Chapter 4 Chapter Two

At least, the new working environment is a hundred times better than Nalan's last "worksite".The three-story villas in Qinhuai are snow-white, with red tile roofs, in the style of Mediterranean architecture.A row of roses was planted around the wall. Although the flowering period has passed at this moment, there are still some residual reds left. A man of seven feet, who planted a bunch of roses outside the window, blamed him for being romantic? The melodious piano music floated from the building, which was familiar to everyone.Na Lan secretly sighed: It's not that Beethoven's masterpiece deserves to be belittled, it's just that this piece has been labeled as "popular piano piece", alluding to the master's taste.

From the gate, along the imitation white marble steps to the door, Fang Wendong took out a bunch of keys to open the door, ding-dong bells rang, and big and small beads fell into the jade plate, which was obviously a security alarm system.Fang Wendong entered the password on a dashboard at the door, and the crisp ringtone was silenced. Qin Huai's trust in Fang Wendong cannot be increased.Nalan thought about it, had the friendship between herself and Tao Zi reached such a "depth"? On the wall at the door, there is a milky white spherical lamp, presumably it can illuminate the door at night.There are two small lamps in the corner, which are very inconspicuous.Nalando glanced at it twice, and felt that it was not a pair of lights, but a pair of eyes—a closed-circuit television surveillance system.

After entering the house, Fang Wendong went straight to the kitchen, hung the bunch of keys on a small key rack next to the closet, and greeted: "Please sit on the sofa, on the armchair, whatever you want, and I'll get you some drinks." , coffee, cola, orange juice, mineral water, black tea, you can order whatever you want." Fang Wendong is very comfortable in making decisions here, he is obviously a regular customer, and he is obviously Qin Huai's confidant. The title of "you" has become "you", which is more easy-going and satisfactory. Nalan was sitting on the sofa, the long window in the living room was floor to ceiling, and outside the window was a lake, bright blue like agate.There is a grand piano against the wall, which is tightly covered-the sound of the piano floats from the surround sound above the head, and there is no live performance.

"Just a glass of water." "Bland taste?" Fang Wendong quickly took out a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator. "It's hot, plain water is the best way to quench your thirst, cola, tea, coffee, etc. can actually dehydrate you, and besides..." Fang Wendong quietly waited for the answer. "You are right, my taste is indeed bland." Nalan insisted on the word "you". "The friendship between gentlemen is as light as water. It worked in the past, but the current world style, which is upward every day, is no longer applicable; dealing with beautiful women has never been 'light' throughout the ages." Another male voice is different from Fang Wendong's voice.Fang Wendong's voice is strong, and this man's voice is magnetic. "Beauties are more accustomed to jewellery, fragrant cars, nine hundred and ninety-nine roses, and overnight fame on the Internet. There are not many who have a mild taste."

Qinhuai. What he said was as gaudy as his pseudonym. Nalan almost got up to say goodbye. But she didn't escape, she didn't have this habit.What's more, when she saw Qin Huai approaching, her heart skipped a beat.In the past, I saw a few photos of him in newspapers, and knew that besides his fame and wealth, he also had the capital to be a philatelist in appearance, and he was so handsome that he could make girls of a wide range of ages fall in love.Now that I see it, I realize that the limitation of the small photo is that it can only depict the human figure in a two-dimensional manner.The three-dimensional Qin Huai in front of him is a fine piece of hematemesis, the most deadly is his eyes, which are a little bit loose and cynical, but more of a melancholy, a bottomless melancholy.From the previous photos, the melancholy is a pretentious gesture, but looking at it three-dimensionally now, this melancholy is more real than the sound of cicadas outside the window.Most girls have a natural motherhood. When they see a handsome and melancholy man with a net worth of tens of millions, they will volunteer to heal their wounds regardless of their own safety.

