Chu Ge couldnât quite figure it out and ultimately concluded that there wasnât enough content in the comic to gain any insights.
The number of physical books was also insufficient, with only two copies of the sample book sent so far. Chu Ge wondered if there would be new volumes in the next few days. He planned to read more volumes then, as he was sure that the direction would be found there.
Honestly, deep down, Chu Ge didnât think that the characters in the book would cause any trouble. He had more and more control over his creations in the book, and he could visualize and materialize anything he wanted within it. For instance, he could materialize his face next to Qiu Wuji without her noticingâ¦.
It might seem like a small matter on the surface, but it reflected something significant. Qiu Wuji was undoubtedly the strongest in the mortal realm, and in the past, Chu Ge had tried to spy on her multiple times but was caught every time. Now, even when he was stood right behind her, she remained unaware. This indicated that Chu Ge had transcended the cognitive limits of the strongest beings in the mortal realm, almost to the point of being omnipresent. What was the concept of that?
Moreover, all key figures from both the righteous and evil factions had already âsubmittedâ to him. He had initially been worried about the main character, but felt relieved after hearing the thoughts of Chu Tiange. This meant that the mortal realm was essentially his garden. Chu Ge truly couldnât see what trouble the Heavenly Emperor could cause.
He was only so concerned about the changes because it had become habitual. There was no point in rushing. Regardless, any adaptation would take time.
While looking through the previous sections, Chu Geâs most significant gain was an understanding of time. That feeling was truly profound and wonderful, but it was too mysterious to be turned into a controllable method. He had tried to backtrack to before the story started several times, but it had only worked once. Most of the time, it had failed, and he couldnât go back.
He could only watch the âmovieâ over and over, getting closer to that feeling, hoping to make progress someday.
At the office door, Zhu Mengmeng peered out her head and was quickly dragged back by Qiu Wuji.
âWhat are you doingâ¦â Zhu Mengmeng lowered her voice, âHeâs staring at the screen absentmindedly, like a lunatic. Are you sure heâs okay?â
âHeâs fine,â Qiu Wuji reassured her. âHeâs just like this when heâs working. His absentminded look is actually a sign of his complete concentration.â
âNo matter how I look at it, he seems to be daydreaming, or maybe heâs slacking off?â
âNo, noâ¦â
âEven if heâs focused on work, isnât it okay to ask him if heâs okay? Why are you so nervous?â
âDonât disturb someone whoâs working,â Qiu Wuji coughed. She wouldnât tell Zhu Mengmeng that she was actually expecting Chu Ge to embark on a journey through time and find her past self. There was no way sheâd let anyone disrupt that.
âSomeone who doesnât know might think itâs some super important creative process, but isnât it just a proofreading task?â
Qiu Wuji couldnât be bothered to explain further. She held Zhu Mengmengâs face and dragged her back to the adjacent room.
âWhatâs wrong with proofreading? Do you look down on editorial review?â she asked. âJust wait until you submit something and it gets rejected. Thatâs when youâll learn the meaning of being at the mercy of someone else!â
Zhu Mengmeng grumbled, âYou donât have to grab my face, you know. Iâve gained some weightâ¦â
She felt like Qiu Wuji was shifting the subject⦠Whatever.
âDo you also know that youâve put on some weight?â Qiu Wuji said, âI have something to ask you privately.â
âHmm? What is it?â
âHas your ability made any progress?â
Zhu Mengmeng looked around like a thief, lowered her voice and said, âI can now distinguish many threads that represent different things, not just romantic relationships.â
Qiu Wuji widened her eyes, âReally?â
Zhu Mengmeng nodded.
Qiu Wuji was surprised. Could this girl be one in a million, a chosen one? Panda and his group had been training hard and even went to special training in Beijing, and no one knew how much they improved. And this girl, who was sipping tea and goofing off at work every day, had made such significant progress.
Yes, this progress was remarkable. According to her previous assessment, as long as Zhu Mengmeng could discern the various relationship threads, she could sever them. When the day came that she could identify everything, it would signify the true mastery of severing causal connections, a god-like power.
