Chapter 51

After chatting with the mysterious "Mysterious Flower of Knives," Liu Jingtong reviewed the script again, trying to find some evidence of the screenwriter's identity from the subtle clues in the dialogue.

Liu Jingtong had never seen the script before. Even though his mind contained a vast number of works, it did not include film and television scripts. Based on his understanding, a script might share some similarities with plays in terms of text.

Setting, characters, props, event descriptions, dialogues, narrations...

Upon closer inspection, the script had several immature aspects. The most prominent feature was the excessive use of abstract terms and exaggerated sentences. For a script, phrases like "a sea of soldiers," "an indescribable gaze," and "a noble wine glass" were not standard. The setting, characters, and props needed to be specific. For example, "a sea of soldiers" could be replaced with "a ten-thousand-strong army," "an indescribable gaze" with "a gaze full of anger and hatred," and "a noble wine glass" with "a bronze cup gleaming with a greenish light."

From this, it was clear that "Mysterious Flower of Knives" was not a professional screenwriter. Although he tried to avoid such issues in many places, once the text became dense, he would unconsciously use those terms.

Another point was that the script's language was overly ornate and lacked simplicity. The character dialogues also lacked distinctiveness, and many of the cynical remarks seemed more like the author expressing their own views, using the past to criticize the present and expressing emotions through objects.

When considered as a text alone, these elements showcased the author's remarkable talent, but for a script, they were clearly not up to standard.

With these conclusions, Liu Jingtong felt that the other party's identity was too suspicious. He suddenly had the impression that the other party might be a fraud, but this thought was quickly dismissed because Qianhong absolutely would not lack the ability to discern such things. The most reasonable explanation was that the other party was indeed a young boy or girl, possibly a second-generation heir or a princess of Xingyue TV, who bought the novel just to play around.

Liu Jingtong became even more curious. He silently scolded himself, pulled down the list, and saw that Mi Hu was not online. He took out his phone and called Mi Hu.

The phone rang three times, and Mi Hu immediately answered.

"Why did you think of calling me now?"

"Well, there's something I want to ask for your opinion."

Mi Hu laughed with a hint of caution. "No way."

"You haven't even heard what I want to say, and you're already jumping to conclusions?"

"Then tell me."

"Are you starting school on August 31st?"

"Yes, but I might not go to school until September 2nd because there are some procedures to follow. You know, once you start with procedures, it can take a long time."

"That's even better. Are you free on August 28th?"

"Better?"

"That's not the point. August 28th is the key."

"Okay, let me check my planner. Oh, right, I'll sleep in the morning, get up for lunch, start watching idol dramas, fall asleep, and sleep until dinner. That's about it."

After spending time with Liu Jingtong, Mi Hu had also learned to joke around.

"So, you'll be idle and restless all day? Allow me to express my sympathy and then congratulate you."

"Get to the point!"

"Observing the stars one night, I noticed that your love star is moving towards the center of the sky at a speed of one million light-years per second, and it will reach its destination on August 28th. Once the love star is in place, your great hero will come riding on a rainbow cloud, wearing a purple gold crown, and..."

"Are you asking me out on August 28th?" Mi Hu coldly interrupted Liu Jingtong.

"Yes."

"Tsk, get to the point. Where?"

"Jianghai."

"Huh?"

"Go to Jianghai to enjoy the breeze and eat some seafood."

"Hey, Liu Jingtong, you're not really mistaking yourself for a tycoon, are you?"

"Sorry, but that's exactly it. To be honest, my dream is to one day take my girlfriend to Rome to eat potato cakes, to America to eat roasted sweet potatoes, to Britain to eat dog不理 buns, and when I'm in a bad mood, to fly to America to let the pigeons go."

"Your girlfriend?" Mi Hu said with a slight mockery.

Liu Jingtong was taken aback. "I said so many interesting things, and you focused on this one point."

"I just feel that when you talk about your girlfriend, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with me."

Liu Jingtong silently praised Confucius, who said, "Only women and small people are difficult to deal with. If you keep them at a distance, they will complain; if you get close to them, they will be disrespectful." This was indeed true.

That day, when they were shopping, Liu Jingtong had clearly expressed his desire to hold hands, but was rejected. Today, she was dissatisfied because of this one sentence, perfectly demonstrating the saying "if you get close to them, they will be disrespectful; if you keep them at a distance, they will complain."

"Hu Xiaomi—" Liu Jingtong called her name helplessly, sighed lightly, and conveyed the rest of his meaning through this sigh.

