I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Chen Xi from Ningzhong Junior High School is first in her grade. Oh, you must know her brother, Chen Junqian from Senior High School, who is also first in his grade. Isn't that amazing?"

"Brilliant."

The results were released just before the May Day holiday. Chen Xi, who won first place in the city with an absolute lead, had her photo displayed in the same spot on the bulletin board as Chen Junqian a year ago. She also chose the same strategy as Chen Junqian back then, quickly reaching an agreement with her homeroom teacher that she would not attend evening self-study sessions and would leave one class early in the morning and afternoon.

At this point, Chen Xi finally had time to find Gu Linguo and ask her what she thought. In fact, compared to others, Gu Linguo was definitely the friend she cared about the most, so she didn't want her actions to make her friend feel betrayed again. She really didn't want to hear her say "Chen Xi, what do you want from me?" from her again.

When Chen Xi asked her a little nervously, Gu Linguo just showed an attitude of "You, a top student who is already on vacation, don't delay me, an ordinary student who is still working hard for the high school entrance exam just to get into the regular class of Ningzhong High School". This made Chen Xi even more confused. However, she could tell that the other party was not very angry, at least not like last time. This was enough for her to do her own thing in peace.

And so, on another ordinary afternoon after school, when Lin Mu was pulling Chen Junqian out of the classroom, she was once again ambushed by Chen Xi.

"Now I'm on vacation, and my brother can come home with me for meals and naps from now on."

As soon as he uttered those words, Lin Mu saw his childhood sweetheart's arm being embraced, his forearm sinking into that soft, curvaceous body clad in a school uniform jacket.

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

PS2: Hmm, there probably aren't many chapters left in this volume.

[Transition Back]

As the title.

Wishing everyone good health and all the best.

Chapter 216: Let them say goodbye to their youth properly

The rivalry between the childhood friend and the younger sister is perhaps one of the underlying logics of the romantic comedy world. After all, if we use the territorial boundaries of animals as an analogy, these two types of characters undoubtedly have the highest degree of overlap. And since the male protagonist's time is fixed at 24 hours a day, it means that if you take a little more, I will take a little less.

Hmm, but why does it feel like my childhood friend is gritting his teeth and making gurgling noises in his throat right now, and it seems like he's just breathing on his sister's... actions?

It's true that she learned all sorts of new things from her best friend Xu Youwei. This was the first time Chen Junqian had seen Mu Mu so openly express that she was in a bad mood. Although she still looked a bit fierce and cute, she was no longer hiding it, and even her tone became a bit more agitated.

"Didn't we already agree on this?"

Well, she was probably referring to the time-sharing activities that the girls had discussed in a small group of six about a year ago. As a result, his various time slots, from morning to evening, were taken away piece by piece by the female protagonists, just like a political map. However, this didn't really constrain him. At least Chen Junqian could still do whatever he wanted. He could play games with Zhong Yu when he wanted, or lie at home alone and watch anime when he wanted.

It seems that this rule has no binding force not only on the male protagonist, but also among the girls. At least Chen Xi, who is well-versed in historical events, certainly wouldn't wave chat logs around saying, "We brought peace to my brother's three years of high school." So, at this moment, he simply shook his head and replied:

"Didn't we keep our promise before?"

But now things have changed. I can go home earlier, but my mom won't be home at this time, so my aunt will have to cook for me. Then my brother can go home for dinner, since cooking for one person is the same as cooking for two.

Looking at Chen Xi, who was putting on a 'sorry' act but being good at studying means you can do whatever you want' look in front of her, Lin Mu's mood was instantly pulled back to this time last year. Back then, Chen Junqian also passed the early admission exam for the special class with the highest score in the city, but after that, he rarely came to school, leaving Lin Mu to pretend to be a waiting-for-husband stone in front of the school bulletin board.

"I disagree."

His childhood sweetheart and younger sister each grabbed one of his arms, but thankfully neither of them tried to pull away, which spared Chen Junqian from experiencing what Shang Yang had gone through back then. Besides, if you really want to talk about it, it seems he's attracted to even more female protagonists than before...

Although it looked like a chaotic scene that would easily attract the attention of other students, once they saw that the person involved was Chen Junqian, everyone lost interest. After all, this kind of two girls and one boy situation was nothing special, something that could be seen several times a day at school. Everyone had to rush home for lunch and a nap. It's really a shame that high school students have so little rest time.

Seemingly realizing that arguing here was just a waste of their precious lunch break, the two girls turned their gazes to Chen Junqian, seemingly hoping he would come up with a concrete plan.

