I turned reality into a romantic comedy

The pain was just right, like a clear reminder that she was still alive in this world and was remembered by someone.

So Shen Nianqiu leaned her head closer, as if wanting Chen Junqian to know how she felt, and opened her mouth against his neck.

Whether you call it a kiss or a bite, she left two rows of light teeth marks there, then blew on them and lightly brushed her tongue across the marks, as if to make them disappear quickly.

"...Don't talk big, I'm the older sister."

Then, Shen Nianqiu pushed Chen Junqian out of the room.

At least for tonight, she won't be thinking about coming back.

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The First Embrace of a Vampire

When she suddenly leans in and leaves a light or heavy tooth mark on your wrist, shoulder, neck, or earlobe, the slight pain and tingling sensation is like a silent declaration of possession.

What often makes your heart stop is not the pain itself from the sudden attack, but the subtle expressions and actions of her subconsciously brushing her tongue across the teeth marks after she releases her grip, trying to blow a breath to relieve your pain.

Condition for achievement: Having teeth marks left on any part of your body by any heroine with romantic comedy potential.

The day isn't even over yet, and even without counting the time when fan service was triggered, Shen Nianqiu has already helped Chen Junqian unlock three achievements at a rapid pace. And judging from his current momentum, another achievement is also on its way.

"...So, is it really okay for my sister not to go home tonight?"

"My younger brother should know the answer to this question best. My mom just replied with 'okay,' and didn't even ask which friend's house I stayed at overnight. Well, it does make things easier for me."

Unlike Lin Mu, who only thought about moving the bedside table closer to the bed last summer, Chen Junqian's hotel room has only had one large bed from beginning to end. Moreover, judging from Shen Nianqiu's own intentions, the idea of ​​sleeping on the floor or the sofa is simply out of the question. The other party came for this bed from the very beginning.

However, this wasn't the first time Chen Junqian had slept in the same bed with a girl. Just a few days ago, on New Year's Eve, he slept with his sister. But unlike then, when they deliberately turned their heads so that one of them was facing this way and the other was facing that way, Shen Nianqiu was going to sleep on the same side as him, facing the same direction.

Moreover, unlike his younger sister who is still a child, Chen Junqian was indeed worried about some of his physiological reactions when facing a talented player like Shen Nianqiu.

After all, reality isn't a romantic comedy, and he's not one of those gentle male protagonists who are more virtuous than Liu Xiahui, able to remain unmoved even when fans are offered to him. Just like the girls his age have entered puberty, Chen Junqian, who is thirteen years old after the New Year, is no exception.

However, once the two of them had finished washing up and were lying in bed wearing only their innermost shirts, Chen Junqian's mind had settled down again. He suddenly remembered that his older sister's rating in system action adaptability was only C, which was exactly the same level as his childhood sweetheart, Mu Mu.

Perhaps the system's rating criteria really made some sense, or perhaps it was simply because of the emotional ups and downs she had experienced throughout the day. Lying next to Chen Junqian, Shen Nianqiu was quite well-behaved. She simply turned her body to face him and, like a kitten or puppy, affectionately touched his nose and forehead with his until their breathing became slightly erratic. She then smiled at Chen Junqian under the warm yellow light of the bedside lamp.

This time, however, it was a closed-mouth smile, just like when they first met.

In fact, the two of them have only met twice so far, and neither meeting lasted more than a week.

But Shen Nianqiu has always been a girl who thinks a lot, or rather, she inherently carries a bit of fantasy about love. After all, the magazine series that the other party bought most often during elementary school was "Fireworks," which is the magazine that Zhu Wenyun is currently contributing to, filled with novels of the youth campus romance genre.

She was a good child who never worried her parents at home. If Xu Youwei's way of rebelling against her family was to deliberately create trouble to gain attention, then Shen Nianqiu simply acquiesced and even went along with their wishes without having any extra thoughts.

The same was true at school. She was a good student, the lead singer of the school choir, beautiful and with a great personality. Shen Nianqiu still vividly remembered what her friend sitting in front of her had said to her before she graduated from elementary school. If that friend or a teacher at school saw her now, they would probably be so shocked that they would faint on the spot.

Shen Nianqiu's home was only a fifteen-minute walk from the hotel, while her school dormitory was a bit further away, requiring about a half-hour bus ride. In the middle of this unchanging routine, she slept in a third place that no one knew about before, and with a boy that no one knew about.

Her parents, classmates, teachers, relatives... none of them knew.

Just thinking about this made Shen Nianqiu feel a sense of exhaustion and satisfaction, and she didn't have the strength to move an inch more.

When something is about to take shape in one's heart, a feeling that is mixed with joy and unease always arises, perhaps closer to animalistic emotions than that of humans.

