Chapter 31: The True and False Author

Gu Tingchuan had been waiting. Ever since he finished that phone call with Yu Ling, he had been waiting.

Yu Ling—the name was not unfamiliar to him. She was the very person Lin Mianmian had been scheming to eliminate. She was also the culprit responsible for turning Yan'er into a vegetable.

He had originally intended not to answer that call, but Chi Ran, usually so arrogant, had humbled himself and insisted that he listen to what Yu Ling had to say. He and Chi Ran had long since fallen out, also because of Yu Ling. He couldn't quite explain why, but he had agreed to hear her out. Perhaps it was because of the lingering attachment to the brotherhood they had shared since childhood, or perhaps because Lin Mianmian had completely exhausted his trust and patience.

Last night, he had dreamt of Yan'er for the first time. In the dream, she looked at him with such disappointment. She had said coldly, "Tingchuan, let me go and let yourself go. Stop being an accomplice to hurting the innocent."

When he woke up, Gu Tingchuan wavered.

The call with Yu Ling had not been long. She told him that helping Lin Mianmian harm her would not bring Yan'er back to life; instead, it would only hasten her death.

It was about Yan'er again. Upon hearing her phrasing, Gu Tingchuan’s first reaction was anger. Both of them, one after another, had targeted his love for Yan'er, using her as a bargaining chip for their own gain. However, what Yu Ling said next shocked him deeply and sparked a glimmer of hope.

She claimed that the harm Yan'er suffered was not her fault, but Lin Mianmian’s. She also said she was the heroine of a novel, and that Lin Mianmian had been trying to get rid of her to take her place. If Lin Mianmian truly succeeded in becoming the heroine, Yan'er would die. Not only that, but he would also die.

Gu Tingchuan did not fear bankruptcy or imprisonment; what he feared was never being with Yan'er again in this lifetime.

And so, he agreed. He agreed to stop helping Lin Mianmian, to become a bystander, and to stay out of their conflict. Honestly, he didn't believe a single word from either of them anymore. But Yan'er had said she was tired and didn't want him to hurt others anymore.

Very well, then. Gu Tingchuan remembered the tearful eyes from his dream.

"Tingchuan, when I was doing my rounds this morning, I saw Zhu Shiyan's finger move. I immediately performed a full check-up, and the results are good news."

Wen Xun patted Gu Tingchuan on the shoulder. Over the past year, he had witnessed firsthand how his friend had stood up time and again from the depths of despair to seek a glimmer of hope, only to be crushed again. Zhu Shiyan had only been asleep for a year, yet Gu Tingchuan seemed to have aged ten. Wen Xun had no doubt that if Zhu Shiyan died, Gu Tingchuan would follow her.

During this year, Zhu Shiyan had also suffered immensely, lying in a cold hospital bed, covered in tubes, no different from the living dead. But fortunately, heaven had shown mercy and was unwilling to separate these two lovers.

Gu Tingchuan appeared calm, but Wen Xun noticed his tightly pressed lips and the way his gaze remained fixed on the hospital bed. He called out to him with concern, "Tingchuan?"

Gu Tingchuan seemed to be pulled back to reality. His eyes turned red, and he stumbled slightly. Wen Xun reached out to steady him, his mouth opening as if to speak, but he held back.

"Axun, why don't you head out for a bit."

Gu Tingchuan brushed off his hand, stumbled toward the hospital bed, and knelt down directly. His knees hit the floor with a dull thud. Even Wen Xun felt the pain. After a few seconds of hesitation, he turned and walked out. It was time to give these star-crossed lovers some space.

The door was gently closed, and warm sunlight spilled in through the window. Gu Tingchuan reached out and stroked Zhu Shiyan’s pale cheek. He breathed softly, afraid to disturb the stillness. Her brows, her eyes, her nose... Gu Tingchuan’s loving gaze traced every feature before he finally leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Was that dream last night your way of guiding me, Yan'er?"

Gu Tingchuan rested his head against her arm, his expression one of piety and sorrow. Outside the window, the shadows of the trees danced, and the wind blew, scattering a sense of melancholy across the ground.

[Good news! Zhu Shiyan is going to wake up.]

[Yay! Is the biggest plot device of this book, Zhu Shiyan, finally waking up? My beautiful, ill-fated daughter, are you finally waking up?]

Seeing this, Yu Ling puffed out her cheeks. These fickle people—didn't they say she was their only daughter? It was all a lie!

Yu Ling pursed her lips. Although she didn't know the girl named Zhu Shiyan, Lin Mianmian had no right to strip her of her life, so Yu Ling hoped she could escape the constraints of the plot.

[Lin Mianmian's system has also disappeared. It's so strange; in the original plot, this system was supposed to stay with her until her death.]

No wonder her counterattack this time had been so smooth, encountering no resistance at all. So that was why.

Now, the public condemnation of Lin Mianmian was massive. She had been trending for three days straight, and the brands she collaborated with were lining up to terminate their contracts and demand compensation for damages. Yet, Lin Mianmian had offered no response. Paparazzi had revealed that she had been beaten by her scumbag boyfriend and was currently in the hospital, and had even been taken to the police station.

Yu Ling dismissed all of this with a smile. She had posted a statement of clarification online and had since stopped responding to anything. Yesterday, she had bought a kitten—a purebred Ragdoll that was very affectionate. At this moment, the kitten was curled up in her arms, purring comfortably, while Yu Ling diligently brushed its fur. The afternoon was exceptionally peaceful.

[Strange things, guys. Someone else has appeared online, claiming to be the true author of this novel, saying that Yu Ling and Chi Ran are just characters she wrote.]

[Poster above, what are you talking about? I don't understand.]

[Don't understand +1]

[Don't understand +10086]

...

It wasn't just the comments; even Yu Ling was confused now. Could there be a "real" and a "fake" author?

How interesting.

[To be honest, I've had my suspicions from the beginning that this novel changed authors halfway through. The first half was concise and meaningful, while the latter half is just a pile of flowery, empty words. Not to mention the plot was completely overhauled, abandoning the well-developed heroine Yu Ling and her romantic arc to create a malicious supporting character, Lin Mianmian, who is inferior to Yu Ling in every way. I really suspect the author's account was hacked.]

[I just went to check out the drama. Both sides seem to have their own arguments. The evidence released so far isn't enough to prove who is real and who is fake, so we have to wait and see.]

[Oh heavens, if that's the case, I could actually accept it. How could an author not love the characters they created? How could they just abandon her like that? If Yu Ling wasn't abandoned, then she must have been snatched away to be someone else's child.]