When Xia Yu arrived at Wen Ziying’s place, the first things that caught his eye were her hand gripping the pen and the manuscript spread out on the desk.
Wen Ziying was writing something, but it wasn’t finished yet.
“You came to report and I write?” Xia Yu asked.
“No need. Just leave it there,” Wen Ziying replied.
Putting down the pen, Xia Yu glanced at the manuscript’s content and realized it was an essay, a prose piece about autumn chrysanthemums.
The language was ornate and the descriptions were delicate, with extensive details on light, color, and shape, exuding a sense of gorgeousness.
The essay was nearly complete, needing only about one or two more paragraphs to conclude. Unexpectedly, it was a rare, high-quality piece.
The depiction of autumn chrysanthemums in the essay couldn’t have been imagined out of thin air. However, as Xia Yu looked around, he couldn’t find a single pot of autumn chrysanthemums.
Perhaps Wen Ziying had gone out to observe them first, then returned to start writing.
Putting this matter aside, Xia Yu asked Wen Ziying, “Are you planning to submit this for publication?”
“No,” Wen Ziying answered.
“You’ve written it this well and still won’t submit it?” Xia Yu expressed his surprise.
Wen Ziying didn’t answer, which meant she didn’t want to talk about it further.
Xia Yu didn’t press further. He put down the manuscript and shifted his gaze to the side, where he noticed an open drawer containing a stack of paper.
“Is this a novel manuscript?” Xia Yu curiously reached out to take it.
Among young writers these days, fewer and fewer used handwriting, as typing on a keyboard could produce a character with just a few keystrokes, while handwriting required many strokes.
His hand hesitated before reaching into the drawer, giving Wen Ziying a chance to stop him, but she remained silent.
This meant she tacitly allowed him to take a look.
Taking out the manuscript, Xia Yu was surprised to find that the entire drawer didn’t contain novels, but essays and poems, including modern poetry, classical-style poetry, and even works imitating the yuefu tradition.
Looking further at the essays, the styles were diverse—opulent and gorgeous, simple and straightforward, plain and natural, unrestrained and bold—nearly every famous style could be found within.
Whether essays or poetry, from Xia Yu’s perspective, although not every piece was a masterpiece, they were certainly good enough to be published in top-tier magazines within the region.
With these, Wen Ziying’s image as a literary girl could be further solidified, as some literary purists believed only essays and poetry constituted true literature.
“Are you planning to make a big splash posthumously?” Xia Yu asked.
There was a poet in history who was unknown during his lifetime. After his death, his children found several notebooks under his bed filled with poetry. A publishing house tried publishing them as a poetry collection, which became an instant hit.
Unfortunately, the poet couldn’t witness this scene. It was unknown why he, like a squirrel hoarding nuts, quietly accumulated poems without revealing them.
“My mother’s forte is essays and poetry,” Wen Ziying said, seemingly unrelated to Xia Yu’s question on the surface.
Xia Yu waited for Wen Ziying to elaborate further, but she didn’t continue.
Sensing Wen Ziying’s complex mood at this moment, Xia Yu didn’t dare to ask directly.
He silently flipped through the manuscript in his hands.
A sense of thrill from secretly reading an author’s stored works arose in his heart.
However, while reading a few essays and poems was fine for leisure, prolonged reading felt excessively boring.
Especially for Xia Yu, who had experienced the vibrant entertainment of his past life. After seeing colorful neon lights, even an exquisite oil lamp felt lacking in interest.
At this moment, Wen Ziying spoke up: “I’m going to see my mother today. Do you want to come?”
Xia Yu thought that Wen Ziying surely knew he couldn’t leave for another eight hours. This invitation meant she wanted him to use her body to meet Bian Guping.
Since he had nothing else to do, he agreed.
Following Wen Ziying’s guidance, he arrived at the bus station and boarded the bus heading to the countryside.
The bus ride was bumpy, taking an hour and a half before finally reaching the destination.
Getting off the bus, Xia Yu walked for another half an hour into a village and saw Wen Ziying’s hometown.
It was a large ancient-style mansion, newly built in imitation of traditional styles.
It was nearly noon, and villagers returning from the fields greeted Wen Ziying.
Xia Yu, unfamiliar with anyone, could only respond with a smile.
The mansion wasn’t locked, so Xia Yu walked straight in.
Inside, there was a courtyard and a corridor.
