"Did you book the tickets for Xiangshan Park?"
Zhao Qingge's words were unmistakably clear!
At this mont, Li Peifeng's eyes were filled with tears, not out of emotion.
It was simply the feeling of being toyed with by fate, the alienation of the world, the impermanence of life.
Li Peifeng no longer wanted to go to Xiangshan; he just wanted to go to space and see if the edge of the universe was just as absurd and desolate.
"Why didn't you agree at that ti?"
Li Peifeng held back his sadness and asked the question cautiously...
"Don't get wrong. I didn't want to go to Xiangshan with you just to enjoy the scenery. I just wanted to discuss the outline of your new book. I felt that the narrative arc I suggested before was too traditional and might not suit online literature."
Zhao Qingge's words were serious and formal: "I think no matter what, you must be extrely careful with this new book because you will be completely changing your writing style, which is very difficult. The overall story, pace, plot arrangent, characters, and everything else are completely different from the novels you've written before, and this book is very important, so you must think it through before you start writing."
Wow, Old Zhao, you perfectly explained what it ans to 'find excuses for yourself and live well according to them!!'
Li Peifeng held his phone, closed his eyes tightly, took a few deep breaths, and said, "Yes, thank you, I should discuss it with you more, but..."
He stopped short, unable to say anything like 'I have plans with soone else tomorrow'. In fact, Li Peifeng really wanted to go to Xiangshan with Old Zhao.
"You don't have ti? Then forget it." Zhao Qingge heard Li Peifeng's hesitation and decisively wanted to cancel the appointnt.
"It's not that I don't have ti!" Li Peifeng quickly responded, "It's just that after you said you wouldn't go yesterday, I promised my parents I'd go with them to Xiangshan tomorrow. It just so happens to coincide."
"Oh."
Zhao Qingge's tone was flat: "Then accompany them."
With that, she hung up the phone.
Li Peifeng felt as if he had missed out on a fortune, heartache!!
Old Zhao had finally agreed to a private eting, but he had to refuse himself.
Promising Huang Tianxuan was only one reason for the refusal; more so, Li Peifeng feared being seen by his parents while taking Director Zhao to Xiangshan.
Being caught with Huang Tianxuan, he could barely accept, but being seen with his ntor at Xiangshan, the consequence was too horrifying for Li to even imagine.
The difference between the two was like getting cut with a knife versus getting hit with a shell.
The forr might survive.
The latter would surely die, and in a pulverizing way.
Yet the unwilling thought constantly nagged at Li Peifeng's mind, and with no solution, he could only soothe his pain by writing!
"Let's first set up a female lead based on my ntor to calm myself!"
Li Peifeng started working on the new book again; instead of focusing on the detailed outline and story plot, he began with the female lead setup, which seed illogical, but to be honest, this was the reason he made the dumplings.
So, write, just write—damn it!
"Appearance: Beautiful, extrely beautiful."
"Personality: Intellectual, gentle, kind, considerate."
"Flaw: Proud, extrely proud."
"Catchphrase: Don't misunderstand, it's not that I like you, I just..."
...
Past eleven at night, two girls ca out of the bedroom to the bathroom to freshen up. Hearing the noise, Li Peifeng, interrupted in his thoughts, simply took a break and logged into TT.
After doing his daily casual photo routine, he waited for a while but didn't get a reply from Yun Xin Yue Xing, so Li Peifeng left the bedroom and joined the two girls in freshening up.
"Hey, which route do you plan to take my parents tomorrow?" Li Peifeng asked nonchalantly.
Xu Manning brushed her teeth and mumbled casually, "We'll start from the south side of Xiangshan, go up to Shuangqing Villa, then to Xiangshan Temple, stroll along the way. We'll descend from the north side to the Glazed Tower and Glasses Lake, essentially the route we took before, covering the major spots."
Li Peifeng uttered an "oh," while brushing his teeth, pondering the best route to take with Huang Tianxuan to completely avoid the group of four.
But upon second thought, he realized he was overthinking it. Why obsess over avoiding them? Instead, solve the problem at its root.
If Wu Wenyue and Xu Manning could be persuaded not to go to Xiangshan, only his parents remaining, the risk would greatly diminish!
With four people reduced to two, not only would the chances of running into each other decrease, but the consequences of an encounter would be minimized!
In fact, he and Huang Tianxuan could entirely replace Xu and Wu, accompanying his parents to Xiangshan, perfectly resolving the issue!
But how to get the two girls not to go...
"Are you really not going tomorrow?"
Wu Wenyue bent over the sink to wash her face, jokingly saying, "Aren't you afraid we'll secretly tell your uncle and aunt bad things about you?"
Afraid?
