Xi Luting logged into her QQ account at 11 p.m.
Seeing the question, her expression went —
After much thought, she weakly asked, "Am I supposed to write that part of the content...?"
Ham for Cucumber: "Of course. If it’s described from the male lead’s perspective, it’ll be too stiff."
Ham for Cucumber: "Plus, I think you really have a talent in this area."
Seeing Ham’s reply, Xi Luting felt both excited and proud.
But she still had some apprehensions.
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "But I have no experience! I don’t know much about normal passionate scenes; it’s all made up..."
Ham for Cucumber: "That’s why I say you have talent!"
Xi Luting was completely embarrassed.
You could just compliment me, why make it so disgustingly cheesy?
Discussing this with a strange man gave her a thrill that felt extremely taboo.
But she always remained clear-headed. Her relationship with Ham would only ever be that of online collaborators; she would never let him into her real life.
So, she didn’t get carried away, instead trying hard to keep the conversation on topic.
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "But that kind of content can’t all rely on imagination, right? I’ve heard... it’s quite professional."
Ham for Cucumber: "Right, so you need to do thorough research."
Ham for Cucumber: "Remember this website; it contains many of Si Ma’s professional articles. You can study at your own pace; we still have time."
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "Then... shall I give it a try?"
Ham for Cucumber: "You can do it, go for it!"
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "Alrighty then..."
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "Then you concentrate and make the plot more solid. A successful work’s foundation is always the story and characters—don’t waste my efforts."
Yo? Making quick progress, aren’t we?
This remark made Han Lie see her in a new light.
Little Cucumber might not have written clear web novels herself, but her thoughts were certainly on the right track.
And she expressed her stance in a smart and subtle way—
It’s because your storytelling is fascinating enough that I’m willing to collaborate with you; don’t disappoint me.
Ham for Cucumber: "Don’t worry, leave the story to me. As two cucumbers with one heart, our combined efforts are unstoppable!"
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "(facepalm) Stupid name! Bye~~~"
After closing his alt QQ account, Han Lie started to think intently about the outline.
The core attraction of Ham for Xi Luting lay in this outline that was one step ahead of the times. It could not be taken lightly.
Reviewing it every night before bed and adding inspirations as they came ensured that the story was exciting, and that he could keep reeling in Little Cucumber for the long term.
With a bang, the day of the nuclear explosion arrived.
School started on the 8th, and life returned to the usual routine.
Morning jog, mooch meals, study, mooch meals, write, mooch meals...
Yu Yun and Fang Feifei grew clingier, but Han Lie only engaged in meal-mooching, remaining unresponsive to everything else.
Our dear Ting Ting started a cold war with Han Lie.
When they crossed paths, she wouldn’t even give him a sideways glance.
Even if they sat at the same table for lunch, she acted as if she didn’t see him, not saying a word to Han Lie.
And Brother Lie was even more stubborn: if you ignore me, I’ll ignore you too.
Just mutually ignore each other, who’s afraid of whom?
After all, come evening, you’ll still end up in my hands!
It didn’t take a full day for Yu Yun and Fang Feifei to notice something was off.
The two girls felt... quite pleasantly surprised.
In the second class of the afternoon, Fang Feifei took a seat beside Han Lie and asked with a beaming smile, "Hey, are you and Xi Luting having a tiff?"
Seriously, girl, could you be a little more discreet?
Han Lie glanced at her and dismissively said, "As if breaking up with her would make it your turn..."
Fang Feifei was left speechless by the retort.
But she wasn’t mad for more than two minutes before she bounced back and sidled up to him again, all chipper.
"Hey, what exactly happened? Tell me about it, will you?"
This girl’s personality was quite unique.
If you said she was magnanimous, she could still pull off that kind of stunt later.
If you said she was petty, she wouldn’t mind how Han Lie teased her, not staying mad for more than ten minutes.
Yu Yun was the type to outwardly brush off insults as if they were nothing, yet she’d keep them all in her heart. Fang Feifei, in contrast, would genuinely forget and not take such things seriously.
