Chapter One: The Writer

　　“You...” In the café, William Parker put down her coffee cup, hesitating slightly. “I heard you’re a writer?”

　　The saxophone in the café played softly, and the afternoon sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows onto the table. The rose in the center of the table still glistened with dewdrops, vibrant and fragrant.

　　The setting was beautiful, and William Parker was beautiful too. For this blind date, she had specially changed into a long dress she rarely wore, and let down her usually neat high ponytail, her jet-black hair cascading like a waterfall, accentuating her elegance.

　　She had expectations for this date, but the man before her left her a bit disappointed...

　　Although he was tall and handsome enough, his clothes were casual, and he hadn’t even bothered to shave his stubble. At the very least, it showed he wasn’t taking this date as seriously as she was. That aside, he seemed to lack energy, and looked nervous upon seeing her, like a homebody who spent all day gaming and rarely saw people.

　　Hmm... maybe that’s what writers are like? Sloppy, unkempt, socially awkward?

　　Being a writer sounded interesting... That was also why William Parker was willing to take this blind date seriously, even though, as a self-proclaimed book lover, she had never heard of this so-called writer.

　　Brian Carter sat across from her, resting his chin on his hands, his heart pounding. He’d been through many blind dates arranged by his mom, always just going through the motions. The other party did the same; they’d finish the meal, part ways, and not even exchange WeChat contacts.

　　He hadn’t expected his date this time to be such an elegant and beautiful woman. Why would such a gorgeous woman go on a blind date instead of acting in movies!

　　He was completely unprepared!

　　“I’m asking you a question...” William Parker sighed. “Aunt Wu said you’re a writer. Can you tell me about your works? I’d like to read some.”

　　“...Ah, yes.” Brian Carter coughed. “I’ve written a lot of novels, but I feel none of them fully showcase my true abilities. As the ancients said—writing is a vehicle for conveying the Dao. At present, I’m working on a grand narrative set in a special historical period, focusing on the vast universe and the boundless natural world, expressing the indomitable spirit of ordinary people striving in adversity, pondering deep questions about the fate of China and even all humanity, and taking on the social responsibility a writer should bear! So I’ve been searching for my muse...”

　　“Can you speak like a normal person?” William Parker crossed her hands on the table, her gaze lowered.

　　Brian Carter awkwardly withdrew his gesturing hands. “Uh, I’m currently writing an immortal-cultivation web novel, the ‘loser protagonist’ type.”

　　There was a look of realization in William Parker’s eyes.

　　So he’s... a web novelist.

　　Does a web novelist count as a writer?

　　She wasn’t sure, but in any case, it was a field William Parker didn’t understand, and it was very different from her usual impression of writers.

　　“How much is your monthly salary? Is it stable? Do you have social insurance and a housing fund?”

　　“Rousseau once said: Writing for bread will soon stifle my genius and destroy my talent. Nothing strong or great will ever come from a pen that writes only for profit. Need and greed may make me write faster, but they cannot make me write better...”

　　“Speak like a normal person!”

　　“It’s not very stable. Sometimes it’s less, but this month I made over ten thousand...” Brian Carter’s eyes flickered slightly. “As for social insurance and housing fund... actually, you can pay for social security yourself nowadays...”

　　“So you’re basically unemployed...” William Parker blurted out, but managed to hold it back.

　　Brian Carter smiled faintly and said nothing.

　　William Parker regretted her slip; that was hurtful... But she felt that being nearly twenty-eight and still unemployed, if he wrote an autobiography it would definitely be a ‘loser protagonist’ story. How was this date supposed to continue?

　　In the end, she smiled apologetically, stood up, and said, “I have something to do...”

　　Brian Carter sighed. “Go ahead.”

　　...

　　Many people had said that Brian Carter’s parents gave him a bad name. “Surrounded by enemies on all sides” was an ill omen, destined to make everything difficult for him. If he couldn’t find a girlfriend, it would just mean he was doomed to be single for life.

　　Not to mention, it sounded like “rookie” too—wasn’t that just asking for it?

　　So Brian Carter had failed at all eleven of his blind dates.

　　Of course, the real reason he failed before was that he never actually wanted to find someone.

　　How could women be more fun than games? If it weren’t for his mom’s nagging, those eleven dates wouldn’t have happened at all.

　　What a pity... This one was really beautiful, so beautiful that Brian Carter still felt it was a bit unreal, and his heart was still fluttering from that moment of excitement.

　　Brian Carter sat quietly in his seat, looking at the dewdrops on the petals, not watching William Parker’s beautiful figure as she left. After two or three seconds, it was as if he relaxed completely, lazily leaning back in the soft chair, taking a slow sip of the coffee he’d only just tasted.

　　It was as if nothing had ever happened.