Chapter 228: Requesting Leave and a Few Words from the Heart

Requesting Leave and a Few Words from the Heart

I had planned to update early like yesterday, but when I opened the backend this afternoon and saw the stats, my heart ached!

These past few days have been a low point in the plot; many followers unsubscribed, and a sense of crisis hit immediately. Looking back at the previous chapters, they were indeed too bland.

The chapter about playing cards yesterday was an idea I had before the book launched; many know it's a reference to the Gwent card game. It should have been written during the new book's free period, but now it seems a misstep, and the result wasn't very good.

Then comes the subsequent plot; because it ties to an important event in the latter part of the whole book, I spent several hours but couldn't straighten out the outline. It was a real headache; I walked around outside several times, yet my mind remained a mess.

Just now my family scolded me again about the marriage pressure, leaving me agitated and unsettled.

Last week a reader guessed my situation in the comments of this chapter, and it was pretty accurate: I'm in my thirties, from Fujian, have an older brother and a younger sister, and I'm a late‑blooming single man, still a confirmed bachelor.

I actually enjoy being single; one person eating well means the whole family has no worries. I truly don't want to marry, even have a bit of marriage anxiety, feeling I can't shoulder the responsibility of starting a family.

I'm a youth with no car, no house, no looks, no money—a "four‑nothing" guy. Even if I forced myself into marriage, I couldn't provide decent material conditions for a family, so I shouldn't trouble others.

My parents always say, "Even those with poor conditions end up getting married, so why can't you? As long as you can start a family, that's good enough; you can't keep delaying."

Each time I reply, "This isn't a competition; others have their choices, I have mine. I don't want to marry just for the sake of marriage, and I can't settle for 'good enough.' I'd rather have less than none, and being alone is fine."

My parents definitely won't listen to such explanations; the generation gap is too wide for them to understand.

Each time it ends on an unhappy note.

Besides, it's so hard to chase after women nowadays; being older, I lack the drive to pursue them. With that energy, I'd rather play a few more games for fun.

The problems of old age are far off; I haven't thought that far ahead, so I'll just go with the flow.

Maybe someday I truly meet a girl I like, and I'll change my mind, becoming proactive.

Right now, the most important thing for me is typing.

Ahem, that's getting a bit off topic…

Although it's just past nine and there's still time, I really can't get into the zone. Please allow me to slack off one more day, sorry!

Tomorrow I'll try to update three chapters to make up for it.

Since I've posted a single chapter, I'll shamelessly ask for next month's votes.

Actually I also want to emulate other authors, doing monthly votes plus extra updates, but I'm clumsy and type too slowly; I'm afraid I can't deliver and would break my word, so I don't dare to try—it's beyond me…

Votes, please!