It's love.

After discussion, the newspaper's editorial team decided that it was inappropriate to publish this type of romance novel in the county daily newspaper. Since Wang Yao insisted on suspending her previous column, they decided to remove it and replace it with other content.

Editor Wang finished reading Wang Yao's novel yesterday. To be honest, based on what has been written so far, if the quality doesn't decline later on, this novel is definitely worth reading.

So last night, she couldn't wait to recommend this novel to her old classmate who works at a magazine in the city.

Over the phone, based on the outline provided by Wang Yao, Editor Wang gave a general overview of the novel's content and read aloud the first three chapters.

Although Wang Yao is a novice in writing novels, she already understands the principle of the "golden three chapters".

These three chapters alone were enough to pique Editor Chen's curiosity. Coupled with the novel overall concept and imaginative ideas, Editor Chen showed considerable interest in this novel written by a new author, so he rushed to Zhou County the very next day.

When Wang Yao heard that Editor Chen planned to serialize her novel in their magazine, she was stunned because she had never heard of the publication.

Later, after hearing from Editor Wang that this magazine was one of the more well-known magazines not only in the city but also throughout the entire province, with a very large readership, Wang Yao was overjoyed.

Who would have thought that the article was submitted to the broadcasting room simply because the homeroom teacher required everyone to write at least one broadcast script. Wang Yao was sitting on the playground, feeling dizzy and lightheaded from the sun, and was too lazy to write, so she just randomly handed in that article. As a result, it was picked up by the county newspaper.

She originally just wanted to earn some pocket money, so she persisted in submitting articles to the county newspaper. As a result, she even got a column in the newspaper. When she went back to her hometown to pay respects to her ancestors, her mother collected all the newspapers that published her articles and burned them all for her father.

She just wanted to write a novel on a whim, to change her writing style, and then she got noticed by a city-level magazine...

After seeing the two editors off, Wang Yao returned to her seat. Ignoring Niu Ling's various interrogations, she immediately took out the small mirror that Niu Ling had placed in her desk drawer and carefully examined her own appearance.

Hmm~ She has the appearance of a girl next door, but she doesn't have the aura of a leading lady at all. How could that be? She is clearly destined to be a leading lady!

If she weren't a strong female lead, how could she have survived so much suffering and still have a chance to live again? If she weren't a strong female lead, how could her writing career have been so smooth? She's undoubtedly a strong female lead!

What are you looking at?

"Let's see when my leading man arrives!" Wang Yao said, examining her own face.

Holding a few steamed buns in his hand, Wenxiang, who had just walked in, immediately stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, and the tips of his ears began to turn red.

Niu Ling is such a shrewd person. Although she has never been in love, she has been through countless trials and tribulations in the world of romance novels. At a glance, she could tell that something was wrong with Wenxiang.

She nudged Wang Yao with her elbow, but her eyes were fixed on Wen Xiang. She chuckled and said, "Here you are!"

Wang Yao glanced up and slapped Niu Ling, who was grinning lewdly, with an annoyance. "What nonsense are you spouting? She's a pillar of the nation. If she dares to have any crooked thoughts, Fei Nanbei will skin her alive."

When Wenxiang entered the class, he was second in class. Among the nine subjects, English was his only weakness. After a semester of study, Wenxiang caught up in English and surpassed Chengting to become first. Now, Fei Nan is paying close attention to him and will not allow any factors to shake Wenxiang's resolve.

Wenxiang seemed not to hear Niu Ling and Wang Yao's words. He handed the steamed buns in his hand to Wang Yao and asked, "I saw that you hadn't eaten, so I brought you a few steamed buns."

This steamed bun shop was universally acknowledged as delicious by the group members, so Wang Yao didn't stand on ceremony. It was normal for group members to bring each other food, so she took the steamed bun from Wenxiang with one hand and handed him the money with the other.

Wenxiang didn't refuse, so he accepted it and started doing his homework.

The two were so natural with each other that Niu Ling began to wonder if she had really become lewd lately.

Wang Yao was studying diligently and submitting magazine articles to her on time. Liu Xiangmei's business was also very stable, but life can't always be stable, and there are always many unexpected events.

That evening, a group of customers came to the restaurant, and one of them stopped and stood still when he saw Chen Xiu grilling skewers.

