Sect Master
Liu Chang'an hasn't written a book called "A Thousand Reasons to Be Late in High School," but Liu Chang'an's already showing some interest in "A Thousand Ways to Die in a Fairy Dress" and wants to put it into practice before writing it down.
After all, if you don't count tutoring, the total number of class days in three years of high school is less than a thousand days. So if you need a thousand reasons, you basically have to be late every morning, plus some other times when you're late for class. Even for Liu Chang'an, it would be a bit difficult to come up with a different reason every time.
But Zhu Juntang definitely has more than a thousand skirts. Slowly devising ways to kill her seems to be a somewhat challenging and quite interesting thing.
Of course, the necessary accompaniment is Zhu Juntang's heart-wrenching screams and her tearful, snotty expression, which makes it pleasing to the eye, full of fun, and gives people the motivation to continue.
Perhaps this can change Zhu Juntang's perception that wearing beautiful dresses makes one a fairy, and bring her thinking back to reality in a positive and correct way. It is possible that one day she will realize how foolish she was to be so infatuated with dresses and the idea that she was a fairy, and she will be grateful for Liu Chang'an's actions.
After that thought passed, Liu Chang'an smiled at Qin Yanan.
"I guess... maybe... perhaps... that's probably it." Qin Yanan was slightly embarrassed. Couldn't this person be a little more subtle, or pretend to be confused? But he certainly didn't guess that she originally didn't have a strong desire; it was all thanks to Zhu Juntang's encouragement... she didn't intend to betray Zhu Juntang.
"Guy Debord said in his famous work, The Society of the Spectacular: 'In a society where modern production is ubiquitous, life itself is presented as a vast accumulation of spectacle, and all direct existence is transformed into a representation.'" Liu Chang'an offered an answer after a brief moment of reflection.
"What are you trying to say?" Qin Yanan said without any embarrassment, indicating that she hadn't understood what he was trying to say at all.
"This means that all of a woman's attempts to beautify herself can be seen as a process of creating a virtual illusion or a production process within a superficially perfect social system."
To put it more bluntly.
"Shallow."
Qin Yanan was very impressed, "You've managed to link a simple everyday phrase to a France director."
"If simple everyday phrases were enough at all times, what would be the point of the progress of human language? What would be the point of human literary creation? How else could I appear erudite if I didn't say this? You see, many literary creators and critics like to talk about the significant impact and meaning of their works... In fact, most of the time, and I mean most of the time, these works are simply used to enhance the charm of your language." Liu Chang'an gave an example, "For instance, given equal looks and figures, one girl can recite 'Guanzi' (a collection of classical Chinese prose) backwards, while the other only tells you about the plot of 'Domineering CEO, Cunning Wife, and Adorable Baby.'"
Liu Chang'an Chang'an's examples gave the impression that his point of view was indeed correct, but Qin Yanan knew that he was just talking casually.
For example, although Qin Yanan couldn't recite "Guanzi" fluently, she still had a deep impression of some classics. However, she believed that An Nuan would definitely read books like "Domineering CEO, Cunning Wife, and Adorable Baby," even if An Nuan wouldn't only read that kind of book.
"Given equal looks and figures, a girl who can recite 'Guanzi' backwards fluently, I think, given her intelligence and depth, doesn't need to memorize such classics to enhance her charm. She's probably more talented in other areas. So, being able to recite 'Guanzi' backwards fluently is just a hobby, not an attempt to improve the beauty of her language." Qin Yanan still opposed Liu Chang'an.
"I've said it most of the time. I use these kinds of words to prevent trolls like you from arguing with me, but a troll is a troll, she completely ignores my premise." Liu Chang'an shook his head regretfully, then smiled, "But how can there be such a good-looking troll? Being good-looking makes her kind of cute."
Although his gaze was like that of someone teasing a child, Qin Yanan still maintained a touch of reserved pride, her expression becoming somewhat shy as she intently looked at the road ahead, trying to project an air of accustomed familiarity with such praise. After all, if a gaze were a form of praise, almost every man she had ever met would have complimented her down to the smallest detail of her hair and toenails.
Thinking of her toenails, Qin Yanan realized that Liu Chang'an was just changing the subject to prevent her from directly asking him to put his fingernails on her toenails.
"Fine, let's not bring it up then," Qin Yanan said, but she still gave him an expression that conveyed both an understanding and a reluctant, slightly aggrieved feeling.
