Chapter 54: Rewarded Inspiration Submission

The next day, at 9:30 AM.

Less than twelve hours remained before Ren Ye would re-enter the Star Gate.

"Get up and come with me to buy groceries."

His father's voice, as hoarse as a broken gong, echoed through the living room. Ren Ye opened his sore eyes, habitually wincing against the dazzling sunlight streaming through the window.

A warm breeze blew, the sun was bright, and it was another fine day.

Stretching lazily in bed, Ren Ye yawned and got up, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

"Swish!"

Ren Qingning emerged from the next room like a ghost, wearing cartoon pajamas and barefoot, her lovely hair sticking out in every direction like a bird's nest. "I'm using it first. Get in line."

"Remember to flush." Ren Ye leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, half-asleep as he offered a reminder.

"I won't flush, and it'll stink you out." Ren Qingning habitually bickered with him, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the bathroom.

In the kitchen, his father walked over holding a bowl of soft-shelled turtle soup and commanded Ren Ye concisely: "Drink it down."

"...... I told Lao Huang and the others that they're coming over for dinner today." Ren Ye reached out, took the bowl, and finished the turtle soup in one breath.

The broth flowed down his throat, soothing his esophagus, and in an instant, Ren Ye felt a sense of complete physical and mental relaxation.

"Clean up, we're going grocery shopping together." His father's oil-stained, large hand took the bowl back, still sparing words like gold and maintaining a blank expression.

All morning, time seemed to have slipped back a few years, back to his childhood days.

His sister was fighting for the bathroom, his father was clattering away in the kitchen making breakfast, and Ren Ye stood in line in the living room, drowsy.

This familiar feeling was truly wonderful.

After about twenty minutes, the siblings finished washing up, went downstairs with their father, and headed to the nearby small market to buy groceries.

Haohua Agricultural Market was just as Ren Ye remembered it: dirty water splashed everywhere on the ground, the air carried a salty scent of seafood, the surrounding walls were old, and the open roof allowed the sunlight to shine directly down.

How many years had passed? It was still the same here, not changing at all.

Ren Qingning was wearing hot pants, revealing her long, slender legs, with a small vegetable basket hanging from her slender arm as she barged and haggled with the uncles and aunties.

Not far away, after buying some pork ribs, his father walked side by side with Ren Ye.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to ask you." Ren Ye suddenly remembered something and asked casually, "How did that historical web novel you were writing with your editor turn out after the revisions? Tell me about it."

Ren Daguo paused slightly and replied in a soft voice, "The later plot was heavily revised... I increased the emotional output and changed it into a story about a father's love. Lao Xu and I talked, and both of us believe this plot is definitely going to blow up."

Ren Ye blinked. "The subsequent plot direction and settings have all been changed?"

"Yeah." His father nodded, adjusting his glasses. "All changed. Scrap and rewrite."

"Oh." Ren Ye smiled and replied, "Then I wish you to achieve godhood soon and stop writing unpopular books!"

His father replied proudly, "Achieving godhood is a certainty. Your old man has the ability; it's just a matter of time... Maybe when I'm sixty, maybe when I'm eighty."

"Ha, I believe it."

With that, the father and son hurried after Ren Qingning.

In truth, ever since his father had been tested by that liar, Ren Ye no longer suspected him of having anything to do with the word "Player." After all, the Keepers were professionals. The reason he asked about his father's subsequent plot direction was purely out of curiosity.

Previously, the storylines of the two stories were too similar, and since he was about to enter the Star Gate again, he wanted to ask about his father's revised plot to see if their "inspirations" would collide again.

But he hadn't expected that his father and Editor Xu had already massively overhauled the story.

That made sense. The occasional collision of inspiration was normal, but if it kept happening, it would border on the supernatural.

...

Near noon, the family of three returned after buying groceries.

His father went into the kitchen to busy himself, while Ren Ye followed his sister into her room to play video games.

This was also a family tradition; every holiday and family gathering, their father would prepare a table of good food while the siblings hid in the room, playing games and waiting.

A not-too-large monitor was connected to a PS5, and the two were playing a cooperative single-player game, surrounded by various snacks and cans of happy water.

Ren Qingning's pretty face turned toward the sunlight, her expression frozen, and her dainty body swayed slightly from side to side as she operated the controller, as if her entire body was putting strength into it. "Hey, hey... Don't rush in blindly, wait a second...!"

"Why are you dawdling? Just take it down together." Sweat beaded on Ren Ye's forehead as he urged her repeatedly, "Jump high in a bit, I'll crowd-control the boss, and then you unleash your ultimate."

"Unleash my ass!" Ren Qingning muttered discontentedly, "You need to use your brain when playing games! Did you figure out the rules, or what?!"

"Quick, quick... heal me." Ren Ye grew anxious.

"Heal my ass, my mana is gone. You really are an idiot! It's over, it's over...!"

"Swish!"

As the two shouted, the monitor went black, and both of them died.

"Bang!"

