The following week passed peacefully.
Some people in the dark room were undergoing intensive training, while others, with nothing to do, had already gone on their "trips."
Chu Ge slightly reduced his update frequency, starting to accumulate a portion of his manuscript each day.
Qiu Wuji continued to spend her mornings writing comics, her afternoons driving, and her evenings memorizing the theory test (driving skills). After completing several practice tests, she felt unsure… so she memorized all the traffic laws.
On the day of the exam, Qiu Wuji went in, filled out the form for ten minutes, and came out, saying to Chu Ge who was waiting to pick her up, "This is ridiculously easy! If it had been this easy from the beginning, I would have wasted so much time studying."
The examiner glanced sideways…
Chu Ge covered his face.
In matters of modern life, Chu Ge felt that Qiu Qiu had already surpassed him in some areas… at least he couldn't memorize all the traffic laws.
Why are you taking it so seriously? It's just the theory test…
Oh, actually, not that seriously. She memorized at night. Actually, she had another secret activity every night: practicing the "Plum Blossom Hand" technique with Chu Ge. Between sparring sessions, they would exchange flirtatious glances and playful banter, finally leaning against the wall with their eyes closed, their faces flushed from the kisses, before finally stopping to shower.
Despite all this, they still managed their daily grocery shopping and cooking, keeping the house impeccably organized. This always reminded Chu Ge of his childhood confusion: where did his mother's time come from…?
He barely had time to write his book and practice his skills, and he even had to squeeze in time for chatting with Qiuqiu (a popular online chat platform), but she was always there for that too.
This was much better than before.
In the past, any small interruption—like the sound of Zhang Qiren next door opening his door to get tea or go to the bathroom, or the delivery of takeout… even just being tagged in a group chat—would disrupt his train of thought, taking half a day to get back into focus. Writing a single chapter would be a struggle, and he might not even manage to produce one chapter in an entire afternoon.
His nickname "Short-Writing Chu Ge" was largely a remnant of that time, averaging four thousand words a day… a label he still carries even now that he's no longer short. Back then, it wasn't that he wanted to write short stories; who wouldn't want to write more and earn more money? But the limitations were unavoidable. It wasn't that he was clumsy; even the fastest hand can't beat a brainless person.
Thankfully, Qiuqiu cured his brainlessness... yeah.
He can even save up drafts!
Checking the more than 20,000 words of drafts he'd accumulated over the past few days on his computer, Chu Ge uploaded them chapter by chapter to the backend, carefully setting a two-and-a-half-day timer. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Old Zhu booked the tickets; we're boarding the plane first thing tomorrow morning." It feels so good to have drafts saved up!
Qiu Wuji, who had just finished her exams, was in a great mood. She'd experienced the exams of modern girls, and tomorrow she could experience flying. Seeing that Chu Ge could indeed save up drafts, she was even happier. Next year, she really could go to Hainan for the New Year.
Hmm, no need to wait until Hainan; this trip to Shanghai is already a long-distance vacation!
"Hey, what should we bring? ID?"
"I need to bring your laptop. I can type a few words when I have time, enough for three days..." Qiu Wuji sighed pityingly, "Okay, responsible Chu Da, it's too hard. So... how many clothes should we bring?"
"We're only going for two or three days, just one set for changing..." Chu Ge answered subconsciously, then realized something was off: "Uh, wait, I'll bring one set, you don't have to. Why is that your concern? When has Sect Leader Qiu ever considered this while traveling the world?"
"Hey, I'm a modern girl now!"
"Okay, old lady, then you can bring two sets..."
"Is it troublesome to wash clothes outside?"
"The hotel has laundry service... right? If not, we can just wash them ourselves. It's not that cold now, and clothes aren't that much trouble..." Qiu Wuji tilted her head, looking at him.
Chu Ge scratched his head: "What are you looking at?" Qiu Wuji shook her head and circled him, clicking her tongue: "So... you've never stayed in a hotel before either..." Chu Ge blushed: "A scholar who doesn't leave home knows everything! Me, a writer, why would I go on a long trip!"
"I know, you fat, never-been-out-of-the-world otaku." Qiu Wuji patted his shoulder coolly: "This time you're going out with your sister, she'll take care of you."
