I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

Chen Junqian listened to Gu Linguo's speech but didn't interrupt her. Instead, Chen Xi asked first:

"So how many people has Lin Guo recruited, or how many people are willing to work together?"

Chen Xi's question abruptly halted Gu Linguo's excitement, and she awkwardly held up two fingers.

"Right now, it's just me and my brother."

But she immediately raised another finger:

"But Xiaoxi knows now, so you're now a member of our core team too. That makes three people, and a triangle is the most stable shape!"

"...At the very least, one should say that three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang."

Chen Xi felt helpless at her friend's eccentric behavior, while Chen Junqian, following in his sister's footsteps, added insult to injury by attacking Gu Linguo:

"In terms of finance, business development, venue setup, marketing, ticketing, security, and on-site execution, has Lin Guo decided what responsibilities he will have?"

Gu Lingguo blinked innocently, feeling that her face should already display the beady expression symbolizing wisdom, and finally said in a rather adorable way:

"I can pay!"

"That's finance, but finance isn't something that can be solved just by spending money. Lin Guo still needs to consider the balance of income and expenditure. After all, if it's just about paying someone to play house with you, it feels like it's better to save the money and go to some big anime conventions in Shanghai or Beijing during the summer vacation."

"That's true..."

Feeling somewhat discouraged by Chen Junqian's words, although she really wanted to use the magical trick of "Junqian A-Dream Help Me" again, just like when she was a content creator, she realized that doing so would indeed be like paying someone to play house with her, just as he said. Moreover, having Chen Junqian help her hire someone made the situation even more awkward.

"But your brother should be good at planning these kinds of events, right? Could you teach Lin Guo?"

Seeing his friend's dejected look, Chen Xi nudged his older brother's shoulder and pointed to the performance on stage:

"Wasn't today's event organized by you?"

"If Lin Guo really wants to organize it, I am of course willing to help or assist from the sidelines. After all, the hardest part of organizing an event is never having an idea, but turning that idea into reality. In fact, even though she just mentioned a comic convention, she hasn't really figured out the positioning yet. Comic conventions are subdivided into many types. Does Lin Guo want to organize a market for ordinary fans, an exhibition for club exchanges, or an event centered around stage performances? The positioning will greatly affect the venue, guests, and budget."

"Then there's the team. Don't think that the three of us can solve all the problems. I can't possibly handle everything perfectly for Lin Guo. Money is a minor issue, but Lin Guo probably doesn't want to spend money only to end up making a mess, losing money and feeling guilty."

"That sounds complicated."

"It's already quite complicated. After all, when I organize events at school, there are corresponding departments and personnel who are under my command and coordination. Moreover, I can draw on past experience."

"But I really want to do it."

"Shall we give it a try first?"

"What do you mean, brother?"

"Lingguo could start with the smallest scale, such as finding a coffee shop or independent bookstore, and joining forces with a few clubs to hold a themed exchange day or an offline gathering for enthusiasts? First, practice teamwork, try out registration, booth setup, promotion, and on-site management. By the way, you can also explore whether Guoning can support the number of customers for a comic convention. After all, Lingguo doesn't want the convention to have very few people."

After hearing Chen Junqian's words, Gu Linguo's eyes gradually brightened:

"That's right."

"Once things are running smoothly, we'll consider a larger venue."

"Hmph, even though my brother said he wouldn't help me completely, he's still teaching me, isn't he? This kind of old-fashioned tsundere attitude doesn't work in this day and age! So I'm super grateful to my brother, hug—"

Suddenly, Gu Linguo, who was sitting next to him, turned around and hugged him tightly. Chen Junqian was a little caught off guard. Summer is indeed a season when skin-to-skin contact is too easy. The girl, who has grown to the age of the female lead in a romantic comedy, has indeed shown why most romantic comedies start from the first year of high school. Girls in this age group have already reached a similar level of physical and mental development, and the missing part often becomes the beginning of various stories.

Chen Xi had no objection to her friend's sudden affectionate behavior towards her brother. She had already witnessed the two kissing. Just as Xu Youwei firmly believed that Lin Mu would allow the three of them to be together, her sister also maintained that if Gu Lingguo and her brother developed that kind of relationship, her position in the family would not change.

There's an inexplicable sense of déjà vu that the three of us living our lives well is more important than anything else.

"Actually, the reason I wanted to hold a comic convention in Guoning is that I didn't want to have to travel a long way every time I wanted to participate in an event. Also, there are probably many talented people or people who really love anime and manga in Guoning, but they just don't have the opportunity to be seen by everyone."

Chen Junqian remained noncommittal about the further explanation Gu Lingguo whispered in his ear, mainly because those words reminded him of the stage that evening.

