I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Okay, next up is the evening segment. For the outdoor portion, we'll definitely have to bring out our test of courage. However, it's quite difficult to find a suitable place around the scenic area, and no one has helped us set up beforehand. Also, with such a large group of us going out, there's no scary atmosphere at all. So let's focus on various indoor activities, such as bathing, hot springs, men's and women's baths, and the like."

"It feels like you're talking about the same thing all along."

"Because this is a classic among classics, it's no exaggeration to say that it's a must-have scene."

"At times like this, it's best not to put your hands together and make a solemn face..."

"It's alright. Even if this is the real world, if you really want to fulfill that kind of lucky pervert-like chuunibyou fantasy, I will do my best to help you achieve it."

Although she had already learned a lot about anime and manga during today's university studies, seeing her best friend posing like this still made Chen Xi shrink back a little in disgust:

"W-What lucky pervert incident?"

"Hehehe, I think you don't understand at all. The accommodations for training camps usually have facilities like hot springs or large public baths, and this setting naturally carries a dangerous atmosphere because it involves bathing and nudity, which can lead to all sorts of possible accidents. For example, the male protagonist might mistake the men's and women's bathing times, think it's men's time, push open the door, and find out it's all women inside. Or he might get tricked by his mischievous friend, who plans an eavesdropping scheme, and the male protagonist, who was supposed to stop it, ends up being the one who actually gets to see the benefits."

"The first scenario even has a variation: the male protagonist, who overdid it, wakes up to find the girls have already entered the area. He has no choice but to hide somewhere in the water, where one of them will discover him and try to help him hide. Don't worry, senior, after the beach, I will also protect your chastity in the bath!"

"How about something that can be broadcast on TV, like chatting through the bamboo or wooden partition between the men's and women's baths?"

"That's so boring. And all we do is chat while taking a shower. Isn't that what you do every day, senpai?"

Gu Linguo just pursed her lips, seemingly having no intention of giving up.

So Chen Junqian once again reviewed the achievement in his mind.

There's no one here, so don't come over.

As one of the top three must-eat spots in romantic comedies, the female lead, whose exposure is even higher than that of a swimsuit, can only appear in a hot spring bath. Whether it's a towel pose or something more, fate always arranges for the male protagonist to accidentally step into this absolutely private area. Then, the remaining question is how to make a million-dollar escape after feasting his eyes.

Of course, this is something that one person can't do alone most of the time. So, a female lead who, even if seen, only wants to keep you from getting hurt is quite important. So, just patiently hide and listen for her to say, "There's no one here, so don't come any closer."

[Condition for achieving this: In a hot spring, bath, or other similar setting, you are forced to hide behind or under any heroine from a romantic comedy due to some awkward situation.]

P.S.: Thank you for reading and subscribing.

PS2: Since I've finally gotten to this part of the story that I've been wanting to write from the beginning, I might write more in the meantime, like I did today. In Lin Guo's words, it was really hard to finally accumulate enough affection points to unlock the beach camping scene...

Chapter 109: Everything the male and female protagonists do together is a romantic comedy (5k)

Mid-July in Nanjing is the hottest time of the year, and even the air seems to carry a sticky, suffocating heat. In the departure hall of Lukou Airport, the central air conditioning is running at full blast, and as the glass doors open and close, a wisp of heat from outside sneaks in, causing the tips of the leaves of the row of green plants in the aisle to tremble slightly.

Chen Junqian, who was leading a group of girls out for the first time, felt that he was more like a patriarch than a playboy. He was so domineering that he wished he had eyes in the back of his head. After all, even though the two most mischievous girls had already made promises to him beforehand, the powerful hand of the romantic comedy world might just put on some classic scene for him.

Gu Linguo and Chen Xi, who were flying at the airport for the first time, were obviously not familiar with the boarding process. So Chen Junqian helped them push their luggage and stand in line at the check-in counter. After the check-in process was completed smoothly, he handed out tickets to each of them. The former immediately took out her phone to take a picture, while the latter studied the seat number printed on it.

She was thinking of sitting by the window.

"Everyone, please sit here and rest for a bit. I'm going to pick up my sister and I'll be right back. Mu Mu, please keep an eye on things for me."