This was a chat technique. Sometimes, no matter how much you explain, it might have no effect, but a sigh with a complex tone would leave the other party with endless thoughts, making them reflect and gradually forget why they were upset.

After hearing Liu Jingtong's sigh, Mi Hu immediately recalled the "failed hand-holding" incident, and many sleepless nights and late-night calls with Liu Jingtong. She gradually softened and said, "Okay, you're young, but you're always sighing like an old man. I have time, and I'll go with you..."

At this point, Mi Hu suddenly realized something. A lone man and a lone woman, in a distant place, with no one to call for help. These thoughts flashed through her mind, but then she remembered Liu Jingtong's occasionally annoying but mostly kind face, and laughed, continuing, "I'll go with you, but why so far to Jianghai?"

Mi Hu's internal struggle was completed in an instant, and even someone as smart as Liu Jingtong did not notice. He imitated the tone of Zhang Guoli from the movie "Cell Phone" and said, "There's a young screenwriter who admires me and wants to meet us."

"Male or female?"

Liu Jingtong laughed. "I don't know the gender yet, but she calls herself female, calls me uncle, and calls you..."

"Does she call me aunt?" Mi Hu reacted quickly, then quickly realized the contradiction in this statement, blushed, and tried to change the subject, but heard Liu Jingtong say, "She does call you aunt."

"Are you pretending to be an uncle to deceive her?" Mi Hu said angrily.

"How could I? She judged from the novel."

Mi Hu, thinking of Liu Jingtong's novel, had nothing to say about the "aunt" mislabeling. "Then let's meet this niece."

...

After Mi Hu agreed, Liu Jingtong suddenly realized he had not asked the "Mysterious Flower of Knives" for a phone number. He quickly left a message: "Your aunt agreed to go to Jianghai. How will we contact you then?"

The "Mysterious Flower of Knives" seemed to be waiting for his message and immediately replied, "Wear a red sun hat, and your aunt should wear a red dress. You can find me behind the stage."

"What's your surname?"

"Just say you're looking for Qian Wang. Don't worry, when you get to Jiuwu Square, just say you're looking for the most shining lolita in the square, and they'll tell you where I am."

"..."

Is every literary youth so narcissistic? Liu Jingtong tilted his head and looked at himself in the mirror, muttering, "Being too handsome can turn into ugliness."

...

In the evening, Liu Jingtong sent the August draft of "Shuke and Beta" to Editor Yao. Editor Yao kindly asked if he would be too busy during the school term and if writing would be stressful.

Liu Jingtong calmly replied, "No problem at all. I'll save some drafts for the busiest times." (Admiring professional writers and envying those with saved drafts, Li Bai, who is slow in writing, is under great pressure to avoid a break in updates. If there is a break during the New Year, he will make up for it later.)

Editor Yao was delighted and offered some encouragement. As the current flagship of the magazine, "Shuke and Beta" captivated millions of young readers with its positive energy and educational storytelling. Parents and schools also showed great enthusiasm for the magazine and gratitude and respect for Liu Jingtong. More and more parents began to express their thanks to "Liu Jingtong" through gifts, even though it was revealed earlier that Liu Jingtong might be a middle school student, they still affectionately called him "Liu Teacher" in their letters.

"The email has been forwarded to your inbox, but you might need to come to the office to pick up the gifts. There are too many, and sending them all might be a lot of work."

Liu Jingtong initially thought of donating the gifts to the magazine's editors, but then realized that they were the heartfelt gifts from parents, and it would be impolite to give them away. So, he agreed readily.

...

Most of the gifts were local specialties, both food and toys. Liu Jingtong categorized them and had an idea to donate all the items at a specific time.

Then he saw a drawing, a drawing that made him feel a bit nostalgic. The drawing showed two mice, a tank, and a helicopter, naturally, Shuke and Beta. What made Liu Jingtong nostalgic was that the mice's expressions and clothing were almost identical to those in the picture books he had seen as a child.

In the corner of the drawing, there was a note: "Hello, Liu Jingtong Teacher, I am the mother of the artist, Qiao Keli. My daughter loves your fairy tales very much, and my husband and I are extremely grateful to you. We hope you can meet my daughter one day."

Liu Jingtong looked at the note and the drawing, feeling a stir in his heart. He seemed to remember something but couldn't quite pinpoint it. As he tried to recall, his gaze fell on the helicopter, and he suddenly remembered the little girl in the plane during the turbulence.

---

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