Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Slapping with Strength

After stepping off the plane, a sharp breeze blew away the hazy sleepiness. Song Zhihan yawned, tears welling in his eyes. It was six o'clock local time when they finally arrived.

The forum will be held tomorrow, and the meeting with Qie Da is scheduled for tonight.

On the way to meet him, Song Zhihan was nervous and excited. She glanced at Xiaochi secretly, and seeing that she was calm, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Alas, Cheng Yang and Becca were not around, and she couldn't even find anyone to gossip with, so she could only treat these two workaholics with respect.

The driver, adhering to the principle of keeping his words on the ground, livened up the atmosphere: "You are from out of town, so you must try the douzhi tomorrow morning. Dipping it with fried dough sticks is so authentic."

Xiaochi and Linjie remained silent. Feeling awkward, Song Zhihan took the initiative to reply to the driver, "Don't lie, sir. We've been online before, and I've tried soy milk, and it's not tasty at all. Just thinking about the taste makes me want to vomit."

She described it with such intensity, her face revealing an expression of disgust and nausea that the driver burst into laughter: "You'd better catch it, or you'll spit two hundred dollars into my car!"

Once the conversation started, Song Zhihan, the chatterbox, told the driver everything he had been holding back all the way. The two of them chatted and laughed all the way to the hotel, and the time on the road passed by much faster.

After getting off the car, the driver stuck his head out and said, "Hey girl, I'll give you a ride next time."

Song Zhihan waved and said hello: "Okay, okay, we'll meet again if we're lucky."

The stiff and awkward erhua sound was inappropriately added after the word "缘". The driver in the car had just taught her to speak in dialect. In order to demonstrate the teaching effect, Song Zhihan wanted to show him her skills before leaving, but she ended up speaking in a weird way.

Not to mention the driver, the other two people were also amused.

Lin Jie stopped her while she was waving at the driver, and pulled her towards the hotel. Song Zhihan was as noisy as a monkey, waving as he was pulled away.

She really didn't mean it. The driver was just too hospitable and kept waving his hands to tease her. She didn't want to embarrass him, so she could only respond enthusiastically.

The scene was very humorous for a moment, and Xiaochi suddenly thought of a very popular meme on the Internet recently.

Bigger and her ninja are quite consistent with the way they are now.

The meeting with Qie Da was scheduled in the conference room on the top floor of the hotel. They arrived first and sat in a row. The tightly closed door seemed to have magic, and Song Zhihan kept staring at that direction.

She was really curious about Qie Da.

Qie Da's pen name is Disappearing Eggplant. He is a great writer on men's websites. He became famous at a young age and has written countless hits in his ten years of work. Most importantly, he never participates in any public offline activities and has never held a book signing event. The only impression he left on everyone is that purple eggplant avatar.

His mystery has attracted a lot of speculation. Some people say that he is a disgusting, greasy, and otaku, while others say that Qie Da is more handsome than any male star. In short, all these speculations have cast a veil of mystery over him.

But Song Zhihan was curious about him, all because of Luo Qing. He wanted to see what the man who created Luo Qing was like and how he evaluated her writing.

The door opened, and a thin man appeared where everyone's eyes converged. He had an ordinary appearance, simple clothes, wore a pair of glasses, and had a scholarly air about him.

When he came in, he greeted Lin Jie first: "Lin Jie, nice to see you again."

The two of them exchanged pleasantries skillfully, just like old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"These are my colleagues from the screenwriter team, Xiaochi who is responsible for the main plot, and Song Zhihan who is responsible for Luo Qing." Lin Jie acted as a bridge and introduced them to each other.

Qie Da adjusted his glasses, looking a little reserved. "Hello everyone, I'm the Vanishing Eggplant. I've watched the first few episodes and sent Lin Jie a detailed repo. I'm pleasantly surprised by the level of completion of the anime."

"The part about the battle of Linggu is very well written. The exciting and exciting parts make people's blood boil. Especially the newly added part, which effectively echoes the previous part and is a stroke of genius." Qia Da praised Xiaochi without hesitation, and his words were full of satisfaction.

