Chapter 40: Mo Qiu’s Literary Dilemma and a Touch of Tenderness

Is this the book that girl dropped?

Mo Qiu picked up the book from the floor and went to the door to look out. The hallway was empty.

She returned to her seat and stared at the pink cover.

“Devil Girl Falls in Love with Me… I feel like I’ve heard this title before.”

Mo Qiu quickly remembered what it was about.

Recently, she had often heard her classmates, especially the girls, talking about this novel. It seemed to be quite popular.

Since it was a book that girls liked, Mo Qiu thought it wouldn’t be strange if she flipped through it a bit.

Bai Chen wasn’t coming back anytime soon, so she opened the novel and started reading page by page.

But as time went on, Mo Qiu’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

*BANG!*

Mo Qiu forcefully closed the book and covered her eyes.

A novel of two or three hundred pages, and she could only read ten pages. She feared she might get sick if she read any more.

This novel was horribly written!

Mo Qiu, who had lived two lives, didn’t have a habit of reading novels. Even on her first encounter, she couldn’t bear to look at something so poorly written.

“Devil Girl Falls in Love with Me” tells the story of a love affair between a demon girl, hidden among humans, and an angel boy. Their first meeting started with an accident, and they vowed to never forgive each other.

From the first paragraph, Mo Qiu could guess the rest of the development. There was no element of surprise.

The author’s writing was questionable, with excessive descriptions of the female lead’s various merits and beauty, almost making the whole world kneel at her feet.

After reading ten pages, Mo Qiu felt her body and mind had been severely impacted. She feared her IQ would drop if she looked at it anymore and wanted to delete that memory.

Who could have written something so awful?

Mo Qiu’s gaze wandered over the cover and saw the author’s pen name, “Li Buning.” She memorized the name, deciding to stay far away from it next time.

The owner of the novel didn’t appear, so Mo Qiu put the book in her bag and waited for Bai Chen to return after lunch.

Every time a figure appeared at the classroom door, she would look up, but Bai Chen didn’t return.

More and more people filled the classroom, turning her once quiet little world into a noisy place. Mo Qiu didn’t like noisy environments.

Finally, she saw Bai Chen’s figure in her field of vision. Mo Qiu eagerly stood up, her ponytail swinging behind her.

As soon as he saw Mo Qiu, Bai Chen’s expression changed slightly, but he maintained a smile and greeted her:

“Mo Qiu, were you waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t skip lunch, did you?”

“I brought a bento.”

“That’s good.”

If she hadn’t eaten because of waiting for him, Bai Chen would feel so guilty he couldn’t sleep at night.

Seeing the test paper in her hand, Bai Chen looked around. Unlike before, if they sat close together now, Bai Chen, with his thin skin, couldn’t handle the rumors.

What hurt him more was that the rumors would affect Mo Qiu, deepening everyone’s misunderstanding of her.

Just as Mo Qiu was about to start asking about the mistakes without him speaking, Bai Chen suddenly stopped her.

“Mo Qiu, did you change your hairstyle?”

It was the first time he saw her with a style other than loose hair. Up close, it looked quite good.

Her smooth black hair was tied up into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with a small strand of hair hanging on each cheek.

The girl’s snow-white neck was exposed to the air, and her ponytail swayed from side to side with her movements.

“It’s a bit hot.”

Mo Qiu wasn’t lying. Loose hair was both hot and cumbersome. She had hesitated between cutting it short and tying it up, ultimately choosing the latter.

Why did Bai Chen bring this up? Did he like it?

Mo Qiu couldn’t miss this opportunity. Tilting her head, she asked, “Want to touch it?”

“Ah?”

“You can, if it’s you.”

Mo Qiu lifted the hair by her cheek and brought it to her nose, confirming there was no unpleasant odor.

Who would want to touch hair?

Bai Chen was about to respond that way, but suddenly remembered an important fact: touching her ponytail up close would also allow him to observe her eyes.

He had always wanted to closely observe her deep, mysterious, and beautiful eyes. Last time, he had a chance with Mo Qiu, but it was too dark to see clearly.

Now, another chance was right in front of him!

Thinking this, Bai Chen’s heart started racing, and he became a bit tongue-tied:

“Really, can I?”

Mo Qiu didn’t answer, but instead sat down, tilting her head and lifting her own ponytail. Her obedient posture was like that of a virtuous wife waiting for her husband to return from work.

Bai Chen swallowed, his pupils trembling.

Should he go for it?

He should!

