This is dog food? Well, let me have a bite
After reading his column, Zhao Youyue had to admit that Leng Zi was a likable person.
His review about the trend of juvenile literature resonated with her. Love should be an innocent thing, right? No point creating such mess
However, his closing line about this being a high school comedy, raised her guard. She was now dubious of authors’ promises, having been deceived previously. As the proverb goes, once bitten, twice shy.
With vigilance, she began to indulge in “Beautiful April”. The opening of the chapter seemed to suggest a warm atmosphere.
Leng Zi did not parade his flowery style, instead, outlined the scene of the start of a new school term with few words. An unexplainable familiarity called out to her, and Zhao Youyue was soon engaged with it, as she somehow felt a connection to this writing style.
Apparently, Zhao Youyue had not noticed it. This scene was based on Leng Zi’s freshman year in senior high. A memoir of his daily life.
The name of the male protagonist was Gu Yuan. It was mainstream, easy to pronounce and settles in the memory with ease. Some juvenile novelists liked to give their male protagonist edgy names, that end up sounding stupid. For example “Dragon Proud Sky [1]”.
The heroine, Lin Yuemei, was about to appear. Although it sounded tacky, she must be the one, as the description of her started pouring just after the male protagonist’s turn. Moreover, the “Yue” in her name implied that she was a big star in this play.
She was depicted as an introvert, unsociable, and easily anxious, as a result of not being in the same class with her bestie since junior high, Wang Yan. She loved music and often turned up the volume to offset her anxiety.
Suddenly, the presence of this side character with a name caught Zhao Youyue’s eyes. She recalled the fact that her very first iconic character card, “Xu Jing’, had a “bestie” too.
A side character like this gave her great room to maneuver, should she choose to possess her, but it also had its setbacks. If it catches the author’s eye, he or she will sense something amiss. Therefore, Zhao Youyue continued reading on to search for a more suitable vessel.
Gu Yuan’s personality gave Zhao Youyue a sense of innocent joy. On the surface, he seemed sophisticated and carried himself like a hipster, but, he was actually goofy and fun. He had a handsome gay friend, Chen Hao, a fact that he would lament over, as Chen Hao always grabbed the attention of the female classmates. His results were excellent, especially his science subjects.
Even though Gu Yuan did not know Lin Yuemei, likewise, but they were aware of each other’s presence. The situation made Zhao Youyue feel an ‘awww’ forming in her heart.
This smells like dog food[2], for sure.
Well, she’s calling dibs on it!
Then, the story continued from within Gu Yuan’s mind, as he observed the new classmates. He seemed to be very talented, his internal speech had a certain charm to it —–
“Why do people play with pebbles? Because it does not have edges.”
“The skin of a human being varies at different areas. Some have calloused hands, some have smut on their backs or an incredible amount of dead skin on their faces. I hope that mine is the heart. A heart that never gives up easily or sighs in despair. A heart that will prove myself to those bullies.”
“Nobody likes to listen to your pain. It makes your friends miserable while your enemies cheer.”
“I once crossed over the mountains and oceans and walked through crowds too. Everything I once owned is gone. I once felt frustrated, disappointed and lost. Then, I discovered, that being ordinary is the answer.”
Reading that, Zhao Youyue felt that this male protagonist had his own agendas. He looked an ordinary student for now, though. As the plot goes on, he should reveal his other side.
Finally, she noticed that the author did not show off his style via descriptive sceneries, but rather, emphasized on the internal thoughts of characters. This did not offend her. To her, he is indeed very talented. Some words functioned as a refinement to details as well as a form of foreshadowing.
The next sequence made Zhao Youyue vigilant again. This was going to be a mixture of high volume musical elements. Lin Yuemei and Wang Yan were the members of the classical music society. Gu Yuan would come to the room next to it after class. It was like his personal music studio, with a piano.
Zhao Youyue did not bother investigating to see if senior high had such facilities. If everything is based on reality, it would have emphasized on studying.
If there is a musical theme, she would more or less know how to pick the character that she wants to possess. Although not a once in a millennium prodigy, she really was talented in music. Liu Yuxi could vouch for this.
In the novel, she could set herself to have top-tier musical talents, one who has mastered a wide variety of musical instruments, even having maximum stats in singing and composing. If the character becomes an icon, her gains would be massive!
This could greatly enrich her live broadcasts, even, by upgrade her performance of “South Hill South”. After all, Yu Shengfan did not possess any musical talent in “The Strongest King”
Immediately, she began to have high expectations on “Beautiful April”. The problem now was, who should she possess?
She continued reading. Next was, Leng Zi’s description about the daily activities of the classical music society, which further added detail to Lin Yuemei by emphasizing how many awards she had won. She had to be very talented. Not to mention, she was superb at playing the violin, in contrast to Wang Yan who the played violin too.
Thus, Zhao Youyue decided not to possess Wang Yan. She would be looking for trouble if she sets such a character with max musical talentShe continued reading with interest.
Translation Note:
1. Dragon Proud Sky () – It is an internet slang used to scorn the main character of the novel, manga or anime.
2. Dog food () is an internet slang means:
Lovers who publicly display their affection towards each other.
Single dog () single individuals who totally detest the above.