After glancing at the message on his phone, Chen Junqian gave another reminder to his childhood sweetheart, who was resting on a suitcase that seemed to be the same size as her. Each passenger had a limited number of free checked bags, and Lin Mu had brought the most luggage, so she only had this one carry-on item left. She was sitting on the suitcase with her legs raised and dangling in the air, the soles of her shoes scraping against the floor with a soft hissing sound. She was having a great time in her small, safe area. With her pigtails, she looked more like a six-year-old than a sixteen-year-old girl.

However, as soon as Chen Junqian spoke, she immediately dropped her childish behavior and nodded seriously in response:

"Don't worry, Qianqian."

"Okay, just stay here and don't move."

After repeating this, Chen Junqian felt that the hairstyle she had put together today was a bit asymmetrical, so he reached out and tucked the loose strands of hair near her right ear behind her ear, and then moved the orange hair tie slightly to the left, which made it look better.

"By the way, why is Mumu wearing pigtails today?"

"Well, there's no particular reason. My mom said this hairstyle looks good on me. What about Qianqian? Does he also think this hairstyle is cute?"

"Yes, very cute."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gu Lingguo making a big X gesture next to him, as if reminding him that he had used up his chance to use 'cute' for the day and that he was not allowed to use this super versatile adjective on her anymore.

Following the directions indicated by the various signs and markers on the side, Chen Junqian soon met Shen Nianqiu, whom he hadn't seen for a while. The girl, who was only one step away from adulthood, had reached the peak of her appearance as a female lead. If she weren't still wearing a high school uniform, people would believe that she was a college student or a working professional.

"Why did you come here wearing your school uniform?"

"Because our school just started summer vacation last night, I didn't sleep much all night. After packing my luggage, I took a bus here, and I didn't buy many summer clothes, so I just wore my school uniform. I'll change when I get there, yawn—"

It was clear that she was quite tired. As someone who had experienced high school life firsthand, Chen Junqian could understand the academic pressure of the two years from the second to the third year of high school. So, while helping Shen Nianqiu with her luggage, he immediately offered his shoulder, allowing his sister, who was now half a head shorter than him, to lean on him lazily.

"You can catch up on sleep on the plane. It's a three-hour flight, that'll be enough for you to sleep. If you don't feel comfortable sleeping in economy class, how about I upgrade you to business class?"

Actually, Chen Junqian originally planned to book business class, but Hainan Airlines' business class seats are basically reverse herringbone style single seats, which really maximizes personal privacy. However, the girls around him were flying to chat, especially Lin Mu who said she wanted to sit together. So Chen Junqian compromised and booked economy class for everyone.

"It would be so out of place for me to go to business class alone. I'll just curl up there and take a nap, and then I can rest my head on you like this..."

In the economy class seats, which were arranged in a 3:3 ratio, Chen Junqian bought seats for Lin Mu and Shen Nianqiu on his left and right. He had already greeted Lin Mu beforehand, while he had simply not seen Shen Nianqiu for a long time and wanted to chat with her. However, judging from how sleepy she looked, he figured she would have to catch up on her sleep as soon as she boarded the plane.

Shen Nianqiu is quite popular, at least on the surface. Everyone in Guoning welcomes her arrival. Although Chen Junqian suspects this is related to her being away from Guoning for many years, even when the two of them pretended to be boyfriend and girlfriend at the beginning of this year, few people reacted much. It can only be said that long-distance relationships are indeed a bit torturous. Therefore, Chen Junqian doesn't have any particular opinion about his sister sticking to him every time they meet, or about a certain mysterious achievement that pops into his mind every two days.

"Sister Shen, are you sleepy? Would you like something to drink? I just bought some milk over there, want a sip? It's super sweet!"

Lin Mu skipped over to greet him, handing him the drink she was holding.

"Oh, it's Mumu. Thanks! I heard she did very well on the high school entrance exam?"

Shen Nianqiu, who had been resting her head on Chen Junqian's shoulder, had to temporarily use one hand to take the milk, unscrew the cap, and drink a couple of sips.

"I guess that's an exceptional performance. If all goes well, I can be in the same class as Qianqian and Wenyun in high school."