As the car reached the mountaintop, Liu Chang'an continued carrying the grain, oil, and mooncakes upstairs. "With your current physique, you should be as strong as an ox. Carrying two hundred pounds of stuff upstairs shouldn't be a problem at all."
"When your An Nuan was with you, she couldn't even open a bottle cap, right?"
That makes sense.
"And don't compliment a girl with Little Waist as being as strong as an ox."
"Alright, then... 'Strength to uproot mountains and a spirit to overwhelm the world'?"
"That's a much more fitting metaphor!" Qin Yanan seemed quite pleased with herself.
Qin Yanan changed into a pair of open-toed slippers, her clean pink toenails looking very pretty, and sat down opposite Liu Chang'an.
"I always thought you would tell me... about meeting An Nuan at your house last time." Actually, it wasn't anything serious. She and An Nuan were quite polite to each other, and she didn't say anything sarcastic. She was just stating an objective fact. As for An Nuan arguing with Liu Chang'an later... it probably had little to do with her. Qin Yanan glanced at Liu Chang'an with a slightly guilty look.
This matter could have been skipped, but Qin Yanan still wanted to know Liu Chang'an's attitude. Aren't the tacit understanding and respect for boundaries in interpersonal relationships all formed through such probing and communication?
"There's nothing to say. You weren't wrong, she wasn't wrong, and I wasn't wrong either." Liu Chang'an tried to comfort An Nuan, but didn't apologize for the key.
"Okay." Qin Yanan was somewhat surprised.
"That's just how many things are; discussing right and wrong is pointless."
"Then why did you tear Zhu Juntang's stockings later?" Qin Yanan couldn't help but laugh. Zhu Juntang probably felt a little embarrassed about this and didn't tell Qin Yanan on her own initiative. It wasn't until Qin Yanan went to find Zhu Juntang that she discovered that Zhu Juntang had actually added a security door outside the room where she kept her skirts, a door that was usually only seen in places like the vault.
Construction is currently underway.
"Because she's just so annoying... Like we just said, no one is wrong, because our reactions are all based on some sudden event. That's what they call focusing on the issue, not the person. But Zhu Juntang is different; she's targeting the person, not the issue. When she encounters these things, I know what she's thinking: 'How can I make things difficult for Liu Chang'an?' She's always trying to provoke me, constantly pushing the boundaries of what's good for her. How can I refuse her?" Liu Chang'an said with certainty, "I bet she encouraged you to come to me to have your toenails painted, right? That's just her first step. If I did, her next step would be to take a picture of your toenails and send it to Bai Hui."
"Sending it to Bai Hui wouldn't be a problem, would it? It's unlikely that Zhu Juntang would tell An Nuan directly." Qin Yanan was certain that Zhu Juntang hadn't An Nuan as a friend.
"Because you don't really understand Bai Hui. Bai Hui and An Nuan have always been just friends on the surface. Can you believe that the two of them first became VIP members just to spy on each other's social media profiles without being discovered? The current level of intimacy between them definitely shows that they are... the ones who care about you the most, and their intimacy level is almost maxed out... It's quite tacit that they don't make this clear to each other." Liu Chang'an shook his head. "An Nuan already showed off the toenails I painted for her today, and Bai Hui definitely saw them. To say that Bai Hui is genuinely envious and praising her is impossible; she'll only want to find an opportunity to put An Nuan down."
Qin Yanan stared blankly at Liu Chang'an. Were these little girls invisible to Liu Chang'an?
"After Zhu Juntang showed Bai Hui the photos, Bai Hui would post a status update: 'I saw a friend's toenails are so pretty...' An Nuan would see it."
"Then I'll just not take pictures of Zhu Juntang, won't that solve the problem?"
"Even without a picture, An Nuan would clearly understand from this post that Bai Hui would never encourage An Nuan's desire to show off. So Bai Hui must be talking about someone else's toenails... And for Bai Hui to be so amazed after seeing An Nuan's toenail beauty pictures, it must be a work that can be compared to An Nuan's toenail beauty pictures... Besides me, who else could it be?" Liu Chang'an knew very well that girls in love did seem to have low IQs, but that was only because they liked to show their lack of ability in front of their boyfriends, thinking they were cute and adorable in their silly appearance... But when it came to certain things, their sense of smell evolved to be like a dog's.
"And you? Even though you knew Zhu Juntang would do this, you also thought: ' Zhu Juntang insisted on telling others, and I couldn't control her. Liu Chang'an has no reason to blame me, right?'"
