Chapter 48

Ji Yujing was happy to let Lin Yu hit him and ran over to show off in front of Su Tan.
By blood relation, Su Tan was Lin Yu’s younger brother.
After cutting ties, they never met again.
Su Tan, unsure of Ji Yujing’s intentions, simply scolded him: “Acting like you’re sick.”
Wen Jiu sat counting money under the sunset. Song Qin, nervous, squeezed up beside her, talking quietly like a character from a novel.
Shen Xingzhou saw this, didn’t approach, and held back Ji Yujing from interrupting, giving the two some space.
The yacht wasn’t small, but it was outdoors. Song Qin bit her lip and whispered into Wen Jiu’s ear, glancing around cautiously.
“The island trip is almost over. Chu Yan hasn’t fallen into the sea yet. There could still be other mishaps.”
Suddenly, even Wen Jiu lost interest in checking her balance.
“Isn’t it better this way?” She put away her phone and grabbed a coconut to drink.
“Stop thinking and have a coconut too.” Wen Jiu had just handed a coconut to Song Qin when a loud crash rang out.
“Bang, ” another yacht collided with theirs.
The one-in-a-million chance had actually happened.
Wen Jiu held her coconut firmly, but her body slid uncontrollably to the left, caught perfectly by Shen Xingzhou.
Amid the chaos, everyone hurried onto lifeboats back to shore. Once on the island, Assistant Li and Butler Qin handled the compensation; the others returned to their accommodations.
The young lady and Su Yaoyao, startled, went upstairs to rest.
Song Qin pried Wen Jiu from Shen Xingzhou and led her to the buffet for a calming meal.
When Assistant Li returned from negotiating compensation, his body was tense, his expression dark.
Wen Jiu immediately knew something was wrong.
“Assistant Li, what happened?”
Pressing the elevator button, Assistant Li stepped aside. “I’m going to see the young lady. Come with me.”
Wen Jiu’s unease deepened.
It couldn’t be that whatever the author predicted actually happened… that Chu Yan fell into the sea.
“Assistant Li, did something happen to Mr. Chu?”
Inside the elevator, the lights were bright. Li Xuan stared sharply at Wen Jiu. “Why do you think that?”
Wen Jiu: “...” Could she really say she had an author with her?
“I saw your expression and felt something was wrong. I was rushing to the young lady, and most importantly, Mr. Chu isn’t here. I stayed on the first-floor restaurant and didn’t see him pass by.”
Assistant Li looked away and apologized. “I’m terribly sorry. I panicked and almost misjudged you.”
“It’s fine. If Mr. Chu were in danger, the young lady would be upset. I’m on her side, so I wouldn’t want her to be sad.”
Only when the young lady saw them did Assistant Li finally open his tightly clenched mouth.
“Madam, Mr. Chu fell into the sea. They’ve been searching for two hours and haven’t found him.”
The young lady gasped. “What happened?”
She had been well-protected since childhood but wasn’t naive about wealthy families.
She’d heard stories of Shen family kids being kidnapped and car accidents arranged by neighboring families…
Not thinking with her heart, the young lady’s mind was clear. “Whose yacht just hit us?”
“Second Master Chu’s.”
Second Master Chu, Chu Yan’s second uncle, the first younger brother of Chu Yan’s father.
“That old man! Targeting Chu Yan? Didn’t he leave with my brother yesterday?”
The young lady cursed while calling her older brother.
Her whiny, pitiful tone tugged at anyone’s heart, especially the brotherly Qin Da Ge.
“Sis, did Chu Yan bully you? He dares to mess with you just after I left? Is he insane? Is the Chu family picking on us Qin family?”
The young lady: “...”
“Enough. Brother, shut up and listen.” She dropped the act and gave direct orders.
Qin Da closed his mouth.
This was truly his sister. He had to obey.
“Chu Yan was thrown into the sea by his second uncle’s men. No one can find him. Keep an eye on the second uncle. When Chu Yan returns, he’ll deal with him himself.”