Those students who usually sit in the classroom, wearing the same school uniform and looking ordinary, truly possess a completely different brilliance when they stand under the lights. In the future, they will definitely become an important highlight in their memories of high school life.

"Then let's give it a try."

He smiled and shook the other person's hand in return.

As the campus top ten singers competition drew to a close, Shen Nianqiu, one of the judges, suddenly became a little nervous on stage. However, unlike the contestants backstage who were anxious about whether they could make it into the top ten, she was always worried about something else.

If we're really talking about best friend/sisterly friendship, Shen Nianqiu and Zhu Wenyun are actually closer in that they can talk about anything. After all, their personalities are similar in many ways. Thanks to the writing process of the novel that is practically Shen Nianqiu's autobiography but was actually written by Zhu Wenyun, the two of them had already formed an alliance against Chen Junqian. So, Shen Nianqiu naturally didn't hide what she really wanted to do that night.

Zhu Wenyun expressed her understanding as always, but not entirely. After all, "Dearest Forever" was a book written more than two years ago. Teenagers of this age may have different moods and personalities every day, let alone compared to two years ago.

"So why is it necessary to confess in public?"

She didn't believe that Shen Nianqiu hadn't told Chen Junqian these things on their night together.

"Nianqiu shouldn't be a girl who particularly cares about that kind of ritual."

In Zhu Wenyun's view, if Chen Junqian were to ask, Shen Nianqiu would be willing to be his completely secret lover, because his social connections had indeed been reduced to just him, either actively or passively, at some point in the past.

Shen Nianqiu's answer to Zhu Wenyun's question was actually quite simple:

"There's no particular reason, and I even hope my brother doesn't answer, because maybe what I want to convey is a one-sided feeling. Sometimes one-sided feelings are more effective than two-sided ones. Wenjun should know what I mean."

Although she had only been in Guoning for a day, Shen Nianqiu could still feel her brother's popularity. Firstly, Zhu Wenyun told her about the series of things that happened when Chen Junqian accompanied her during the days of the college entrance examination. Secondly, when she came to the school today, she heard the graduating seniors talking about him.

For high school students, vanity in love is like a game where defeating the other person means getting all their equipment at once. If another girl also likes the boy, and she wins him over first, it's like defeating that girl and trampling her under her feet.

It is with this idea in mind that they are even more eager to gain the attention of Chen Junqian, who stands at the top of this list. If one day they can hold Chen Junqian's arm, they will have already surpassed many other girls. Compared to working hard in their studies, this seems to be easier.

Shen Nianqiu realized this early on, which is why she suggested that Zhu Wenyun become Chen Junqian's girlfriend. Zhu Wenyun was unbeatable in every way at school. She was beautiful, had a great figure, and was academically gifted. Moreover, she had a social status or income that other students couldn't match. After all, there are academic geniuses everywhere, but only one academic genius who is also a bestselling romance novelist.

However, Zhu Wenyun never actually did that. Her reason was that she was worried about Lin Mu. Although she put pressure on her childhood sweetheart every day, all she did was create an atmosphere. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sat next to Chen Junqian for a year. As a result, as soon as Lin Mu showed off for a while, the class's trend turned towards the childhood sweethearts. It can only be said that the literary girl's interaction mode is still very restrained.

Although Shen Nianqiu suspected that the other party was just secretly enjoying watching the interaction between the two childhood sweethearts, it was fortunate that the other party was a really pretty girl, so she could be described with such a nice-sounding term as a literary girl. Otherwise, based on this mysterious little quirk, she would have been labeled a typical artsy type.

"So have you thought of what to say when you confess? Or do you want me to write a long paragraph for you? Actually, I have quite a few of these drafts at home, and you don't even need to change the male lead's name."

"So when are you going to confess your feelings?"

"...Cough, don't define him and me with such a vulgar relationship."

The cheers from the stage brought Shen Nianqiu back to reality. The final list had been tallied, and the host announced loudly:

"Now, let's announce the winners of the 10th Guoning Middle School Top Ten Singers Competition!"

The auditorium erupted in cheers once more. One by one, the winners whose names were called walked onto the stage, followed by hugs, tears, and bows. The students below cheered so loudly they nearly lifted the roof off. The trophies gleamed golden under the lights. Flowers, certificates, and photos—it all felt like the most standard and beautiful ending in a youth movie.

It's time for her to go on stage for the closing performance.

