I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

Lowering the standards is something I'm unwilling to do.

She didn't expect to find someone with great conditions, just someone she could get along with, someone whose relationship was like that of her best friend and her husband... no, even just half of what they were like together would be fine.

She has witnessed the happiness of couples supporting each other through thick and thin, so why should she find someone to settle for and spend the rest of her life with?

Rather than that, she would rather remain single, even if it means growing old alone.

"When I was in college, everyone else was dating, but I wasn't. I thought it was not only troublesome, but also unlikely to work out."

I did the math back then. If I had dated during college, investing time and energy, we might have ended up going our separate ways after graduation, with nothing coming of it, and I would have been left with nothing but a few years of sleeping with someone else.

I thought to myself, why bother dating if it's such a bad deal? I'll just stay single. Besides, I'm so beautiful, if I don't find a boyfriend now, it'll be easy when I want one later."

"But things in this world aren't like that. Later I realized that finding a partner is easy, but finding someone you click with, someone you can get along with, someone you can make up with quickly even if you argue, someone you won't live your life in a muddle."

"Take your time, you'll meet it sooner or later."

Faced with these words, whether meant as comfort or encouragement, Anya simply shook her head noncommittally, "...Not everyone has your good luck."

Chapter 350 You're Overthinking It

As the sun began to set, Bai Xiaoqi drove back home. On the way, she picked up her two children from school and also bought some groceries.

When the adult and two children pushed open the door and came in, Chen Shuo was still holding his computer, working on his new book. He was quite emotional. Everyone says that a million-dollar book makes you a god, but five years have passed in the blink of an eye. He has written several million-dollar books, but he has not ascended to heaven.

According to him, the reason he hasn't yet achieved enlightenment is that since entering the industry, he hasn't connected with the mainstream writers and hasn't written about the topics that they are passionate about.

Although the market is constantly changing, the main force has remained the same: those seventeen or eighteen-year-old kids.

Kids in this age group are quite immature and enjoy watching action-packed and exciting stories, especially those where the main character is showing off, getting humiliated, and displaying their prowess in front of others, accompanied by some cringeworthy lines.

A few years ago, when he was younger, he could still connect with these readers if he tried hard, but now, he's long past that age of youthful angst and simply can't write anymore.

Moreover, he doesn't like this kind of subject matter. When you reach thirty, you just like the simple and ordinary kind of things. He has to figure out how to make readers accept his simple and ordinary style.

But that's difficult. It's all about enjoyment. If it's bland and uneventful, with no dull moments, what's the point of watching it?

After racking his brains at home all day without figuring it out, Chen Shuo decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless, and went to ask his silly wife for advice.

As the saying goes, three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang, so she is equivalent to one-third of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, which makes sense.

"What's so interesting about something that's just plain and uneventful?"

"Highlights? Hmm... I don't know."

Faced with this question, Bai Xiaoqi, who was cooking, thought for a moment and gave her answer.

"alright."

Chen Shuo came out of the kitchen, it seemed that one-third of Zhuge Liang was useless.

"But I can give you a good suggestion."

"What good suggestions do you have?" Chen Shuo paused, then walked back.

"I won't write anything bland."

"...goodbye."

It was as if he hadn't said anything at all; Chen Shuo had overestimated her. He turned around and went back to the living room, intending to figure it out himself.

"Why do you have to write something bland? Can't you just write the kind you used to write?" Bai Xiaoqi's voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by the sizzling sound of stir-frying.

Which one used before?

"Those are the first two books you wrote."

"The first two books I wrote were rather bland."

"Oh, that's all."

"..."

After a pause, Bai Xiaoqi added, "But I think it's quite good. The parts you wrote later weren't good."

Of the books Chen Shuo wrote, the first two were about mundane daily life, but the later ones plunged into a huge historical pit, and the characters in them spoke in a very stilted manner.

With her limited knowledge, it seemed very difficult for her. She didn't know who was who or what they did; all she knew was that they had traveled to ancient times and so on.

Anyway, she found it boring.

"What do you mean by 'not good-looking'?" Chen Shuo was displeased and shouted, "That's because you don't understand history. The charm of history lies in making up for the regrets of the past, such as the Jia Shen national disaster at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the Jingkang Incident at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty."

Every time I see these things, I can't help but think how much better it would have been if these historical events had never happened.

The appeal of time travel lies in fulfilling this unrealistic idea: preventing these events from happening and altering the course of history. If you find it uninteresting, it's because you don't understand the historical context. Once you do, you'll find it enjoyable.

“But history cannot be changed,” Bai Xiaoqi said seriously.

"......"

Chen Shuo choked for a moment. He had been rambling on and on, but this guy had broadened his horizons. Was it really necessary to make such a big deal out of writing about the internet?

