Novel Test Mission

When Xia Yu arrived at Wen Ziying's place, the first thing that caught his eye was Wen Ziying's palm holding a pen, and the draft paper spread out on the table.

Wen Ziying was writing something, but it was not finished yet.

"Do you want me to write it for you?" Xia Yu asked.

"No need, just leave it there," Wen Ziying replied.

Putting down the steel pen, Xia Yu glanced at the content on the draft paper and found it to be an essay, an essay about autumn chrysanthemums. The language was beautiful, the descriptions delicate, and there were numerous strokes in terms of light, color, and shape, revealing a strong sense of gorgeousness and richness.

The essay was only about one or two paragraphs away from completion, and barring any surprises, it would be a rare masterpiece. The description of the autumn chrysanthemums in the essay could not be written from mere imagination. However, as Xia Yu looked around, he couldn't find a pot of chrysanthemums. It was likely that Wen Ziying had gone out to observe before coming back to write.

Putting this aside, Xia Yu asked Wen Ziying, "Are you planning to submit this for publication?"

"No, I'm not," Wen Ziying replied.

"It's so well-written, why not?" Xia Yu asked in surprise.

Wen Ziying didn't answer, which meant she didn't want to say more on the subject.

Xia Yu didn't ask any further, either. He put down the draft paper and looked to the side, where he saw a drawer filled with a stack of papers.

"Is this the original manuscript of a novel?" Xia Yu asked curiously as he reached out to grab it.

Among young authors nowadays, the use of handwriting was becoming rarer, as typing on a keyboard was much faster. His hand paused just before reaching into the drawer, giving Wen Ziying a chance to stop him, but she didn't say anything. This implied that he was allowed to take a look.

As Xia Yu took out the papers, he was surprised to find that the drawer was not filled with novels, but rather essays and poems, including modern and classical poems, and even works imitating yuefu-style poetry. The styles of the essays were also diverse, including rich and gorgeous, simple and plain narration, natural and casual, unrestrained and bold... Almost all of the famous styles could be found in them.

Whether it was essays or poems, in Xia Yu's opinion, although not every piece was a masterpiece, they were at least suitable for publication in top regional magazines without any problem.

With these, Wen Ziying's literary girl persona could be even more vivid, as in the eyes of some literary youth, only essays and poems are considered true literature.

"Are you planning to create a big news item after your death?" Xia Yu asked.

There was a poet in history who lived in obscurity but had several notebooks filled with poems discovered under his bed after his death. A publisher attempted to turn them into a poetry collection and became very successful.

Unfortunately, the poet couldn't see this scene anymore, and it was unknown why he had chosen to hoard his poems like a squirrel, unwilling to reveal them.

"My mother was best at writing essays and poems," Wen Ziying said, which appeared to have nothing to do with Xia Yu's question.

Xia Yu waited for Wen Ziying to provide further explanation, but she didn't continue.

Feeling that Wen Ziying's mood was a bit complicated at the moment, Xia Yu didn't want to ask directly.

He silently read through the manuscripts in his hands.

In his heart, there was a thrill from secretly browsing through the author's hidden drafts.

However, these essays and poems are fine to read when bored, but when reading them for a long time, they seem too boring.

Especially after experiencing the bustling entertainment of his previous life, Xia Yu found that after seeing many colorful neon lights, even the most delicate oil lamp seemed to lack interest.

At this time, Wen Ziying asked, "I'm going to see my mom today, do you want to go?"

Xia Yu thought about it, knowing that Wen Ziying was aware that he couldn't leave for another eight hours. By inviting him, she meant for him to use her body to meet Bian Guping.

Since he had nothing else to do, he agreed.

Under Wen Ziying's guidance, he arrived at the bus station and took the bus to the countryside.

The bus was a bit bumpy and took an hour and a half to finally reach its destination.

After getting off the bus, Xia Yu walked for another half an hour and entered a village to see Wen Ziying's old home.

It was a large ancient mansion, built with new materials and modeled after ancient styles.

By noon, villagers returning from their fields greeted Wen Ziying.

Xia Yu, who didn't know any of them, could only respond with a smile.

The mansion's door was open, and Xia Yu walked straight in.

Upon entering, there was a courtyard and a corridor.