Ren Qingning had a fiery temper. Angered, she lifted her long leg and kicked Ren Ye right in the face. "Why don't you use your brain? You're drooling-level stupid... This is a mechanic-based game, okay? You have to study the rules thoroughly. Rushing in blindly is useless before you've figured out the rules. The boss's stats crush ours, understand?"

"Thud!"

Ren Ye lay flat on his back, tossing aside the controller and giving up on struggling. "Some of its rules aren't even clear, who has time to read that?"

"Stupid!"

Ren Qingning picked up a can of happy water and took a sip. Although her academic performance wasn't great, she loved playing the teacher: "When a game company develops a game, it probably takes five or six years. How could the rules not be clear?! It's you who were careless and failed to find the rule settings in the details... To play any game well, it's never about operation, but about trying to fathom the designer's train of thought, understand?"

"Try to fathom the designer's train of thought?"

Hearing her say this, Ren Ye suddenly thought of the Star Gate. This surreal "large-scale divine and strange game" must also have a designer, right... "What you're saying makes some sense, but not much."

"Hmph~ Watch your big sister clear the level all by herself." Ren Qingning snorted and went back to playing with total concentration.

"Tramp, tramp!"

Footsteps sounded, and his father walked in from outside. "The fish is steaming. I have something I need the two of you to help me with."

"What is it?" Ren Ye turned his head.

"Rustle, rustle!"

His father took out two sheets of manuscript paper, handed them to the siblings respectively, and said with a smile, "Didn't I revise that historical-themed novel into a story about a father's love? All these years, I've raised you both through all sorts of hardships... I really want to hear what kind of image I have in your hearts, and how you feel about your father. Let's make it clear first, you can offer suggestions, and you can criticize... but I also reserve the right to hit you."

"Not writing." Ren Qingning pouted. "Can these kinds of thoughts be written down on paper? Can thoughts that are written down truly be what's in your heart?"

"Incentive for inspiration: five hundred for a thousand words." His father named his price.

"Whoosh!"

Without a second word, Ren Qingning directly took the manuscript paper and placed it on her fair thighs. "I'll take this job."

"I'll write it when I have time." Ren Ye replied lazily.

His father's antics were not uncommon; he had often solicited writing opinions from the siblings in the past, so his reply was perfunctory.

"A week, give it to me within a week." His father wiped his oily palms. "Alright, you guys go ahead and play. Ren Ye, call your colleagues and ask them when they'll arrive."

"Okay."

Ren Ye's answers were always perfunctory, but he always did as his father asked.

Writing was a very lonely job, especially when there were few readers, making one desperately crave the recognition of others. Ren Ye took the manuscript paper, folded it, put it in his pocket, and stood up to make a call to Lao Huang and the others.

"Ding-dong!"

At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"Looks like they're here." Ren Ye sprang up, ran to the living room, and opened the door.

"We came in a hurry, didn't bring much, just a small token of our appreciation." Lao Huang was holding some gifts and handed them to Ren Ye with a grin.

"I'm poor, please don't mind." Gu Nian handed over a shoulder and neck massager. Although this wasn't an expensive gift, it showed she was very thoughtful, knowing that his father spent long hours hunched over a desk and suffered from neck and shoulder pain.

Ren Ye looked at her long legs and thought to himself that this woman was good to him and worthy of "deep interaction."

"I brought two doses of medicine, guaranteed to make Uncle eat them and..." Xu Peng carried two packages of traditional Chinese herbs of unknown origin and said foolishly, "If it works well, these two doses are free, but later..."

Everyone else bought auspicious gifts, but Xu Peng brought traditional Chinese medicine. What kind of freakish talent was this?

"Heh, another day I'll buy some rapid-acting heart-saving pills and send them to Uncle and Auntie." Ren Ye replied politely, welcoming everyone in. "Come on in."

"Hi, hello."

Ren Qingning ran out from the room and greeted everyone.

"Hello, hello."

The three of them stepped inside and began chatting with his father and sister.

...

Shanghai, Duoduo's Pet Paradise.

Yan Duoduo sat on a rattan chair, gently put down the phone, and muttered indifferently, "Talk about lacking social awareness—they're having dinner and didn't even invite me?!"

With that, he cast his gaze toward Tang Feng, who was sitting on the sofa. This fellow had just arrived in Shanghai, wearing a very luxurious custom suit and a watch worth at least over a hundred thousand on his wrist.

His aura of arrogance was leaking out, and it needed to be suppressed.

The two exchanged a brief glance, Tang Feng's eyes filled with plenty of defiance and rebelliousness.

Yan Duoduo slowly withdrew his gaze, said no more, and simply tossed the documents on the table over. "Take a look at this."

"Oh."

Tang Feng nodded, mimicking Yan Duoduo's posture by crossing his legs, and lowered his head to scan the information on Qingliang Prefecture.

About five minutes later, Tang Feng raised his head in astonishment and asked incredulously, "The identity card you want to give me is a songstress—a woman? You're having me play a woman?!"

Yan Duoduo looked at him with a seemingly calm expression, though inwardly he still worried the other person might harbor resentment. "Got a problem with that?"

"I don't have a problem, I'm just excited!" Tang Feng's eyes brightened. "This is too thrilling!!!"