ICTEUWMN Chapter 37.2

It would be fine if he had to pay compensation; after all, he did have some savings now.

But if he accidentally turned the card Huo Yan had lent him into a violation card, that would be a huge disservice to Huo Yan.

“Wow, so it’s all books in there? You’ve finally stopped doing odd jobs.”

On seeing Yu Mian, Secretary Hals couldn’t help but chuckle and strike up a conversation. He hadn’t expected to run into him at this moment—it felt like fate.

“Huh?”

When Yu Mian heard Secretary Hals’ remark, he suddenly realized that the other party probably still thought he had been hired by Huo Yan with pocket money to help with the parent-teacher meeting.

It sounded as if he was some unemployed vagrant doing odd jobs to earn a little money from children. Orz.

“I actually have a job.”

Yu Mian couldn’t help but explain.

“Oh? What kind of job?”

Secretary Hals actually had a good impression of Yu Mian.

Especially since last time, when Yu Mian had encountered the Bart Clan for the first time, he hadn’t been scared at all and had even volunteered to help, directly preventing the situation from worsening.

Honestly, he really should be grateful that Yu Mian had shown up back then.

“I’m a writer.”

Yu Mian looked at him seriously, and inside, he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

“A writer!”

Secretary Hals’ eyes widened in surprise; he hadn’t expected Yu Mian to have such a profession.

However, he wasn’t particularly outstanding in his cultural studies, so when he learned that Yu Mian was a writer, he immediately felt a sense of respect.

“Then what about last time…?”

“Last time, I was just experiencing life. I was curious about what it felt like to help with a parent-teacher meeting, especially since I’m planning to write a novel about school life.”

The identity of being a writer was something Yu Mian had decided to tell people.

Especially when looking at the old acquaintance, Secretary Hals. Although he knew that Secretary Hals’s personality when in private was casual and easy going, he could not help but “explain” without batting an eyelid.

“Oh… so that’s what it was?”

Secretary Hals wasn’t immediately convinced, but the way Yu Mian was so certain, combined with the bag of books in his arms, strangely made his story seem much more credible.

No wonder he didn’t use that recommendation letter—it turns out the other party already had a job.

Secretary Hals subconsciously glanced at Huo Ting, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, but hadn’t said a word.

“What kind of book are you writing?”

Just as Yu Mian was talking about being a “writer,” Huo Ting suddenly spoke up.

“Huh?”

Yu Mian was caught off guard by Huo Ting’s voice, and for a moment, he wondered if he was hearing things. He blinked and looked over.

When Huo Ting saw those amber eyes, the feeling of familiarity inside him only deepened.

It felt as though he had seen this pair of eyes slightly widened at some point in the past.

“Uh, it’s a secret. A writer’s pen name can’t be casually discarded. If we’re fated, you might read it someday.”

Yu Mian paused for a moment, silently holding onto his vest tightly.

‘This guy was actually interested in his books?’

“…”

It was rare for Huo Ting to ask a question, but the next moment, he was met with an unwavering rejection, which gave him a strange sense of unfamiliarity.

But this wasn’t work.

After all, he never had subordinates speak to him like this at work, and Yu Mian who was standing before him wasn’t his subordinate.

Although Huo Ting couldn’t help but remember Professor Mori’s advice before their parting: “You should read some books and cultivate some interests.”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

Huo Ting stepped back to the car and looked at Yu Mian again.

“Hey, no need to apologize… Are you heading home?”

Seeing that Huo Ting was about to get into the car, Yu Main suddenly panicked. Because this road was heading back to the old estate!

However, Yu Mian’s subconscious and familiar way of questioning caused both Secretary Hals and Huo Ting to look at him with suspicion.

“Oh, nothing, I’m really sorry for troubling you earlier today!”

Yu Mian quickly realized something was off and quickly waved goodbye.

After all, he knew Huo Ting and Secretary Hals, but they didn’t know he could see them in the aquarium all the time.

Luckily, he ran into Huo Ting today. Otherwise, he would’ve been in big trouble.

If that guy went home first and noticed that a fish was missing from the aquarium in the study, he would definitely realize something was wrong!

Even worse, if Huo Yan happened to be caught when sending him back, that would be disastrous.

His vigilance had really dropped a lot lately…

He couldn’t slack off. He needed to finish writing “Contract Marriage” as soon as possible!

Once that was done, he could fully focus on updating “Eternal Night Rose”.

After the last explosive update, “Eternal Night Rose” had returned to weekly updates, but the comment section had become filled with grief.

