Chapter 1013: The Stinky Writer

“Xie Zi Zi!”

Ever since leaving the “Bei Zhan Qu,” Qiao Jiajin had been sticking with Han Yimo. They entered the room on the far right as seen from the “Bei Zhan Qu,” and he put his arm around Han Yimo, acting like they were the closest of friends.

“What’s wrong…?” Han Yimo replied.

“Nothing.” Qiao Jiajin laughed. “You just look really scared.”

“N-no, I’m not…” Han Yimo forced a bitter smile onto his pale face. “I’m not scared at all…”

Qiao Jiajin looked Han Yimo up and down and said casually, “Xie Zi Zi, you really seem tense… How about we sing something together to cheer each other up?”

After taking a few deep breaths, Han Yimo said, “What kind of time is this to think about singing? In a novel, a side character like you wouldn’t last three episodes.”

“Is that so?” Qiao Jiajin smiled. “I’m used to being a background player, so I don’t mind when I die.”

“You…”

Qiao Jiajin’s words left Han Yimo speechless for a moment, but they also eased some of his tension.

“Hey, we should be careful and check out our surroundings,” Han Yimo said, steadying himself. “Didn’t they say the people on the other side are coming to attack?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Qiao Jiajin said. “No matter who shows up, I’ll just give them a few punches.”

“Hope you can back that up.” Han Yimo walked forward a few steps and opened the door in front of them.

It wasn’t a big deal until they made eye contact—then Han Yimo and Qiao Jiajin both froze in place.

In the room opposite stood Wen Qiaoyun, who was curiously examining the “Men” standing in the center of the room.

None of them said a word; they just stood there, quietly looking at each other.

“Hey…” Han Yimo whispered, turning his head. “Are you going to punch her too?”

“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin swallowed, feeling he had been a bit rash.

He recalled the list of “invaders” that Qi Xia had mentioned earlier. Besides Zhao Yisheng, he didn’t really want to fight anyone else.

A few seconds later, Qiao Jiajin took a slow step forward, trying to greet her: “Hey, pretty girl, where are you headed?”

Wen Qiaoyun chuckled. “The ‘Qi Zi’ has crossed the river, and it’s coming to take you out.”

“Take us out…” Qiao Jiajin shook his head. “That sounds dangerous.”

“Hand-to-hand combat is indeed dangerous,” Wen Qiaoyun said. “But we could settle this in the ‘Men’ instead.”

“The ‘Qi Zi’ that crossed the river.” Qiao Jiajin nodded. “You know, in ‘Xiang Qi,’ to capture the opponent’s piece, you have to move first and step into our space. So, why don’t you come over here?”

Wen Qiaoyun looked at Qiao Jiajin’s tattoo, then glanced at Han Yimo beside him. She didn’t know much about these two; she’d only heard a few things from others and was judging their abilities based on appearances.

A thug and a short writer.

Reasonably speaking, one probably represented “force,” and the other “intellect.”

If it was an intellectual showdown, her target would naturally be…

“Writer.” Wen Qiaoyun called out toward the door.

“Huh…? Who?” Han Yimo was startled. “Me…?”

“What?” Wen Qiaoyun was a bit puzzled. “Aren’t you a writer?”

“Well…” Han Yimo gave a bitter laugh. “People like us who just scribble books are at best ‘authors.’ We don’t qualify as ‘writers.’”

“In our eyes as outsiders, it’s all the same.” Wen Qiaoyun said. “Why don’t you come over here? We can settle it in the ‘Men.’”

Wen Qiaoyun pointed to the “Men” standing next to her, which had the character “Hai” written on it.

“Go into the ‘Men’…” Han Yimo frowned, then whispered to Qiao Jiajin, “This is a great opportunity. Let’s both rush in and knock that woman out, then grab the ‘Zi’ she’s holding!”

“Uh…” Qiao Jiajin scratched his head. “Xie Zi Zi, while our strategy is like that, there’s one small issue…”

“What issue?”

“I’ve paid my respects to Guan Er Ye.”

“Guan Er Ye…” Han Yimo was at a loss for words. “Are you seriously acting all high and mighty? You’re a thug—don’t you guys hit women? In Hong Kong movies, the ruthless ones are a dime a dozen.”

“I can’t speak for everyone, but I don’t,” Qiao Jiajin said, a bit embarrassed. “Though since coming here, I did fight a tough woman once. That wasn’t about whether to hit or not—it was life or death, and I had to defend myself. But this is clearly different.”

“So… you’re just going to leave me hanging?” Han Yimo said. “That woman seems way too confident. She wants to settle this with me in the ‘Men.’ Are we really not going her and knock her out?! Won’t you at least think about doing what I say?”

“I’ve never ambushed anyone in my life,” Qiao Jiajin said. “I always strike back fairly. Even if they throw the first punch, I win honorably. But suddenly rushing a defenseless pretty girl like this would shame Guan Er Ye. Don’t worry, though—if she really tries to kill you, I’ll save you.”

“You… you…” Han Yimo looked emotional, gritting his teeth. “You side characters deserve to be extras…! A side character… how can you have your own principles and thoughts? You need to follow the main character’s lead!! If side characters get too much screen time, readers will complain!! Who cares what a side character is thinking?!”

Qiao Jiajin sighed helplessly. “Fine, fine… Now she’s openly challenging you to an intellectual fight, and you’re not accepting—it sounds like you’re acting like the main character?”

“I…” Han Yimo was stunned, thinking for several seconds before slowly saying, “A scheming main character is still a main character…”

“Whether your abdomen is black or not, make a decision quickly.” Qiao Jiajin said. “If she challenged me to a fight, I’d accept. You think you’re the main character, so surely a little thing like this won’t stop you?”

“I…” Han Yimo was stunned again by Qiao Jiajin’s words, and now he felt cornered.

One step forward meant a one-on-one with Wen Qiaoyun into the “Men,” and one step back meant he wasn’t the main character anymore.

“Damn it… fine…” Han Yimo said. “I’ll go for it… The main character can’t lose… No matter how the plot goes, it’ll end up in my favor in the end…”

Han Yimo took a few deep breaths, lifted his foot, and walked into the opposite room.

Before Qiao Jiajin could say anything, the “Men” in all four directions of the room closed at the same time, blocking everything from view and cutting off all sound.