I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

Although this statement sounds a bit strange at first glance, as Shen Nianqiu's best friend, Zhu Wenyun felt that she could say she understood Shen Nianqiu better than her parents... Although this statement sounds like something many people could achieve, such as those readers of "Dear Forever Dear," it feels like seven or eight out of ten people could do this.

Therefore, Zhu Wenyun was well aware of what Shen Nianqiu was going to do today, and the colder expression she showed than usual was not because she was in a bad mood. On the contrary, she felt that if she did not act this way, she would easily reveal a very unpleasant side of herself.

After all, she really couldn't tell anyone that she was actually positive about what was going to happen today. It seemed that her pretentiousness was incurable. If it weren't for the fact that various conditions really didn't allow it, she would have really wanted to be there, just like when she watched Shen Nianqiu kiss Chen Junqian in front of her back then.

After the morning reading class ended, the area outside Class 1 quickly became lively.

The first to arrive were only students from this class. Some people approached Zhu Wenyun under the pretense of asking about homework, while others pretended to pass by and glanced at Chen Junqian's seat. Later, someone spread the news that Chen Junqian was not here today to other classes, and the number of people in the corridor began to increase significantly.

The girls from Class 2 stood at the door with their workbooks in their hands and asked the class representative from Class 1:

"Did Chen Junqian ask for leave?"

"Ah."

What kind of leave are you requesting?

"do not know."

A short-haired girl from Class 5 simply walked into the classroom, asked around, and finally stopped at Zhu Wenjun's desk. She was a member of the school's broadcasting station and had met Chen Junqian a few times at events. She also spoke more naturally than the others.

"Wenyun, why didn't Minister Chen come today? We're still waiting for his confirmation of the promotional materials for our radio station's event."

Zhu Wenyun closed the book and replied, still feigning indifference:

He asked for leave.

"I know, is something wrong at home?"

"I don't know."

The girl's smile froze slightly after Zhu Wenyun's concise and clear reply. Zhu Wenyun raised her eyes, her gaze calm and even polite, but she showed no intention of continuing the conversation.

"When will he be back?"

"do not know."

"Oh fine."

Since Zhu Wenyun couldn't break through, everyone naturally turned their attention to Lin Mu.

After all, everyone knows that Lin Mu is Chen Junqian's childhood sweetheart, especially after the parties involved themselves started to publicly announce it this semester. They have known each other since kindergarten, attended the same elementary and middle schools, and later entered the special admission class of Guoning Middle School together. There are also various childhood sweetheart stories interspersed in between. If Chen Xi were here, she would probably say that it is comparable to the famous people in "A New Account of the World" from the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties. It feels like it could be packaged into a collection of twenty-four anecdotes about childhood sweethearts in the new era, including but not limited to stories about buying groceries and cooking, waking people up, taking naps, and physical tests.

"Lin Mu, why didn't Chen Junqian come today?"

When asked this question by the girl sitting next to her, Lin Mu couldn't pretend to be indifferent like Zhu Wenyun, since that wasn't her personality. So, she could only play dumb and reply:

"He took leave."

"But what kind of leave should I ask for? You must know, right?"

Why am I so sure I know?

"Didn't you two grow up together? Childhood sweethearts."

In the past, Lin Mu would have loved to hear such words. After all, there was no malice in the girl's tone; it was more out of pure curiosity. Several people nearby were also quietly listening, waiting for her answer. As Lin Mu looked at them, the smile on his face gradually faded.

"He has his own things to do."

"What do you mean by 'my own business'?"

"Private matter."

"Don't you even know? Or is it that you can't tell me?"

Feeling challenged in his position as childhood sweetheart, Lin Mu raised his eyes, his tone still gentle but now carrying a hint that brooked no further questioning:

"Of course I know what Qianqian went to do, but since it's a private matter, I can't say."

The girls exchanged glances, as it was the first time they had ever seen Lin Mu speak in such a tone. However, Lin Mu quickly realized that his tone had been a bit inappropriate and immediately added:

"But don't worry, Qianqian should be back tomorrow."

Soon, news of Chen Junqian's leave of absence spread throughout the school in various versions.

Some said he went to participate in the provincial competition training camp, some said something happened at home, some said he wasn't feeling well, and some even claimed to have seen him go to the hospital over the weekend. During the long break for morning exercises, Lin Mu was bombarded with questions by girls from other classes, and could only offer polite excuses like "I'll be back tomorrow." He had no choice but to quickly run back to his class and complain to Zhu Wenjun, who also knew the truth:

"How could they make up so much? They're almost saying they were arrested for assault."

"Because he usually has such a strong presence, if he suddenly disappears for a day, everyone will be unable to bear it. In fact, just the presence of some people can give others a good mood for the whole day."

"Are you referring to yourself, Wen Yun?"

"That's what Mu Mu thinks too."

The first class after the morning break was the homeroom teacher's class. When Ms. Shen came in, she unconsciously glanced at Chen Junqian's seat. Someone in the class sighed heavily, and then everyone else followed suit, which made the homeroom teacher laugh.