Qiu Wuji asked, âSo, you mentioned before that there were all these messy threads between me and Chu Ge. How many can you distinguish now?â
Zhu Mengmeng, who had been confident just a moment ago, suddenly looked hesitant and said, âWell, I may not have fully mastered my ability yet; I might have misjudged.â
Qiu Wuji: â?â
Zhu Mengmeng explained, âBesides the thick romantic thread between you and him, thereâs also a career-related thread entangling you two. Moreover, itâs the kind where you both support each other. You help him advance in his career, and he helps you achieve success in yours.â
Qiu Wuji was delighted, âThatâs perfect! Why do you think you made a wrong judgment?â
âI havenât finished yet,â Zhu Mengmeng hesitated. âYou and him still share a cousin relationship, apart from that thick âloveâ thread. Itâs all tangled together.â
Qiu Wuji smiled and said, âYes, our official family relation is that of cousins. Youâre amazing, Mengmeng.â
âIs that so? Then is he your Master?â
âYes, he is.â
âAnd are you his Master too? And you have a bit of a principal vibe.â
Qiu Wuji was even more astonished, âMengmeng, youâre surprisingly accurate!â
âBut how is that possible?â
âWhatâs the big deal about learning from each other?â
âItâs not quite right. Normal mutual learning doesnât create such a clear teacher-student relationship. For example, I learned about nutrition and dietary therapy from you, but we didnât establish a master-disciple relationship, right? That would require a more formal apprenticeshipâ¦â
Qiu Wuji grinned, âWe had a little private ceremony. So what?â
âSoâ¦â Zhu Mengmeng became increasingly hesitant, âIf even these unbelievably complex relationships are real, does that mean the other connections Iâve seen are real too?â
Qiu Wuji secretly thought that if Mengmeng mentioned the father-daughter relationship, she would deny it; after all, thatâs impossible. Most likely, even Mengmeng herself would think she was wrong and there was nothing more to sayâ¦
But to her surprise, Zhu Mengmeng began cautiously stepping back and said, âYou are his puppet, like you have strings tied to you, making you do whatever he wants. So, you guys play around like this in private? When will let me see the collar?â
Qiu Wujiâs smile froze on her face.
The air fell completely silent.
Zhu Mengmeng could almost visualize Qiu Wuji slowly petrifying and then cracking apart like a special effect in an animation. Her head was practically emitting smoke.
In reality, Zhu Mengmeng didnât think it was a big deal. Men and women in the modern world could play around however they wanted, and if Qiu Wuji had a thin skin and didnât want to admit it, she could just say she made a mistake, and there was no need for this petrificationâ¦
But then, Qiu Wujiâs petrified expression turned bright red. She opened her mouth as if to deny, but with her face burning like a furnace, she asked softly, âMengmeng⦠Can you⦠cut this thread?â
Zhu Mengmeng, â?â
Why do you need someone else to cut it when youâve been playing with it yourself?
âCould it be that you got addicted and need me to help you quit?â Zhu Mengmeng asked in surprise. âI didnât see that coming, Qiuqiuâ¦â
Qiu Wuji, her face filled with embarrassment and frustration, snapped, âDo you need to say so much? Just tell me if you can do it or not!â
Zhu Mengmeng hesitated and gestured with her hand.
Qiu Wuji suddenly stepped back and stammered, âI⦠I changed my mind. Letâs not do it.â
Zhu Mengmeng looked at her without hiding her annoyance.
Qiu Wuji tightly pursed her lips and said quietly, âNo, weâll handle it ourselves. Iâm afraid something might go wrong if we mess around randomly.â
Zhu Mengmeng didnât know what she was thinking and said irritably, âYou make it sound like I can solve everything. I donât know why, but when I see other peopleâs threads, they seem easy to cut, but your threads give me a dangerous signal, as if touching them will blow me up, so I dare not touch them.â
Qiu Wuji fell silent for a moment and then sighed. It was like a tense string had just relaxed, and she said weakly, âMengmeng, practice more. Maybe in the future, weâll need your help.â
Zhu Mengmeng was just an ordinary human. The idea of severing the divine connection between Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji was almost impossible.
But⦠why had she been avoiding it, and why did she not want to let her cut it in the end? Wasnât this what she had hoped for the most? Why did she feel relieved when Mengmeng said she didnât dare to cut it?
Was she really willing to be manipulated her whole life?
Zhu Mengmeng said softly, âActually, you know, itâs normal for couples in this day and age to have some quirks. I wonât judge youâ¦â
Qiu Wuji was exasperated, âItâs not what youâre thinking⦠Ah, what am I even saying to you!â
From the next room, Chu Geâs voice came, âQiuqiu, Iâve finished reviewing the artwork. I think you should tighten the threads on your end a bitâ¦â
Qiu Wuji erupted in frustration, âThreads? What threads? Go and play with your own threads!â