Qiu Wuji wondered if even her poetic name was a matter of fate.
If Chu Ge had any original intention, "water" might represent her, and "sky" might refer to Chu Tiange, thus "water follows sky."
But from another perspective, isn't "sky" also Chu Ge himself?
He is the sky of that world.
So "water follows sky"?
Even when she wanted to change her nickname, her mind went blank, and subconsciously, she still used this one.
She looked up at Chu Ge; he was smiling broadly. She wondered if he had thought of anything deeper, most likely not; he was simply happy that she had used the one he had given her.
Oh well, anyway, I am Qiu Wuji, what difference does it make whether I change it or not? She didn't say anything, put away her phone, and whispered, "Let's go buy groceries." Seeing that she seemed a little distracted, Chu Ge asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"Um, nothing. I was thinking about whether to buy a cookbook."
"Oh, you don't need to buy that. Now we have phones and computers. You can just look up what dishes to make, and there are lots of food-related live streams and videos, you can just learn directly."
"Then... what are they?"
Chu Ge laughed: "You should say these two things are the most important treasures in this world. Once you master them, you'll be a modern person."
...After returning, Qiu Wuji carried the newly bought groceries into the kitchen, while Chu Ge continued writing. He felt he had entered a very strange state while writing.
Before, after each chapter, he would rush to check the comments and chat in the group. Now, he just finished writing and didn't care about anything else.
Both, he didn't want to see the controversy and be annoyed, and he also felt that his mind wasn't really on it.
The most important soul of a book is already vividly present beside him; the aroma of stir-fried dishes wafts from the kitchen, and the image of Qiu Wuji cooking with his magical powers while reading seems to float in his mind, so real.
Does the quality of this book even matter anymore?
Its greatest value seems to be in constructing a complete world, making her existence more grounded. The significance of the work ends there; what does it matter whether others praise or criticize it? It flops? At worst, he'll go to work; he won't starve, will he?
This Buddhist-like mindset makes him increasingly relaxed and at ease, even making his writing faster and faster. He even added an extra chapter yesterday, and still had half a chapter saved up.
This morning he spent so much time exercising and shopping, but it seems he can still update once before lunch. If there are no interruptions, he might even be able to update 10,000 words today, breaking his record.
The subsequent plot involving Qiu Wuji primarily revolves around collecting materials for the Four Symbols Grand Array and other items helpful for ascension and tribulation. This is the main storyline related to her. During the collection process, various plot points will emerge, some related to Chu Tiange, and some unrelated, as Chu Tiange's level is lower and he won't be involved in many high-level battles.
If written in the original style, the plot related to Chu Tiange would be heavily emphasized, while Qiu Wuji's own plot would only be briefly introduced, representing "things the character does outside of the main storyline." However, Chu Ge now subconsciously focuses on depicting Qiu Wuji's individual scenes, making it feel somewhat like a "dual protagonist" scenario.
To avoid this feeling becoming too prominent, Chu Ge is also considering writing more independent scenes for other characters, which would essentially resemble an ensemble piece.
It's difficult to manage, exceeding his capabilities, but whatever, he'll just write it.
A new chapter was released, and Chu Ge was about to run to the kitchen to chat with Qiu Wuji when the "beep beep beep" sound came—QQ was ringing.
Upon closer inspection, it was the editor… Chu Ge's heart skipped a beat. Had he encountered the same situation as Zhang Qiren?
"What are the instructions, editor?"
"Your word count is almost reached. I applied for a featured recommendation for you, and the editor-in-chief approved it. Stockpile some more manuscripts these days and write a closing statement."
"Thank you so much!" Chu Ge was both surprised and puzzled. He was surprised because he hadn't been featured on a major recommendation page in several books. Although its current popularity had been surpassed by the opening screen recommendation, its historical significance and honor as the top recommendation were undeniable. It was an affirmation of the work, something that even top authors would write closing statements for.
And now, with his readership declining, he was actually getting this good news?
He was puzzled because recommendations are usually announced via in-site SMS, and almost all editors' QQ signatures say "Don't ask about recommendations," so why was he proactively bringing this up? It didn't make sense.
The editor's next sentence was: "You've been writing well lately, the editorial team has high hopes for you, keep it up." Chu Ge: "?" It was already ridiculous enough that the editorial team was following this recently completed work closely, especially since he'd clearly been writing a bit too freely lately, yet they were so optimistic?
