Chapter Twenty-Two: The Exciting Formula Application Segment Returns!

Ha! Getting impatient, are we?

Huo Qitai sat before his computer, a faint smile playing on his lips. Jing remained the same Jing, even if she maintained an air of composure and indifference in front of outsiders. Once she encountered a "divine book" like *Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation*—her true soul-mate of a story—all reserve and rationality were instantly tossed to the wind.

Her mind held only one thought: she needed to see what happened next, and she needed to see how the development between the male-male pairing would unfold! She was anxious—incredibly, desperately anxious.

So, the question arose: what should you do when a girl is so eager to chat with you? This was the perfect moment for the "wavy-style" jungle tactics of engagement.

What was our rhythm again? Right: First, slow down; second, stall; third, speed up; fourth, vanish.

*First, slow down...*

After seeing Chen Jingyi’s message urging him to update, Huo Qitai didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he waited about ten minutes before slowly tapping away at his keyboard.

[Huo Bu Danxing]: "It’s not that, Sister Jing. No, that really isn't a novel written by me."

After waiting for a full ten minutes, Chen Jingyi only received a flat denial from Huo Qitai. Clearly, she was far from satisfied. She immediately took a screenshot of the message Huo Qitai had sent earlier.

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "Screenshot! This is proof! You said it yourself, you accidentally sent the opening of a novel intended for an editor to me. And you even told me not to read it and to destroy the evidence? Don't even think about it. What excuses do you have now?"

After sending the message, five minutes passed before Huo Qitai replied again.

[Huo Bu Danxing]: "Oh dear! Sister Jing, it... it really isn't written by me."

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "Hmph! Too afraid to admit it? You're a guy, yet you're writing danmei for the female-oriented market. Are you feeling ashamed because I caught you red-handed?"

Seeing this, Huo Qitai could already imagine the triumphant smirk on Chen Jingyi’s face as she sat before her computer. A true hunter often appears in the guise of the prey. When interacting with women, a man must learn to expose his own "faults," "shortcomings," or "secrets" at the right time for the other person to discover.

Letting her think she has "gotten a handle" on you first lowers her guard.

Second, it quickly closes the distance, because now she knows your secret. Third, through the act of "being caught," you can "passively" create more connections and stories with her. She might even feel a sense of "parity" because she has discovered your secret, leading her to share her own little secrets with you in return.

Just like right now...

Seeing that Huo Qitai wasn't replying, Chen Jingyi felt smug, thinking to herself, "This brat must be embarrassed because I exposed him, and now he doesn't know how to face me. Don't worry! Sister isn't going to eat you, hehe... watch me!"

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret; I won't tell your sister. Besides, I actually love reading danmei. The *Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation* you wrote is exactly my cup of tea. Do you have the rest of it? Send it over, quick!"

See? To ease Huo Qitai’s embarrassment and earn his trust, Chen Jingyi had reciprocated by revealing her own secret—that she loved reading danmei novels.

One round down! In just a few moves, Huo Qitai had pulled his relationship with Chen Jingyi into the "intimate" territory of "knowing each other's secrets." This was particularly important; it was a highly effective tactic for breaking the ice when meeting new women.

At the same time, the goal of "slowing down" had been achieved. Now came the application of "stalling":

[Huo Bu Danxing]: "The rest of the manuscript..."

He sent those five words, followed by an ellipsis. Then, Huo Qitai opened his *CrossFire* game and played two rounds of biohazard mode.

*Tat-tat-tat...*

Huo Qitai revisited his old game, playing with deep focus and enjoyment. But over on Chen Jingyi’s side, she was going crazy with impatience! Already anxious to begin with, being stalled like this left her feeling stranded, restless, and unable to sit still. She couldn't help but bombard Huo Qitai with messages: *ding-ding... ding-ding... ding-ding...*

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "What about the rest of the manuscript? Send it to me quickly!"

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "Where did you go? Where are you? Send me the rest of the manuscript!"

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "You brat! Don't go playing ghost! Leaving things half-said, are you just teasing me on purpose?"

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "Reply to me! I'm really getting angry now. Hurry up and hand over the rest of the manuscript, ahhhhh!"

[Yi Jing Zhi Dong]: "Fine! I won't be mad at you, okay? Just reply to me. If I don't see what happens next, I won't be able to sleep all night. My head is just filled with how the two of them will develop..."

...

Half an hour passed. Only after securing an "ACE" for the entire match did Huo Qitai satisfiedly close the *CrossFire* game. He clicked on the chat box with [Yi Jing Zhi Dong] and laughed: "Don't blame me, Sister Jing! I had no choice. Since you don't know or trust me yet, I had to play a few tricks."

And so, after the "stalling" phase, it was time for the brilliant "formula" stage. What was the formula again? First, sincerely admit your fault; then, offer an explanation with a reason the other person can accept; finally, make a sincere promise.

And so...

[Huo Bu Danxing]: "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Sister Jing. It wasn't that I didn't want to reply to you earlier. It’s just that after my editor read the opening of *Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation*, he immediately called me on voice chat and scolded me for a full half-hour. He said this *Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation* I wrote is absolute trash and that no readers could possibly like it. Sister Jing, don't read it anymore. Give me a few days to work on a more 'normal' novel. I promise the moment I finish it, I'll send it to you first."

Apology—Explanation—Promise! Executed perfectly in one go!

Chen Jingyi, who had been waiting for so long—frantic, furious, and then finally having her anger worn down into nothing—saw Huo Qitai’s reply and felt a fresh wave of heat rise in her chest.

"So that brat wasn't ignoring me on purpose! He was just so pitiful, getting scolded by his editor for half an hour! What kind of trash editor is that? Where is his taste? This *Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation* is clearly mind-blowingly good—it's absolutely the best novel I've ever read. To call it trash... it makes me so angry! And now he’s lost his confidence in writing. He's only written ten thousand words and he's already giving up? How can he do that!! Absolutely not! If he stops writing, won't Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's story be frozen in this moment forever? No, no, no! I absolutely cannot accept that. No matter what, I must make that brat keep writing!"