Wuyuan Misty Rain

Early the next morning, Zhang Yang set off for Hongqiao Airport.

The flight from Hongqiao Airport to Jingdezhen takes just over an hour; you can take a nap on the plane and you'll be there.

So, it was a little after nine o'clock.

Zhang Yang sat in business class, looking out the window at the distant ground and the sky rushing towards him, thick with clouds.

The plane had already landed by 10 o'clock.

"Wuyuan, here I come." Zhang Yang stood outside the airport and muttered to himself. He then hailed a car and prepared to drive directly to Wuyuan, which was seventy or eighty kilometers away.

Wuyuan is known as the most beautiful countryside in China, with fields of rapeseed flowers covering the mountains, Hui-style architecture with white walls and black tiles, and the famous Huangling, a place for drying crops in autumn.

In any case, it has always been very popular on short video platforms.

The misty, quaint atmosphere of those ancient villages is quite captivating in short videos.

Autumn has arrived, which is the perfect time for drying crops in Huangling. Zhang Yang's arrival is just in time.

"Huangling, I have a friend who owns a shop there." The taxi driver chatted with Zhang Yang non-stop as soon as he got in the car. "It's definitely a great place. You can appreciate the beauty of the ancient Hui-style village, watch the autumn harvest, and there are performances in the evening."

Zhang Yang sat in the passenger seat, traveling light and dressed simply.

However, no matter how plainly he dressed, he couldn't hide his charisma, which kept attracting the driver's attention.

"Brother, where are you from?"

"Oh, I'm from Magic City," Zhang Yang replied casually.

"Magic City, huh? Oh, by the way, I have a niece studying in Magic City. Would you be interested in getting to know her?" the driver launched into a long explanation.

The two-hour drive passed by in casual conversation.

Upon entering Wuyuan, a light drizzle fell, and the air was filled with the smell of moisture.

Zhang Yang opened the car window halfway and looked out at the misty, rain-drenched street scene, feeling a sense of ancient tranquility.

"We've arrived, brother. Huangling Scenic Area is just ahead. You can stay outside the scenic area or go inside and find a guesthouse. By the way, don't you really want to meet my niece?" the driver asked, turning to the side.

"I appreciate the offer, but I have a girlfriend." Zhang Yang smiled, paid the money, and went down the mountain.

On one side of the road outside the car, there were vast fields of rapeseed flowers, stretching across the mountains and fields, an endless expanse that looked quite spectacular. Not far ahead was the cable car leading into the scenic area.

Before heading up the mountain, let's have lunch first.

In the afternoon, after a simple lunch, Zhang Yang bought an umbrella from a shopkeeper, looked up at the sky with a light drizzle, opened the umbrella, and walked into the misty rain.

Taking the cable car up the mountain and entering the ancient village, surrounded by misty water, it truly evoked the atmosphere seen in short videos.

Zhang Yang wasn't in a hurry to find Su Xiaoran, so he simply strolled along the ancient street, stopping and starting as he pleased, and fully appreciated the Hui-style charm of Huangling.

It was raining today, so there weren't many tourists, and the pace of life in Huangling became unusually slow.

"Is this the inn up ahead?" Zhang Yang muttered to himself, looking at the two-story Hui-style building not far ahead.

The room was brightly lit, and one wondered if a female writer on the second floor was using her laptop, glancing at the rainy weather outside while racking her brains for inspiration.

He stood in the rain and mist downstairs, holding an umbrella, glanced at his phone, and prepared to make another call.

··

The second floor of the inn.

The popular female writer, whose real name is Xie Shuting and pen name is Su Xiaoran, has been in Wuyuan Huangling for more than half a month. She spends almost every day in the inn she opened with her own royalties, burying herself in writing and looking for inspiration.

"No, no, I can't feel anything at all." She deleted a large section, slightly annoyed.

Creative writing is a difficult process, and inspiration is crucial. If you can't write with feeling, you'll only become more and more frustrated. If you can't even move yourself with your words, how can you expect them to move the reader?

"Reinventing the wheel doesn't work."

She had thought that returning to Wuyuan Huangling alone, enjoying the scenery and folk customs while creating art would be a wonderful thing.

But now it seems the brain is completely empty.

The phone on the table suddenly rang.

"Who is it? Bothering me again." Xie Shuting glanced at the caller ID. "Another Magic City number? It's never going to end."

She vaguely recalled being disturbed a few days ago and instinctively wanted to hang up.

But after thinking about it, she answered the phone anyway.

