Chapter 54: Rewarded Inspiration Contest

The next day, 9:30 AM.

There were less than 12 hours left before Ren Ye would enter the Star Gate again.  

“Get up, you’re coming grocery shopping with me.”  

His father’s coarse, raspy voice echoed through the living room. Ren Ye opened his sore eyes and instinctively glanced toward the bright sunlight streaming in through the window.  

The warm breeze brushed against him, and the sun was shining brightly—it was another beautiful day.  

Stretching lazily in bed, Ren Ye yawned as he got up and made his way to the bathroom to freshen up.  

“Swish!”  

Like a ghost, Ren Qingning emerged from the adjacent room. Dressed in a cartoonish pair of pajamas, barefoot, and with her hair sticking out like a bird’s nest, she announced, “I’m using it first. Wait your turn.”  

“Don’t forget to flush,” Ren Ye reminded her, leaning groggily against the doorframe.  

“I won’t flush. Let it stink you out.” Ren Qingning retorted habitually while rubbing her eyes and walking into the bathroom.  

In the kitchen, their father walked over holding a bowl of softshell turtle soup. Without unnecessary words, he handed it to Ren Ye and said curtly, “Drink this.”  

“…I told Old Huang and the others to come over for dinner today,” Ren Ye replied, taking the bowl and downing the soup in one go.  

The soup slid down his throat, soothing and nourishing. Almost immediately, Ren Ye felt a comforting warmth spread through his body.  

“Get ready. We’re going grocery shopping together.” Their father, his oil-stained hands now holding the empty bowl, remained as succinct and stoic as ever.  

That entire morning felt like a return to years past, back to childhood.  

His sister was bickering over bathroom turns, their father clanged pots and pans in the kitchen, and Ren Ye stood in the living room, half-asleep and waiting his turn.  

This familiar routine felt incredibly nostalgic.  

About twenty minutes later, the siblings finished getting ready and followed their father downstairs to the nearby market to buy groceries.  

The Haohua Farmers’ Market was just as Ren Ye remembered. Dirty puddles covered the ground, the air carried the salty smell of seafood, the surrounding walls were old and weathered, and the open ceiling allowed sunlight to stream in directly.  

Years had passed, yet nothing here had changed.  

Ren Qingning wore a pair of shorts that revealed her long legs. With a small shopping basket slung over her slender arm, she haggled skillfully with the elderly vendors.  

Not far away, their father had just purchased some spare ribs and was now walking alongside Ren Ye.  

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to ask you,” Ren Ye suddenly remembered something and casually asked, “How’s that historical novel you were working on with the editor? How did it turn out after the revisions? Tell me about it.”  

His father paused briefly, then replied softly, “The later chapters were heavily revised. I put more emphasis on emotional depth and turned it into a story about fatherly love. Old Xu and I discussed it, and we’re confident the new plot will be a hit.”  

Ren Ye blinked. “So the direction and settings for the later parts—all of that was changed?”  

“Yep,” his father nodded, adjusting his glasses. “Completely overhauled. Started from scratch.”  

“Oh,” Ren Ye said with a smile. “Well, I hope you reach the top soon and stop flopping!”  

His father replied proudly, “Reaching the top is inevitable. Your father has the talent—it’s just a matter of time. Maybe when I’m sixty, maybe when I’m eighty.”  

“Heh, I believe you.”  

With that, the father and son walked toward Ren Qingning.  

In truth, after his father underwent the Liar’s Test, Ren Ye no longer suspected him of having any connection to “players.” After all, the Vigil Keepers were professionals. The only reason he’d asked about the novel’s plot was out of sheer curiosity.  

The original storylines of the two narratives had been strikingly similar, and with Ren Ye about to re-enter the Star Gate, he was curious to see if his father’s revised plot would still “collide” with his own inspirations.  

To his surprise, however, his father and Editor Xu had completely revamped the story.  

That was more like it. It was normal for ideas to overlap occasionally, but if it kept happening, it would start to feel supernatural.  

…

By late morning, the family of three had finished grocery shopping and returned home.  

Their father headed to the kitchen to get to work, while Ren Ye and his sister went to her room to play video games.  

This was a cherished family tradition: every holiday or family reunion, their father would prepare a table full of delicious dishes while the siblings hid in the room, playing games as they waited.  

In front of a modest-sized monitor hooked up to a PS5, the two of them were engrossed in a cooperative single-player game. Surrounding them were snacks and bottles of soda.  

Ren Qingning’s delicate face was bathed in sunlight, her expression frozen in concentration. Her body swayed gently in sync with the game controller, as if she were physically exerting herself. “Hey, hey… don’t just charge in! Wait a second!”  

“Why are you dawdling? Just go in and take it down already,” Ren Ye replied, sweat dripping from his forehead as he urged her on. “You do a big jump, I’ll pin down the boss, and then you go all out with your ultimate.”  

“Go all out, my foot!” Ren Qingning grumbled in frustration. “You’ve got to use your brain when playing games! Do you even understand the rules?!”  

“Hurry up, heal me!” Ren Ye shouted in desperation.  

“Heal you, my foot! I’m out of mana! You’re such an idiot! That’s it, we’re done for—”  

“Swish!”  

Before they could react, the screen went black. Both of their characters had died.  

