Chapter 44: The Emperor of Flame 2

"Zijin is going to publish a new book?"
"What the heck, is he really this prolific?"
"That's fantastic! I was just worrying about what to read after 'Emperor Flame' finishes."
"Hey, upstairs, don't get excited yet. Let's see what genre Zijin is writing first."
"Zijin is writing sci-fi?!"
"No way, wouldn't it be better to stick with fantasy? If all else fails, write 'Emperor Flame 2' so we can read about the Emperor Flame's son, at least."
"Exactly, what kind of sane person reads sci-fi these days?"
Zijin's announcement that he would write a new sci-fi book instantly surged onto the trending searches.
Book fans offered mixed reviews; some said they believed in him, some declared they were unfollowing, and the majority were desperately advising Zijin not to make such a rash decision.
Riding this wave of popularity, Xinghai's public relations department smoothly released the news that Xinghai would be collaborating with Zijin to produce the "Emperor Flame" animated series.
The enthusiasm of tens of millions of book fans was ignited all over again.
Unlike the comments for "The Three-Body Problem," which was scheduled to be released next week, the comment section under Xinghai's post was uniformly filled with praise and anticipation.
"Just how much clout does Xinghai Company have behind the scenes? First ZJ, now Zijin. I suggest a thorough investigation into Xinghai's CEO."
"Seconded!"
The third floor comment included a photo—a close-up portrait of Peng Jiaxin from the Xinghai official website, which was also the only publicly revealed photo of her online.
In the photo, Peng Jiaxin stared at the camera with an expression of utter indifference.
"Ah! Goddess, slay me!"
"Good grief, you call this a company CEO? If you told me she was a celebrity, I'd totally believe it!"
"Wuwuwu, if I could marry a wife like this in my lifetime, I'd gladly live in a villa and eat gourmet meals every day."
"Dude, how can you even eat... wait a minute, don't think I won't recognize you just because you changed your gender setting!"
"Heh heh."
"Speaking of Zijin and ZJ, don't you guys feel like something's a bit off?"
An anonymous account liked this post.
Being real-name verified was such a hassle; even liking a post required sneaking around.
Chen Fan exited Weibo and paid it no more attention.
Since he had nothing to do for the afternoon, he decided to go home and finish writing "The Three-Body Problem I."
As soon as he returned home, that fellow Xiang Yangyang sent a massive array of sixty-second voice messages. Chen Fan listened to them briefly; most of them were accusations of him disregarding their brotherhood.
Chen Fan expressionlessly typed out a reply.
"It's my fault. Where are you now? I'll come pick you up."
"Too late! I'm already on the train! I'm leaving this loveless city!"
"Then where are you planning to go? Bro will come keep you company."
"I don't even know. I bought a blind-box train ticket. Wait, let me check."
Xiang Yangyang sent a screenshot to Chen Fan.
"Shu Province?"
"Yep. If you're coming, remember to buy a plane ticket, and I'll treat you to hot pot when you get here."
"Okay."
Chen Fan skillfully took a screenshot of the chat log and sent it to Ning Lu.
"Thanks, I'll treat you to a meal next time."
"You're welcome."
The number of chats between Chen Fan and Ning Lu was limited, but the format was basically identical to the one just now.
Chen Fan: Real-time location or a screenshot of the chat log.
Ning Lu: Thanks, I'll treat you to a meal next time.
Then, after a while.
Ning Lu: Apologies, I've been busy lately, let's cash out the meal invitation instead.
Followed by a red envelope.
This time was no exception, though the waiting period was skipped altogether.
Chen Fan collected the money quite readily; he knew the consequence of not accepting—Ning Lu would think the red envelope amount wasn't large enough. In the beginning, it was 1k. If Chen Fan refused to collect it once, she would send another red envelope with double the amount, one every hour, with no limit on the sum until Chen Fan finally accepted it.