"That's true, but everyone has regrets. Some people regret not studying hard enough, some regret missing out on someone special, and some regret tragic events in history."

But some people not only know nothing, but also like to argue with their husbands, and have no ambitions whatsoever, so they have nothing to regret. Yes, don't doubt it, I'm talking about you.

"How can I have no regrets?"

"Is it your big, imposing, mature woman form again?"

"Yes, but that's not all, there are others too."

"Besides this, is there anything else that you regret?" Chen Shuo asked curiously.

"When you tricked me into sleeping in the same bed back then, I didn't kick you out of the bed."

"..."

"Even earlier, when I was still a cat, I didn't come here to find you when you were little, so..."

Chen Shuo casually picked up the thread, "That way, the younger me can take care of you, then ask me for permission to become human beforehand, and then we can develop a romantic relationship?"

"No, this way I can beat up your younger self." Bai Xiaoqi thought about it and found it quite exciting, so she couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

If I had come looking for him back then, when he was just a kid, one punch would have made him cry for a long time.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find him because I didn't even know he existed at that time.

Unless you travel back in time with your present memories.

She seems to know what the appeal of this time-travel story is.

Because time travel itself is a very interesting thing, it can create many "what ifs" out of thin air.

"If only I could travel back in time," she thought wistfully.

"Is it really worth it just to beat me up?" Chen Shuo frowned. Just how much did this girl want to beat him up? He was probably going to beat her up tonight.

“Not only can I beat you up, but I can also do a lot of other things. For example, I can memorize all the lottery numbers from the past few years, and then go back to the past and buy lottery tickets every day. Then I’ll be rich.”

"Ha, you're overthinking it."

Faced with such unrealistic ideas, Chen Shuo could only chuckle and tell her that she was overthinking it. People need to recognize the reality of the situation, give up fantasies, and that daydreaming is unacceptable.

"Yeah, how could it be possible to travel to the past?" Bai Xiaoqi also realized that she was overthinking it. How could there be such a thing as time travel in the world? If it really existed, wouldn't there be children crying every day?

"No, what I mean by you overthinking it isn't about time travel, but about winning the lottery. In other words, even if you memorize all the lottery numbers and go back in time to buy lottery tickets, it's useless because you can't win."

Bai Xiaoqi paused for a moment, then realized her oversight, "Because I didn't write down the date?"

Even if you write down the date, it won't help; you still won't win.

"why?"

"Come on, like this."

Chen Shuo walked over and stood next to her. "Okay, let's play a game, rock-paper-scissors. If you lose, you give me five yuan; if I lose, I give you five hundred. You go first."

"Oh, wait a moment, I'll put the food on a plate."

Bai Xiaoqi thought this was a great deal, so she flipped the pan over and was about to use the spatula to scoop the food into the plate when she suddenly exclaimed, "Hey!"

"Hey, if I go first, I can't win, right? If I play rock, you'll definitely play paper, and if I play scissors, you'll definitely play rock."

"Not necessarily, maybe you'll choose scissors and I'll choose paper."

"How could that be? You're not stupid."

"The people at that lottery station aren't stupid. Why should they let you win five million with just five dollars?"

"........"

Chapter 351 Even Uglier Than Your Mother's Handwriting

Recognize the situation and abandon illusions.

Bai Xiaoqi thought about it and agreed. Lottery is like rock-paper-scissors. You pay five yuan to play once, and if you win, you get five million. You go first.

That's definitely not a winning proposition.

Those who win the lottery are definitely shills, just like those ring toss games at street stalls, used to attract customers.

Even if you traveled back in time, you couldn't win. You can't win with five yuan now, and it used to cost two yuan a ticket, so it was even less likely.

"Then going back in time and just hitting you wouldn't be bad either."

"Alright, just shut up." Chen Shuo was speechless. A fool is a fool. Even if he traveled to the past, he couldn't use his prophetic abilities. All he could do was fight himself.

If time travel were on his head, there would be so many things he could do. If he were to travel back in time, he wouldn't just travel to the Song or Ming dynasties, but to twenty years ago.

First, do three things: buy a house, buy a house, and buy a house again. Then, around 2030, resell it and make a fortune.

People who've been saying since the 1990s that housing prices have peaked and are about to fall are probably still alive, but those who aren't can now shout it out, because housing prices have really started to fall.

Those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s have made a significant contribution to this trend, refusing to get married no matter what, and even if they do get married, they don't have children, resulting in a negative birth rate every year.

They drove down housing prices in an extreme, even self-destructive way.

Chen Shuo greatly admired these people, but unfortunately, he himself held them back by having two children.

However, he could persuade his daughter to join them, but not to get married or have children.

I hope that one day blessings will disappear from this society.