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Liking someone means cutting losses in time; loving someone means throwing caution to the wind.
It was exactly 2:15 PM, and two hours had already passed since Xu Yeyu sat down in this chair.
Her back was tense, her elbows resting on the edge of the table, pressing firmly against the mechanical keyboard. The outlines of her knuckles were visible through her hand as her light brown irises stared unblinkingly at the computer screen before her.
Like a tiger gathering strength before breaking free from its cage, she was intensely focused.
Five minutes later—
She exhaled sharply, her back slumping as her entire body collapsed forward. Even her bangs drooped limply over her eyelids.
Blowing gently at the stray strands of hair, Xu Yeyu resignedly rested her head on her arms. “…I can’t write.”
A week ago, while Xu Yeyu was enjoying a peaceful nap, her editor called. The editor’s voice was filled with desperation as they pleaded for help, calling her by her real name: “President Ye! I haven’t received a single manuscript for this issue! No manuscripts mean no layout fees, no layout fees mean a meager salary, and a meager salary means I can’t pay my mortgage, feed my child, or repay my Ant Credit Pay debt! Save me, please write something for me, darling!”
At that moment, Xu Yeyu, still half-asleep, misheard: “…When did you secretly have a child?”
“Oh, I’m talking about my new favorite 16-year-old trainee—I’ll love him forever!”
“…”
The editor continued dropping hints: “You haven’t written a short story in months, and it’s been two years since you wrote a full-length novel. Do you know how many readers are waiting for you day and night? Don’t you think it’s about time you gave them some spiritual nourishment to make them happy? Are you even human?”
Xu Yeyu opened her laptop, glanced at the pile of abandoned documents in her recycle bin, and mumbled vaguely: “When’s the deadline?”
“Two weeks!” The editor was ecstatic. “I’ll take that as a yes! See you in two weeks, love you, admire your greatness!”
Thinking back to this, Xu Yeyu glanced at the word count in her document.
Zero.
…
After staring blankly at the empty document for several minutes, Xu Yeyu picked up her phone and called her roommate, Xiang Wei: “I’ve hit a block. I’m going out to find some inspiration. When will you be back? Did you bring your keys?”
“I’ll be back at seven, and I have my keys,” Xiang Wei replied suspiciously. “Where are you going to find inspiration? You’re not going to break cookies again, are you?”
The last time Xu Yeyu lacked inspiration, she bought a bunch of cookies from the supermarket and spent the entire day breaking them apart in their apartment.
Morning, afternoon, before bed, during meals—snap, snap, snap—the sound nearly drove Xiang Wei to the brink of a nervous breakdown.
Xu Yeyu had her quirks. Certain strange sounds could spark her writing inspiration.
Xu Yeyu: “…No cookie-breaking this time. I’ll find something else.”
“You’re a well-known author with several representative works under your belt. Act more dignified, will you?”
After hanging up, Xu Yeyu grabbed her laptop and headed out.
After walking for more than ten minutes, she turned into the only convenience store within a few kilometers.
While searching for her target in the store, a little boy holding Yakult walked past her.
The boy poked the straw into the Yakult foil seal, and a soft thud echoed past Xu Yeyu’s ears—simple, refreshing, like heavenly music.
It was as if her blocked creative meridians had suddenly been unblocked—this was it.
A glimmer of light flashed in her eyes as she quickened her pace and rushed toward the fridge.
At the same time, two more people entered the convenience store.
The man who walked in had an excellent physique—long legs, a broad chest hidden under his shirt, forming a perfect inverted triangle.
His features were refined, with a straight nose, thin lips pressed into a line, and though he had peach-blossom eyes, they didn’t appear flirtatious but instead added a sense of aloofness and calmness.
Behind him followed a young girl who appeared to be a middle school student.
The girl looked longingly at the boy drinking Yakult with great enthusiasm, swallowed hard, and tugged at the man’s sleeve: “Big Brother, I want one too.”
Lu Yanbai glanced down at her, his deep yet clear voice resembling the crisp sound of water flowing in a secluded valley.
“If you drink this, you won’t be able to eat ice cream later.”
The little girl pouted.
Lu Yanbai continued: “The air conditioning is strong. Eating too much cold stuff will upset your stomach.”
“…Alright.” She hugged her books tightly and compromised.
A faint smile touched the corner of Lu Yanbai’s eyes: “So what do you choose?”
“Yakult.”
The man was undeniably handsome, with a cold and noble demeanor that rivaled even the male leads in advertisements. His entrance naturally drew quite a few admiring glances.
The whispering girls and store clerks strained their ears to listen to him speak. Now that they heard his sister wanted Yakult, one of them eagerly approached him: “The Yakult is in the fridge ahead. Just walk straight.”