“This can’t be widely known. Extend my island wedding by two or three days.”
“Also, send more people over. It’s hard to find help abroad. If we still can’t find Chu Yan, I won’t survive, little sister speaking.”
The weight of those three sentences paled in comparison to the last.
Qin Da tried to persuade his sister but the call was cut off.
The young lady instructed Assistant Li efficiently, her thoughts perfectly organized.
Wen Jiu always knew the young lady wasn’t clueless, but giving orders like this? She was way too queenly!
She held her face, starry-eyed, staring at the young lady.
After Assistant Li left, Qin Yao, thinking of the missing Chu Yan, felt her energy drain and nearly collapsed, turning to see the admiring Wen Jiu.
Qin Yao’s sad expression faltered. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Wen Jiu answered sincerely: “You stand there like a statue struck by lightning. So impressive, so commanding.”
Qin Yao closed her eyes, then opened them again.
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.” Who compares themselves to a statue?
She held Wen Jiu’s hand and led her to the large outdoor platform, where they could look out over the jewel-toned blue-green sea.
Night replaced the sunset, and the moon hung high in the sky.
The young lady suddenly felt a bit cold. “Do you think we’ll find Chu Yan?”
“Of course we will!” Wen Jiu spoke what the young lady was secretly thinking.
The young lady tilted her head to look at Wen Jiu. “Wen Jiu, your words are getting more and more pleasant to hear.”
“If Chu Yan comes back safely, I’ll make him send you money.”
Wen Jiu’s confidence that Chu Yan would return mainly came from the simple fact that he was the male lead.
A male lead like him, with indestructible vitality, is like a cockroach, impossible to kill.
Song Qin said, “But what if he actually brings back his lifesaver and says he wants to marry her? What will the young lady do then? What if the world collapses again?”
Wen Jiu immediately covered her mouth. “Shut your little mouth! Don’t you dare say another word!”
In reality, it was slightly different from what Wen Jiu and Song Qin had imagined.
The one who brought Chu Yan back was a bunch of monkeys.
Island monkeys.
It was 2 a.m., and nobody had slept yet.
Chu Yan had probably been in the water for a long time. His exposed arms were as pale as if he had been dead for three days, and his face was slightly swollen.
Perhaps Song Qin had given the young master a “golden finger” that boosted his luck; under these circumstances, Chu Yan could still open his eyes and speak, fully conscious.
His first words: “Yao Yao.”
Those two words made the young lady cry uncontrollably. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.
Chu Yan was lying on the sofa, he didn’t have the strength to stand.
His second sentence: “Li Xuan, give them their reward, buy the island, and take good care of them.”
He was referring to the monkeys that had brought him back.
No one knew exactly how Chu Yan had instructed the monkeys to fetch him.
Wen Jiu’s expression was strange, as if she had stumbled into a jungle.
What followed was just internal disputes within the Chu family, which Wen Jiu felt no need to hear. She pulled Song Qin away.
“You gave Chu Yan a golden finger to communicate with animals?” Wen Jiu asked.
“That’s nonsense! I gave the female lead a golden finger, not the male lead. Have you ever seen a female-targeted novel give a golden finger to the male lead?”
Wen Jiu: “Then… what’s up with the monkeys?”
Their thought process instantly aligned as they followed Assistant Li.
The monkeys didn’t reject Li Xuan either. They accepted the bananas he handed them and even affectionately rubbed against his hands.
“Assistant Li, did you raise these monkeys?”
With the CEO safely back, Li Xuan didn’t have to hide anything. “When the madam and Mr. Chu registered their marriage, they said they wanted to hold the wedding on the island. At that time, Mr. Chu, to draw out Second Master Chu, had already started raising a group of monkeys on the island.”
“To avoid alerting Second Master Chu and to allow him to plan freely, the island wasn’t purchased outright. Since it wasn’t owned, every month they had to spend a lot of money and effort to nurture and approach these animals.”
Wen Jiu understood.