“Then let’s take turns. One day at Mumu’s house, one day at my own house. Xiaoxi came over today, so the food at home must be ready. I’ll go back to my own house today. Okay, it’s settled then.”

Seeing that Chen Junqian had made his decision, Lin Mu, who knew her childhood sweetheart's personality, could only reluctantly purse her lips and let go of his arm, forced to accept this compromise. From her perspective, it meant that they should have half the time to spend together.

...Never mind, it'll only be two months.

It's already May, and they'll be on summer vacation in late June. Since the middle school and college entrance exams will be held in June, the school will be used as an exam venue, so the vacation will be quite long, though it won't be many days in total.

After comforting himself with these thoughts for a moment, Lin Mu then smiled again as if nothing had happened.

"Then see you again this afternoon, Qianqian."

Well, compared to goodbye, seeing you in the afternoon sounds much better. And it's not just in the afternoon, we can also see each other in the evening. So what if you're on vacation? Can you still sneak into the school?

"See you this afternoon, Mu Mu. I'm going back with Xiao Xi now."

He shooed his bicycle out of the bicycle shed, and his younger sister, who hadn't ridden one in almost a year, easily climbed onto the back seat. Her hands naturally wrapped around Chen Junqian's waist, and in this early summer season when the temperature was already rising, she seemed not to mind the heat at all, sticking her whole body against him.

"It's very hot to be this close."

"Brother, once you start riding the bike, there will be a breeze, and it won't be hot anymore."

"alright."

After being dismissed by his sister, Chen Junqian had no choice but to let her do as she pleased. With his superhuman athletic ability, his bicycle was indeed fast and stable. It was just that Chen Xi and Xu Youwei had different personalities. Every night when she rode back on his bike, she would open her arms to the wind or stand up and lean on his shoulders to shout, just like when they were in elementary school. It was a way for her to relieve the stress of a long and stressful high school life.

"Speaking of which, Xiaoxi didn't tell Mumu about skipping a grade today."

"Because if I told her, she definitely wouldn't have agreed to this 50/50 split so easily. She's probably thinking that it's only for a short time anyway, so have you thought it through, brother? What will you do for lunch and dinner after I start school in the second half of the year?"

"You guys just keep messing with me."

"That's the result of my brother's own choice."

"Yes, yes, let's talk about the specifics in the second half of the year. Who knows what might happen in the meantime? After all, plans never keep up with changes."

With her younger sister, they sped back to their home after a long absence. Wang Hongling had indeed prepared dinner. It was a pity that this mother had only had the chance to cook for her son in the mornings this year. When other parents asked her for advice on how to implement family education at parent-teacher meetings, she could only say a few words about letting nature take its course. Mainly, she didn't feel like she had done anything special. She couldn't compare to those mothers who quit their jobs and rented a place near the school to take care of their children throughout their three years of high school.

"By the way, if Xiaoxi is free these days, she can come over and help me write some lyrics."

"Hmm? What words? Lyrics?"

"I guess so, mainly the lyrics for Zhong Yu's rap."

Upon hearing Chen Junqian mention rap, Chen Xi's face showed a hint of disinterest.

"I can't write the kind of lyrics you guys use; it just feels like you're forcing in some so-called classical style."

"This time it's not like before. The main thing is that we're planning to change our approach and move towards popularizing history."

As a true survivor who has experienced the next decade of the internet revolution, Chen Junqian knows very well that simple shouting and rapping can only be popular for the next two years. If he wants to continue making a living from this, he has to try to transform his career. There are indeed successful examples of this in his previous life, so Chen Junqian thought of replicating it. And right now, there is an amateur history enthusiast here.

In a sense, it really requires non-professional amateurs to do this, but of course, they also need to have a certain level of professional skills. Anyway, my sister has nothing to do lately, so Chen Junqian is planning to get her to write lyrics together. Maybe he can add another line to his resume in the future.

"Oh, I see. Then we can give it a try."

Chen Xi suddenly realized that this could also be considered a 'job', which meant that she could use this job as an excuse to summon her brother in the future. After all, this had always been the exclusive skill of Zhu Wenyun, Shen Nianqiu, and Gu Lingguo.

After a brief chat with her sister at the dinner table about specific creative guidelines and key points to note, Chen Junqian went straight to her room to sleep after finishing her meal. Chen Xi, who didn't have to attend evening self-study sessions and could therefore go to bed early and wake up early, theoretically didn't need a nap. However, wasn't that why she went to all the trouble of calling her home? So, after Chen Junqian quickly fell asleep, she also squeezed into the quilt.

