Chapter 56: How Did Su Rouxue Find Out I Write Novels?

The most beautiful place in Cloud City is undoubtedly the great sea on its outskirts.

With the sea breeze caressing her face, Su Rouxue sat on the swing, leaning gently against Xia Shu’s shoulder, a smile on her lips.

“I really wish we could watch the moon together here tonight.”

After waking up to a tender morning, they’d gotten up and come to this spot.

“It is a bit of a shame, but there’s always next year,” Xia Shu replied, his gaze quietly following the distant line where the sea met the sky.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

A message had arrived.

Xia Shu unlocked the screen.

“Cousin, I’m here already. Where are you guys?” came Xia Qingqing’s message, along with a selfie showing her location.

“We’re right here! We’re in your photo!” Xia Shu quickly turned around and waved energetically at Xia Qingqing from afar.

At the same time, Su Rouxue stopped the swing, coughed softly, and composed herself.

She had finally decided to visit Xia Shu’s hometown with him, so before leaving, he had planned for her to meet Xia Qingqing.

A graceful figure came jogging over from the distance, pulling a 12-inch suitcase. After military training, Xia Qingqing had changed into a green, midriff-baring T-shirt, layered with a sheer white sun-protective jacket, and fitted dark blue jeans. Seeing her now, Xia Shu couldn’t help but feel a spark of surprise.

She’d even gone for a sweet, fresh makeup look, cherry-red lip gloss, and two braided pigtails, full of youthful energy and charm.

Beside Xia Shu, Su Rouxue had opted for a simple look today. Both of them wore their matching Mickey Mouse T-shirts, her long hair loose, her style plain but natural.

“Cousin, sorry to keep you waiting!” Xia Qingqing called out even before she’d reached them, her smile bright. But when her eyes landed on Su Rouxue, she paused, eyebrows raised in surprise. This fresh, elegant beauty seemed oddly familiar.

She’d seen her somewhere recently, but just couldn’t recall where.

“Yes, this is my girlfriend,” Xia Shu introduced, holding Su Rouxue’s hand. “She’s a senior who graduated from our university, now a part-time professor at the Academy of Arts. Her name is Su Rouxue, but you can call her Sister Rouxue.”

“You’re Professor Su?!” Xia Qingqing blurted out. The memory clicked. “I remember now! I saw your photo on the confession wall at school, and there was a picture of you and my cousin in the cafeteria together!”

So her cousin’s girlfriend was Professor Su… Xia Qingqing’s eyes widened in disbelief; the shock was evident on her face.

Who would have thought that the couple everyone shipped on the confession wall had actually become real?

Seeing her cousin again, she realized just how outstanding he was. She’d often wondered what kind of girl he would date. Now, meeting her in person, Xia Qingqing understood why Xia Shu’s eyes burned with passionate admiration whenever he mentioned his older girlfriend back on the school track.

Su Rouxue had become, for the students of Cloud City University, almost synonymous with the perfect woman. Though she was older, her cousin and she made an exceptionally fitting pair.

“Hello, Xia Qingqing. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Su Rouxue said with a reserved grace, extending her hand.

Xia Qingqing quickly shook it, unable to hide her excitement.

“Let’s eat first,” Xia Shu suggested. “After lunch, we’ll find something fun nearby, and in the evening, we’ll head to the high-speed rail station to catch our train.”

“Sounds good.”

…

The bonds between women are always mysterious and unpredictable.

At first, Xia Shu had to lead the conversation, but once the two women found common ground, it was as if they’d been friends forever.

They enjoyed delicious local food together, then strolled through the ancient town by the sea. For Xia Qingqing, it was her first time exploring Cloud City’s sights, so Su Rouxue chose some popular spots to show her around.

And, of course, the most frequent activity for beautiful women together was taking photos. Xia Shu lost count of how many times he pulled out his phone.

Recently, he’d taken an interest in photography—after all, with such a lovely girlfriend, he wanted to capture every beautiful moment.

Ding—

Suddenly, his phone notified him of a money transfer.

“It’s been quite a day, but it’s really charming when the guy takes the initiative to pay,” Su Rouxue teased.

Xia Shu was startled; he hadn’t expected her to transfer money to him. He had indeed spent a lot lately, especially after buying Su Rouxue a ticket home. Today had been an expensive day.

He felt a bit awkward, but also warmed by her thoughtfulness.

Had she noticed his hesitation earlier when he checked his balance after paying?

He sighed softly.

“Stop staring at your phone already. There’s the biggest Ferris wheel in Cloud City over there—let’s go for a ride together,” Su Rouxue called out, glancing back at Xia Shu, who was dawdling behind.

“Coming, coming!” he replied, grinning sheepishly, finally accepting her transfer.

Eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight yuan!

Was this his girlfriend’s way of giving him pocket money?

For Xia Shu, this was a huge sum. With his current abilities, even writing novels only brought in about three thousand yuan a month in royalties.

Still, he kept the debt in his heart. When he had the means, he would find another way to repay Su Rouxue.

He knew how sweet it was to rely on her, but he still had his pride. Otherwise, he’d always feel uncomfortable, and he worried that living off her might damage his image in her eyes.

Three adult tickets for the Ferris wheel cost three hundred yuan, even with student IDs. Some of the expenses in Cloud City’s attractions were truly outrageous.

Even Xia Qingqing couldn’t help but complain as she boarded the Ferris wheel. “So expensive! Cousin, I’ll transfer you the ticket money later.”

“No need, no need, don’t be so formal with me. If we weren’t in such a hurry, Rouxue and I would’ve taken you to even more places. When you’re with us, you don’t have to spend a thing!” Xia Shu said with cheerful generosity.

“Exactly! Your cousin is actually quite capable—he even writes novels for extra money. You’ll never have to pay when you’re with us,” Su Rouxue chimed in.

“Huh?” Xia Shu stared at her in surprise, confused.

Wait a minute…

How did his girlfriend know about his secret novel-writing?