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

Chapter Sixteen: A Kiss Between Three People

Unlike the opening ceremony performance where she only sang her two songs, tonight's Top Ten Campus Singers Competition also had the significance of bidding farewell to the graduating seniors. Therefore, Shen Nianqiu sang several graduation songs at the closing ceremony. At the same time, the big screen in the auditorium also broadcast live to the playground, showing the graduating seniors waving and singing freely in casual clothes. The first and second-year students were also deeply moved, as if they had experienced such a graduation themselves.

After finishing another performance of "Those Years," Shen Nianqiu once again engaged with the audience, proactively bringing up the small foreshadowing he had planted at the opening:

"By the way, it's time to reveal the answer to the person I mentioned at the beginning of tonight, someone I've known for a very long time and wanted to meet in Guoning. It's none other than—ta-da, Zhu Wenyun!"

Because she had already spoken to the lighting technician before going on stage, when Shen Nianqiu playfully said Zhu Wenyun's name, the spotlight on the stage immediately shone on Zhu Wenyun, who was standing on the other side of the stage, near the backstage staff area. This surprised the literary girl who usually showed little emotion in front of outsiders.

It felt like the atmosphere on set was just missing a line from an early 2000s relationship reality show: "Let's all give XXX a round of applause and invite him up on stage, okay?" But as it turned out, Shen Nianqiu didn't need that kind of talk; she simply walked over and pulled her friend up on stage herself.

Although she vaguely sensed what the other party was up to, with two or three thousand people watching on and off the stage, Zhu Wenyun had no choice but to bite the bullet and be pulled onto the stage by Shen Nianqiu. While the host swiftly shoved a microphone into her hand, Shen Nianqiu was already smiling and introducing herself to the audience:

"But speaking of Wen Yun, I probably don't need to introduce her much. Her fame in Guoning is definitely greater than mine. Maybe many of you in the audience heard about Wen Yun the most when you were little. But Wen Yun is really a very remarkable girl."

"As for my relationship with Wenyun, as I mentioned before, we are very good friends who have known each other for a very long time. Let me introduce myself a little more. My full name is Shen Nianqiu. Shen, Nian, Qiu. How about it? Are there any loyal fans of Wenyun in the audience who think of one of her female protagonists?"

As Zhu Wenyun's first published novel and also her first novel adapted into a web series, "My Dear Forever" is undoubtedly the most commercially successful work in her current writing career. Precisely because of this, most of the students in the audience had read it, so they easily followed Shen Nianqiu's guidance and called out the name of the female protagonist in the novel.

"That's right, it's Zhu Nianxia. Here's a little secret: Wen Yun's novels are most often praised for their realism. This is actually closely related to her writing style. For example, Zhu Nianxia in this book, not only do we have similar names, but most of the settings and experiences about her in the book are indeed based on my own life. I am very grateful to Wen Yun, because she can express all my own feelings and thoughts in beautiful words. It's really amazing."

At this point, Shen Nianqiu confidently raised her hand in the other direction and continued speaking with a spirited tone:

"Of course, if the female lead has a real-life counterpart, then the male lead naturally has a real-life counterpart as well. Not only the novel 'My Dear Forever, My Love' which is related to me, but also the novel we are currently filming, 'We Live in Guoning,' which is based on Wen Yun herself as the female lead, has a real-life counterpart. In fact, it's quite a coincidence that the male lead we both chose, or rather, the one who experienced these stories with us in reality, is also based on a real person."

Unlike her slightly exaggerated tone and actions just now, Shen Nianqiu's movements and expression softened instantly when she looked at Chen Junqian this time. She quickly walked to the edge of the stage, squatted down facing Chen Junqian, and extended her hand to him:

"Aren't you coming up, Junqian?"

Chen Junqian, who originally thought it was just a solo confession segment for his sister, did not expect that she would also bring Zhu Wenyun along. Moreover, judging from the latter's performance on stage, it seemed that she was also completely unaware of this at first.

Holding onto the hand Shen Nianqiu offered, Chen Junqian lightly leaped onto the stage with a slight push of his feet. The host, who had no idea there would be a third person on stage, simply handed her microphone to Chen Junqian and then stood in the corner of the stage like a temporary staff member. However, judging from her expression, she seemed quite happy, after all, this was considered a VIP seat for watching the show.

Although the setup of one man and two women on stage seemed to be full of stories—no, considering the man's name is Chen Junqian, the number of women might need to be increased—the atmosphere on stage was surprisingly harmonious. It didn't feel like a melodramatic love triangle. It was supposed to be a movie about three people, but I still can't get a name.

"It is because of the existence of these two people that the city of Guoning has a very special meaning to me. When the web series adaptation of 'We Live in Guoning' was launched, and Wen Yun and Jun Qian invited me to sing the theme song, I was particularly happy. By the way, although everyone may know a little bit, actually both of my current songs were written and composed by Jun Qian, so I hope everyone will like this web series."