That being said, perhaps because she had been placing herself in the position of a younger sister for too long, even now, Chen Xi still hasn't clearly realized that she likes someone or that feelings of possessiveness or jealousy that extend from that. So even when she saw Gu Linguo and Chen Junqian kissing in front of each other at the beginning of this year, she didn't show any excessive emotional fluctuations, either at the time or afterwards.

I just want to be with this person in front of me in the future.

At first, she thought that being her sister would be enough, but later she realized that it might not be possible. So she wanted to pursue a couple who were morally and legally bound by such a rule, and awkwardly and uncomfortably changed her identity from sister to her fiancée.

However, she could still feel a huge sense of unease. The closer she got to him, the more she could sense that her brother was hiding some secret that only he knew. However, Chen Xi, who always considered herself to have the best sense of distance and boundaries in her relationships, never asked him. She even knew in her heart that if she asked him, her brother would most likely tell her, just like many times before.

However, it is just like the famous poem by Tang Dynasty poet Li Ye: "The closest and the farthest are east and west, the deepest and the shallowest are clear streams, the highest and the brightest are the sun and moon, the closest and the most distant are husband and wife."

Close relatives and estranged couples.

As for why she's saying this while simultaneously trying to gently pull the other person into her embrace, even going so far as to use the brain-cushioning facial cleanser against the odds, it can only be said that this was what her brother requested, and she was simply looking for a position that would be more convenient when waking him up later.

I don't want to pursue a relationship of care and being cared for like that person; just being able to stay together is enough.

Suddenly remembering something interesting, the girl's lips unconsciously curled upwards.

If it were her, in Gu Lingguo's words, she would only be considered a flat-headed brain pad.

In May, Chen Junqian was busy with more than just dealing with the issues between his younger sister and his childhood sweetheart. With the graduation season approaching in June, the annual Top Ten Singers Competition of Guoning Middle School was also about to officially begin. Thanks to his outstanding performances in the study tour and sports meet, the task of preparing for this event was naturally handed over to Chen Junqian as well.

However, when they actually received the proposed plan from the other party, the teacher in charge of the school's Youth League Committee could only smile wryly and call everyone together for a meeting.

As expected, Chen Junqian still had no intention of sticking to the rules this time, and the things he submitted were not something that he alone could agree to.

The meeting was held during an evening self-study session. Apart from Chen Junqian, only Zhu Wenyun from the student group attended. However, she was not attending the meeting as a student or a member of the school's Youth League Committee, but as the original author of "We Live in Guoning".

Planning Proposal for the 2016 Top Ten Singers Competition and Graduation Night for Senior Three Students at Guoning Middle School

The title, as always, was as long as a Japanese light novel. Even the principal himself didn't know where such a grown student had learned to write such a good business plan. He felt that he was almost convinced of the mysterious rumor that the founding of Guo Ning's Three Fierce Xu was actually facilitated by Chen Junqian, who was still a primary school student at the time.

"Chen Junqian, could you briefly explain why you changed this year's Top Ten Campus Singers Competition to this scale?"

The meeting room fell silent. Faced with the principal's question, Chen Junqian simply replied:

"Principal Zhou, teachers, my proposal to expand the Top Ten Singers Competition is based on three main considerations. First, our school holds a Top Ten Singers Competition every year, but the student participation and dissemination effect of the past few years have not been ideal. The reason is not that students are not interested in music activities, but that the activity format is monotonous, the students have insufficient participation, and the time arrangement is out of touch with the students' needs."

“In previous years, the competitions were mostly scheduled during regular evening self-study time in lecture halls, with each class selecting a number of audience members. For the vast majority of students, this was not a campus activity they actively chose to watch, but rather an assigned task. The contestants on stage were nervous, the audience below were perfunctory, the teachers maintained discipline, and after the final list of the top ten was announced, very few people actually discussed it.”

Hearing this, the music teacher couldn't help but nod. She had been in charge of the Top Ten Singers Competition for the past two years and had a deep understanding of this awkward situation. Students clearly liked listening to songs and watching the stage, but once the event was turned into a discipline display and an arts performance, their enthusiasm was extinguished like a bucket of cold water, leaving only mechanical applause.

"Secondly, I suggest that the competition be scheduled for early June, which is the first week after the college entrance examination. At this time, the first and second year high school students have not yet entered the final sprint of the final exams, while the third year high school students have just finished the most important exam in their lives. For them, returning to school is no longer for doing practice questions and mock exams, but to officially say goodbye to these three years as graduates."

