TGBOG Chapter 4

As soon as Zhao Zhao turned on his phone after getting off the plane, he was bombarded with a series of Weibo notifications, almost making him think he was being called out again. He cautiously opened Weibo and discovered that it was just Shiye tagging him in a post. No wonder Shiye was a big name; in the short hour and a half flight, the retweets and comments were as high as those of a celebrity. Zhao Zhao casually scrolled through the comments:

Mulan Jasmine: Ahh, when is the great author starting a new story? Can’t wait! *drools*
Zhichi: Is the photo of Little Prince????
A Sip of Moonlight Brewing New Wine: ??????? What’s going on??????

…

Sleepy Fox V: Huh? Are you and Master Twelve still sleeping? I’m already home. *happy*

Sleepy Fox’s comment was rapidly gaining likes, quickly becoming the top comment. Zhao Zhao fell silent for a moment, feeling a bit aggrieved, like no matter what he replied, it wouldn’t feel right. Just as he was thinking this, Zhao Zhao had a bad premonition, and sure enough, many replies appeared under Fox’s comment:

Curiosity Killed the Cat: …Sleeping…together?
Fat Otaku Meow Meow: Caught a live fox!
Call Me the Invincible Little Fairy: I think I understand something…
Colonel Akashi in Dreams: I remember Zhao Zhao and Master Twelve had a fight, right?
Bai Bai’s Carrot: …This circle is really messy…

…

The world sure changes quickly. A few years ago, same-sex feelings were still taboo and filled with a sense of guilt and prohibition; in recent years, “good buddies” has become a neutral term, and society is open to discussing these topics, even to the point where celebrities sometimes hype up same-sex pairings for popularity.

As a writer, Zhao Zhao was best at understanding his readers’ thoughts. This “culture” was part of his readers’ interests, so he was naturally well-versed in it. There was a time he and Tian Gai often collaborated, with frequent interactions on Weibo that excited their fans. Tian Gai, who had a quirky sense of humor, found it amusing and intensified his interactions with Zhao Zhao on Weibo. However, his black fans called him out on the Yue Si forum, criticizing him for spending too much time on “selling bromance” instead of writing. Tian Gai found it hilarious and showed Zhao Zhao a screenshot of a discussion questioning their actual relationship, asking Zhao Zhao how he felt about it. Zhao Zhao, who was struggling with writer’s block at the time, was annoyed and replied by screenshotting several titles of CP (couple pairing) involving him and other authors from a niche forum, saying: “I think you need to work harder and develop more.”

Tian Gai conceded, admitting defeat.

So, even though Sleepy Fox himself didn’t think his comment was inappropriate, many had read into it, seeing hidden meanings. Zhao Zhao scrolled through his phone, feeling speechless: the others were close friends, often joking around, but with Shiye… their fans had seriously clashed before, and now their relationship had just thawed. Being suddenly shipped together was a bit awkward.

Just as Zhao Zhao thought this, another Weibo post from Shiye appeared. Someone asked if it was due to the previous misunderstanding that he posted this, and Shiye replied by retweeting:

Shiye V replied to CatCatCatCat coming: Because I hope for a good start with Little Prince.

So he posted that Weibo—like the first note of a song, like the first page of a book, like the starting point of a road—essentially, something full of promise.

Zhao Zhao suddenly stopped walking.

He looked up at Shiye, who was waiting for his luggage not far away. Shiye also looked at him. It was as if Shiye knew what Zhao Zhao was thinking; he smiled and waved his phone at Zhao Zhao.

Zhao Zhao suddenly remembered Lin Songyue from “Lock Heart.” Many readers joked that Lin Songyue must have been modeled after Shiye; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so charmingly written. Zhao Zhao initially thought Lin Songyue must have a real-life inspiration, but it certainly wasn’t Shiye.

Shiye poured all the goodness of the world into Lin Songyue, writing with such flair that it seemed he could write for days. Yet, when describing the first meeting between the temporarily blind protagonist and Lin Songyue, he used only thirteen words:

His voice, like starlight falling into one’s arms at night.

What kind of voice was this? Zhao Zhao couldn’t imagine.

He just thought, how gentle.

Shiye’s writing style was always restrained and calm, much like his usual demeanor. Only this line, a bit more poetic and different from his usual style, carried a special nuance that Zhao Zhao picked up on.

Noticing this subtlety in Shiye’s writing made Zhao Zhao somewhat happy. Unfortunately, due to the plagiarism incident, he had a falling out with Shiye, erasing the little bit of mutual admiration he had.

And now—

Zhao Zhao walked forward to stand by the luggage carousel. Shiye stood next to him, neither looking at him nor speaking. As the luggage carousel moved, Zhao Zhao waited a while and saw his suitcase come out before Shiye’s. He picked up his suitcase and turned to look at Shiye.

Shiye turned to face him.

“Hey, handsome, you look familiar.”

Shiye was taken aback, then laughed softly: “Really? You look familiar too.”

“Oh, my name is Zhao Yijia, what’s yours?”

Shiye slowly stopped smiling, looking seriously at the spirited young man before him:

“Hello, Zhao Yijia, I’m Ye Luan.”

---

Be my Patron~
✨Be a part of the story – support my translations✨
✨✨Advance chapter at Patreon✨✨