Chapter 95

Evening.

The setting sun dyed the sky red.

Zhang Ye returned to his rented place. After taking the elevator upstairs, he didn't go back to his own apartment but sneaked into the landlady's home, where the smell of stir-fried dishes was wafting out. The door was open, and the kitchen was clearly sizzling with oil. Looking in, he saw that Rao Chenchen, the little kid, was doing homework in the living room.

"Chenchen, busy?" Zhang Ye grinned as he entered the house.

Chenchen quickly shouted to the kitchen, "Auntie! Zhang Ye is here to freeload again!"

Zhang Ye almost fell over, "You brat, I've been so nice to you."

Chenchen gave his signature light laugh, "Hehe," and then continued with his homework.

Rao Aimin, who must have heard, opened the kitchen door and gave Zhang Ye a disapproving look, "You always come at the right time, don't you? Are you a dog? Did you smell the food and come over?"

Zhang Ye wasn't angry; he was used to her sharp tongue, "I helped Chenchen so much, didn't you say you'd take care of my meals for a few days?"

"All you think about is eating. Did you not eat in your past life?" Rao Aimin, who had a sharp tongue but a kind heart, said, "Wait, I'll stir-fry a couple more dishes!"

"Thank you, Auntie!"

"You watch Chenchen do his homework!"

The little kid finished his homework, and the dishes were served.

Rao Aimin threw a pair of chopsticks to Zhang Ye, "You seem pretty happy today? Did you find a wallet? Hey, wait, come here, why are you so much taller?"

Zhang Ye smiled, "You just noticed? I'm wearing height-increasing shoes."

"Oh, I see," Rao Aimin said, "2000, 2, let's eat!" She sat down and passed bowls and chopsticks to Chenchen.

Actually, Zhang Ye wasn't wearing height-increasing shoes; it was just his regular shoes. He said this to avoid suspicion, as he had suddenly grown so tall, and no one would believe it if he said it outright. He wanted to use the height-increasing shoes as an excuse to let everyone get used to it. Once they were used to it, there wouldn't be any problems. After all, growing five centimeters overnight wasn't that unusual. In Zhang Ye's world, such miracles often happened, like growing six centimeters overnight or family members hearing bones creaking during sleep. While Zhang Ye was skeptical about the creaking, the fact that people could grow taller overnight was true, with more than ten documented cases. The cause was still unknown. So Zhang Ye wasn't worried; even if someone questioned him, he could use these excuses to deflect.

"Landlady, I have some news," Zhang Ye announced, "I just got accepted by the Beijing TV station. I'll start as a host or guest after National Day."

Rao Aimin exclaimed, "You really can create miracles, can't you?"

Zhang Ye rolled his eyes, "I did it with my strength! Absolute strength!"

"Stop boasting," Rao Aimin laughed, "Chang'e-4 just went to space, and you're going to talk it down!"

Chenchen swallowed the celery in his mouth, "Hehe."

Zhang Ye pouted, "You guys just put me down. When I become famous, you'll know how many eyes Ma Wang has!" After dinner, Zhang Ye was so full he didn't want to go home, "Can I use your computer?"

"Go home and use your own!" Rao Aimin said bluntly.

"I can't move, I'm too full," Zhang Ye insisted.

Rao Aimin clicked her tongue, "Go upstairs and use it there." She went to wash the dishes.

Zhang Ye, holding his stomach, struggled upstairs to the landlady's bedroom. When he opened the door, he was taken aback. A dazzling array of undergarments, long-sleeved shirts, and socks filled his view. The bed was covered with Rao Aimin's clothes, about twenty to thirty pieces, all laid out. It was clear that she had been organizing her wardrobe, putting away summer clothes and taking out autumn and winter clothes to air and wash. She hadn't finished and had gone to cook, leaving a pile on the bed and balcony, making Zhang Ye's heart race!

Floral long dresses.

Lace nude bras.

Black stockings with decorative patterns.

White underwear that might not have been washed yet.

Zhang Ye looked around to make sure no one was there, then closed the door and picked up a few of Rao Aimin's undergarments to examine them, before putting them back. Rao Aimin was really careless, but he decided to focus on the computer. He had gradually gotten used to Old Rao's carefree nature; she had always been like this, never treating him with any gender-based caution. Yet, this messy woman cooked incredibly well and was very considerate.

People are so strange.

Sometimes, they are a bundle of contradictions.

He opened the computer and went online, intending to check the news and entertainment headlines. But as usual, when he logged into Weibo, he found that his poem had already been posted!

"Posting a poem. I heard a friend from the TV station mention it today. The original author should be Zhang Ye."

"Everything Is Not."

"Not all the big trees are broken by the storm."

"Not all the seeds fail to find soil to take root."

He concluded, "I was so moved, so I'm sharing it with everyone!"

Zhang Ye saw that the comments and messages had already surpassed a thousand, countless messages!

"Is this a new poem by Teacher Zhang?"

"Damn, I remember a poem called 'Everything'?"

"Yes, 'Everything' by Wang Shuixin, which was in the textbooks. This poem is clearly a rebuttal to 'Everything,' completely negating it!"

"Haha, this poem is so refreshing!"

"True to form, a masterpiece by the face-slapping master, Zhang Ye!"

"Wow, everyone, come and see, the face-slapping expert, Teacher Zhang Ye, has a new work!"

"Indeed, this is face-slapping, every line targets 'Everything'! Teacher Wang Shuixin must be crying! Meeting such a face-slapping expert!"

"But 'Everything Is Not' is indeed more suitable for the Chinese curriculum. Sigh, it's a pity for Teacher Zhang, such a great poet, not even in the Writers' Association? No official recognition of his literary status?"

"@Beijing Writers' Association."

"Who made Teacher Zhang step on the Writers' Association?"

"Support Teacher Zhang joining the Writers' Association, or it's unjust!"

"Exactly, it's unjust. Beijing Writers' Association, can you respond? Why not invite Teacher Zhang to join? Is it because of literary jealousy?"

"Calling the Beijing Writers' Association!"

"Teacher Zhang is awesome! Must join the Writers' Association!"

Everyone rallied in support. Zhang Ye's works were one after another, each more brilliant than the last. The lack of response from the Beijing Writers' Association was disheartening!

But what Zhang Ye was more concerned about was the nickname and description they gave him!

Face-slapping expert?

Damn, face-slapping expert!

Why is my nickname so ugly!