"Who is it? I've already said I'm not interested in any activities, so please stop disturbing my creative process."

"Um... we just talked yesterday." A vaguely familiar voice came from the phone.

Xie Shuting frowned, recalling that she seemed to have hung up on such a phone call yesterday.

"No, I already said yesterday that I wasn't interested. Why are you still calling me like a ghost? That's it, I'm hanging up now. If you call again, I'll block you."

She launched into a long, unfiltered speech, and then, just as she was about to hang up,...

"Hey, wait a minute, I'm here. Is Between Flowers Lodge your guesthouse? I'm here and wanted to have a chat with you," the voice on the other end said.

"What?!" Xie Shuting was immediately incredulous. "Where are you?"

"I'm downstairs," came the reply from the other side.

Xie Shuting stood up and looked outside at the light drizzle.

Under the misty rain, a tall figure held an umbrella, exuding an otherworldly air and a sense of detachment from the world.

She slightly widened her eyes.

In my mind, it was as if a bolt of lightning had streaked across the sky in a flash.

A moment later, outside the inn, Xie Shuting finally got a close look at the persistent boy who had actually chased her all the way from Magic City.

From a distance, she appeared to have an ethereal and otherworldly air.

Up close, the man before me has eyes that sparkle like stars, looking exactly like the male protagonist straight out of a novel.

"You're the one who contacted me yesterday? Really? So persistent, all the way from Magic City to Wuyuan? Is there some reason why you absolutely have to invite me?" Xie Shuting couldn't help but ask. "Then come in first, it's raining outside."

"Sorry to bother you." Zhang Yang put down his umbrella and went inside.

A compelling reason why he absolutely had to ask? He thought about it.

He's a billionaire with a net worth of billions, surrounded by women. If it weren't for some incredibly great benefit, would he have come all this way alone to ask for a favor?

"A guest is a guest, please have a cup of tea." Xie Shuting poured tea and invited Zhang Yang to sit down.

No matter how impatient she was on the phone, at this moment, the fact that the person had traveled a long way to come over showed enough sincerity for her to be polite.

Moreover, the person in front of me...

"Thank you. Let me introduce myself, Zhang Yang." Zhang Yang looked at the popular female writer in front of him. "Were you writing on the second floor just now?"

Yes, she wears black-rimmed glasses and has a very scholarly air about her. As for her appearance, she certainly lives up to the title of beautiful writer.

"Yes, looking for inspiration." Xie Shuting sipped her tea, gazing at the guest who had traveled from afar. "I haven't looked into it in detail. Are you an employee or manager at that e-commerce platform? Are you looking to collaborate with me on selling books?"

"It's Premium Goods," Zhang Yang explained. "We mainly wanted to invite you to our live stream, like a casual chat, not the kind of product promotion you might be thinking of."

He casually opened the live stream of Premium Goods and gave it a demonstration.

Coincidentally, books are being sold in the live stream right now.

The host's refined and courteous style of live streaming is like savoring tea—gentle and unhurried, without any hint of restlessness.

"It looks quite unique," Xie Shuting glanced at it and nodded. "However, I still can't participate; I wouldn't even consider it."

"Because you don't want to get distracted?" Zhang Yang asked.

"Yes, creative work requires a lot of focus. Have you ever seen any authors who are constantly attending events and yet are highly productive?" Xie Shuting chuckled. "I need to find inspiration and ideas; I can't afford to be distracted at all."

Zhang Yang blinked.

To be honest, I really want to spend some money to ask how much it would cost for me to go.

Keep it simple, so as not to waste everyone's time.

But he also knew that talking about money in front of her might backfire, since Xie Shuting could easily say that she was doing it for her ideals, not for money.

"Who knows, going out for a stroll might spark some inspiration, and you can even make some money—a win-win situation," Zhang Yang subtly suggested, genuinely hoping Xie Shuting would pick up the conversation and ask about the payment.

It's a pity, Xie Shuting didn't even blink.

"No, that won't do. Since you're here, you're a guest. If you're interested, you can stay for a day or two, and I can show you around. But let's not talk about participating in any activities again."

"Really not at all?" Zhang Yang asked tentatively.

"Unless I have a burst of inspiration and my writing flows like water, I might want to go out and clear my mind, but I think that's very unlikely." Xie Shuting shook her head. "Forget it, this isn't a good job for you. Did your boss deliberately give you a hard time by assigning you this position?"

"It really isn't," Zhang Yang thought to himself. "Since I'm here, I might as well settle in."

