I'm right beside you
After casually eating two savory pancakes, Zhang Zhaomu hurried towards school.
Then, unexpectedly, I saw a tall, thin figure among the pedestrians ahead.
This was the first time Zhang Zhaomu had run into Xiang Qing outside of school, since he usually ate lunch at the cafeteria.
People around her couldn't help but be drawn to her figure, but no one dared to go up and talk to her. Everyone likes good-looking people, but being this good-looking inevitably creates a sense of distance.
Moreover, Xiang Qing is so tall that there are almost no boys taller than her on the whole street, making it even harder for people to muster the courage to talk to her.
To be honest, among the girls Zhang Zhaomu knew, Chen Zhenzhen was the one he hit on the most, especially after her image makeover. Chen Zhenzhen was approached by people almost every day, and she received so many love letters that she couldn't hold them all.
It's safe to say that her sweet looks and stunning figure are incredibly attractive to high school boys, and the key is that she also seems very easy to fool.
Banishing the random thoughts in his mind, Zhang Zhaomu quickened his pace and caught up with Xiang Qing. However, he didn't rush to greet her. Instead, he revealed a mischievous expression and followed closely behind her.
The girl's sixth sense was very sharp, Xiang Qing quickly realized that the person following behind her was a little too close to her, exceeding the boundaries of a stranger.
She didn't turn around, but her pace quickened unconsciously.
Zhang Zhaomu's smile deepened, and he quickened his pace as well.
As a result, Xiang Qing's walking posture began to become a little awkward. Zhang Zhaomu could see that her arms unconsciously tightened, and she wanted to turn around to look several times, but then stopped herself.
"What a coward," Zhang Zhaomu thought to himself, then grinned mischievously and pulled out his phone to send Xiang Qing a message: " Little Mute, have you finished eating?"
The next second, he saw Xiang Qing take her phone out of her pocket, and his previously tense shoulders suddenly relaxed.
Then Zhang Zhaomu felt his phone vibrate; Xiang Qing was calling.
He raised an eyebrow and answered the phone.
" Zhang Zhaomu, where are you?" Xiang Qing asked in a low voice, her tone slightly panicked.
Zhang Zhaomu's lips curled into a smile, but she remained silent.
" Zhang Zhaomu?" Xiang Qing waited a moment, her tone becoming more anxious. "Say something... I'm a little scared..."
"What's wrong?" Zhang Zhaomu asked in a low voice.
"I feel like someone's following me," Xiang Qing whispered. "I hope I haven't run into one of those weirdos who likes to stalk people."
"
"In broad daylight, near a school, how could there possibly be a pervert!" Zhang Zhaomu retorted righteously. "Maybe they were just passing by?"
"No!" Xiang Qing said quickly, "I just tried to quicken my pace, and he caught up with me at the same time..."
It was intentional!
What should I do now?
Zhang Zhaomu suggested, "You can just turn around and yell at the other person to stop following you."
Xiang Qing: "... I dare not! What if I anger him?"
"If the other party truly harbors ill intentions, the more afraid you are, the more they will take advantage of you," Zhang Zhaomu instructed. "But if you are even slightly assertive, they will become afraid instead."
"After all, we live in a society governed by the rule of law. With so many people watching, does anyone really dare to do anything to you?"
Xiang Qing took a deep breath. "That... that makes sense."
"Have courage, Little Mute!" Zhang Zhaomu encouraged. "I'm right here beside you!"
"Yes!" Xiang Qing nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Zhang Zhaomu."
Zhang Zhaomu couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "Don't thank me yet, just keep reading."
"Okay!" Xiang Qing took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and then turned around abruptly.
The moment their eyes met, Xiang Qing's expression froze.
"Zhang... Zhang Zhaomu?" She opened her mouth, "How could it be you?"
"Didn't I tell you?" Zhang Zhaomu grinned mischievously. "I'm right beside you!"
Xiang Qing bit her lip, wanting to curse.
But in the end, all he managed to squeeze out was, " Zhang Zhaomu, you're so mean! I was really scared!"
"I'm training you to handle these kinds of situations," Zhang Zhaomu argued. "The next time you encounter something like this, you'll know how to deal with it."
"I don't believe you," Xiang Qing muttered. "You're so mean, you're trying to scare me!"
Zhang Zhaomu raised an eyebrow. "Wait, how come you've become smarter?"
"Hmph! Because I know you just love playing pranks." Xiang Qing wrinkled her nose. "I called you right away because I trusted you, and you're the culprit!"
This level of condemnation did nothing to break down Zhang Zhaomu's defenses. He stepped forward and walked alongside Xiang Qing, explaining, "I just happened to see you, so I followed you. At most, we were a little close, but as classmates, this distance isn't offensive, is it?"
"So, you're just scaring yourself, how can you blame me?"
Xiang Qing:
That sounds reasonable.
"What did you have for lunch?" While the little dummy was still trying to process what was going on, Zhang Zhaomu quickly changed the subject.
