I turned reality into a romantic comedy

Because he sensed the deep-seated panic hidden in the other person's words, a panic that seemed to be concealed through self-deception, attributing the parents' attitude and thoughts solely to the accidental death of their first child.

Shen Nianqiu's self-comforting points were limited to "because of this accident, anyone born in her position would encounter such differential treatment" and "no matter what, she is still the only child in the family, and the living can never compete with the dead, so there is no need to care."

Chen Junqian didn't know whether his sister truly believed this or was deliberately avoiding another psychological aspect she didn't want to discuss.

However, he was very clear about one thing: such thoughts could indeed calm Shen Nianqiu down and help her accept the current situation, but that did not mean that the matter could be covered up and resolved.

Because, assuming, as she said, the atmosphere of the whole family really tends to be like that of a family that has lost its only child.

So, in the following two years, when faced with a policy that suddenly gave his classmate a younger sibling, the other party's parents would definitely not choose to give up.

But once things get to the point where they get what they want, all the comforting words the sister uses to console herself will be ruthlessly exposed, just like the emperor's new clothes.

...A substitute, or a transitional product?

Therefore, even though it is still too early, Chen Junqian wants to draw another line in her heart, a line that he hopes will stop her when she loses control of her emotions, reminding her that there is still a path she can choose.

"If my sister has the same idea later, she can call me anytime."

"Hmm? Anytime? You said it yourself."

"Yes, anytime."

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Lin Mu did not find Chen Junqian.

This is a self-evident fact, since Chen Junqian is no longer at the entrance of the hotel lobby on the first floor, but has gone around to a place further away.

However, having learned from the previous experience, Mu Mu did not repeat the mistake of losing Qianqian. Instead, she ran upstairs again to get Chen Jun's phone and tried to call Chen Junqian to contact him.

But no matter how many times, all I heard from the other person's phone was an automated electronic voice saying, "Hello, the number you dialed is currently busy. Please try again later."

"Let's wait a little longer. Junqian did receive a phone call."

Although Chen Jun said that, Lin Mu still felt a little uneasy when she returned to her room, after all, she clearly remembered one thing.

That means that when you make a call, unless the other party is actually talking to someone else, if they choose to hang up, you will actually hear the same thing: "Hello, the number you dialed is busy, please try again later."

Lin Mu's current mental state can probably be summarized by a short story that Chen Junqian once read in a magazine.

One day, the son, who works in a big city, forgot to fully charge his phone before leaving home. When he called his mother, who lives in the countryside, after work that afternoon, the phone was almost out of battery. Unfortunately, they talked for a long time that time. Just as the son was happily telling his mother about his promotion while crossing the street, the phone suddenly shut down due to low battery.

Although he felt a little disappointed, the son didn't care too much about it. After a two-hour commute, he finally got home, plugged in his phone to charge, and went straight into the kitchen to start cooking. But just as he put the food on the table and was about to eat, he suddenly heard a loud banging on the door of his rented apartment. Outside the door stood his mother, who looked quite disheveled and burst into tears as soon as she saw him.

From the mother's perspective, she only heard her son excitedly talking about his promotion when the call suddenly ended. In that last second, besides her son's voice, the mother could only hear the piercing sound of car horns.

After repeatedly dialing the number only to hear a busy signal indicating the other party's phone was switched off, the mother, gripped by immense self-imagined fear, decided to travel overnight from the countryside to the city.

As for Lin Mu herself, her current feelings are almost the same as her mother's. Just as the unknown is the root of fear, as her thoughts and imaginations expand outwards without bounds, all sorts of ideas float and burst in her mind like bubbles.

When Lin Mu came to her senses again, she had already come out of the room and was standing near the entrance on the first floor of the hotel again.

It was getting dark outside.

After waiting for Chen Junqian for a while, he still didn't show up.

However, this time Lin Mu did not choose to go upstairs to make a phone call. Instead, he tried to look for someone in the vicinity of the hotel by himself.

Well, for a child who could be scared by the thunder and lightning of a storm outside the window even in a classroom full of classmates, Lin Mu found it a bit difficult to do something as simple as looking around the hotel area. After all, this was a completely unfamiliar city and a completely unfamiliar place for her.

Darkness fell faster than she had imagined. After rounding a bend, facing a landscape that seemed familiar yet unfamiliar, Lin Mu suddenly realized she was a little lost.

Even when she was under the watchful eyes of familiar people, she could easily and confidently talk to strangers in places she had never been before. But when it came to actually asking other tourists for directions, Lin Mu hesitated, and all her courage seemed to have slipped away unnoticed.

The warmth from the shower had vanished with time. Holding his still-dry hair in his hands, it felt slightly cool in the evening breeze. There were lights and pedestrians around, but for a moment, Lin Mu felt as if he had returned to the time two years ago when he stepped into that dark teaching building.

However, unlike back then, she no longer has her childhood sweetheart by her side.

