Chapter 51: The Rascal Cai Was Stunned

Tainan.

After finishing a chapter of his manuscript, the rascal Cai went to take a shower; once he was done, he brewed a cup of coffee, sat before his computer, and checked the book reviews for today's new chapter, his expression gradually turning more and more shocked.

Because the sentiment of the book reviews for today's new chapter was completely different from what he had expected.

Killing off the female lead, Qingwu Feiyang, today was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but something he had set up long ago; for this chapter, he had been laying the groundwork all along.

First, he shaped Qingwu Feiyang to be very beautiful and very special, then shaped the love between the male and female leads to be very romantic; he laid the groundwork for so long just so that when she died, it could shake the readers' souls to the greatest extent.

Of course, he also anticipated that after this chapter was released, many readers would be dissatisfied and protest.

But what he always wanted to write was a deeply moving love story, not a sweet and cozy daily romance.

Art should be about destroying the most beautiful things for everyone to see.

But what is going on with these book reviews right in front of me?

Why are they all cursing me?

I laid the groundwork for so long; the lupus erythematosus spots on Qingwu Feiyang had long hinted that she might die; didn't everyone have any psychological preparation?

Why is your reaction so intense?

One after another, glaring book reviews flashed before his eyes.

"Damn! Are you sick? Zhongyuan Yidianhui killed Ran Jing, and you're following suit by killing Qingwu Feiyang too? It's only been a few days since their physical book was published? You copied pretty fast, kid!"

"I was just in a daze, thinking I was still reading 'The Days I Lived with the Stewardess'; I specifically scrolled the page to the very top and realized I wasn't mistaken; this is 'First Intimate Contact', so why did the female lead die too?"

"Damn it! What plague has broken out recently? Are all female leads supposed to die?"

"Ran Jing: I'm dead. Qingwu Feiyang: You're dead, so I won't live either!"

"I almost smashed my computer just now; damn! Is this how you guys do things? I read 'The Days I Lived with the Stewardess', and Ran Jing died on me; today I heard this book was written well and the female lead didn't die, but as soon as I saw the latest chapter, Qingwu Feiyang died on me right away? Am I not worthy of reading your books? You treat me like this?"

"Author, what were you thinking? Wanting to become famous isn't done this way, is it? They killed the female lead, and you killed the female lead too? Playing 'different paths to the same destination', are we? No matter what novel, does it all end with the female lead dying?"

Looking at these book reviews, the rascal Cai finally understood what was going on, and then he was stunned.

He never dreamed in his wildest dreams that such a coincidence would occur.

He knew 'The Days I Lived with the Stewardess'; he had been reading it recently too.

Because that book was published earlier than his, it could be considered the first novel to debut online.

He thought that book was written well too; the key was that the popularity of that book was much higher than his 'First Intimate Contact'.

Subconsciously, he also wanted to study how that book became so popular.

He wanted to learn from the other's strengths.

He even knew that book had recently been published on the mainland, and they had held five consecutive book-signing events, which was very glorious; it brought both fame and profit, and he felt quite envious.

It's just that he lived in Taiwan and couldn't buy the physical copy of that book.

It was also for this reason that he didn't know how the plot of that book was written later on.

And so, this huge surprise was given to him...

The plots are similar?

Ran Jing died? My Qingwu Feiyang died too?

At this very moment, a thought in his mind was quite strong: while not many readers have seen today's new chapter yet, quickly change the plot of this chapter; Qingwu Feiyang cannot die! Hurry and write her back to life!

But...

He hesitated for a long time, unable to bring himself to do it.

Because this is the main plot, set up long ago.

The groundwork laid for so long before was just so that when the female lead died, it could be more moving, making the readers shed tears and leave a deep impression.

One could say, only with Qingwu Feiyang's death can the level of this book be sublimated.

If Qingwu Feiyang doesn't die, and she lives until the grand finale of this book, the story would be very ordinary; what's so special about it then?

Before the computer, the rascal Cai fell into a long struggle.

He was at a loss, completely not knowing what to do.

Human joys and sorrows are not shared.