“Every year, Ningzhong sends off a graduating class of senior high school students. Of course, we also have graduation ceremonies, group photos, and speeches by homeroom teachers. But most of those ceremonies are solemn and standardized, lacking the enthusiasm that truly belongs to the students themselves. My idea is to upgrade this year’s Top Ten Singers Competition into a farewell night for the entire school, so that the senior high school graduates who have already taken the college entrance examination can also come back to participate, sit in the audience, and cheer, vote, and sing together with their younger schoolmates.”

As someone who experienced the senior year of high school graduation season, Chen Junqian knows very well that this period is often compressed very hastily. Before the college entrance examination, everyone is on edge, and after the examination, students quickly leave school, have meals together, travel, and wait for their results.

The connection between the school and them was severed when they needed warmth the most, and often he didn't even realize that it was the last time he would see some of his classmates and teachers.

“The idea is good, but Chen Junqian, as you know, it’s not that schools can’t hold events, but they must consider order, safety, and teaching arrangements. In your plan, you wrote that the competition would be divided into three rounds: preliminary, semi-final, and final. The semi-final and final rounds would be held in the auditorium for two consecutive nights. You also suggested that the first and second year high school students cancel evening self-study sessions and allow students to voluntarily sign up as spectators.”

"This is no small matter. From late May to June, although the senior students have already taken the college entrance examination, the first and second year students still need to prepare for their final exams. Two evening self-study sessions will be canceled across the entire school. If this affects their grades, what will the parents' meeting think? What will the grade group think?"

"Furthermore, the stage, lighting, sound system, LED screen, and temporary circuits all cost money. The school's activity budget for this year is already very tight, and it's impossible to add too much funding for a singing competition."

Several questions came in quick succession, and the atmosphere in the meeting room immediately became realistic and heavy. Chen Junqian did not rush to refute them, but instead lowered his head, opened the folder, took out three sub-forms, and handed them to the teachers sitting nearby, who then passed them around for review.

"I have prepared corresponding contingency plans for all the questions raised by the teachers. As for the funding that the teachers are most concerned about, I have not asked the school to bear all the costs. The bulk of the costs, especially the additional costs due to this expansion, will be borne by social cooperation resources."

Upon hearing this, just as the teachers assumed that Chen Junqian, the young master, was going to use the power of his family company to sponsor the project again, Zhu Wenyun, sitting next to him, took the initiative to speak up:

"Let me explain this matter. It is related to the film crew's early location scouting and cooperation."

"Principal Zhou, teachers, my novel 'We Live in Guoning' has entered the pre-production stage of its adaptation into a web series. The production team is currently selecting suitable high school campuses within the province for on-location filming. The work itself tells the story of the collision between students from an ordinary county town and the provincial capital amidst the pressures of growth, family, and college entrance exams. Therefore, we have high requirements for the quality of the campus and the authenticity of the students."

"What the production team needs most right now is not an empty, beautiful campus, but an event scene with a real youthful atmosphere, such as graduation season, campus parties, or a stage where students spontaneously participate. If such scenes are fully built, the cost will be high, and it will be difficult to capture the sense of realism. Moreover, just like the title of the book, the background stage of this story is Guoning, so I recommended our school to the production team."

She paused for a moment, then quickly added:

"Of course, the fact that the production team visited the school in the early stages does not mean that there will definitely be large-scale filming on campus. We will strictly abide by the school's requirements, not affect normal teaching, not film the faces of unauthorized students, and not insert commercial advertisements on campus. If we can visit the school during the Top Ten Singers Competition, the production team will only send a small number of main creators and production staff to assess the lighting and atmosphere of the event. If there is indeed a filming collaboration later, we will sign a formal agreement with the school separately."

"So how exactly do you mean by sharing the equipment costs?"

"It's not about giving money directly to the school. Instead, the stage technology team that the production team collaborates with provides some equipment support. The right to use the equipment is temporarily allocated on the night of the event, and it will be removed after the event. The school will not be involved in receiving sponsorship fees, nor will there be any commercial brand exposure."

"Won't the film crew's visit to the school cause students to crowd around? Especially if it's a well-known actor, how can we maintain order?"

“The lead actors won’t be present during the initial screenings. At most, it will be the director, producer, director of photography, art director, and other behind-the-scenes personnel. For the students, they won’t attract more attention than the various educational experts invited by the school.”

Although Zhu Wenyun made such a comment, the teachers didn't say much. After all, she was truly the number one public figure in Guoning at the moment. Not to mention the principal, even the mayor might not have as much online fame as her.

The meeting room fell silent again. The principal looked down at the proposal and suddenly asked another question:

"How far has the matter of 'one autumn' progressed?"