bookcurios Chapter 723 Gift
Chapter 723 Gift
Hu Youyu and Nana breathed a sigh of relief when they saw who it was. Hu Youyu patted his chest, both amused and exasperated: "Brother Lin, you scared me! What the heck? This is Sister Mai, who lives in room number 3!"
Nana quickly smiled and explained, "Yes, Damai is a writer, so his schedule might be a little irregular." As she spoke, she waved towards the stairwell and asked gently, "Damai, did we disturb you?"
The "white figure" seemed to flinch slightly before slowly descending a few steps, its voice soft and muffled, tinged with obvious nervousness and timidity: "N-no...it's just that I...I was a little hungry and wanted to come down to cook some noodles..."
She lowered her head even further, almost hiding her entire face in her hair, and nervously twisted her overly long sleeves with both hands.
Seeing Da Mai's expression, and then glancing down at the half-eaten bowl of rice noodles in front of her, Nana suddenly had an idea. She picked up the bowl, took two steps toward Da Mai, and spoke in an exceptionally soft and friendly voice: "Da Mai, this rice noodle dish was made by our new neighbor, Lin Bufan. It tastes really good. I'm on a diet, so I can't eat too much for a late-night snack. Why don't you have this half bowl?" As she spoke, remembering that Da Mai might not know Lin Bufan yet, she gestured to the side: "This is Lin Bufan, who just moved into room number 5. He's... a very capable person."
Da Mai's gaze swept quickly over Lin Bufan and the bowl of fragrant rice noodles, then swiftly fell back down. Her fingers unconsciously twisted her sleeve, and her voice was barely audible: "Isn't this inappropriate?"
Seeing this, Lin Bufan laughed heartily and said, "What's the trouble? It's just a bowl of noodles. If you feel uncomfortable eating Nana's bowl, I'll go make you a new one, it'll be quick!" With that, Lin Bufan made a move to walk towards the kitchen.
"No, no!" Da Mai quickly waved her hands, shaking her head vigorously, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Really, no need... I'll just eat from Sister Nana's bowl... Thank you..."
Seeing that Damai had agreed, Nana smiled, took her hand, and gently led her to sit down at the table. She pushed her bowl of rice noodles in front of her and went to the kitchen to get a pair of clean chopsticks: "Try it, it's really delicious, it would be a shame if it got cold."
Da Mai thanked him quietly, took the chopsticks, and began to eat in small bites with her head down. She was a little reserved at first, but the moment the rice noodles entered her mouth, her eyes lit up slightly, and she unconsciously quickened her eating pace.
Watching this heartwarming scene, Hu Youyu chuckled and joked, "Well, it seems our CEO Lin's reputation as a culinary god is going to be firmly established in this courtyard tonight! Even our most reclusive sister, Da Mai, was lured in by the aroma!"
Lin Bufan raised his eyebrows smugly, sat back down in his little chair, crossed his legs, and said smugly, "That's right! My skills have been tested and proven by the people!"
……
Several people sat around a wooden table in the courtyard, chatting and eating under the dim moonlight and the lamplight from the eaves, the atmosphere relaxed and harmonious. Lin Bufan casually steered the conversation towards Da Mai, who had been quietly eating rice noodles and trying to keep a low profile:
"I heard them say, Damai, you're a writer?"
Da Mai, who was slurping her rice noodles, suddenly froze, as if she had been called on by the teacher for daydreaming in class. She hurriedly raised her head, her cheeks, hidden by her long hair, quickly turning red. Her voice was weak and hurried in denial: "Ah? No, no! I'm not a writer... I'm just, just an ordinary little writer, writing things that nobody reads... I don't have any representative works, and I don't have much of a presence. I'm the kind of little nobody who doesn't matter if I have one more or one less..." Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and she buried her head back down, her fingers nervously digging into the rim of the bowl.
Seeing this, Nana immediately said encouragingly, "Da Mai, this is already amazing. Unlike me, I have to use punctuation marks to make up the word count for an 800-word essay."
Lin Bufan's face showed interest. He leaned forward slightly and looked at Da Mai: "Oh? What do you write? Could you tell me your pen name? I'll read it later and promote it for you."
"No, no need! Really, no need!" Da Mai's reaction was even more intense, waving his hands repeatedly as if he had been frightened: "There's no need to read it! My writing isn't good either, it's not worth reading! I'll send it to you when I write something better... Besides... I don't want to be exposed..."
