Chapter 141: Love Life, Love Elegance (Bonus Chapter for 1,200 First-Day Subscriptions)

On this scorching summer day, bathing in the cool, clear spring water... that moment of a smile caught me so off guard!

Today, I had wandered outside the bookstore feeling rather resigned, repeating to myself, "Who does Tan Zhang think he is? If I can't get a signature, so be it!"

Looking at the ticket in my hand, the number was 1224—a massive, soul-crushing number. Good grief, why are you boys even crazier than us girls!

After finishing a third cold drink with my classmate, I decided we couldn't just sit idly by; we had to find a way to get those signatures sooner. When we returned to the Sanlian Bookstore, a car pulled up, and "Detective" stepped out! The sea of people began chanting his name. Some were shouting "Wei Ya," but I didn't know who that was.

I desperately wanted to rush forward, but the middle-aged woman blocking the way looked fierce, keeping us at bay. I could only watch from a distance as Detective walked into the shop. I pulled out my camera to snap a few shots, but I was jostled and shoved in every direction.

Oh heavens, why am I putting myself through this?

I couldn't even see what the Detective looked like; I was too busy pushing away the people crowding in. It was so hot, and sweat was dripping down my face. Why didn't I bring an umbrella? Why wasn't there a cool breeze?

My classmate had surrendered to the heavens and decided to spend the afternoon at the cold drink shop across the street, leaving me to brave the bookstore alone. Fortunately, heaven rewards the persistent; after a long struggle, I finally squeezed inside. However, Detective had been stationed at the far left of the main hall, and a crowd stood between us.

At this point, I had no choice but to use my small stature to my advantage. I actually managed to slip under someone's arm.

Oh my, I finally reached the front—or rather, I reached a line set up to keep us from crowding the stage.

Sigh, I dare not imagine what I looked like then. I wanted to fix my hair, but the crush of people left me no room to move. I just stood there, disheveled, craning my neck forward. I really admire myself for that. I secured a great spot and finally saw the Detective.

He was chatting about *The Return of the Condor Heroes* with that middle-aged woman named Wei Ya. When he looked up, he flashed a smile. I stared at him blankly for ten seconds, with only one thought in my mind: "He's not actually ugly at all."

He looked in my direction, and I felt our eyes meet.

My heart raced so fast in that moment—goodness, I think I have heatstroke. Someone get me medicine!

He is so handsome!

What I didn't expect was that not only was the Detective good-looking, he was also incredibly witty and funny. He chatted with that woman Wei Ya for quite a while, especially about my favorite, *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. He mentioned that his favorite character was Huang Yaoshi.

I like Huang Yaoshi too—talented, unique, a master of martial arts, a lover of music, a man of refined tastes who doted on his daughter, and most importantly, deeply devoted to his wife. The beautiful Peach Blossom Island where he lived was the place I longed for most while reading the novel.

Detective said the inspiration for Peach Blossom Island actually came from his geography teacher, whose university was located on a "Peach Blossom Island" in Lu'an. One day, I must go see that island for myself.

There were too many people, and those behind us kept pushing forward, making it impossible for those of us in the front to focus on what the Detective was saying. Regardless, everyone kept laughing, and I just followed along, giggling like a fool. Of course, the Detective was always trying to make people laugh anyway.

That woman Wei Ya, though—she clearly hadn't even read the books. She couldn't keep up with anything he said, and he had to keep steering the conversation back himself. What kind of person is she? If you haven't read the books, why even come?

After a long while, it was finally time for the Q&A session.

How exciting! I immediately raised my hand to ask a question. Wow, I never knew I could speak so loudly. I must have looked ridiculous shouting "Me, me, me, me!" for ages before it was finally my turn. I felt a little annoyed, but that didn't matter anymore. My goodness, I could finally talk to the Detective! I had to make sure I asked him a great question.

...

Zhang Tan felt a bit frustrated. The woman across from him, Wei Ya, was completely incompetent. She couldn't answer a single thing. It was impossible to discuss any details about the books with her; she hadn't done any homework at all. She didn't even know who the Four Great Constables were or how Yang Kang had died. It was bad enough she didn't know the basics, but we were here to discuss *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, and she didn't know anything about that either.

It forced Zhang Tan to call for the audience interaction earlier than planned. At least the readers had something meaningful to say.

"Detective, I want to ask, do you have a girlfriend? You write about love so romantically," asked a female student with messy hair.

Zhang Tan noticed her. When she had been raising her hand earlier, shouting "Me, me, me, me," it was hard not to notice her. There were certainly fewer female fans of martial arts than men, but they were often more fanatical.

"I don't have a girlfriend, and I've never been in love. I suppose I write about love so well because I have a vivid imagination," Zhang Tan improvised. "Precisely because I haven't experienced it, I have all sorts of romantic fantasies about love—life-and-death separations, shared joys and sorrows, love-hate relationships..."

It wasn't exactly a lie; it was more of a transplant. When Master Jin wrote *Legend of the Condor Heroes* and *Return of the Condor Heroes*, he was desperately chasing Xia Meng without success. He must have spent his days daydreaming about what kind of love he could have with her, weaving those imagined romances into his novels.

