Chapter 101: The Mystery of the Bestselling Author

[Where’s the one who was calling her ‘wife’ just now?]

[@Teacher Kezhong’s Dog No. 16]

[Damn, he actually managed to summon her.]

[It’s her! It’s really her!]

[Holy crap, a huge win in some sense.]

[Damn, so what was Teacher Kezhong’s comment about earlier?]

[Probably shocked by the group album, then trying to gather intel.]

[The admin won’t get caught, right?]

[@nahnahnahnahnah]

Jiang Nanjin, having opened her phone to join the group chat, quickly typed out: [Boohoo, Teacher Kezhong herself caught me.]

[She’s currently sitting right in front of me, threatening me!]

As she spoke, she swiftly raised her phone and snapped a photo of an unsuspecting Zhong Tian, posting it in the group.

[!]

[!]

[Holy cow, the admin is brazenly breaking the rules!]

“Hey!” Zhong Tian, seeing the photo Jiang Nanjin had sent, immediately panicked. “Don’t take pictures!”

Click.

Even as he spoke, Jiang Nanjin took another shot.

[Let me just say thank you, @nahnahnahnahnah]

[@nahnahnahnahnah, my hero.]

[Teacher Kezhong is really too cute!]

[It’s hard to disagree.]

[My apologies, I was a bit preoccupied just now. I’m currently pondering: with the universe so vast and humanity so minuscule, what is the meaning of our dust-like existence? What does the cosmos symbolize for us?]

[Teacher Kezhong, I genuinely adore you! For your sake, I’m going to re-read Leafage!]

?

“Can these people really act so crazy even in front of me?!” Zhong Tian exclaimed. “And retract those photos!”

“Heh heh,” Jiang Nanjin chuckled, seemingly pleased with the group members’ antics, as she retracted the images. “The internet is like a mask. Some people seem to put on a mask, but in reality, they’re taking one off. Such behavior isn’t strange at all!”

“Oh? And who was it just now, terrified that ‘crazy literature’ might go extinct?”

Li Jianren emerged from the snack shop, a plastic bottle of soy milk in one hand and a Vita Lemon Tea in the other.

He tossed the lemon tea to Zhong Tian before settling back into his seat.

“Shut up, you traitor.”

“Haha, someone’s flustered.”

Li Jianren burst into boisterous laughter.

Simultaneously, he aimed his straw at the soy milk’s seal and thrust it down with force, but instead of piercing the seal, he merely bent the straw.

“Oh, crap!”

“Haha, that’s what happens to a traitor.”

“Hmph, a mere trifle, a straw is hardly an inconvenience!”

With that, he simply peeled back the foil seal with his hand and chugged the soy milk directly from the bottle, gulping it down.

Zhong Tian, too, opened his lemon tea and took a sip.

“Zhong Tian, aren’t you going to say something in the group?”

‘…I’m trying to figure out what to say…’

Zhong Tian had to admit, the group members’ mental state genuinely startled him.

While he understood they were likely just being playful, it was still rather unnerving.

[Hello everyone.]

[This is Kezhong. I hope we can all get along well in the future.]

……

Zhong Tian gazed at the QQ group interface, his fingers hovering, pausing his typing.

‘He found himself at a loss for words.’

[Great!]

[Great! (Clapping)]

[Great! (Echoing)]

[Great! (Confused)]

[Why are you all acting like a ruthless crowd cheering for a leader after a speech?]

[Great! (Cheering on)]

[Teacher Kezhong seems a bit reserved.]

[Indeed.]

[Teacher Kezhong, there’s no need to be shy. Everyone in this QQ group is talented and speaks so well; you’re sure to love it here!]

[Indeed.]

[Teacher Kezhong is a very introverted and adorable girl, so everyone, please be a bit more restrained in your words from now on.]

[Understood!]

[Understood!]

[Great! (Understood)]

“Are you relieved now?”

Jiang Nanjin remarked.

“Yes, you’ve made amends for your earlier transgression.”

