Chapter 28: Wet the Bed Yesterday

Chapter 28: Wetting the Bed Yesterday

Lu Anzhi slept like the dead that night. There is nothing quite as satisfying as sleep following physical labor. When he first started traveling, he would often spend the entire day sightseeing, only to return to the hotel with aching legs and a sore back, collapsing into bed the moment his head hit the pillow. Later, he learned his lesson, slowed his pace, and focused on leisure. As his physical stamina gradually improved from all the outdoor activity, he felt much better. Still, this was the first time in two years he had been so exhausted from heavy manual labor that he slept like a log.

He woke up to broad daylight. Checking his phone, he saw it was already past nine o'clock—hardly his usual routine.

There were three text messages.

The first was from his mobile carrier: [Jiuzhou Mobile] Dear customer, the 3G network package is about to launch. Enjoy faster speeds and discounted rates. The package includes free dial-up to broadband conversion, boosting your home internet speed a hundredfold. Please visit our business hall for details.

The second was from Kuku: Mr. B, the new issue of the electronic magazine is live, and the promotional teaser has been posted. Don't forget to check it out! (Smiley face)

The third was from Zhang Suxin: I saw the trailer for your new book on "Huake." Congratulations. Are you coming over today?

Lu Anzhi stared at the messages, lost in thought for a moment. The carrier messages he usually ignored gave him a slight jolt today. 3G! The transition from 2G to 3G was underway. A new era was dawning! And, most importantly, the upgrade from dial-up to broadband!

In his past life, he wasn't in the tech industry, and he didn't have a computer at home during his student years, relying on the occasional蹭 at a classmate’s house or a trip to an internet cafe. Even so, he knew what a massive leap it was to go from dial-up to broadband. Everything was about to change.

After getting up and washing, feeling refreshed, Lu Anzhi sat at his desk, opened his computer, and logged into "Huake." Huake was similar to the blogs of his past life, but it retained many features of a forum, and many users still treated it as such. In any case, it was the most popular platform in the country. If the era of 3G and broadband truly arrived, it would inevitably change—or perhaps it would be swept away in the tide of the times.

As he pondered this, he refreshed the page. A banner for the upcoming release of *Dragon Throne III* was pinned to the top of Huake, and the discussion threads about it were highly ranked, each marked with one or more "Fire" icons. It was the equivalent of a trending topic in the early internet era. Lu Anzhi clicked on the top-ranked post, which bore five "Fire" icons.

The content was posted by the official Maple Tree account, detailing the release date of *Dragon Throne III* along with a synopsis and illustrations. The images featured a soaring dragon and a young man and woman under a streetlamp—exquisite and aesthetic.

"Better than the illustrations from my past life," Lu Anzhi noted. The artist, Zhai Xiao, who went by the handle "Sunny Day," was the most satisfying collaborator he had worked with in three years and had effectively become his permanent partner. Zhai was a "tentacle monster" of productivity; it had only been a few days since Lu submitted his draft, and she had already produced two such refined illustrations. Her speed was far superior to his own.

Below the illustrations was a link that redirected to the new issue of the Maple Tree magazine. Lu Anzhi took a quick look; the entire opening segment of *Dragon Throne III* set in Black Swan Port had been included as a prequel. That was the beauty of electronic publications—they weren't restricted by page counts.

Back on the Huake thread, the comments had already surpassed "999+." Even for the early days of the internet, the speed at which this hype generated was impressive, even to Lu Anzhi.

"Finally! The author actually released the book! Miracles do happen!"
"Please, no more heartbreak! My heart can't take it anymore, you hack author!"
"Black Swan Port! I've finished it! The author is finally closing the loop."
"Please, no spoilers above! I haven't read it yet!"
"The previous user has been reported and muted."
"Screw your whole family!"
"The previous user has been reported and muted."
"Are you two going to keep going?!"
"The previous user has been reported and muted."
"Reported! Damn it! I told you not to spoil it, yet you kept going!"

...

Lu Anzhi browsed a page or two, thinking that the moderation on Huake was truly strict; even spoilers were getting people muted. Then he saw someone post: "Hope there's no heartbreak, or I'm mailing you a razor blade."

He sneered internally and promptly closed the site. *Haha! You think I'm scared? Besides, those razor blades go to Maple Tree, not me.*

He decided to stop looking. There was no point; once the book was released, sales would be the only thing that mattered.

Lu Anzhi got up, tidied up, and headed out to the shop. The sign for the Jiu'an Piano Store had been taken down, but the sign for "Three Flavors Bookstore" wasn't ready yet. He reckoned that by the time it was finished, the interior renovations would be done too, since it was just soft furnishings.

He waited in the shop for a while and then called Zhang Suxin. The first thing he heard was Qianqian's voice.

"Daddy!" the little one chirped sweetly, making him smile involuntarily.

"Hey!" Lu Anzhi replied, chatting with her about whether she had woken up, what dreams she had, and what she had for breakfast.

Suddenly, the little girl gossiped, "Guangguang wet the bed yesterday."

Lu Anzhi asked, "Who is Guangguang? You were with Daddy yesterday, so how do you know that?"

Qianqian struggled to explain, so Zhang Suxin took the phone. "Guangguang is a child in our complex who lives on the first floor. They play together often. When she says 'yesterday,' she just means 'previously.' Yesterday afternoon, after her nap, I took her downstairs. She saw a bedsheet hanging on the first-floor balcony and asked what it was. I told her it was Guangguang's bedsheet, and she asked why it was being washed. I casually said he wet the bed the day before. I didn't expect her to remember it and gossip to you."

Lu Anzhi laughed. "She's so young and already gossiping."

Zhang Suxin laughed too. "I was surprised myself. She didn't even gossip to me about it."

Lu Anzhi replied, "Well, you already knew, so why would she tell you?"

Zhang Suxin chuckled softly and changed the subject. "Are you busy today? Do you want to come over?"

"I'm just watching the renovations, but there’s not much to do," Lu Anzhi said. An idea struck him. "Are you busy? Why don't you and Qianqian come over? If you do, we can head to the mobile business hall together. I got a text this morning about upgrading to 3G and broadband. If it's possible, let's get it done."