Nana thought Lin Bufan hadn't understood the meaning of "revealing one's identity" and was about to explain, "Revealing one's identity means..."
Lin Bufan waved his hand with a smile, interrupting Nana: "Nana, no need to explain. 'Being exposed' means your hidden identity has been revealed. I, as an author, can understand this kind of jargon."
As soon as he said this, the courtyard fell silent, and everyone looked at Lin Bufan in surprise.
Hu Youyu was the first to react, slapping his thigh sharply: "Author? Brother Lin, you...you're a novelist too?"
Chen Nanxing tugged at Lin Bufan's sleeve in surprise and asked in a low voice, "You're an author? I've never heard you mention this before?"
Lin Bufan blinked innocently and looked at Chen Nanxing: "Didn't I say that before?"
Chen Nanxing shook his head firmly: "You definitely didn't say that! And I checked your information online, and it doesn't mention that you have any writing experience at all."
“I see…” Lin Bufan stroked his chin and analyzed seriously, “It’s probably because my other identities and experiences are too dazzling, overshadowing this one. Just like stars can’t be seen during the day, not because they don’t exist, but because the sunlight is too strong.”
These unashamed words drew eye rolls from everyone, even Ma Qiushan couldn't help but shake his head, only Da Mai didn't roll his eyes.
She suddenly put down her chopsticks, raised her head, and her eyes, gleaming with an unusual light amidst her disheveled hair, asked with a hint of urgency and a desire for confirmation, "Mr. Lin... what you just said about online... authors, is it true? You... you really write online novels too?" Although her voice was still not loud, it no longer had the timidity it had shown before, but instead revealed an excitement of finding a kindred spirit.
"Of course it's true." Lin Bufan nodded firmly, then stood up: "How about this, wait a moment, I'll go get something to show you."
Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Lin Bufan turned and went upstairs to his room, number 5. A few minutes later, he came down carrying a rather heavy-looking black suitcase.
Chen Nanxing looked at the suitcase in Lin Bufan's hand and asked in surprise, "Why did you take the suitcase down?" After examining it carefully for a few moments, Chen Nanxing became even more puzzled: "And where did this suitcase come from? Why haven't I seen it before?"
Lin Bufan placed the box on the table and patted it: "Where the box came from is not important, what's important is what's inside." With that, he clicked open the lock and lifted the lid.
Instantly, everyone in the courtyard was drawn to the box—it was filled with neatly arranged, beautifully bound novels, their covers extravagantly designed and their gold-stamped titles reflecting a dazzling metallic sheen under the light.
"My God..." Hu Youyu leaned closer to take a look, casually picking up the top book. The cover featured the protagonist's profile with a wicked smile, and the title was the domineering "Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King." He read it aloud incredulously: "Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King? Brother Lin, what... what are these books?"
Lin Bufan proudly began taking out books and distributing them to everyone, set by set: "Come on, everyone who sees this gets a share. These are all my works. Let everyone appreciate them."
Nana took the set, looking at the glittering gold titles of the books, and read them softly: "The Slanted-Eyed Dragon King, The One-Armed Dragon King, The Dragon King's Son-in-Law, The Dragon King Returns: I Am Your Father, The Urban Asura Dragon King, My Personal Dragon King..." Her voice grew softer and softer, and her expression became more and more subtle. She looked up at Lin Bufan, her eyes filled with disbelief: "These... you wrote them all?"
Ma Qiushan also got a set. He picked up a copy of "The Dragon King in the City with Perspective" and looked at the muscular, domineering male protagonist on the cover, as well as the large gold characters that seemed to bulge out of the cover. His lips twitched slightly, and after a long while, he commented in a literary style: "Mr. Lin... has a wide range of interests."
Chen Nanxing watched as Lin Bufan handed out these books to everyone like flyers, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Bufan, did you bring such a big suitcase just to carry these things?"
“That’s right!” Lin Bufan nodded confidently, patting his half-empty suitcase: “This is all my hard work. I have to take it with me wherever I go, ready to spread knowledge and… power at any time!”
Hu Youyu, carrying a heavy stack of books, looked at him with a complicated expression: "President Lin, your hobby... is truly unique. So you brought so many books just to... give them away?"