Some even dared to go to the comment section of “Contract Marriage” and ask when the author would update “Eternal Night Rose”.

Ever since Yu Mian gave an extra update for “Eternal Night Rose” last time, it had become a shared concern among readers of “Contract Marriage”!

Anyone who dared to mention “Eternal Night Rose” was immediately met with a “battle” from the readers of “Contract Marriage”.

[You already had an update of thousands of words last time! Isn’t that enough?]

[We’re almost done, so what’s wrong with maintaining daily updates?]

Meanwhile, “Contract Marriage”, which was nearing its conclusion, hadn’t lost momentum due to a lack of follow-up. On the contrary, several major plots have made the interstellar readers scream with excitement in the process of recovering from the crematorium!

The completion of the book and the depth of the characters had visibly improved.

Most importantly, after Yu Mian realized that interstellar readers particularly enjoyed the satisfying plotlines, he deliberately added more of such moments into the book.

Gu Bai’s series of classic face-slapping plots on August Star made the readers who felt sorry for Gu Bai feel extremely happy.

At first, when Gu Bai was recommended to study under Professor Roberts on August Star, the geniuses of this sacred musical place felt he had probably used some means to gain this opportunity.

After all, how could a student from a remote star system, who had never received the top-tier training conditions since childhood, possibly have the chance to perform alongside them?

However, Gu Bai, whose will had long been firm, was naturally not affected by external opinions. Instead, he wholeheartedly seized this rare opportunity to receive Professor Roberts’ guidance and threw himself into his studies.

Like a sponge, he worked tirelessly to absorb everything he could!

So when the first rating assessment arrived, Gu Bai, who had been a quiet presence, immediately won over all the judges and audience with his exceptional skills and profound emotional expression!

No one could deny that the young man before them was a top talent in this field.

Moreover, Gu Bai, with such talent, had never once slacked off, working far harder and more diligently than anyone else.

[[“This is why, when I heard certain rumors, I never spoke up before.”

At the moment when Gu Bai’s record-breaking score stunned the entire venue, Professor Roberts finally stood in the center of the stage with a serious expression.

“The reason I accepted Gu Bai was solely because of his talent and character, not for any other reason. I want everyone here to understand that those with more talent than you may even work harder than you.”

“Where you come from has never been a deciding factor in your potential. It only serves as a foundation for the arrogance and laziness that can be instilled in you from a young age.”

Professor Roberts’ words struck deeply in the hearts of everyone present, especially those geniuses who had previously dismissed Gu Bai as insignificant. Their faces flushed with shame.

After this, Gu Bai’s absolute strength gradually won over this proud group, who valued strength above all else. They even surrounded him with him as the center.

Among them was Miroslav, a handsome young man from a musical family. He was originally the leader among the students at August Star and he led the group in passionately pursuing Gu Bai.

August Star had a rich artistic atmosphere, where everyone valued romance and had open-minded ideas. The expression of love was bold and direct.

The most crucial part was that Miroslav had blonde hair, just like Caesar!]]

Ever since the male supporting character Miroslav made his debut, the already tumultuous comment section of “Contract Marriage” became a battlefield.

After all, Miroslav was a perfect match for Caesar and overshadowed all the previous male supporting characters who had appeared.

Not only was he wealthy, romantic, and passionate, he was also a handsome golden retriever like Caesar!

He was clearly designed to tempt the readers into taking the plunge.

Especially for many readers who were still dissatisfied with Caesar, upon seeing Miroslav appear and start pursuing Gu Bai, they started gloating and shouting in the comment section, “Caesar’s no good!”

Meanwhile, more of Caesar’s loyal fans, who had already been reduced to tears by the heart-wrenching crematorium plot which was like cutting flesh with a soft knife.

Now, after being severely abused by this new substitute-like character, fans were so aggrieved that they were on the verge of breaking down completely!

[Ah, Caesar! You useless thing, where are you? Your wife is about to be taken away—]

[I’m crying, my poor Caesar, now your wife is really gone. Such a big wife, really gone!]

[No, I can’t stand it anymore. Caesar really doesn’t deserve this! Author, can you see the tears in the comments? [Crying and shaking head]]

As for Yu Mian, after seeing that the readers’ emotions had finally been stewed to the perfect level, he gave a mysterious smile, and let Caesar make his much-awaited appearance!

[[In fact, after Caesar had been wallowing in self-pity at home like a stray dog, his grandfather, who had already learned the truth from Gu Bai, finally could no longer stand it.

Not only did he rarely emerge from the main house, but he also gave Caesar a harsh scolding.

