Chapter 8: About to Sign the Contract
Meng Xingchong had been longing to sign a contract with Song Wenlan, so he paid special attention to her update speed.
Seeing that Song Wenlan had updated 10,000 words on the very first day, Meng Xingchong was overjoyed.
Currently, interstellar authors updated at a very slow pace. Even after signing a contract, most only put out one or two thousand words a day. Some even stopped updating altogether and acted perfectly justified about it, forcing editors to beg them repeatedly before they were willing to grudgingly grind out a little bit of plot.
But in Meng Xingchong’s eyes, Song Wenlan’s update speed was nothing short of godlike.
He even felt that the chief editor was worrying too much. At Great God Zao Si’s pace, the contract could probably be signed in just two days.
Early this morning, Meng Xingchong woke up bright and early, with the contract already prepared.
At the very start of his workday, he clicked open My Demon Hunter Arch-Nemesis.
Noticing a new chapter had appeared, Meng Xingchong instinctively let out a breath of relief.
Good, Great God Zao Si had updated.
His natural craving for stories made him set the contract aside and dive straight into today’s update.
Hu Sanli, after cultivating with the demon hunters, finally returned home at dawn the next day.
Hu Sanli often worked night shifts—Bai Ye was aware of this. Every time she came home, there would always be steaming hot food waiting on the table, and on the TV at home, White Snake was always playing.
Interstellar novels were highly concise, with little details often hiding bits of information. With this understanding, Meng Xingchong subconsciously began to wonder what exactly a “television” was, and what this White Snake might be.
Meng Xingchong didn’t know much about Blue Star’s culture. He didn’t realize that television belonged to Blue Star’s history. He only instinctively thought that this White Snake must be a very good story—otherwise, the male lead wouldn’t keep playing it.
One had to admit, being able to enter the InesectLit Novel Website already proved that Meng Xingchong had considerable ability.
Once he’d thought it through, he continued reading.
Every time Hu Sanli saw the breakfast Bai Ye prepared, her heart would brim with delight. She couldn’t help but imagine the scene of a tall, handsome man in a pink apron, washing his hands and cooking a meal just for her.
Why call it imagination?
Because Bai Ye, always claiming he was afraid she’d get splashed, never allowed her to enter the kitchen while he was cooking.
Hu Sanli was deeply touched by this, but in truth—
That scene of him “washing his hands to make soup” simply didn’t exist.
In the kitchen, a tall man stood at the very edge, keeping a full meter’s distance from the gas stove.
The glow of the flames reflected against his furrowed brow. Under Bai Ye’s watchful gaze, scales carried the prepared cabbage and seasonings into the wok, one after another.
Soon, a rich fragrance of stir-fried vegetables mixed with the gentle aroma of millet porridge drifted into the living room.
After that, Song Wenlan went into great detail describing the taste of cabbage, fried eggs, and porridge. This sprang from her own resentment—she had been here for two days already, and in those two days, the only thing she’d drunk was nutrient solution.
Nothing else, no food, no extra fluids.
Fueled by her craving, the simple home-cooked dishes in the novel turned lush and delicious.
Meng Xingchong unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
In truth, net-insects didn’t need to eat at all. They only needed to seek out fresh stories; a good story would stimulate the secretion of a special substance, which in turn kept all their organs running.
But now, Meng Xingchong suddenly had the illusion that he wanted to eat something. Even if it wasn’t the dishes in the story—just a single tube of nutrient solution would do.
The nutrients in nutrient solution could also be absorbed by net-insects. However, their bodies couldn’t process most of the nutrients, so they could only absorb a tiny bit of energy from it. For most net-insects, nutrient solution was more like a snack.
Meng Xingchong usually kept some nutrient solution on hand as well.
He rummaged through his things and finally dug out a bottle—apple-flavored.
But the artificially synthesized apple taste didn’t satisfy Meng Xingchong’s palate; it only made him feel hungrier.
With no other choice, Meng Xingchong hurriedly continued reading.
The mysteries surrounding the male lead grew deeper and deeper: refusing to let the heroine into the kitchen, those inexplicably appearing scales, the way he appeared almost instantly in front of her when she accidentally dropped her porridge, and the fact that he had never once taken her back to his hometown.
Her colleague’s voice kept echoing in Hu Sanli’s mind: “I’ve seen this kind of thing a lot. People from the countryside marry early. Before they come to the city to work, they’ve often already been married. But once they’re in the city, they’ll say they’ve never been married and then find another woman to live with.”
Hu Sanli refused to believe Bai Ye was that kind of man. But no matter whether she tried threats or persuasion, Bai Ye never let a word slip.
And yet, he had clearly said before that he had family back home.
“No matter what, you need to go to his home and see for yourself. If he really does have another woman, it’s better for you to leave him sooner rather than later.”
“In the end, humans and demons are different. Back when you insisted on marrying him, none of us agreed. The fact that you’ve lasted two years already is surprising enough.”
Hu Sanli didn’t want to doubt Bai Ye, but she agreed with this last point from her colleague.
She had to uncover the truth, to find out what Bai Ye was really hiding.
As a demon-hunter, she still had certain privileges. So long as it wasn’t treason or some crime against the nation, she had the means to dig it up.
Hu Sanli had hidden her true identity from Bai Ye, so she knew better than anyone how hard it was to keep a secret from the one you loved.
Her beloved was right there at her side, and more than once she had wanted to lay everything out in the open. But she was afraid he wouldn’t accept it—just like Xu Xian, who didn’t dare face White Snake’s true form. She too feared her lover would turn away from her.
That was why, in every other aspect, Hu Sanli was unusually candid. She spoke her mind, and if there were misunderstandings, she always tried to resolve them one way or another.
Watching Bai Ye carry a tray away, Hu Sanli’s eyes flickered and suddenly lit up with an idea.
Though Bai Ye was a man of few words, after living with him for two years, Hu Sanli knew that deep down, he was really a repressed flirt.
He had once admitted that he liked her at first sight—but instead of confessing, he had only hooked her with his eyes, silently waiting for her to bite the bait herself.
And that was Bai Ye’s weakness.
From the storeroom, Hu Sanli pulled out a long-forgotten rabbit costume.
The outfit had been secretly bought by Bai Ye, until Hu Sanli discovered it. As a fox, she had naturally looked down on the frail little rabbit.
But today was a special case—New Year was just around the corner. If she wanted Bai Ye to agree to take her home for the holiday, Hu Sanli figured there was no harm in playing along.
Bai Ye had just finished tidying up the pots and dishes. He was about to tell Hu Sanli he was leaving the house when, all of a sudden, he was caught off guard by the sight of a flustered little bunny.
Normally, Hu Sanli was headstrong. Whenever the two of them clashed, it was like thunder meeting fire—neither willing to give an inch.
But today’s Hu Sanli… Bai Ye’s pupils darkened, and his throat bobbed involuntarily.
