged glances, both thinking about how subservient they felt yesterday, their eyes flickering as they ate their porridge.
They seemed to have forgotten their own moments of dominance, only remembering "being bullied by them."
Then they turned their heads away, each letting out a "humph," both thinking about how they would bully each other when it was their turn to be the master today.
Qiu Wuji thought the durian training method from before was particularly good, but unfortunately, she couldn't use it now.
Chu Ge's mind was filled with wanting her to massage his shoulders.
The two finished their breakfast, each with their own hidden agendas, saying very little. Chu Ge went back to his room to finish the drafts from last night and published the first chapter of the day, intending to start a day full of energy with 10,000 updates.
But after posting the chapter, he glanced at the comments section and was dumbfounded.
"I heard the male lead in 'Early Autumn Love' is the author?"
"I came because of the reputation."
"Those who came via Kuaishou, gather here."
"Those who came via Douyin, leave a comment here."
"Those who came via Weibo, here, here."
Chu Ge: "..."
Are you here to read the book or what?
"I heard the girlfriend in the photo is the author's assistant, is she the one named Qiu Wuji from the operations team?"
"I heard she's the prototype for Qiu Wuji in the book."
"I looked at the book, and I didn't see any woman named Qiu Wuji in the first few dozen chapters. It's all about Chu Tiange being bullied. Garbage book."
"Upstairs... that's just the beginning. This kind of book is about how a nobody rises to power."
"Garbage book, the operations team."
"Wise."
The book reviews started arguing.
Qiu Wuji walked in holding his phone, and he and Chu Ge looked at each other.
"Master Chu, should we delete posts and ban people?" Operations Team Qiu Wuji asked the author.
Seeing his serious expression, Chu Ge almost burst out laughing: "Forget it, the hype should die down after a while. Just ignore it as long as no one swears. Lock some posts if possible."
"Oh." Qiu Wuji, while dealing with the posts, casually asked, "By the way, why are authors called 'Big Brother So-and-So'? Is there any story behind it?"
"This term originally meant 'father' in some dialects. It was used casually online and gradually became a convention, losing its original meaning. It's now just a sign of respect. Authors also call readers 'Big Brother So-and-So,' and then it evolved into things like 'Giant,' 'Pang Pang,' 'Fatty,' 'Madam,' and so on..."
Qiu Wuji chuckled: "Silly netizens."
Chu Ge laughed: "Actually, 'Big Brother Chu' isn't very nice; he always makes..." I remembered the "Lin Dan Da" joke. The best ones are those pen names with "Chicken" or "Difficult," so people call them "Chicken Da" and "Difficult Da," how arrogant! Qiu Wuji kicked him irritably: "Go to hell and get back to work, are you addicted to flirting with your female assistant while driving?" Chu Ge chuckled and dodged, changing his clothes and heading out: "I'm going to the police station to collect some money, I'll be back soon. You can go out and have some fun too, no need to stay home all the time." Qiu Wuji added: "Mengmeng invited me to tea, who wants to stay home!"
"What does Mengmeng want?"
"She envy my good skin, so I taught her some health tips."
"Cultivation?"
"No, sleep." Qiu Wuji was very confused: "Why do so many people treat staying up all night like cultivating immortality?" Chu Ge looked up at the sky.
I used to be one of them, only now am I a little better.
If I had to say what I'm lacking in sleep now…maybe it's being able to sleep with my sweet, soft Qiu Qiu? When that time comes, I wouldn't trade it for a god.
Chu Ge dared not utter these words aloud and ran away in a flash.
At the police station, Lin Wuyang was extremely busy, but he managed to take Chu Ge through the procedures. With someone guiding them, the process of signing and receiving the money was simple and quick, and it was over in no time. There was no need for any unnecessary photos or publicity; after all, the privacy of "helpful citizens" had to be protected, and retaliation from those who targeted them was no laughing matter.
Chu Ge, in high spirits with an extra 100,000 yuan in his account, put his arm around Lin Wuyang's shoulder: "Want me to treat you to dinner?"
Lin Wuyang sighed helplessly: "Where would I find the time? It's only because you came. If it were someone I didn't know well, I wouldn't even have time to go through the procedures. They'd have to find someone themselves."
"So busy?"