Just as Lin Mu stood there blankly in the deepening night by the roadside, Chen Junqian, who had finished making a phone call and was walking back, happened to spot her.

Now that he finally understood the source of his sister's psychological problems, he walked up behind her in a good mood and affectionately patted her head:

"Why is Mumu out alone? It's so dark, aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

However, to Chen Junqian's surprise, Mu Mu's reaction to his sudden appearance was quite exaggerated. She turned around and hugged him, burying her head in his chest. The touch was a little wet, as if she wanted to destroy evidence, wiping her tears and snot on his chest.

This continued for quite a while before Lin Mu finally cautiously raised her head slightly, as if not wanting him to notice anything amiss, and answered him in as normal a tone as possible:

"I've come to find Qianqian."

Even so, the heavy nasal tone was still undeniable.

And so, she became the little fool that Chen Junqian had once told the homeroom teacher in class, the one who couldn't distinguish between nasal sounds.

"Besides, what does it matter if it gets a little dark? It's not like Qianqian doesn't know my name."

The little girl couldn't help but sniff again, then looked away.

At this point, even Lin Mu herself didn't know whether she was subconsciously putting on a brave face for him alone, or whether she was taking the opportunity to tell him that she had completely remembered and knew all the things he had silently done for her in the past, but she had just habitually kept them buried in her heart and only spoke of them a little late.

"Lin Mu, the tomb... what's there to be afraid of in the dark or ghosts?"

Chapter 30: My Neighbor Stockpiles Grain, I Stockpile Guns (Part 2)

"So, Mu Mu secretly came out to find me alone because she couldn't get through on the phone?"

"What do you mean, 'just because the phone can't be reached'?"

Back in her hotel room, Lin Mu, now relaxed and sitting on the sofa enjoying the belated hair-drying service from her childhood sweetheart, spoke much more naturally and immediately countered with a question:

"Does this mean that if one day Qianqian can't get through to me on the phone, won't he think of coming to find me immediately?"

"But I certainly won't get myself lost."

"...I already told you I wasn't lost."

"Then why was Mumu standing motionless in the middle of the road, looking like she was about to cry?"

"Because I sensed that you saw me coming, that won't do."

"If Mu Mu really saw me, she would react in the exact opposite way. Just like when you were lying there and smeared my new clothes all over the chest, you would wipe your face clean before looking up and talking."

Since it had just happened, Lin Mu was too embarrassed to directly activate the skill called "Chronicle of Time," so he could only change the subject with a pout:

"So, whose call did Qianqian take so long to answer?"

"Shen Nianqiu, actually I didn't expect it to last this long at first. It's just that she was a bit unhappy today, so I spent more time chatting with her."

"Well, I'm a little unhappy now too."

"So I'm chatting with you right now, Mu Mu, right? And it's face-to-face, offline."

As he spoke, Chen Junqian abruptly turned off the hair dryer in his hand.

"Okay, I'm going to take another shower and change my clothes. Mu Mu, you should use this time to finish writing your diary for tonight, so you won't suspect me of peeking later."

"Oh."

After agreeing, Lin Mu pouted and blew on her fluffy bangs. Only after Chen Junqian took his change of clothes into the bathroom did she take her diary out of her bag.

Despite having spent the entire day exploring many places with Qianqian, what she most wanted to write about at this moment was indeed what had just happened that evening.

In the final summary of her diary, Mu Mu also left her own questions, hoping that one day in the future when she turned to this page again, she would have found the answers.

What exactly is the difference between pretending to be strong and being truly resilient?

Is it possible to pretend to be strong only in front of one person, or to strive to become strong solely for that person?

In Lin Mu's eyes now, the tough version of herself is actually the real her, but the strong version of herself is also the perfect version of herself that she yearns for. However, she still hasn't figured out which version of herself to show to Chen Junqian.

After all, she wanted Qianqian to see the perfect version of herself, but she also wanted Qianqian to truly care about the real her.

However, she wouldn't realize the answer to this question for a very long time.

The process of transforming your true self into your perfect self in front of many people is called growth.

The process of wanting to transform from a perfect version of yourself back to your true self in front of someone is the process of falling in love with that person.

The two intertwined and constantly pulling and tugging at each other together constitute the life process she is about to experience called adolescence.

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Over the next few days, Chen Junqian and his group followed their pre-arranged travel plan, visiting many attractions in Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe from Shanhaiguan. They went to Pigeon Nest Park, which they felt they should bring Zhu Wenyun to see, and also visited the Wildlife Park, where they took many photos. They ate a seafood feast where the processing fee was more expensive than the original ingredients, and also took a ride on a motorboat to brave the waves.

However, even the longest vacation eventually comes to an end. The week-long trip passed in the blink of an eye. After sending his father back to Tangshan, Chen Junqian, his mother, and Lin Mu embarked on their journey home.

It was still a sleeper train, but this time Chen Junqian and Lin Mu switched berths early on. Little Mu Mu, who had just said she wasn't afraid of the dark or ghosts, had no excuse this time. The two of them spent the night on the train peacefully, and when they woke up in the morning, they had already returned to their hometown of Guoning.

