The night was deep by the river.
A light drizzle began to fall, gently brushing against my face, a refreshing coolness in the late summer.
I rode my bicycle slowly along the riverside road, the faint sounds of voices drifting in. It was Chu Ge telling Qiu Wuji the story of the Qixi Festival's Magpie Bridge meeting at her request.
Girls in this world must know these stories, right?
"The story of Qixi? It's like this… In ancient times, there was a kind-hearted Cowherd…"
Qiu Wuji thought it would be a beautiful story; the beginning of the tale made her feel a little closer to herself and Chu Ge.
A fairy, a mortal.
As he listened, his initial anticipation turned sour: "Hey, this cowherd steals someone's clothes? You call that honesty?"
"Well... that's how the story goes."
"You made this up, didn't you?"
"I've written so many books, but I've never written a protagonist like this. This really isn't my creation... Different eras have different values. As for your world, people are relatively respectful of women because that's based on my values. If it were based on ancient times, it wouldn't be so good..." Qiu Wuji thought for a moment, his face darkening: "It seems about right. The cowherd steals clothes, you steal stockings."
Chu Ge: "?" Seemingly thinking... This analogy isn't quite right either. Chu Ge actually has a lot of self-respect; thankfully, he's not like the Cowherd… Qiu Wuji snorted, "Anyway, if it were me, I'd slap the Cowherd's head until…"
"His head would be smashed, right?" Chu Ge lamented, "I clearly wrote about a female sword immortal, how did it turn out like this…"
"You won't let me use a sword," Qiu Wuji said. "I don't see anyone wielding a sword in this world, so I'll change the attack pattern. I'll think about it later and create a head-slapping technique, convenient for use here."
"…Are you still going to hear the story?"
Qiu Wuji felt that the origin of this love story was so unappealing that she couldn't relate to it anymore; she didn't want to hear the story.
Chu Ge said, "Although the beginning is full of flaws, the ending is quite touching; otherwise, it wouldn't have become a traditional festival."
He paused, then continued the story, adding, "No matter how many flaws there are at the beginning, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are a loving couple in the original setting. Every year on Qixi Festival, magpies spontaneously form a bridge, a wish for lovers to be reunited, and also an expression of people's expectations for everlasting love. So on this day, lovers meet..."
He was subtly implying that he and Qiu Wuji were lovers, but Qiu Wuji didn't pick up on it. Instead, he remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "A meeting between heaven and earth, separated by two realms, will they ultimately never meet again?"
"Screech!" Chu Ge slammed on the brakes, almost falling off, and angrily shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about!" The inertia of the brakes caused Qiu Wuji to unexpectedly bump into his back, instinctively reaching out to hug his waist. Chu Ge felt a soft weight press against his back, but he wasn't interested in experiencing it at all, still angrily saying, "Don't throw around such a flag!"
For some reason, even though she usually beat him up, Qiu Wuji felt a little uneasy when he got angry. She pouted, released his waist, and sat up straight, but ultimately didn't dare continue that topic, saying weakly, "Even so, we'll eventually meet again, what's the rush?"
"Is meeting only once a year a good thing?" Chu Ge retorted angrily, "Stories are passed down through the ages not because they're beautiful, but because they're flawed! Stories can have flaws, but reality shouldn't!"
"Alright, alright, what's the rush..." Qiu Wuji said gently, "You're not the Cowherd, you're our Heavenly Emperor. The only one who can separate the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl is yourself."
Chu Ge paused, then fell silent.
The reason he was angered by Qiu Wuji's unintentional remark was precisely because he also had a hidden worry in his heart—a typical case of "being anxious."
To this day, no one has figured out why Qiu Wuji was able to travel through time.
What if one day they can't get out?
Therefore, this "flag" could very well come true, hitting Chu Ge's deepest fear and the point he avoided most.
But Qiu Wuji wasn't wrong either…
You are the Father God, not the Cowherd.
The world is in your hands. Whether you can meet again is up to you, not to others' mercy, nor to the magpies.
And Qiu Wuji's words are interesting… Is she implying we are in a Cowherd and Weaver Girl relationship?
Chu Ge looked up at the sky, letting the light rain fall on his face, sighed deeply, and suddenly laughed, "Tell me, they only meet once a year, what should they do this time?"
Qiu Wuji spat, "Ride your bike!"
Chu Ge suddenly changed his expression and wiped his face, dropping the handlebars.
Qiu Wuji said irritably, "What kind of trouble are you causing now?"
Chu Ge said indignantly, "They do *that* in the sky, so what is this rain?!"
Qiu Wuji was dumbfounded.
Chu Ge pedaled his bike quickly and sped off: "Let's go get some late-night snacks, at least we'll find somewhere to shelter from the rain!"
Qiu Wuji: "..." There was a street nearby, part of the old town, with dim streetlights and buildings in the style of twenty or thirty years ago. A shop on the corner still had its lights on, seemingly a small restaurant that also served late-night snacks; people were just coming out of a private room to pay their bills.
Chu Ge stopped his bike and pulled Qiu Wuji inside.
Qiu Wuji felt that he was deliberately holding her hand, because there was no need to go inside, and they wouldn't be separated by others...
Just as she was about to pull her hand away, her gaze inadvertently fell on the group paying their bills, and her heart skipped a beat; she forgot to pull her hand away.
She recognized one of the young men—the same superhuman with the writing on his face that morning.
"Damn, I just remembered it's Qixi Festival today!" Someone saw Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji walk in hand in hand and lamented to their companion, "Everyone else is just a couple holding hands, why am I stuck chatting with a bunch of guys like you?"
Everyone laughed, their gazes sweeping over Chu Ge and Qiu Wuji. The young man's eyes widened slightly when he saw Qiu Wuji.
Isn't this the beautiful woman we met this morning? What a coincidence!
"Waaaah, so he has a man now..."
A fat guy chuckled, "That's nothing. We're actually doing well; at least we have friends to hang out with. The book Ah Jun and I are reading lately, the author's a real tragedy! He updated it 10,000 words on Qixi Festival, hahaha! Just thinking about it gives off the sweet scent of single dogs, it's so satisfying!"
Someone asked, "The author's single status? What does that have to do with you? What's so satisfying about that?"
"Serves him right for his short and disjointed chapters." The fat guy turned to the young man and said, "Hey, Ah Jun, I have a question for you. Today I unexpectedly discovered that Chu Da is actually from Nanjiang..."
Chu Ge: "?" The young man looked away from Qiu Wuji, surprised, "Don't tell me you actually went online to beat him up?"
The fat guy put his hands on his hips: "Of course! I couldn't beat him to death, so I obediently finished writing the plot this afternoon, right? Sigh, I was impulsive..."
The young man: "Good for you! I've been writing about Chu Tiange these past few days, I want to see Qiu Wuji!"
Qiu Wuji: "..."
Chu Ge: "???"