Just like a fox that smells a distant scent and gradually approaches the location of its prey, even before it has actually caught it, its heart is already firmly gripped and lifted into the air.

A thought that grew clearer with the passage of time began to form in Shen Nianqiu's mind.

Even after many years, she will remember this day.

It wasn't just a matter of typing; this time, Shen Nianqiu spoke the words aloud herself.

"Good night."

"OK, good night."

Chapter 58: Liars Should Eat Stones

The eighth day of the first lunar month.

Even though there's a saying that the New Year celebrations continue until the Lantern Festival, by the eighth day of the first lunar month, most adults have already ended their New Year holidays. With factories resuming operations and shops reopening, it signifies that another New Year has passed.

However, this year, there was something unusual for the residents of Guoning: a fireworks display was held at the municipal government square on the evening of the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, a week before the Lantern Festival.

The first to receive the news and take action were naturally the vendors selling food or providing entertainment facilities such as ring toss and balloon popping. After all, performances mean crowds, and crowds bring customers. Every festival is a celebration and a good opportunity to make money.

Fortunately, the municipal government has a tradition of holding fireworks displays every year, and relevant contingency plans have been made in advance. Therefore, the arrangements for the venue and personnel coordination were handled in an orderly manner. However, considering that the expenses for this event were not covered by the government budget but by a major taxpayer, some minor details were handed over to the client, Xu Zhiling, who then passed them on to Xu Youwei.

This is probably the first time since his ex-wife's death that Xu Zhiling has seen his daughter so focused on something. For the entire New Year, from the first day of the Lunar New Year until now, she has stayed in her room without leaving the house, as if she wanted to study and confirm every aspect and step of the performance before she would stop.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Xu Youwei woke up in bed much earlier than she had expected. Considering her sleep time the night before, she had only slept for about four to five hours. However, an unknown compulsion still made her open her eyes before six o'clock in the morning.

However, Xu Youwei felt no sleepiness at all; in fact, she felt a kind of excitement, as if she hadn't noticed that it was only a little past five o'clock, or as if she was already at ease just by seeing the date "January 30th" followed by "the eighth day of the first lunar month" on the calendar. Like a flower awakened by the first rays of morning sunlight, Xu Youwei quickly got out of bed, dressed, drew back the curtains, opened the window, looked at the weather outside, and then hummed a song softly as she went to wash up.

She felt her heart pounding loudly in her chest ever since she woke up, like a child looking forward to a spring outing. After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Xu Youwei started tying up her gradually growing hair in front of the mirror. Then she leaned closer, raised her eyebrows, and widened her eyes, trying to see if she had developed unsightly dark circles under her eyes from staying up late these past few days.

Even while doing these things, two completely opposite little voices were still arguing in her mind. One was emotionally urging her to hurry up and get ready to meet Chen Junqian, while the other was rationally reminding her that it was only early morning and the other party was probably not awake yet. Moreover, the time they had agreed to meet was in the evening, and the fireworks display would not start until then. This conflicting feeling only barely disappeared after Xu Youwei finished washing up.

She decided to leave the specifics of her outfit for later, as evening approached. After casually putting on a set of winter clothes to keep herself warm, Xu Youwei went out with a piece of bread in her mouth.

She planned to first go to the city government square, which had already been set up, to conduct an on-site inspection. Even though she had traveled through the entire city of Guoning countless times, at this point, she still wanted to check the terrain, stall distribution, and surrounding landscape several more times before she could feel at ease.

The streets were quiet at this time of day, and the air was fresh. Perhaps because she was in a good mood, Xu Youwei took a deep breath as she walked, and the familiar scenery along the way suddenly felt fresh again.

After visiting the city government square and replanning and refining the route for the evening in her mind several times, Xu Youwei headed straight for the wear-resistant factory. Holding the employee dormitory key she had obtained from her father, she entered the former Chen Junqian's house, which had now become her personal secret base, and went into the room.

Unlike half a month ago when Chen Junqian's family had just moved out and there was almost nothing left, in the past half month, Xu Youwei has gradually filled up Chen Junqian's former room again, just like when they set up their secret base in the countryside. Only this time, everything filled with it is more private and cannot be seen by the other party.

Reaching out, Xu Youwei touched the photo of the other person that she had asked the factory photographer to take at the school anniversary celebration, which had been developed and was now posted on the wall. Then, she stood in front of a huge floor-length mirror and began to hold up the clothes she had brought from her home in the closet next to her.

To be honest, it was really difficult for Xu Youwei to find a reliable person to help her with this kind of work. After all, she herself was a complete novice in this field, and her understanding of dressing up was still very basic.

