As the saying goes, things don't happen more than three times. After the unpleasant ending at the market, Xue Jing did behave himself for a while.
Just like when Ha Yue invited him to dinner when he first arrived in Jicheng, Xue Jing wasn't in a hurry. He started taking the exams according to plan. In addition to attending classes for twelve hours a week, he would also take his computer to the Suicheng Library to look up chronological materials.
As for Lou Zhiyun? Xue Jing heard that the other party had recently taken a sudden annual leave and had already left Suicheng.
Even if he were there, Xue Jing wouldn't bother with him; he preferred to train directly with the most junior repairmen.
He wasn't afraid of getting dirty or tired; Xue Jing was willing to put in a lot of effort in the preliminary work.
Online motivational quotes often claim that the best things in the world are free, but that's not true. Treasures need to be unearthed, and fruits need to be cultivated. Those who are unwilling to put in any effort won't even get the pity of their ex-girlfriend.
Although novels are fictional, they must ultimately be grounded in an environment that makes readers feel real.
In the early stages of his creative career, he was still a promising newcomer. In "Afternoon Rooftop," he wrote about Jicheng, students, the education system, and middle-aged people with empty hearts who were emotionally deceitful and tearing each other apart like wild beasts.
These fields are his playground, where he excels, because the content itself comes from his upbringing.
But to break through, one cannot keep copying and pasting the same patterns; he is not really happy to be an author who repeatedly plagiarizes himself.
Later, as the content of his works expanded, Xue Jing began to truly feel that his life was narrow and superficial. No matter how he changed the arrangement and form of the text, he could not escape the limitations of his own experience.
Creativity must always have a foundation; what's dangerous is floating in the air.
His writings, to put it nicely, are described as profound and mysterious, the gateway to all wonders, but in reality, they are just like the properties his parents own in various places—flashy but impractical, large but empty, with no one living inside.
Compared to documentaries that depict real life, this is more like a sentimental, melodramatic art film.
Ha Yue used to comment on his short story drafts like this. He was so arrogant and should have looked down on them. The reason he felt such frequent emotional fluctuations was partly because he also agreed with her sharp tongue.
Ha Yue always has a fierce perspective on things, and only she can touch the core of his being.
This mental struggle is like salt on a wound, often making him wince, but how can one be at ease without feeling pain?
Moreover, this new work he started writing is different. The more he explores Suicheng, the more he discovers the unique charm of Suicheng and its people. This city has no expensive fig leaf; it is more like a large patch of thorns growing on the Gobi Desert, rugged and wild, its stems torn off by the strong winds, but still connected to its roots under the loess.
He thought that the characters in the new book probably wouldn't need tender care. He only needed to throw the characters off the chopping block when they were in dire straits, and then go to the meeting alone, dissecting all their sinews and veins for the readers to examine.
To put it simply, everything, whether creative or emotional, seems to become simpler.
He was very grateful that his reunion with Ha Yue had helped him overcome his addiction to flowery language. He was extremely thankful to her.
Setting up the framework, roles, and storyline, and then filling in the details, is a task that requires perseverance.
The greatest joy is a sudden flash of inspiration. What truly delights Xue Jing is that his thoughts can flow endlessly and steadily. Apart from the standard report, he has another 60,000 words of new work in reserve. He is writing very smoothly and has not yet shown it to anyone.
On days without training, Xue Jing slept in the hotel during the day and hid alone in his room at night to write, keeping his phone on silent and mostly ignoring Zhou Shuang's calls. He survived entirely on coffee, strong tea, and various kinds of instant food.
Meanwhile, Xue Jing got his wish when it came to finding housing. With Jin Zi's help, he moved from the hotel into the bungalow across from Ha Yue's, bringing only some necessities with him. He became the new "gigolo" in Zhao Chunni's eyes.
The day the final draft of the report was submitted to the Cultural Bureau happened to be the beginning of winter.
Xue Jing didn't sleep all night. After finishing the final revision of the manuscript, he came to hand it in in the morning, but Director Zhao kept him up all day talking about cultural work.
Recently, inspired by him, Director Zhao stopped following the ostentatious commercial activities of the cultural town and focused on planning promotional activities for the Suicheng Public Library. He was thinking: Could they also put out a tender for a coffee shop inside the public library to attract more young people to come to the library to read?
There are many other PR activities that can be emulated, such as book signings and interviews.
Xue Jing shared his knowledge generously, recounting his past experiences in various cities.
In the late afternoon, Xue Jing came out of the Cultural Bureau's gate, and suddenly a light snow began to fall from the sky.
The first snow in Suicheng this year didn't have perfect hexagonal edges; it fell one by one onto his sleeves, making a loud rustling sound, and they were all miniature polystyrene flakes.
Perhaps it was because his body temperature was too high, Xue Jing's fingertips could not pick up these solid white things. With just a touch, the snowflakes sublimated and disappeared in an instant.
Xue Jing was a northerner familiar with winter, and he knew that due to its geographical location, winter in Suicheng would be even colder than in Jicheng.
But to his surprise, the cold here wasn't just about the temperature; it was measured in long units of time. Winter had come so early, thousands of kilometers from home, that the clothes Zhou Shuang had sent him last time were no longer effective at keeping him warm.
