Chapter 1

Yawning, Zhao Mai slapped the alarm clock, silencing the impending ringing sound. He had long honed his agile movements and quick reflexes, and was very sensitive to time, never allowing the alarm to actually go off. It was now 2:30 AM, and he had been writing all night, not sleeping at all. Next door lived an elderly couple who were light sleepers and had a bad temper. If the alarm clock had really gone off, he would surely have faced complaints the next day.

The alarm clock was the last resort, in case he forgot the appointment. In reality, his biological clock was very accurate; he knew the time without fail, never missing it. He had never missed a second even when blindfolded. He splashed his face with cold water and drank a large mouthful of iced drink, feeling himself come back to reality from the fantasy world of his writing. He rested during the day, wrote in the evening, and drove a ride-hailing car at night. The alarm clock was set to prevent him from missing a ride, as a single bad review could mean less tip money.

His original name was Zhao Yimai, which meant "a single lineage." Later, when the one-child policy was relaxed, his parents added a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. Thus, he was renamed Zhao Mai. The family's three-bedroom apartment could no longer accommodate everyone, so he rented a place to live on his own. Disliking the manager at his workplace, Zhao Mai completed the process of graduation, employment, and unemployment in less than a year. Being strong-willed, he did not ask his parents for help and kept his job loss a secret, trying to make a living on his own.

He owned a car, and the model would depend on whether there would be sponsors for the book. After all, what could become popular and how to embed advertisements were unpredictable. This car was nothing special, just a four-wheeled sedan. He obtained his driver's license in his third year of college, and his father saved the money from "the daughter's and second son's clothing expenses" to buy it, a belated "coming-of-age gift." His parents told him that because of his younger siblings, they had unconsciously paid less attention to him. However, Zhao Mai was already an adult and, according to foreign standards, could be independent. Excessive concern would affect his life. Watching foreign TV shows, parents often gave their children a car, and they did the same. Thus, this car became Zhao Mai's treasure.

This car would continue to exist until the end of the book, lasting longer than the One Ring in the fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings." Given the book's title, "Sword, Magic, and Taxi," would there really be no sponsors?

If not, the car's name would be "THE·CHE," with all letters in uppercase, indicating it was a proper noun and making it more unique. If a sponsor decided to support, the author could use the full-text search and replace function, which would be convenient.

Zhao Mai had no other skills, but writing勉强算一个。虽然不会大红大紫——也许以后说不定——但总算还能看得过去，勉强能挣够嚼谷（也就是口粮）。他喜欢剑和魔法以及相关的东西，所以大致是个写奇幻小说的。如果他上学的时候语文好一些，认识的字能多一些，说不定就会去写玄幻或者仙侠。

写书需要想象力，再加上单身狗的生活状态，赵迈有时候就会在脑海中自言自语，相当于边说边写。如果在相声界，这叫做单口相声；如果拍电影，这叫做画外音或者旁白；如果是在二次元，这就是人物脑袋顶上冒出来的圈着文字的气泡对话框。从写作上这叫做表达人物心理活动、丰满人物性格形象、增加读者代入感，凑字数用的吐槽。

言归正传。由于写书处于要死不活的水平，所以想改善一下生活，平时的零花钱就要靠开专车挣一些。他尤其喜欢凌晨到清晨的业务。上半夜他可以码字，下半夜则开开车，这个时候路上车少、人少，尾气少，大多是一些赶火车、赶飞机的人，去和回来都有保障。如果能说几句吉祥话，做一下人生导师，灌他们几口子半咸不淡的心灵鸡汤，哄得心情好，就有可能挣到额外的小费。另外一个重要的原因是，清晨收工后，可以买上一顿可口的早餐，温热绵香的小米粥加上流油的小笼包，吃完后还能大大提高自己的睡眠质量。

今天接的客——怎么这句话这么奇怪——是一个老头，地中海发型，一指长的白发包围着形似地图的老年斑。虽然身体消瘦，指节突出，不过精神很好，目光炯炯的，一点都没有半夜坐车的疲态。

“赶半夜航班的老年人，还能这么精神的，我还是第一次见。老爷子您高寿啊？”

“四百二十八岁了。”老人声音倒是充满磁性，中气十足，如果去山根根广场上唱红歌一定能技压群雄。

“您不会是按照道家的算法，六十天算一岁吧？”赵迈的马屁鸡汤赶紧送上：“您心态真好，能跟我这种年轻人开玩笑，的确到了随心所欲的年纪。”

“你还知道这个典故，不容易啊。平时都读什么书？”

能有话题就好，只要聊开了，赵迈什么题材都能跟上。“什么书都读，长知识的、长见识的、长心眼的、长快乐的。这世界上书太多，撞见哪本读哪本，哪有什么可挑捡的。不过分辨好坏的本领还是要有的，就像开车看看乘客。那些目露凶光、精神恍惚以及满身酒味的我就不接，还不够麻烦