Chu Ge looked at Zhang Qiren's curled-up figure, his feelings complex. He clearly loathed what Zhang Qiren had done, but seeing him like this, he couldn't bring himself to curse him.
He knew Zhang Qiren liked Yueying, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent. He had previously stubbornly claimed it was just lust.
Those two had never even spoken; a feeling had simply arisen, and he liked her so much… It just goes to show that love is irrational.
Or perhaps Zhang Qiren is stubborn; once he's made up his mind, it's hard to change it.
But this tragedy is still lamentable. Zhang Qiren, in his first act of wrongdoing, destroyed his own love. Given Yueying's current hatred for Zhang Qiren, he'll likely face a terrible future; this rift is probably irreparable.
So, it just means that wrongdoing is unacceptable?
Chu Ge suddenly thought of his book.
The fate of Qiu Wuji and the others is unpredictable.
After a long, long time, Zhang Qiren's barely audible voice could be heard: "Thanks, Brother Chu. It's good you saved her."
Chu Ge shook his head: "It's no use. There's no future for you two. Even if you reform and try to be a hero again, it won't matter. When Yueying was in despair on the stage, you didn't give her a chance."
"Stop cursing... I know it's no use... I'm just grateful you saved her life. As for me..." Zhang Qiren, leaning against a telephone pole, slowly stood up again: "I'm afraid I can't go back down this path, and I don't want to. Anyway..."
He suddenly smiled: "Anyway, it seems like I have nothing left to lose."
That smile was devoid of any real joy; it looked more like a cry. Chu Ge couldn't help but advise, "You've only just begun, why can't you turn back? Is it because it's hard to go from luxury to frugality? Driving a G-Wagon, surrounded by entourage, can't you let go?"
Zhang Qiren thought absently for a moment, "I won't deny that I enjoy this... I should say, a large part of my current actions is so that I can continue to enjoy these things in the future, and enjoy even more, so I won't pretend to be frugal. I'll enjoy what I'm entitled to. But Brother Chu, it's not all like that."
"There's more?"
"There's still a breath left." Zhang Qiren said calmly, "Why?"
Brother Chu remained silent.
Zhang Qiren suddenly said, "In a sense, the awakening of superpowers is a windfall, and many people are trying to profit from it. Many places are experiencing upheavals, and the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing overall structure, overall situation, and overall landscape) is quietly changing. You have the ability, and if you're willing, you can live a more comfortable life than I do. Why bother writing every day and getting criticized?" Before he could finish, Chu Ge interrupted him: "I don't want this." Zhang Qiren wasn't surprised by this answer, but simply said, "I think you can't avoid it sooner or later. You seem serene and unambitious, but you actually have a strong desire to stir things up... Do you really think everyone dares to go to underground boxing matches?" "Saving people? What's that called? Chivalry? Loyalty? If you have those things, you can't escape it." Chu Ge: "..." Zhang Qiren said, "Anyway, if you need to know anything about this, you can ask me later. You'll need it." Chu Ge hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay." Zhang Qiren smiled: "I know you can't accept what I'm doing now. If you want to break off our friendship, I won't complain... I still consider you a brother." Chu Ge was about to say something when a warning suddenly arose in his mind, as if some extremely dangerous energy was rushing towards Zhang Qiren. He instinctively dodged to block it, a faint golden light emanating from his body. With a "clang," Chu Ge groaned, clutching his shoulder and crashing into Zhang Qiren. Zhang Qiren quickly helped him up: "Are you alright?" Chu Ge shook his head slightly. His clothes were just torn, and his shoulder was a little bruised. It didn't hurt too much; the Golden Bell Shield really worked. Zhang Qiren checked and found nothing wrong, then sighed, "Amazing, Brother Chu, I never knew it was this attribute." *So you know what my attribute is?* Chu Ge said irritably, "You got assassinated, and you keep asking me all sorts of questions? Are you sick?"
Zhang Qiren shook his head, "What's there to care about? I even know who it was. But Brother Chu, now you know why I can't get out, right? Having come this far, once I lose my power, you can collect my corpse tomorrow."
Chu Ge said calmly, "It's your own path, no need to explain it to me."
Zhang Qiren finally smiled, "No matter how you view my situation, no matter how cold your tone... I'm glad you instinctively stood in my way."
Chu Ge: "..." Between these two sentences, the sound of clothes rustling through the air came, and Qiu Wuji, with a sour face, floated over carrying a skinny man, throwing him in front of Zhang Qiren: "Handle this properly. If you cause us any trouble, I won't consider you a brother."