They had effectively raised a circus on the island.
“Mr. Chu planned all this and didn’t tell the young lady a single word?” Wen Jiu immediately saw the problem.
Li Xuan’s expression was slightly awkward.
Wen Jiu and Song Qin exchanged glances, then moved away to talk privately, wary of being overheard.
“Song Qin, did you tell Chu Yan about the plot in advance? Otherwise, how would he know to prepare so early?”
She refused to believe that he had started preparing back when he registered his marriage with the young lady.
Song Qin pointed with both hands, took a deep breath, and argued, “I had to make him believe me back then!”
Wen Jiu: “......”
She had been thinking some absurdly over-the-top plot points wouldn’t happen, yet they did; and some seemingly normal events had unexpected twists. Apparently, her guesses had nothing to do with the author’s rules in this world.
She also wanted to complain that Song Qin was a jinx, whatever she said happened.
It turned out the male lead was just following a strategy.
Song Qin tugged Wen Jiu’s hand, wobbling a little. “I swear, I’m done talking. That’s where the novel’s plot ends: Chu Yan eliminates Second Master Chu, fully takes control, and lives happily with the female lead.”
“Wait, ” Wen Jiu held the wobbly Song Qin in place.
“When you were around, the world collapsed five times. That’s just how Chu Yan’s plot went; afterwards, he lives happily with the female lead. Are you sure they really live happily together? According to your logic, the male and female lead’s romance shouldn’t cause the world to collapse.”
Now that Song Qin was a little familiar with Lan Mingyan, she quickly found the answer. “Maybe because the female lead awakened.”
“The female lead didn’t even date the male lead, she went straight to work for you, Mr. Lan. Speaking of which… since the top web novel company is in your hands, I’m going back to write novels!”
“Can you sign me for all internal contracts, directly, and arrange all the best rankings for me?”
Wen Jiu turned her face to hers. “It’s 2:30 a.m., go to sleep. Dreams come faster anyway.”
“If Lan Mingyan finds out, she’ll block you immediately.”
Wen Jiu had wanted to say that if the author dictates something, she’d have Song Qin chant “Wen Jiu wins five million yuan” daily, but reality had nothing to do with the author.
On the bright side, she didn’t have to guard against the plot or stop the villain.
On their way back, Wen Jiu suddenly asked, “You don’t have a villain in these three novels, right?”
Sweet romance novels usually don’t, right?
Song Qin waved her hand. “Don’t worry. When I wrote, people only liked seeing the villain fall for the female lead, not destroy the world.”
“So there’s a villain?”
Song Qin nodded. “Yes!”
“Who?”
“......” Song Qin stared at Wen Jiu in silence for a long moment.
“Do you think I’d forget if I said so?”
It was the Southern Hemisphere, hot by day but cool in the late night.
The sea breeze gave Wen Jiu goosebumps, her back chilled.
Song Qin is the author, she may forget minor characters, but she wouldn’t forget the villain!
“Jiujiu.” Under the clear moonlight, someone called her.
The pure, ethereal voice startled her. She looked, and sure enough, it was Shen Xingzhou.
He stood by the flower-laden fence, watching her.
The chill on her back vanished, and Wen Jiu ran into his arms.
For the first time, she realized her boyfriend was actually useful. She felt deeply grateful.
Having returned, it wasn’t convenient to keep chatting with the author. She dragged Shen Xingzhou to escort Song Qin back to her room and then left with him.
“Tonight… let’s sleep together.” Wen Jiu wouldn’t admit she’d been scared in the sweet romance world.
“Sure.” Shen Xingzhou’s heart and eyes were full of her; he agreed without hesitation.
“You don’t want to ask why?” Wen Jiu looked up.
“Jiujiu, whatever you do is right. No need to ask.”
Wen Jiu felt warmth in her heart and rubbed her face against his white shirt.
She had found the right boyfriend.
After the wedding, Chu Yan had to deal with Second Master Chu and was too busy to spend time with the young lady.
