boyutpedia Chapter 25 I never expected to meet you!
Chapter 25 I never expected to meet you!
As soon as Zhongyi spoke, everyone's attention immediately focused on Chen Mo.
"Really? Chen Mo can sing?"
Zhang Wei put down his beverage bottle, looking on with curiosity.
Li Ting joined in the fun, saying, "Come on, let's have a song! The guitar is right here."
Chen Mo hesitated.
Since acquiring the [Singing Skill], he has indeed found that his perception of music has improved a lot, and memorizing lyrics has become much easier.
"Sing a song, Chen Mo."
Zhongyi looked at him with encouraging eyes and said, "I heard you sing at the restaurant last time, it was really beautiful."
The commotion among the crowd grew even louder.
Chen Mo took a deep breath.
"Then I'll sing Jay Chou's 'All the Way North'."
"Wow, this song is difficult!"
Zhang Wei gave a thumbs up, "Chen Mo, you're amazing!"
"I'll accompany you on the guitar!"
Wang Hao smiled and adjusted his posture, gently plucking the strings with his fingers.
As the intro began, the few simple chords were played very steadily.
Chen Mo cleared his throat and began to sing.
"The world in the rearview mirror, a farewell that grows ever more distant..."
As soon as the sound came out, everyone who had been laughing and joking fell silent.
Chen Mo's voice isn't particularly outstanding, but it's sincere in its expression. He pronounces each word clearly and has a perfect sense of rhythm.
More importantly, he seemed to have a deep understanding of the song; the helplessness and reluctance at parting flowed out slowly in the song.
"I travel north, leaving behind the season that held you..."
In the chorus, Chen Mo's voice rose slightly, and his emotions became more intense.
The campfire cast dancing light and shadow on his face, his eyes focused and earnest, completely immersed in the music.
Zhong Yi looked at him quietly, a feeling she couldn't quite describe welling up inside her.
This man can cook, sing, is hardworking, and sincere...
He is like a piece of uncut jade; the more you get to know him, the more you discover his inner brilliance.
As the song ended, the last chord slowly faded away in the night breeze.
After a brief silence, applause broke out.
"It sounds so good!"
Li Ting was the first to shout, "Chen Mo, you could totally go on a talent show!"
"One more song!" Wang Hao urged.
Chen Mo quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, I only know a few songs. If I sing any more, I'll be exposed."
"Chen Mo, you're too modest."
Zhongyi looked at him with bright eyes and said, "You sang really well, even better than when I heard you sing at the restaurant last time."
"Thank you," Chen Mo said.
The atmosphere became more harmonious in the following days.
Everyone took turns playing instruments and singing, chatting and laughing, until after nine o'clock in the evening, when they reluctantly began to pack up their things.
Dismantling tents, tidying up trash, packing items... everyone worked together and quickly restored the campsite to its original state.
"I'm so happy today."
As Li Ting folded the chairs into the car, she said, "You have to come again next time, Chen Mo, you absolutely have to come, otherwise our food quality will drop several levels."
"Definitely." Chen Mo nodded with a smile.
After packing up, the two vehicles drove away from the campsite one after the other.
Chen Mo was in Zhong Yi's car, along with Zhang Wei and Li Ting.
On the way, everyone was still savoring the song they had just heard.
"Chen Mo, did you teach yourself to sing?" Li Ting asked curiously.
"I haven't studied it."
Chen Mo said, "I just like to listen to it and sing along."
"Then you have talent."
Zhang Wei turned around from the passenger seat and said, "I've been learning guitar for three years, but I'm still tone-deaf when I sing."
Chen Mo smiled but didn't reply.
The car first drove to the vicinity of the subway station, where Chen Mo got off.
"Thank you for today, the food you cooked was delicious."
Zhong Yi rolled down the car window and said to him, "Let's meet up again next time."
"Okay, be careful on the road." Chen Mo waved.
Only after watching the car drive away did he turn around and walk into the subway station.
[Social activity detected as successfully concluded; Brave Lifestyle Contribution Progress: 55%]
The system notification will sound at an appropriate time.
……
On the other side, in Zhongyi's car.
As soon as Chen Mo left, Li Ting moved closer to Zhong Yi.
Then, with a gossipy look on her face, she asked, "Zhongyi, tell me honestly, what exactly is your relationship with Chen Mo?"
"We're just friends." Zhong Yi kept her eyes on the road ahead, focusing on driving.
"friend?"
Zhang Wei joined in, teasing, "I don't think so. When did you start caring so much about ordinary friends? You even specially invited them to join our camping trip."
"That's right, that's right."
Li Ting chimed in, "Besides, Chen Mo is so outstanding—he can cook, he can sing, and he's quite good-looking. Don't you have any feelings for him?"
