It felt like waking up from a beautiful dream, the softness behind his head drawing him deeper.
When he opened his eyes again, the afternoon sunlight had already spilled into the room, casting its rays on the clean and tidy floor.
If there was one thing in the world that felt better than a pillow, it was undoubtedly a young girl's lap.
Wait a minute...
"Huh?!"
Lu Qing jolted upright as if resurrecting from the dead, his eyes wide with shock. "What was I even doing... I was supposed to start outlining my new story as soon as I got back, but why did I feel like I was hypnotized or something?"
"You're awake?"
Behind him, Su Ling's sweet voice was as usual.
He turned sharply, finding her looking perfectly normal.
The panini bag on the table was gone, the floor seemed to have been wiped clean, and the room was spotless, bright and airy.
"How long did I sleep?"
"Three hours," she replied.
"And... you were with me the whole time?"
"Mhm, I was afraid you wouldn't sleep comfortably, so after tidying up the room, I adjusted your sleeping position for you," she said naturally.
"Alright, you did well, but next time, don't do that. I can just rest my head on the sofa armrest."
Lu Qing felt a chill run through him, realizing that Su Ling had somehow become so close to him that they were practically inseparable.
If this continued, whether it was going out together or doing other things, they might end up making gestures that seemed overly intimate under the subtle influence of their relationship.
In fact, even couples might not be as close as they were.
"Oh..."
Su Ling pursed her lips thoughtfully and said, "Got it. Next time, I'll wear socks for you to rest on. It'll be smoother, and I know some people like that."
As she spoke, she rubbed her thighs and then stood up to stretch her slightly sore body.
"Anyway, stop teasing me. I need to get some work done soon, so I might be busy for a while," Lu Qing said, grabbing his tablet.
"Mm-hmm, if you're using the computer, go into the room. I've already cleaned it up."
"Okay."
It was rare to have such a relaxing rest, and he felt invigorated as he walked into the room, ready to plan the next steps for his new book.
Su Ling, of course, wouldn't disturb him. She knew that he relied on his writing to support them, and it would be foolish to interfere with his work.
—Interfering with a man's work was something only a silly woman would do.
...
A moment later.
Lu Qing sat in front of the computer, opening the Writing Assistant for the first time in a while, and scanned the comments on his last completed book.
"Hmm... As soon as the school season starts, the number of people asking for side stories and new books increases. Readers really are insatiable little devils," he muttered, shaking his head.
He switched the screen to a massive mind map titled "New Project."
On the 32-inch screen, dense settings and details filled the entire space.
Just under the "Romance Line" branch, the development was presented in a tree-like structure, intertwined like roots.
Su Ling stood silently behind him, observing the entire time, her beautiful eyes wide open.
Lu Qing, fully immersed in his flow state, naturally didn't notice someone watching from behind.
According to his plan, he had already gone out to gather material today, so he had to finalize the basic settings for the female lead to move the story forward.
However, Bai Xing's secrets might not be limited to what he knew. All he could grasp was her surface image, along with her personality, characteristics, and way of speaking.
As for her innermost thoughts, the work she did in secret, her social circle at school—all of that was still a blind spot, waiting for him to further explore.
Time was of the essence. Since he wasn't sure what her part-time job was, he decided to leave it undetermined for now. He would just focus on describing her image and creating a character profile, which should be safe.
"The female lead's image is paramount. From her hair and eye color, age and build, to her clothing style and habitual gestures, down to the details of her hairstyle, bust size, shoe and sock brands, and even her private quirks..."
"I've only met Bai Xing three times. Trying to describe her vividly from memory is just too difficult..."
Lu Qing frowned, typing a few hundred words on the keyboard, only to delete them all. He muttered to himself, dissatisfied.
After writing and deleting several times in a cycle, he felt that he still hadn't captured the essence of the girl's image.
"The first time I saw Bai Xing, she gave off a strong underground idol vibe, very youthful, rebellious, and cute, with a mix of spoiled brattiness and adorableness. But I've never interacted with a girl like that before, so trying to write her from scratch would be impossible. Unless..."