Xue Jing looked tired and pale. He had finally gotten rid of a worry, but his emotions did not seem to be well comforted.
He stood by the roadside, looked up at the gray sky for a while, and couldn't help but piece together the look on Ha Yue's face when he saw him move into the apartment across the street that day.
Ha Yue really wanted to write "refuse to repeat the same mistakes" on her face. Her eyebrows jumped up suddenly, then she frowned fiercely. After that, she turned around and slammed her front door shut to show her dissatisfaction.
The loud crash still echoes in his head.
If Zhao Chunni hadn't been watching over the two of them in the yard, Ha Yue would have given him the middle finger.
From that day on, Ha Yue tried every means to avoid him. She may have even specifically instructed her mother that he was a heartbreaker, and that no matter what reason he gave for providing convenience to her family, Zhao Chunni would never step out of the courtyard to talk to him.
The middle-aged woman always hid inside the door and looked at him through the keyhole, like looking at a leper covered in lice.
From health supplements and tea to fruits, rice, and noodles, everything he offered was rejected by Zhao Chunni. On one occasion, Ha Yue's mother even saw him talking to Siqin Tuoya through a crack in the door and came out to verbally abuse him, asking: "What the hell are you trying to do? We told you we're not buying insurance."
Despite repeated and patient explanations, Zhao Chunni remained unconvinced. In the end, Aunt Siqin awkwardly dragged her back to the yard. From then on, the yard of Ha Yue's family was always locked.
Besides being warmly "greeted" by the other party's mother, Xue Jing's chance encounter at the right time was also particularly poorly timed. His and Ha Yue's schedules were completely different. In the morning, when Ha Yue went out to open the shop, Xue Jing was already asleep fully clothed. In the evening, when Ha Yue closed the shop and went home, Xue Jing was working at his desk.
During the time he lived across the hall from her, Xue Jing saw the flock of geese more often than he saw his ex-girlfriend in person.
Thank goodness, these cute animals that are touted as memes online are not ambassadors of peace. In real life, they are more like fierce war criminals with a strong sense of territory.
One day, he went out to the supermarket to shop. When he got home, he forgot to close the door. After tidying up the refrigerator, he was surprised to find a large goose peeking into his yard and leaving a trail of poop on the ground.
The thugs who urinated and defecated anywhere saw him open the window, their faces turning hostile. They quickly flapped their wings and fled through the door, leaving behind a few cawing cries in the air.
From then on, the flock of geese that often foraged for food in front of Ha Yue's house regarded him as an intruder.
Whenever they meet on a narrow path, several male geese will bring their heads close to the ground and quickly attack his ankles, while the female geese stretch their necks behind him and shout loudly, showing off their power.
Xue Jing disliked any ingredients that reminded him of what meat looked like when it was alive, so he never ate poultry scraps since childhood. This was the first time he had ever truly realized that geese have tooth-like beaks and that their bite force is quite astonishing.
If you can't dodge in time and get a bite on your ankle, it really hurts.
Ha Yue's goose, like Ha Yue herself, has very hard teeth and is adept at leaving all sorts of marks on his body. Of course, it's not surprising that she swears; a daughter always reflects her mother.
But it's really not worth getting angry with animals. Out of love for the old man, and respecting his age, he also had to tolerate these animals' occasional attacks on him.
However, there are limits to forcing someone to do something against their will. He expressed his wishes, but Ha Yue did not accept them, and he could no longer push the process forward like an excavator.
Love requires reciprocation, not just passive-aggressive behavior.
It seems that this is all he can do; anything more radical might backfire.
With a long sigh of relief, Xue Jing looked away and prepared to get into the car when his phone rang.
As soon as the sun rose, Xue Jing immediately turned off the mute button. He had assumed the caller was Zhou Shuang or one of his assistants. Lately, Zhou Shuang had been urging him about his classes or arranging his business every day. When he didn't get a response, his assistants would send him sweet nothings every now and then.
The week before last, Shuang said he found an antique chicken cup at an auction and asked him to take a look. Last week, he said he had his eye on a small courtyard in Huairou that was perfect for writing and asked him to get together. This week, he pulled another stunt, saying he bought a bright red Cullinan and was going to take Xue Jing to a bar to find a romantic encounter.
In short, it all boils down to this: Xue'er, when are you going to come back to Jicheng and make money with me? I really can't live without you.
Xue Jing pretended not to see such vulgar behavior that had no bottom line.
Sometimes, to avoid making things difficult for the assistant, I'll reply with "wait a moment," but that wait can easily turn into 24 hours.
But before throwing the phone back into his pocket, he turned it around and glanced at the screen.
Who knows? Maybe Ha Yue's phone will suddenly malfunction and automatically call him, and he can take that opportunity to send her a message.
The last time he asked Ha Yue out for coffee, Ha Yue said that there were only milk tea shops in Suicheng, not coffee shops, so he specially bought a semi-automatic espresso machine and put it at home. He practiced latte art for several days while eating, following the tutorial videos, but he still hasn't asked her to come over for coffee.
The hope of such a stroke of luck wasn't very high, so when it failed, the disappointment was only slight. The caller was his new friend, Jinzi.
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