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As expected, Moon Shadow left with Gu Ruoyan.

Even if she trusted no one else, she could hardly distrust Gu Ruoyan's department.

Chu Ge's door stood open as the "young couple" watched the two women leave. Before departing, Moon Shadow bowed to Qiu Wuji, a hint of apology in her eyes.

It was as though she were saying she had failed to keep her promise to let Qiu Wuji study her shadow powers.

Qiu Wuji smiled to show she did not mind.

The elevator arrived. As its doors closed on Gu Ruoyan and Moon Shadow, the episode that had entangled them all for a while seemed to fade away with them. They could return to their quiet little world of two.

The thought put Qiu Wuji in a rather good mood, dispelling much of her regret over losing the chance to study the shadow powers.

They were someone else's innate ability, after all. There was no need to force the issue. Didn't she already have more immortal arts than she could practice? At worst, she could ask a certain Creator God to add something to the setting: an earth-shaking secret manual had appeared somewhere, sparking a struggle among powerful figures from every faction. She had even worked out a major plot for him.

Wait a moment... Qiu Wuji suddenly asked Chu Ge, "Could you just write a cultivation manual for Shadow Mystic Arts?"

Chu Ge thought about it, then looked a little dazed himself. "That seems... really easy. I could just write that some minor character practices it, and that's that. I need to give the minor characters different abilities for each story arc anyway. This would actually save me some work..."

They stared at each other expressionlessly. It was such a simple matter, yet they had insisted on considering how to bring someone into the book. What had either of them been thinking lately?

Thinking it through, Chu Ge's ability was practically cheating on top of cheating. Whatever power he wanted, he could write it in. At Qiu Wuji's level, she could naturally learn anything, then bring it out and teach him.

What did anyone else's innate gifts matter? Especially those with unusual abilities who hoped to be unique-all he had to do was write a few lines.

Even Qiu Wuji could not help saying, "If this is your superpower, it's absolutely the most shameless superpower in the world."

"I couldn't be this shameless all by myself. The main thing is having a heroine to cooperate with me. That makes us an Adulterous Couple..."

Before he could finish, Qiu Wuji sent him tumbling with a kick. "Get lost."

In fact, Chu Ge had been ready for it and had already rolled onto the sofa, where he watched her with darting eyes.

Qiu Wuji bit her lower lip and glared at him.

She kept feeling that something had changed ever since he had put his arm around her waist yesterday, even though he had acted as if nothing had happened and helped interrupt her flustered rambling. The atmosphere seemed to have returned to normal, but they both knew something was different.

Whether she was willing to let him hold her waist was secondary. Why had she been willing to cooperate with him by "claiming to be his girlfriend"? Why had she felt he was right to show off in front of his blind date?

Even Qiu Wuji could not figure it out.

She bitterly regretted how she had acted yesterday. She had barely been able to concentrate during a whole night of meditation, and now she had to endure his glib teasing today.

"I'm not making breakfast! Go out and eat by yourself!" Qiu Wuji protested.

Chu Ge gave her an apologetic smile. "I'll go buy you some soy milk."

His earlier books involuntarily surfaced in Qiu Wuji's mind, leaving her feeling that even soy milk meant something else.

Her mind was no longer innocent.

How could someone like this even exist? Honestly.

Still, his books were quite good. Qiu Wuji watched Chu Ge leave, then took out the app and kept reading.

Without those troublesome superpowered people bothering them, life was quite comfortable. No wonder Chu Ge had brought up Lord Ye Loves Dragons. Having their peaceful life disrupted really did feel unpleasant.

But your own ability is extraordinary even among extraordinary powers, and my existence is just as unusual. Can we really avoid certain things?

Meanwhile, Chu Ge had gone out to buy soy milk and steamed buns when someone tagged him on WeChat.

He picked up his phone and looked. The College Classmates Group...

Old Hong: "Let's get together this weekend. It's the same season we graduated back then, and it's our fifth anniversary. We ought to do something, right?"

Old Hong had been their class monitor. Although no one had ever thought a college class monitor had much of a presence, the poor guy had to shoulder the responsibility whenever there was a group activity. Chu Ge himself had been the Organization Committee Member, an even stranger position. To this day, he still had no idea what that role was supposed to do in a class. It sounded as though it involved organizing activities, yet apparently it was related to personnel. Which classmate were you planning to promote?

