Chapter 27 — Creative Project

Xu Fang looked at the notebook.

He looked at Lin Che.

He looked back at the notebook, turning another page.

“Right,” he said finally.

Lin Che sat down slowly and put the cans on the table.

Xu Fang turned to the map. He held it at a slight angle, as though the change in perspective might help. “Is this a dungeon?”

“It’s — no. Not exactly.”

“It looks like a dungeon.

“It’s more of a—” Lin Che rubbed his nose. “It’s something I’m working on.”

Xu Fang looked at him.

“Like a project,” said Lin Che.

“What kind of project?”

Lin Che rubbed his nose again. “Writing, maybe,” said Lin Che. “Or something like that. I haven’t fully decided the format yet.”

Xu Fang looked at the notebook again and turned back to the herb list, with the pharmacological notations beside each entry. He turned to the page about circulations and then landed back onto the dungeon map.

“The herbs are very specific,” he said.

“I do research properly.”

“And this—” he tapped the map. “The annotation system. The scale notation in the corner. You did this from scratch?”

“I had plenty of time.”

Xu Fang closed the notebook and turned it once over in his hands before handing it back to Lin Che.

“You should have led with this,” he said.

“With what?”

“That you have an actual creative project on the go. You’ve been doing the same logistics job for years and I’ve been waiting for you to do something interesting with yourself.” He picked up the beer and raised it in cheers to Lin Che. “I know people, you know.”

“Xu Fang—”

“Game development contacts and publishing contacts — well, one publishing contact and she does business books mainly, but she knows people who do other things. And Ren Weihua from university, you remember him? He went into UX and now he does a lot of indie game stuff on the side.” He had turned to face Lin Che more fully, much more enthusiastically. “The map alone is compelling. If you’re building a world, the cartography is usually the last thing that people think about and the first thing that makes it feel real.”

“I’m still in the early stages,” admitted Lin Che.

“That’s when you want to talk to people. Before it’s finished, not after.” He pointed at the notebook. “Flesh it out a bit more — the creatures and the rules of the world and what the herbs do. Do all of it, and I can make some introductions. No pressure, just conversations.”

Lin Che looked at the notebook. “Alright.”

“Good.” Xu Fang settled back into the sofa with a grin on his face for rendering a useful crevice. “I also have a more immediate thing, actually. Do you know anything about martial arts competitions?”

Lin Che held his beer can very still.

“There’s one in a couple of days,” said Xu Fang. “A friend of mine knows someone who fights in it, and he’s been trying to get me to go for the last two years and I keep on saying yes and then bailing because I can never get anyone to go with me. Li Peng thinks it’s barbaric and you’ve always had something on.” He looked at Lin Che. “You don’t have anything on, do you?”

“I could probably make it,” said Lin Che, carefully.

“I can also introduce you to the fighter I know — Guo Mingzhe. He’s been doing traditional styles for like fifteen years. If you want to talk to someone who actually knows about this stuff for your project, he’d be a good interview.” Xu Fang pulled out his phone. “I’ll get us tickets.”

“Let me check with my wife first.”

“She’s out.”

“I’ll text her.”

“You’re a very considerate husband.”

“She sometimes has things planned for her.” He picked up his phone. “I’ll text her later.”

Xu Fang accepted this and turned the television back on, finding something that was not Shen Yue’s dating programme.

***

They watched the television for another hour, with Xu Fang slowly migrating from a vertical position to one which was much more horizontal. He fell asleep before the episode ended, arm over the back of the sofa and mouth slightly agape. The empty beer can was just about held in place in his palm, narrowly avoiding falling onto the floor.

Lin Che took the can carefully and put it on the table.

He looked at the notebook, which he’d set on top of the closed pizza boxes and picked up his phone.

Xu fang found the notebook under the sofa cushion. He thinks it’s a creative project — writing or game design.

He waited.

The response came after a few minutes, which meant she was still awake at two in the morning.

And?

He wants to introduce me to his industry contacts. He thinks the map is compelling.

This book’s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

He’s not wrong.

Shen Yue.

The worst case is that Xu Fang thinks you have a very detailed and somewhat unusual hobby. Nothing concerning about that. He’s not going to look at a herb list and a corridor map and conclude that his friend has secretly joined a cultivation sect.

Lin Che looked at Xu Fagn’s sleeping form.

He also wants to go to a martial arts competition in a couple of days. He has a fighter contact he wants to introduce me to.

A slightly longer pause.

Which competition?

He didn’t say the name but it’s on Wednesday.

An even longer pause.

That’s the invitational. We sponsor and oversee it. It’s mostly a traditional styles showcase with regular practitioners and no cultivation involvement. It’s legitimate.

You know it?

I know all of them. It’s one of the clan’s external affairs projects — we fund it and coordinate the venue. Elder Mao reviews the shortlist of participants. It keeps us connected to the legitimate martial arts community so we can find prospective disciples.

They’re all ordinary fighters so it’s a good event.

Can you get us tickets?

I’ll get you front row.

You don’t have to.