A writer has arrived in the Chinese entertainment industry.

"So you didn't go to your senior year after your junior year?" Chen Duling asked.

The surrounding area was bustling with pedestrians, and the queue in front of the duck oil pastry shop was so long it was daunting. The two of them were standing in the middle of the queue, chatting idly.

"I dropped out of school. You know, my junior high and high school years weren't very enjoyable."

Back then, Su Liu's status as a bestselling author caused quite a stir at school. By high school, he had practically become a "living business card" for the school leaders.

Whenever the school held events and needed to enhance its image, Su Liu would be dragged onto the stage like a mascot to deliver an inspirational speech. During educational inspections, he would also be taken to receive the supervisory team. The school also enjoyed inviting local media and tabloids to do interviews.

At that time, the school's facilities were extremely poor; there wasn't even a medical clinic. After learning that Su Liu's novels were selling very well in Japan and making him a lot of money, some leaders even came to Su Liu with smiles and asked if he could make a contribution to his alma mater.

In addition, there are always some overly energetic idiots in schools who are always causing trouble.

All of this annoyed Su Liu to no end, so in his second year of high school, he resolutely packed his bags and went into the arms of countless beautiful girls overseas who were eagerly awaiting his return.

Chen Duling knew Su Liu's background and experiences very well. As Su Liu's loyal comrade-in-arms, she showed extraordinary decisiveness and fighting power. In the QQ chat box, she devoted almost all the swear words she had ever used to these school leaders and stupid classmates.

"So, did you graduate after that?"

"Of course they'd give up on an alumnus like me! Besides, how much longer do we have to wait in line anyway?!"

Looking at the long line that stretched out like a giant dragon, Su Liu couldn't help but ask impatiently.

"This shop is very popular. I heard it sells more than two thousand pancakes a day." Chen Duling's expression was as if she were giving a lecture, with a hint of pride in her eyes that said, "See? I picked such a great place."

"Then could we choose an auspicious day to come again?"

"Huh? You don't want to eat? Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Su Liu rolled her eyes. "Didn't I say so earlier?"

"Then...then let's go to McDonald's." Chen Duling felt a little guilty and tugged at his clothes. "Let's go."

Just as the two were about to leave, Chen Duling took a step forward when her shoulder was suddenly yanked hard, causing her to lose her balance and fall back to her original position. She turned her head sharply, her round eyes wide with astonishment.

"What are you doing?!"

Su Liu ignored her question. In that instant when he turned around, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision—a man in a navy blue casual suit, walking slowly toward him.

Oh no! It wasn't a mistake; it really was Xiao Xu.

"How is this possible?" he thought in utter astonishment. "How did he find his way here?"

It doesn't make sense, absolutely not. How did he know I was here? Su Liu racked his brains, trying to recall if he had accidentally left some clues along the way that would allow him to track me to this little pancake shop so precisely?

Su Liu was crouching behind the crowd, furtively observing the man. Just as he was wondering where he had given himself away, a warm breath suddenly brushed against his ear. Chen Duling leaned closer and whispered in his ear, "Are you hiding from that person?"

"Hmm, this guy actually managed to find his way here, impressive."

Chen Duling tilted her head, looking at his furrowed brows and tense expression, and couldn't help but complain, "So what if you found him? Are you filming 'Lurking'?"

"I didn't expect there to be such a powerful person in the Phoenix Society," Su Liu's lips curled up slightly, revealing an excited look in his eyes. "Hmph, then let's have a showdown."

"Perhaps all mystery novelists suffer from paranoia," Chen Duling thought to herself.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

In my line of sight, Xiao Xu was leisurely scrolling through his phone, naturally joining the end of the queue.

Chen Duling's eye twitched slightly, and she said quietly, "Is it possible that she just wants to eat a pancake?"

"Hmm?" Su Liu's expression hardened, and he stroked his chin thoughtfully, lost in thought. "So that's how it is?"

"Sigh, tone it down a bit, you idiot."

"This is bad!" Su Liu's expression didn't relax at all. "This is really bad."

Chen Duling was taken aback and blankly asked, "What is it now?"

It turned out that, unfortunately, Xiao Xu was standing right in front of the McDonald's. If the two of them wanted to enter McDonald's, it would be very difficult to avoid his gaze.

Su Liu made up his mind that he must not let him find out the truth that he skipped the dinner to accompany the beautiful woman.

"Look at him, he's like a gatekeeper; it's as difficult as climbing to heaven for us to get in."

Chen Duling tentatively suggested, "Actually... why don't we eat somewhere else? Are we really going to stick to McDonald's?"