Qin Yanan blushed and quickly pulled her feet back under the chair to hide them. If Liu Chang'an was on guard, even the supposedly beautiful and cunning girls would find it hard to hide their true thoughts.
"Brother, we don't have that many schemes." Qin Yanan pressed her hand under her collar, pouting slightly, looking aggrieved and a little angry. Since she had been seen through, she had no choice but to take the opportunity to act cute to cover it up. Anyway, he himself said that he could accept being called "brother" in private.
"Yes. Ever since that time I thought An Nuan had no reason to be angry, but she actually was... I started trying to understand the frivolous thoughts of you silly young girls." Liu Chang'an didn't encourage more young men to try to understand girls' thoughts, wasting their time and lives, which weren't unlimited... Instead of racking their brains for unsolvable problems and answers, wouldn't it be better to play a game of Minesweeper?
"If you say so, then so be it. Are you going to hit me?" Acting cute is addictive. Qin Yanan groaned softly, stretched, and stood up, smoothing out her undulating figure. "What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you."
Qin Yanan's culinary skills were far superior to Zhou Shuling's, who was always inventing new dishes. Liu Chang'an went to the kitchen to see what ingredients were available and made his own selections.
While Liu Chang'an was in the kitchen, Qin Yanan quickly sent a text message to Zhu Juntang: I'm coming over to sleep at your place tonight. I'm telling you, Liu Chang'an has seen through your intentions. Take care of yourself.
I'm not afraid of him.
Zhu Juntang replied with four words, but her bluster was so strong it practically leaped off the screen. Qin Yanan had done her sisterly duty by tipping her off, and there was nothing else she could do. Unless Liu Chang'an was just saying it casually, who could possibly save Zhu Juntang from Liu Chang'an's clutches?
Qin Yanan prepared the meal and called Liu Chang'an, who was watching the sunset by the rooftop pool, to come down for dinner. After dinner, she would take him home and then go find Zhu Juntang.
Judging from Liu Chang'an's expression, he doesn't seem to have any intention of deliberately causing trouble for Zhu Juntang. It seems that Zhu Juntang only has the motive, but hasn't had a chance to successfully provoke Liu Chang'an yet. It's estimated that Liu Chang'an won't go over and tear Zhu Juntang's skirt right now.
Qin Yanan ran into Zhong Qing, who was walking his dog downstairs, and casually asked, "Is this one still called High Templar?"
Zhong Qing smiled and shook his head, "Its name Sect Master."
Qin Yanan nodded calmly, a slight smile playing on her lips. She couldn't help but open her mouth, trying to cover it up with a deep breath, but she still burst out laughing.
"What's so funny about this name...?" Zhong Qing was truly puzzled. "Every time the Third Miss calls its name, she seems very happy."
"Anyway... just don't tell Liu Chang'an." Qin Yanan sighed. Why did Zhu Juntang enjoy provoking Liu Chang'an so much?
"That's what the Third Miss said too; she was playing on the roof." Zhong Qing had been instructed not to call the dog by its name in front of Liu Chang'an.
"One day, no one will be able to save her." Qin Yanan said, then went upstairs.
Zhong Qing was still puzzled, so he lowered his voice and called out "Sect Master". The "Sect Master" turned his head, opened his mouth, and stuck out his tongue wildly. An inexplicable sense of crisis made his emotions unstable.
Qin Yanan first arrived at the living area of Zhu Juntang's room, where the security supervisor was overseeing the testing of the security door.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Qin Yanan saw Zhu Juntang sitting in the passenger seat of a small helicopter, her two legs dangling outside, swaying back and forth. Her white stockings were soft and delicate, radiating a righteous light under the still-lit sunlight on Mount Lu.
"Your sweet time with Liu Chang'an ended so quickly?" Zhu Juntang was holding a copy of the Book of Songs and reading it.
"We just had dinner together, stop being so cheeky." Qin Yanan took a closer look and saw that Zhu Juntang's copy of the Book of Songs was actually a phonetic and illustrated version.
This is normal. Ordinary people who have received nine years of compulsory education can read the Book of Songs fluently without any problems, but Zhu Juntang is Zhu Juntang after all.
Zhu Juntang peeked out and glanced at Qin Yanan's toes, then was greatly disappointed, tossing aside the book in her hand. "How can you be so useless?"
Qin Yanan knew what she was referring to, and looked up at Zhu Juntang with a knowing look.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Zhu Juntang, slightly flustered.
"I told you, Liu Chang'an has guessed that you're the mastermind behind it all."
