Chapter 27: The Beauty of Intoxication

Li Ye ultimately chose "Lurk" as his maiden attempt at entering the literary circle of the 1980s. After all, "Battle Through the Heavens" was far too advanced; if submitted to a Hong Kong publisher, it might be treated as a "rare treasure," but in the Great Celestial Empire, where the spring breeze of reform had only just begun to blow, it would still seem somewhat unorthodox. One must realize that even a classic like "Ordinary World" faced significant opposition when receiving awards, due to suspicions that it leaned too close to "pleasure-reading" fiction.

In the current cultural climate, "pleasure-reading" was not highly regarded. If Li Ye were an established author, it might be a different story, but as a blank-slate newcomer, he was liable to be rejected outright.

Once his target was set, Li Ye began drafting outlines on paper. He then tapped into the memories of his past life, crafting a detailed breakdown based on the television adaptation. The original novella "Lurk" was a short piece of only ten to twenty thousand words, featuring only five main characters; in terms of brilliance, it paled in comparison to the adapted series. Therefore, Li Ye needed to transform the content of the show into episodic prose, which was a task of "slight difficulty."

Li Ye felt fortunate that he had read extensively in his previous life and had even dabbled in web novels. Consequently, the process of transcribing and recreating the story went smoothly, leaving him with a sense of divine inspiration.

[Yu Zecheng gives gifts to Station Master Wu... schemes to frame Li Ya... Zuo Lan sacrifices herself...]

As Li Ye was writing his outline with gusto, he felt a faint sensation of being "watched." He turned his head and locked eyes with Wen Leyu, who was stretching her neck, peeking cautiously at his work. Upon being discovered, she didn't shrink back like lightning as she had last time; instead, she simply smiled, looking a bit shy. After helping each other through this period, the distance between them had vanished, and their relationship was trending toward that of close friends or even confidants, so there was naturally less awkwardness.

Seeing the dense rows of Li Ye's outline, Wen Leyu asked, "What are you writing?"

Li Ye thought for a moment and wrote on a piece of paper: "I am writing a novel."

"........."

The curious child from a moment ago instantly transformed into a bewildered kitten. Her large eyes blinked at Li Ye without pause, her small mouth agape in an "O" shape, failing to close for a long time. Having lived in a complex environment for eighteen years and having seen all sorts of people and affairs, she had never encountered someone so... confident.

After some thought, Wen Leyu took out a sheet of paper and wrote a paragraph with great seriousness: [Every inch has its strengths, every foot its weaknesses. Do not feel inferior because of the flashes of brilliance in others. Look more at yourself, and you will discover many, many stars within you that the other person lacks.]

After writing this, she nudged Li Ye’s arm with her elbow, signaling him to read her note. Li Ye, who had been writing furiously, turned his head and looked at the short message in surprise. Unknowingly, a warm, comfortable feeling flowed through his heart.

He took the note and wrote his reply beneath her words: [I have no entanglement with Lu Jingyao anymore, and there never will be again in this lifetime. So, please, do not misunderstand me anymore.]

Wen Leyu stretched her little head over, watched Li Ye finish writing, and after being stunned for a few seconds, she reached out and took his fountain pen. She wrote on the paper: [What if Lu Jingyao comes back to find you?]

Li Ye answered in a heartbeat: [I'll tell her to get lost.]

".........."

Wen Leyu looked at Li Ye calmly. After a long while, a smile slowly emerged on her palm-sized face, blossoming and rippling outward. Li Ye was momentarily dazed. There are always some people who conceal a beauty that leaves one intoxicated; Wen Leyu’s smile was like a blooming peony—just when you thought the outer petals were beautiful enough, the even more stunning stamen would reveal its true face.

***

Hao Jian’s efficiency was high. Four days after Li Ye gave him five yuan, he found Li Ye at the County No. 2 Middle School.

"I spent two days in the provincial capital. According to your instructions, I found some... partners. Some are very happy to wholesale our malt sugar, though the volumes aren't large. Others are difficult to deal with and demanded to buy on credit."

"We don't do credit," Li Ye waved his hand. "Don't think that because the volume is small, it isn't worth it. Start small, get to know these people's backgrounds, and determine who can be a long-term partner and who must be guarded against or avoided..."

"I understand," Hao Jian nodded. "I have a good eye for people. When I first saw you, I knew you were a good person."

Li Ye: ".........." [When you looked at me then, I bet you thought I was a sucker who was easy to fool.]

