Chapter 68

Based on past experience, when a person, especially a woman, says "it's fine," nine times out of ten, it's not really fine. However, if this woman is Yi Shui'an, who has always been there to answer questions and analyze emotional dilemmas for her readers, the situation might be different. Therefore, when Liu Jingtong saw the five words Yi Shui'an sent, he instinctively felt that she could indeed handle the negative emotions calmly and was truly "fine."

Liu Jingtong had this perception not only because of a brief interaction with Yi Shui'an in Guilin and a few interviews he had seen, but mainly because of Yi Shui'an's writing.

From her debut to the present, the characters in Yi Shui'an's works have mostly been individuals on the fringes of the city, maintaining a certain distance from the world. The author's relentless effort has been to delve deeply into the inner emotions of these characters.

"Some critics believe that my characters are too detached from the world, that my focus is too eccentric, and they nitpick at certain personal writing habits. I find this very regrettable," Yi Shui'an once responded in an interview, also explaining her writing intentions.

"What I have always wanted to do is to explore the inner world of the characters, grasp the emotions and mental states they display in their actions, find the essential force hidden deep in the human heart, and ultimately reach a philosophical core. This process is what completes the work."

The author in the act of creation and the author as an individual are not the same person. For example, Cao Xueqin was a proud and isolated nobleman who had fallen from grace, but the narrator of "Dream of the Red Chamber" was a soul who saw through fate and was detached from the world's pain.

Yi Shui'an is also like this. In her long career, she has established her own cognitive philosophy, "and writing is the tool that carries these views."

Therefore, Yi Shui'an is one of the few young authors who can unify their daily personality with their writing. She said, "I am not good at complex interpersonal relationships and do not want to care about right and wrong. Without writing, I would never achieve success in the secular sense."

Secular success, of course, means fame and fortune.

The other two young representatives who have both fame and fortune, Han Shuo's writing is sharp and revealing, but he himself is humble and sincere; Xue Muliang's writing is overly sentimental and affected, but he himself is exceptionally shrewd, pragmatic, and skilled in strategy.

Liu Jingtong did not want to delve too deeply into this issue and found it hard to offer comfort. He replied to Yi Shui'an, "See you on the grassland."

This casual remark had a certain ambiguity, similar to "The man left, saying, 'We'll meet again on the grassland.'"

Of course, for Liu Jingtong, this tone had no particular resonance. For one, Yi Shui'an was a few years older than him in terms of mental age, and for another, facing a woman who constantly pondered how to philosophize human emotions and textualize philosophical cores, Liu Jingtong's choice was to talk but keep a respectful distance.

...

Su Nanhong's mother, Xu Zhuojun, had a very successful surgery. As soon as she woke up from the anesthesia, the first thing she did was to call Sun Xinyang to her bedside and ask about the surgery costs.

Since the Su and Sun families were old friends and knew each other well, she had never known when the Sun family had such a wealthy relative.

"Tell me the truth, Auntie, where did the money come from?" Xu Zhuojun's voice was still weak, but it added weight to her question.

Three days ago, Su Xu had been asking about this, but the two children kept it a secret, saying, "Don't worry." Now, when Xu Zhuojun brought it up again, Sun Xinyang and Su Nanhong instinctively felt that they should not upset their aunt and mother after the surgery. So, they decided to tell the truth when Su Xu went out to buy food.

Sun Xinyang hesitated for a moment and said, "A good friend lent me the money, but Auntie, you don't need to worry. The money is absolutely fine, not from a high-interest loan or any illegal means. The most important thing is that you had a successful surgery. The rest can be handled by me and Nanhong."

"Handed over to you two? How will you pay it back?"

"My friend set the repayment period at thirty years. By then, Nanhong and I will have jobs, so it's no problem."

"Thirty years?" Xu Zhuojun frowned. "If it's not a high-interest loan, what's the interest rate?"

Sun Xinyang shook his head. "No interest, Auntie. You have to believe me. My friend and I are very close, like uncles and nephews. If my father were in trouble, would the uncle just stand by?"

Sun Xinyang's words were somewhat exaggerated. He had known Liu Jingtong for less than three months and had not paid much attention to his roommates' personalities because he had been focused on his future mother-in-law's condition. He only knew that Liu Jingtong was a cheerful and talented young man. This time, when Liu Jingtong stepped in to help, he realized that the usually smiling young man had hidden depths.

However, these words were very convincing to Xu Zhuojun. Su Xu and Sun Xinyang's father, Sun Bo, were elementary school classmates and had been friends for decades, closer than brothers. The Sun family had contributed several ten thousand yuan to the surgery costs, which was a significant help. On the first day of school, Liu Jingtong had overheard the Sun father and son discussing the loan for the Su family.

"Mom, don't worry. Leave this to me and Xinyang. Having this responsibility will make us study harder and be more responsible. It will be good for our growth, isn't that what you always tell me?"

Xu Zhuojun, a primary school teacher, had repeated such life lessons countless times. Hearing her daughter say this, she felt both comforted and heartbroken. She said softly, "You two are still young, and this burden is too heavy. When I recover, I will pay it back with your father. By the way, Xinyang, can you arrange for me to meet your friend and thank him in person?"

Sun Xinyang nodded. "I'll see if he's free this weekend. After we return to school, I'll take Nanhong to meet him."

Xu Zhuojun nodded in agreement.

...

Liu Jingtong had been in a very good mood recently. Besides the upcoming trip to the grassland, he learned from Lu Yichou that Star Moon TV had offered a seven-figure film and television adaptation royalty for "The White-Haired Demoness." Gong Cheng'en later confirmed this news over the phone and promised, on behalf of his brother Gong Chengpin, that if the adaptation was successful, there would be additional bonuses.