Upon hearing Lin Mu's excited speech, Shen Nianqiu first looked up curiously to find Xu Youwei, and then saw her sitting there seemingly talking to Chen Xi.

This child probably wouldn't have said these things so bluntly in front of her best friend before, especially since I heard that Xu Youwei is only in a regular class this time.

Facing Shen Nianqiu's gaze, Chen Junqian returned a nonchalant look. Since the release of the high school entrance exam results, Lin Mu's mood has been exceptionally good. She's the kind of person who would suddenly burst out laughing if she thought of something like this while walking down the street. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been playing with her suitcase like a child just now.

As for Youyou, all I can say is that she thinks Lin Mu should have done this a long time ago. After all, she's not the kind of person who would be jealous just because she didn't do as well as someone else, or even prevent her best friend from celebrating her own happiness. She's always seen Lin Mu's hard work, and it's true that Lin Mu deserves credit for getting into the special admission class. Besides, she didn't completely fail the exam; she achieved her goal by being admitted to the regular class.

In fact, if we're being really serious, it should be called the "half-step key class, complete success" level.

"The childhood sweetheart versus the new girl trope is always a never-ending spectacle."

Gu Linguo sat in the waiting area, resting her chin on her hand with interest. Zhu Wenjun next to her nodded in deep agreement. She had written this kind of plot and theme countless times. However, this time the male protagonist was not making a choice between two options, but rather preparing to openly check off all the options at once.

"Speaking of which, have you ever thought about Sister Yun being able to get into the special admission class?"

You should be thinking that in high school, there will finally be only two people in one class.

Zhu Wenyun easily understood the implied meaning in those words, so she hesitated slightly before carefully choosing her words to reply:

"If it's Lin Mu, I don't really care."

"Ah, I understand. It would be more troublesome if it were Sister Youwei, right? Or if Sister Nianqiu happens to be in Guoning and is at the same level as the senior, it would definitely be much more troublesome."

"Actually, compared to the two of them, if Xiaoxi were in the same grade as me, she would also feel it doesn't matter, since her grades are good enough to get into the special admission class."

"Is there something about Xiao Xi? Have romance novels become this lenient now? I think it's better for Sister Yun not to write in this direction, or she might get reported. Or is she planning to continue writing about that kind of secretive and immoral stuff after finishing her last book?"

Seeing that Gu Linguo seemed unaware, Zhu Wenyun smiled, but quickly covered her mouth again, leaving only her shoulders trembling slightly. To avoid arousing suspicion, she immediately changed the subject:

"The sense of immorality is still very difficult to write. My next book is a very simple pure love story. I guess it's a return to my original style?"

"Then I'll be looking forward to it!"

Unaware of what the others were talking about, Chen Junqian was still engrossed in the conversation between Lin Mu and Shen Nianqiu. Unlike Chen Junqian, who spent every day with Lin Mu, Shen Nianqiu, who hadn't seen Lin Mu for a long time, could clearly sense the changes in him.

Looking at Lin Mu, she felt that something in his eyes, which were usually as clear as a lake, was loosening at an extremely slow pace, as if a crack had quietly appeared in a corner of the lake, and something lighter was seeping out, like a light she had never seen before.

An announcement came over the loudspeaker, informing them that check-in for their flight at Gate 22 in Section B would soon begin.

The group packed their things again and followed the flow of people toward the boarding bridge. Lin Mu walked in front, skipping and counting the lights on the bridge roof from one to seventeen. If he made a mistake, he would start over, muttering to himself. Chen Junqian walked in the middle, carrying two handbags, his eyes occasionally falling on Lin Mu's back. The others followed a step or two behind, maintaining a fixed distance.

Nothing happened; we were neither late nor lost, and the plane was already in sight.

"Mumu, wait a minute."

Chen Junqian, who was never letting his guard down, soon noticed a possible accident: Lin Mu, who was walking in front of him, had his left shoelace come undone at some point, and he might trip and fall.

As for what falling down in a romantic comedy means, Chen Junqian, who has suffered several times over, knows it quite well. So, as soon as he noticed, he took the initiative to stop the other person.

Your shoelaces are untied.