It has to be said that even at this point, Shen Nianqiu didn't forget to promote the web series, after all, the cameraman was still filming downstairs. After saying all that, she proactively threw the topic to Zhu Wenyun:

"Speaking of which, the concept promotional short film that Jun and Junqian filmed a few days ago has been generating a lot of discussion online. What are the parties involved thinking about it? Or do you want to remake it? After all, short films are mostly about creating atmosphere, and everyone really wants to hear you two recite your lines, right?"

Having been talked about to this extent by Shen Nianqiu, Zhu Wenjun no longer felt any psychological burden. After all, it wasn't that she was truly afraid to say those words aloud. So, she simply picked up the microphone and said:

"There's no need to use the characters in the book to speak for yourself. It's not like I'm saying anything shameful. My only favorite person has always been Chen Junqian, nothing more."

As soon as Zhu Wenyun uttered those words, the atmosphere in the auditorium became several times more enthusiastic than during the awards ceremony. Even the contestants who had just received the title of Top Ten Singers were already peeking through the backstage door at what was happening on stage. The only one who felt cold sweat running down their scalp was probably the school leaders of Guoning Middle School. If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, they would have wanted to go up and yell at their uncles and aunts to stop their supernatural powers. It's true that whether you go to school or not doesn't affect your bright future, but you shouldn't bring this kind of thing into the open at school.

Chen Junqian was well-prepared for this situation. Soon, the portly school leader received a message from Director Li, saying that these were all promotional programs arranged by the production team. He didn't care whether the reason was true or not, just say that you have a plausible reason to get by. Everyone should just make do. You can't really expel the two top students in the city, can you? I feel like the neighboring Tianjin Middle School would be fighting over them. The competition between our schools for college entrance examination pass rates has always been this simple and straightforward.

Seeing that her seemingly aloof but actually wild and somewhat repressed best friend, Zhu Wenyun, had finally spoken her true feelings in public, Shen Nianqiu looked quite satisfied before leisurely continuing:

"Yes, me too. For me, Junqian is also the most important person, the one I like."

The scene had finally evolved into a common confession scenario seen in campus dramas, but Shen Nianqiu didn't intend for Chen Junqian, the male party involved, to choose one to accept:

"However, Junqian doesn't need to answer now. First, wouldn't it feel too sudden? Second, compared to your attitude and answer, Wenyun and I only want to convey one fact: we want to tell you your place and importance in our hearts, and we want everyone to know that you are a boy worthy of our affection. That's all."

However, Chen Junqian did not grant Shen Nianqiu's wish. Although the situation had changed somewhat, it had already come to this point, and he did not want to simply remain silent and brush off both confessions. So, he also raised his microphone and gave his answer with a smile:

"Yes, I accept, I accept both."

It felt like the sweat on the dean's balding head was about to cascade down like a waterfall if things continued like this. So, after giving his answer, Chen Junqian quickly pulled the two of them off the stage, one in each hand. He didn't forget to hand the microphone back to the female host, whose cheeks were flushed from witnessing the drama up close. This drew another round of enthusiastic reactions from the audience. Besides the whistles and applause, you could also hear someone shouting, "This is a replica of the ending of Zhu Wenyun's book, 'Talking About Absence'."

Lin Mu, sitting in the first row, simply pursed his lips at this.

It would be better if it were just the three of them.

These can already be arranged into three different trios.

Because everyone was gathered around the auditorium and the playground, the area around the school was eerily quiet as Chen Junqian dragged Zhu Wenjun and Shen Nianqiu along the way, especially compared to the bustling auditorium next door. In fact, Chen Junqian didn't know where he was taking the two of them, but as he ran, he suddenly felt that dragging someone away from some grand and magnificent scene into the dark and unknown night was something that had the feel of a youth novel, so he simply kept running, even though he was dragging one more person along.

Chen Junqian finally stopped when they reached the bottom of the teaching building. It has to be said that Zhu Wenyun and Shen Nianqiu were both in excellent physical condition. The latter was even wearing a skirt that was not very convenient for movement, but it did not affect her movement. The three of them leaned against the railing of the corridor, resting and gazing at the night sky. The scene from a few minutes ago was still vivid in their minds, and they could still hear the students' cheers.

"...Why did you suddenly pull me up there? Was it a sneak attack?"

Zhu Wenyun only remembered to question him at this moment, but judging from her tone, she didn't seem overly blaming him, so Shen Nianqiu responded with a big, bright smile:

"Wenyun, you should be more open and honest. Although everyone has different hobbies, sometimes it can be quite fun to be open and aboveboard."