As a result, he left himself with scars all over his body. She suddenly understood that Ning Yuxin, who had long hair and short skirt, would be so deeply trapped. Qin Huai stretched out his hand, with a smile on his brows, temporarily covering up the gloom: "Are you really Na Lan?" Nalan stood up, shook hands with Qin Huai, unexpectedly——in her impression, Qin Huai, who lived and wrote in a secluded island in the center of the lake, must be a soft-skinned, tender-skinned, weak-handed, feminine person—she at this moment The hand I held had rough skin and tough joints, like the hand of a manual laborer after many years of hard work.She stared at Qin Huai's face almost reflexively, the complexion on his face was not the pink and white of a creamy boy, but a reddish brown after being exposed to wind, frost and sun.

Are you really Nalan?What kind of problem is this? "I'm Nalan, just a student. It seems that I haven't found any reason to impersonate me." "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant," Qin Huai said without any apology in his smile. "I just said that I was a little surprised. I didn't expect Haimantian to send me such a scenery. It's so beautiful." Use scenery to compare beauty.Na Lan only glanced at Qin Huai's works, and saw that he was just writing romance novels in a suspenseful cloak, so he drove many girls to pay for it. Today, what he heard and saw, his writing style has filled the conversation, and it is true.Nalan even thought, if I were to say this sentence, a landscape would already have enough taste, and the words "beautiful" would be redundant and could be omitted.

I don't know if he and Ning Yuxin also used such a low-grade metaphor when they met for the first time? The Haimantian mentioned by Qin Huai is Nalan's real boss, one of the best publishers in China, and his clients are all best-selling authors.From the conversation with Hai Mantian, it can be heard that he has a close personal relationship with Qin Huai, and he also understands Qin Huai's writing attitude. Qin Huai's writing attitude, in a word, is procrastinating. Nalan smiled in a businesslike manner, and took out a notepad from her bag: "Since Mr. Hai is mentioned... this is a publication plan he gave me that was updated last month. He hopes that you will take some time to review it with me." once again..."

"The word 'you' gives me goosebumps." Qin Huai sat down next to Na Lan, the distance was too close for someone who met for the first time. "Of course, it's not easy to learn while learning; it's a lot of fun to learn with beautiful classmates." Nalan sighed in his stomach, and really wanted to slap his handsome face: "When I signed a draft contract with you, it was this suspense novel, and both parties had quite conservative estimates of the writing process." , Start writing in January, hand in the first draft in October, and publish it at the beginning of next year, just in time for the Beijing Book Fair in March and the National Book Fair in April..."

"Hainan Trade Fair in May, Chongqing Book Fair in May, etc." From a psychological point of view, Qin Huai's habit of interrupting people's conversations may be a manifestation of emotional instability, and it is more likely to be self-centered. Center character. Or, he just wants to get over the work talk as quickly as possible and get on with his flirting. Qin Huai stared at Na Lan with scorching eyes, obviously not thinking that he was being rude in any way: "Actually, Hai Mantian was playing tricks with me. Who doesn't know that he pushes books like the back of his hand, and never needs to go through those formal channels. This The book market, the book fair, are just his excuses. He just wants me to finish writing as soon as possible, and he makes money as soon as possible... It should be said that we make money as soon as possible, and then enter the next money-making cycle as soon as possible. So he let you do it The so-called writing assistant is actually here to urge the draft.”

