Chapter 18: Human Chair
Chapter 18: Human Chair
"Ichi-inch Master", "The Human Chair", "The Man Who Travels with Stickers", "The Walker on the Ceiling", "The Incredible Crime of Dr. Muro", "Inhuman Love"...
Just as Gu Lu thought, all his famous short stories appeared.
In terms of word count, it is much more than the first collection of short stories, because there are three short stories in it, such as the first work of Akechi Kogoro, "D-Sakagawa Murder Case", which is also in this collection.
"This is the one that really needs to be thought about carefully. It's not about names or style."
In fact, the background stories of these collections take place in Neon. Except for one article involving Neon folk customs, the others are easy to modify and Gu Lu is familiar with it.
The key problem is that Edogawa Ranpo's works are very BT. "Smoke Bug" is both H and violent. Gu Lu feels that it is something that even "Story Club" would find difficult to pass.
Take back your thoughtful look, because if you are too distracted, you may get hit by a car when crossing the road.
In the foggy city of 2012, many small intersections had no crosswalks or traffic lights. Gu Lu was eager to return home and his pace quickened.
As luck would have it, Gu Lu had run out of articles to publish, so he finally got his fix!
Normally it would take me about fifteen minutes to walk back from the overpass, but today I walked quickly and arrived at my doorstep in less than ten minutes.
"Bang!" The old door made a wailing sound, and Gu Lu smelled a familiar smell as soon as he entered the room.
Hmm - it's the aroma of malt. Gu Lu is not an expert, but his original body is too sensitive to the smell of alcohol. His alcoholic father is back.
According to the original body's memory, Gu Lu knew that his father rarely got drunk and would just sleep when he was drunk.
The reason why Gu's mother divorced him was not because of domestic violence, but because of his cowardice.
After closing the door, Gu Lu glanced into the inner room. As expected, his father was lying on the bed like a lump of meat paste.
But because he was too drunk, he didn't have time to take off his shoes, so his two feet and right hand were hanging on the edge of the bed.
"The smell of alcohol is really bad." Gu Lu prepared food for himself as usual. A drunk person cannot be woken up.
Better sleep than a baby's sleep is a drunkard's sleep.
My mentality was a little affected. I don’t know if it was a natural reaction of my original body, or if it was the first time I faced a strange father after traveling through time.
Because of this, I didn’t have time to draft “The Human Chair” in my mind.
I don’t know what time Mr. Gu woke up. His first reaction after waking up was thirst. It was already dark, and I didn’t know what time it was.
Hmm? There was a cup of boiled water on the bedside table. Father Gu drank it in one gulp. His sore throat felt much better.
What time is it? Gu's father checked his phone and saw that it was a little after four in the morning. He knew that his son had put the water aside when he saw that Gu was drunk.
Still feeling a little dizzy, Father Gu went to the bathroom to take care of his physiological needs and then returned to bed to continue sleeping. The only difference was that he took off his shoes.
The next day, Gu Lu's biological clock told him to get up, pack his things and prepare to go to school.
As soon as Zhao Juan saw Gu Lu, she asked what happened in Xiao Xitian yesterday. Gu Lu had nothing to hide, so he told the truth.
He said, "Wang Wenjun and Bai Xiaohua are both good people, so we just chatted for a while."
"Did he threaten you?" Zhao Juan asked worriedly.
"You should try to believe what I say." Gu Lu said, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Wang Wenjun."
Feeling that the other party was hiding something from her, Zhao Juan was a little angry and a little aggrieved. After all, although she saw that they didn't fight at the small gate, Wang Wenjun's personality would definitely not let it go! Zhao Juan didn't even do her pre-study when she returned to the dormitory last night. She was always worried and wanted to call to ask but didn't dare. Now... she lowered her head and returned to her seat.
"Hey, go and say a few words of comfort, see if you understand." Zhou Lin said.
Gu Lu shook his head. Right now he only wanted to pass the high school entrance exam and make money. Besides, he felt that the little girl was a bit annoying and would get angry at the slightest provocation.