Suppressing his excitement, Bai Chen slowly reached out and grasped her ponytail. Just from lightly touching it, he felt a unique smoothness, each strand of hair flowing through his palm.

More important than the ponytail were the other parts. The girl’s neck was long and fair, and her eyes, devoid of any highlight, were even more captivating up close.

Like a bottomless pool, calm and deep, reflecting no external light.

Calm eyes, calm girl. Bai Chen allowed himself to drown in this pool, exploring the soul hidden in its depths.

Bliss!!!

Just as Bai Chen was enjoying himself, Mo Qiu felt a sense of doubt.

Why wasn’t he moving?

Mo Qiu thought Bai Chen would grab her ponytail and inhale deeply, but he remained still like a statue after grasping it.

Mo Qiu stared at him for a while. Since he wasn’t moving, she decided to take the initiative.

Just as Mo Qiu was about to press her body against his, the bell for class rang.

The sharp sound of the bell jolted Bai Chen awake, and he quickly let go of her ponytail, “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

Mo Qiu shook her head, looking at the test paper in her hand.

“Class is starting, we’ll have to continue next time.” Bai Chen forced a smile.

“Okay.”

Mo Qiu’s expression didn’t change, but internally, she was annoyed. Nothing had happened, and the lunch break was over.

There were still classes in the afternoon, and after school, Bai Chen rushed off to work, faster than anyone else.

Should she chase after him?

Mo Qiu had done some research and found that the restaurant he worked at was secretly connected to the Magic Hunter Guild. It was best to stay away from such places.

Back home, Mo Qiu returned to the embrace of her dim bedroom, climbing onto the bed and sitting in the corner.

She stared at the thin beam of orange sunlight filtering through the curtain, pondering recent events.

Since the market battle, Mo Qiu felt she was getting closer to Bai Chen, but he still maintained a distance.

Mo Qiu had tried various methods—making bento, asking for help with studies, or inviting him to walk home together—but none had yielded significant results.

Reluctant as she was, she had to accept that her plan was at a standstill.

“Is this what they call a bottleneck?”

Mo Qiu muttered to herself.

“To take another step, I need a major event that will move him.”

But what should she do?

After Aiqi’s meeting, the monsters had calmed down, and Mo Qiu couldn’t find their whereabouts, let alone use them.

As for Saluk, trapped in the mirror, he was a tough nut to crack.

Who was the Mysterious Person?

What was the Mysterious Person’s goal?

What was the use of this piece of scrap metal?

With no answers, Mo Qiu was running out of patience.

That piece of metal always gave her a chill when she looked at it for too long, and she couldn’t carry it around constantly.

But with this, I’m sure I can find the Mysterious Person.

Mo Qiu never let her guard down. The Mysterious Person’s strength was unknown, but they were definitely a formidable enemy.

For now, she had to focus on Bai Chen. Continuous setbacks made Mo Qiu restless, and she wanted to find something to do to distract herself.

As she moved towards the computer, she accidentally knocked her bag to the floor. Mo Qiu spotted the novel that had fallen out.

Picking up the book with its pink cover, Mo Qiu thought, “Since I’m idle, I might as well see what kind of cliché plot this author comes up with next.”

The girl sat on the bed, resting the novel on her knees, and began reading it in the light from the computer screen.

No matter how she looked at it, the plot was cheesy.

Why would the male lead be unable to resist the female lead hiding beside him?

Why would the female lead keep provoking the male lead?

Why hadn’t they realized each other’s feelings and were still at odds?

One question after another popped into her mind, and she kept grumbling internally as she flipped through the pages.

After a while, Mo Qiu’s lips curled into a smile.

Another cliché plot, and I’m sure it will develop like this…

Flipping to the next page, Mo Qiu froze.

It ended?!

The author actually cut off the story at the crucial point!

Mo Qiu checked the last page repeatedly, confirming there was no hidden secret.

“Really, is that all there is to this book?”

The immense sense of emptiness left Mo Qiu in a daze on the bed for a while, her mind replaying the book’s plot.

It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

Mo Qiu hurried to the computer and opened an e-commerce platform. Fortunately, the series was complete.

Seeing the hefty price, the girl hesitated, her fingers tapping the mouse.

“I should spend my money on important things, like buying things Bai Chen likes, or… romance novels?”

Bai Chen would probably like this kind of book. Little virgins always fantasize about beautiful love stories.

Yeah, that’s a reasonable assumption.

Get the whole set!

Seeing the successful checkout page, Mo Qiu blinked and murmured:

“What am I… doing?”

