Industry is not the same as other possessions. You can give away possessions, but with industry, you have to consider your family.
Seeing the slight change in Cai Zhijian's expression after Old Zhu said this, Chu Ge knew this was troublesome. Of course, Chu Ge himself didn't want it; he just wanted to thoroughly investigate the mine.
His starting point was exactly the same as Du Lianfeng's: to study the origin of the spiritual energy revival. The mine was underground, and the possibility of finding clues was naturally higher underground than on the surface.
Actually, it was still uncertain, because the official authorities had clearly seen the place, and Zhong Yi had also seen it, but no one had found anything significant; otherwise, it might not still be in Old Zhu's hands. Chu Ge and his wife felt they were different from others, thinking they should go and see for themselves—perhaps they would find something different?
In fact, Du Lianfeng's group thought the same thing…and many others thought the same thing…
Old Zhu wasn't fully recovered from his injuries and couldn't take Chu Ge with him at this time. Zhu Mengmeng had never been involved in mining, and going would only cause trouble, so she switched shifts with her husband and stayed to accompany her father. Cai Zhijian, having received the highest authority, accompanied Chu Ge to the mining area.
On the way, Cai Zhijian kept thanking everyone: "Thank you so much. Without you, we really wouldn't know what to do."
Chu Ge asked, "What, judging from your tone, you're really planning to reconcile with Mengmeng and live a normal life?"
"Ha... We've always lived as a married couple, just in a way that's a little different from yours." Cai Zhijian didn't mince words: "Actually, no matter how we've been doing things, we've never thought about divorce. From that perspective, our relationship isn't bad."
Redefining "our relationship isn't bad."
Qiu Wuji shook her head vigorously: "I can't understand."
This is the new urban generation... I've never seen anything like it, not even a ten-thousand-year-old grandmother like me. She glanced at Chu Ge, who wore a half-smile, seemingly aware that she had at least heard of him…
She secretly reached out and pinched Chu Ge's waist, gritting her teeth, "You want to…?"
Chu Ge casually grabbed her small hand, chuckling, "Thinking about you like that, I'd rather jump into the river. You're overthinking it."
"Hmph." Qiu Wuji remained silent, letting him hold her hand.
Chu Ge was certainly not that kind of person… his possessiveness was deep-seated.
It was a possessiveness of an entire world. Even the slightest possibility of a leak from a small flame made him consider annihilating it for the first time; it wasn't a joke. Let alone his woman…
Pah, who's his woman!
The mining area was a bit far, and Chu Ge and Cai Zhijian didn't have much to say. They couldn't openly be affectionate with Qiu Wuji in the car, so, feeling a little bored, he opened his phone and chatted with his friends in a group chat.
He hadn't written anything this morning; he updated the draft he'd saved up last night. He glanced at it, and just as the scheduled update had begun, everyone was cursing the short post.
Chu Ge felt wronged and whispered in Qiu Wuji's ear, "Am I short?"
Qiu Wuji glanced at him sideways, "What do you think?"
Chu Ge gritted his teeth, "You've already got it figured out..."
Qiu Wuji quickly glanced at the seat in front, also gritting her teeth, "If you keep talking nonsense, it's not about having it figured out, it's about cutting off."
Chu Ge said, "Just admit you have it figured out now."
Qiu Wuji: "?"
"Because only something big is considered having it figured out; something small is just being manipulative."
Qiu Wuji burst out laughing, punching his shoulder, "Go ahead and chat in your group, don't talk nonsense with me."
Chu Ge said, "You can also download a car-related app and check it out."
Qiu Wuji said, "Why would I need to check that out?"
"Because I know you want to experience it." Chu Ge held her hand and smiled, "Whatever you want, I'll find a way to make it happen."
Qiu Wuji looked at his profile and pursed her lips, "You're so good at sweet talk."
She paused, then lowered her head, "Am I particularly troublesome?" "She's so demanding. Other girls are probably much easier to please." Chu Ge's expression became quite interesting: "You're overthinking it. If it were any other girl, she'd have kicked me out long ago since I don't have a house or a car. Why wait until now? And you're even hesitant? Ask Lao Cai, have you ever seen any women like that?" He didn't murmur, so Cai Zhijian heard him clearly and laughed: "Those kinds are easy to handle. Just get a Zotye and swap the badge for a Porsche, and they'll be all sweet and gentle." Chu Ge: "..." Qiu Wuji then remembered Zotye. It sounded like a cute little frog car, but much cheaper? That seems like a good idea... Wait, does that mean I'm one of the "those kinds of women" Cai Zhijian was talking about? "It doesn't seem like a mutual intention..." Just as they were joking around, the editor's avatar flashed on Chu Ge's QQ: "Chu Ge, Chu Ge, I specifically asked about the progress you inquired about. It seems it's been sent."