The young lady didn’t mind being used a little; it was Qin Da who was furious. He caused many minor troubles without affecting Chu Yan’s work.
Originally, she could still see Chu Yan; now she saw him even less.
She thought for a moment and decided to go out and play with Wen Jiu.
This time, they brought Su Yaoyao along.
Su Yaoyao’s first book’s film rights had been sold to Yi’er Films, acquired by Chu’s production company, the one Wen Ling used to work for.
Rewriting scripts and coordinating filming didn’t require Su Yaoyao’s help yet; she immediately agreed to join the outing.
Once on the plane, Su Yaoyao pulled out her tablet. “Jiujiu, look! I started a new novel.”
“Last month, I saved 450,000 words’ worth of drafts. It’s almost complete.”
“Now I’ve published 10,000 words. Wen Jiu, do you like it? If so, I’ll open my draft archive for you to read.”
Wen Jiu: !!!
She had longed to hear this for a long time, and now, finally, she did.
Back in school, she had obsessed over novels. In high school, too busy; in college, too idle. Every update was frustratingly slow, wishing she could dive straight into the author’s drafts.
Who would have thought this wish would come true, in a world constructed by a novel?
More nested than a matryoshka doll.
Still, Su Yaoyao’s writing and plot design were really good. Last time, she wrote a wealthy-family melodrama without fantasy elements, taking a unique angle, and many readers liked it.
This time, she jumped from modern literature to historical, adding fantasy elements, a cultivation novel.
Perhaps to vent her own heartbreak, the story began explosively, with death and tragedy everywhere. Not a single character survived.
A bit like popular angst novels, but also not. The male lead was killed by the female lead, but the story was still labeled “angst”…
Normally in angst novels, the female lead suffers at the hands of the male lead, right?
Wen Jiu couldn’t help but glance at Su Yaoyao.
Had the young lady, the ultimate heartthrob, really been driven crazy by life?
Perhaps she had poured her emotions into the story. Su Yaoyao seemed softer, gentler, completely different from the first time Wen Jiu had met her. She smiled at Wen Jiu, hoping for praise.
Faced with such a delicate face, Wen Jiu’s heart blossomed. She complimented Su Yaoyao, who covered her face, embarrassed to meet her gaze.
Su Yaoyao grabbed her tablet and resolutely said, “The day after tomorrow, I’ll finish this book and start the next one. If Jiujiu thinks I can do it, I know I can!”
Wen Jiu: ?
No need to try so hard.
From Su Yaoyao’s first book, Wen Jiu had already known she had a talent for writing. It was just that she hadn’t realized Su Yaoyao was both fast and weirdly precise.
Now she didn’t even need an outline, everything was fully mapped out in her mind, and she could write flowing, coherent plotlines directly onto the page.
The young lady, unsurprised, handed her a glass of orange juice. “Su Yaoyao is 21 this year and already finished her master’s degree. In online terms, she’s a ‘study god’, she can rely on her brain without touching pen to paper.”
“She used to not communicate with anyone, and even after growing up, people still had to cling to her and interact. It has little to do with the Su family; it’s mainly that her personality is interpreted as a genius-level introvert.”
The young lady put on her sleep mask. “The rich kids in Haicheng… what idiots. They bullied Su Yaoyao into introversion for over a decade, and now they think it’s her own fault.”
“Do they really think praising her as a genius erases all the past harm?”
Wen Jiu sipped her juice, listening as the young lady recounted the past.
“But Su Yaoyao is remarkable, she somehow always attracts a bunch of terrible people.” The young lady gradually drifted off, her words stopping there.
Wen Jiu thought the “terrible people” referred to those who had bullied Su Yaoyao and didn’t pay it much mind.
After all, the earlier struggles were arranged by the author to shape Su Yaoyao into a shy, fearful-of-the-world character.
However, two weeks later, Wen Jiu understood the true meaning behind the young lady’s words.
It really was miraculous, Su Yaoyao’s constitution.
Indeed, she was the poster child for a “battlefield of life” (shura field).