Nalan sighed again in her heart, and continued to keep a smile on her face: "Don't speak dark words in front of Ming people. How can I help you? Please just ask, look up information, type in manuscripts, and I can start right away." "Have you brought your swimsuit?" "What?" Na Lan thought that like many characters in Qin Huai's novels, she had auditory hallucinations. "Swimsuit... Since you commute to the island in the middle of the lake every day, why don't you make full use of this unique natural resource? I know a great place to swim, but no one knows yet..." To subvert the words of Mr. Mencius, Qin Huai There is a spirit of shamelessness and courage. "Mr. Hai didn't mention this benefit when we talked about the working conditions with me, so the swimming will be avoided. Think again, is there any work related to the writing of "The Curse of Locking the Lake of Life Locked by a Minotaur" that I can directly help with?" ?” Na Lan secretly thanked the experience and lessons learned in the prison interview and the thickened skin, and still maintained her composure. "Yes, of course, we can talk slowly during lunch." Qin Huai leaned comfortably on the sofa, closed his eyes slightly, and clearly expressed his "interest" in work, "We can't finish talking at lunch, let's continue talking at dinner. " "Boss Hai should have told you that my working hours are from ten in the morning to three thirty in the afternoon." "What if I pay overtime?" "If you believe that money really can buy everything." The living room was silent, and the low-frequency hum of the air conditioner easily occupied all the space.Fang Wendong said that he had to go to Jiangjing for something, and he had left long ago, without even a smoothie. Na Lan knew that with just that sentence, she successfully fired her own squid.She is far from unsophisticated, and she has lived up to the tempering of psychology, but at the moment, she doesn't care about offending this "employer".Accommodating and forbearance may make your surroundings like spring all year round, but it is by no means the best way to solve conflicts.In particular, theoretically, we should avoid this so-called "first-line writer" who is arrogant and pretentious. Qin Huai suddenly picked up the remote control from the coffee table and turned on the TV, the economic channel of CCTV. "This is basically the only channel I consume on TV, and it looks like money can really buy everything." His tone is flat, even if there is sullenness, it is wrapped up. His cell phone rang, and the ringtone was also piano music, Chopin's "Sorrowful Etudes".Arty, pretending to be sentimental, further in line with the characteristics of Qinhuai. Qin Huai didn't evade, it was Hai Mantian who called.Qin Huai said "I will treat her kindly", and Na Lan was terrified, and compared it with the interview days in the prison again. "Look, he is still afraid that I will abuse you, but in fact, I have been criticized by you all the time." Qin Huai said after putting down the phone. "About the manuscript, Mr. Hai told me to let me know the specific progress..." "I thought you were joking just now, but it seems that you are really here..." Qin Huai's problem of interrupting others has not disappeared. "A reminder," Na Lan made up his mind to meet him. "On the phone and in the E-mail, you have always been vague to Mr. Hai. No one knows whether the manuscript has written 100,000 words or not at all." Qin Huai stood up and let out a long sigh: "Hai Mantian didn't want to stalk him, so he sent a beautiful woman to be his eagle dog to force me to submit. Come with me to the study, and I'll let you see the progress. But, I submit, you You also have to eat... You are so beautiful that you can't even eat lunch." Nalan frowned, looked up at the clock on the wall: "But, it's only half past ten!" After exhaustive development, there are row upon row of apartment buildings and villas, and the island in the middle of the lake has no more than a thousand households, but there are many restaurants. "Luoju" is a small restaurant featuring seafood, and it is also Qinhuai's favorite.He insisted on inviting Na Lan to have a "working meal", with "little" four dishes and one soup, including lobster and shellfish. "Didn't you have a problem with seafood just now? Why are you still frowning? Or, you don't know how to laugh at all?" Qin Huai teased. Nalan didn't stretch her eyebrows, thinking about the word "boring" in her heart, she responded, "When we met, before you opened your mouth, I laughed." "That businesslike, perfunctory smile doesn't count." "Since it's about business..." "It's meal time now, so we don't need to talk about business." Nalan frowned, and continued: "For half a year, you have only completed one introduction, 5,000 words, of the novel that you advertised in the media as 'painful effort' and 'masterpiece of the century'..." Before coming to the restaurant, Nalan had already finished reading it. In the completed part of Qin Huai's new work, a short story about a treasure hunt by a Ming Dynasty man and the discovery of several corpses, that's all.She felt that Qin Huai was joking. "Two introductions, five thousand seven hundred and fifty-three characters." Qin Huai actually boldly "corrected" her. "For half a year, you completed a total of 5,753 characters, an average of less than 30 characters per day. It seems that