Having grown accustomed to such enthusiastic treatment, Lu Yanbai nodded politely and thanked her warmly, though his tone carried a subtle hint of detachment and aloofness.
Leading the little girl to the fridge, Lu Yanbai watched her bright eyes, curved his lips slightly, and prepared to reach out—
A delicate hand appeared before him, fingers straight, curving inward slightly at the tips, forming a beautiful crescent shape.
On the second knuckle of her index finger were two matching rings adorned with tiny diamonds, sparkling vividly under the fridge lights.
He paused, courteously waiting for her to take her turn.
The next moment, Xu Yeyu reached out and decisively grabbed the last two rows of Yakult.
Lu Yanbai frowned slightly: …
Unaware that someone was behind her, Xu Yeyu hummed happily and headed to the checkout counter.
Seeing his sister frown, Lu Yanbai asked for her opinion: “Shall we drink it tomorrow instead?”
The little girl sighed unhappily: “But I want to drink it now. What does that older sister need so many for? She probably won’t finish them all. Why don’t we ask her to sell us one?”
After a brief silence, Lu Yanbai let out a barely audible sigh and said: “If you drink the Yakult, you must study hard when you get home.”
“Got it!”
After getting straws from the counter, Xu Yeyu found a shaded spot outside, set up her laptop, and opened the blank document.
Placing her hands together in prayer, she began to silently plead that after listening to ten Yakult bottle-opening sounds, she would gain inspiration.
Just as Lu Yanbai stepped out, he saw this scene—she was solemnly seated on the chair, as if preparing for a grand sacrificial ceremony.
He stood there without disturbing her, quietly waiting for her prayer to end.
Finally, after her prayer concluded, he took two steps forward and saw her lining up the Yakult bottles neatly, then rapidly and rhythmically opening each one with a series of crisp clicks .
None survived—they were all opened.
Xu Yeyu had no idea someone wanted her Yakult. She simply gazed at the row of drinks with straws inserted, feeling a strange sensation welling up inside her.
She snapped a photo and sent it to Xiang Wei: [Doesn’t this look like orchestral instruments?]
Xiang Wei: [What are you doing now?]
Xu Yeyu: [Life is so sad. I’m playing Chopin in the rain.]
Xiang Wei: [???]
After listening to the ten bottle-opening sounds, Xu Yeyu felt a surge of energy rising within her, rushing straight to her brain’s central nervous system. The flow of energy made her unconsciously raise her hand, wanting to do something—
She passionately typed the title into the document: Temporarily Don’t Know What to Call It, But Let’s Leave It Like This for Now.
With a flourish, she finished typing the line and, unsurprisingly, hit another block.
Watching Xu Yeyu stop moving, Lu Yanbai felt his clothes being tugged again: “Brother, do you think she’ll drink them all?”
Before the words even faded, Xu Yeyu, who had been propping her head up, picked up a bottle of Yakult and placed the straw in her mouth.
“Never mind, she really seems to love drinking this.”
The “really loves drinking this” Xu Yeyu spent two hours finishing all ten bottles, and her harvest was significant—two trips to the restroom and 22 words.
The document was much fuller than when she arrived. In size-five Song font, the text read:
Temporarily Don’t Know What to Call It, But Let’s Leave It Like This for Now
Author: Yiye Xi
After nearly five hours, she had come up with a title, signed her pen name, and written 22 completely useless words.
…She didn’t dare imagine what her editor would say upon seeing this.
Xu Yeyu accepted her fate, snapping a picture of the empty Yakult bottles and sending it to Xiang Wei: [Chopin has ended, Yeyu descends to Earth.]
Xiang Wei: [It’s time to take your medicine.]
Throwing the empty Yakult bottles into the trash, Xu Yeyu packed up her laptop and left, completely unaware that someone was sitting nearby.
“That older sister looks a bit strange. What’s she doing?”
Lu Yanbai’s tone lowered slightly: “Maybe it’s performance art.”
When Xu Yeyu returned to the apartment, Xiang Wei was already back, carrying a bag of apples.
Xu Yeyu tidied up her things, washed and cut the apples, and managed to painfully type out “Chapter 01” before the clock struck nine.
The Yakult she drank in the afternoon had killed her appetite for dinner, but now she was feeling hungry. With the apples beside her, she continued munching and struggling to write.
Suddenly, the sound of running water from the bathroom stopped. Xiang Wei emerged, waving her phone: “Didn’t you ask me to check if there’s a good psychology professor nearby?”
Xu Yeyu took a bite of apple: “Hmm?”
“I found one—Professor Lu Yanbai from L University! Heard he’s incredibly handsome and gives great lectures,” Xiang Wei adjusted her towel. “Since you wanted to learn about psychology, coincidentally, he has a class tomorrow evening. We can go and audit it. L University is pretty famous.”
