Chapter 87: Bet and Clever Tricks

Chen Yixue glanced at Xu Yuexin's face beside her, recalling every moment since they met, and her gaze momentarily turned complex.

The man, besides always taking advantage of her, seemed to have virtues in every aspect.

If she had met him a few years earlier, she might really have…

"Alas, it's already this situation; asking further is pointless."

The plane kept jolting; Chen Yixue sighed deeply, "Some things are fated, there are no hypotheticals."

"So that means, if you had met me first, you'd be my partner, right?"

"Mm…"

Facing Xu Yuexin's probing, Chen Yixue nodded lightly, a sigh appearing on her noble face.

Xu Yuexin, after listening, hugged Chen Yixue tighter, his other arm also around her, fully enjoying her beautiful figure.

Chen Yixue said nothing, simply yielding, even pressing her face closer.

Time passed unbearably slowly, as if a century had elapsed, before the plane finally steadied.

The passengers' panic gradually subsided, and Chen Yixue's emotions also eased.

"Why are you still holding me?"

Chen Yixue shifted her face away from Xu Yuexin and nudged him with her elbow, saying,

"I was afraid you'd get nervous."

Xu Yuexin slowly withdrew his arm, saying, "Look, you made my handrest sore."

He got a free ride and still pretended to be obedient.

Chen Yixue hummed to herself, then took a deep breath: "Just now, I really even thought out a suicide note."

"That's not that serious."

Xu Yuexin replied casually.

Chen Yixue gave him a glare: "You knew from the start the plane wouldn't crash, right?"

Damn, I slipped and blurted it out.

Xu Yuexin mused, spreading his hands nonchalantly: "If I were as jittery as you, would that make you happy?"

"That's sophistry."

Chen Yixue deliberately avoided his gaze, saying, "You are invasive everywhere."

Recalling the recent moments, she felt her cheeks warm, and her feeling when looking at Xu Yuexin changed.

Her mouth is tougher than anyone's.

Xu Yuexin muttered silently, casting a contemptuous glance at Chen Yixue.

Of course, Da Yizi's assessment was accurate; he truly is a man who invades women without restraint.

After the plane steadied, it began a slow descent, circling the sky a few times before landing at Capital International Airport.

The capital airport was still under construction; the newly built Terminal 1 was about to finish its interior.

According to Xu Yuexin's impression, by January 1, 1980, this brand‑new terminal would be handed over for use.

Xu Yuexin and Chen Yixue took the shuttle bus away from the airport; outside the window it was still pitch‑black.

The bus didn't pass through East Third Ring, so staying overnight at Xu Yuexin's home became Chen Yixue's only option.

When the two entered the house, Chen Qiaoqiao was sound asleep in the bedroom, and because no one else was home the bedroom door was open.

Chen Yixue glanced at her sleeping sister and couldn't help feeling regret over what happened on the plane.

"Forget what was said on the plane."

Chen Yixue closed the bedroom door, and in a low but earnest voice ordered Xu Yuexin,

Xu Yuexin raised his eyebrows, spread his hands: "Whether you forget or not, it already happened."

After saying that, Xu Yuexin turned, went to the bedroom to wash his face and get ready for sleep.

Hearing his reply, a helpless expression appeared on Chen Yixue's dignified, beautiful face.

Fine, she still had a wager with him.

Either way, he could never write twenty thousand words a day, and then she could legitimately restrain him, preventing him from overstepping.

Chen Yixue clasped her hands beneath a pair of towering peaks, watching Xu Yuexin as he prepared to speak.

…

At dawn the next day, Xu Yuexin got up before Chen Qiaoqiao and Chen Yixue, making fried eggs with noodles for everyone.

When Chen Qiaoqiao got up, Xu Yuexin had already placed fragrant fried eggs and plain noodles on the table.

Seeing the meal on the table, Chen Qiaoqiao felt touched: her husband had returned late last night and got up early today to make her breakfast.

"Yixue is also here."

Xu Yuexin sat at the table and told Chen Qiaoqiao, "I fell asleep in the adjacent room."

"I'm up."

At that moment, another bedroom door opened, and Chen Yixue, neatly dressed, stepped out, saying, "Qiaoqiao, I bought you something and left it in this room; come see it later."

"Thanks! Sis, you're so kind!"

Chen Qiaoqiao ran joyfully to her sister, took her hand, expressing deep sisterly affection.

The two sisters finished washing up, sat at the table, and began breakfast.

During the meal, Chen Yixue partially disclosed to Chen Qiaoqiao the wager she had with Xu Yuexin.

Of course, she omitted the consequences of the bet.

"I made a bet with Yuexin, betting whether he could write twenty thousand words each day."

"Qiaoqiao, please supervise him for me; don't let him cheat or anything."

"How could I cheat?"

Xu Yuexin was very indignant.

Chen Yixue ignored him and just looked at her sister: "Can you do it?"

"Twenty‑thousand characters, huh?"

Chen Qiaoqiao couldn't help but gasp, then immediately assured Chen Yixue, "Don't worry, sis, I'll keep a close eye on him."

Xu Yuexin pursed his lips twice and said nothing.

This Da Yizi was truly shrewd to the core, leaving no room for any trickery.

After Chen Yixue finished breakfast and left, Xu Yuexin immediately went behind his daughter‑in‑law, placed both hands on her shoulder, and said, "Qiao Qiao, could you help me write a bit?"

"Ghostwriting is unethical."

Chen Qiaoqiao lifted her face and asked puzzled, "Do you really want to do that?"