Zhang Qiren looked at Qiu Wuji in surprise, then chuckled, "So that seasoned superhuman from back then was you, sister-in-law..."
Qiu Wuji remained silent, his face dark.
"Don't bother analyzing who has superpowers. You can't even tell a single one, what's the point of analyzing?"
"Don't worry," Zhang Qiren then kicked the man on the ground. "Brother Chu was living a peaceful life and shouldn't have gotten involved in this. I'll clean up the mess."
Chu Ge hesitated. "You...you're not going to kill someone again?"
Zhang Qiren smiled brightly. "Of course not, this is a good bargaining chip."
Chu Ge remained silent.
He found it difficult to empathize with the underworld, and also difficult to understand what Zhang Qiren was thinking.
But with assassination happening right before his eyes, he knew he couldn't persuade him to quit.
He could only say that their friendship would definitely not be the same as before. At least they were unlikely to sit together for barbecue anymore; they were from different worlds. Chu Ge found it very difficult to laugh and talk with a friend who had committed murder and arson.
Zhang Qiren, however, seemed more philosophical. He picked up the man from the ground, slowly turned, and left. "I'm leaving, Brother Chu. This may be the last time we meet. I just hope... you can keep going, and finish writing my part too." In the distance, shadowy figures appeared; it seemed his subordinates had gathered. The figures were far away, and the voices were indistinct. Chu Ge watched from afar, feeling as if he were in another world.
The shadow that had been huddled under the streetlamp was gone forever.
He wondered if it still lingered in his heart.
Qiu Wuji withdrew his gaze from that direction and commented, "In our world, with that kind of spirit and willpower, he would be considered very promising. But here, it seems a bit difficult."
Chu Ge said, "It's more than just difficult; it feels like a dead end. Especially since the police are watching him, and Gu Ruoyan's department seems even more terrifying. He's practically under their watchful eyes. Not going in now feels like fishing; no matter how you look at it, continuing down this path only leads to death..."
"He probably knows it better than you do," Qiu Wuji smiled. "If he truly lives up to his name and is an extraordinary person, I'm quite curious to see how he manages to pull off a miraculous escape from death."
Chu Ge couldn't help but say, "He said I have a penchant for causing trouble..." "Why do I feel like you're the one with that desire..." Qiu Wuji replied matter-of-factly, "You wrote it. I'm not some hermit who doesn't care about worldly affairs; I have a duel to fight next month."
"Now you're making 'you wrote it' sound so natural?" Chu Ge asked curiously, "Not struggling anymore?"
"You have to acknowledge your influence before you can struggle. You made me hit a wall, and I realized that your influence on our world is practically law, even more terrifying than that sense of destiny I felt before. I even thought that you could really kill me at any time, if you wanted to write it that way." Chu Ge almost jumped up, "Hey, what are you thinking? I'm not brain-dead, even if I'm a literary type. The reality is you're the one who can be manipulated at any time." "Why don't you just kill me?" Qiu Wuji said, "That was just an example. Of course I know you wouldn't. Chu Ge, I can't even tell how much of our natural interaction is due to the influence of your 'If you're going to search, search for the Creator God' mentality. I can't tell, can you?" Chu Ge hesitated for a moment, "Logically, you know I wrote it, so you wouldn't really think that way, right?"
"I know my personality is something you wrote, so why is it still like this? Since the setting is in effect, neither you nor I can tell how much influence it has."
"..." Chu Ge scratched his head, "There's no need to be so clear about it, it's too much of a headache." Qiu Wuji said calmly, "Yes, life goes on, doesn't it? I explore my world, you..." "To ease your loneliness. But if you can't even distinguish this, how can you talk about breaking free from the laws of nature and achieving self-realization? Isn't that just self-deception? Chu Ge, in terms of self-awareness, neither of us is even as good as Zhang Qiren, so don't lament for others."
"So you're not struggling, but rather advising me?"
"Why should I struggle? Verifying my true self isn't something that happens overnight. I just need to know what I'm doing." Qiu Wuji smiled slightly: "This time, Father God never expected me to come out and pretend to be a fan. He might even think this doesn't fit your 'persona,' but it's exactly what I wanted to do. There wasn't much forced or deliberate effort involved, and that's my achievement. One day, I will be myself, and Father God, amidst worldly affairs, will he still remember what he wants?"