Measured against An Siyao’s villa, the courtyard wasn’t large but was about the size of an average person’s apartment.
Passing through the courtyard into the main hall, Xia Yu encountered a maid.
The maid was carrying dishes to set the table and looked somewhat surprised upon seeing Wen Ziying.
“Miss,” the maid stood aside somewhat stiffly.
It seemed Wen Ziying didn’t visit here often, otherwise the maid wouldn’t be so surprised and reserved.
“The lady is in her room,” the maid added.
Nodding casually, Xia Yu followed Wen Ziying’s directions into the eastern room.
The room was filled with replicas of old furniture—the dark-colored large desk and cabinets taller than a person evoked a sense of nostalgia in Xia Yu.
Near the window deep inside the room, a figure sat, gazing at the scenery outside.
That must be Bian Guping.
Xia Yu hadn’t lightened his steps upon entering, so Bian Guping should have heard him, but she showed no intention of turning her head.
Approaching Bian Guping’s side, Xia Yu looked at her face.
It was a face weathered by time. Compared to her actual age, Bian Guping looked at least ten years older.
She finally turned her head slightly, glancing at Wen Ziying with a calm gaze, as if she hadn’t seen anyone at all.
Then she turned her head back and continued looking out the window.
Outside the window, a cluster of chrysanthemums was in full bloom.
Wen Ziying’s voice echoed in Xia Yu’s mind: “Her mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be.”
This was the explanation for Bian Guping’s current state.
Xia Yu had other questions in his heart, such as why they didn’t live together, about the mansion, and Wen Ziying’s father, but these were difficult to ask directly.
Wen Ziying continued: “I heard that when my mother was a child, she lived here. Later, the family fortunes declined, and floods destroyed the house, so they moved to the city.”
Wen Ziying’s words didn’t seem particularly significant, sounding like ordinary reminiscence, but the bonus level having risen to LV2 told Xia Yu that things weren’t so simple.
After saying these words, Wen Ziying’s intimacy with him increased.
With too little information, he couldn’t analyze the situation.
After staying at Wen Ziying’s hometown until 3 PM, Xia Yu took the bus back to Zilang City.
After eight hours passed, Xia Yu returned to his own body.
It was around 5 PM, evening.
Feeling somewhat strange, Xia Yu sent a message to Yu Ningmeng, asking about Wen Ziying.
“Has it only been a few hours, and you’ve already found a new love interest?” Yu Ningmeng replied.
“I want to know about Wen Ziying’s mother, Bian Guping,” Xia Yu explained.
“From a young girl to a middle-aged woman, your tastes are a bit unique,” Yu Ningmeng sent a sighing emoji.
Xia Yu pretended not to see that sentence.
“Bian Guping is in the literary circle. How could I possibly know about her? Are you treating me like a gossip machine?” Yu Ningmeng answered.
Xia Yu knew that Yu Ningmeng wasn’t incapable of obtaining information—she was just evading.
At the level of the Yu family conglomerate, they had connections in every industry. With a bit of effort and a few intermediaries, they could definitely gather information.
Thinking for a moment, Xia Yu said, “Speaking of gossip, I actually have a business idea too.”
“What idea?” Yu Ningmeng immediately showed interest.
“But I’m one of those people who forget things if they don’t involve gossip. Without information about Bian Guping, I can’t remember what my idea was.”
“Wait there,” Yu Ningmeng said and then went silent.
Putting down his phone, Xia Yu waited.
An hour later, Yu Ningmeng sent the collected information.
“Bian Guping’s family was originally a major landlord in Zilang. They fell from power during the land reform. Later, when policies opened up, Bian’s grandfather used hidden gold bars to start a small factory, and they lived comfortably.”
“When Bian Guping was a child, the small factory was shut down due to pollution, and floods destroyed their house and land. Bian’s family moved to the city, where they still had savings and lived well. Later, as their savings dwindled, Bian became a moderately famous writer, maintaining their lifestyle.”
“Later, she married a local businessman. After marriage, the businessman fell ill. They sold the company and still couldn’t save his life, leaving debts.”
“I haven’t collected the rest yet. It will take more time.”
Xia Yu scanned Yu Ningmeng’s message but found nothing unusual.
Yu Ningmeng asked again: “What’s that gossip-related business idea?”