****

“Is this the book that girl dropped?”

Mo Qiu picked up the book from the floor and went to the door to look out. The hallway was empty.

She returned to her seat and stared at the pink cover.

“Devil Girl Falls in Love with Me… I feel like I’ve heard this title before.”

Mo Qiu quickly remembered what it was about.

Recently, she had often heard her classmates, especially the girls, talking about this novel. It seemed to be quite popular.

Since it was a book that girls liked, Mo Qiu thought it wouldn’t be strange if she flipped through it a bit.

Bai Chen wasn’t coming back anytime soon, so she opened the novel and started reading page by page.

But as time went on, Mo Qiu’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

*BANG!*

Mo Qiu forcefully closed the book and covered her eyes.

A novel of two or three hundred pages, and she could only read ten pages. She feared she might get sick if she read any more.

This novel was horribly written!

Mo Qiu, who had lived two lives, didn’t have a habit of reading novels. Even on her first encounter, she couldn’t bear to look at something so poorly written.

“Devil Girl Falls in Love with Me” tells the story of a love affair between a demon girl, hidden among humans, and an angel boy. Their first meeting started with an accident, and they vowed to never forgive each other.

From the first paragraph, Mo Qiu could guess the rest of the development. There was no element of surprise.

The author’s writing was questionable, with excessive descriptions of the female lead’s various merits and beauty, almost making the whole world kneel at her feet.

After reading ten pages, Mo Qiu felt her body and mind had been severely impacted. She feared her IQ would drop if she looked at it anymore and wanted to delete that memory.

Who could have written something so awful?

Mo Qiu’s gaze wandered over the cover and saw the author’s pen name, “Li Buning.” She memorized the name, deciding to stay far away from it next time.

The owner of the novel didn’t appear, so Mo Qiu put the book in her bag and waited for Bai Chen to return after lunch.

Every time a figure appeared at the classroom door, she would look up, but Bai Chen didn’t return.

More and more people filled the classroom, turning her once quiet little world into a noisy place. Mo Qiu didn’t like noisy environments.

Finally, she saw Bai Chen’s figure in her field of vision. Mo Qiu eagerly stood up, her ponytail swinging behind her.

As soon as he saw Mo Qiu, Bai Chen’s expression changed slightly, but he maintained a smile and greeted her:

“Mo Qiu, were you waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t skip lunch, did you?”

“I brought a bento.”

“That’s good.”

If she hadn’t eaten because of waiting for him, Bai Chen would feel so guilty he couldn’t sleep at night.

Seeing the test paper in her hand, Bai Chen looked around. Unlike before, if they sat close together now, Bai Chen, with his thin skin, couldn’t handle the rumors.

What hurt him more was that the rumors would affect Mo Qiu, deepening everyone’s misunderstanding of her.

Just as Mo Qiu was about to start asking about the mistakes without him speaking, Bai Chen suddenly stopped her.

“Mo Qiu, did you change your hairstyle?”

It was the first time he saw her with a style other than loose hair. Up close, it looked quite good.

Her smooth black hair was tied up into a high ponytail at the back of her head, with a small strand of hair hanging on each cheek.

The girl’s snow-white neck was exposed to the air, and her ponytail swayed from side to side with her movements.

“It’s a bit hot.”

Mo Qiu wasn’t lying. Loose hair was both hot and cumbersome. She had hesitated between cutting it short and tying it up, ultimately choosing the latter.

Why did Bai Chen bring this up? Did he like it?

Mo Qiu couldn’t miss this opportunity. Tilting her head, she asked, “Want to touch it?”

“Ah?”

“You can, if it’s you.”

Mo Qiu lifted the hair by her cheek and brought it to her nose, confirming there was no unpleasant odor.

Who would want to touch hair?

Bai Chen was about to respond that way, but suddenly remembered an important fact: touching her ponytail up close would also allow him to observe her eyes.

He had always wanted to closely observe her deep, mysterious, and beautiful eyes. Last time, he had a chance with Mo Qiu, but it was too dark to see clearly.

Now, another chance was right in front of him!

Thinking this, Bai Chen’s heart started racing, and he became a bit tongue-tied:

“Really, can I?”

Mo Qiu didn’t answer, but instead sat down, tilting her head and lifting her own ponytail. Her obedient posture was like that of a virtuous wife waiting for her husband to return from work.

Bai Chen swallowed, his pupils trembling.

Should he go for it?

He should!