Liu Jingtong finally understood why so many authors valued film and television adaptations. The money was substantial.

Of course, what made him happiest was that he had done a good deed. In the other world, whenever he saw news of people's suffering, his compassion would be stirred, and he would resolve to make a lot of money and do charity work to make the world a better place. In this world, these aspirations were within reach, so why not act on them?

After Sun Xinyang and Su Nanhong returned to school from the hospital, they immediately invited their benefactor, Liu Jingtong. Liu Jingtong understood their feelings and did not pretend to refuse, agreeing to meet them.

When Su Nanhong first saw Liu Jingtong, she almost thought Sun Xinyang had called the wrong person. The smiling, ordinary-looking young man seemed far from a wealthy benefactor who could casually lend thirty thousand yuan.

"Jingtong, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Su Nanhong." Despite considering Liu Jingtong a lifelong benefactor, he greeted him as usual, knowing that true gratitude is kept in the heart.

"Hello, sister-in-law." Liu Jingtong greeted her with a natural and fresh demeanor, not acting like a benefactor.

Su Nanhong looked at him seriously and then bowed deeply. "Xinyang and I will remember you for the rest of our lives, and we will pass your name down to our descendants."

Liu Jingtong thought of a sketch from the other world, where a little girl with two pigtails said, "Your great kindness, I will never forget in this life. I will remember you forever, and even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go..."

This was not the time for jokes, but if he said, "It's nothing, just a small favor, no need to remember me," it would seem insincere and ruin the atmosphere. So, Liu Jingtong said, "Xinyang and I hit it off, so we will naturally be friends for life."

Su Nanhong nodded and did not say more. Liu Jingtong found them to be a perfect match.

"Jingtong, Auntie wants to meet you to thank you in person. Do you have time?" Sun Xinyang asked.

"I'm going to the northwest on Saturday. Let's visit Auntie after school tomorrow."

Sun Xinyang nodded. "There's something I want to... ask you to help me say to Auntie."

"Hmm? Does Aunt Su not know you two are together?"

"No, she knows, but she said she wants to pay back the surgery costs herself. I want you to talk to her and Uncle about this..."

"I understand." Liu Jingtong smiled.

...

"They must be very grateful to you, right?"

After Liu Jingtong finished telling the story, Mi Hu felt a mix of relief and joy, along with a sense of satisfaction that she had not misjudged him. She tried to hide these feelings and asked with a slightly mocking tone.

"Such things don't need much discussion. Any explanation would be superfluous."

In the other world, "charity" was often portrayed by the media as almost synonymous with "showboating." Liu Jingtong believed that as long as you helped those in need, any showboating was still praiseworthy.

Seeing Liu Jingtong's expression, Mi Hu realized she had misspoken and blushed slightly. She changed the subject, "Have you heard that Yi Shui'an broke up with her boyfriend?"

Liu Jingtong thought Yi Shui'an was really unlucky. Zhao Kan had used her breakup to change the subject, and now Mi Hu was doing the same. He nodded, "She told me."

"She told you?" Mi Hu was surprised.

"Yes, when she invited me to the grassland, I casually asked."

"Oh, I heard her ex-boyfriend had a new girlfriend the day after they broke up. How shameless."

Liu Jingtong said, "Generally, when a man decides to break up with his girlfriend, he has been planning it for months, often involving another woman. So, it's common to see men start new relationships right after a breakup, while women might remain single for a long time. Of course, someone like Lian Nishang is an exception."

The author's original intention in creating Lian Nishang was, to some extent, to challenge the traditional martial arts novels where female heroes end up conforming to traditional roles.

Mi Hu said indignantly, "It's so unfair. Why should women always be the ones discriminated against in divorces and breakups?"

Liu Jingtong smiled but did not speak, thinking, "This phenomenon has persisted for thousands of years. It will take a long time for people to completely摆脱这种观念。"

"Why don't you say anything? Do you also believe in gender inequality?"

Liu Jingtong quickly replied, "I don't have that kind of thinking, otherwise, there wouldn't be a Lian Nishang."

"You made her hair turn white."

"Zhuo Yihang spent his life guarding the Udumbara flower and paid a price too, didn't he?"

Mi Hu realized she was defending her idol and didn't need to take it out on Liu Jingtong. She didn't know that most women, when they see other men, often ask their boyfriends, "Would you do the same to me?"

"What do you think is the root of this inequality?"

Liu Jingtong looked at the girl, knowing she was having an internal debate. He said, "In human history, the matriarchal society existed for a long time. Gender inequality is determined by the power to shape the world. This is discussed in history textbooks. Additionally, the differences in human anatomy contribute to this inequality."

"See, you are indeed a defender of gender inequality, speaking with such authority."

"I'm just stating facts."

"Those are just excuses. The essence of equality lies in mindset and attitude, in equal resource distribution and welfare policies. What does human anatomy have to do with it?"

"For example," Liu Jingtong smiled mischievously, "when we guys urinate, we can draw bamboo leaves, crescent moons, and even plum blossoms, but girls..." Liu Jingtong pursed his lips, using his expression to convey the rest.

"You lowlife!" Mi Hu pounced, biting Liu Jingtong's arm.

Liu Jingtong winced. "This is true gender inequality. We use our mouths, and so do you!"

...

On Friday afternoon after school, Liu Jingtong, Sun Xinyang, and Su Nanhong went to the Yuehe Hospital to visit Su's mother. Liu Jingtong bought a bouquet of lilies and a basket of fruit. As they approached the hospital entrance, they saw Su's father standing there, waiting for them with great respect.