Chapter 125: To Hu Sea, a New Breakthrough!

After Zhu Chen entered the house, Xu Yuexin took out a packaged bag of orange powder and brewed a cup of juice each for himself and her.

Zhu Chen lifted the cup, took a sip, and raised her delicate eyebrows.

"The taste is pretty good, sour and sweet."

Zhu Chen set the cup down, examined the juice inside, and asked, "Where did you get it from?"

These days, when people see something good, they often don't ask where it was bought, but where it was gotten.

Because the reach of the commodity economy is still not wide enough, many good items never make it to market for sale, but circulate as benefits or gifts.

"It was sent by the Magazine Office."

Xu Yuexin took a sip of the juice and said, "It means they're asking me to submit a piece to them."

"Then will you send it to them?"

"There's a manuscript at the back, so I'll submit a copy to them."

Xu Yuexin said.

Since becoming a well‑known writer, major Magazine Offices have treated Xu Yuexin as a target for competition, occasionally sending tea, juice, biscuits, and the like during festivals.

This pack of juice was also brought by him when he moved from Keyuan Community.

As for those sent later, let his parents and younger sister enjoy them.

"How nice, is this the perk of a great writer?"

Zhu Chen said enviously, "It's even better than those who work at big institutions."

"You're not bad either, you got into graduate school, and when you're assigned later you'll become a leader."

"Not really, hospitals prioritize medical skill; what matters is a surgeon's scalpel."

Facing the compliment, Zhu Chen gave a faint smile and said in a modest and gentle tone.

"Having a graduate degree does make a difference."

Xu Yuexin said, "By the way, I just finished a novel; would you like to take a look?"

"Then I'll have a look right away."

Zhu Chen immediately stood up, showing a very fresh expression, and asked, "What's the genre?"

"Criminal investigation theme, come, let's go to the bedroom to look."

Xu Yuexin got up, led Zhu Chen into the bedroom, took out the draft of "Heavy Case Six Group: The Massacre Case" and placed it on the desk.

"Sit down and read."

Xu Yuexin said.

Zhu Chen slightly leaned forward, sat at the desk, and lifted the draft to read.

Upon seeing the title, Zhu Chen was startled.

"Mass Murder Case! The plot must be terrifying."

Zhu Chen thought fearfully, and at the same time felt a thrill.

With both fear and a desire to read, she read the novel tremblingly.

The opening of the text is already frightening, describing how the police, after receiving a call, discovered a corpse in a dry well.

In this era, there are still few domestic criminal investigation novels; those that exist are about catching spies.

A story centered on a homicide with such meticulous detail is something Zhu Chen has never seen before.

Naturally, Zhu Chen was quite scared.

When she read that the victim's wife and children also perished in a fire half a year earlier, her whole heart sank.

Behind Zhu Chen, Xu Yuexin sat on the bedside, and seeing her stare at the novel in silence, he knew she was frightened.

Heh, being scared is good.

Xu Yuexin stepped forward, walked to the back of the chair, and placed his hand on the chair back.

Now, Xu Yuexin could see Zhu Chen's expression clearly.

He saw Zhu Chen's eyes glued to the novel, her canine teeth lightly biting her red lips, clearly tense.

"Wha—…"

A page turned, and Zhu Chen still hadn't realized that she was already behind her.

Xu Yuexin's gaze also fell on his own novel, occasionally glancing at Zhu Chen with interest, observing her expression changes.

It was clear that as the criminal investigation novel progressed, Zhu Chen's demeanor grew increasingly tense, even her fingers clenched.

On one hand, the Feng Li Mass Murder Case is indeed a very brilliant episode within Heavy Case Six Group; the criminal is not only unusually ruthless—who could kill an entire sister's family for just 70 yuan—but also especially cunning.

When faced with interrogation by Ji Jie and others, he repeatedly feigned innocence to overturn statements, and was even released after the first arrest due to insufficient evidence.

On the other hand, when Xu Yuexin writes, he not only fully recreates the scenes depicted in the TV drama, but also leaves ample suspense.

Compared with TV or film visuals, text lacks vividness, but its advantage is giving viewers more room for imagination.

Mental supplementation is humanity's best special effect.

Xu Yuexin has grasped this essence, so during the creation of "Heavy Case Six Group: The Massacre Case" he can fully stir readers' suspense.

And Zhu Chen became the first person captured by his words.

At this moment, Zhu Chen is wholly immersed in the case, not noticing that another person is behind her.

Will a villain as brutal and cunning as Feng Li escape legal punishment? Zhu Chen's heart is constantly worried, wishing she could read through to the end in one glance, yet fearing that reading too fast would cause her to miss key information.

"Wha—"

"Wha—"

Page after page turns, Zhu Chen's heart rises and falls with Xu Yuexin's words.

Finally, when she saw the key evidence exposing Feng Li's crime, she let out a sigh of relief, her hanging heart settling.

At this point, Xu Yuexin lightly patted Zhu Chen's back and asked, "How does it feel?"

"Who?"

Zhu Chen was startled, quickly stood up, and found that even after it was him, she was still unsettled.

Xu Yuexin took advantage of the moment to hug Zhu Chen, placing one hand on her waist to soothe her: "Don't panic."

"You were too absorbed just now."

"This case is too terrifying."

Zhu Chen leaned in Xu Yuexin's arms, took a deep breath and said, "When I looked ahead, the scenes kept running through my mind, and my heart was pounding."

"Can you still sleep at night?"

Xu Yuexin affectionately brushed her cheek and said.

"I don't know; if I think about the case, I might really not be able to sleep."