"The Wang family is about to fall," Lin Wuyang said. "Leaving aside all the other aspects, just think about how many people were arrested that day, how long the interrogations will take, do you have a sense of that..."
"No..." Chu Ge said, "Logically, this case is big enough, shouldn't it be transferred to the provincial department?"
"The provincial department is handling the Wang family's affairs, we handle the rest."
"So after this is over, will you get a promotion?"
Lin Wuyang's tired face brightened slightly. He glanced around discreetly; no one was nearby. He lowered his voice: "Very promising."
"Great!" Chu Ge was also happy for Lin Wuyang: "Such a young deputy director is rare. You earned it through hard work, you deserve it."
"Shh, things aren't settled yet, no opening champagne halfway." Lin Wuyang was clearly in a good mood too, laughing: "Anyway, don't expect to use this to avoid treating us. We'll talk about it when I have time."
Chu Ge laughed heartily: "We'll treat each other then, one extra meal each."
Lin Wuyang laughed too: "You're really shrewd. Is this how you win over female fans?"
Chu Ge was both amused and exasperated: "You're stuck on this joke, aren't you?"
"So when are we having the banquet?"
"It's still far from over." "Hey, if you mess with her, and end up like Chu Qian, don't say you know me!"
"Even if she messes with me, I won't mess with her. You don't know about family ties..."
"Heh..." Lin Wuyang said leisurely, "Men, before and after getting what they want, they have two faces. You think you can fool this officer?"
Chu Ge retorted, "Are you writing an autobiography, Section Chief Lin?"
"Pah, I'm different. I'm a family man." The two chatted idly all the way to the city bureau entrance. Lin Wuyang suddenly remembered something and lowered his voice again, "Zhang Qiren is processing his paperwork to go abroad for work."
Chu Ge's heart skipped a beat, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Lin Wuyang said, "The Zhang family seems to have some businesses in Japan and South Korea, related to import and export, but it's very meager. He's become a small business owner abroad, with significantly reduced funds—it's practically exile. Speaking of which, his recent operations have been quite impressive, haven't they? Why was he exiled instead?"
Chu Ge asked, "You don't want to arrest him anymore?"
"I told you, I'm monitoring what their family has been doing, not him personally. As for him personally, whatever his hidden intentions in recent events, he's ultimately cooperating with me on the surface, so I have nothing to say. If he can reform, that would be good… but unfortunately, I feel that what he's doing abroad isn't exactly legitimate."
Chu Ge felt that given Zhang Qiren's recent actions, he might indeed be able to make a bigger impact abroad. As for "not legitimate," Chu Ge didn't feel much guilt about harming foreigners; in fact, it seemed like going abroad was actually a good thing.
However, with a weak foundation, every step is fraught with danger; he might even end up with nowhere to bury him.
Looking back, his current "wealthy life" doesn't necessarily seem as happy and free as the days when he was struggling with his writing.
After saying goodbye to Lin Wuyang, Chu Ge slowly walked back, wanting to say a few words to Zhang Qiren, but unsure how to begin. He finally just sent a WeChat message: "Heard you're going abroad?"
A simple reply quickly came: "Yes."
Chu Ge asked: "I heard it's Japan or South Korea, which one specifically?"
"So far, it's Japan. When you come over, I'll treat you to a brothel."
"Come on..."
"Oh right, some people are already in the prime of their lives, enjoying themselves so much they don't even want to go to a brothel anymore."
"I see you're a nightclub owner, having a great time, aren't you?"
"Heh..." Zhang Qiren slowly typed: "Not interested in those. For us writers, beauty is in the books."
Zhang Qiren was just using a joke to mask his true feelings, but those words left Chu Ge stunned for a long time.
Beauty is in the books.
This was a joke for others, but for him, it was a true reflection of his own situation.
It's unbelievable that this ancient admonition to study could actually become a real-life example.
Actually, it wasn't much different for Zhang Qiren... If he had persisted in writing back then, he and Yueying might have actually had a chance. He jokingly uttered that sentence, but he was still regretting it.
Chu Ge had a lot to say, but didn't know how to express it. His finger hovered over his phone for a long time before finally sending only four words: "Have a safe journey."
Zhang Qiren simply replied: "Thanks, brother."
Chu Ge sighed, suddenly sensing something. He turned his head and saw Yueying standing quietly in the shadows around the corner not far away, seemingly wanting to say something.