"You…" In the coffee shop, Gu Ruoyan put down her coffee cup, slightly hesitant. "I heard you're a writer?"
The coffee shop's saxophone played softly, and afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the table, where a rose in the center glistened with dew, vibrant and fragrant.
The ambiance was beautiful, and Gu Ruoyan was beautiful too. For this blind date, she had specially changed into a long dress she rarely wore, and her usual neat high ponytail had been left loose, her long, black hair cascading down, further enhancing her elegance.
She had expectations for this blind date, but the man before her left her somewhat disappointed…
Although he was tall and handsome, his clothes were casual, and he hadn't shaved properly, proving that he wasn't as serious about the blind date as she was. That wasn't all; he also seemed lacking in energy, appearing nervous around her, like a shut-in who spent all his time playing video games and had never met anyone before.
Hmm… Is this what a writer is like? 颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless,颓废, or颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a lack of motivation or apathy), unkempt, and socially awkward?
An author, that sounds intriguing… This is why Gu Ruoyan is willing to take this blind date seriously, even though she, a self-proclaimed book lover, has never heard of this so-called author.
Chu Ge sat opposite him, chin resting on his hands, his heart pounding. He'd been on countless blind dates arranged by his mother, always just going through the motions, and the other person had been the same—a tacit understanding, and after dinner, they'd part ways without even exchanging WeChat contacts.
He hadn't expected his blind date to be such an elegant and beautiful woman. Why would such a beautiful woman be on a blind date instead of acting?!
He was completely unprepared! "I'm asking you a question…" Gu Ruoyan sighed. "Aunt Wu said you're a writer. Could you tell me about your work so I can read some?"
"…Ah, yes." Chu Ge coughed. "I've written many novels, but I feel none of them fully showcased my true abilities. As the ancients said—literature carries the Way. Currently, I'm conceiving a grand narrative set against the backdrop of a specific historical period, focusing on the vast universe and boundless nature, expressing the indomitable spirit of ordinary people struggling against adversity, pondering profound questions about the fate of China and even all of humanity, and shouldering the social responsibility a writer should bear! So I've been searching for my muse…"
"Can you speak like a human?" Gu Ruoyan placed her hands crossed on the table, her eyes slightly lowered.
Chu Ge awkwardly withdrew his waving hands: "Uh, I'm currently writing a fantasy novel, a typical underdog story."
Gu Ruoyan's eyes showed a hint of understanding.
This is… an online writer.
Are online writers considered writers?
It wasn't clear if it counted, but it was a field Gu Ruoyan was unfamiliar with, quite different from her usual understanding of writers.
"How much is the monthly salary? Is it stable? Does it include social insurance and housing fund?"
"Rousseau once said: 'Writing for bread will soon stifle my genius and destroy my talent. Nothing powerful, nothing great, will emerge from a pen driven solely by profit. Need and greed may make me write faster, but they won't make me write better…'"
"Speak plainly!"
"Not very stable, sometimes less, but this month it's over ten thousand…" Chu Ge's eyes flickered slightly. "As for social insurance and housing fund… actually, you can pay your own social security these days…"
"Isn't this just being unemployed…" Gu Ruoyan blurted out, but ultimately swallowed her words.
Chu Ge smiled slightly and said nothing.
Gu Ruoyan regretted her slip of the tongue; those words had hurt… but she felt that at twenty-seven or twenty-eight and still unemployed, writing an autobiography would make her look like a complete failure. How was she going to go on blind dates?
She finally smiled apologetically and stood up, saying, "I have some things to attend to..." Chu Ge sighed, "Please go ahead."
...Many people had said that the name Chu Ge's parents gave him was unlucky. "Surrounded by enemies on all sides" was considered an inauspicious name, destined to make success difficult in everything he did. Other things were one thing, but finding a girlfriend was another; if he couldn't find one, it was practically a death sentence.
Besides, it sounded like "virgin" in Chinese—wasn't that just asking for trouble?
So Chu Ge went on eleven blind dates without success.
Of course, the reason he failed before was because he didn't want to find one at all.
Women are nothing compared to games! If it weren't for his mother's nagging, these eleven dates wouldn't have happened.
What a pity... This one was truly beautiful, so beautiful that Chu Ge still felt it was a bit unreal; the sudden flutter in his heart hadn't subsided.
Chu Ge sat quietly in his seat, watching the dew on the petals, not watching Gu Ruoyan's beautiful figure as she walked away. After a couple of seconds, he seemed to relax completely, leaning back lazily against the soft cushions, leisurely sipping his coffee.
It was as if nothing had happened.
The coffee cost 120 yuan a cup. Chu Ge wondered if this bitter drink, reflecting his current mood, could prolong his life, and why it was so expensive.
He lazily pulled out his phone, opened QQ, and clicked on a group chat called "Fratricide."
It was a small group, with only a little over 300 people including Chu Ge. Compared to some supposedly 2,000-member but actually lifeless groups, this one, though small, was quite lively. Everyone's mouths were like Gatling guns, constantly chattering, with 99+ messages appearing every time he returned from the bathroom.
Chu Ge deserves much of the credit for this level of activity in such a small group.
Someone once summarized the elements needed for an active group, listing twenty points, the most important of which was having a stupid group admin…
That summary was spot on; Chu Ge was the group admin.
This is his book club group. He's the author, and his pen name is his real name, Chu Ge. "Fighting amongst themselves" obviously refers to a group of readers fighting in a group… well, never mind.
At this moment, the group seems to have reached a tacit agreement regarding a certain news screenshot; the members are repeating it.
"Fear of marriage today +1."
"Fear of marriage today +1." Chu Ge habitually clicked +1.
Chu Ge: "Fear of marriage today +1."
"..." The group was quiet for a moment, then someone asked, "Chu-da? Didn't you say you were going on a blind date? You're already showing up?"
"How long does a blind date take?" Chu Ge tried to sound calm, "GG." The group cheered again: "GG is good! Women aren't as fun as writing books! You haven't updated today!" Chu Ge's fingers hovered over the keys for a few seconds, then he didn't reply.
Most people don't care what you're feeling on the other side of the screen; they only care that you haven't updated today. So Chu Ge usually avoids taking sick leave even when he's slightly ill, because the feedback he gets is often not "take a good rest," but "another excuse."
Unless they're long-time readers with whom he has an emotional attachment, which Chu Ge unfortunately doesn't have yet.
After all, he's still just someone whom his blind date sees as unemployed...
He put away his phone and downed his half-cold coffee in one gulp: "Check, please." The waiter came over: "One hundred and twenty." Chu Ge was taken aback. Two coffees? "You're half price today?"
"That lady already paid her own bill." Chu Ge subconsciously turned his head to look out the window, only then remembering that Gu Ruoyan had been gone for at least five minutes.
Although Gu Ruoyan's slip of the tongue stung Chu Ge a little, he didn't hate her for it, because most people in the world just see this profession that way; they're used to it.
Besides, his acting was so exaggerated when he was nervous... what kind of nonsense was that...? Chu Ge didn't understand why someone with Gu Ruoyan's looks and temperament would need to go on blind dates. If he were to speculate maliciously... Forget it, why bother? It's just a passerby's past; what business is it of his?
For him now, the awkward comment in the group chat was the reality he needed to face: "I haven't finished writing today's update yet. If I dawdle any longer, I'll be canceling it."