"Of course!" Lin Bufan said matter-of-factly. He took out two sets and stuffed them into Chen Nanxing's hands: "Nanxing, this set is yours. Please give this set to Hongdou for me, so that she can also experience the charm of literature."
Chen Nanxing looked at the two sets of the "Dragon King" series in his hand, which together contained more than a dozen books, each with a cooler cover and a more explosive title than the last, and nodded with a wry smile.
Just then, the observant Nana gently scratched the gold title on the book cover with her fingernail. Feeling something unusual, she examined it closely under the light and suddenly gasped, exclaiming, "Wait! This...this gold on the title...it doesn't feel like ordinary paint...could it be...real gold?!"
The courtyard fell silent the moment she said that.
Lin Bufan casually picked up a copy of "The Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King," flicked the cover with his finger, and said nonchalantly, "Oh, you mean this? The lettering on the cover is indeed made of pure gold, but it's not worth much; it just makes it more eye-catching."
Everyone: "..."
Listen, listen, is this human language?
Hu Youyu swallowed hard, looking at the book "The Dragon King in the City with Perspective" in her hand. She felt as if the domineering man on the cover was piercing her eyes with golden light.
Da Mai was so startled that her hand trembled, almost dropping the book "The Dragon King's Son-in-Law" she had just received. She hurriedly and carefully placed the book back on the table, as if she had touched a hot potato, her voice trembling: "Mr. Lin, this is too valuable! I really can't accept it..."
"Yes, Mr. Lin, this gift is too... generous." Nana quickly put the book she was holding on the table. Although she was a little reluctant, she still felt that this "golden house" was a bit too much to handle.
"Superficial!" Lin Bufan frowned upon seeing this, picked up the book again, and shoved it back into their arms, his tone tinged with disappointment: "I gave you these books so you could learn from their profound... uh, so you could experience the literary art of the protagonists' triumphant comebacks and their effortless displays of arrogance! It was to feel that exhilarating spiritual enjoyment! Who told you to focus on this pure gold exterior? The key is the content! Do you understand? This gold layer is like the seasoning packet in instant noodles; it's just to enhance the appearance and make it look worthy of the delicious contents inside! If you only focus on the seasoning packet, aren't you putting the cart before the horse?"
Chen Nanxing knew that these things were nothing to Lin Bufan, but since Lin Bufan wanted to give them away, she smiled and smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, everyone, just accept them. To Bufan, these are really just ordinary books; his sincerity lies in the content. How about we... open them and take a look now?" As she spoke, she curiously opened the book "The Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King" in her hand first.
Hearing Chen Nanxing's words, and seeing Lin Bufan's attitude that "if you don't accept it, you're looking down on my inner qualities," Nana, Hu Youyu, and the others reluctantly picked up the book again, turning the pages with a mixture of curiosity and a desire to explore the contents beneath the "pure gold cover."
Da Mai hesitated for a moment, then took back the book "The Dragon King's Son-in-Law" and carefully turned to the first page. For a moment, the only sound in the courtyard was the rustling of pages turning.
After a while, Hu Youyu was the first to raise his head, his expression somewhat complicated. He hesitated, but finally couldn't help but ask cautiously, "President Lin, uh... I mean, Mr. Lin, when you write this kind of book... online, doesn't anyone criticize you?" After asking, he seemed to realize that it was a bit inappropriate and quickly added, "I'm not saying that the book is bad, it's just... this style is quite likely to cause... discussion online."
This question seemed to strike a chord with Damai. Sharing the same anxieties, she abruptly looked up, her eyes, hidden beneath her disheveled hair, fixed on Lin Bufan, filled with empathetic urgency and anticipation. Her voice trembled slightly: "Yes, yes... Mr. Lin, have you ever encountered something like this?"
Lin Bufan, who was holding a skewer of grilled mushrooms, took a bite without caring and said matter-of-factly, "Of course! These days, who can write something online without getting criticized? The bigger the tree, the more the wind blows!"
"Then... then when you encounter this situation, how... how do you handle it?" Da Mai leaned forward, his tone becoming more urgent, like a drowning person grasping at a straw.
Lin Bufan slammed the bamboo skewers on the table, raised his eyebrows, and said with absolute righteousness, "What else can we do? Of course we have to spit them back! Are we going to let them live for the New Year?"