“Thud!”  

Furious, Ren Qingning raised her long leg and kicked Ren Ye in the face. “Why can’t you think for once?! Drooling like a fool… This is a mechanics-based game, okay? You’re supposed to study the rules! Charging in recklessly won’t work if you don’t understand the mechanics. The boss has overwhelming attributes, got it?”  

“Thump!”  

Ren Ye fell back onto the floor, tossing aside the controller in resignation. “Some of the rules aren’t clear at all, what’s there to study?”  

“Idiot!”  

Taking a sip of soda, Ren Qingning, though not particularly stellar in academics, enjoyed acting like a know-it-all. “Game companies spend five or six years developing a game. How could the rules not be clear? It’s your own carelessness—you didn’t pay attention to the details to find the mechanics. To play any game well, it’s not about your actions but about understanding the designer’s intent. Got it?”  

“Understanding the designer’s intent?”  

Ren Ye paused, her words suddenly making him think of the Star Gate. This surreal, massive, divine-like “game” must also have its designers… “You might have a point. Not much, though.”  

“Pfft~ Watch me beat it on my own.” Ren Qingning snorted and refocused her attention on the game.  

“Tap, tap.”  

Footsteps echoed as their father walked in from the kitchen. “The fish is steaming. I need a favor from you two.”  

“What is it?” Ren Ye turned to look.  

“Rustle, rustle!”  

Their father handed each of them a page of manuscript paper and smiled. “You know I revised that historical novel, right? Turned it into a story about fatherly love. After all these years of raising you two with blood, sweat, and tears, I’d like to know what kind of image I have in your hearts. What do you feel about your father?  

“Now, just to be clear, you can give feedback, even criticism… but I reserve the right to use force.”  

“I’m not writing it,” Ren Qingning pouted. “Can thoughts like these really be written down? Can written thoughts truly reflect what’s really in your heart?”

“Inspiration contest, 1,000 words for 500,” their father made an offer.

“Whoosh!”

Without saying a word, Ren Qingning grabbed the manuscript and placed it on her fair, smooth thighs. “I’ll take this job.”

“I’ll write it when I have time,” Ren Ye lazily responded.

This wasn’t an unusual move from their father. He had often asked for writing suggestions from his children in the past, so Ren Ye’s response was nonchalant.

“One week, alright? I need it in a week,” their father wiped his greasy hands. “Alright, go on and play. Ren Ye, call your colleagues and ask them when they’ll arrive.”

“Sure.”

Ren Ye always responded vaguely, but he always did what their father asked.

Writing was an incredibly lonely task, especially when there were few readers. The need for external validation was strong. Ren Ye folded the manuscript, slipped it into his pocket, and got up to call Old Huang and the others.

“Ding dong!”

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“Looks like they’re here.” Ren Ye jumped up, rushed to the living room, and opened the door.

“We came in a hurry, didn’t bring much, just a small token,” Old Huang said, grinning as he handed Ren Ye some gifts.

“I’m poor, don’t mind me,” Gu Nian said as she handed over a neck and shoulder massager. While it wasn’t an extravagant gift, it was clear she had put some thought into it, knowing her father often had issues with his neck and shoulders from long hours at his desk.

Ren Ye looked at her long legs, thinking to himself, this woman treats me well, we can become “close friends.”

“I brought two prescriptions, I guarantee your uncle will feel better after taking them…” Xu Peng said, holding up two unknown types of traditional Chinese medicine, speaking in a clumsy manner. “If it works, these two are free, but later…”

Others gift items with good luck in mind, but Xu Peng brings Chinese medicine—what kind of person is this?

“Heh, I’ll buy some fast-acting heart-saving pills next time, and send them to uncle and aunt,” Ren Ye replied politely, ushering everyone inside. “Come in, come in.”

“Hey, hello everyone!”

Ren Qingning ran out from the room and greeted everyone.

“Hi!”

The three of them stepped inside and started chatting with their father and sister.

…

Shanghai, Duoduo’s Pet Paradise.

Yan Duoduo sat in a wicker chair, gently putting down the phone, and muttered flatly, “No sense of tact, they didn’t even invite me to dinner?!”

After speaking, he turned his attention to Tang Feng, who was sitting on the sofa. He had just arrived in Shanghai, dressed in a luxurious custom suit, and wearing a watch worth at least several tens of thousands.

He was showing off, and it was time to put him in his place.

The two exchanged a brief glance, and Tang Feng’s eyes were filled with defiance and arrogance.

Yan Duoduo slowly averted his gaze, not saying anything more, and threw some documents onto the table. “Take a look.”

“Okay.”

Tang Feng nodded, imitating Yan Duoduo as he crossed his legs, and began to scan the Qingliang Prefecture materials.

About five minutes later, Tang Feng looked up in shock, incredulously asking, “You’re going to give me the identity tag Songstress? A woman? You want me to play a woman?!”

Yan Duoduo seemed calm on the surface, but he was still worried about his possible resistance. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“I don’t have a problem. I’m just really excited!” Tang Feng’s eyes lit up. “This is going to be so exciting!!!”

Sorry, only 4 chapters. I got a cold again, so I’ll rest early and I’ll try to translate 5 chapters tomorrow.