Chen Xiu looked up and her face turned pale instantly, clearly recognizing the person.

"Xiuer, I've finally found you!" The man's gaze swept over Chen Xiu's face, as if he had met a friend he hadn't seen for many years.

Chen Xiu seemed to have seen a ghost, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing Chen Xiu's reaction, the man was not displeased at all, but rather quite satisfied. He even chuckled and reminded her, "The meat skewers are burnt."

Chen Xiu then hurriedly flipped the meat skewers.

All night, Chen Xiu worked with her heart pounding in her chest because the people at the table in the private room never left.

Around nine o'clock, the group at that table finally finished drinking and staggered out of the Haozailai Restaurant, arm in arm.

The man walked straight toward Chen Xiu, who was still grilling skewers. It was too late for Chen Xiu to dodge; the man grabbed her wrist and tried to take her away.

Chen Xiu screamed, "What are you doing? Zhao Bo, let me go, ah~"

In the struggle, Chen Xiu lost her balance and fell to the ground. The man, however, seemed not to notice and continued to drag Chen Xiu forward on his own.

Old Man Li ran out when he heard the commotion, shouting, "What are you doing? Let him go? Who are you people?"

When they saw Old Man Li about to rush towards Zhao Bo, Zhao Bo's companions all stepped forward to block him.

At this moment, Liu Xiangmei and the other people in the restaurant came out, and the guests who hadn't left yet also came out to see what was going on.

When Liu Xiangmei saw Chen Xiu screaming and being dragged away by a man, she hurriedly tried to step forward, but was also blocked by the group. She angrily said, "Is there no law? Is this a place where you can cause trouble and run wild? Get out of here, or I'll call the police."

Liu Huahua usually had a good relationship with Chen Xiu. Seeing that no one else was paying attention, she quickly ran towards Zhao Bo, wanting to save Chen Xiu.

Who knew that although Zhao Bo was drunk, he was still quite quick-witted and kicked Liu Huahua, knocking her to the ground.

Not only that, when Zhao Bo saw Liu Huahua fall to the ground, he wanted to kick her a few more times.

Seeing this, Chen Xiu struggled to her feet, pushed Zhao Bo aside, and tried to help Liu Huahua.

Zhao Bo stumbled from the push, his anger rising. He cursed, "You're asking for it, aren't you? Do you know how long I've been looking for you...?" as he grabbed Chen Xiu's hair and slammed her head against the ground.

Seeing this, Liu Xiangmei and Old Man Li were anxious to go over and started fighting with Zhao Bo's accomplices.

Some onlookers tried to stop them, while others ran towards the police station.

Ms. Zhang and Zhang Wei, who were watching TV at home, heard the noise downstairs. They stood in front of the window and looked down, and were immediately shocked.

Since the restaurant opened, there have certainly been people who wanted to cause trouble, but because Liu Hai and his underlings often ate at the restaurant, most of the troublemakers were suppressed and never amounted to anything.

Moreover, people in the neighborhood all know that Zhang Wei and his police officers often eat at Hao Zai Lai Restaurant, so things have been relatively peaceful. No one expected that someone would cause trouble at the restaurant tonight.

Zhang Wei immediately put on the police uniform hanging by the door, left a message saying "Mom, call my workplace," and ran downstairs.

Unexpectedly, the police arrived so quickly, but Zhao Bo and his gang were already drunk and in a fit of rage. Seeing that there was only one policeman, they didn't take Zhang Wei seriously, and some even threw punches at him.

Fortunately, the police station was not far from the Haozailai Restaurant, and the officers on duty arrived quickly and brought the situation under control.

Zhao Bo and his gang were handcuffed, but they were still defiant, cursing and shouting, "Do you know who my dad is...?"

When Wang Yao returned home after evening self-study, she found no one there. She ran upstairs to Old Man Li's house and learned what had happened. She felt a chill run down her spine.

Just as I was about to go to the hospital to see Chen Xiu, I heard that Liu Xiangmei had returned.

Upon learning that Chen Xiu's external injuries were relatively minor, just a concussion, and that Liu Huahua was also alright, Wang Yao and Old Man Li finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The three sat down together and discussed it. They all agreed that no matter how powerful Zhao Bo was, they absolutely could not let that group of people escape so easily, otherwise they would not be able to do business in the future.

