Ch.118

This topic was too sad, so the four of them unconsciously skipped over it.

In a boys’ dormitory, when there’s nothing to do, the usual options are sleeping, talking about girls, or playing games.

Ever since Luo Ye stopped playing games, the others gradually shifted to other games. After all, during military training, it had been exhilarating to have Luo Ye carry the team. Without him, playing games themselves just didn’t feel as fun anymore.

After that, Wang Dachui became obsessed with a certain two-word game. For some reason, Li Haoyang also grew fond of this game, especially the loli characters in it, which he adored.

Luo Ye had figured it out—this “coach” was clearly a lolicon.

But he hadn’t been one before… Could it be that this guy really liked Xu Xiaojia?

Luo Ye’s expression turned contemplative, and the way he looked at Li Haoyang became somewhat ambiguous.

Interesting. If that’s the case, he might as well use his matchmaking skills.

“Coach,” Luo Ye started, “What character are you playing? I don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

Li Haoyang instinctively looked up and explained, “Bomb Loli, this white-haired one. Pretty cute.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty cute. But doesn’t it look a bit like Xu Xiaojia?” Luo Ye asked with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Shen Qiao and Wang Dachui’s attention was drawn to the conversation.

Wang Dachui looked at Li Haoyang in surprise. “Coach, you’re keeping secrets from us again, huh? Last time it was with Liu Bingxin, sneaking around, and now you’ve got something going on with Xu Xiaojia? Why don’t you keep us updated? What if you run into a bad girl again?”

“Xu Xiaojia isn’t like that!” Li Haoyang suddenly retorted.

Wang Dachui: …

For some reason, he felt like he’d been hit again.

“Don’t even try to deny it. You totally like her,” Wang Dachui said.

“No, we’re just friends, just friends.”

Li Haoyang lowered his head, looking a little embarrassed.

So this is the so-called… shy tough guy?

“By the way, I remember Xu Xiaojia and Luo Ye are from the same hometown, right?” Shen Qiao suddenly pointed out.

At these words, Li Haoyang looked at Luo Ye with a surprised expression.

It seemed like he wanted to say something to Luo Ye, but his pride held him back.

A failed romantic experience had left him wary of relationships, hesitant even to share his feelings with his roommates.

Luo Ye smiled faintly and said, “Coach, we don’t have class tomorrow afternoon—how about grabbing a meal together?”

Of course, he planned to invite Xu Xiaojia as well.

Though he didn’t spell it out, those who understood would understand.

Except for Wang Dachui, who didn’t get the hint and blurted out, “What are we eating? Count me in!”

Hearing this, Shen Qiao shot him a glance and said dryly, “Do you know why you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“Why?”

“Because you’re so dense. If you want to pursue a girl, you need to be more thoughtful.”

Wang Dachui actually took the advice to heart and began reflecting seriously.

Then, with a skeptical look, he turned to Shen Qiao and asked, “Are you trying to say I’m a single-celled organism?”

Shen Qiao: “…Well, you kind of are a single-celled organism.”

“What did you say? You’re dead meat!”

Wang Dachui lunged at Shen Qiao, pinning him down on the bed in a playful tussle.

Shen Qiao’s face was filled with humiliation, but he had no way to fight back and could only silently endure.

Luo Ye remained silent. He feared that if he spoke now, Wang Dachui might unleash his “beastly instincts” and turn on him too.

Brother Shen Qiao, it’s not that I won’t help you—it’s just that I’m powerless to do so.

At that moment, Luo Ye’s phone buzzed with an incoming call.

Seeing the note associated with the call, Luo Ye was momentarily stunned.

This person rarely interacted with him. From the time they met until now, they had only chatted a few times.

But that was understandable—they had only known each other for a few months.

The editor for [Falling Leaves Return to Roots], Xigua.

When the call connected, the other party started the conversation:
“Teacher Luo Ye, are you currently in Jiangcheng?”

(T/N: Teacher (laoshi) often used as a respectful way to address someone skilled in a particular field.)

“Yeah.”

Xigua’s voice was that of a mature woman, with a tone that carried an intimidating aura. Because of this, Luo Ye always felt a bit nervous whenever he spoke with her.

Hearing his response, Xigua continued,
“Here’s the thing: there’s a large-scale book fair in Shanghai featuring many renowned authors who’ll be sharing their insights, giving lectures, and hosting major fan meet-ups and book signings. We have a spot for the event. Jiangcheng isn’t far from Shanghai, so if you’re interested, I can secure a spot for you.”

Luo Ye was taken aback by the offer and hesitated, “I’m just a rookie writer; I can’t compare with those veterans.”

“It’s fine. Every great author started as a rookie. Besides, you’ll mainly be there to observe and learn. If I recall correctly, since you started writing, you haven’t interacted much with other authors, right?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Luo Ye thought for a moment. The book fair seemed like a meaningful event to attend—he could learn from more accomplished writers and gain knowledge.

“I’ll be in Shanghai, too. I’ll send you the details later. If you decide to go, contact me when you arrive. You can ask me if you have any questions.”

“Um…” Luo Ye hesitated before asking, “Can I bring someone along?”

“Bring someone? Who? Friends might be tricky, but family members could be considered.”

On the other end, Xigua’s voice carried a hint of puzzlement.

“Bring… bring my girlfriend.”

“Oh~ A girlfriend? Sure. I’d love to see what kind of girl inspires Teacher Luo Ye to write such sweet stories.”

Hearing this, Luo Ye lowered his head, starting to feel a bit of anticipation for the upcoming book fair.

Since Xigua was his editor, she was technically responsible for him, akin to the relationship between a star and their manager.

After the call ended, Wang Dachui asked curiously, “Luo Ye, who was that? Why was it a woman? Is she pretty?”

Luo Ye: …

All you ever care about is whether they’re pretty.

“My editor.”

“Editor? You have an editor? Hahaha, Luo Ye, are you secretly a big-shot author?”

Luo Ye smiled modestly. “Not even close.”

Wang Dachui didn’t press further and went back to his game.

Not long after, Xigua sent over the details of the book fair.

When Luo Ye checked, he found that the event was happening that very weekend—November 1st and 2nd.

The timing was perfect, as if tailored for students.

The book fair was themed Maple Leaf Book Fair and would be held at the Maple Leaf Convention Center in Shanghai.

Incidentally, their school also had slots for the fair. These were distributed through the magazine and literature clubs, with participants traveling by long-distance bus to Shanghai.

However, there were only 30 slots available, 20 of which were pre-allocated to members of those clubs. The remaining 10 were open to others, but they had to compete for them.

Of course, Luo Ye’s invitation wasn’t on the same level as the school’s slots.

The difference was that Luo Ye would have the opportunity to interact with those celebrated authors as a junior peer, while others could only observe from afar.

With this in mind, Luo Ye opened the chat window with the “Fairy Senior” and asked if she wanted to join him for the book fair in Shanghai over the weekend.

Come to think of it, she didn’t know that he was the author [Falling Leaves Return to Roots], did she?

Luo Ye thought this might be the perfect opportunity to tell her.

Su Bai Zhou didn’t ask many questions and agreed right away.

She enjoyed reading and was interested in the book fair.

However, ever since finishing The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the only book that held her attention was Youth Continues.