Chu Ge crossed his arms: "If you keep talking like that, you won't get a one-star card."
"Hmph."
"Actually, I've stayed in hotels before..." Qiu Wuji became alert, her eyes narrowing instantly.
Chu Ge said leisurely: "A seaside hotel, I stayed with you."
Qiu Wuji: "..." Oh, how many rooms should we book this time? Standard room or double room?
Qiu Wuji's eyes darted around, lost in thought... Chu Ge lazily stretched and went to take a shower: "So, my never having stayed in a hotel is actually a plus. If I were very familiar with hotels, you'd have to consider how many I've actually stayed in." Qiu Wuji thought about it and realized he was right, her mood brightening even more. She ran back to her room: "I'm going to pack." Although she had adopted modern girls' dressing habits, Qiu Wuji was still much more convenient than the average girl when going out.
She didn't need to bring cosmetics, including all those skincare, hand cream, and lip balm bottles and jars—not a single one.
She had bought a bag, but because women's dresses often didn't allow for easy storage of a phone, her everyday small bag only contained her phone, keys, and tissues. Since it was too empty, she simply stuffed in a small umbrella, just to show that her bag wasn't a waste... Completely opposite to other girls' magical bags, like Doraemon's pocket, Zhu Mengmeng called it the most boring bag in the world.
You can imagine how simple her so-called luggage was.
Including the clothes prepared for Chu Ge, all their luggage fit into a single 20-inch suitcase, enough for direct boarding without needing to check it in.
Half an hour later, the couple squatted in the living room, huddled around the small suitcase, hands tucked into their pockets, looking at each other. Suddenly, they felt even the ritual of traveling had diminished considerably. How could it be so simple… Qiu Wuji had racked his brains trying to bring as much as possible, only to find there was really nothing needed… We didn't even plan to use our personal space abilities; we just wanted to experience traveling, and this is how it ends…
"What if we encounter a hijacking?" Qiu Wuji suddenly looked up and asked, his big eyes blinking. "I've seen so many descriptions like that, I'm so scared…"
Chu Ge: "…Is that a scared expression? You probably wish it would happen, right?"
"If we did, it would make our Chu Ge even more famous… and rob a bank or something…"
"Please, they stopped describing it like that ten years ago." Qiu Wuji's shoulders slumped, looking pitiful.
Chu Ge stood up and patted her shoulder: "Next time, go back to the book and go out looking for trouble. It's better to live a simple life here..."
...The next morning, they arrived at the airport and met up with Lao Zhu. Only then did they realize how incredibly naive they had been.
They thought they hadn't brought much?
Lao Zhu hadn't brought anything.
No, he brought someone.
Looking at the glamorous female secretary behind Lao Zhu, Chu Ge's expression twitched, and he didn't know how to greet her for a long time.
This secretary was probably younger than Zhu Mengmeng!
Is this the kind of rich person who casually pulls out a hundred million for an investment?
Qiu Wuji stared in disbelief: "I...can I tell Mengmeng?" Old Zhu waved his hand dismissively: "She's my daughter, not my mother. Tell her if you want. Besides, I'm a legitimate investor, going to negotiate a project. Is it strange to bring an assistant? You young people these days always think the worst of everything."
If it weren't for the first sentence, it would have made sense, but this first sentence has exposed everything...
However, it seems Zhu Mengmeng probably wouldn't care too much about this, as long as she doesn't bring her home to be her mother...
Old Zhu glanced at Chu Ge: "Hanged at such a young age, so pitiful."
Qiu Wuji's eyebrows furrowed.
"Ahem." Old Zhu immediately backed down: "Let's go, let's go check in."
Chu Ge was stunned: "Check in for what?"
"Check in..." Old Zhu uttered one word, finally chuckling: "That's not what I meant. Hey, you haven't ever been on a plane before, have you?"
Chu Ge was indignant. Yesterday Qiu Qiu laughed at him, today Old Zhu laughed at him.
So what if we otaku have never been on a plane! We can fight, and we even have girlfriends to help!
But why does it feel even worse next to that glamorous female secretary...?