"Wait, why are you conveying such a sad result as 'sent' in such a cheerful 'Chu Ge, Chu Ge' tone?"
"Huh, why don't you sound sad at all?" Chu Ge's finger hovered for a moment, then he gave a wry smile and continued typing: "Because there's been no follow-up for so long, my expectations weren't high to begin with. Speaking of which, I've been getting a little carried away with my progress lately, I need a wake-up call to cool down."
The editor said: "That's a good mindset. Don't worry, we'll continue to push it for you. The results speak for themselves, we're confident."
"Hey, editor, you seem really nice to me lately. I'm not gay."
The editor said: "What are you saying? When have I ever been unkind to you?"
"Okay, okay." Chu Ge sent an emoji of a butt sticking out: "My chrysanthemum is ready, please take good care of me." Qiu Wuji glanced sideways.
Dead M male ketone.
The editor remained silent for a long while before replying, "By the way... you haven't known I'm a woman after working for me for over three years, have you?"
Chu Ge: "???"
Qiu Wuji: "!!!"
Luckily, Chu Ge hadn't actually said "Hey, you flat-chested editor" to his editor, otherwise his account would probably be gone...
The editor lamented, "You're such a strange author, what are you doing all day?"
Chu Ge was dumbfounded: "Um... I used to write harem stories, and you never said anything about that?"
"I'm a professional editor, I don't care what kind of harem you write, even if the protagonist castrates himself, it's none of my business. I only care about whether it's a success!"
"..."
"Speaking of which, I only started reading this book after your transformation. At first..." "We noticed the author's career shift and wondered if we could help manage it. Then we realized it was really good, so we recommended it to the editor-in-chief. Keep it up! I think you have a lot of potential. You might even get a spot at this year's annual meeting; we'll talk then." Chu Ge recalled the editor saying, "The editorial department has high hopes for you." At the time, he was baffled. Why would an editor bother reading his then-mediocre book? Now he understood… He'd spent so much time speculating: did Zhang Qiren pull strings? Did his parents intervene? He'd even suspected Gu Ruoyan…
The truth was so simple, and it felt wonderful because his work itself had earned the editor's and even the editor-in-chief's approval.
Chu Ge sincerely replied, "Thanks. If it ever happens again, I'll treat you to dinner, Miss."
"No need," the editor said. "If the copyright for this book really doesn't sell, don't worry too much. The evaluation standards for film and animation are different from ours. These things ultimately depend on luck."
"I understand," Chu Ge sighed, saying nothing more.
Qiu Wuji cautiously asked, "Is the editor really a woman?"
"Yes..."
"Is she pretty?"
"There should be photos on the website, how come I never noticed..." Chu Ge sighed, "Whether she's pretty or not is none of my business. Can we focus on the important thing... The important thing now is that the copyright is gone. The editor basically meant I shouldn't expect anything."
Qiu Wuji held his hand and smiled slightly, "It's okay. Actually, our world exists... well, even if it's filmed, it's not certain anyone will watch it. Its significance to us is unknown."
That's true. Their situation is different from those who want to sell copyrights for money. They pursue a sense of existence and recognition in the world, not money and fame. Even if it sold for a fortune, what's the point if nobody watches it? It's meaningless to them.
Chu Ge didn't dwell on it, laughing, "Whatever, things will work themselves out."
But then Cai Zhijian in the front seat suddenly spoke up: "Still about the copyright? Can't sell it?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"I can really help with that." Cai Zhijian laughed, "You've helped our family so much, don't be shy about asking us for help."
Chu Ge stared at the back of his head for a while, then suddenly laughed: "We'll see. Maybe I really can help you. I won't be polite."
Cai Zhijian also laughed: "Sure, sure." Qiu Wuji instinctively felt that Chu Ge's words were a bit strange, not like Chu Ge's normal way of asking for favors. Judging from his obsequious attitude towards the editor earlier, and this attitude...
Before he could figure out what was going on, the car stopped; they had arrived at the mining area.