As a seasoned writer who had failed at his craft, Chu Ge didn't dare ask the notoriously aloof editor any further. He thanked them again and closed the chat window, completely bewildered. Another private chat avatar flashed, and Chu Ge immediately recognized Zhang Qiren's flamboyant hairstyle. His mood calmed down a bit, and he clicked on it, smiling as he asked, "How's work?"
"Busy as hell," Zhang Qiren replied, "Utterly swamped. Ugh, writing is still the most comfortable thing. Even though I'm poor, it's carefree, and I don't have to be managed."
Chu Ge said, "Actually, it's pretty much the same. We all have editors... just the management style is a bit different. Ultimately, it depends on someone's appreciation."
"That's true," Zhang Qiren chuckled casually, then changed the subject, asking, "You've been acting strange lately, Chu Ge. I haven't seen you posting in the author group for days, and you haven't replied to any book reviews. You're like a heartless update robot."
Chu Ge mumbled, "Well, you haven't been online either..."
"I'm busy."
"Me too..."
"Busy dating, huh?" Zhang Qiren sent a funny emoji, finally revealing his true intention: "I saw you shopping with a pretty woman."
"Hiss... I'm shopping during normal working hours, right? Are you skipping work? By the way, what's your job these days? Is your company nearby?"
Chu Ge was clearly changing the subject, but Zhang Qiren didn't press the issue, simply saying, "Bring me out sometime so the brothers can meet you."
"...I'm asking about your job."
"I'm a security guard, I guess. It's not too far, but not too close either. This morning I was chasing a thief around there, but the shopping area was crowded, so I couldn't find him. I just happened to see you. Brother Chu, you should be careful. Security in our neighborhood is practically nonexistent. They don't even need cards to get in and out. Be careful of thieves."
Chu Ge was astonished: "You, with that build, can catch thieves!"
Zhang Qiren sent a hands-on-hip emoji: "Thieves are afraid of your skin, not your size."
Chu Ge pointed out: "Could you outrun him? So he got away, huh?" He then stormed out of the chat, grumbling and snarling.
Chu Ge scratched his head, feeling a little strange. He had been evasive about Qiu Wuji's question, and Zhang Qiren hadn't mentioned which company he worked for.
Both of them felt as if they had heard a profound truth from each other.
"Dinner's ready," Qiu Wuji's voice came.
Those three simple words shattered all his thoughts, like a gentle breeze on a summer afternoon, tickling his heart, causing it to sway and tremble.
"What's wrong? You look so happy." For some reason, Qiu Wuji felt an urge to hit him at that expression, and said curtly, "Are your aches and pains better?"
"No… I got some good news today. Well, you could roughly understand it as the sect rewarding me with entry into the Scripture Pavilion. How much cultivation I can convert depends on myself." Chu Ge's explanation to Qiu Wuji was the most direct and accurate; he knew their side of the world too well… Qiu Wuji immediately knew this was indeed a great thing, and couldn't help but smile, "So, the protagonist's treatment is coming your way?"
Chu Ge blinked, looking at her without speaking.
Qiu Wuji paused, her smile turning into murderous intent—was she some kind of protagonist, and he was the one receiving the treatment?
Chu Ge quickly lowered his head and ate his rice: "Maybe it's the appearance of the female lead that brought me good luck."
This blatant survival instinct…
It sounded quite nice, but Qiu Wuji still felt an increasing urge to hit him. This was different from when she first transmigrated… she just wanted to beat him up.
The two remained silent throughout the meal. After finishing, Qiu Wuji, with a stern face, packed up her things and turned to go into her room: "I'm using the midday yang energy to cultivate for a while. Don't disturb me unless necessary."
Chu Ge really wanted to say that he had even more yang energy, pure yang! But knowing that saying that would get him beaten to death, he could only obediently return to his room, intending to take a nap as well.
With this vibrant and alluring presence beside him, he wondered when they could take things a step further?
On a summer afternoon, the sun blazed outside, the air was dry and quiet, occasionally broken by the chirping of cicadas, stirring something deep within one's heart. In his dazed state, Chu Ge wondered if it was summer or spring.
Just as all was quiet, a figure gradually appeared on the door.
The figure grew increasingly solid, eventually "walking" out of the doorway.
Wall-walking technique!