Her relationship with her father wasn't that harmonious, and her relationship with that so-called stepmother was even less so. Her only two friends were the other party involved tonight and the other seemed quite suitable to make this judgment, but Xu Youwei really couldn't bring herself to ask Lin Mu to help her choose an outfit.

After all, what she's about to do tonight could be described as a betrayal of their friendship.

So I can only be alone.

It has to be said that trying on clothes in Chen Junqian's former room was indeed a very stimulating experience for Xu Youwei, especially when she thought that he had been living here just a month ago, sleeping on the bare bed behind her, and that the two of them had once read books and played around together in this room, comparing their heights back to back in front of the mirror.

The other person's presence seemed to linger here. Xu Youwei stood in the embrace of these presences and began to try on clothes one by one in front of the mirror. Some of them were picked out for her by her mother before she passed away. Unlike many works of art, her mother did not leave her with videotapes that could only be watched on her birthday each year. Instead, she bought many clothes of different sizes, enough for her to wear until she grew up.

"...Does it look good?"

In this room where she was all alone, Xu Youwei turned around in front of the mirror again. The silver-white down jacket had a fairytale-like dreaminess and lightness to it, but she didn't know who she was asking or where she hoped to get an answer from.

In the cold air, her breath slowly misted into a blurry fog on the upper part of the mirror. Xu Youwei reached out and wiped it, leaving a noticeable bright mark. Her features in the mirror became clear once again.

The glass felt cool to the touch, as if she wanted to get closer and feel it more, or perhaps she just wanted to see her own expression more clearly. So Xu Youwei slowly brought her forehead against it again.

A slight chill stimulated the skin pressed against the mirror, while the warm, moist breath struck the mirror surface closely, creating new condensation.

I had absolutely no idea of ​​practicing any words or expressions in front of the mirror.

The first time you say it, it must be in front of the other person. Any prior rehearsal will only consume an irreversible part of your emotions, even if they are already overflowing.

2012 was the year the world was supposed to end.

If it succeeds, it won't matter if they actually come.

If it fails, it will end there even if the person didn't come.

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Chen Junqian returned to Guoning on the evening of the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. He had stayed in Lin'an for three days and two nights. No matter how high his credit score was with his parents, this was still a period of time that could not be easily excused.

However, there was no other way. In fact, apart from going out briefly on the first day after arriving in Lin'an, Chen Junqian spent almost the entire remaining two days in the hotel. Shen Nianqiu barely allowed him to leave her sight. Fortunately, it was still winter, so it didn't matter if he didn't shower for two days. Otherwise, Chen Junqian would have really thought that she might come in and scrub his back while he was showering.

Although this was indeed one of the achievements in romantic comedies in his mind, he figured he should spare him if it actually happened in real life. Chen Junqian knew very well that his sister was just in a chaotic state of emotional ups and downs these past two days. In this situation, it was better not to provoke her any further and let both of them calm down, which would be more conducive to their future relationship.

So most of the time, the two of them just lay on that bed, sharing each other's body heat and talking. Things that Shen Nianqiu would never have told Chen Junqian before, those worries and joys that belonged only to a young girl, she told him in a long, rambling way over the past two days.

Even though they couldn't fulfill their wish to see the stars that they had made during their last meeting, this meeting was just as significant to their relationship as the first one.

"But I still don't want to have to wait so long to see my brother again next time. I'll remember this summer vacation."

Before officially leaving Lin'an, Shen Nianqiu reiterated the promise Chen Junqian had made, but she immediately added:

"Of course, this time I'm the one coming to see you."

Even though Chen Junqian had a clear feeling that Shen Nianqiu, who was going to come to Guoning this summer, was going to pull something big, he didn't care anymore. After all, he was focused on his upcoming date with Xu Youwei.

"Yes, I went to Lin'an."

Of course, since Shen Nianqiu was coming over this summer, Chen Junqian no longer needed to hide it from his parents and others, so he simply told his parents directly:

“She went to see a friend from online, the sister you met at the Shanghai World Expo. She went in Zhong Yu’s car. Her father is from Lin’an. Because she was afraid you wouldn’t agree, she did it first and asked for your permission later.”

"...Can we still control you? Remember to let us know next time."

Wang Hongling had no intention of disciplining her increasingly capable son, so after giving him this instruction, she went back to her own business. Chen Jun, on the other hand, glanced at him thoughtfully, but didn't say anything more.

On the second day, the eighth day of the first lunar month, Chen Junqian received a phone call from Lin Mu while still in bed.

"Qianqian actually went to Lin'an? To see that older sister, right?"

It can only be said that the advantage of childhood sweethearts is indeed in intelligence gathering. Chen Junqian had just told his parents, and Lin Mu was able to receive the news in the blink of an eye. That speed is unmatched.

