Chapter 21

After leaving Mi Hu's house, Liu Jington received a call from Editor Yao urging him to submit his manuscript. He readily agreed, and the seventh to ninth chapters of "Shuke and Beta" reached a climax:

Shuke, who flew the plane, took advantage of Beta, who was sleeping in the tank, to lift the tank into the air with the plane. Then they encountered a fierce eagle. With Shuke's cooperation, Beta used the tank to drive the eagle away. After the two mice finally met, another problem arose: Shuke's plane broke down, and Beta drove the tank into the Cat City.

Liu Jington remembered this chapter about the two mice meeting very vividly. When he first read it, he was so excited that he scratched his ears and cheeks. However, it was a pity for the king of the sky—the eagle, which tragically became the object of the mice's trampling.

These three chapters ended with Shuke and Beta arriving in Cat City and being surrounded by a group of cats, leaving a perfect cliffhanger. This again confirmed the later generations' eight-character evaluation of "Shuke and Beta": "full of suspense, gripping."

After hanging up with Editor Yao, Liu Jington soon received a text message from Mi Hu asking about the background setting of the Seven Swords. After thinking for a while, Liu Jington replied with a modified version of Dumas' famous quote: "History is the nail on which I hang my novel."

Creating stories based on known historical backgrounds has always been a favorite of literary creators, of course, mainly because the audience loves it. There is a great sense of anticipation, as everyone is curious about how the kings and historical figures of the past lived.

After replying to Mi Hu's text, Liu Jington suddenly thought of something else and called Editor Yao again, explaining that he did not want the media or the outside world to know that he was writing for "The Great Jianghu." Editor Yao naturally agreed and promised to keep it confidential. He also mentioned the future development of "Shuke and Beta" merchandise, suggesting that an editor come to talk to him about it.

Thus, Mai Mai from "Children's Literature," carrying the wishes of her colleagues, came to meet this mysterious middle school author, Liu Jington.

Mai Mai was a very lively girl, moving like a nimble rabbit. When she first met Liu Jington, her expression was very vivid, as if she was looking at a very young and innocent boy.

Mai Mai's first impression of Liu Jington was more like that of a friendly older sister, even though she was a few years older than Mi Hu. If someone could peek into the minds of these two, they would find it very puzzling and strange.

Due to her natural age advantage, Mai Mai felt no pressure in her conversation with Liu Jington, unlike when talking to a soon-to-be famous writer. Instead, the conversation was very relaxed and pleasant.

They discussed the comic, animation, and related toys and stationery of the story. Mai Mai's viewpoints were mostly the results of discussions in the editorial department, while Liu Jington's casual ideas and suggestions amazed this experienced editor.

The conversation lasted nearly an hour. As it progressed, Mai Mai had to take out a notebook to make some notes. When they parted, Liu Jington smiled and added, "Don't rush the development of the merchandise; wait until the story is more substantial."

Mai Mai nodded out of habit, having nodded many times already. When she left, she could no longer associate Liu Jington with a young boy, even though he still looked very young.

Then, Liu Jington went to catch the bus. When he reached the crossroads, the traffic light turned red, and he saw his girlfriend, Mi Hu, standing on the opposite side.

Wearing a large white headphone, a shoulder bag, and canvas shoes, this familiar outfit lifted his mood. However, the unfamiliar boy standing next to her immediately dampened his spirits.

The red light seemed like the hairpin of the Queen Mother of the West, and the road was the hateful Milky Way. Liu Jington and Mi Hu stood on opposite sides of the road, their expressions vastly different.

It was undeniable that Mi Hu's gesture of turning her head to look at Bei Hetao, as seen by others, seemed somewhat intimate, especially with the deep affection on Bei Hetao's face.

Mi Hu shook her head at Liu Jington, as if trying to explain something, while Liu Jington nodded and smiled, as if understanding something.

When the red light turned green, Mi Hu immediately rushed across the road and asked, "Why are you here?"

"Meeting a beautiful girl."

"Did you follow me?"

Liu Jington laughed and said, "You're really underestimating me." He pointed to the beverage shop where he had just talked with Mai Mai, "I was just talking with Mai Mai, an editor from 'Children's Literature,' at that 'Safe Haven' beverage shop. Meeting you was purely coincidental. How could it be following?"

"Female editor?"

Liu Jington smiled and nodded.

"Young female editor?"

"Yes, a bit older than you, but more lively."

"Are you saying I'm stiff?"

Liu Jington gestured towards the puzzled Bei Hetao and asked, "Your friend?"

Without turning her head, Mi Hu continued to stare at Liu Jington and asked, "Explain yourself. Did you just call me stiff?"

Bei Hetao looked at Liu Jington and asked Mi Hu, "Your brother?"

"My boyfriend, don't interrupt."

"Ah?!" Bei Hetao became even more puzzled and muttered, "When did you get a boyfriend?"

Ignoring him, Mi Hu urged Liu Jington to answer her question.

Liu Jington reminded her, "Your friend is asking you a question."

"Don't interrupt me. What did you mean by saying I'm not smart? Do you think I'm not clever? Do you think my cooking is bad?"

Such a broad logical leap left Liu Jington no choice but to spread his hands and say, "I swear, I didn't think that."

