Su Jin had no patience left to argue with Shen Xiyan and took on a tone of a seasoned veteran as she warned him, “Writing novels is a crooked path. Don’t leave the straight and narrow to wander into the wrong road. Studying properly is the right way!”
“Does the website pay your social security? Does it cover your five insurances and one housing fund? There’s no protection or benefits at all.”
“Even if you become popular… can you guarantee every single book you write will hit? If one sells well but the next doesn’t, you’re not even a fresh graduate anymore…”
“And if none of your books take off, what then? Who will support you if you skip college? Your little aunt?”
“Wake up! You can’t just slack off because Qin Sheng likes you… It’s one thing to write during class breaks in university, but now, during the college entrance exam period, you don’t even have enough time.”
“You want to spend that time typing out stories? You’d need ten years and a brain hemorrhage to even think of such a thing.”
“When you tap the first word on the keyboard, you’re basically ‘kidnapped’ for the next two or three years… Others who do the 996 schedule at least have one day off per week. What about you?”
“No weekends off, no summer or winter vacation, not even Chinese New Year—you still have to write… Aside from your study time, all the time left you spend in front of the computer or bent over your phone.”
“You even think going downstairs for a walk is a waste of time. You’re turning into a greasy Dead Otaku in no time… You’re in decent shape now, right? Wouldn’t it be better to just be Qin Sheng’s pretty boy? Why bother writing?”
Maybe she had hit her own sore spot.
Before Shen Xiyan could say anything, Su Jin went on and on without waiting.
“Just stick to dating honestly… I haven’t even finalized my new book yet, teaching you? That would only mislead you!”
“… It’s not that extreme.” Shen Xiyan took out his phone, flipped to the outline and beginning, and handed it over. “I’ve already written it. If you could just give me some advice, that would be enough.”
He remembered the whole plot of the novel, all the main and supporting characters, and even the connecting subplots fairly clearly.
If he were a professional author, this would basically be a heavenly start.
But he wasn’t. When it came to filling in each chapter, it felt off—more like an essay, not a novel. Yet the editor thought he was doing well. That was the issue of Self-Identity.
Su Jin sighed and reluctantly took the phone. “I should warn you, my grades are only average. Don’t expect too much…”
“No problem, as long as you have more experience than me. Those people selling courses online are even more ridiculous…”
“Don’t even listen to those course sellers. Web novels do have techniques, true, but talent matters more. This isn’t a field where ‘diligence can make up for lack of talent.’ Anyone who tells you to fail for ten years first—go slap them in the face. How many decades do we have in life?”
The earlier invitation for her to join the Writers’ Association was…
Well, honestly, literary folks tend to look down on each other. This has been a rule for thousands of years for a reason.
But the Writers’ Association was different. The atmosphere in the group was unbelievably sycophantic—pure commercial flattery.
Su Jin didn’t even know how to start a conversation. Every line dripped with adult hypocrisy.
Until the chairman said they wanted to open a writing classroom and hoped they’d all participate as Honored Lecturers, Su Jin saw that and immediately quit the group.
Now, she glanced down again.
Huh, strange.
One more look.
Why does the outline and beginning look so familiar?
One last look.
“!!!”
Shen Xiyan noticed Su Jin’s expression changing again and frowned. “Is there a problem?”
Su Jin went from shock to confusion, then silence, before suddenly tossing the cup aside and standing up abruptly, staring hard at Shen Xiyan. “Did you write this?”
“Yeah.”
He felt a little ashamed to be a ghostwriter. Were the protagonists in all those time-travel novels really that thick-skinned?
“I’m definitely an honest man…” Shen Xiyan thought to himself, but when it came to showing off, he never held back.
Whether or not he could become financially free now hinged on this. Later, he’d figure out some gambling scheme to make a big splash—after all, the score was 7:1 this year. It’d be absurd not to profit.
***
After he earned his first pot of gold, adulthood meant he could buy stocks.
Short-term trading wasn’t realistic—like buying low and selling high every time in a year, unless you had a system.
What he could do was find a company whose stock would soar in the future and buy a lot, like buying Tencent’s shares twenty years ago.
Su Jin’s mind swirled with thoughts, her heart in chaos.
The person she admired for their unspoken understanding—was it Shen Xiyan?
What kind of twist was this? A prank?
Her first thought was that it might be a joke.
But no, it couldn’t be. She only told Song Wan about this, and Song Wan didn’t know who the other party was, nor would she do something so pointless!
Calm down… calm down.
Wait! Is this why you stubbornly refused my friend request?