Zhu Chen was still in a frightened state, unable to push Xu Yuexin away; on the contrary, she needed comfort now, "That murderer named Feng Li is too terrifying."

"Indeed, I portrayed him as an extreme personality."

Xu Yuexin, holding Zhu Chen's extraordinarily beautiful face, said, "If you're truly scared at night, wear this." "It can ward off palpitations."

Speaking of that, he took out a talisman bought from Xiangjiang and placed it in Zhu Chen's palm.

Zhu Chen took the talisman, examined it carefully for a moment, and asked, "What is this made of?"

"It's made of peach wood."

"According to our country's tradition, peach wood has a warding-off-evil function; wearing it means you need fear nothing."

"Is it really that magical?"

"Hmm, of course it does."

"Actually, many times it's people scaring themselves. At such times, as long as you have a belief, you won't be troubled by those chaotic thoughts."

"Things like peach wood and tiger's tooth serve the same purpose. Because people believe they can ward off evil, as long as you also believe, your heart won't be afraid."

"Letter makes it effective; without Letter it fades, that's what this means."

"Moreover, items like talismans have carefully considered patterns. They can stimulate a sense of security in a person's heart through their shape and motifs."

Xu Yuexin patiently explained to Zhu Chen.

Zhu Chen understood.

"Alright, I'll keep it with me, and when I'm scared I'll grab it."

"No, place it over your heart; only then will its sense of presence for you be strongest."

"Mm-hmm, okay then."

Zhu Chen agreed.

At that moment, she realized she had been in Xu Yuexin's arms for a long time.

"Shall we take a walk around the courtyard?"

Realizing this, Zhu Chen blushed and said.

"Hmm, the lotus flowers in the back garden have bloomed."

Xu Yuexin released his hold, took her hand, walked out of the bedroom, opened the back door of Guogong Mansion Main Hall and walked toward the back.

Zhu Chen tried to pull her hand out, but failed, and finally had to let it be.

Moreover, Zhu Chen truly needed some sense of security now.

With Xu Yuexin holding her hand, she would feel much steadier and wouldn't be frightened by recalling the novel's content.

……

At night, Zhu Chen lay on her bed at home, and the content of the Heavy Case Six Group Mass Murder Case resurfaced in her mind once again.

Even after several hours, the book's detailed descriptions of some terrifying scenes remained deeply etched in her mind.

Every time she recalled it, Zhu Chen couldn't help but imagine the concrete images, which grew more terrifying the longer she thought.

Especially when the wind whistled outside the window, she would feel a wave of tension throughout her body.

Lately, public security has been poor; pickpocketing incidents keep increasing, and even thugs dare to rob roads in broad daylight.

Thinking of this, Zhu Chen began to worry whether a person like Feng Li might actually appear among the crowd.

Perhaps he is a complete stranger to her, but some neighbor in the building may have inadvertently offended him.

When he comes to set fire in revenge, could he also end up burning her own home?

Zhu Chen thought anxiously, her gaze turning toward the window.

Outside the window, trees stood tall in the darkness, resembling silent standing figures.

Further away, there was a patch of pitch‑black small forest.

If there were criminals, wouldn't they be able to hide inside?

Zhu Chen, thinking this, quickly curled into the nest, fearing that further imagination would frighten her to death.

One can only say that Xu Yuexin's depiction in the novel was truly incisive.

Every time Zhu Chen thinks of the criminal Feng Li's image, she feels a chill from deep within, then worries that such a person might appear beside her.

Being scared, Zhu Chen felt as if her cheek had bumped into something hard.

When she touched it, it turned out to be the talisman Xu Yuexin gave her.

She had just placed the talisman under her pillow, and somehow it had come out.

Zhu Chen hurriedly followed Xu Yuexin's instructions, crawled out of the nest, lay down properly, and placed the talisman over her heart.

Oddly enough, when the peach‑wood talisman was pressed against her heart, Zhu Chen truly wasn't scared anymore.

The originally eerie wind sound now seemed normal.

The small trees outside the window, the distant forest, everything became as usual, with nothing amiss.

As for criminals and such…

This is Keyuan Community, home to many great scientists; the security work is City's Number One level, so there's no need to fear any nonsense.

Zhu Chen thought of this and felt at ease, and the words Xu Yuexin had said during the day floated in her mind.

Letter is spiritual if believed, but fades if not believed……

Zhu Chen kept murmuring this sentence, reminiscing about the moments spent with Xu Yuexin during the day.

Hmm…… being in Xu Yuexin's arms was her most comforting moment.

Unconsciously, Zhu Chen realized this, her emotions overflowing with sweetness yet a bit chaotic.

Next time, when interacting with Xu Yuexin, she should be more cautious……

His embrace, though pleasant, ultimately does not belong to her.

Zhu Chen kept admonishing herself.

…

After spending several reassuring nights accompanied by the protective talisman, Zhu Chen decided the item should return to its original owner and gave it back to Xu Yuexin.

But when she arrived at Guogongfu, she found Xu Yuexin absent, and the one who received her was Chen Qiaoqiao.

"Xin Ge has gone to Hu Hai; there are publishing matters to discuss."

"Oh? Isn't it usually the publishing houses that seek him?"

Zhu Chen asked curiously.

"It is said the situation this time is special; he must go personally."

Chen Qiaoqiao said cautiously, "It will probably take about ten days before he can return."

"That's quite a while."

Zhu Chen nodded, speculating whether Xu Yuexin intended to seek a new breakthrough in his career, which is why he would go to Hu Hai himself.

(End of chapter)