"Of course not. I just want you to help me write some content to reach twenty‑thousand characters; I won't actually publish it."

"The pieces that get publicly published are still written by me myself," Xu Yuexin whispered into his daughter‑in‑law's ear, "Can you do me a favor?"

"You just want to bet and beat my sister, right?"

"That wouldn't work either; she asked me to supervise you, how could I steal while watching?"

Chen Qiaoqiao shook her head and said she still didn't want to agree.

"How can that be called stealing while watching? To be honest, your sister set me up, forcing me to fulfill this bet. Otherwise, think about it—how could I accept a condition of updating twenty‑thousand characters daily? I'm not an octopus."

Chen Qiaoqiao was somewhat persuaded by Xu Yuexin.

"I could help you. The problem is the handwriting; even if I really wrote for you, she'd spot it at a glance and it wouldn't be a waste."

"That's easy; you imitate my handwriting."

Xu Yuexin took Chen Qiaoqiao's hand and said, "Come on, let's practice right now and see if we can achieve a perfect likeness."

"Let's give it a try."

Chen Qiaoqiao said without confidence.

The two entered the bedroom, took out paper and pen; Xu Yuexin first wrote a passage on the paper, then asked Chen Qiaoqiao to imitate it.

Chen Qiaoqiao held a fountain pen, carefully copying Xu Yuexin's characters, and the result looked quite similar.

However, when Chen Qiaoqiao stopped copying and wrote on her own, it no longer resembled his.

After practicing repeatedly for over a dozen times, she still made no progress; the characters she wrote still didn't look alike.

"See, I really can't help you."

Chen Qiaoqiao set down her pen helplessly and said, "Handwriting isn't that easy to mimic."

What should we do…

Could it be that I really have to lose the bet with Da Yizi, and hence only be allowed to admire from afar, not to mock?

Xu Yuexin's mind started racing at full speed.

"I'm going to the next house to see what my sister bought."

Chen Qiaoqiao stood up and said.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck Xu Yuexin, and he stopped his daughter‑in‑law: "Hold on, I have a solution."

"What solution?"

Chen Qiaoqiao asked.

"Write in printed type."

"Erase all the distinctive traits of our handwriting; it's simple, easy to learn, and quick to pick up!"

Xu Yuexin said confidently, then picked up the fountain pen and began writing on the paper.

Printed type is popular among later‑generation high school students because it's well suited for exams.

Xu Yuexin had learned this style, but after entering university he stopped using it.

Chen Qiaoqiao watched his writing carefully, then shook her head: "It's tidy, but completely lacking personality."

"If you want to blame someone, blame your sister for setting me up."

"Otherwise it wouldn't have come to this."

Xu Yuexin reinforced his brainwashing, saying, "Come, learn it first."

In fact, he never explicitly explained how Chen Yixue set the trap, yet Chen Qiaoqiao still believed his words without doubt.

One can only say Xu Yuexin's credit record is so good that Chen Qiaoqiao would trust him.

Chen Qiaoqiao took the fountain pen, practiced the printed style, and within a short time mastered it; at first glance there was no difference from Xu Yuexin's writing.

"See, it's easy to learn, right?"

Xu Yuexin said, "Come, I'll teach you what to write at the back."

Then he briefly briefed Chen Qiaoqiao on the latter part of the plot, telling her to write it by reference.

Anyway, it's just to fool Chen Yixue; we won't submit it, so as long as the surface looks roughly right, no need to be too detailed.

After the briefing, Xu Yuexin and Chen Qiaoqiao each buried themselves in writing.

According to Xu Yuexin's plan, he could write up to fifteen thousand characters a day, and Chen Qiaoqiao only needed to write five thousand for him.

That day, the two only ate and kept writing.

By evening, Xu Yuexin took the stack of completed drafts and tallied them; Mao Mao estimated they amounted to about fifteen thousand, just as expected.

"My hands are all sore from writing."

Chen Qiaoqiao also set down her pen and said, "Next time, don't make bets like this."

"You dragged me into doing the work too."

"Hard work, hard work; I'll give you a massage in a bit."

Xu Yuexin comforted his daughter‑in‑law, took the drafts, and began counting them.

Whoa, the daughter‑in‑law's work efficiency is surprisingly high; she actually wrote over 10,000 characters.

If this keeps up, Da Yizi will be in danger, huh.

Xu Yuexin said joyfully, and placed a kiss on Chen Qiaoqiao's cheek.

"Daughter‑in‑law, you're really great!"

Xu Yuexin, hugging Chen Qiaoqiao, who was moving her fingers, said.

……

Autumn deepens, and the season of leaves covering the ground arrives.

After 20 days of hard fighting, Xu Yuexin and Chen Qiaoqiao managed to finish the remaining 500,000‑word manuscript.

During that time, Chen Qiaoqiao returned to school, and her daily output dropped considerably; mainly, later Xu Yuexin's speed increased, raising the daily limit from 15,000 characters to nearly 20,000.

There is also a credit to the printed font here; besides being easy to read, it has the advantage of rapid writing.

On the day it was finished, Chen Yixue happened to come to the house looking for Xu Yuexin and Chen Qiaoqiao.

"Is anyone there?"

"Thump thump."

"Qiao Qiao, Yuexin, are you home?"

Chen Yixue knocked repeatedly on the house door, but no one answered, so she had to wait at the doorway.

Chen Yixue came today specifically to check Xu Yuexin's fulfillment of the gambling contract.

Writing 20,000 characters a day is far from easy.

Before setting out, Chen Yixue already embraced a Letter confidence of assured victory.

(End of chapter)