Zhong Yi's face flushed slightly, but fortunately the lighting in the car was dim, so it wasn't noticeable.
"Don't talk nonsense, we really are just dining buddies."
She explained, "They're just friends I ate with."
"A meal buddy?"
Li Ting drawled out her words, then chuckled, "Why do I feel like you treat him so differently? The way you looked at him when he was singing just now, tsk tsk..."
"No way!"
Zhong Yi quickly denied it, saying, "I just thought he sang well, so I glanced at him a few more times."
"Fine, fine, if you say you don't have it, then you don't."
Zhang Wei laughed and said, "But Zhongyi, to be honest, Chen Mo is really a good guy. If you're interested, you'd better hurry up, because men like him are hard to find these days."
"..."
Zhong Yi did not respond.
She actually knew that what her friends were saying was true.
Chen Mo is indeed very outstanding, and this outstandingness is not superficial; it is the kind of inner brilliance that can only be discovered through gradual contact.
I can work hard, take care of people, cook, and sing...
Although he's not the kind of handsome that immediately catches your eye, he's very pleasing to the eye and the more you look at him, the more comfortable you feel.
More importantly, I feel very relaxed and comfortable when I'm with him.
but……
Zhong Yi bit her lip.
She didn't actually know if Chen Mo had a girlfriend.
Based on our interactions, he should be single.
But what if?
Moreover, the two haven't known each other for very long, so it's indeed a bit early to talk about whether they like each other or not.
"Alright, alright, stop gossiping."
Zhong Yi changed the subject, saying, "Focus on the road, I need to speed up."
"See, you're feeling guilty now," Li Ting chuckled.
Zhong Yi didn't refute, but gripped the steering wheel tightly. She knew best about the quiet affection that was growing in her heart.
……
When Chen Mo got home, it was almost ten o'clock.
He took a shower to wash away the day's fatigue, and then sat down in front of the computer.
I haven't updated the novel yet today.
He opened the author's backend and refreshed the page as usual.
An internal message popped up.
It's a system message.
Chen Mo clicked on it and was stunned.
[Dear author, Spicy Tofu Pudding, your work "The Mortal Immortal Clan" has met the signing criteria. Please add the signing editor's QQ: 12345678, and include the work's title and your name in the message.]
Sign up now!
Chen Mo read it three times to make sure he hadn't misread it.
It's really coming!
Although this is just the first step in signing a contract and is still a long way from true success, it at least means that his work has been recognized by the platform and is worth continuing to write.
A surge of joy welled up inside me.
Chen Mo clicked on it and read it carefully.
The electronic signing process is not complicated. It mainly involves filling in personal information and work information, and then signing the contract online.
He followed the steps one by one, filling in his real name, ID number, bank card number, etc.
Once everything is complete, click Submit.
Finally, as requested, he added the editor's QQ number and noted the title of his work and his pen name in the message.
While waiting for the verification to be approved, Chen Mo refreshed the work page again.
Word count: 2.8
Favorites: 47
Recommendation votes: 132
The data isn't great, but it's not bad for a new author and a new book.
More importantly, there were several genuine reader comments in the comments section.
"Keep it up, author! The premise is very interesting."
"Please update more consistently, I'm waiting to see."
"The theme of family cultivation is rare, looking forward to the sequel."
Although these were just simple words of encouragement, they warmed Chen Mo's heart and gave him a sense of affirmation.
He opened the document and began writing.
Perhaps it was because I was in a good mood, but I was in a particularly smooth state today. My fingers flew across the keyboard, and the story unfolded like a flowing stream.
An hour later, the two thousand words were finished.
Chen Mo checked for typos and clicked publish.
At this point, the editor's QQ friend request was accepted.
[Spicy Tofu Pudding]: Hi Huya, I have completed the signing process.
However, the other party did not intend to communicate with me; they simply sent me a standard template message after signing a contract.
[Editor Huya]: Okay, after signing the contract, the contract review will take 1-3 business days. Once approved, the work status will be changed to contracted status, and then you can enjoy the rights of a contracted author.
Chen Mo glanced at it and replied anyway.
[Spicy Tofu Pudding]: Okay, thank you, editor.
[Editor Qingfeng]: Keep up the good work with updates and maintain stability. The new book period is very important.
[Spicy Tofu Pudding]: Okay, I understand.
Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief after closing the chat window between the two.
First hurdle passed.
Just then, the system interface popped up automatically.
[Congratulations, host, on completing the "Brave Novelist" mission]
[Task objective: Publish your novel on an online platform and sign a contract (Completed)]
[Rewards: Memory +1, Literary Ability +2, Courage +300]
[Current attribute update:]
Memory: 76 (Good)
[Literary literacy: 80 (Good)]
System Level LV1: 4150/10000
A cool sensation flooded my mind.