"What could it be? Just like you, trying to get close to me and got scoffed at!"
Brother Lie casually spun a yarn, and she actually believed it.
"Ting Ting is not as easygoing as I am; she must be mad at you! Hey, you scoffed even at someone as pretty as her? You really have no feelings for her?"
"Nope, can’t afford to serve her."
Getting the answer she wanted, Fang Feifei finally quieted down.
She happily went back to read her novel.
So in the evening, Xi Luting complained to Brother Ham, railing against Han Lie for a full half-hour.
Han Lie knew it would come to this; the 2333 dorm was like a palace drama every day, able to pull off any trick, and using the thirty-six stratagems better than any regular Italian army.
After this incident, Xi Luting’s favorable impression of Han Lie plummeted once again. Looking at him from any angle, she found him disagreeable.
But she still had to observe him.
The male protagonist of "The Goddess CEO", Han Lieye, was increasingly modeled after Han Lie: forceful, self-absorbed, cold, focused, with ambition greater than anyone else’s, always looking to the future.
Xi Luting had no choice but to secretly observe Han Lie to outline the life details of a qualified domineering CEO.
For instance, when the scoundrel Han Lie was dealing with the pestering from Fang Feifei and Yu Yun, Xi Luting would always hide nearby, watching quietly, then try to figure out his every word and action.
Honestly, this method was quite clumsy, but she didn’t have a better choice.
Han Lie was not a domineering CEO with immense power, but at least his personality was very close to that of the male lead, even more so when he was shameless.
The more she observed, the more confused her heart became.
She complained about Han Lie to Brother Ham more and more, her attention increasingly focused on the scoundrel.
And time slowly ticked away.
On Sunday, the 11th, Han Lie went to the Wujiaochang driving school to sign up for a class, ready to get his driver’s license again.
Practicing wasn’t necessary, of course. After spending 4,500 yuan and gifting a carton of cigarettes, the instructor agreed to let Han Lie go straight to the test.
By October 14th, Han Lie had thoroughly sorted out all his professional knowledge and was ready to begin his specialized studies.
The focus of his studies was naturally a specialized subfield within finance: securities investment.
But reading books was of no use for this; he had to engage in real practice.
So Han Lie opened an investment account.
Since he didn’t have much money, he couldn’t negotiate a lower commission, so it remained at the current mainstream rate of one-thousandth.
Back at school, Han Lie downloaded the broker’s software and began simulated trading.
One could say that Han Lie was already a very seasoned stock market player, understanding tons of theories and operating with considerable boldness.
Unfortunately, Leek Lie only had experience in losing money, never having tasted any gains.
In his past life, the more Old Leek lost, the more anxious he became. If there was ever 5,000 yuan in his account, he couldn’t resist for even a day and had to buy something.
Having lived once again, he now had a wealth of knowledge and experience as his foundation. He also knew that a bull market would start next year. Consequently, Han Lie became calmer.
He started holding himself to higher standards and looked towards a more distant future.
Stay calm. In the early stages, focus on exploring trading models. Don’t enter the market without a solid one.
On the 15th, "The Goddess CEO" finally got officially signed.
Receiving the news, Little Cucumber was ecstatic.
"Signed in 8 days! The two of us, Silly Cucumbers united, are powerful enough to cut through metal!" Googlᴇ search No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt
Oh, the Silly Cucumber duo isn’t silly anymore?
Han Lie just snickered for a while, not teasing her.
But after the happiness, a new problem confronted Xi Luting—
"Legs, I still can’t find the right mindset. I can’t write that Special scene well. What should I do?!"
Ham for Cucumber: "Have you read all the articles on the website attentively?"
Lonely as a Solitary Guagua: "I’ve read them so many times! But I really can’t grasp that feeling... I can understand enduring something for the sake of family, but how could it possibly be comfortable or exciting?!"
Han Lie pondered, feeling that this was indeed a major issue.
Xi Luting’s personality was what it was; making her a Queen would definitely not be a problem.
But asking her to write that kind of emotional transformation...
But there was no way around it; only she could write that part of the content.