"Are you going to desert your post?" Su Liu turned his head sharply, his expression solemn and almost saintly. "Back then, even the encirclement and suppression by the 'Fragrant Party' didn't make us back down. Are you going to back down now?"

Chen Duling also recalled those glorious years, and her mindset immediately changed.

"Then tell me, what should we do?"

"Let's switch coats, you go and distract him."

"Will it work?" Chen Duling asked, frantically taking off her light blue hooded cardigan while looking at Su Liu's long brown trench coat that could easily fit her whole body. "He's just waiting in line, he's not blind."

"Of course it's not just that, give me your phone."

Chen Duling unlocked the phone and handed it over, looking completely bewildered. Su Liu quickly swiped a few times, entered the recording interface, recorded a sound into the microphone, and then turned the phone volume up to the maximum.

"When you walk past him, raise your phone and play this recording. Run before he can react; don't give him a chance to think."

Chen Duling changed her clothes, tucked her long hair into her baseball cap, and pulled the brim down. She took the phone, a look of eager anticipation on her face.

"I've tucked all my hair into my hat so the back of my head won't be exposed. But we have such a big height difference."

That's why I made you run; when people are caught off guard, they only notice the most prominent signs.

"Okay! I understand!"

"How's it going? It's been a long time since we fought side by side. Are you excited?"

"...It's just a little bit. I'm going!" Chen Duling tossed the hem of her trench coat, resolutely broke away from the group, and walked towards Xiao Xu at the back.

At that moment, Xiao Xu was holding his phone, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard, mostly reporting on work. Suddenly, a figure in a brown trench coat appeared at the edge of his field of vision, and a feeling of "I feel like I've seen this person somewhere before" immediately arose in his mind.

The next second, a voice came from the side and behind.

"Little Xu!"

"Teacher Su?" He turned around almost as if he had sprung a gun, only to see a brown-clad figure quickly disappearing into the distance. "Teacher Su?!" he called out uncertainly, "Wait, why are you running?"

He hesitated for only two seconds before his body reacted before his brain did, and he quickly chased after the figure.

"Yay!" Su Liu, hiding in the shadows, clenched his fist, a silent joy rising in his heart. This "luring the tiger away from the mountain" tactic was incredibly successful, practically perfect.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Liu immediately went into McDonald's. He ordered two kids' meals from the Five Colors of the Day series, a pumpkin pie, and two pumpkin spice lattes.

Like a spy waiting for intelligence at a rendezvous point, he found a corner to hide in, leisurely gazing out the window, waiting for his "comrade-in-arms" to return.

About ten minutes later, Chen Duling pushed open the glass door of McDonald's and walked in. She looked like she had run quite a bit; her lips were slightly parted, with a hint of excitement in them. She was holding a black baseball cap in her right hand, and her bangs were blown by the wind, revealing her smooth forehead.

As soon as she entered, she looked around and immediately spotted Su Liu in the corner. Their eyes met instantly. She quickly walked over, pulled out the chair opposite Su Liu, sat down, and placed her hat on the table.

"How about that? I'm pretty good, aren't I?"

"Not bad at all. Hey, did he win you over?"

"Of course, I definitely can't outrun him."

"Then what will you do?"

"He called out 'Teacher Su' and patted my shoulder. I just..." Chen Duling mimicked that gesture, shrinking her shoulders and timidly turning her head, "Who...who is it?"

Wow, you're so skilled!

"Well, I'm socially anxious anyway."

"And then..."

"I've come full circle."

They were on the auxiliary road of Ruijin Road, which was surrounded by a row of mixed commercial and residential buildings. After exiting at the intersection ahead, they could circle back from the back.

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, Su Liu's phone rang again.

Chen Duling rested her chin on her hand, raised her beautiful eyebrows, and gave a playful look. "What? Still unrelated?"

"This time it won't work." Su Liu pressed the call button with a look of grim determination.

In an instant, the phone seemed to transform into Roaring Letter from Harry Potter, and An Wenxiu's stern rebuke poured out like a tidal wave.

"Su Liu! What's gotten into you again?! Where the hell is everyone?!"

The sound was extremely penetrating, causing Su Liu's wrist to tremble and quickly pull his phone away.

"Sister Wenxiu, you've misunderstood!" He lowered his voice, his whole body inexplicably hunched over, leaning against the wall like a guilty thief.

Chen Duling almost laughed herself to death when she saw him like this.

"Editor-in-Chief Liu has already booked the hotel, where are you?"

"I really didn't mean to, it was just an unexpected situation."

"What situation could make you disappear without a word, Su Liu? If you don't have a reasonable explanation, wait till I get back and see how I deal with you!"