Chen Mo clearly felt that his thinking was clearer, and some previously vague memories had become vivid.
His literary literacy has surpassed 80 points, reaching the "good" level, indicating that his understanding and mastery of language has reached a new level.
"It seems that I can continue down the path of writing novels."
Chen Mo looked at the computer screen and made a decision.
Although we don't know how far we can go yet, at least we've made a good start.
Tomorrow is Sunday, no work.
Chen Mo suddenly recalled his experience of climbing to the top of the Three Gorges last time.
At that time, he had only recently acquired the system and his physical condition was still quite poor. He was panting heavily as he climbed and had to rest several times along the way.
Now, after this period of morning runs and attribute improvements, his health value has reached 62 points, which is much better than before.
"Shall we go again?"
Once the thought appeared, it could no longer be suppressed.
He wanted to see what it would feel like to climb the mountain now.
Wouldn't that make things easier?
Will we be able to see a different kind of scenery?
We did it right away.
Chen Mo opened his phone and checked the weather for tomorrow.
Sunny, temperature 18-25 degrees Celsius, suitable for hiking.
He set his alarm for 7 a.m., then turned off the lights and went to bed.
Before closing his eyes, he recalled the camping scene from earlier that day.
I love her bright, sparkling eyes, her friends' good-natured jokes, and the warm songs by the campfire...
And then there's that quiet, inexplicable feeling of affection.
"Let nature take its course."
He said to himself, and then fell into a deep sleep.
The alarm clock rang on time the next morning.
Chen Mo got up, washed up, changed into sportswear, and carried a backpack filled with water and some dry food.
Before leaving, he glanced at the system interface.
[A Brave Run: 8/10]
[Courageous Lifestyle Enthusiasts: 55%]
[The Brave Novelist: Completed]
A new day, a new beginning.
He locked the door and stepped into the morning light.
After taking the subway and then a bus, Chen Mo arrived at the foot of the mountain at the top of the Three Gorges again more than an hour later.
Looking up, the mountain peaks remain majestic, and the mountain paths still stretch endlessly.
But this time, his feelings were completely different.
There was no trepidation, no hesitation, only a sense of eager anticipation.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Mo began climbing the mountain.
His steps were steady, his breathing even, and he showed no signs of the strain he had last time.
The improved health and the persistence in morning runs have now translated into real physical strength.
When he reached about a third of the way up, at the place where he had needed to rest last time, he simply slowed down, adjusted his breathing, and continued onward.
Halfway up, I had fine beads of sweat on my forehead, but I wasn't nearly out of breath.
Chen Mo even had the energy to appreciate the scenery along the way this time.
The mountains and forests are colorful in summer, with lush leaves thriving and sunlight filtering through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows.
The air was fresh, and the birds sang sweetly.
He had no time to pay attention to any of this last time.
This time, he could finally experience it slowly.
The higher you climb, the steeper the stone steps become.
But Chen Mo's steps never stopped.
He couldn't help but recall the line from the system task: "A brave middle-aged person should have the courage to express themselves, even if there are no readers."
Writing novels is a form of expression, and so is climbing mountains.
It expresses a love for life and a challenge to oneself.
Finally, after climbing for an hour and a half, Chen Mo saw the glass platform at the top of the mountain.
Last time he climbed for nearly five hours and was so exhausted he almost collapsed.
This time, the time was significantly shorter and the physical exertion was much less, taking less than 4 hours.
He quickened his pace and sprinted towards the summit.
A dozen minutes later, Chen Mo stood on the mountaintop, his view suddenly opening up.
At the foot of the mountain, the Yangtze River flows like a ribbon, the mountains are like dark eyebrows, clouds and mist swirl among the mountains, and the sun shines on the earth.
The wind blows, bringing with it the scent of distant lands.
Chen Mo opened his arms and took a deep breath.
At that moment, he truly felt the changes within himself.
It's not just physical, but also mental.
He is no longer a middle-aged man being pushed around by life, but a brave person who begins to actively choose and take on challenges.
"It seems I really am getting better."
He spoke softly, a smile spreading across his face.
Just then, a familiar voice came from behind.
"Chen Mo?"
Chen Mo turned around and froze.
Standing behind him was Lin Wei.
She was wearing a light blue tracksuit, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and there were fine beads of sweat on her forehead, indicating that she had just climbed up.
"Lin Wei? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to climb the mountain."
Lin walked over with a smile and said, "What brings you here too? And you climbed so fast! I saw a figure behind me that looked a lot like you, and it really is you."
Chen Mo smiled too.
I never expected to meet you.