Compared to An Siyao's villa, the courtyard was not large, but it was already the size of an ordinary person's house.

Walking through the courtyard and into the main hall, Xia Yu met a female servant.

The maid was carrying dishes and setting the table, looking surprised when she saw Wen Ziying.

"Miss," the maid nervously stood to one side.

It seemed Wen Ziying didn't come here often, otherwise, the maid wouldn't be so surprised and restrained.

"Madam is in the room," the maid added.

Nodding, Xia Yu followed Wen Ziying's directions and entered the room on the east side.

The room was filled with imitation antique items such as a dark wooden desk and a cabinet taller than a person, making Xia Yu feel nostalgic.

Next to a window in the depths of the room was a figure sitting in a chair, looking at the outside scenery.

That must be Bian Guping.

When Xia Yu entered the room, he didn't walk quietly, so Bian Guping should have heard him, but she didn't turn her head to look.

When he reached her side, Xia Yu looked at her face.

It was a face full of hardship. Bian Guping looked at least ten years older than her actual age.

Finally, she turned her head and glanced at Wen Ziying. Her eyes were calm, as if she hadn't seen anyone.

Turning her head back, Bian Guping continued looking out the window.

There were blooming chrysanthemums outside the window.

Wen Ziying's voice echoed in Xia Yu's mind: "Her brain isn't good as she ages."

This was an explanation for Bian Guping's appearance.

Xia Yu had other questions in his heart, such as why they didn't live together, issues about the house, and questions about Wen Ziying's father, but he didn't want to ask directly.

Wen Ziying continued, "I heard that my mom used to live here when she was young. Then her family fell on hard times, and the flood destroyed the house, so they moved to the city."

Wen Ziying's words seemed like ordinary reminiscing, but the level 2 increase let Xia Yu know that things were not so simple.

After saying these things, Wen Ziying's intimacy with him increased.

There was too little information for him to analyze.

After staying at Wen Ziyin's hometown until three in the afternoon, Xia Yu took a car back to Ziling City.

Eight hours later, Xia Yu returned to his own body.

It was already past five in the evening.

Feeling a bit strange, Xia Yu sent a message to Yu Ningmeng, asking about Wen Ziyin's situation.

Yu Ningmeng replied, "You found a new love interest in just a few hours?"

Xia Yu explained that he wanted to know about Wen Ziyin's mother, Bian Guping.

Yu Ningmeng sent an emoticon of a sigh, "From a young girl to a middle-aged woman, your tastes are quite unique."

Xia Yu pretended not to see this message.

Bian Guping is from the literary circle, how could I possibly know about her? You don't see me as a gossip machine, do you?" Yu Ningmeng replied.

Xia Yu knew that Yu Ningmeng was not unwilling to find the information, she was just making excuses.

At the level of Yu Group, there were connections in all walks of life. At most, it would take a few tries and transfers, but the information could be obtained.

After some thought, Xia Yu said, "Speaking of gossip, I do have a business idea."

"What's the idea?" Yu Ningmeng immediately became interested.

"But I'm forgetful if I don't gossip, so if I couldn't get information about Bian Guping, I won't be able to remember what my idea is."

"You wait," Yu Ningmeng said, and then she stopped replying.

Xia Yu put down his phone and waited.

An hour later, Yu Ningmeng sent the information she had gathered.

Bian Guping's family used to be a large landowner in Ziling. After the downfall, the family's wealth declined. As policies became more open, Bian Guping's grandfather took some previously hidden gold bars, opened a small factory, and lived a decent life.

During Bian Guping's childhood, the small factory was closed due to pollution, and their house and land were washed away by a flood. Bian Guping's family then moved to the city. At that time, they still had some savings and lived well. As their savings were about to be used up, Bian Guping became a somewhat famous writer, and they managed to maintain their livelihoods.

Later, she married a local wealthy businessman. After the marriage, the businessman fell ill, and his company was sold to pay off debts, but he still couldn't be saved.

Yu Ningmeng continued, "I haven't collected more information yet. You'll have to wait a bit longer."

Xia Yu scanned Yu Ningmeng's text and found nothing particularly unusual.

Yu Ningmeng then asked, "What's the gossip business idea?"

