Chapter 49: Didi Ghostwriting

Li Wenwen cared more about this matter because she did not remember ever revealing her address to Zheng Fei.

"How did you know my house was here?"

Zheng Fei pointed to the crabapple tree next door and said, "Not only do I know where your house is, but I also know where hers is. That day she went out taking pictures with me, and her mouth didn't stop for a single moment."

Haitang knitted her brows.

"Hmph, when did I say anything?"

Zheng Fei recounted her exact words: "Next time, if you still want to borrow a camera, you can come to 787 Julu Road. Wenwen lives right next door at 764 Changle Road."

......

"Also, you are a primary school Chinese teacher, your pen name is Qingliangzi, you write poetry, and you once wrote a novella."

Seeing Zheng Fei spill all the details, Haitang was dumbfounded on the spot. Did she really leak that much information?

Yet it was hard to say for sure, because whenever she was with Zheng Fei, he was either looking at murals or drawing, and she was naturally a restless person whose feet and mouth were always in motion.

Li Wenwen frowned as she looked at Haitang, then let out a sigh. Having grown up together since childhood, she knew Haitang's personality better than anyone.

However, when Li Wenwen saw the newspaper in Zheng Fei's hand, she immediately guessed why he had come.

Because this morning, she had also seen the article in that newspaper.

"I've read the paper. Are you here to ask me to write an article?"

Zheng Fei did not expect Li Wenwen to be so perceptive. He smiled and said, "I'm good at drawing, but lacking in skill when it comes to writing articles to scold people. Can you do me a favor and help me scold that old man?"

Haitang was completely bewildered. She pulled Li Wenwen aside and asked, "What are you two talking about? Why can't I understand a single word?"

Li Wenwen was utterly speechless. "And to think you went abroad to study journalism! Do you even read the newspaper?"

After reading the newspaper, Haitang burst into an angry tirade. "How can there be such a shameless person in this world? He's just stirring up trouble for nothing! Zheng Fei's comics are nowhere near as bad as he makes them out to be."

Seeing Haitang stand up for him so fiercely, Zheng Fei nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I also think that old man is sick—seriously sick. He must be jealous of me. Seeing how well my comics are selling, he's started pulling dirty tricks."

Haitang fumed, "I'll have my father..."

Hearing this, Li Wenwen hurriedly tapped on the tabletop to stop her from continuing.

Only then did Haitang realize she had almost said the wrong thing, and quickly corrected herself: "I'll have my father write an article to scold him too."

......

"Is there really no way you can help?"

Li Wenwen thought for a moment. She was the type of person who preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.

She had no desire to muddy the waters.

"How about this? You just help me write it, and you don't even have to put your name on it. I'll submit it to the publishers myself."

Li Wenwen pondered for a moment.

......

Perhaps out of habit from being a teacher, Li Wenwen began right away: "Whenever we launch a counterattack against someone, we must thoroughly study their article and engage in serious reading comprehension."

"This man surnamed Jiang seems to have established a noble pretext, but his argument is somewhat sophistical, yet somehow he still manages to hold the moral high ground."

"Because he is standing from the perspective of parents. To parents, any reading material that distracts children from their studies should not exist."

"And this is a universal formula: snacks are bad for children's health, so snacks are wrong; toys are bad for children, so toys are wrong. You can substitute comic books into the exact same logic, and it remains equally valid."

"I suggest... if we want to hit back at this man surnamed Jiang, we must not fall into the trap of self-justification, because no one can ever guarantee that comics won't have any impact on children."

Zheng Fei was utterly stunned. Truly, professions are worlds apart. Fortunately, he hadn't been arrogant enough to write an article scolding that man surnamed Jiang himself.

In his past life, if he had possessed a brain like hers, he probably would have been scolded into a myocardial infarction by other people.

"Then how should we write it?"

Li Wenwen bit her lower lip in thought for a moment, then asked, "Is the person who scolded you an old painter? The rather wealthy kind?"

Zheng Fei nodded.

