And what really tickled him was the way the novel grafted the story of Liuli and Gu Yu onto his life.
For decades, he had fantasized countless times about whether the outcome for Liuli would have been different if it had been he who met her.
The novel shifted the encounter between Gu Yu and Liuli to him, and although Liuli still died in the end, she died for him.
Liuli didn't die because of that waste, Gu Yu.
Liuli died trying to save him.
This eased the frustration that had been building up in his heart for decades.
Good.
This novel was good.
Although it was an alternate history and the names were changed, it told the story of him and Liuli.
History is written by the victors. If this story were to be passed down, in some years, would future generations believe it to be factual?
Would they think that this was how things actually happened?