"What, you can't study anymore just because we've lost one of the top students in the grade?"

A few embarrassed laughs rang out in the classroom.

"Chen Junqian taking leave doesn't mean you can also take a break, especially some of the classmates who always say they want to surpass him. The opportunity is right in front of you, so seize it."

"I feel like even if I studied for one more day than him, I still wouldn't be able to surpass him."

"How can you say that? There are sixty people in our class. If each person studies for one more day, that's sixty more days of study. Isn't that enough?"

The whole class burst into laughter after being teased by the homeroom teacher's joke. Lin Mu also slightly curved the corners of her lips, but that smile quickly disappeared.

By the afternoon, Chen Junqian still hadn't come to school. After the school bell rang, the students left the classroom one after another, but Chen Junqian's seat remained empty. The setting sun shone obliquely through the window, turning the desk into a warm gold.

When Zhu Wenyun was packing his schoolbag, he suddenly noticed a lot of sticky notes on his desk. He didn't know who left them. His eyes swept over the words on them, and many of them said things like, "I'm not used to not seeing you today," or "If you're sick, I hope you get better soon." They were almost ready to fold a couple more origami cranes.

It's just that he missed school for one day, how did things turn out like this?

Zhu Wenyun, somewhat speechless, put the sticky note back in the drawer, pushed open the classroom door, and felt the evening breeze blowing in her face. She slowly walked towards the school gate. Because they lived in the same neighborhood, she soon saw Lin Mu walking home as well. It seemed that Lin Mu had brought his phone to school today and was walking home while taking out his phone, seemingly sending a text message. Then he quickly dialed a number and put the phone to his ear.

Sorry, the number you dialed is currently switched off.

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Chapter Two: My Senior is the Greatest Galgame Player

Because someone was away, my younger sister, who had started her summer vacation much earlier than expected, began to get bored. In the end, she thought that since there were only a few days left until the high school entrance exam, she might as well go back to school to study and experience the graduation atmosphere. At least there, her good friend Gu Lingguo could keep her company and chat with her.

At first, Chen Xi was a little worried that she might affect Gu Linguo's review progress, but after going to school, she found that Gu Linguo's mentality was surprisingly good. She was not in a "what's the use" or "whatever" state. She was studying hard while also appearing quite relaxed. She even had the leisure to talk to Chen Xi about Lin Mu after she discovered that Chen Xi had returned to school after a long time.

"Xiaoxi, do you know? Actually, girls like Sister Lin Mu should be the kind of girls with a lot of cuteness in the world of anime, and many people should like them. Besides, there's an idiom called 'raising the tray to the eyebrows,' which means that when a wife serves food, she raises the wooden tray to eyebrow level, which shows her respect for her husband."

"At first glance, I thought it might be too submissive for a girl, giving the impression that the wife has a very low status. But upon closer reflection, considering the marriage age in ancient times, it seems understandable. Imagine a cute little girl cooking for you, standing on tiptoe to hold the plate up to you, looking at your reaction with an expectant expression and a sweet smile. Isn't that incredibly adorable?"

Faced with Gu Lingguo's standard, meme-like pronouncements, Chen Xi wanted to echo her usual "yes, yes, yes," but as a history enthusiast, she instinctively used her professional expertise to trace the origins of the words in her mind. Even though she hadn't yet achieved the grand feat of reading through all twenty-four histories, and was only halfway there due to the increasing length of the later ones, she had still read the "Book of the Later Han," one of the first four histories, many times.

"Well, how should I put it... Actually, the idiom 'raising the tray to the eyebrows' comes from the original text of 'Biography of Liang Hong' in the Book of the Later Han Dynasty. It is used to describe the good relationship between Liang Hong and his wife Meng Guang. However, the description of the female protagonist Meng Guang's appearance is actually 'fat, ugly and dark-skinned, strong enough to lift a stone mortar, and chose not to marry until she was thirty years old.' It is completely different from what Lin Guo said about a loli, and can even be said to be the complete opposite. This story should tell us the principle of choosing a virtuous wife."

"...Don't ruin my anime-style fantasy! Xiaoxi is so mean, and why does she remember it so clearly?"

"Because Liang Hong is quite famous, right? Besides the story of 'raising the tray to the eyebrows' (a metaphor for a harmonious marriage), there is also a story about him in the 'Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng': 'Qu Yuan was exiled to Changsha, not because there was no wise ruler; Liang Hong was exiled to the coast, not because there was no bright era.' Wang Bo was really a master of allusions, just like Xin Qiji. You can learn a lot of allusions by reading their articles."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have questioned the number one person in the city. It's hard to imagine that you and your brother aren't actually siblings, even though you're both so amazing."

"I'm not as good as him. You can tell that very clearly when we read together."

Gu Linguo's words stirred up countless memories of the past. Having not seen Chen Junqian for two days, his sister subconsciously pursed her lips, gently biting her lower lip. Unconsciously, she began to wonder what he was doing at that moment, and a complaint slipped out of her mouth without her noticing:

Why does the college entrance examination in Zhejiang take an extra half day?

"The policies vary from place to place, I heard it's some kind of optional module, so does Xiaoxi miss her senior?"