"He's the deputy editor-in-chief of the Fine Arts Publishing House, and he has published several sets of comic strips. His manuscript fees alone amount to a considerable sum."

"That makes things much easier."

Li Wenwen continued, "Didn't you mention earlier that you are an unemployed youth? Do you have any particularly miserable experiences? Tell me about them, and I can weave them into the article."

Zheng Fei sighed. "If we're talking about misery, I am the living embodiment of it. When I was young, my father passed away because of—"

"I never expected that after finally drawing a comic book, I would be publicly denounced in the newspaper. Why is the path of life so difficult to walk?"

Zheng Fei poured out his entire tragic background in one breath. Li Wenwen and Haitang were completely dumbfounded.

Seeing that Zheng Fei was about to go into even more details, Li Wenwen hurriedly interrupted him:

"Enough, this is already enough. If we write all of it down, it will look a bit too deliberately sensational."

Seeing Li Wenwen pick up her pen to write the article, Zheng Fei smiled and said, "Then Teacher Li, I'll come back tomorrow to pick it up."

Li Wenwen gave him a blank stare. Was this guy lacking a screw loose, or was he just completely oblivious? Wasn't he deliberately pushing her into the fire pit?

"Take Haitang and go take a stroll outside. Don't stay here and distract me from writing. Give me two hours, and I'll have it ready for you."

"No, make it three hours. You two go walk around Fuxing Park four or five times, and I should be finished by then."

......

The two who had been chased out walked side by side and actually ended up wandering around the park. In truth, Zheng Fei didn't really like this park.

Because back when it was still a foreign concession, there had genuinely been a sign at the park's entrance that read: Dogs and Chinese Not Allowed.

After the two of them walked a full circle around the park.

......

Haitang suddenly said, "I've decided to study abroad."

Zheng Fei teased:

"If washing dishes abroad gets too tough, let me know. My comics might get published in Hong Kong. When the foreign exchange comes in, I'll mail some to you."

Haitang's eyes lit up. "If I really end up asking you to borrow money then, don't you dare go back on your word."

"Of course not. I'm the most loyal person around. If you hadn't lent me your camera, I wouldn't have earned the money for those murals, nor would I have been able to draw my comics with peace of mind."

"Put that way, I'm the one who helped you."

"Mm." Zheng Fei nodded.

After that, Haitang fell silent for a long time, because among the three of them, she was the one idling her life away the most.

"My major abroad is journalism. When I return to China, you'll definitely be the first person I interview. When that time comes, don't let your fame go to your head and ignore a little reporter like me."

Zheng Fei looked at the girl before him and felt that a smile had returned to her face. She looked prettiest when she smiled.

He had never looked closely at her before, but he now noticed she actually had two tiny dimples.

Yet people who left in this era, once they witnessed the gorgeous scenery abroad, rarely ever wanted to return.

Zheng Fei said faintly, "When the time comes, if you want to return, I'll let you interview me for a day and a night without any problem."

"You promised, remember that."

After walking the park paths a few more times, the two returned to Wenwen's house. Her article was already finished, spanning a full two pages.

Looking at the contents on the paper, Zheng Fei couldn't help praising her again: "Teacher Li, with a skill like yours, you'd be more than qualified to be a literary editor."

"What's so great about being an editor? I like being a teacher."

Zheng Fei: ......

Li Wenwen was definitely a powerful ally. If he plunged headfirst into the comic industry in the future, he probably wouldn't just be bickering with that man surnamed Jiang; he would likely offend many traditional comic artists as well.

He must never let go of this freelance ghostwriter.

......

Standing by the Shikumen gate, Haitang waved goodbye to Zheng Fei. She knew very well that after parting today, their next meeting would likely be several years later.

Although things were still unresolved, Haitang found that her mood wasn't quite as heavy as before.

At the subordinate unit where she worked, the Workers' Cultural Palace, an uncle surnamed Jin once said: Romance and destiny arise from the right time and place; miss it by a fraction of an inch, and it all comes to naught.