Xia Yu told her some ideas about Weibo and let her trade her remaining information for the rest of the ideas. He then exited the chat window.

As for Weibo, the most famous were Sina and Tencent. These two companies fought for dominance, and in the end, only Sina survived.

Xia Yu knew that once he created Weibo, other capital forces would compete for a share. Without power and influence, he could not beat them.

It would be better to give the idea to the Yu family, and when they were successful, he could sit back and enjoy the benefits.

Having An Siyao was really convenient.

With that thought in mind, he stood up and headed to An Siyao's Villa.

He didn't forget about Zhong Yunxin's matter. After summarizing the messages Zhong Yunxin had sent to him, he had figured out where Hu Lianglu's family lived.

He would just wait until tomorrow to visit them using An Siyao's body.

After having dinner at An Siyao's place and taking a walk with her in the backyard at night, Xia Yu was driven out of the villa by Yu Ningmeng. The next morning, Xia Yu received further reports from Yu Ningmeng.

After the death of the wealthy man, Bian Guping rented a house with Wen Ziyin. She contacted her former literary friends, intending to rely on writing for a living. Back then, the value of writers was quite high, not as dismal as it is now. According to an anonymous magazine editor, at first, Bian Guping was full of confidence, as was the editor at the time, since her writing was genuinely good. However, the magazine editor said that probably eight years of being Mrs. Wen had worn out her spirituality, and the things she wrote were just mediocre.

Although the writing was mediocre, it was still publishable, but it got worse and worse, so the magazine decided to terminate the cooperation. Bian Guping kept submitting manuscripts for trial, and considering their past relationship, the magazine helped her find a job in a nursery. However, she still submitted manuscripts at a rate of about one per week.

This went on for about two years. The frequency of submissions dropped significantly during the second year, and only three or four articles were published in between. Two years later, Bian Guping left the nursery and moved to the house where Wen Ziyin lives now, relying on selling her jewelry for a living.

Then, Wen Ziyin became successful.

When Yu Ningmeng finished her report, she started asking for her Weibo creative ideas. Xia Yu ignored her because at that moment, a notification sound appeared in front of him. It was the sound of a system email.

The long-lost test mission had arrived again.

Upon opening the email, Xia Yu looked at the content.

Test requirements: Pay attention to and guide Wen Ziying's life according to your will. Test reward: 1 Star Shard.

The task requirements were strange, and the task reward was even stranger.

What did guiding Wen Ziying's life mean? What was a Star Shard?

Moreover, this mission seemed to be triggered because he had investigated Wen Ziyin's affairs.

Whatever, it didn't seem like a challenging task, so he'd give it a try.

Xia Yu decided to accept the mission.

However, he had no idea how to accomplish the task.

He'd follow the instructions and pay attention to Wen Ziyin's life for now, visiting Wen Ziyin more often later.

Deciding on this, Xia Yu occupied An Siyao's body.

He would deal with Wen Ziyin's affairs later. Now, the most important thing was to handle Hu Lianglu.

Using An Siyao's body, he went to the location deduced from the message sent by Zhong Yunxin and entered a coffee shop by the street.

He had no idea if Hu Lianglu would come out or when, so he could only wait quietly.

The almost bankrupt Hu family couldn't have found a good place for Hu Lianglu to live, so the coffee shop nearby wasn't a high-end one either.

A few men saw the lone An Siyao and were stirred up.

As a man, trying to look imposing, approached her, An Siyao silently picked up an iron coffee spoon, held it with three fingers, and exerted force.

The coffee spoon bent into a curve.

With an unchanged expression, the man continued to move forward, passing by An Siyao and heading to the restroom.

After returning from the restroom, the man picked up the coffee spoon on his own table and examined it. The spoon's quality was quite good, and he had to use all his strength and both hands to slightly bend it.

However, the young girl accomplished this feat with just three fingers and an air of nonchalance.

For his own safety, the man decided not to approach her.

Other men who were eyeing her covetously were also subdued by An Siyu's display of strength. The thought of the young girl pinning them to the ground and beating them up extinguished their desires.

Xia Yu replaced her coffee spoon and continued to wait.

At eleven o'clock, Hu Lianglu finally appeared.