In fact, the reason why Zhao Juan was angry was that "she thought Gu Lu hated her because of Wang Wenjun" and the two of them were not on the same channel.
Another day passed, and when he returned home, Gu's father prepared a table of dishes, "Come on, have dinner quickly, you have lost so much weight."
Fried meat with salt, beef stewed with potatoes, and cold chicken feet, wow! Gu Lu hadn't had such a sumptuous meal for a long time, so he ate it with great enthusiasm, even wolfing it down.
"I've been transferred back to work. I can come back often to cook for you." Father Gu was touched when he saw his child eating so miserably.
Haha, this is the seventh time that the original body has said something similar in the past two years. What’s the use?
Guilt - good father - can't help drinking - alcoholism - disappear, this is probably the cycle.
Hoping to hold on for a few more days, Gu Lu was different from the original owner who had expectations. His only thought was to have more good meals.
Gu's father's cooking skills are quite good, which gave him a great advantage in being able to pursue Gu's mother.
After a long wait, Story Club responded in the third week after submitting the manuscript! Gu Lu added the editor’s Penguin account.
He left behind bank card and other information for making payments. The only thing that made Gu Lu feel relieved was that the original person himself had a bank card. Last year, his alcoholic father came home and accompanied him to apply for it.
At the time, he said, "I'm busy outside all day long. If you have an emergency, just deposit the money into this card. It's in your name. If the amount is less than 100 yuan, you can go to the counter with your household registration booklet to withdraw it."
It's so funny. Apart from the hundred yuan I deposited when I opened the card, I have never seen any money since then.
[Juchang: Oh, there is a small problem.
Muzi: Please speak of Teacher Gu.]
The nickname Penguin is the name that Gu Lu changed after he traveled through time. It was the name of his original body and it is very suitable for this era. I won’t go into details. The dead are the greatest.
[Ju Chang: If the contract is signed by a minor, will the process be different?]
What a strange question! Lao Li thought for a moment before responding.
[Muzi: Are there any juniors of Teacher Gu who want to submit works? If you are between 14 and 18 years old, the confirmation letter needs to be signed by your parents, and a copy of your parents' ID card is also required, which is quite troublesome. However, since you are a junior of Teacher Gu, you can sign the contract directly in Teacher Gu's name.]
The name on the bank card must be the same as the name on the contract, but Lao Li believes that Gu Lu is such a great novelist that he would definitely not embezzle the money of his juniors.
Some even speculated that the minor was the child of Teacher Gu Lu, and that like fathers like sons, there is no doubt that such a thing would be embarrassing. Therefore, Mr. Li, who is familiar with the art of language, used the universal adjective "junior generation".
Then Lao Li added two more points of attention, appearing very enthusiastic.
As the deputy editor, there was no need for Lao Li to contact the author, but he took the initiative to ask for it. To put it in a practical way, it was to expand his network. To put it in a literary way, the several articles sent by Gu Lu were first-class among the manuscripts of "Story Club".
[Juchang: He is not my junior, it is mainly because I am not yet 18 years old, so I am asking about this process.]
Before, the reply was immediate, but when Gu Lu sent this message, the other party remained silent for a whole minute without replying.
[Mu Ziyi: Haha, Teacher Gu Lu is really good at joking.]
Why the silence for so long?
Because Mr. Li was caught off guard and spit out a mouthful of tea, it took some time to wipe the water stains on the table and screen.
[Ju Chang: I’m not kidding. I’m fifteen this year and haven’t taken the high school entrance exam yet. I like to write things, so I picked out a few of my best pieces to submit as an experiment.]
Even though he was sincere, Lao Li still didn't believe it. He left his cell phone number and wanted to call to confirm.
Gu Lu wrote down the phone number and told the editor that since he didn't bring his phone to school, he would have to get home before he could contact the editor.
When he got home from school, Gu Lu called Lao Li first...
(End of this chapter)