1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

Chapter 99 Xie Lu is writing an essay contest, I want to write one too!

She held the pen, staring at the blank manuscript paper, her mind blank.

"Reflecting changes in rural life."

"Praising the spirit and outlook of farmers in the new era."

She grew up in the city and had only been to the countryside a few times, usually with her parents when visiting relatives.

She had seen the mud-brick houses, the farmland, and the farmers toiling in the fields, but she had never truly experienced it.

But she didn't believe it; she couldn't write it.

If Xie Lu can write, why can't she?

She was two years older than him, grew up under the influence of her parents, read far more books than Xie Lu, and received a better education than Xie Lu from a young age.

How could Xie Lu, a freshman who just came from the countryside, be better than her?

She simply didn't believe in this superstition.

She picked up her pen and wrote a line at the top of the paper:

My hometown, my fields.

Then it stopped.

What should I write? Where should I begin?

He Jinqiu suddenly remembered the times she went to her maternal grandmother's house in the countryside when she was a child.

My maternal grandmother's house was in the countryside. It was an adobe house with a big locust tree in the yard. In the summer, we would sit under the tree and eat watermelon.

There's a small river in the village where children play freely in the water, and wheat is planted in the fields, turning a golden yellow in autumn.

She remembered her grandmother cooking, wearing an apron, busy at the stove, with steam rising from the pot.

I remember my grandfather carrying a hoe back from the fields, covered in sweat, his face tanned dark red, and he would sit down and drink cold water.

I think of those relatives, those neighbors, those villagers whose names I don't know.

She started writing.

He wrote about his grandmother's mud-brick house, the old locust tree in the yard, the murky but beloved stream, the meals his grandmother cooked, the fields his grandfather cultivated, and the way villagers greeted each other.

Write down what she saw, remembered, and felt.

The pen tip scratched across the paper.

Outside the study, Shen Jingshu and He Chongshan had already finished their meal.

Shen Jingshu kept the food warm in the pot and set aside a portion for He Jinqiu.

He Chongshan sat on the sofa and continued reading the newspaper, but occasionally glanced towards the study.

"Still not out?" Shen Jingshu finished cooking and, seeing that there was still no sign of the student coming out of the study, asked.

"No movement." He Chongshan glanced at the study but there was no movement.

Shen Jingshu walked over and knocked on the door again: "Qiu'er, the food is getting cold, come out and eat first."

"Wait a minute," a voice came from inside.

Shen Jingshu shook her head and sat back down.

He Chongshan smiled and said, "Let her be. Once this child gets serious, no one can stop her."

Shen Jingshu sighed: "Whom do I take after? You."

He Chongshan, unusually, didn't refute, and just chuckled.

In the study, He Jinqiu was still writing.

When one sheet of paper is full, switch to another.

Write it all again, then change it.

She didn't know how long she wrote, only that the night outside the window grew deeper and deeper, and the light from the table lamp inside the room grew brighter and brighter.

She stopped and looked at the manuscript in front of her.

I've written five pages already.

She read it again from the beginning. It was about her grandmother's family, those scenes she remembered.

The writing isn't great, but it's fluent and fairly truthful.

But He Jinqiu always felt that what she wrote was not quite right.

What is Xie Lu doing now?

Are you writing one too?

What will he write?

She recalled what Xie Lu had written, the first and second parts of "Infernal Affairs," each one so good.

He wrote about Chen Yongren, Liu Jianming, Huang Zhicheng, and Ni Yongxiao.

Those characters, those stories, those unforgettable plots.

She suddenly felt a little discouraged.

My writing seems far inferior to what others have written.

The thought only flashed through her mind for a moment before she suppressed it.

No, I can't think like that.

Why did you admit defeat before the competition even started?

Unwilling to admit defeat, He Jinqiu sat up straight again, picked up her pen, and continued writing.

When Xie Lu came out of the hut, it was already completely dark.

He locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and went downstairs.

The streetlights on campus were also lit, and the shadows of the sycamore trees were cast on the ground, swaying in the wind.

He walked towards the cafeteria, his stomach already growling with hunger.

The lunch I had at noon was completely digested by now.

There weren't many people in the cafeteria, and even though it was past mealtime, there were still some dishes left at the window.

Xie Lu got a meal, found a corner to sit down, and ate slowly, still thinking about what he had just written. He had written the scene between Sun Shaoan and Tian Runye quite smoothly and felt good about it.

After finishing his meal, Xie Lu calmly walked back to his dormitory.

Pushing open the door to 308, the lights were on inside, and all three people were there.

Chen Xiangdong lay in bed reading, Zhou Wenbin sat at the table writing, and Chu Yunfei leaned against the headboard, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Upon seeing Xie Lu enter, Chen Xiangdong spoke first: "You're back?"

Xie Lu hummed in agreement and sat down on the edge of his bed.

Chen Xiangdong put down his book and looked at him: "Fourth brother, what have you been up to these past few days? I haven't seen you anywhere."

Xie Lu took off his coat and draped it over the headboard: "I'll write something."

"Writing something?" Chen Xiangdong sat up. "What kind of writing requires you to be out every day? Can't you write it in your dorm?"

Xie Lu thought for a moment and said, "The dormitory is too noisy."

Chen Xiangdong paused for a moment and looked around.

There are only four of them in the dorm, and they're usually not noisy, so why are they making noise?

He was about to ask another question when Zhou Wenbin suddenly spoke up, "Second Brother, what's wrong with you today? Why are you so quiet?"

Only after Zhou Wenbin said that Chen Xiangdong realized something was wrong.

Chu Yunfei, who usually loves to joke around, didn't say a word today and just leaned there in a daze.

"Did you break up with your boyfriend?" Zhou Wenbin asked again.

Chu Yunfei finally reacted, turning his head to glare at Zhou Wenbin: "What do you mean, a single man like me, heartbroken?"

Zhou Wenbin shrank back after being glared at by him and dared not ask any more questions.

Xie Lu also glanced at Chu Yunfei and felt that he was indeed acting a bit strangely today.

Without thinking much about it, he picked up the washbasin and prepared to go to the washroom to wash up.

"Fourth brother," Chu Yunfei suddenly spoke.

Xie Lu stopped and looked back at him.

Chu Yunfei got out of bed, put on his shoes, and walked over. His face was expressionless, but he looked quite serious.

"Come out with me for a moment."

Xie Lu paused for a moment, put down the washbasin, and followed him out the door.

Chen Xiangdong and Zhou Wenbin exchanged a glance, both completely baffled.

"What are they doing?" Zhou Wenbin asked in a low voice.

Chen Xiangdong shook his head: "I don't know."

In the corridor, Chu Yunfei walked in front, with Xie Lu following behind.

After walking a few steps, Chu Yunfei turned into a secluded corner at the corner of the stairs and stopped.

Xie Lu also stopped.

This corner is usually deserted and dimly lit.

Chu Yunfei turned around and looked at him. His face no longer had its usual carefree look; it was serious and earnest.

"Fourth brother," he said, his voice low, "tell me the truth, are you hiding something from me?"

Xie Lu's heart skipped a beat.

He looked at Chu Yunfei's serious face and eyes.

Has this been discovered?