"Yes, it was arranged in advance. If you think about it... it was a year in advance? Or even more than a year, since the last time we met was in 2010."

Just as Chen Junqian had expected, he smoothly guided Lin Mu's train of thought, and she naturally began to think about his own situation:

"I've already made a promise with you, Qianqian, that you have to come to my place next year too. If any other girls ask you out at the last minute, you have to refuse them just like you refused me this year, okay?"

"That's for sure."

"If you lie again, Qianqian will have to swallow... No, no, then you can eat a stone."

"Stone?"

"Yes, it's a stone."

As he said this, Lin Mu tore open a bag of candy in his hand and stuffed the small stones inside into his mouth to chew.

She still couldn't bring herself to say those words, and even unconsciously prepared a way for her childhood sweetheart to back out.

But verbally, he still emphasized it in the most vicious tone:

"Big liars should eat stones!"

Chapter 59: The So-Called Fireworks Festival (Part 2)

After being a full-time otaku for several years, Chen Junqian is now very familiar with the various classic elements and plots of the fireworks festival scene in Japanese romantic comedies. But it is precisely because of this that he is a little worried about whether tonight's fireworks display can fool the system's judgment, because the gap between reality and the two-dimensional world is always huge.

Fireworks displays in China are always closely associated with the Lunar New Year, so this fireworks display was never summer but winter from the start. Putting aside whether there is a custom of wearing yukata and geta in China, if someone actually went out in this weather wearing only a yukata that would make the male protagonist ask the line from the model opera, "So you're not wearing anything under your yukata?", then Chen Junqian would start to doubt whether this world has really been completely transformed by the system.

Secondly, there's the matter of food.

Apple candy, marshmallows, chocolate bananas... Aside from marshmallows, which are somewhat traceable, Chen Junqian doesn't expect to find these classic food elements in a small place like Guoning. He feels that he can only unlock the related achievements by trying to make them at home someday.

Next, let's talk about having fun.

Catching goldfish, ring toss, popping balloons... these are probably the most likely things to appear at the scene. Rather, they are never limited to any particular holiday. You can see plenty of them if you take a walk around the park in the evening. Chen Junqian has played them countless times with several girls.

However, none of the above is actually that important. After all, the most crucial element of a fireworks display is undoubtedly the fireworks themselves. As long as the system recognizes this performance as a fireworks display, Chen Junqian is guaranteed to unlock a brand new achievement:

You can watch the fireworks from anywhere.

As one of the most common scenes in romantic comedies, fireworks festivals are always the final chapter of summer. When the first firework blooms in the night sky, when the cuffs of yukatas accidentally touch in the crowd, this summer festival becomes a secret stage just for the two of you. From the competition of catching goldfish to the sweetness of candied apples, and then to the profile illuminated by fireworks, all the moments will become fuel for your heartbeats, accelerating and roaring to the top in your chest.

The most dazzling sight is never the fireworks in the night sky, but the faint smell of gunpowder lingering in your hair as she leans wearily on your shoulder on the way home.

Condition for achievement: Attend a fireworks festival together with any female protagonist who is suited for romantic comedy.

There are too many other achievements related to this achievement to display them all at once. Please check them one by one.

However, judging from the fact that the achievement had been flashing faintly since the afternoon, Chen Junqian felt that it was quite promising. After all, not every achievement is like the oddball that flashes nine out of ten times, such as "The Battlefield is in Progress". Most achievements showing this effect mean that there is indeed a chance to trigger it in the future. In the past two years, he has almost used this function as a radar to detect enemy situations.

Unlike previous pecan festivals, the residents of Guoning, while not entirely uninterested in today's fireworks display, are unlikely to turn out in droves to see it, especially since Jay Chou isn't performing this time.

So much so that among the girls around Chen Junqian, apart from Lin Mu who suddenly invited him to watch fireworks a few days ago, only Gu Lingguo sent him a private message asking about it. After hearing that he was not free, she said goodbye with a hint of regret, and it is unknown whether she will go in the end.

It can only be said that if Chen Junqian really wants to find a girl willing to wear a yukata to speedrun the fireworks festival achievements, then the only candidate he can think of is her.

Thinking this, Chen Junqian also tidied himself up in front of the mirror, took off the gloves and scarf that Zhu Wenyun had given him, left his phone at home, and then went out, heading straight to the place he had agreed to meet Xu Youwei.

He had arrived about fifteen minutes early, but Xu Youwei arrived even earlier than Chen Junqian.

Standing there, Xu Youwei quietly put her hands in her pockets. Even through the crowd, she could still spot Chen Junqian's figure at a glance. It was a very familiar back view. Even though his dark clothes weren't particularly eye-catching in the surrounding environment, for Xu Youwei, familiarity was the most recognizable color.