So, apart from putting "held a class leadership position" on his résumé when applying for jobs, Chu Ge himself had barely known he was a class officer.

Old Hong's tag to everyone drew little response. It took ages for a few people to reply, "We should get together." Others said, "I'm busy this week. I'll still be away on a business trip over the weekend."

"My wife's due date is this weekend."

Whatever the replies said, they were sparse overall. Old Hong did not mind and simply said, "No problem. Whoever wants to come can come. Let's get a head count so I can book tables."

Chu Ge had always been one of those who lurked and played dead. This time, after thinking it over, he finally said, "Count me in. A fifth anniversary is pretty meaningful."

Yang Dingtian: "Ha, I knew Chu Ge would come. Seems like he's had a bit of a personality transplant."

"Hey, watch your wording. Wouldn't 'change of heart' sound a little less alarming than 'transplant'?" Chu Ge joked casually, while thinking, I could tell you I'm coming specifically for you. Given my current situation, talking more with Lin Wuyang can't hurt.

There was no denying that he had begun networking for practical gain, becoming the sort of person he had once disliked.

Everyone in the group laughed. "A great writer really does speak differently. Even pays attention to ambiguous wording."

Chu Ge sent an emoji with its hands on its hips.

In truth, Chu Ge did not like seeing people call him a great writer, because every time he saw it, it felt like malicious mockery.

Whether the same phrase was teasing or praise came down to one thing: whether you really were a great writer.

He was not.

Qiu Wuji had been quite right. Bestselling authors were respected, weren't they? But being a "bestseller" in web fiction was different from that concept, and many bestselling stars had never crossed that divide. A scant few could be said to have ascended to immortality, yet in most people's minds, they were still different from traditional authors.

That was why Chu Ge hated attending Writers Association meetings most of all. He had attended one once, where someone on the dais made snide remarks, prompting all the web fiction writers in the audience to walk out together. The scene had been excruciatingly awkward. Later, there was even an "Internet Literature Seminar" without a single web fiction author among its attendees, which became something of a joke for a while.

If someone claimed Chu Ge's reputation was poor because of the sexual content in his earlier writing, he would not accept that. His suggestive euphemisms were nothing compared with the blatant sex in plenty of published works. Who were they to criticize him?

But whatever the case, your results still came first. Having classmates who had all heard of your work and having classmates who did not even know what you wrote were two entirely different worlds.

What did people live their whole lives for, anyway...?

"I'm back." Still chatting sporadically in the group, Chu Ge returned home carrying the soy milk and steamed buns.

At the sight of Qiu Wuji on the balcony, stuffing yesterday's clothes into the washing machine, Chu Ge froze. Something began spreading through his heart again, just as it had the first time she cooked.

He kept feeling, I have a home now.

Even if it did not seem to be real.

"You..." His voice was a little dry. "Don't you have the Cleansing Technique? Why are you using a washing machine?"

"Oh." Qiu Wuji studied the washing machine and replied casually, "I'm learning about everything in this world. How could I experience it if I used immortal arts for everything?"

"Mm..." Chu Ge said no more and put the soy milk and buns on the table. "Come eat first."

His voice seemed to have become very gentle. Qiu Wuji turned to give him a puzzled look.

Chu Ge took a bun and headed into his room, mumbling, "I'll go write, and check whether the Featured Recommendation has started bringing in a surge yet."

Qiu Wuji still thought there was something odd about his tone and manner. "Are you still brooding over your blind date looking down on you?"

Chu Ge smiled. "A blind date is just society in miniature. I'm going to a class reunion in a few days-oh, it's basically like disciples who left the same sect. Those who've done well and those who haven't feel very different about it."

"You... really are worldly."

"I am worldly... People are social animals, at least until I become an immortal."

Qiu Wuji started the washing machine. Watching it spin, she suddenly looked back with a smile. "Although your books are rather... you know... I think they're wonderfully written."

As though she felt that sounded a little off, she hurriedly added, "They even manifested me into reality. Of course they're wonderful."

Chu Ge paid no attention to her addition. He stared at her smiling face, feeling as though something in his heart was about to melt.

(End of chapter)

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