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墨書 Inktalez
The moonlight streamed through the window, and Hanno remained focused on typing, oblivious to the light illuminating the Porcelain Jar. The jar reflected a faint, delicate glow that enveloped Hanno without affecting his vision, allowing him to remain unaware of the jar's unusual presence.
The Porcelain Jar was mysterious; did it really only serve as a dimensional portal? Certainly not. Hanno simply regarded it as a portal, unaware for a long time that he and those he cared about had gained a unique experience. Until later...
Yue Junzhe sat up in bed, shaking her head in an attempt to recall the scenes from her dream, but no matter how hard she tried, not a single detail came to mind. Oh well, it was just a dream; forgetting it was fine!
She planned to find a decent apartment in the city soon. The quality of the building, its location, and safety were all crucial. In this era, the underworld and thugs in Harbor City were quite brazen; she didn’t want to feel anxious every time she stepped outside, nor did she wish to be awakened in the middle of the night by gunfire.
As Yue Junzhe left, Dong Qiao immediately picked up the manuscript and headed out towards the chairman's office upstairs. After knocking on the door and hearing a voice say "Come in," Dong Qiao entered. Inside sat a kindly old man; if Yue Junzhe were there, she would surely recognize him as the legendary Golden Giant, revered by all martial arts readers.
Now in his sixties, Golden Giant served as the chairman of Ming Pao's board.
"Old Jin, I received an incredibly exciting manuscript today that could definitely boost our circulation at Ming Pao," Dong Qiao said excitedly.
"Oh? What is it? Let me see," Golden Giant replied with interest. A book recommended so highly by Dong Qiao must be exceptional.
He took the manuscript, put on his glasses, and began to read. Golden Giant read slower than Dong Qiao did; however, Dong Qiao was patient and leisurely picked out a book from the massive bookshelf in Golden Giant's office.
After a long while, Golden Giant set down the manuscript and exclaimed "Good" three times.
"Though the writing is ordinary, the concept is innovative and marvelous, and the plot is thrilling. This entire book is grand and passionate; men will surely love it. It’s a classic," Golden Giant remarked. "Where did you find such talent?"
Dong Qiao replied, "The author approached us herself—a young girl who looks completely unassuming but can write something so spirited."
"Oh?" Golden Giant's interest piqued. "I would like to meet this girl when possible. You can take this manuscript back; have the team arrange a schedule."
"Yes." Dong Qiao took the manuscript and reported, "I offered Aunt Year eighty yuan per thousand words, which is twenty yuan more than the usual rate for new authors."
Although Golden Giant was somewhat stingy, he understood the value of quality. He casually remarked, "This piece is worth that price. Build a good relationship with the author; when she has more works, we can publish them in our newspaper and adjust the price accordingly."
"Sure." Dong Qiao had the same idea, and with the big boss's promise, he felt free to proceed.
After leaving Ming Pao newspaper, Yue Junzhe went to the bank. With the help of the bank staff, she exchanged her check and opened an account. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard someone calling her. Following the voice, Yue Junzhe saw a girl around her age running toward her with a bright smile.
"I recognized you from behind! I called out, and it really is you. Are you here at the bank for something?" The girl asked in a familiar tone.
Yue Junzhe quickly searched through the original owner's memories and found the girl's name: Liang Chaoxia, her former classmate from middle school who had stopped studying after graduating from Form Five.
"Yes, I'm here to withdraw some money. I've run out of living expenses."
Liang Chaoxia looked at Yue Junzhe sympathetically. Many classmates knew about how the original owner was left behind in Harbor City while her family went abroad, and they felt sorry for her being abandoned by her own father.
"Liang Chaoxia, are you here to withdraw money too?"
Liang Chaoxia laughed and replied, "My family is poor, so I don't have any savings. But my brother has done well; he's a host at a television station! Today he got his paycheck, and my mom asked him to open an account to save one-third of his salary for when he gets married."
As she spoke, a clear male voice came from behind Liang Chaoxia: "Sister, what nonsense are you talking?"
Liang Chaoxia quickly turned around and pulled a young man forward, introducing him to Yue Junzhe: "This is my brother Liang Wei. Isn't he handsome? Brother, this is my middle school classmate Yue Junzhe; she's really good at her studies."
"Hello." The young man greeted Yue Junzhe politely.
Yue Junzhe was completely stunned. Wow! Liang Wei! The real deal! The younger version! After years of being classmates, she finally realized that Liang Chaoxia was actually a star!
Liang Wei was one of the celebrities Yue Junzhe admired in her past life. Although it wasn't the same kind of admiration as for an idol, she really enjoyed watching the television shows and movies starring Liang Wei.
"Y-you're here!" Yue Junzhe forced herself to stay calm.
Liang Chaoxia thought Yue Junzhe was mesmerized by Liang Wei's handsomeness and laughed, "So, what do you think? My brother is handsome, right?"
Yue Junzhe nodded and generously replied, "Very handsome. I really envy you for having such a good-looking brother."
At that moment, the young Liang Wei blushed upon hearing Yue Junzhe's straightforward compliment and shyly said, "Thank you. You look very pretty too."