The deeply puzzled Bei Hetao interjected, "You cook for him?"

Mi Hu glared at him and scolded, "I told you not to interrupt," then turned back to Liu Jington and said, "You did. You just said that someone is smarter and more lively than me. You only met her once, how do you know she's smarter? It was your first meeting, right?"

Liu Jington realized that once a boy dared to praise any quality of another girl in front of his girlfriend, he would face endless questioning. Comparing another girl's strengths to his girlfriend's weaknesses was even more dangerous.

Liu Jington understood that if he only defended himself, he would surely lose. So he decided to go on the offensive, his expression turning serious as he pointed at Bei Hetao and asked, "Who is he? What were you doing just now?"

"Who he is, you don't need to know. We were just chatting at Moonbucks."

"Wow, Moonbucks, chatting? What were you chatting about?"

Just as Mi Hu, who had been unreasonably demanding, suddenly lost her confidence, she explained, "He's Bei Hetao, the author of 'Fengyi,' who left 'The Great Jianghu.'"

Liu Jington raised his voice, "And then? Aren't you an editor at 'The Great Jianghu'? What do you have to chat about with a defected author?"

"I, I..."

"What? What can't you talk to me directly? What's the problem?"

Seizing the opportunity, Bei Hetao immediately said, "Be nicer to girls."

Liu Jington turned to Bei Hetao and said rudely, "Nicer? I'm teaching my woman. Do I need to report to you, an outsider, whether I'm nice or not?"

"What did you say?" Bei Hetao exclaimed again, "She, she is your woman?"

"Liu Jington, what nonsense are you talking? When did I become your woman?" Mi Hu interjected.

"You don't admit it, do you? Then I ask you, have you cooked for me?"

"Yes, but..."

"Wasn't my computer a gift from you?" Liu Jington asked urgently.

"Yes, but..."

"Wasn't my phone a gift from you?"

"Yes, but..."

"Are you my girlfriend?"

"Yes, but... you first..."

"So, are you my woman?"

"Yes, but... ah, no, you bastard!"

Liu Jington calmly said, "You don't need to shout at me; I can hear you."

Bei Hetao's face turned as green as the green light, and he muttered, "So, you two have so many stories. I..."

"Don't listen to him. I gave him things purely for work. He's just Gu Yusheng, my author."

Mi Hu made this explanation to clarify that "she wasn't Liu Jington's woman," but to Liu Jington, it seemed like she was drawing a line between them, and even doing so in front of another man.

Liu Jington sighed at the right moment and said sorrowfully, "I really misunderstood you." Then he started to walk away.

Mi Hu was stunned. She didn't know whether to chase after Liu Jington. If she did, would it prove what he said? After all, she was a girl.

At the crossroads, the chaotic questioning and answering finally ended. Liu Jington took the bus home, while the frustrated Mi Hu said goodbye to Bei Hetao and walked away alone. Bei Hetao remained standing, digesting Liu Jington's series of questions.

On the bus, Mi Hu leaned her head against the window, and tears suddenly streamed down her face. She didn't know if it was because Liu Jington walked away looking sad, or because she was about to leave "The Great Jianghu" with a heavy heart.

After the bus reached the station, she didn't get off, feeling wronged and unable to vent her frustration. She decided to ride the bus around the city to clear her mind. By the time she reached the terminal, it was already dark, and the streetlights were gradually turning on. Mi Hu got off the bus, sat on a bench at the bus stop, and took out her phone to send a text to Liu Jington: "Liu Jington, I hate you so much!"

However, the text didn't send successfully because Liu Jington, whose pride was hurt by Mi Hu, had turned off his phone and put it in a drawer. Of course, Liu Jington wasn't angry enough to stop using his computer, as he had left his manuscript fee with Mi Hu, and he felt justified using the computer. His pride was not an issue.

For three consecutive days, Liu Jington did not contact Mi Hu, and Mi Hu did not contact him. Liu Jington vaguely felt that she should have called or texted him, but seeing Mi Hu's gray avatar on the social media for several days, he lost confidence.

Under a strange mindset, Liu Jington rarely opened the Jianghu Forum and saw a hot post, which was Mi Hu's main account clarifying that "Liu Jington" and "Gu Yusheng" had no relationship.

The second post was a leak revealing that Liu Jington and Gu Yusheng were the same person. It was clear that this was a promotional tactic by "The Great Jianghu," but why did Mi Hu need to clarify?

Liu Jington quickly logged into his microblog and kept scrolling through the news feed, trying to find any trace of Mi Hu. Fortunately, he didn't follow many people, and he found her latest post on the fifth page: "I'm leaving temporarily, don't know when I'll be back, but I will definitely return."

The post below read: "I really want to buy a drum and beat it to pieces!"

Wasn't "drum" a play on "Gu"? And the third person pronoun used was "he" instead of "it." For an editor, this mistake was definitely intentional.

Seeing the information related to himself, Liu Jington felt inexplicably happy. His pitiful pride was fully satisfied, but why did Mi Hu say she was leaving?

Liu Jington opened the official microblog of "The Great Jianghu" and saw a big announcement on the homepage: "Editor Mi Hu is an intern at the magazine. She is just a temporary worker, and her statements do not represent the magazine!"