Suppressing his excitement, Bai Chen slowly reached out and grasped her ponytail. Just from lightly touching it, he felt a unique smoothness, each strand of hair flowing through his palm.

More important than the ponytail were the other parts. The girl’s neck was long and fair, and her eyes, devoid of any highlight, were even more captivating up close.

Like a bottomless pool, calm and deep, reflecting no external light.

Calm eyes, calm girl. Bai Chen allowed himself to drown in this pool, exploring the soul hidden in its depths.

Bliss!!!

Just as Bai Chen was enjoying himself, Mo Qiu felt a sense of doubt.

Why wasn’t he moving?

Mo Qiu thought Bai Chen would grab her ponytail and inhale deeply, but he remained still like a statue after grasping it.

Mo Qiu stared at him for a while. Since he wasn’t moving, she decided to take the initiative.

Just as Mo Qiu was about to press her body against his, the bell for class rang.

The sharp sound of the bell jolted Bai Chen awake, and he quickly let go of her ponytail, “Sorry, did I hurt you?”

Mo Qiu shook her head, looking at the test paper in her hand.

“Class is starting, we’ll have to continue next time.” Bai Chen forced a smile.

“Okay.”

Mo Qiu’s expression didn’t change, but internally, she was annoyed. Nothing had happened, and the lunch break was over.

There were still classes in the afternoon, and after school, Bai Chen rushed off to work, faster than anyone else.

Should she chase after him?

Mo Qiu had done some research and found that the restaurant he worked at was secretly connected to the Magic Hunter Guild. It was best to stay away from such places.

Back home, Mo Qiu returned to the embrace of her dim bedroom, climbing onto the bed and sitting in the corner.

She stared at the thin beam of orange sunlight filtering through the curtain, pondering recent events.

Since the market battle, Mo Qiu felt she was getting closer to Bai Chen, but he still maintained a distance.

Mo Qiu had tried various methods—making bento, asking for help with studies, or inviting him to walk home together—but none had yielded significant results.

Reluctant as she was, she had to accept that her plan was at a standstill.

“Is this what they call a bottleneck?”

Mo Qiu muttered to herself.

“To take another step, I need a major event that will move him.”

But what should she do?

After Aiqi’s meeting, the monsters had calmed down, and Mo Qiu couldn’t find their whereabouts, let alone use them.

As for Saluk, trapped in the mirror, he was a tough nut to crack.

Who was the Mysterious Person?

What was the Mysterious Person’s goal?

What was the use of this piece of scrap metal?

With no answers, Mo Qiu was running out of patience.

That piece of metal always gave her a chill when she looked at it for too long, and she couldn’t carry it around constantly.

But with this, I’m sure I can find the Mysterious Person.

Mo Qiu never let her guard down. The Mysterious Person’s strength was unknown, but they were definitely a formidable enemy.

For now, she had to focus on Bai Chen. Continuous setbacks made Mo Qiu restless, and she wanted to find something to do to distract herself.

As she moved towards the computer, she accidentally knocked her bag to the floor. Mo Qiu spotted the novel that had fallen out.

Picking up the book with its pink cover, Mo Qiu thought, “Since I’m idle, I might as well see what kind of cliché plot this author comes up with next.”

The girl sat on the bed, resting the novel on her knees, and began reading it in the light from the computer screen.

No matter how she looked at it, the plot was cheesy.

Why would the male lead be unable to resist the female lead hiding beside him?

Why would the female lead keep provoking the male lead?

Why hadn’t they realized each other’s feelings and were still at odds?

One question after another popped into her mind, and she kept grumbling internally as she flipped through the pages.

After a while, Mo Qiu’s lips curled into a smile.

Another cliché plot, and I’m sure it will develop like this…

Flipping to the next page, Mo Qiu froze.

It ended?!

The author actually cut off the story at the crucial point!

Mo Qiu checked the last page repeatedly, confirming there was no hidden secret.

“Really, is that all there is to this book?”

The immense sense of emptiness left Mo Qiu in a daze on the bed for a while, her mind replaying the book’s plot.

It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

Mo Qiu hurried to the computer and opened an e-commerce platform. Fortunately, the series was complete.

Seeing the hefty price, the girl hesitated, her fingers tapping the mouse.

“I should spend my money on important things, like buying things Bai Chen likes, or… romance novels?”

Bai Chen would probably like this kind of book. Little virgins always fantasize about beautiful love stories.

Yeah, that’s a reasonable assumption.

Get the whole set!

Seeing the successful checkout page, Mo Qiu blinked and murmured:

“What am I… doing?”

****