Su Yaoyao had landed on the trending searches again.
This time, it was spotted by Song Qin at work while slacking off, who sent the screenshots to Wen Jiu. Otherwise, busy playing with the two young ladyes, Wen Jiu wouldn’t have known what was happening.
She opened her phone and saw Su Yaoyao’s name topping the charts.
Su Yaoyao’s pen name was her real name. Probably because few people were named “Su Yaoyao,” or maybe it sounded so elegant that no one connected it to her actual identity.
Especially since Su Yaoyao had already sold the film rights to her first book, no one in Haicheng who knew her realized it was the same person.
Wen Jiu clicked in and saw that the trending tag linked Su Yaoyao with, “dream girl”?
Wen Jiu had read enough novels in college to know what a “dream girl” meant.
Roughly, it described a real person fantasizing about developing emotional entanglements with a virtual character.
Over time, the term evolved to describe fandoms around celebrities, usually in a romantic sense.
The trending hashtag was: #SuYaoyaoXieJunyu#
At first glance, even Wen Jiu didn’t understand. She knew both people but had never heard of each other from either side.
Clicking in, she discovered that netizens were saying: Su Yaoyao is Xie Junyu’s dream girl.
Wen Jiu’s brain sprouted three huge question marks. She was completely baffled.
This was no longer just a clickbait headline problem, the content itself was clickbait.
The post was made from a secondary account.
Probably, after Su Yaoyao had previously trended and turned the situation around, many opportunistic marketing accounts had been warned and compensated, so this time they played it smart, using a secondary account.
The account, nicknamed “Passerby,” said:
#SuYaoyaoXieJunyu# Su Yaoyao, the recently popular Little Green River Ziwei Star, had one book go viral, consecutive film rights sold. Across platforms, short videos referenced her book’s jokes.
The blogger had been recommended by netizens to read her first book. Coincidentally, Su Yaoyao had just started her second book. Though only 30,000 words, this blogger, who usually disliked serials, still read it.
The plot and the female lead weren’t mentioned, just the male lead. Su Yaoyao’s character-building skills were excellent; with only a single chapter and one encounter, the blogger could clearly understand the male lead’s personality.
As a loyal fan of Xie Junyu, the blogger had watched all his dramas countless times and all his variety shows and interviews. They knew his personality inside and out. Instantly, the blogger realized: Su Yaoyao’s male lead was basically Xie Junyu.
One could say Su Yaoyao was also a fan of Xie Junyu, tailoring a character for him. But, the blogger grew suspicious. Su Yaoyao’s female lead treated this “custom-made” male lead harshly and emotionally tormented him (the other half guessed from the synopsis)…
Wasn’t this a dream girl scenario? Perhaps Su Yaoyao’s female lead was a reflection of herself!
That is, the blogger’s male idol had no partner; otherwise, it wouldn’t just be a dream girl, it’d be a dream trio.
The post was a long block of text, hard to read on Weibo’s small screen. Wen Jiu’s eyes hurt. After finishing, she thought it was another case of “much ado about nothing.”
If someone spent 300,000–500,000 yuan just to push this onto the trending charts, they really had too much money to burn.
Also, Xie Junyu had so many fans, not all of them were like this “Passerby,” ready to condemn Su Yaoyao. Some might even enjoy seeing a character made for their idol.
Controversial fame was still fame. As long as Su Yaoyao could handle the pressure, this book would take off immediately.
Wen Jiu blinked and suddenly saw the problem.
…Su Yaoyao’s pressure tolerance? She had none before. Did she have it now?
While she pondered this, she hadn’t even looked for Su Yaoyao yet when a new reply bumped the topic.
Passerby: #SuYaoyaoXieJunyu# Repost: 9 photos
Passerby: So Su Yaoyao and Xie Junyu were exes?! And Xie Junyu was the one who got dumped? Why did Su Yaoyao only date rich guys?
Wen Jiu sat back down and opened the photos.
So she was waiting here, huh?