—Unless he could bring her in front of him and observe her closely.
"If I could describe her body in detail... Woc, what am I thinking? Am I a pervert or something? That's not realistic, no way. I need to approach this from a different angle."
Realizing he was heading down the same path as his old man, he quickly shook his head, dismissing the wrong thoughts.
However, after a few more attempts, he found that trying to depict the female lead's image to his satisfaction wasn't something he could do by pure imagination.
For a top-tier writer like him, techniques like prose, rhythm, composition, and visual storytelling were already mastered. What he was missing now was the "soul."
In Lu Qing's words, it was the "qi" of the article.
Without qi, the story would be like a stagnant pond, unable to convey the intended emotions.
Without qi, the characters' interactions would lose authenticity, failing to close the gap between the reader and the story.
"Ah... sigh."
Lu Qing let go of his hands, leaned back hard into his chair, and gazed at the ceiling—
"It seems the muse still hasn't reached out to me... I feel like something's missing."
"What could it be?"
Suddenly, in his line of sight, a certain girl's beautiful face appeared, looking down at him.
"Huh?!"
"Brother, having trouble?"
Su Ling stood behind his chair, her hands resting on the backrest, her body leaning forward so that her face was level with his, who was looking up.
"Uh... nothing, just thinking about how to make the new book's female lead more vivid," he replied.
Feeling her so close that their breaths were almost mingling, he instinctively tried to avoid her gaze.
"Is that so? What's the female lead like, Brother?"
"Ah... well, she's a girl, very beautiful, very cute, and very clean."
Lu Qing thought aloud, "Hmm... she should also be someone who makes people feel refreshed, with her own hidden side... something..."
As he spoke, his voice suddenly stopped.
Slowly refocusing his gaze on the angelic face in front of him, he suddenly realized that whatever he needed...
No matter how he looked at it, she could fully satisfy it.
At that moment, Su Ling blinked innocently and asked, "So, if I let you observe and pose me however you want, you can create a beautiful female lead, right?"
...
...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
Resolve] Gu Yang was once a true disciple of the Falling Cloud Sect, but after failing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, his cultivation regressed, his foundation was damaged, his lifespan was nearing its end, and he was about to be demoted to a menial servant. At his moment of despair, he awakened the [Daily Intelligence System]. By refreshing it daily, he could learn about countless hidden opportunities and secrets within the cultivation world! [Today's intelligence has been refreshed] [White Intelligence: One month ago, the Foundation Establishment spiritual item "Profound Ice Spirit Marrow" used by the host to attempt his breakthrough contained a trace of the poison "Bone-Corrobing Spirit-Dissolving Powder".] [Purple Intelligence: Tonight during the Yin hour (3-5 AM), a wisp of "Golden Crow Primordial Flame" will overflow... If this flame is devoured, it can recast the shattered cultivation foundation, fully restore cultivation, and awaken the one-in-ten-thousand—Primordial Supreme Yang Body. [Click to view coordinates]] [Golden Intelligence: Shen Qingyue, a Golden Core elder of the Falling Cloud Sect who possesses the Nine Yin Body, suffers from backlash of cold energy every full moon night, causing her strength to plummet and excruciating pain. Grand Elder Zhao Wuji has secretly bribed Shen Qingyue's personal maid, Hongxiu, and learned the rear gate array node of the protective formation "Clouds and Mist Veiling the Sun Array". Tomorrow late at night, he intends to take advantage of Shen Qingyue's flare-up of the cold poison, when she is weak and unable to resist, to use a secret technique to refine her into a cauldron and force her into a Daoist partnership. [Click to view coordinates]] The cultivation world is a jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and human hearts are as treacherous as ghosts? Sorry, but I can read the script! From then on, relying on his informational advantage, Gu Yang proceeded step by step with careful planning. Seizing opportunities, plundering fortunes. Selling intelligence. Playing rivals against each other. Step by step, he ultimately became the Immortal Emperor!
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