Yue Junzhe smiled slightly at the compliment. She did look quite good in her current form; although she wasn't a stunning beauty on par with the likes of Zhao Yazhi or other stars from the Ming Dynasty, she had an elegant charm and an air of scholarly grace that made people feel warmly towards her at first glance.
"Yue Junzhe, it's been two years since we last met. How have you been? Your grades have always been the best; you must have gotten into university, right?" Liang Chaoxia continued reminiscing without acknowledging her brother's discomfort.
Yue Junzhe nodded, "I got accepted into Port City University, Chinese Department. School starts in half a month."
Liang Chaoxia exclaimed excitedly, "Congratulations! You're going to be a college student now. You have to treat us; we need to celebrate!"
If this had happened before today, Yue Junzhe would have found an excuse to avoid treating them. But now she considered herself wealthy—at least compared to the Liang sisters—and smiled as she agreed, "Sure! There's no time like the present; let's celebrate today. I'll treat you both to dinner."
Liang Chaoxia was even more delighted. "Great! I know a place that serves delicious food at reasonable prices. Let's go there!"
Yue Junzhe understood that Liang Chaoxia was worried about her living expenses and appreciated her thoughtfulness. She smiled and said, "Since we're celebrating, we should go somewhere nicer. Let's go to a restaurant; it's been a while since I've had seafood. Let's eat seafood!"
"Restaurant?" Liang Chaoxia shook her head. "That's too extravagant."
"You don't need to save money for me," Yue Junzhe replied. "I write articles for the newspaper now, and my earnings are enough to cover expenses."
Hearing this, Liang Chaoxia relaxed and happily said to Liang Wei, "Brother, we’re in for a treat!"
"I still won't go," Liang Wei said. "I have plans with a friend."
"Is it Brother Xing?" Liang Chaoxia asked. "Can the food at a street stall compare to that of a restaurant?"
Upon hearing the name "Brother Xing," Yue Junzhe felt a stir in his heart and said, "Invite your friend too; the more, the merrier."
In truth, Liang Wei wanted to eat at the restaurant as well. His family was poor, and dining out was a luxury. With someone treating, he felt reluctant to refuse. Moreover, he was eager to connect with Yue Junzhe. After all, she was a university student and an educated person. Although he had dropped out of school at fifteen to work, he held great admiration and respect for those who pursued education.
So the three of them headed to the place where Liang Wei had arranged to meet his friend. Upon seeing Liang Wei's friend, Yue Junzhe thought: Just as I expected!
The person was none other than the future comedy king Zhou Xingchi, who would become famous not only in Harbor City but throughout the Chinese-speaking world. At this moment, the comedy king was just as youthful and vibrant as Liang Wei. When he saw the three of them approaching, he greeted them cheerfully, "Wei Zai, Chao Xia, you’re here! Who is this beautiful lady?"
Liang Wei introduced her: "This is Chao Xia's high school classmate Yue Junzhe. Sister Yue has been accepted into Port City University and is treating us to celebrate."
Zhou Xingchi was surprised. "So not only is she beautiful, but she’s also talented! Sister Yue, hello! I’m Wei Zai’s good friend Zhou Xingchi. You can call me Xing Zai."
Suppressing her excitement, Yue Junzhe smiled and said, "Then like Chao Xia, I’ll call you Brother Xing."
Zhou Xingchi beamed with joy. "As expected from a university student; such grace and manners!"
He gave a thumbs up. "You're treating? Then Brother Xing will recommend a good food stall for you. The portions are definitely large and the taste is great. I've been hanging around here for years, so I know which places are good and which aren't."
Yue Junzhe recalled the later descriptions of Stephen Chow, noting that he was usually serious and taciturn when not acting. But now, it seemed that Stephen Chow was quite lively! However, looking at Stephen Chow's youthful face and the enthusiasm and hope in his eyes, Yue Junzhe began to understand. Young people are always full of energy, and later on, Stephen Chow would become so serious because he had been through too much in the entertainment industry. No matter how lively one is, they eventually settle down; all that enthusiasm is channeled into the characters they portray. Otherwise, how could he create so many classic comedic characters that bring joy to everyone?
Yue Junzhe smiled and said, "Let's go eat at a restaurant. You don't need to save money for me; I made a good amount today."
Liang Chaoxia asked in surprise, "Yue Junzhe, is writing articles really profitable?"
Yue Junzhe shook his head. "Not particularly profitable. The payment from Ming Pao isn't high. Since I'm writing a long piece with more words, I earn a bit more."
Liang Wei and Stephen Chow were very interested in Yue Junzhe's writing. Stephen Chow asked, "Sister Yue, what's the title of your work? What's it about? Is it a romance like Ms. Qiong Yao from Bay Island?"
"No, it's more of a historical time-travel story," Yue Junzhe replied.
"Time travel?" The three young people were puzzled. "What is that?"
In this era, Huang Da Shen had yet to write The Legend of the Seeking Qin, and Seat Goddess's Time-Traveling Romance was still unseen. The only early example of time travel was Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but none of them had read it. In fact, unless one studied foreign literature, many people had never encountered it.
"Time travel refers to characters who traverse time and space to arrive in ancient times or another world, changing history or altering the world," Yue Junzhe explained.
Liang Wei said, "That sounds really interesting."
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