In a flash, Li Peifeng chuckled, "I'm so scared, but I'm even more worried about you guys."
Xu Manning looked puzzled: "Worried about us? Worried we might get lost?"
"You two... never mind."
Li Peifeng hesitated, shook his head, and didn't say more.
This, however, piqued the interest of the two girls. Wu Wenyue impatiently said: "Spit it out if you've got sothing to say, what's with the 'never mind'?"
Xu Manning urged as well: "Co on, spill it!"
"Alright, I'll just say it then."
Li Peifeng adopted a more serious expression: "Look at you two, at this stage, one of you is managing major projects in a family business, the other is preparing to start a self-dia venture, yet you still have the leisure to stroll around and relax on weekends. Doesn't that make worry?"
The expressions of the two girls changed instantly, both looked at Li Peifeng.
Li Peifeng, unfazed, continued to speak according to his plan: "My parents are in their middle age, without financial stress, fully enjoying life without any issue. But at your age, with so much to do, how can you justify learning from them?"
"Manning, you will bear your parents' expectations in the future, taking over the family enterprise and deciding its success or failure. Wenyue, your future is uncertain, and you urgently need to establish yourself in the Capital, achieve financial independence, and live a better life. You clearly have well-defined goals, but your current attitude and behavior really puzzle ..."
Xu Manning's face grew darker the more she listened: "Are you lecturing us?"
Wu Wenyue cursed under her breath, also feeling annoyed: "You're really full of yourself, just beca an investor and now you're trying to PUA ?"
"What do you an by PUA?"
Li Peifeng frowned: "Focus is a very good quality, but with your attitude, I feel like even if I open my eyes, I still can't see your future."
"Say that again?"
"Do we still have a future??"
The two girls stared at him intensely, seemingly genuinely angry.
It seems the word 'future' is a taboo topic.
Li Peifeng was startled inside, quickly soothing them: "I guess I'm worrying too much, don't listen to my nonsense, after all, tomorrow is the weekend, and it's ti to relax and rest."
"Good, then shut your mouth!"
"If I get breast cancer from anger, I'll be the first to get you!"
The two girls originally in a good mood beca anxious because of what he said.
The jerk seems to be making a lot of sense, the more we think about it, the more sense it makes!
But being lectured like this was sothing Wu Wenyue and Xu Manning couldn't tolerate.
Just like when couples argue, even if the girlfriend realizes her boyfriend makes more sense, she must still retort, the sa went for them.
"Li Peifeng, you're like a leech that can't find food, do you know why? Of course, you don't, because you're a small weak leech!"
"In the future, stop lecturing us, use that ti to type more on the keyboard, you might eventually challenge my pocket money with your hard-earned manuscript fees from a year!"
The two rarely united against a common adversary, verbally attacking Li Peifeng while getting ready for bed, the latter smilingly didn't mind.
Finally, after finishing their bedti routine, they exited the bathroom, returned to the bedroom, took off their pajamas, lay on the bed in the darkness, each maintaining silence.
"He actually has a point," Wu Wenyue, hugging Xu Manning, broke the silence first.
"Occasionally," Xu Manning scratched her head, feeling frustrated: "Alright, he's quite focused and serious in everything he does, that's attractive."
"Yeah."
Wu Wenyue nodded in agreent, then hesitated: "So are we still going tomorrow? Maybe we should let Uncle and Auntie go by themselves..."
"We've already agreed to go."
Xu Manning pouted, very unwilling: "Going back on our word just like that would be bad!"
"But I want to et those internet celebrity seniors tomorrow."
Wu Wenyue whispered: "Chatting on WeChat is never as thorough as eting in person, after eting them, I'll arrange interviews with two operations and filming people, or else I'll be too busy starting Monday with no ti at all."
Xu Manning sighed in frustration: "Ah, work ourselves to death! I'll go to the company, accompany them to work overti and draw."
Wu Wenyue softly acknowledged, paused briefly, then said: "Will you tell Uncle and Auntie? They might be sleeping if it's later."
Xu Manning's tone was full of reluctance: "I won't say it, you say it."
"I'm embarrassed!"
"And I'm not?!"
This left Wu Wenyue speechless, then she turned it around, laughed, and said: "We can let him say it, after all, they're his own parents, let him accompany them. Typing a few words won't take much of his ti, this way Uncle and Auntie wouldn't bla us too much."
"Right!"
Xu Manning imdiately agreed, then turned on the lamp, picked up the phone by the bed, and sent a voice ssage to Li Peifeng. Shortly after, Li Peifeng's voice ca from outside the room.
"We're all staying in the sa place, why waste phone battery? Why can't you just open the door and say it directly?"
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