Recently, Xu Yeyu had been planning to write a new novella and a new novel. The novel involved psychology, and since she wasn’t familiar with the subject, she intended to attend some classes.
As for the novella—it was stuck in the most absurd way possible. Xu Yeyu, who prided herself on being a romance-writing expert, was stuck on the romance plotline and couldn’t write a single word.
“You can attend his psychology class to prepare for the novel and also draw inspiration for your romance scenes from him. After all, they say he looks like a male lead from a novel,” Xiang Wei’s plan was optimistic. “Isn’t all art derived from life? Thinking about it this way, the novella problem is solved too.”
Xu Yeyu speared another piece of apple: “Can he date me then?”
Any source of inspiration that doesn’t involve dating is just teasing.
Xiang Wei fell silent for a few seconds, then gestured toward the wall clock pointing to ten o’clock: “It’s nighttime. Time to dream.”
“…”
Xu Yeyu had no idea she’d already met the rumored Professor Lu once before. After interrogating further,
Xiang Wei answered, then her pupils twitched, and she pointed accusingly: “Did you eat all the apples I bought?!”
Xu Yeyu finally realized, somewhat apologetically: “Oops, my bad. My hand slipped.”
“You slipped with incredible precision,” Xiang Wei snorted. “Those were Fuji apples I painstakingly bought for ten yuan per jin!”
“Medium apology,” Xu Yeyu crossed her legs and blinked. “Tomorrow I’ll climb Mount Fuji and pick you a few jin.”
Mount Fuji is in Japan, and its relation to Fuji apples is—nonexistent.
Xiang Wei plopped down beside Xu Yeyu and rolled her eyes: “Mount Fuji wants to commit suicide after hearing that.”
The next day, hearing that Lu Yanbai’s class started at 7 PM, Xu Yeyu deliberately prepared early and left with Xiang Wei at 6 PM, planning to arrive around 7.
As soon as they entered L University’s gates, Xu Yeyu took a deep breath and sighed: “It’s only been a few months since graduation, but why do I already feel so unfamiliar coming back?”
Xiang Wei: “Because you didn’t attend L University.”
“…”
Xu Yeyu: “Would it kill you to let me wax poetic for a moment, darling?”
Xiang Wei waved her wrist: “No, but it’s already 55 past the hour. If I let Master Xu ramble poetically for another 500 words, we’ll be late.”
Fortunately, they didn’t end up late. Racing against time, they arrived at the classroom door at exactly 6:58 PM.
But as they peeked inside, the sight of the fully occupied seats left Xu Yeyu momentarily speechless.
…There’s almost no space left?
Before she could enter, a magnetic, low-pitched male voice began speaking inside the classroom:
“Today’s lecture will cover…”
Xiang Wei leaned on Xu Yeyu’s shoulder: “Class has started?”
Xu Yeyu: “Seems like it.”
Xiang Wei: “That’s odd. It’s not even 7 yet. Are professors this diligent now, starting class two minutes early?”
The lecture had already begun. Since neither of them were students, barging in would feel awkward.
Xu Yeyu slowly stood up, her sharp gaze fixed on the tall figure at the podium, unwilling to give up: “Me, Xu Yeyu, hasn’t been late for my first class in ages, yet here I am, barred from entering.”
Xiang Wei: “So…?”
Xu Yeyu: “I’ll glare until he feels ashamed.”
“Why should he feel ashamed?”
“Because he extinguished Xu Yeyu’s burning passion for learning.”
“…”
“Is there something wrong with your brain?”
Their banter had become a daily routine, and neither took it to heart.
Xiang Wei knew that Xu Yeyu was just joking to vent her emotions and didn’t actually blame the teacher.
Inside the classroom, Lu Yanbai’s gaze shifted slightly, spotting the two people lingering outside the door.
The face leaning against the doorframe seemed vaguely familiar.
She peeked faintly into the room, her willow-shaped eyes slightly raised, her clear pupils carrying a hint of curiosity and innocence. Pure, yet with a touch of bewitching allure at the corners of her eyes.
He remembered.
The one who poked the Yakult.
Before he could ponder why she was here, he lowered his gaze and noticed she was holding something sharp.
Yesterday, his little sister hadn’t been able to drink Yakult and had been quite resentful. Today, before leaving home, he had been reminded countless times: “Brother, make sure to bring it back properly, and don’t let anyone poke it again.”
The Yakult he bought today was the last row available. While the drink itself wasn’t important, if anything happened to it, he’d face chaos at home.
The memory of her poking the Yakult yesterday was still fresh in his mind, and now she was here again, holding something sharp.
Lu Yanbai paused. To avoid any mishaps, he casually tucked the Yakult from the podium into a hidden compartment while picking up his teaching materials.
Witnessing all of this, Xu Yeyu: …???
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