Chapter 59: This is not his level

"*Lurking*? The novel Li Ye wrote is actually *Lurking*?"

".........."

After learning that the novel Li Ye wrote was titled *Lurking*, Lu Jingyao didn't speak for the rest of the night, which made her younger brother Lu Zixue very annoyed, saying she had "hardened wings, a big temper, and didn't recognize people anymore."

However, after the "manuscript fee incident," Lu Jingyao was already different from before. She was no longer willing to wrong herself to cater to others. For her brother's eye-rolling, she directly pretended not to see it.

Tossing and turning all night, she barely slept. Lu Jingyao got up before dawn, quietly went out, and walked all the way to the county town.

The thirty-li journey took three hours. At eight o'clock in the morning, Lu Jingyao arrived at the Qingshui County Xinhua Bookstore.

She took off her scarf, rubbed her numb face from the cold, and asked the salesperson: "Hello, do you have *Lurking* here?"

The salesperson sat in the counter with a wooden face and said impatiently: "No, no. People come to ask all day long. Isn't it annoying?"

Lu Jingyao hadn't slept all night and had walked for three hours. Encountering this kind of service attitude, anger suddenly rose in her heart.

It's true that salespeople in this era are very arrogant, but aren't college students arrogant too?

"Who comes to ask all day long? What kind of service attitude is this? Is the 'Serve the People' hanging on your wall fake? Who are you putting on a long face for?"

"Sigh, how are you talking? Who are you scolding for putting on a long face?"

"Putting on a long face" is a dialect from the north. The young salesperson who grew up locally didn't understand it and concluded it was a curse, immediately standing up to scold Lu Jingyao back.

This scolding attracted the bookstore's management personnel. It was already the end of the twelfth lunar month, and there were people at the street market buying New Year's goods. If it wasn't handled quickly, it would attract onlookers, which would be truly embarrassing!

"Sigh, sigh, sigh, don't scold, don't scold! Xiao Hu, pay attention to your attitude. You, girl, calm down too. What exactly is going on?"

The salesperson was about to speak, but Lu Jingyao snatched the words: "Leader, you judge. I came early in the morning to buy a book, asked nicely if there was *Lurking*, and she came up and gave me a lecture..."

The salesperson hurriedly defended: "It's not like that, Uncle Wu. She scolded me..."

"Alright, alright, I'll handle this. Xiao Hu, go to the back and help organize everyone's New Year's goods."

Uncle Wu drove the pouting salesperson to the back, then explained to Lu Jingyao: "The child doesn't know any better. Many people have come to ask for *Lurking* these days, but we don't have it here, so the tone was a bit high. Don't mind it."

Since the other party spoke nicely, Lu Jingyao naturally couldn't be angry anymore. She softened her tone and asked: "Are there many people coming to buy *Lurking* these days?"

"Quite a few," Uncle Wu said. "Most of them are students and teachers from the First and Second Middle Schools, as well as people from the grain system. But we really don't have it here. Even the city's Xinhua Bookstore doesn't have many..."

"The city doesn't have it? Why?"

Lu Jingyao was surprised. Although she inferred from Liu Muhan's appearance of being addicted to reading that *Lurking* should be "interesting," it was strange that even the city's Xinhua Bookstore didn't have it.

Uncle Wu explained: "Because this book was just published and listed at the end of the year. The first edition printed 100,000 copies,

but the market reaction was too abnormal. It almost sold out in the provincial capital. There weren't many copies allocated to the city-level bookstores, and it couldn't reach our small county at all. Why don't you go to the provincial capital to take a look?"

"Is it selling that well?"

Lu Jingyao muttered to herself and walked out of the county's Xinhua Bookstore.

Outside the county's Xinhua Bookstore was a long street. The east led to the County Second Middle School, and the west led to the bus station.

Lu Jingyao pondered for a long time, gritted her teeth, and walked toward the bus station.

She wanted to go to the provincial capital to see what kind of magic *Lurking* had that could seduce so many people into "neglecting their duties for play."

The bus ticket from Qingshui County to the provincial capital was four mao five. A round trip could buy a jin of fatty meat. Usually, Lu Jingyao wouldn't be willing to spend it no matter what, but today she really couldn't bear it.

She couldn't bear the burning fire in her heart.

【How could Li Ye publish a novel? How could he earn thousands of yuan in manuscript fees?】

【His novel... and it can't be bought? How is that possible?】

Lu Jingyao was also someone who had submitted manuscripts, so she naturally knew what it meant to print 100,000 copies at once.

【Famous writer?】

【Him?】

In the northern winter, the sun sets very early.

The last bus from the provincial capital to Qingshui County drove into the bus station, stepping on the sunset.

The passengers on the bus scrambled to get off, walking hurriedly and scattering in all directions.

The transportation conditions in the county were limited. Nine out of ten townships didn't have bus access, so everyone had to take advantage of the evening glow to hurry home.

The conductor, who had been bumping around all day, took out a broom to sweep the trash in the carriage, but discovered that a girl hadn't gotten off yet, holding a book and reading it in a daze!

"Hey, the bus has arrived. Are you planning to live here today?"

"Ah?"

Startled, Lu Jingyao looked up and discovered that she had arrived in Qingshui County. She ran down in a hurry.

But she had just stepped off the bus door when her legs went soft, and she actually took a tumble.

"Sigh, sigh, sigh, are you okay!"

The sharp-tongued but kind-hearted conductor hurriedly got off the bus and helped Lu Jingyao up.