Xia Yu shared some ideas about the microblog concept with Yu Ningmeng, offering to exchange the remaining ideas for the rest of the information, then exited the chat interface.
When talking about microblogs, the most famous were Sina and Tencent. These two companies engaged in a fierce battle, with only Sina ultimately surviving.
Just like how Tencent later entered the fray in his past life, Xia Yu knew that once he introduced microblogs, other capital forces would jump in to compete. Without power or influence, he wouldn’t be able to contend with them.
It would be better to hand it over to the Yu family. Once they handled it, he could reap the benefits.
Having An Siyao really was convenient.
Thinking about this, he stood up and headed to An Siyao’s villa.
He hadn’t forgotten about Zhong Yunxin. After summarizing the messages Zhong had sent him earlier, he had already figured out where Hu Lianglu’s family lived.
He was just waiting until tomorrow to go check it out using An Siyao’s body.
After having dinner with An Siyao and taking a walk together in the backyard at night, Xia Yu was driven out of the villa by Yu Ningmeng.
The night passed, and in the morning, Xia Yu received a further report from Yu Ningmeng.
“After the businessman’s death, Bian Guping and Wen Ziying rented a house to live in. She contacted her former literary friends, hoping to make a living through writing. At that time, writers were still highly valued, unlike the current situation.”
“According to an unnamed magazine editor, Bian was initially full of confidence, and the editor was also optimistic because she truly wrote well back then. However, the magazine editor’s exact words were: ‘Perhaps being Mrs. Wen for eight years dulled her creativity; the works she produced were just average.'”
“Although average, her works were still publishable. But as her quality declined further, the magazine ended their collaboration.”
“Bian kept submitting her works, and out of old friendship, the magazine found her a job at a nursery school. However, Bian continued to submit a new piece almost every week.”
“This lasted about two years, with the frequency decreasing in the second year, producing about three or four publishable pieces. Two years later, Bian left the nursery school and moved into the house where Wen Ziying currently lives, surviving by selling her jewelry.”
“Later came Wen Ziying’s rise to fame.”
Yu Ningmeng concluded her report and began demanding the microblog idea.
Xia Yu ignored her, as at this moment, a ‘ding’ sound appeared in front of him.
It was the system email notification.
The test mission, which had been absent for so long, had returned.
Opening the email, Xia Yu read the content.
[Test Requirement: Pay attention to and guide Wen Ziying’s life according to your own heart’s desire.]
[Test Reward: Star Fragment * 1]
The mission requirements were already quite strange, and the mission rewards were even more peculiar.
What did it mean to guide Wen Ziying’s life? And what was a Star Fragment?
Moreover, this mission seemed to have been triggered because he had investigated Wen Ziying’s affairs.
Well, it didn’t seem like a particularly difficult mission to complete. He might as well give it a try.
Xia Yu clicked to accept the mission.
However, he had no idea how to complete the mission specifically.
First, he would follow the instructions and pay attention to Wen Ziying’s life. He would visit her more often in the future.
After making this decision, Xia Yu clicked on the slot and logged into An Siyao’s body.
Wen Ziying’s matter could be dealt with later. Now, it was important to resolve Hu Lianglu’s issue first.
Using An Siyao’s body, he arrived at the location of Hu Lianglu’s house, which he had deduced from the messages Zhong Yunxin had sent him, and entered a coffee shop by the roadside.
He couldn’t know whether Hu Lianglu would come out or when she would appear, so he could only wait quietly.
The Hu family, nearing bankruptcy, couldn’t have found a good place for Hu Lianglu to live. Similarly, the coffee shop here wasn’t anything upscale.
Several men eyed An Siyao, who had come alone, with ill intentions.
Looking at a well-dressed man approaching him, An Siyao silently picked up a metal coffee spoon, held it with three fingers, and applied force.
The coffee spoon bent into an arc.
The man continued forward without changing his expression, passing by An Siyao and heading to the restroom.
After returning from the restroom, the man picked up the coffee spoon from his table. The spoon was of good quality; he had to use all his strength with both hands to bend it slightly.
But that girl had done it effortlessly with just three fingers.
For the sake of his own safety, the man decided not to approach anymore.
Other men with similar intentions were also deterred by An Siyao’s display. Thinking that the girl across could easily overpower them, they lost interest.
Xia Yu replaced the coffee spoon and continued waiting.
At 11 o’clock, Hu Lianglu appeared.
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