The nearly two-week trip was indeed quite long and tiring. It was also the first time Lin Mu had been away from home for so long, so he was visibly tired. After saying goodbye to Chen Junqian, he got into the car his mother drove to the entrance of Guoning Railway Station and left. It seemed that he planned to go home and lie down for a couple of days without moving before doing anything else.

But Chen Junqian was different, because someone had already booked his return time in advance, before he even left, ensuring a seamless transition.

After bringing back the local specialties and his father's good wishes from Tangshan and Qinhuangdao to his grandparents' house in the countryside, Chen Junqian had barely settled in when Xu Youwei appeared at his doorstep.

Even the little monster didn't make a sound. Looking at how eagerly its own dog wagged its tail, it felt like it had been thoroughly bribed during this time.

"Youwei's here! Junqian's back too. Have you eaten? Want to eat at my place? I just killed a chicken, it's from our own farm, you can't get this kind of chicken anywhere else."

Before Chen Junqian could even speak, his grandmother, who was washing vegetables in the yard, greeted him warmly, and Xu Youwei, feigning embarrassment, tugged at him, saying:

"Isn't this not good?"

"There's no such thing as good or bad. It's just a matter of having more people and more chopsticks. Come and sit down."

Watching Xu Youwei gracefully walk into his main hall and sit down next to him, Chen Junqian was also speechless:

"Why are you here so early? Didn't we agree that I would come to see you this afternoon?"

"You're not welcome."

"No, it's just that you would never eat at my house before."

"You said it was in the past, right?"

Xu Youwei casually picked up the palm-leaf fan beside her, adjusting the angle so that both of them could feel the breeze. While fanning herself, she rested her chin on her hand, looked at Chen Junqian, and gestured with her chin:

"where is my present?"

"Here."

Chen Junqian took a rather large conch shell from the bag next to him and handed it to Xu Youwei, then added an explanation:

"It is said that if you put it to your ear, you can hear the sound of the ocean."

"...It was clearly just the sound of the wind."

After listening to the conch shell near her ear for a while, Xu Youwei made this comment, but still carefully put it away.

Before Shen Nianqiu was even discovered by Xu Youwei, from Xu Youwei's perspective, Lin Mu and Chen Junqian had already gone on two consecutive summer vacations, each one longer than the last.

That's why she tried to change her approach. With Chen Junqian's parents clearly already biased towards Lin Mu, Xu Youwei decisively set her sights on Chen Junqian's grandparents.

Just as Chen Junqian himself could easily get along with Xu Youwei's maternal grandmother, the elderly are never stingy with their kindness and affection for their grandchildren's good friends. Moreover, Xu Youwei, in her pure and well-behaved nature, is a very likable child.

After half a month, just like what Chen Junqian could see, not to mention his grandparents, even the little dog that guarded the house was already in a state of being subdued.

After discreetly joining Chen Junqian's family dinner table, Xu Youwei, who also displayed impeccable manners, even leisurely sat and chatted with him for a while before pulling Chen Junqian away, riding their family's tricycle straight to their secret hideout.

All I can say is that if it had been Xu Youwei who went on this trip with him, the conversation in the hotel that night would probably have been about laughing on a tricycle, not on a bicycle. The girl sitting on the back of him was completely happy, and even made background noises like "ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh" when they went down that familiar big downhill slope.

He rode off to their secret hideout in a flash. It seemed that after he left, Xu Youwei had cleaned and tidied the room herself. The old bed boards were removed and replaced with a new straw mat. Now it was almost habitable.

Upon arriving here, Xu Youwei seemed to immediately enter a role-playing state, and began to ask Chen Junqian in a serious tone:

"Qinqin, do you know what the most important stored supplies should be in a doomsday shelter?"

"food?"

"Yes, food is also a very important aspect. By the way, I find compressed biscuits terribly unpalatable. I think if we really want to stock up, we should just stock up on instant noodles instead."

After this brief moment of distraction, Xu Youwei cleared her throat again:

"As the saying goes, if my neighbor stores grain, I store guns; my neighbor's house is my granary."

"For a post-apocalyptic shelter, the most important thing is definitely the stockpile of weapons."

As she spoke, Xu Youwei reached out and opened the drawer of the dressing table next to her, taking out two rather realistic toy guns.

Chen Junqian took it and glanced at it. It was the Hehuang brand toy gun that was popular a few years ago. He remembered that this brand was discontinued because it was too realistic and powerful. However, because it was expensive, he hadn't played with it much before. He played with another kind of homemade gun toy.

"I just bought this yesterday, but there aren't enough bullets."

Xu Youwei took out the plastic bag containing the small yellow, ball-shaped bullets and began enthusiastically teaching Chen Junqian how to load them. It seemed she had done a lot of research while she was alone here these past two days.

"...This thing is incredibly powerful."