Donghua gently nudged Yang Cai'e, reminding her, "Sister, hurry up, they're calling you!"
"Call me?" Yang Cai'e pointed to her face.
"Your pen name is Cao Bichang, and the master calls you Cao Dada, which means you."
"What a strange name!" Yang Cai'e ran towards Zhao Cheng, confused.
The room was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
As soon as Yang Cai'e entered the small dark room, she felt a tightness on her shoulders as she was pressed down into a chair by a pair of hands.
Then, I realized that those hands had reached to my collar and were unbuttoning my clothes.
Yang Cai'e exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing?"
"Relax."
Zhao Cheng's voice came from the darkness: "This is a ritual. Only when you can relax can you listen to my story..."
Several hours later.
"The beautiful and kind-hearted Seventh Fairy Maiden fell in love with the simple and honest young man Dong Yong. She secretly descended from Heaven to the mortal world and overcame numerous obstacles to marry Dong Yong. When the Jade Emperor learned of this, he was furious and ordered the Seventh Fairy Maiden to return to Heaven immediately. In order to protect Dong Yong from harm, the Seventh Fairy Maiden had no choice but to suppress her grief and bid him a tearful farewell under the locust tree..."
After the ceremony, Yang Cai'e completely relaxed and listened to Zhao Cheng finish telling the story of "The Seven Fairies".
She gave a brief summary, her face streaked with tears.
Zhao Cheng was very satisfied with Yang Cai'e's ability to summarize. The reason he chose "The Seven Fairies" as Cao Bichang's second work was because the ending of "The Butterfly Lovers" with Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai turning into butterflies had a mythological feel. Connecting it with another mythological love story would unify Cao Bichang's overall creative style.
Seeing Yang Cai'e with her head down and her lips unconsciously muttering to herself, Zhao Cheng asked, "Are you confident?"
“I can!” Yang Cai’e nodded solemnly.
“Alright, then you don’t need to go back to the Right Prime Minister’s residence. You’ll live and work here from now on.” With that, Zhao Cheng walked outside.
Yang Cai'e quickly asked, "Can Donghua stay and keep me company?"
Zhao Cheng's face darkened, and he strode out of the house, saying, "Donghua, let's go home!"
"Yes!" Dong Hua glanced at Yang Cai'e with heartache, then followed Zhao Cheng away.
Yang Cai'e chased after him, somewhat angrily saying, "Zhao Cheng, what do you mean?"
"You have to look like you're working!"
"Creating is a solitary process; you have to be able to endure loneliness! Writing a serialized novel is an even longer process; you have to be brave!"
"Only hardship can inspire your creativity, and only pain can unleash your amazing power!"
"If you can't do it, just say so. I'll just pretend I misjudged you. I went through all this trouble to help Donghua save you, only to bring back a good-for-nothing!"
"This is an opportunity that many people would kill for; it's not something just anyone can do."
Zhao Cheng's words were piercing and merciless.
“When the last Cao Bichang came to the bookstore, I gave her sixteen words, and now I’m giving them to you as well.”
The first eight characters are: "Without enduring loneliness, how can one witness prosperity!"
"The last eight characters..."
"If you can't do it, then get out!!!"
Buzz!
Yang Cai'e's body trembled, and her scalp tingled. Although she hadn't known Zhao Cheng for long, she had always thought of him as a carefree and playful person. This was the first time she had ever seen Zhao Cheng so serious and earnest.
Especially the first eight words he said, which almost struck Yang Cai'e's heart directly!
Without enduring solitude, how can one witness prosperity?
That's so true, that's exactly me!
"Sister, that's just how our master is when he's working. He's fierce to everyone... Don't take it to heart. There's everything you need in the house. I'm leaving now!"
After giving Yang Cai'e some instructions, Dong Hua quickly followed Zhao Cheng.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Yang Cai'e gripped the doorframe tightly with one hand and said firmly, "Sister, I won't let you down!"
"Zhao Cheng, I won't let you look down on me!!"
...
Time flies by in the blink of an eye.
Since being reprimanded mercilessly by Zhao Cheng that night, Yang Cai'e devoted herself entirely to her writing. She rarely opened the doors and windows in the sweltering heat, and after meals she did not chat with Jin Yong and the others in the courtyard. She maintained a work ethic of ignoring everything else and focusing solely on writing about the Seven Fairies.
What people fear most is being serious. After Yang Cai'e's speed and quality met the requirements, the bookstore officially launched the serialization of "The Seven Fairies". Riding on the popularity of "The Butterfly Lovers", Cao Bichang's name quickly became popular again.
Donghua is mainly in charge of managing the bookstore, and she feels very proud to see her sister doing so well.
Zhao Cheng was naturally very satisfied.
Not only the bookstore, but also the Heaven and Earth Red Sleeve Pavilion made a lot of money in its first month of operation, and the renovation of the Chuanbei Manor is nearing completion.
Xu An not only stopped causing trouble, but also came to the manor from time to time to help Zhao Cheng supervise the construction, claiming that the former owner had returned to find memories. However, Zhao Cheng knew that this young marquis was intentionally trying to curry favor.
Zhao Cheng was quick-witted and judged that Xu An's overtures could only mean one of two things.
Firstly, Xu An was defeated last time and didn't want to continue fighting with Zhao Cheng. He wanted to build a relationship with Zhao Cheng, thinking it was better to have more friends than fewer enemies.
Secondly, Xu An's father in Xidu conveyed some kind of signal to him, suggesting that Zhao Huan's campaign was going well and that he might be given an important position.
Of course, Zhao Cheng wasn't sure which situation it was; he hadn't received a letter from the old man for two months.
Everything went smoothly. Zhao Cheng's only concern now was that the old man could return safely soon.
When father and son reunite, I must take the old man to a brothel to "drink and reminisce"...
"Master, the renovation contractors are here to collect their payment!"
As Zhao Cheng came out of the house, he heard Zhao Wu shouting. He patted his clothes and said, "I was just about to go and ask Chunqin for money!"
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