“What’s the point of lying around here all day! You useless thing, if you like Gu Bai, go after him again!”

Merely scolding wasn’t enough; the old man even struck his grandson’s head with his cane in frustration.

“Apologize properly and try to win him back. If after all this, Gu Bai still doesn’t want you, and you’re still acting like this, I, an old man, will look down on you!”

After the old man’s reprimand, Caesar snapped out of his stupor and sat up straight.

Yes, he and Gu Bai had only ended their contract.

This contract could be the beginning for him and Gu Bai, but it definitely should not be their end.

Reinvigorated, Caesar began, for the first time in his life, to learn how to express his love and how to truly pursue the one he loved.

That’s right, he had liked Gu Bai all along, but had been deceiving himself until now.

‘I am such a complete coward!’]]

The decisive reversal of the situation after the grandfather’s appearance made the readers, who had thought everything was about to end, immediately filled with renewed excitement and passion.

It was as though they had become characters in the book, finally about to witness Caesar chasing after his wife!

[Wuuu, indeed, it’s the grandfather who comes through at the crucial moment—I’m cheering for Grandpa, he’s my favorite character after Caesar and Gu Bai!]

[Yeah, although Caesar was arrogant at the start, his character isn’t bad. It must have a lot to do with his grandfather’s teachings!]

In fact, the reason “Contract Marriage” sparked such a heated discussion was not only because of the vivid portrayal of the characters Gu Bai and Caesar by Yu Mian, but also due to the strong supporting characters with equally distinct personalities in the story.

And the character of Grandpa, as Gu Bai’s solid golden finger and support, undoubtedly gained a huge fanbase in the interstellar reader community.

Many even envied Caesar for having such a good grandfather!

So, when Caesar finally booked his flight and decided to head straight to August Star, the plot of “Contract Marriage” reached the climax of the second half of the “chasing wife to the crematorium” under everyone’s attention.

[[Backstage of the Golden Venus Concert Hall on August Star.

“Dear Gu Bai, your performance today was amazing! But why do you never accept the flowers I give you?”

Miroslav, with the typical passionate straightforwardness of the people of August Star, approached Gu Bai after the performance, holding a huge bouquet of flowers.

“Sorry, Miroslav, I’ve probably said this many times already, but right now, I just want to play the piano.”

Gu Bai was somewhat powerless against this personality. Even though he had already rejected Miroslav countless times, the man always persisted and showed up again.

Moreover, every time Miroslav, with his blonde hair, appeared before him, it always made Gu Bai uncontrollably think of someone.

Even though that person had long become a dream.

So distant that it seemed as if the memory had already faded, and even the version of himself back then seemed to have passed long ago.

After all, since Gu Bai’s rise to fame, his reputation in the piano world had been growing rapidly.

Now, even a single performance was earning a substantial amount.

Not only had he already paid off Caesar’s one million, but he was also directly covering his mother’s medical expenses.

“Of course he can’t accept your flowers, because from now on, I will be the one to send a bouquet to Gu Bai after every performance.”

However, just as Gu Bai and Miroslav were caught in a standoff, a voice that Gu Bai was deeply familiar with finally rang out.

“…Caesar?!”

When Gu Bai turned around in disbelief, he saw the figure that he had long buried deep in his memories.

“What are you doing?”

Even though it had been so long since they last met, Caesar still had the ability to make the usually calm Gu Bai lose his composure in an instant.

Especially when Gu Bai saw that Caesar had directly commanded an airship to scatter a massive amount of rose petals over the audience after the performance, the crowd below erupted into passionate cheers.

Caesar’s domineering behavior immediately conquered the romantically inclined people of August Star.

It seemed as though everyone wanted to cheer him on! Among the cheers were cries of “So cool!” and “Say yes to him!”

“I’m not fooling around. This time, I’m serious.”

“In fact, I’ve wanted to give you this ring since your graduation performance.”

“From now on, can you give me another chance? Can you allow me to start pursuing you again and personally place this ring on your finger?”

At this moment, Caesar was holding a velvet box that had been rubbed to the point of being slightly worn. The diamond in the center was sparkling under the bright lights.

“Oh my God. Gu Bai, you really should have told me sooner that you had such a suitor.”

Miroslav, who had been watching this scene, discovered for the first time that Gu Bai’s usually calm expression could actually show such vivid emotions.

Perhaps Gu Bai had never felt any true emotional fluctuation for him.

“You really are impressive. As an opponent, I really admire your courage.”

Miroslav shrugged and gave Caesar a thumbs-up for his actions.]]