Zhong Tian nodded, then added another message to the group:

[In the future, I’ll occasionally share some concept art from the manga in the group, as compensation for the album’s ‘loss’.]

[Great!]

[Great! (I believe everyone has already saved Teacher Kezhong’s photos, right?)]

[Great! (Saved them ages ago; I look at them every night before bed!)]

[Great! (They’re practically my spiritual pillar!)]

[Great! (This round was a huge net gain!)]

‘What kind of internal team voice chat are you guys running?!’

‘…Forget it, it doesn’t matter anymore…’

He had already mentally prepared himself for his photos to circulate online when he attended the comic convention, so the current situation wasn’t particularly difficult to accept.

He put away his phone, then took another sip of lemon tea.

Now, his only remaining concern was the identity of the group owner who claimed to be so familiar with him.

****

As Zhong Tian pondered, Jiang Nanjin stood up and declared, “Zhong Tian, I’m heading back to the classroom to rest.”

“Oh, alright.” Hearing this, Zhong Tian turned to Su Linxi, who was beside him. “Linxi, do you want to go back and rest?”

“Mm.”

Su Linxi nodded in affirmation.

“Ren, we’ll head back first.”

“Alright, I’ll head back to the dorms myself after a bit.”

****

Bidding farewell to Li Jianren, the trio made their way back to the classroom.

Along the way, Jiang Nanjin kept glancing at Su Linxi, who walked beside Zhong Tian, an unspoken question in her eyes.

Upon reaching the classroom door, she tugged on Zhong Tian’s sleeve, pulling him aside to whisper, “What’s the name of that girl next to you?”

Only then did Zhong Tian realize he hadn’t introduced Su Linxi to Jiang Nanjin.

“Her name is Su Linxi.”

“‘Su Lingxi’?” Jiang Nanjin’s face instantly registered shock. “Is that her? The original author of your manga?!”

“That’s right.”

“She’s that young…?” Jiang Nanjin cast another glance at Su Linxi, who had already returned to her seat. “Hey, how did she end up transferring here?”

“She said she wanted to attend school again…”

“Is that so?” Jiang Nanjin’s gaze remained fixed on Su Linxi. “She doesn’t look like a bestselling author at all…”

“Well… regardless of her appearance, it’s truly impressive that she can write a bestseller at such a young age,” Jiang Nanjin said, nodding in praise. “Zhong Tian, what’s her real name then?”

“Su Linxi.”

“Ah? Is that her real name?”

“No, it’s the Linxi from ‘fishing by the stream’ (临溪而渔).”

“Oh, I see…”

Jiang Nanjin fell silent for a moment, then asked again, “Is she a local of Taisugi as well?”

“…No.”

“No? Then where does she live?” Jiang Nanjin pressed. “I see you two going to and from school together every day…”

“Um…”

Faced with Jiang Nanjin’s question, Zhong Tian suddenly found himself struggling to articulate an answer.

“She… is currently staying at my place.”

“What?!”

As Zhong Tian expected, Jiang Nanjin was utterly astonished.

“Living together?!”

“Yes, the reason being to supervise my manga creation so it doesn’t deviate from her original vision…”

“No, I mean, did you two know each other before you decided to adapt the manga?”

“No, we didn’t.”

“So, she personally requested to move into the home of a guy she had just met?” Jiang Nanjin frowned, “Does that even make sense?”

‘Well… perhaps she doesn’t see me as a guy… that might be why she felt at ease.’

In truth, Zhong Tian himself found it somewhat illogical.

During the initial period after Su Linxi moved in, her behavior and words towards him were clearly not what one would exhibit towards a stranger—let alone a strange male.

It had perplexed him for a long time, and now, reflecting on Su Linxi’s personality and conduct, it indeed seemed somewhat abnormal…

‘But why was that?’

‘At that moment, another question surfaced in Zhong Tian’s mind.’

‘…Haven’t there been a few too many unsolved mysteries around him lately?’

‘Zhong Tian felt like he was becoming overwhelmed.’

****