"Steamed pork with rice flour..." Xiang Qing indeed stopped pursuing the matter and replied blankly.
"You're eating well," Zhang Zhaomu said with a smile. "But aren't you afraid of gaining weight eating so well every day?"
"Mom says being able to eat is a blessing," Xiang Qing said. "Unfortunately, I don't seem to have much of that blessing. I have a small appetite and can't eat much."
"That's an old saying," Zhang Zhaomu laughed. "Being able to eat is a blessing; it refers to the blessing of getting fat."
"Is that so?" Xiang Qing nodded. " Zhang Zhaomu, you're amazing! You know so much!"
"You're amazing too, you're absolutely brilliant at assigning emotional value," Zhang Zhaomu praised.
"Thank you!" Xiang Qing immediately became happy.
Back in the classroom, there was still more than half an hour left during lunch break.
Zhang Zhaomu had no intention of continuing to study while maintaining her " Academic Ace " persona; instead, she immediately took out her phone.
It's been almost two weeks since I last updated Duan Chan'er's novel, so this is a good time to let it accumulate and then devour it.
Although in the online novel industry, following the author's updates is the greatest support, and letting the story accumulate before releasing more chapters can be discouraging, Duan Chan'er only updates 4,000 words a day and often takes leave, unlike other authors who guarantee 6,000 words a day and frequently add extra chapters.
The plot of the book has begun to enter its middle and later stages. The male protagonist is trying to win over three female protagonists, racking his brains to balance all parties and attempting to find the only happy ending among countless bad endings.
Unfortunately, the female leads all have distinct personalities, and two of them especially loathe each other, making them mortal enemies.
Just when the grand scheme of building the harem was about to collapse completely, the plot suddenly took a sharp turn, and the male protagonist unexpectedly found a breakthrough through the female lead.
Perhaps because of her privileged background, the female protagonist has excessive confidence in controlling her own feelings, and doesn't even mind if the male protagonist has some limited interactions with other girls.
The empress's composure immediately instilled a deep sense of crisis in the other two female leads.
And so, a new round of chaotic drama unfolded.
Zhang Zhaomu was engrossed in reading it. He had to admit that Duan Chan'er's writing was indeed excellent; each character was vividly portrayed, making Zhang Zhaomu want to side with the female lead one moment and then switch sides to become a supporter of the third female lead the next.
It's just a pity it's too short.
I actually finished reading the update that I'd been waiting for so long in less than twenty minutes!
"It seems she really didn't have an outline."
Zhang Zhaomu put down her phone and clicked her tongue.
Isn't the recent plot development exactly the direction he and Duan Chan'er discussed before?
However, he hadn't expected Duan Chan'er to target the women, which was both unexpected and yet perfectly logical.
Just as I was savoring the moment, the person in question suddenly appeared.
"Class monitor, are you free right now?"
Her gaze swept across Zhang Zhaomu's phone screen, and her pupils contracted slightly.
This seems to be my own novel...
His toes immediately gripped the ground.
Even though I know the class monitor is following my book, it's still incredibly awkward to have someone read it in front of me!
Fortunately, the class monitor doesn't know yet that he wrote it.
"You're free? What's up?" Zhang Zhaomu put away his phone.
"There's something I'd like to talk to you about..." Duan Chan'er hesitated slightly, "Shall we talk somewhere else?"
"So formal?" Zhang Zhaomu stood up. "It's making me a little nervous."
"It's nothing serious, it's just inconvenient to talk about it in the classroom," Duan Chan'er replied.
The two walked to the end of the corridor. Duan Chan'er leaned against the railing and raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair that had been blown by the wind behind her ears.
"Um... Class monitor, I'm so sorry about lunch today." She apologized first. "I was supposed to invite you to lunch, but my dad came all the way here to see me..."
"If you keep bringing this up, I'll feel embarrassed," Zhang Zhaomu said with a smile. "It's rare for you and your uncle to meet; I'm the one who should be presumptuous."
"Speaking of which, what does your uncle do for a living? He seems to have a very commanding presence."
Duan Chan'er replied, "My dad is a textual worker. He wrote some novels when he was young, but he wasn't very talented and didn't become famous. Later, he was assigned to a publishing house, worked there for many years, and is now the editor-in-chief."
Her words were spoken casually, but Zhang Zhaomu could sense the weight in certain words.
The very phrase "assigned" is enough to demonstrate the prestige of the publishing house his father worked for.
This must be what they call a scholarly family. No wonder Duan Chan'er has such a strong literary foundation. With a father who is a top editor, she was exposed to literature from a young age. How could she not be good at it?
It's conceivable that if she followed the traditional literary path, as long as her talent wasn't too lacking, she could basically pass through quickly.
It's a pity that Duan Chan'er decided to write online novels. This path is quite different. Connections in the traditional publishing industry are basically useless. Netizens don't care whose daughter you are, let alone your status in the literary world.
If you're not happy with what you're writing, even if you're a Nobel laureate in literature, you'll still criticize it without hesitation.