That night, while the rascal Cai was at a loss in Tainan, Cao Sheng was eating a big meal alone in Huizhou.

In the past ten days, he had rushed to five big cities like attending a series of events; although the food wasn't bad, it didn't quite suit his taste; after eating like this for so many days in a row, his stomach had long been uncomfortable.

So, after returning to Huizhou today, catching up on sleep in the dormitory, waking up, and washing up, he came to the first floor of the old street, ordered a few dishes he wanted to eat, and also got a bottle of iced beer.

The dishes here in Huizhou, although different from his hometown cuisine, still belong to the same culinary school, and since he has been studying here, he has long been used to them.

Braised Lion's Head Meatballs, Preserved Vegetable Braised Pork Belly, Yipin Pot, Old Duck Soup, Braised Fermented Tofu, Stir-Fried Pork Liver.

All were his favorites.

When ordering, seeing what he wanted to eat, he just ordered it; only after all these dishes were served did he realize he had ordered too much.

With so many dishes, how could he finish them all by himself?

In such hot weather, packing them back to the dormitory, they would probably go sour by tomorrow.

So, he was also a bit annoyed now.

It's just that his annoyance was different from the rascal Cai's annoyance.

Because he couldn't finish it all by himself, while eating, he subconsciously looked left and right, wanting to see if there were any acquaintances in the shop today.

If there were, he would call them over to eat together.

It would count as a favor of some sort, which was better than wasting food by not finishing it.

To his disappointment, until he was full and drunk, and it was time to pay the bill, he didn't see a single acquaintance.

Sure enough, quite a few dishes were left on the table; he couldn't bear to waste them, so he had to call the waiter to pack them up.

Carrying the takeout box out from the first floor of the old street, he walked toward the school as if strolling, glancing around as he went; before long, he spotted a beggar in tattered clothes by the roadside.

He walked over and placed the takeout box before the beggar.

Then he left amid the beggar's words of thanks.

In 1998, beggars still existed on the streets.

……

After spending a night in the dormitory, Cao Sheng boarded the train home the next morning; unlike every previous train ride where he took a hard seat, this time he had purchased a soft sleeper ticket.

There was no need to be as frugal as before.

The soft sleeper was indeed far more comfortable than the hard seat.

In the past, a few hours on a hard seat would leave him utterly exhausted.

But this time, when he stepped out of the train station in his hometown county town, his condition was even better than before he boarded.

Because he had slept his fill throughout the journey.

The swaying train bunks, like a baby's cradle, were perfect for sleeping.

Having not returned home for half a year, stepping back into his hometown, he felt the very air was familiar.

Admittedly, the air quality in his hometown was inferior to that in Huizhou, yet he simply preferred the air of his hometown.

Upon exiting the train station, he hailed a taxi, which drove him straight to his doorstep.

Drawing the attention of many villagers.

Normally, hardly anyone returned home by taxi.

As he stepped out of the car, a woman shouted from a distance: "Ah Sheng! Why did you return in a sedan? Did your studies make you rich?"

Cao Sheng chuckled and replied: "I didn't get rich; I just found a hundred yuan on the way back. Found money must be spent quickly!"

Hearing the commotion at the door, his mother hurried to the entrance; seeing Cao Sheng, she was both surprised and delighted.

Evening.

Cao Sheng's father returned from work at the kiln factory; even from a meter or two away, one could smell the sweat on him, and the temperature in July was already high.

Carrying bricks all day in the still-warm kiln caves, it was impossible for his clothes not to be soaked with sweat several times.

When he was young and immature, Cao Sheng thought his father's body was incredibly strong; others couldn't endure such hardship, yet his father worked at it year after year.

But now, his heart held only pity.

So, that evening, right after their family finished dinner, he returned to his bedroom and brought out a suitcase he had brought back that day.

In front of his parents, he opened the box.

Inside were all the clothes and shoes he had previously bought for his parents, plus fifty thousand yuan in cash he had withdrawn from the bank this morning before boarding the train.

When he dumped the five stacks of hundred-yuan notes, wrapped in kraft paper bags, onto the eight-immortals table, both his parents froze.