"Welcome." Xie Shuting cupped the teacup in both hands, her eyes smiling. "Come on, let me show you the room."

"What about the price?" Zhang Yang asked, standing up.

"I'm treating you; it's not easy for you to come all this way." Xie Shuting waved her hand, appearing very generous.

Walking through the guesthouse, surrounded by ancient trees and corridors, everything exudes a classic charm.

"This way," Xie Shuting pointed.

Stepping into the guesthouse's private rooms, the simple and refreshing furnishings give the feeling of traveling back in time and staying in an ancient inn.

Outside the window, rain pattered against the eaves. Looking out, the villages, layered and continuous, stretched out in rows, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"How is it? It's a bit simple, but it's fine for a short stay." Xie Shuting briefly introduced the room's furnishings, then looked at Zhang Yang, "I'm right next door. If you need any help, just knock on the door."

"Okay, thank you for your help." Zhang Yang nodded. "By the way, could you please reconsider that matter?"

"Here we go again." Xie Shuting shook her head with a smile.

After the person left, Zhang Yang leaned against the rain-soaked window, feeling a bit uneasy.

They've come all this way; with this much sincerity, is that still not enough?

··

Next door, the door had just closed when Xie Shuting leaned against it, her eyes filled with excitement.

Because the problem that had been troubling her for so long seemed to finally be starting to loosen up.

Since she began writing, she has always felt that the male protagonist's character is a bit too one-dimensional and not vivid enough. When she writes about him, he always seems a bit hazy and indistinct, lacking depth.

But today, thanks to the arrival of that uninvited guest, the problem was instantly solved. The character that had been conceived for so long seemed to suddenly come to life.

"But, should we follow the original story?" Xie Shuting murmured to herself, sitting down in front of the computer, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

Then, she started a new document and began tapping her fingers on the keyboard.

As an inspiration-driven writer, I don't need to prepare much for writing a book; the direction of the story is entirely up to the work itself.

[Chapter 1: An Unexpected Encounter]

After the breakup, I resigned from my job and came to Wuyuan alone to heal my wounds.

The misty rain was beautiful. But the damp weather and the perpetually damp bedding did nothing to soothe my heartbroken soul.

One evening before I decided to leave, I was sitting idly on the porch of the inn, drinking tea.

An umbrella suddenly appeared in the rain and mist.

"Excuse me, are there any rooms left?" The face under the umbrella made me momentarily lost in thought.

··

Late at night, Zhang Yang, who lived next door, kept sneezing.

"That's impossible. With my health, I couldn't possibly catch a cold, could I?"

He had no idea, of course, that his goal for this trip hadn't even been achieved yet, and that it had already been written into a book by someone next door... What a huge loss.

Sure enough, being someone who appears in a writer's life carries the risk of being written into their book at any time.

"No, I have to take the initiative and get to know her better before asking for her help." Zhang Yang muttered to himself, suddenly feeling restless. After thinking for a moment, he walked out of the room and went next door.

Then he knocked on the door. After a moment, footsteps were heard, and the door opened.

"What's wrong?" Xie Shuting leaned out and asked.

"I was just wondering if you... would you like to go out for dinner together? I'm not really familiar with this area yet." Zhang Yang vaguely noticed the laptop screen was still lit up in the room. "Huh? You're still writing? Going out for a change of scenery can help spark your inspiration."

"Eat, um... okay." Xie Shuting noticed Zhang Yang's gaze and immediately stepped forward to block him, feeling a little guilty.

"Well, you decide where to eat later, I don't know where else to go," Zhang Yang said. "I'll go back first, you go ahead and get busy!"

"Okay," Xie Shuting said softly, and closed the door.

Then, I sat back down at the computer and wrote another sentence, "The night he moved in, he asked me out for dinner and wanted to hear about the mountains and rivers of Huangling. I agreed..."

In the evening, Zhang Yang and Xie Shuting went to a restaurant in the Huangling Scenic Area for dinner.

"This place isn't too expensive, and the food is pretty good too. Oh, and it's on me, you don't need to pay," Xie Shuting said generously.

"I'll pay. I didn't pay for the stay at your guesthouse, so I can't expect to get a free meal too, can I?" Zhang Yang waved and asked for the menu.

"You're coming? You want me to feel bad refusing you? Don't even think about it. I'm not going." Xie Shuting emphasized this point. "Don't waste your energy, really."

"No... do you need to emphasize that? Besides, I just wanted to reciprocate, isn't that a case of neither of us owing the other anything?" Zhang Yang was speechless.