Chapter 161 Side Story Ends

Chapter 161 Side Story Ends

A three-story inspirational inn with about twenty rooms housed eighteen people, twelve of whom had published full-length novels, including two hot new writers.

Upon arriving at the inspirational inn, this group embraced slacking off wholeheartedly.

On the first day, someone said:

"Now that we're on this remote island, I'm going to isolate myself and focus on writing, aiming for at least four thousand words a day."

"That’s 120,000 words a month, and if I keep it up for ten months, that’s 1.2 million words. Not too shabby!"

"I'll urge you!"

"Let's supervise each other!"

……

But after a few days, only two people had written ten thousand words, while the others had only started with three or four hundred words, and some hadn't written a single word.

"I’ll write tomorrow; I’m too anxious about Little Ma’s birth. I won’t stop until I see him born."

"Oh my, another day has passed, and I’m still not satisfied."

"Old Ma, you’re just making excuses. I’ve been watching those little pandas jump around all afternoon, and I’m really impressed by your dedication..."

……

The writers were enjoying their time as zookeepers so much that they seemed to have forgotten their original passion for literature and their ambitious goals. Writing? What writing?

"I just hope this zoo doesn’t close down. I’d rather be a zookeeper here forever than go back to writing."

"I’m planning to save up and open an ice cream stand."

"I’ll sell crafts. You didn’t see Lao Xu; he’s been selling bamboo crafts like crazy."

"..."

Rather than sparking creativity, the inn inspired the authors to think about changing careers, which worried Qin Xueguan for Qin Yao. "I was hoping these folks would write masterpieces here, but look, sis, none of them wants to be a writer anymore."

Qin Yao smiled and said, "Don't worry."

"A writer is either in a frenzied state of wanting to write or completely avoiding it."

"It's painful when you can't write."

Qin Yao understood these people; writing is about inspiration, you can't force it. Maybe at some point, the chaotic thoughts in your head will connect into a line, and you'll write even if you forget to eat or sleep.

When that time comes, you won't be able to stop them from writing.

By 1988, the writers’ productivity skyrocketed, and they produced many masterpieces. They even unanimously gave the animal park a shoutout in the prefaces of their published books, attracting many literary groups to visit the park.

"Is this the animal park mentioned in the book?"

"It's so beautiful. The animals here have a completely different spirit from the ones I've seen in other zoos!"

"I want to be a writer too, can I stay at this Inspiration Inn?"

……

Books promoted the zoo, boosting its revenue while also keeping Qin Yao’s publishing business incredibly busy. She was set to publish three books herself, which were also being adapted into TV series and movies.

There were also a dozen works from the Inspiration Inn awaiting adaptation and production.

For this, Qin Yao established a zoo film production company, specifically to handle the adaptation and filming work, and in the early 1990s, it released countless hit TV series that became famous nationwide.

In 1990, the sixteen-year-old twin brothers skipped grades and took the college entrance exams early. The elder brother, Gu Junrui, was admitted to the Police University to study criminal investigation. Qin Yao couldn’t fathom why her eldest son wanted to be a cop. After all, his talent since childhood had been his "charisma." How did he become interested in murder cases?

"Mom, if you're making a cop drama next time, hire me as a consultant."

Qin Yao teased, "Don't be so full of yourself."

The younger brother, Gu Peiming, was admitted to the University of Political Science and Law, which surprised his mother even more. Qin Yao couldn’t imagine him as a lawyer, as the second son in the family always seemed a bit unreliable.

As a mother, she was worried for his future clients.

"Mom, don't worry," he said confidently, adding, "I plan to become a 'prosecutor' to supervise my brother and prevent any criminal tendencies."

Qin Yao: "……”

"As long as you're both happy."

Unlike her overachieving brothers, Meimei, the youngest in the family, took her college entrance exams at the age of eighteen. Being the only post-80s child in the family, by 1998, when she turned eighteen, both of her elder brothers had graduated from college and become "respectable members of society."

The elder brother became a detective, and it was obvious he had become "slick." Aunties and older women always offered him a bowl of hot soup and showed concern when he was on field duty. On a daily basis, he dealt with people from all walks of life, and within three years, he had developed the skill of "speaking the right lingo to everyone he meets."

In his civilian clothes, blending into the crowd, almost no one could tell he was a cop unless he wanted them to. He could be a regular officer riding a bicycle to work, or a flaunting rich second-generation in a bar.

As he put it, his favorite role during fieldwork was playing a flaunting rich second-generation. When such a character appeared in a case, they always let him play the part—it was practically typecasting.

Wearing designer clothes and a cigarette hanging from his lips, he said, "My aunt runs this joint; do you really think I need your money?"

"If you please me, I'll make you a star and shoot a drama just for you."

……

After finishing her college entrance exams, Meimei went to visit her older brother. The next day, she wanted to check out a famous bar to gain some experience. By chance, she ran into her brother while he was working undercover and got quite an education.

After returning home, she was scolded by her brother and immediately called her mom: "Mom, it's really bad. My brother is now an expert in all things bad—drinking, gambling, you name it. You should've seen him, smoking a cigarette with a big gold chain, looking so arrogant."

"How did my good brother end up like this?"

Qin Yao: "……”

She didn’t respond and turned to look at the man in military uniform sitting on the sofa nearby, giving him a reproachful look: It’s your flair for drama that got passed down...

Gu Cheng elegantly crossed his legs and said calmly, "Nothing to do with me."

As a long-time married couple, they didn’t need words to understand each other’s thoughts. However, this really was nothing to do with him.

"It’s all an act."

Meimei exclaimed, "He played the part too convincingly, Mom. I think he might actually be living that lifestyle now!"

Being a cop means experiencing all kinds of crazy stuff.

Unlike his brother when he's working, Gu Peiming, the younger brother, was either in his uniform or dressed in a full suit, looking all serious and proper. One of his colleagues, blushing, told Meimei, "Your brother's super serious and hard to talk to."

Meimei: "……"

Sis, you should've seen him in high school, selling cold noodles at the zoo in just a t-shirt.

Meimei reluctantly said, "You haven't met my father. My second brother looks like him, and my father is really the one who's hard to approach..."

"He’s only nice to Mom; everyone else gets the cold shoulder. When I was little, I thought he was gentle. Hmph, it's all fake. He’s only gentle to Mom..."

"Wow, that’s dedication!"

Meimei: "!"

"What a great guy! Is your second brother the same?" The colleague's face turned even redder.

Meimei: "????" No!

"Honestly, I think my older brother is way more dependable."

With the weather heating up, Meimei got her acceptance letter. The young girl had been accepted into the communications program at a military academy and would officially join the army after the semester started.

When she heard the news, Qin Yao decided to throw a big celebration. "My daughter got into college, so the zoo is free for a week!"

Meimei: "!"

"I got into college—what does that have to do with the zoo?!"