Xiaochi said a few polite words as usual: "No, it's because your novel is good enough. We plant things in fertile soil, and the fruits we produce are good enough."

Song Zhihan felt inferior to herself in the art of speaking. She suddenly felt a little nervous and didn't know what Qie Da would think of the part she rewrote.

"Did you write Luo Qing's line?" Jia Da looked at the standing Song Zhihan with a faint smile on his face.

Song Zhihan was momentarily flustered when he was called out, then he smiled appropriately: "It's me. I expanded on Luo Qing's original characteristics."

"It's very well written. To be honest, when I wrote Lingdong, I was only eighteen years old and had no experience in love. The only source of my understanding of love came from anime... It's a bit like a chuunibyou, and to cater to the perverted fantasies of some readers, I included more than one heroine, and I'm not very experienced in creating female characters. Editor Song, thank you for giving Luo Qing a second life, making her more vivid and lively. I am proud of it."

Song Zhihan felt sad when she heard this. The recognition from the original author was the greatest recognition for her.

"I also want to thank you, Qia Da, for giving me the opportunity to meet Luo Qing."

This meeting with Qie Da was arranged by Lin Jie in order to make the subsequent plot development smoother. Then they had a further discussion based on the key points listed previously.

At the end of the discussion, Xiaochi also prepared a Q&A: "Dr. Qie, these are some questions that we collected from fans in the comments section of our official blog. We'd like to interview you."

Qia Da happily accepted, and Xiao Chi took the initiative to assign the task to Song Zhihan. Although the interview questions had been laid out in advance, the conversation was a story between two people. When it came to chatting with people, she felt inferior to Song Zhihan's liveliness. With her around, perhaps she could dig out some new things.

Song Zhihan was very surprised and surprised. She didn't expect such a good thing to happen to her, but the opportunity was not to be missed. As the first non-professional host to interview Qia University, she felt obliged to do so.

After quickly reading the outline, Song Zhihan asked the first question: "Excuse me, Mr. Qie, why is your pen name the Disappearing Eggplant? It sounds very suspenseful."

Qie Da was silent for a moment, then replied helplessly, "I hate eating eggplant, but it always appears on the table at home. I wish all the eggplants in the world could disappear. I know this sounds like a made-up story, but it's true."

He could never have imagined that the ID he casually typed when he was young would accompany him through so many years and witness so much glory.

Song Zhihan was not surprised by this answer, but nodded in agreement: "Well said, I hate eating eggplant too!"

"Yeah, I always feel like there's a weird smell..."

Seeing that the two people were getting further and further away from the interview questions, Lin Jie coughed lightly and reminded them, "Song Zhihan, let's talk about business."

Song Zhihan turned his back to him, smiled awkwardly at Qie, and continued with the question and answer session.

They chatted for a long time, and Xiaochi left first. Lin Jie sat not far away, accompanying them. He sat quietly, not saying a word, nor was he trapped in endless work as usual. He just watched the two people chatting and laughing, his eyes lingering more on Song Zhihan.

Watching her witty banter, measured words, and bright, lively smile, she always seems to have the ability to make everything move.

Song Zhihan's life was a verb, rich and vibrant. The living pebbles stirred up tiny ripples in his stagnant life, and then he saw his own life, too, being activated, and everything began to pulse and transform.

He used to hate change and anything outside of plan. He believed that everything had to happen in a predetermined order.

Lin Jie placed his palm lightly on his chest, and he felt his heartbeat gradually accelerating. Now, he began to look forward to every accident of Song Zhihan.

As the night deepens, Song Zhihan has gained a lot. When the official version of the clip is released, fans will definitely be surprised.

After seeing Qie Da off, they also had to pack up and go back as soon as possible.

Lin Jie naturally took Song Zhihan's computer bag, notebook, and some miscellaneous items. He weighed the heavy tote bag and couldn't help but wonder, "You put the entire desk in there?"

Song Zhihan stretched lazily: "That's about right. Half of the house is in there. Be careful with it."

