Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Huahua: “You dirty man, what do you know?”

If that “dirty man” came out of a girl like Huang Yuanrui’s mouth, it would sound coy and coquettish.

But coming out of Huahua’s mouth, Qin Song could only hear it as a joke – and what made it funny was the kind of “clearly a rough-and-tumble woman, yet insisting on acting cute and spoiled like a girly girl” sort of joke.

Qin Song: “What kind of web novels do you write? Does anyone even read them?”

Huahua said proudly, “I write every kind. Right now I’m writing three novels at the same time: one transmigration-rebirth power fantasy, one post-apocalyptic stockpiling story, and one horror novel!”

Qin Song: “How many fans do you have? A few thousand?”

Huahua’s momentum instantly faltered. “104.”

Qin Song shook his head helplessly.

Huahua: “I’m just starting out! I’ll only get better and better in the future!”

Qin Song had no interest in transmigration stories or stockpiling supplies stories. He asked Huahua, “What’s the name of your horror novel?”

He figured that with Huahua’s meager literary ability, the most likely outcome was a title like Horror Swimming Pool, Death Elevator, or Terror in the Girls’ Dormitory.

Unexpectedly, Huahua said,

“It’s called ‘Treasure Basin.'”

Qin Song: “That sounds like the title of a comedy movie. What’s scary about that?”

Huahua drew a little “no” with her finger and said with a smile, “The title isn’t that important to me. As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush. What I care about more is the content of the book.”

Qin Song: “Hold on, you’re getting off track. Weren’t we talking about your job just now?”

Huahua thought for a moment. “Oh, you were asking why I came to work the front desk, right? It’s a long story, so I’ll make it short.”

Qin Song nodded.

Huahua: “My parents originally had pretty high hopes for me. They sent me to study in Switzerland and bought me a several-million-yuan apartment there. I studied hotel management and minored in psychology. But when it came time to look for a job, I didn’t want to do anything.”

Qin Song: “Was there no job you liked?”

Huahua: “There was. I said I wanted to work at a zoo as an animal keeper, but my mom wouldn’t agree.”

Qin Song: “…”

Huahua: “My mom said they spent so much money on me, even sending me abroad to study, and now I wanted to come back to China to feed monkeys. That was ridiculous.”

Qin Song: “And then you came to work the front desk? Your mom was okay with that?”

Huahua: “Have you ever heard this one? If you want to resist your parents forcing you into marriage, just lie and say you’re gay. Then they’ll be so scared they won’t dare push you anymore. They’d rather have you single than dating someone of the same sex.”

Qin Song: “Never heard of that… Are you getting off track again?”

Huahua: “Same principle. If I said I wanted to feed monkeys and tigers, my mom wouldn’t agree. But if I said I wanted to become a young writer, she thought that made a lot more sense.”

Qin Song: “Your mother didn’t get fooled by you. She respected your choice because she loves you.”

Huahua: “Anyway, in the end I just stayed home and wrote novels. But little by little, I realized that people can’t write things outside the limits of their own knowledge. If I wanted to write stories, I needed material. So where was I supposed to get material from?”

Qin Song said nothing and just looked at her.

Huahua went on talking to herself. “People say the place where you can hear the most stories and gossip is the hotel front desk! Right here, you can witness all kinds of melodramatic, chaotic relationships with your own eyes…”
Qin Song thought for a moment, then said, “You’re not wrong.”

Huahua waved the iPad in her hand. “This is my material notebook. When you see me chatting with everyone, I’m actually trying to coax stories out of them! Just from what I’ve learned through chatting, I’ve already got enough material to write a novel over a hundred thousand words long.”

Qin Song said, “Can I take a look?”

Huahua hid the iPad behind her back. “Hehe, Brother Hai, no can do! If I tweak it and write it into a novel, that’s material. But if I let you see it, then I’d be exposing other people’s privacy.”

Something occurred to Qin Song, and he suddenly asked, “You said just now that you studied psychology?”

Huahua nodded seriously. “Yeah. I even have a certificate. Do you want to see it?”

As she spoke, she started scrolling through her phone album, about to show Qin Song a photo of her certificate.

Qin Song quickly waved her off. “No need… I was just asking.”

Huahua put down her phone. “Oh.”

Qin Song hesitated, then asked tentatively, “Then, from a psychological perspective, what do you make of me?”

Huahua seemed to find the question strange. She tilted her head and sized Qin Song up. “From a psychological perspective… Let me see your eyes.”

Qin Song obediently blinked.

Huahua studied his eyes carefully and said, “You’re a man with a story.”

Qin Song said, “Do you say that to everyone?”

Huahua’s expression was very solemn. “No, Brother Hai. You are definitely a man with a story. There’s fear in your eyes.”

Qin Song said, “I am indeed a coward.”

Huahua said, “A horror novelist I really like once said something – if you digest terror, it becomes nourishment for courage.”

Qin Song said, “I don’t get it.”

Huahua said, “A famous lady also once said something – whatever you’re most afraid of, that’s exactly what you have to face.”

Qin Song nodded. “I’ve heard that line before, and I agree with it. I want to work toward that, too. But which lady said it?”

Huahua said, “Yao Jinling from Beyond the Realm of Conscience.”

Qin Song said, “…”

Huahua said, “The more timid you are, the more you need to train yourself.”

Qin Song said, “Then if I had some kind of psychological issue, like depression or anxiety, do you think I should go see a therapist?”

Huahua said, “Of course. Why wouldn’t you?”

Then Huahua added, “The more timid you are, the more you should try reading horror stories and telling horror stories. How about this? I’ll give you an assignment! Anyway, I don’t think there’s any gossip worth digging up from you… Let’s make a deal. The next time we meet, you have to tell me a horror story as material for my novel.”

Qin Song waved a hand. “I don’t know how to tell that kind of thing.”

Huahua mischievously stuck out her tongue. “I don’t care. It’s a deal!”

With that, she hugged her iPad and skipped away.

After Huahua left, Qin Song stayed there alone for a long time.

He wanted to gather the courage to see a therapist, but he truly didn’t want to face everything from the past.

He was afraid that as he talked to the therapist, the therapist would stare into his eyes and say in an eerie voice, “I can tell. You’ve killed someone.”

He would rather spend more time chatting with Huahua, this half-baked psychology student.