When he first experienced this scenario, it had frightened Chen Fan so much that he hurriedly called Xiang Yangyang to ask what was going on. Xiang Yangyang had told him to just accept it, otherwise she wouldn't stop.
Chen Fan: "......"
"The power of habit is truly terrifying," Chen Fan mused.
All afternoon, Chen Fan stayed cozily in his room, quietly hammering away at his keyboard. Aside from occasionally going out to tease Xingxing the cat, he practically didn't step out of the room until it was close to dinnertime, when Peng Jiaxin and Chen Mengting returned, pulling him out of his state of deep concentration.
Chen Fan looked with satisfaction at the fruits of his afternoon's labor on the computer.
"The Three-Body Problem I" was done, the draft for "Emperor Flame" was nearing its end, and he had even written the opening of "I Was Surrounded by Beauties."
"Ah, satisfying."
"Brother, hurry up, we're going to Sister-in-law's house for dinner."
Chen Mengting barged into his room without a sound, looking up and down and letting out gasps of amazement.
"Goodness, Bro, your quality of life right now is way too good."
"If I manage to test into Sucheng University, you're buying me a place like this too."
Sucheng University, commonly known as Su University, was one of China's prestigious universities, second in renown only to Peking University and Magic City University.
Chen Mengting's mock exam scores hovered repeatedly right around the Su University admission line.
"Really?"
"Of course, your brother has plenty of money now!"
The copyright fees for "Emperor Flame" had already arrived, and coupled with his other scattered earnings, Chen Fan was a multimillionaire of some stature now. Buying a house was definitely not a problem!
"Forget it, if I really get into Su University, I'd still want to come live with you, Brother~"
Chen Fan waved his hand without turning his head.
"I don't have the final say on that. You'll have to go ask your Sister-in-law."
"Hey~ So Brother, does that mean as long as Sister-in-law agrees, I can come live with you guys?"
"Mhm."
Chen Fan nodded.
"Yes! Sister-in-law, my brother agreed~ I can move in with you guys!"
Having achieved her goal, Chen Mengting swiftly fled Chen Fan's room.
Chen Fan was stunned for a moment, quickly realized what happened, and laughed with a scold.
"You little brat, you actually tricked me into it?"
Chen Mengting turned back and stuck out her tongue.
"I don't care, you agreed anyway."
Chen Fan smiled without a word.
Would I tell you that first-semester students at Su University are required to live in the dorms? If you want to come here and be a third wheel, wait a couple of years first!
Heh heh heh~
"Chen Fan, what are you smiling at?"
"Nothing, let's go."
Uncle Li had been waiting downstairs for a long time. The three of them got into the car and headed straight for the Peng family villa.
Along the way, Chen Fan and Peng Jiaxin ironed out the details of that evening's "Operation: Restore Our Relationship." Chen Mengting listened and found it fascinating, immediately declaring that she wanted to participate too!
Thus, the two of them promptly incorporated Chen Mengting into their plan.
At 6:00 PM, the family happily gathered once again for dinner at the Peng family villa. However, because the headcount had increased, they didn't eat at that 138,000 table this time.
Everyone sat together at a long dining table.
Grandma Peng sat at the head of the table, flanked on either side by Peng's parents and Chen's parents.
Chen Fan and Peng Jiaxin also obediently took their seats next to their respective parents.
Feeling that the timing was right, Peng Jiaxin gave Chen Mengting a subtle look. Understanding the cue, Chen Mengting feigned nonchalance and asked:
"Bro, how did the discussion go today regarding you and Sister-in-law's wedding?"
The dining table instantly grew much quieter. The elders appeared to still be eating, but in reality, they had long since perked up their ears.
The two fathers, who had gained nothing all afternoon yet remained brimming with excitement, were firmly suppressed by their respective wives.
"Ah, that. Xinxin said she wants to hold both traditional Chinese and Western ceremonies, and I'm currently getting a headache trying to figure out how to manage both."
According to the plan, the siblings began their theatrical performance.