Liu Xiangmei came back to get a change of clothes and asked Zhang Wei to look after her at the hospital for the time being. She also had to go to the hospital to stay with her, so she told Wang Yao to stay home and keep the doors and windows closed.

Zhang Wei sat in front of Chen Xiu's hospital bed, looking at Chen Xiu who had just fallen asleep.

Because of the concussion, Chen Xiu was dizzy and vomiting incessantly. Her face was frighteningly pale. She was given sedatives and finally fell asleep.

Recalling what Chen Xiu said during the statement taking, it became clear that the group hadn't acted on a whim while drunk, but rather it was a premeditated act of causing trouble and a planned attempt to take Chen Xiu away.

It turns out that Chen Xiu had been harassed by a man named Zhao Bo back in her hometown, which explains why she rarely talked to men while working at the shop.

Seeing Chen Xiu's pale face, Zhang Wei couldn't help but reach out and stroke her face.

When Liu Xiangmei arrived at the hospital, she saw Zhang Wei tucking the blanket around the sleeping Chen Xiu, and she felt that something was wrong.

The restaurant was unable to operate normally the next day and remained closed for three days. Chen Xiu was hospitalized, and Liu Xiangmei was busy taking care of her while also reporting Zhao Bo and his gang.

Actually, their initial idea was just to detain Zhao Bo and his gang for a while, pay them some compensation, and that would be it. Chen Xiu and Liu Huahua could only be judged as having minor injuries, so even if they hated them, that was the most they could do.

However, Zhao Bo didn't know who he had offended, and what started as mere provocation gradually escalated into illegal and criminal activities. The snowball effect grew larger and larger, dragging his family and the lackeys who usually followed him into the mess.

The matter ended with Zhao Bo and others being sentenced, and the Good Luck Restaurant once again became famous in Zhou County, but this time it wasn't for a good reason. Everyone said that the restaurant owner had a powerful figure backing her, otherwise how could people who offended her end up in jail? First there was Yu Daqiang, then Zhao Bo, and who knows who the third will be.

At this point, it was already Wang Yao's last semester of senior year.

Wang Yao is now a writer with some fame, which is not limited to Zhou County, but has also spread to Yang Province.

But since entering her senior year of high school, Wang Yao has stopped writing novels and has focused all her attention on her studies.

Wang Yao and Niu Ling are still deskmates, or rather, they have been deskmates for the past three years—what a wonderful coincidence! Over these three years, they have become inseparable best friends.

Of course, the reason they became good friends was simply because they shared similar interests, because not everyone can become good friends after three years of being classmates, like Wang Yao and Cheng Ting.

They were destined to be together, but it was a tragic fate. From their first year of high school to their third, they were in different classes twice, yet they remained classmates, and Cheng Ting still looked down on Wang Yao.

Although Wang Yao has gained some fame now, in Cheng Ting's eyes, she is still a person who is not respectable, because romance novels are considered low-class in her eyes, and Wang Yao, who writes romance novels, is even more low-class.

Wang Yao didn't care what Cheng Ting thought of her. Cheng Ting looked down on her, and she didn't necessarily think much of Cheng Ting either. Although the two of them, no, the three of them, had always been classmates, Wang Yao and Niu Ling had always kept their distance from Cheng Ting.

In 1998, the college entrance examination in Yang Province required students to apply for universities first and then take the exam. In mid-May, the homeroom teachers distributed paper college application forms. Everyone looked at each other and then solemnly wrote down the schools and majors they could get into.

Wang Yao's plan is to continue writing novels, so she is not conflicted about filling out her college application.

On the day the college entrance exam ended, my good friends and I got together and drank a lot. We talked about which university we would go to and how handsome/beautiful our boyfriends/girlfriends would be.

These are all just drunken ramblings; everything is based on the premise of successfully getting into university.

When the results were released, everyone gathered at the school again. The admission results were posted on the bulletin board on the playground, and Wang Yao looked through several lists one by one.

Cheng Ting got into the University of Political Science and Law, while her lackey Guan Qian was not on the list.

Niu Ling was admitted to the provincial normal university. This was the result of her hard work and dedication in her senior year of high school. Wang Yao couldn't imagine Niu Ling standing on the podium. She was simply misleading students!