the birth of a masterpiece is harder than cliff carvings." "Suspense novels require a lot of effort to conceive and research, similar to writing your thesis." "Actually, it doesn't matter how slow you write. I completely agree that high-quality works need to be polished slowly. What I worry about is that according to this progress, let alone finish the draft within three months, even if you give you another half a year, it will be difficult to catch up with the scheduled progress. "Nalan still has something to say: If you still have to tangle with a girl like Ning Yuxin at the same time, it is even more hopeless. Qin Huai's face was still as calm as ever, and he just stared at Nalan persistently: "You can go back and ask Hai Mantian if I am a man of integrity when I speak? Have you missed the deadline I promised? ?” Hai Mantian did mention that although Qin Huai procrastinated in writing, he never really missed the deadline even if it was just a verbal promise.It's just that this time it's different. Hai Mantian sensed that Qin Huai might have really encountered trouble in writing and was stagnant, so he sent Na Lan to be an "assistant". "Boss Hai knows that you always mean what you say... You mean you will definitely be able to deliver the manuscript within three months? In fact, it's not a big problem to tolerate it for a month or two." "Deliver the manuscript in early October, just follow the draft agreement." "Boss Hai doesn't want to force you..." "You don't believe I can deliver the manuscript on time?" "It's not that I don't believe it. You have word-of-mouth and quality assurance. I believe you will not be perfunctory." It is a common problem among writers nowadays to rush to the schedule and ignore the quality, and no one can avoid it. "You still don't believe me?" "No matter how you look at it, the time is tight." Qin Huai seemed to smile from the bottom of his heart, his smile attracted the eyes of several girls in the restaurant, and Na Lan suddenly deeply sympathized with Ning Yuxin.He leaned forward slightly, getting closer to Nalan, and said: "Well, let's make a bet, if you break your promise, even if there are thousands of excuses, and you can't deliver the manuscript on time, I will lose, and you can make a conditional offer." ; but if I can deliver the manuscript on time and ensure the quality, according to your Haizong’s words, if I can stand the test of the market and let him push the book with face, then I will win.” "I don't like betting, and I don't know how to make conditions." Na Lan could sense what Qin Huai was planning. "No conditions? If you win, for example, you can take that BMW away and make it your sweet car. I'm serious, not joking." "First, I think the BMW is not high-grade, not a Porsche; second, my future life will be on the campus of Jiangda University. As a student, I don't need to drive, and I can't afford a car. The first is just a joke, and the second is serious. .” Qin Huai leaned back in his chair again: "I've already told you my bet, don't you want to hear, if I win, what are the conditions?" "I would like to hear more about your next writing plan." "If I win," Qin Huai seemed to be completely living in his own "circle", "If you lose, it's actually very simple, just have dinner with me once." Nalan wanted to say: "You can continue to fantasize." But she said: "Wow, I am so yearning, but unfortunately, I am still not interested in betting." Qin Huai is obviously a person who doesn't want to give up easily, especially to girls: "Actually, this is not a bet, it's just an impetus for me to finish the draft well..." The cell phone rang suddenly, and the ringtone was another piano piece, but it was quite different from the one I heard this morning. Nalan had heard this piece before, so it wasn't too familiar, and I couldn't remember the title at the moment. hint…… It's a pity that Qin Huai was connected quickly, and there were no more clues.Qin Huai kept asking: "Who is there?" But the other end seemed to be silent for a long time.Qin Huai finally muttered "boring", and was about to hang up when his expression suddenly changed. Na Lan clearly recognized that the expression on Qin Huai's face was called fear. Qin Huai stood up abruptly, looked around the entire restaurant, then rushed out the door and looked around. Nalan quietly followed her out, and heard Qin Huai say coldly to the phone: "If you continue to entangle like this, either you or I will have to pay the price in blood sooner or later!" At this moment, Nalan is more willing to believe that Qin Huai is dictating a novel to the phone.After all, that sentence is too rigid, too fictional, and too unbelievable to say it from an ordinary person's mouth.too scary. She quietly retreated to her seat, and suddenly felt that the air conditioner in "Luoju" was turned on a bit too cold. When Nalan was ferrying from the island, the man could not help but stare at her, observing every detail of her. The man suddenly had an urge to save this young and beautiful life, because if he remained indifferent, the ferry of Lan's life would soon run aground. It's really not my fault, the man thought.Who made you volunteer to become cannon fodder? Have you never heard of Qin Huai's death? How was your first day at work?Ever fell in love at first sight?Did you let him bow at your skirts? Did you smell the breath of death?