She can now order Lin Jie to do things in a bossy manner. Since Xiao Chi is not around, she is not afraid of being seen.

"You and Qie Da, you must have known each other for a long time, right? It seems like you two are very familiar with each other."

Lin Jie nodded and talked about the past: "Yes, I met him not long after I started working at Jujiang. At that time, I was interested in developing Lingdong, but in the end I couldn't reach an agreement with the company, so I put it on hold for the time being."

Song Zhihan exclaimed: "So you brought this project into the company?"

That's been way too long since he officially started. When exactly did Lin Jie hook up with James? It couldn't have been earlier than she started, right?

"Yes, I contacted Eggplant as soon as I resigned from Jujiang and bought all the copyrights of Lingdong."

Song Zhihan was secretly amazed. Lin Jie was really confident enough to buy an IP worth tens of millions just like that.

But if you think about it carefully, he is a person with the capital to be confident. If she were James, she would also be willing to trust Lin Jie without thinking.

"Actually, I was quite nervous about meeting Qia University today. I felt like a child being criticized sharply by a teacher. Fortunately, Qia University was quite satisfied with what I wrote." Thinking of those compliments, Song Zhihan felt a little dizzy. As far as she could remember, this was the first time someone had been so sure of her professionalism.

Lin Jie's throat was slightly dry. He curled his hands, looked at her, and said seriously, "Song Zhihan, I once gave a bad review of your writing, but you are very powerful and slapped me in the face with your strength. I admit that I was blind to recognize the true master."

It was true that I was dissatisfied with the manuscript before, and it is also true that I admire Song Zhihan now. She used just a few months to submit an answer that satisfied everyone.

Song Zhihan's already floating heart flew even higher, but at the same time she also became aware of her subtle shyness.

What’s going on? Why didn’t I feel this way when Qie Da praised me?

....

The next morning, Song Zhihan woke up from a sweet dream. She received so much praise yesterday that she dreamed that she swept all the Best Screenwriter Awards and stood in the spotlight, enjoying everyone's admiration. Lin Jie even turned into her crazy fan, chasing her for photos and autographs.

As a result, Song Zhihan felt a little embarrassed when she saw him during breakfast, and kept thinking of the passionate him in her dream.

But the reality is cold as ice. Lin Jie is wearing a black suit and a black shirt, looking like a typical business elite, with a cold and aloof temperament all over his body.

Song Zhihan and Xiaochi also dressed up. They couldn't bring shame to the company when they went out.

After finding the corresponding seat, Song Zhihan sat down and looked at the guests around him. The most important ones were those sitting on the stage. Their names were unfamiliar, but the representative works playing on the projection in a loop were all familiar to him.

Song Zhihan was watching with great interest. When she encountered something she didn't understand, she would pull Lin Jie aside to ask questions. Of course, the name of the master appeared most frequently, but Lin Jie had no reservations and gave her a detailed introduction, and also added some inside stories that were not suitable for outsiders to know.

While enjoying the visual and auditory satisfaction, Song Zhihan heard a voice coming from above his head, which was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Zhihan? Are you coming to the forum too? Why didn't you tell me that you were returning to China?" There was a familiarity and surprise in his words.

The owner of this voice was very familiar to Song Zhihan. Her expression froze for a moment, and she glanced at Lin Jie guiltily before putting on a standard smile: "Meng Xingyu, long time no see. I came back in April this year."

Meng Xingyu took the empty seat next to Song Zhihan and talked to her eagerly: "When are you leaving? Can I take you to Yanbei for a few days? I have mentioned it many times before, but I have never come..."

Lin Jie caught the key words, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at Song Zhihan with a smile.

She was embarrassed, but had to continue talking to the man surnamed Meng. His expression and attitude made it easy to guess their past relationship.

-----------------------

Author's note: This chapter's new character may seem like Qie Da, but in reality... those who understand will understand. He is indeed Zhihan's ex-boyfriend. It was Lin Jie who rejected Zhihan himself, so he deserves it. [Glasses]