Chapter 21: You stinky brat! Quick... hurry and give me what's underneath!
“Hey! Little brother, you’re quite savvy!” Chen Jingyi was somewhat surprised. After all, children from ordinary families in small cities rarely understand the intricacies of business and officialdom, even after graduating from university.
They inevitably end up bruised and bloodied by the harsh realities of social etiquette and unspoken rules before they finally grasp the truth.
By contrast, children from merchant or official families have been exposed to these “social interactions” and “principles of conduct” almost their entire lives.
When both enter the system, the former seems to step into quicksand—immobilized and miserable—while the latter thrives, adept at navigating and manipulating their environment with ease.
Chen Jingyi was surprised that Huo Qitai immediately pinpointed the crux of the matter, so she decided to be candid.
“Indeed! If you want to speed things up, you have to pay extra. Even if you’re Lin Sihui’s brother, there are no exceptions. And it starts at tens of thousands; you’re just a high schooler, there’s no way you can afford that.”
She didn’t expect Huo Qitai to spend tens of thousands just to shave a few months off the approval time.
Huo Qitai was aware that Chen Jingyi was offering a concession out of friendship with Lin Sihui. For an ordinary client, she wouldn’t provide such courtesy.
But...
Huo Qitai glanced at his bank balance and shook his head.
Though he had made a few tens of thousands from writing novels, after covering last year’s senior high expenses, only two or three thousand remained—money he’d need soon, not to waste on patent applications.
Yet if he didn’t patent and trademark quickly, waiting too long would hinder his ability to make use of the ample summer break.
“Sigh! No way I’m paying extra! But if it’s Sister Jing, maybe I can offer something else...”
His eyes narrowed slightly as he smiled mischievously.
In his past life, through Sister Hui, he had met Chen Jingyi; after several collaborations, they got along very well.
Their personal relationship was close—like brothers—and naturally, he learned some of Chen Jingyi’s little “quirks.”
On the surface, Chen Jingyi appeared as a stern, ruthless, and cold elite lawyer who rarely smiled at work.
But privately, who would have guessed she was a seasoned “fujoshi” who loved to secretly read “boys’ love” novels under the covers?
This was one of her big secrets, not even revealed to her best friend Lin Sihui.
Yet, during one encounter with Huo Qitai, it was accidentally exposed.
At that time, the web drama “The Untamed” was all the rage. Nine out of ten of Huo Qitai’s girlfriends were avid fans, obsessively shipping the male-male couple.
The rookie actors Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo became overnight sensations because of this series.
Terms like “Bo Jun Xiao Yi” made the two instant top idols.
To win the girls’ favor and have common ground, Huo Qitai delved deeply into “The Untamed.”
Besides watching the drama and reading analyses, he even went through the original novel “Mo Dao Zu Shi” several times, often on his phone during work breaks or while waiting.
Once, when meeting Chen Jingyi, she caught a glimpse of his phone screen and exclaimed, “You’re a guy, why are you reading boys’ love?”
That slip opened the floodgates, and they excitedly discussed the plot of “Mo Dao Zu Shi.”
Because of this, Huo Qitai quickly grew closer to Chen Jingyi and learned she had read countless boys’ love novels but loved “Mo Dao Zu Shi” above all, never tiring of it.
So!
It was only 2010 now. The famous female author Mo Xiang Tong Xiu wouldn’t serialize this nearly 700,000-word boys’ love novel until 2015.
To get closer to Chen Jingyi, Huo Qitai ultimately chose to... temporarily return to writing novels—though not his usual male-oriented ones, but this pillar of the boys’ love genre, “Mo Dao Zu Shi.”
“Sigh! Who would’ve thought that after being reborn, I’d have to write novels to please girls! But, come to think of it, it’s pretty interesting...”
Having made his decision, Huo Qitai texted Chen Jingyi three words: “Please wait...”
Then, he opened Word and got to work!
With lightning-fast speed, he rekindled the thrill and momentum of writing novels.
Clickety-clack went his fingers as he painstakingly transcribed every word of “Mo Dao Zu Shi” from memory.
Meanwhile...
Chen Jingyi, just starting to become interested in Huo Qitai, was left hanging by his “please wait” message.
An hour passed.
“That interesting little brother—could he have gone borrowing money? Is he really planning to spend so much?”
Growing impatient, Chen Jingyi stretched and was about to take a shower when her phone chimed—Huo Qitai had sent a Word document.
“Hm? What’s this? Did he just get another patent?”
Opening the file, Chen Jingyi realized it was actually the beginning of a novel.
“Did he send this to me by mistake? Why would he send a novel?”
“‘Mo Dao Zu Shi’? Just from the title, it’s obvious this is one of those annoying male fanboy cultivation harem stories. Boring.”
Just as she was about to close the document, her eyes caught the content.
The first chapter began with “Wei Wuxian died,” betrayed by his own junior disciple, then possessed and reborn...
“Huh? This book actually looks pretty interesting!”
Unconsciously, Chen Jingyi became engrossed—after all, this was her absolute favorite novel in life!
But!
No matter how fast Huo Qitai’s fingers flew, in just over an hour he had only managed about ten chapters, roughly ten thousand words.
Unfortunately, he stopped right at the moment...
“Lan Wangji, maintaining his composure, said firmly, ‘I’m taking this person back to the Lan family.’ Wei Wuxian: ‘...Huh?’”
The male-male couple, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, had just fully appeared, and the exciting plot and chemistry were about to deepen.
Then—cut off!
No more text!
That feeling of being completely absorbed, joy soaring to the peak, only to be abruptly interrupted, left Chen Jingyi slapping her desk in frustration.
She immediately opened her browser, urgently searching for “Mo Dao Zu Shi” to see the next chapters.
But...
All the results led to male-oriented novels, none related to what she had just read.
“Could that brat have deliberately changed the book’s title? I’ll search the main characters’ names!”
Refusing to give up, Chen Jingyi searched for “Wei Wuxian” and “Lan Wangji” but still found nothing.
“What’s going on? I can’t find this book anywhere online? Could it be... that brat wrote it himself?”
Just as she was puzzled, a QQ message notification sounded.
“Huo Budanxing: ‘Sorry, Sister Jing! I accidentally sent you the novel opening I was supposed to send the editor. Please delete the document and pretend you never saw it!’”
Chen Jingyi: “!!!!!!”
Her mind was blown!
What the heck?
Such an incredible boys’ love novel was actually written by that brat?
Such a fantastic story—how could she delete it or pretend she never saw it?
Having searched for a long time without finding the next chapters, Chen Jingyi’s impatience grew, and she furiously typed a message.
“Yijingzhidong: ‘Is this novel really yours? You little brat! Hurry... send me the next... chapters... fast! Hurry!’”
...