"What? I didn't do anything." Zhu Juntang refused to admit it. "I'm not afraid of him. As long as I don't follow him to places where it would be easy for him to do something, do you think he would tear my skirt in public?"
Liu Chang'an certainly wouldn't do that, but Zhu Juntang's relentless provocation of Liu Chang'an, and her unrepentant attitude after being humiliated, must be driven by some kind of masochistic pleasure that is difficult for others to understand.
Liu Chang'an had already returned home, and of course he wouldn't go out and tear off Zhu Juntang's skirt just to deal with her provocation.
That was a trivial matter done on a whim; it shouldn't have been done intentionally.
Zhou Dongdong didn't go to the rice noodle shop to do her homework today. She was lazily leaning against the dog, which was lying under the sycamore tree.
Upon seeing Liu Chang'an, Lu Si'en ran over, shaking his head. Zhou Dongdong, who had lost her support, slowly fell to the ground, her legs lifting up and then falling back down before she could slowly get up.
"What are you doing?" Liu Chang'an asked, patting the dog's head.
"I'm practicing riding a dog."
"How many times have I told you, you can't ride a dog. Sometimes, some things are just inherent limitations. A spherical object has a hard time staying in one place under the influence of external forces, understand?"
"I don't know!"
"You just need to know that you're an idiot."
"Am I really an idiot?" Zhou Dongdong hesitated for a moment, not quite sure.
"Yes."
"It's not my fault that I'm an idiot!" Zhou Dongdong thought for a moment, realizing it wasn't anything to be sad about, and climbed back onto Lu Si'en's back.
Liu Chang'an felt that although she was a fool, her spirit of repeated defeats was truly inherited from Zeng the Head-Shaving Demon, who repeatedly fought and failed but never gave up.
Liu Chang'an carried Zhou Dongdong, who had just lifted her leg to step onto the dog, upstairs.
Zhou Shuling texted to ask if Zhou Dongdong was home. After Liu Chang'an replied, Zhou Shuling returned shortly afterward. She brought down some marinated steamed pork from upstairs, borrowed Liu Chang'an's kitchen to steam it, and also made a stir-fried beef tongue and a cold tomato salad for the two of them to have for dinner.
As long as it's not some newly invented powder, Liu Chang'an is willing to eat it; he doesn't have a problem with not being able to eat it again after one meal.
After watching Liu Chang'an and Zhou Dongdong finish eating, Zhou Shuling cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen. Zhou Dongdong didn't go upstairs; instead, she sat on the sofa, rubbing her little belly and sticking out her short legs, contentedly watching the big TV in Chang'an's house.
"Chang'an, there's something I can't decide on." Zhou Shuling looked at Liu Chang'an hesitantly. She couldn't help it; there were many things she couldn't make up her mind about, and she felt that only by listening to Liu Chang'an could she make a choice with peace of mind.
"Forget about the newly invented pig heart, pig lung, pig farm, and pig liver powder for making dough," Liu Chang'an waved his hand.
Zhou Shuling playfully punched him, somewhat resentful, as Zhou Dongdong always ate a lot of the noodles she made.
"Mi Gaoming invited me to my high school reunion." Zhou Shuling sat on a small stool, rubbed her hands together, and looked intently at Liu Chang'an.
"That's easy. Just borrow a luxury car from Zhu Juntang that costs at least ten million. You can just give Secretary Zhong a heads-up, and he can handle it. But if you want to borrow some even better jewelry, designer bags, or watches, just ask Zhu Juntang directly. Although Zhu Juntang is a fairy, she was willing to learn to dance with Bai Hui to celebrate your shop's opening, so she'll probably give you that much face. With a luxury car worth tens of millions and watches and bags worth over a million, you'll be the most dazzling rich woman at your class reunion." Liu Chang'an offered this suggestion based on its practical feasibility.
"I'm serious, why would I put on this show?" Zhou Shuling playfully slapped Liu Chang'an's knee.
"How many years has it been since you last contacted those classmates? How many years has it been since they last contacted you? If it's not just for showing off, why go to a gathering like this?" Liu Chang'an waved his hand.
"Oh, okay, I'll listen to you, I won't go." Zhou Shuling was very happy; Liu Chang'an was the most reasonable one, explaining things clearly in no time.
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I recommend <Super Monster Factory> by Xiazhongzangjianjuju. It's very long and has a lot of text, but it's worth reading.
I have a cold, swollen gums, red eyes, conjunctivitis, blurry vision with watery eyes, and lots of eye discharge. I'm begging for a monthly vote!