Li Ye didn't puncture Hao Jian’s flattery and pulled fifty yuan from his pocket. Hao Jian’s eyes lit up, rivaling a hundred-watt light bulb. In the current Qingshui County, the dowry for a young woman started at forty yuan, and that was with, at most, a couple of sets of clothes or fabric to sew yourself. Fifty yuan was truly a "large sum."

Li Ye handed the money to Hao Jian and said, "Keep this safe. I'm taking you to see someone."

Hao Jian carefully took the money and tucked it into the inner lining of his undershirt, asking casually, "See who? That relative of yours who is a station chief?"

"No, a brother who practices martial arts. I'll have him help you out from now on."

"A brother who practices martial arts?" Hao Jian’s brisk pace slowed down noticeably. He then whispered, "This is a small business; adding another person won't leave much profit."

"You don't need to worry about that. Just do as I say." Li Ye glanced back at Hao Jian, smiling faintly. "What, do you think that because I’m a silent partner, I’m just taking money without working?"

Hao Jian shook his head immediately, stating firmly, "How could that be! You provided the capital, so you definitely have the final say. You’re the boss, and I’m the manager."

It had to be said that Hao Jian was a clever man for this era; he immediately found his correct position. The capital was Li Ye’s, and the connections in the market were shielded by Li Ye. Even if Hao Jian were the Monkey King himself, he would have to obediently wear the tightening headband and lead the horse for his master.

Li Ye led Hao Jian to a shantytown in the north of the city, winding through several turns according to his hazy memories before finding a dilapidated small courtyard. In his memories, this courtyard was home to one of Li Ye's "fellow disciples," who had practiced martial arts with his grandfather for a few days at the age of fifteen. Later, after going to the countryside and returning to the city, the connection remained; they still visited the Li family during festivals to show respect to the old man.

However, the kid was hard to manage. After returning to the city, he was arranged a job at a construction company, but within a month, he had beaten up his foreman. After leaving the construction company, Jin Peng drifted through society, either staying home playing cards or squatting at the cinema entrance to watch girls. His mother was frantic, but he was her own son—what could she do, disown him?

Just as Li Ye reached the courtyard gate, he heard the boisterous calls of "Two Jacks" and "A Pair of Twos" from inside.

"Jin Peng, Jin Peng, come out for a second." Li Ye didn't intend to deal with the people inside, so he stood at the gate and called for him.

"Eh? Who is it?" The window opened, and a man with a buzz cut sitting on the heated kang saw Li Ye, hurriedly scrambled down, put on his shoes, and came out. "Xiao Ye, why are you here?"

"I'm here to discuss something with you." Li Ye pulled Jin Peng a few steps away, pointed at Hao Jian, and said, "A relative of my classmate wants to do some business in the provincial capital. That's not our turf, and we need someone bold and meticulous to help out. What do you think?"

"Business in the provincial capital?" Jin Peng paused and asked, "What kind of business? Does it involve bloodshed?"

"........." Hao Jian was speechless. Why were there so many hotheads like this? They were going to make money, not conquer territory in the underworld!

Li Ye said, "Just selling malt sugar. No need for retail; local street vendors will take it. If you run into trouble, bluff them first. If that doesn't work, safety first—turn tail and run."

"That I understand. Just call me whenever you're ready to go." Jin Peng agreed readily and prepared to go back to his cards; he still had a pair of Jokers in his hand!

But Li Ye grabbed him. "You might not understand. If this goes well, it's a long-term business. You aren't helping for free; for every catty of sugar sold, you get two cents as an escort fee."

".........." Jin Peng blinked, as if the realization finally hit him. He looked at Li Ye and laughed, "Xiao Ye, do you have a stake in this business?"

Li Ye didn't answer, instead saying directly, "Just tell me if you're in or not! If not, I'll find someone else."

"In, in, in," Jin Peng hurriedly grabbed Li Ye, laughing, "I was about to be driven crazy by my mother staying home all day. Xiao Ye, you're really giving your senior brother a hand!"

Watching Li Ye and Jin Peng acting so familiar, Hao Jian felt both admiration and a sense of loss. [Fine! You've planted a spy on me!]

Hao Jian could guess with his toes that Li Ye's "commission" of two cents per catty was a "poisonous scheme." Looking at how sharp and capable this Jin Peng appeared, he would surely watch him like a hawk—not even a single gram of malt sugar would go missing.