"Sister Wenxiu, I'm not kidding. I've met my muse, the inspiration for my next work. You know how important that is for a writer, right?"

"What the hell did you say?" An Wenxiu was clearly amused and annoyed.

"It's true. The moment I met this girl, a story popped into my head, and I couldn't wait to talk to her about it!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then a voice suddenly rang out: "Girl."

"Yes...yes."

"Phew." An Wenxiu took a deep breath, regaining her composure. "You call Editor-in-Chief Liu right now and apologize, do you hear me!"

"Don't worry, sis, Lao Liu won't blame me."

"Do as I say!" These five words were like ice shards popping out from between his teeth, calm yet containing explosive power.

"Okay! I got it!" Su Liu hurriedly agreed, and An Wenxiu then hung up the phone.

When he turned around, he realized that a boy had appeared next to him at some point. Chen Duling was slightly hunched over, his chin lowered, like a curled-up hedgehog.

"Hey, who are you?" Su Liu asked the boy.

The person quickly replied, "I'm your classmate."

"Senior? Classmate?" Su Liu repeated, "You're also from China Southern Airlines."

Before the other person could reply, Su Liu added, "Is something wrong?"

"I...I...I just want to get to know you, senior," the boy stammered, clutching his phone nervously. "Add...add me on WeChat."

"Wow, you're really brave." Su Liu chuckled, then teased the girl opposite him who wished she could disappear into the ground. "Chen Duling, you're quite popular at school, aren't you? People even come to chat you up outside."

Chen Duling glared at Su Liu secretly, then said to the junior with a polite distance, "Um... let's forget about WeChat."

In that instant, Su Liu seemed to hear something shatter into pieces. The junior wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat and couldn't come out.

Su Liu patted him on the shoulder, adopting a senior's tone, "Junior, don't be sad. Your youth is far from over. What you need to do now is leave gracefully like a gentleman. A man should never show his vulnerable side, understand?"

These words, like the resounding tones of a great bell, stirred within the junior's gloomy heart. At that moment, a sacred light rose in his eyes, as if Shakyamuni had seen through life and death under the Bodhi tree.

"I...I understand!"

"Good! Keep going, junior. Don't let those tender, sensual fantasies distract you. Be a man of steel."

"I will, teacher!"

He suddenly stood up, solemnly bowed and nodded to Su Liu and Chen Duling, and then strode out of McDonald's.

Chen Duling stared in disbelief at the scene.

She glanced at the boy's tragically departing figure, then at Su Liu watching him leave, her speechless frustration culminating in a silent scream: "What's wrong with men's brains? Are they all idiots?"

Chen Duling rubbed her forehead, her voice tinged with helplessness, "I'm really fed up with you. What's going on in your head?!"

Su Liu, however, seemed completely oblivious. "How does it feel to be hit on and asked for your contact information?"

"It's not good, it's annoying."

"That's because you're charming, who can you blame?"

"No way," Chen Duling retorted softly, her fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the straw. "I'm... just ordinary."

"I don't believe there are really people in this world who are beautiful without realizing it." Su Liu's eyes were filled with undisguised certainty. "In your class, there's probably not even room to stand in the back rows."

"It's not that exaggerated!"

Su Liu said in a strange tone, "You must really enjoy being the center of attention, right?"

"I already said no!"

Enraged, Chen Duling leaned forward and reached out to slap Su Liu on the forehead. Su Liu, anticipating this, leaned back and deftly dodged.

"Alright, let's call it a day," Su Liu said with a smile. "Eat up, I have important business to attend to later."

"You're the one who's been causing trouble," Chen Duling said angrily, withdrawing her hand. "Do you think I'm that idle?"

When they stepped out of McDonald's, the hustle and bustle of the street hit them, and it was already getting dark. Chen Duling put on her hat and prepared to catch the bus back to school, while Su Liu turned back to the hotel arranged by Phoenix Society.

"Then goodbye," Su Liu said. "Meeting you today was truly a wonderful experience."

"Haha, got a fright? Chen Duling tilted her head and smiled."

"It really is."

"Bye, I'm going to catch the bus over there."

"Okay, sure."

As the two turned around, Chen Duling suddenly stopped and called out to Su Liu's retreating figure, "Hey!"

Su Liu turned around. "What's wrong?"

"How many days are you going to stay in Nanjing?"

"I can stay as many days as I want."

"Well... I'm going to work as a part-time model tomorrow, do you want to come with me? I can be your tour guide and show you around."

"You've only been in Nanjing for a little over a year at most, is that reliable?"

"Don't underestimate me, okay?"

Su Liu suddenly laughed, "Alright, then I'll give you this chance."

"Well...see you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."