"Hmm... otherwise I wouldn't have come to school."

"That's so mean! I thought you came here specifically to hang out with me."

Smiling and teasing her best friend, Gu Linguo tried to cheer Chen Xi up, so she continued to comfort her:

"Okay, okay, it's only a one-day delay. We'll definitely be back tomorrow."

"I'd rather be back tonight than tomorrow."

"Wow--"

Startled by Gu Linguo's sudden strange noise, Chen Xi was unusually embarrassed and annoyed.

"What are you doing? I only said that so I can wake him up tomorrow morning. I didn't mean anything else."

"Yes, yes, if Xiaoxi wants to know what they're doing, she can just ask Sister Nianqiu in the group chat, right?"

Yes, just like Guo Ning's childhood sweethearts alliance has its own three-person group, Shen Nianqiu, Gu Linguo, and Chen Xi also have a three-person group, and it's quite active. Mainly because Chen Xi has been bringing in strange jokes or historical anecdotes from "Xiaolin Guangji" for a long time.

When Gu Linguo said that, the first image that came to Chen Xi's mind was the scene during winter vacation when she and Lin Mu went to wake Chen Junqian up, only to find him sharing a bed with Shen Nianqiu. In fact, if the water pipe in the bathroom hadn't suddenly exploded that day, Lin Mu's initial reaction would definitely not have made it so easy. It can only be said that the scene was really a mess, leaving everyone exhausted in the end.

Seeing Chen Xi pursing her lips and remaining silent, Gu Linguo intended to change the subject, but to her surprise, Chen Xi spoke again after a while, and the topic she brought up was completely unexpected:

"Actually, I have watched an entire anime myself, the one you often talk about, the one with Sora."

"Hmm—hmm hmm hmm hmm?"

Almost choked by Chen Xi's sudden remark, Gu Linguo felt that her worldview had been greatly impacted. "Sister, shouldn't your character be a history major, a literary genius, and a girl with a strong literary background? Why are you involved in this kind of thing? Are all the literary girls in real life actually about contrast? It turns out that..."

"To be honest, when I watched it myself, I always felt that the order was very messed up. Some scenes and plots were repeated, and some conflicted with each other. Does Lin Guo know why this is?"

Now that she had decided to reveal the secret, Chen Xi decided to ask another question that had been bothering her for a long time, and then quietly waited for Gu Linguo's reply.

Although she also had a lot of questions in her mind, such as "When did you watch it?", "Was it the uncut version?", and "What were your thoughts after watching it?", Gu Lingguo patiently answered the question raised by her friend first.

"Well, the answer to Xiaoxi's question is actually quite simple. This is because it's adapted from a visual novel. Unlike light novels and manga with clear storylines, the charm of visual novels lies in the fact that depending on the player's choices, the heroine they can romance and the subsequent story will be completely different. However, this also increases the difficulty of adapting it into an anime. Therefore, many visual novel adaptations only choose to change the most core route. But this one changes multiple routes. The content that is repeated in the beginning is the common route. I can only say that both methods of anime adaptation have their advantages and disadvantages."

After listening to Gu Linguo's long explanation, Chen Xi nodded thoughtfully.

"No wonder when I watched the episodes about my sister, I felt that the girls didn't appear much in two of the theme songs."

"Because that's not their timeline; in other words, the male protagonist didn't choose one of their timelines."

"...It sounds a bit pitiful."

"Well, many visual novels are like that. There are even well-written single routes that make players less inclined to choose other routes in pursuit of a complete playthrough. This is because it gives players the same feeling as Xiaoxi, a stinging sense of 'what will happen to her if we don't choose this heroine?' Even if some visual novels add a True Ending where everyone can have a happy ending, the romance route often only goes through one path, which does make people feel a bit regretful. Actually, if all routes lead to True Endings, it feels good to have them all. At least I support it myself."

After all, there are vested interests involved.

Just as Gu Linguo was trying to take this opportunity to help Chen Junqian, and incidentally help herself, by instilling this kind of thinking in Chen Xi, the other party reversed the conversation again, bringing the topic back to the original question:

"Actually, I didn't want to message Sister Nianqiu to ask, but I was thinking about the plot. Speaking of which, what were your feelings when Lin Guo first saw that part? You must have seen it, right?"

Although Chen Xi didn't say it explicitly, Gu Lingguo, a seasoned anime fan, immediately guessed which part her friend was referring to. After all, the person who could be compared to Shen Nianqiu, who was a much older sister, was definitely a childhood sweetheart from the anime who was only one year older than her siblings but looked much older than them both physically and mentally. The most important thing that happened to her, the major event that broke up her relationship with her sister, was naturally the reverse raping during a summer vacation.

Thinking of this, Gu Lingguo first glanced at Chen Xi, who was staring at her very seriously, and then thought about herself, who actually lived next door to Chen Xi, and another childhood sweetheart in the real sense. She felt that the roles of the two should be reversed, at least in terms of their figures.

Seeing that Gu Linguo hadn't spoken for a while, Chen Xi started talking to herself: