The Ferris wheel cabin slowly ascended, and Lu Chen watched the scenery beneath them shrink bit by bit.
As they rose higher, the sunlight pouring through the windows seemed noticeably harsher.
He suddenly remembered a novel called The Ferris Wheel Murder Case. Enclosed spaces far from the crowd—like this one—were classic setups for traditional mystery stories.
Lu Chen discreetly observed Ei's expression.
She was sitting beside Miko, who was showing her photos taken along the way. There didn't seem to be anything unusual in her demeanor.
Sensing his gaze, both pairs of violet eyes turned toward him.
"Lu Chen, take a picture of us!"
"Oh," Lu Chen replied, taking Miko's pink phone. For some reason, that request sounded oddly familiar.
Miko wrapped her arm around Ei affectionately, and the Narukami duo posed closely together.
"It's a tight space—don't mess up like last time, alright?"
Lu Chen winced at the reminder. The last time he'd taken a photo of them, his painfully straight-laced instincts had placed them both off-center in the frame.
"Of course not."
He raised the phone, took a shot, and handed it back to Miko.
She checked the screen and frowned.
Lu Chen's big face filled the whole shot—he'd accidentally used the front camera.
"Are you seriously this dense?"
Hearing Miko scold him only made Lu Chen laugh harder. The atmosphere finally felt normal again.
"You really enjoy being yelled at, huh..." Miko stared at him suspiciously, starting to wonder if he had a masochistic streak.
Lu Chen flashed a perverted grin as if saying, Please, be harsher.
So Miko kicked him.
He just laughed more.
"Let me," Ei sighed, taking the phone from them both.
Click. Time froze.
In the lower right of the screen, Ei's wide-eyed expression was adorably surprised. Next to her, Lu Chen was snickering, while Miko glared at him with disdain.
After snapping the photo, Miko turned to Lu Chen with another glare.
"I heard Hu Tao's been gathering material for your novel in the deep woods?"
"Yeah," Lu Chen nodded, unsure where this was going.
"She's supposedly working on a super unique light novel..." He sounded pretty eager about it.
Deep forest, corpses, death—and with Master Hu involved, the atmosphere was bound to be intense.
"Oh..." Miko nodded thoughtfully, but hesitated.
"Hm?" Lu Chen sensed something was off. She clearly had more to say.
"Here!"
Miko slammed a stack of paper down on the table.
"What's this?" Lu Chen picked it up, surprised.
The pages were filled with neat, graceful handwriting. As he flipped through them, he realized—it was a full novel outline.
"Miko's been working on that in the van these past few days. Didn't you notice?" Ei looked at him.
Lu Chen shook his head. He really hadn't.
"So that's what you two were always huddled over, giggling at..."
"Hmph! Like he cares about me." Miko rolled her eyes and looked away.
Lu Chen's attention was already locked on the manuscript. It was a fairly standard setup: a socially awkward, reclusive male protagonist who dies in a truck accident and wakes up at the mysterious Teyvat Academy...
A guy who hates trouble and only wants to grow stronger ends up caught between two extremes: a cold, domineering school idol and a gorgeous, cunning girl with a brilliant mind. Thanks to the vice principal—Professor Zhong—they're all forced to join a mysterious club: the "Service Club." There, they tackle all kinds of strange missions and challenges to protect peace at Teyvat Academy. Along the way, the protagonist's feelings toward both girls start to shift in subtle ways...
Teyvat Academy: My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Definitely Wrong...
Lu Chen exhaled deeply.
What's "wrong" with this love story, exactly? You've got a cool beauty and a scheming bombshell both orbiting around you! Later on, even the school's big shots fall head over heels for the guy...
"Hmm..." Miko looked at him eagerly.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Hard to say from just the outline, but the character dynamics are super interesting. Especially the emotional web..."
Lu Chen glanced at the tangle of relationships in the story—more knotted than a set of earphone cords—and winced.
"Looks like it'll give readers a stomachache."
"Oh, that's nothing!" Miko's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"That icy beauty? She's amazing with knives. And the cunning girl? Total expert in poisons."
Lu Chen's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you planning?"
"Nothing~" Miko narrowed her eyes, closing the distance with a mischievous grin.
"If the feedback isn't good, I'll shift the tone toward something darker—bondage, confinement, mind control, physical torment... Readers love that kind of drama!"
"Terrifying..." Lu Chen inhaled sharply and turned to his Ei.
She turned to meet his gaze, violet eyes blinking innocently. "It's not scary. Blame the greedy male lead."
Lu Chen shivered.
"No way, this is too much!" His voice trembled as he tried to talk her out of it.
Miko laughed behind her hand. "Don't worry, the main character has self-healing abilities. He won't die that easily."
"You're cruel! His life still counts!"
Lu Chen's horrified expression lingered for a while—until he noticed the corners of both their lips twitching.
Then tightening.
Then... both of them burst into uncontrollable laughter at his expense.
Lu Chen pouted helplessly.
"Forget the plot for now..." he said, looking at the radiant Miko.
A strange, warm feeling rose in his chest.
Miko had once said she became an editor just to torment writers and amuse herself. With her personality, it was hard to imagine her ever writing a light novel herself.
But now, she was doing something she didn't even like—for his sake.
In his mind, Lu Chen could picture a little fox under a lamplight, racking her brain over plot points as she wrote deep into the night.
"Don't get any ideas!" Miko snapped, noticing his expression.
"I'm only writing this novel to help you finish the mission and get everyone back to Teyvat sooner. Don't flatter yourself!"
"Oh..." Lu Chen looked at her.
Her face showed no cracks.
"Alright then."
...
As they stepped off the Ferris wheel, Lu Chen spotted a street-side ice cream cart.
"Wait here a sec."
Seeing the two of them standing empty-handed, he walked over to buy some.
He rubbed his chin, trying to remember their favorite flavors.
Just then, Lu Chen felt a sharp, intense gaze on him.
He frowned and glanced to the side—and saw a scruffy, bearded man.
The man's eyes lit up as soon as he spotted Lu Chen and quickly stepped forward.
"Young man, you've got the looks and presence. Here's my card..."
"Whoa, back off!" Lu Chen flinched and took several steps back.
Why did Xiao get swarmed by fangirls, and he ended up with this guy?
Seeing the misunderstanding, the man gave an awkward smile and pulled back his card.
"No, no, I think you misunderstood. I'm a talent scout. Has anyone ever told you, you'd be perfect for—"
"Not perfect! Not interested!" Lu Chen waved him off frantically.
He grabbed two ice cream cones and marched back toward Ei and Miko.