Lin Mu subconsciously looked down and, sure enough, the lace of her left shoe was dragging on the ground, hanging there in a posture that looked ready to trip someone at any time. However, before she could squat down, a hand reached out from the side and neatly tied a bow for her, tightened it, and then tucked the end of the lace into the shoe. It was Chen Junqian, who was squatting there.

Lin Mu blinked, and only after the other person stood up and walked away did he realize what was happening and followed. At the same time, he smiled apologetically at the passengers who had been waiting for a while behind him.

After boarding smoothly, the group took their seats according to their tickets. The seven of them mostly sat together: Lin Mu was in 19A by the window, Chen Junqian was in 19B in the middle, Shen Nianqiu was in 19C by the aisle, Gu Linguo, Chen Xi, and Xu Youwei were on the other side, and Zhu Wenyun sat alone in the back row, but she didn't seem to care much.

After all, she and Chen Junqian had flown countless times, starting from their first trip to Beijing to participate in the "Chinese Character Dictation Competition," followed by a series of work engagements, so it wasn't anything new to them.

Although it might make Gu Lingguo feel regretful, Chen Junqian still helped Lin Mu put his suitcase on the overhead rack as soon as he boarded the plane. There was no scene of him helping to fasten the seat belt, after all, he was a real sixteen-year-old soon-to-be high school student, not some little kid who needed him to take care of him the whole time.

The plane began to slowly taxi and push back, and the cabin announcement broadcasted safety instructions. Shen Nianqiu closed her eyes and leaned on Chen Junqian's shoulder, while Lin Mu pressed her face against the window, watching the ground slowly recede.

"It seems like this is the first time I've ever flown on a plane with Qianqian."

"Hmm, is Mumu's ear uncomfortable?"

"No, can Qianqian do it?"

"I'm fine too."

While talking to Lin Mu, Chen Junqian distributed earplugs and candies to the other three people. But when he turned around, he saw Mu Mu staring at his palm again.

"There's even candy."

"If Mu Mu had said her ears were uncomfortable, I would have sent it to you."

"Then my ears will feel uncomfortable too."

As Lin Mu spoke, she reached out and took two plum candies from Chen Junqian's palm. They were round and had smiley faces printed on the wrappers. Suddenly, something indescribable, soft yet with a bit of weight welled up in her throat. She quickly lowered her head, put the candies in her mouth, and said in a muffled voice:

"And I just want to eat Qianqian's candy."

"That's still a lot."

Chen Junqian turned to the side, took out two more candies from another compartment, and gently placed them next to Lin Mu's hand resting on the armrest. Then he felt a poke on his left side. The silent person had opened his mouth a little bit. He peeled a candy and handed it to him. Shen Nianqiu's tongue gently scraped against his fingertip, and then he continued to sleep without saying a word, whether he was really asleep or pretending to be asleep.

Outside the window, the runway lines began to accelerate and fly backward, the roar of the engines rose from a low rumble to a high pitch, the fuselage trembled slightly, and then it took off. The feeling of weightlessness, as if suddenly thrown from the ground, rushed over. Lin Mu let out a small cry, but because there were other children in the cabin making similar exclamations, it didn't seem out of place. Chen Junqian could even hear the voices of Gu Lingguo and her sister, who were flying for the first time on the other side of the aisle. They were also staring intently out the window.

The clouds spread out, a vast expanse of white, stretching to the horizon.

The cabin air conditioning hummed softly and rhythmically. As the plane leveled off, the cabin gradually quieted down, and many passengers pulled down their window shades to catch up on sleep. Lin Mu, however, was wide awake. She slammed down the tray table in front of her, crossed her arms over it, and then, like a cat that had found a comfortable spot, turned her head and softly pressed half of her face into the crook of her arms.

This was a posture he knew all too well. Throughout his many years of school, every time the bell rang for the end of the last class, she would always lie down on the wooden desk like this, taking a break, and then look across the aisle for Chen Junqian's gaze.

"Qianqian, look at this."

Then, the other person took out a diary-like item from their small bag.

"journal?"

"Well, although this can be considered a diary, it's different from the usual kind of diary. If I had to say, it should be considered a future diary, or some kind of wish book?"