And she herself got what she wanted.

How could we not have a drink when such a great thing happened?

Since graduating and becoming an adult, Niu Ling's favorite thing to do is to have a drink with Wang Yao. However, they always drink at Wang Yao's house. Their parents are worried about them getting drunk outside, so Niu Ling now stays at Wang Yao's house every few days.

However, Niu Ling got drunk tonight and wanted to leave. Wang Yao couldn't stop her and wanted to see her off, but Niu Ling whispered in Wang Yao's ear, "Cheng Hao is here to pick me up."

Seeing Niu Ling's shy and timid appearance, Wang Yao couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Great, great! The rabbit has finally managed to eat the grass right next to its burrow!"

But she still escorted Niu Ling downstairs and watched her walk away with Cheng Hao.

Just as I was about to go home, I saw Wenxiang standing across the street.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time. After the division of arts and sciences in the second year of high school, Wenxiang chose science.

At this moment, Wenxiang walked quickly to Wang Yao's side. Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Wang Yao hadn't forgotten their teacher-student relationship. The two stood by the roadside and chatted for a long time. Finally, Wenxiang asked for a hug, and Wang Yao agreed.

Having been in love since childhood, Wang Yao had read so many novels and, though she hadn't experienced love herself, she had at least seen it happen. How could she not have noticed anything? This final hug was a thank you for having once loved her.

Wenxiang was a very intelligent man, and he was well aware that Wang Yao had no feelings for him, so he kept his feelings to himself and never said them aloud.

Standing at the restaurant entrance, Li Jin took in the whole scene, his hands clenched into fists in his pockets.

After Wang Yao watched Wenxiang walk away, he stepped forward and asked sourly, "Your boyfriend?"

Wang Yao was startled by the sudden sound behind her. She turned around and glared at Li Jin, annoyed. "You scare people to death, you know that?"

Seeing that she didn't answer her question, Li Jin asked again, "Is that your boyfriend?"

Wang Yao felt that Li Jin had become increasingly controlling in the past two years. Every time she saw her, he would repeatedly tell her not to have a relationship too early, to stay away from boys, to focus on her studies, and to follow the national policy of late marriage and late childbirth as the proper way...

Haha, he had a child early on, and he wants others to follow the national policy. Adults are all like that, saying one thing and doing another.

Now that she was an adult and had graduated from high school, Wang Yao didn't want to listen to his nagging anymore, so she deliberately teased him: "Yeah, isn't he handsome? He's a great student, lots of people like him!"

Li Jin felt waves of stomach acid rising up and snorted, "You haven't eaten anything good either."

Wang Yao retorted, "Have you ever eaten anything good? How good was it? Well, that's true, if it wasn't good enough, you wouldn't be holding a baby at such a young age."

As she spoke, she asked with a gossipy look, "Tell me, how great is Xiaochengzi's mother? Let me see for myself."

Li Jin was so angry that she blurted out, "Li Cheng is not my child."

Wang Yao's eyes widened. "Oh my god, how could this be?"

In the middle of the night, Wang Yao was still tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. She never expected this. How could she have imagined that Li Jin, who usually doesn't say a word, would release such a bomb?

“Really, Li Cheng is not my child, he is my comrade-in-arms.”

“My comrade’s family never liked his girlfriend. After he sacrificed his life, his girlfriend gave birth to this child. Fearing that if the child was sent to my comrade’s family, his parents would not like the child she gave birth to, so they entrusted the child to me to raise.”

"I'm so old and I've never had a girlfriend."

...

"Wang Yao, will you be my girlfriend?"

Looking at the man in military uniform in front of her, she exclaimed, "Are you even human? I'm only just an adult!"

...

Wang Yao covered her face with the blanket in anguish, recalling what had happened downstairs not long ago—it was all too absurd!

She cursed bitterly, wishing she could drag the man who wanted to eat grass like an old ox and strangle him, and also wishing she could strangle her own slow-wittedness.

No, no, no, how can I blame myself for being slow-witted? I could see through Wenxiang's thoughts, but I was completely unaware of Li Jin's thoughts. How could that be my problem?

Obviously not! It's that cunning old man, Li Jin!

Li Jin, the Old Man: ...

[End of article]

Addendum: Sun Min's story will be written in detail in a separate book in the future!