If it were up to Zhang Tan, he could write the twists and turns of a romance, but he lacked that delicate touch. In his past life, he had been in several relationships, but they were mundane and uninteresting—mostly just settling for the convenience of life and the physical spark. Sometimes Zhang Tan thought he had never truly fallen in love with a woman; he had never found that person who made his heart race uncontrollably.

That was why, in this life, he didn't go looking for the women he once knew. If there was no love, then there was no need for paths to cross.

"I believe that before many people fall in love, they fantasize about it—whether it’s a romantic love, a tragically beautiful love, or a perfect, happy love... White knights and dark knights have all appeared in our dreams. The only difference is that I incorporate my fantasies into my novels, wrapped in the packaging of martial arts."

He paused and continued, "Besides, martial arts itself is a fantastical fairy tale for adults. Compared to our daily concerns of food, clothing, and shelter, the life-and-death drama of the Jianghu creates much more intense plotlines. The more painful and memorable a love is, the more moving it tends to be."

The student seemed very satisfied with his answer, nodding repeatedly with a blissful smile. Zhang Tan continued to answer the readers' questions one after another. He answered the easy ones earnestly and joked his way through the difficult ones.

The interaction was a huge success. Before he knew it, it was five o'clock in the afternoon. The bookstore owner arrived on time to announce the end of the session, moving the signing to the second floor. Zhang Tan was led upstairs.

He had barely taken a sip of water when he saw the crowd surging forward. The staff the bookstore had hired were decent at blocking paths but terrible at organization; they couldn't get people to line up by ticket number, so it turned into a chaotic scramble. Fortunately, Li Yan and the others protected Zhang Tan, so he wasn't knocked over.

"Everyone, please don't rush! We have three hours to sign books; everyone will get a signature!" Li Yan shouted, defending the signing table. After a while, the chaos finally settled.

Zhang Tan was forced to perform at his peak, signing as fast as he could. When his wrist grew sore, he would rub it and keep going, taking only a short break to drink water after an hour of signing. He worked from five until eight, and even extended the time by twenty minutes to finish signing for the thousands of people.

When the last reader left, clutching their book with satisfaction, Zhang Tan felt as though his wrist were about to snap.

...

That night, the owner of the Sanlian Bookstore hosted a dinner, and Zhang Tan was forced to drink three more bottles of beer. Back at the hotel, he sighed sincerely, "I always thought being famous would be so glamorous, but I've realized that being a celebrity isn't easy. I've been busy with obligations all through July, and now I have to run around for signings in August. How much of my summer vacation has been wasted on this?"

Li Yan laughed. "You’re just complaining for the sake of it; there are so many people who would kill to be in your shoes."

"True," Zhang Tan replied, dropping the affectation and laughing at himself. "But after *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, I won't be doing such high-density signing events anymore. Doing one occasionally is fresh, but doing too many is just asking for trouble. Besides, I don't think signing books really affects sales."

"But it's a very important way to manage your personal fame."

Zhang Tan shook his head. "As long as you create good work, you don't really need these methods to boost your popularity. And I’m not particularly fond of repetitive showmanship."

In other words, Zhang Tan never treated being a "celebrity" as his profession. Other celebrities and stars went to great lengths to manage themselves, treating their persona as a job and following a fixed schedule to complete various publicity tasks. Repeatedly running promotions, appearing on shows, and interacting with fans—for them, it was profitable work.

But for Zhang Tan, it was just an interest. Whether accepting interviews or attending press conferences, he initially thought it was rather stylish. When he first negotiated the promotion for his new book with Anhui Literature and Art Publishing House, he agreed to five signing events across the country in one month purely out of vanity. He thought that having hundreds or thousands of people chasing after him to get a signature would be a dazzling, high-profile moment.

But everything has a limit.

Too much of a good thing is bad. When a high-profile moment becomes a mass-produced job, that sense of flair disappears, replaced by a burden. Ultimately, this kind of life contradicted the life Zhang Tan envisioned.

He pursued a life of ease and freedom. He would act artsy when the mood struck and seek out fun when he wanted to relax. He wanted to make money, of course, but he wouldn't neglect his life to do so. Life is about loving the blue sky, the white clouds, and that sense of unfettered freedom.

"I'm heading back to Hefei tomorrow, and I'm going fishing! You can coordinate with the publishers and bookstores for the remaining signing events. Don't ask me about the process; just tell me when and where, and I’ll show up to sign," Zhang Tan said as he stretched.

Li Yan nodded helplessly. "Fine, I'll coordinate the remaining events with them and try to make sure they don't disturb your time."

And so, he had a dreamless night and a good night's sleep until the next morning.

...

"After I left the bookstore and met up with my classmate, I couldn't stop praising the Detective, calling him handsome over and over again. Even though I got my signature, I still wanted to go back upstairs to see him one more time. I never expected this result, and even my own words and actions after leaving surprised me.

"But it felt so natural.

"God, that moment when the Detective looked at me... he was just so handsome..."

—From the diary of Jin Shasha, a second-year student at Huainan No. 2 High School.