"It's okay, it's okay, my legs are numb."

Lu Jingyao smiled awkwardly, wobbled out of the station, and headed straight for a noodle shop not far away.

She had gone out before dawn today. She hadn't eaten breakfast and had gone straight to the provincial capital.

After arriving in the provincial capital, she ran to several bookstores and didn't have any stock. Only one said that there would be the last batch of *Lurking* this year arriving at noon.

Lu Jingyao was determined to buy *Lurking* today and waited until one o'clock in the afternoon.

As a result, it was truly funny; she even had to line up to buy a book.

You line up, fine! But you also had to cut in line and go through the back door. It took more than an hour of tossing and turning before she bought it.

Then Lu Jingyao hurried to catch the bus back. Only on the bus did she have time to open *Lurking*.

Then, she looked up and arrived at the station.

Only at this moment did she feel intense hunger.

Fortunately, when the school was on vacation, in order for everyone to go home for the New Year, the school issued a few jin of national grain coupons to everyone. Otherwise, it would be troublesome for Lu Jingyao to eat a bowl of noodles right now.

After a bowl of hot scallion noodles went into her stomach, Lu Jingyao slowly recovered.

She touched the *Lurking* in her hand, and after a long while, slowly shook her head.

【This is not his level. There's something strange!】

Lu Jingyao knew Li Ye's literary foundation like the back of her hand. At that time, when they were discussing poetry and prose with Xia Yue and the others, Li Ye was just there to make up the numbers.

Now looking at the various literary modifications and plot descriptions in *Lurking*, Lu Jingyao wouldn't believe it was written by Li Ye even if she were beaten to death.

【It's only been half a year since we separated. Could it be that he has changed into a different person?】

Thinking of this, Lu Jingyao's heart felt like three little kittens had crawled in, and twelve claws were scratching her heart and lungs, making her restless.

She really wanted to go directly to Li Ye and ask, ask what exactly was going on?

But thinking of Li Ye's words in his letter last time, "Don't see each other again in the future," she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Suddenly, Lu Jingyao thought of Wen Leyu.

She had promised Teacher Ke that she would take care of Wen Leyu, and Wen Leyu had been attending classes at the County Second Middle School and must know some inside information.

Lu Jingyao suddenly had strength and walked quickly toward the County Second Middle School.

When she entered the County Second Middle School, she discovered that there were still students in the classroom.

She walked over and happened to bump into Xia Yue, who was looking up.

"Lu Jingyao? Is that you?"

Xia Yue shouted in surprise, and then ran over excitedly.

"Hey? Xia Yue, haven't you guys gone on vacation yet?"

Lu Jingyao grabbed Xia Yue's hand, also surprised and happy.

The two were best friends before. Seeing each other again after more than half a year, they were both exceptionally happy.

At this time, it wasn't popular to hug when meeting. Holding hands and stomping feet was the correct posture to express happiness.

It wasn't just Xia Yue and Lu Jingyao who were happy. In just a few minutes, the students of the repeat class who remained at school all gathered around.

A college student, a living college student.

Lu Jingyao's counter-attack to get into the Beijing Foreign Studies University was the pride of the entire County Second Middle School, a legend circulating among these repeat students, and also the pillar of belief that kept them insisting on repeating.

Seventy or eighty repeat students squeezed into the corridor, looking at Lu Jingyao like they were watching a big star. This feeling made the emptiness in Lu Jingyao's heart vanish instantly.

She, Lu Jingyao, was excellent. She was the role model of the County Second Middle School and also the role model for all high school students in Qingshui County. She had enough qualifications to be proud.

And when the Dean of Students, Tang Feiyu, also heard the news and rushed over, shaking Lu Jingyao's hand and chatting enthusiastically, the pride in Lu Jingyao's heart reached its peak.

"Welcome back to your alma mater to provide guidance! You are the role model of our County Second Middle School. Tomorrow, we are preparing an experience sharing session. You can talk to everyone about your experience and boost their confidence."

Lu Jingyao agreed generously. Her demeanor in dealing with people was completely different from that of a high school student half a year ago.

She was already a true "adult."

After the teacher left, Lu Jingyao had the opportunity to ask Xia Yue: "Why didn't I see Wen Leyu? Isn't she in the same class as you?"

Xia Yue's smile stalled, and she said: "She stays with Li Ye all day now and doesn't even talk to us."

"With Li Ye?" Lu Jingyao asked in surprise: "Why would she be with Li Ye?"

Xia Yue said: "I'm not very clear, but when Li Ye was writing the novel, Wen Leyu gave him a lot of help."

Wen Leyu was only responsible for proofreading and copying the manuscript at the time, but now that Xia Yue and the others looked back, it had changed its flavor.

Lu Jingyao instantly made the connection. Wen Leyu... Teacher Ke.

The doubts in her heart were suddenly cleared.

Xia Yue looked at Lu Jingyao's constantly changing expression, gritted her teeth, and said in a low voice: "Jingyao, you don't know. Li Ye set up a self-study room outside the school,

the stove burns 24 hours a day, and every meal is Chinese cabbage stewed with meat, which has attracted many female students, Hu Man, Han Xia, Jiang Xiao... have all been abducted by him."

Lu Jingyao felt terrified in her heart, and a sense of "righteousness" arose spontaneously.

"Where is Wen Leyu? Xia Yue, go and call her back!" ===== CHAPTER 60 =====