CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 53: SISTER QIU HAS A LITTLE BELLY!

The Editor-in-Chief sat beside her, frowning and thinking.

According to his analysis of the novel, the writing was top-notch. The story was imaginative and boundless, while also deeply historical and well-founded, unfolding in a vivid manner.

Most crucially, the entire worldview of the story was rooted and sprouted uniquely atop the true historical context, subtly showing signs of setting a precedent.

This alone was enough to tell that the author was an old hand steeped in the craft.

Qiu Ye observed the Editor-in-Chief’s earnest analysis with an awkward smile, unsure of what to say.

"Qiu Ye, haven’t you called him? What is he like? Is he a characterful old gentleman?"

"Ah? That... well, Editor-in-Chief, it seems the person is young."

"Young? How is that possible?"

"I... I have the call recording here, you can listen to it."

"Okay, play it for me."

Qiu Ye obediently complied, and after listening to the recording, both fell into silence.

Just as Qiu Ye thought the Editor-in-Chief was too embarrassed to speak for guessing wrong and was about to break the silence, he suddenly looked up and said,

"I see, this must be a reclusive author. You hear him; his voice is hoarse, and he’s not good at articulating. Surely someone who buries himself in writing daily and disregards mundane affairs."

Ah, is that so?

Qiu Ye stared with wide eyes, blinking at the Editor-in-Chief, then opened her mouth only to realize she had nothing to say.

If Chu Tian heard their conversation, he would surely smile wryly.

He was just hoarse, not reclusive or poor at words...

"So, Qiu Ye, let’s not disturb him today. Come to my office tomorrow morning and contact him in front of me. That way, I can communicate with him immediately if there are any issues."

"Sure, Editor-in-Chief. And this book...?"

"No worries, I’ll notify everyone tomorrow. Rest assured, this book is still credited to you."

Hearing that the book was still credited to her, Qiu Ye visibly relaxed.

Meanwhile, Chu Tian was at a restaurant, blissfully devouring his meal, oblivious that because he’d forgotten to sign the contract due to this meal, an editor and the Editor-in-Chief had spent a long time speculating about him.

"Eat slower, no one is competing with you."

Xu Qingqiu watched his ungraceful eating. Various seafood barely lasted two to three seconds in his hands before making their way to his mouth. She handed him a napkin and chided him.

Chu Tian, however, couldn’t care less. And it wasn’t as if his eating was too awful; it was just a bit fast.

He never had such liberties in his past life. Although wealthy, each meal felt like his manager was hovering by, almost wishing to eat on his behalf. If he ate slightly more, he’d be chased to the gym until he was as weary as a dog.

Everyone said women needed to manage their figures, but as a star, unless one opted for a comedic path, who didn’t need to manage their body?

Those in their forties and fifties looked like youthful twenty-somethings, not showing age but rather sporting lean muscle and a six-pack, looking healthy and vibrant.

Did you think it came easily? That didn’t come from lying still; it was forced upon him under the double pressure of his fitness coach and manager.

And the nutritionist allowed him nothing tasty to eat, and all that he could eat wasn’t tasty at all.

He was utterly sick of plain chicken breast and salads. He possessed a naturally prone-to-fat body, where smoking, fatty foods, and even carbs were for longing eyes only.

This lifetime, he didn’t need to worry anymore, and this body remained slim regardless of his diet, but he had no money!

The last time he ate like this was when Xu Qingqiu had treated him to a buffet.

As a transmigrator, he was really quite miserable: no money, no status, and a system that was good for nothing.

"Whew, tasty! Why aren’t you eating?"

Feeling like he had eaten about enough, Chu Tian sipped his drink and looked across at Xu Qingqiu, who was smiling at him, and asked in puzzlement.

"Sister Qiu has to maintain her figure; Sister Hua doesn’t let her eat much!"

Xu Qingqiu didn’t need to explain, as the assistant beside her, who was busy devouring a lobster, raised her hand and answered for her first.

Chu Tian immediately understood. So singers also had to maintain their figure?

But that made sense considering Xu Qingqiu’s appearance. She might be a singer, but she definitely had the attributes of an idol. With her fanbase largely based on her looks, she certainly needed to maintain her figure.

"Hehe, then I won’t be polite. Hmm~ so delicious!"

When faced with someone who couldn’t eat, the obvious thing to do was to eat more and savor it, just to tease her!

Watching him goof around, Xu Qingqiu wrinkled her little nose and, annoyed, tossed a crumpled napkin she had just used to wipe her hands at him.

To think she had kindly invited him to eat, and he was deliberately aggravating her.

"Oh, come on, why put yourself through that? Just eat and drink freely. If it gets too much, just burn it off in the gym later."

Chu Tian, all too familiar with that kind of torment, made a joke but quickly reined himself in. He had realized that nothing mattered more than his own happiness.

"Easy for you to say. I’ll have to hit the gym for two hours if I eat this, and Sister Hua definitely won’t let me sleep if I eat more tonight."

"Aren’t you the type who doesn’t gain weight? Why is Sister Hua so hard on you?"

Chu Tian suddenly remembered that he had heard Xu Qingqiu mention she was the type whose weight didn’t fluctuate, so why was she still restricted so tightly?

At his question, seemingly reminded of something and blushing, Xu Qingqiu did not answer, but her assistant Yiyi eagerly burst in:

"I know! Sister Qiu doesn’t gain weight, but she gets a belly! Sister Hua says... MPH!"

Before she could finish, Xu Qingqiu clamped a hand over her mouth.

Xu Qingqiu hurried, but she still wasn’t in time. The little assistant’s mouth was too fast; Yiyi blurted it all out before Xu Qingqiu could react.

Pulling back her hand, Xu Qingqiu looked at Yiyi with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, tapped hard on her little head, then turned to Chu Tian and explained:

"I have to record a show tomorrow and need to manage my figure..."

Oh~

With that explanation, Chu Tian understood. Appearing on the show, she would need to wear various outfits that emphasized her figure, and having a belly wouldn’t suit that.

After finishing their meal, everyone went home separately because they lived in different directions, so they took separate taxis.

Just a short time after Chu Tian got home, a familiar car slowly entered the same residential area.

"Sister Qiu, he’s already gone back. The lights are on."

"Good, let’s head home too."

The two parked the car and took a roundabout path to another building in the complex, then walked up the old, worn stairs.

...

Early the next day, Chu Tian got dressed as usual and leisurely made his way to the office.

Just as he sat down at his desk, he frowned at his computer screen, trying hard to remember something.

Strange, I feel like I’m forgetting something. Why can’t I remember?

After racking his brain to no avail, he decided to stop trying.

He had nothing special to do today. He checked the social media accounts he managed, which were still lukewarm.

Since no one was watching and the company had no demands, he just posted some content and let it be.

Just as he opened a webpage to check how the novel was doing, something suddenly clicked in his mind.

Shoot! Wasn’t I supposed to sign a contract yesterday?