Can’t calm down!!
o(▼皿▼メ;)o
Su Jin’s thin lips curled into a smile, her bright eyes sparkling, and dimples appeared on both cheeks. Perhaps because of the large movement, her noticeably impressive chest trembled twice.
She said seriously, “The threshold for writing is low, but it really depends on talent. I take back what I just said… You do have talent.”
“If you want to make money through your own effort, writing is probably the best way for you. It doesn’t require capital. As long as you’re willing to spend more time, you’ll figure out some tricks.”
“???”
“Look, summer vacation’s coming, right? Spend this month finishing the outline. Then try writing during the two months of summer break. What if you get popular? Then what’s the point of going to school?”
“Ordinary college students make around one to two million over a lifetime. Those who go on to grad school make a bit more. A monthly salary of 8,000 means two to three million in a lifetime…”
“If you get lucky and your book reaches the top three hot sellers on Yuedian, your monthly royalties could be millions, not to mention adaptation revenues… If you don’t take risks while young, you’ll end up in a wheelchair trying to dance when you’re old.”
“???”
“Even if it doesn’t take off, it’s fine. Consider it experience… Maybe one of your books will catch fire?”
“???”
Shen Xiyan blinked, looking somewhat surprised.
Did she really just say that?
Wasn’t she supposed to be struck by lightning?
Why was she smiling at me?
“But just now…”
“I thought it over carefully. Everyone has their own thoughts. I can’t just force my past self’s mindset on you. People have to try to know. Otherwise, if you keep worrying, you’ll only get more upset.”
“???”
Sis, are you also a reincarnator?
Is this spiritual chicken soup really this strong?
Can a high school student say things like this?
Still, Shen Xiyan respectfully nodded. “Then I guess I’ll trouble you…”
Better to ask questions than fumble blindly.
It’s like asking a teacher in school—efficient and quick.
Including a concubine servant’s job, it’s basically to guide: “Yes, right there, slowly… ahh huff”
“But I really don’t know how to teach. I’ll give you someone else’s contact info, okay?”
“… Uh… is that reliable?”
Su Jin rolled her eyes. “A Yuedian Great God who’s about to ‘dive’ into Platinum tier. You tell me if that’s reliable or not?”
Shen Xiyan looked at Su Jin with surprise. “Would someone like that be willing to teach me?”
There are countless web novel authors, but those qualified to get the Great God Contract on Yuedian are one in ten thousand. Even more so with a Platinum Contract on the line.
“What wouldn’t they want? Aren’t they all just lousy writers? They make a bit of money and think they’re high society?”
“We’re comrades with shared ideals… Great Gods and flunkies still chat together in the same group. Can you find that in other industries? People with a one-rank difference hardly dare to speak up.”
“Besides, we’re one of the few female authors…” Su Jin said as she handed over her phone, showing an author page. “This is the person. Have you read her books?”
Author name: Jinyi Nightwalker.
Shen Xiyan’s heart skipped a beat, breath caught, and his pulse missed a half beat.
“She’s had a few successful books before. She started with romantic slice-of-life stories—sweet and sticky in the beginning, shameless by the end.”
“So she has a good grasp of writing women. Then she switched to fantasy. At first, it was still aimed at female readers. The protagonist had a unique ‘Supreme Cauldron’ system; he would become stronger by mating with various female cultivators…
… And this book’s pacing and story are solid, so she signed the Great God Contract right away.”
“I skimmed your book a bit. Though the core is still the usual thrill ride, the selling point is women, and she’s the best at writing women. The heroines she pens are all irresistibly charming…”
Shen Xiyan looked into Su Jin’s eyes and forced a smile. “… Actually, I quite like reading her novels.”
Damn, it’s like Charlotte meeting Jay Chou!
Why did she manage to sign a Platinum Contract in her previous life?
Because that novel was too successful. The initial orders, average orders, and preorders all broke records. A three-thousand average preorder was considered a masterpiece.
While other Platinum authors were still proud of 100,000 average preorders, she was already at 200,000.
So when Shen Xiyan decided to ghostwrite, this was his first thought.
A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. Even if this high-end imitation was so useless, the results shouldn’t be that bad.
“When you ask for advice, just be polite… No matter what, they’re your senior, so basic manners are necessary.”
Su Jin smiled at Shen Xiyan. “Anyway, I think she’s the most perfect author I’ve encountered in all my years of writing.”
“For example?”
“In terms of imagination, she’s a prodigy. She changes style with each book. Though many criticize her stories as average, she relies entirely on writing women well…”
“But who reads web novels for classics? If I wanted literary masterpieces, I wouldn’t buy web novels.”
“In diligence, she updates daily, continuously. Even after becoming popular, she still increases updates when needed.”
“Look at some authors now—when they’re doing badly, they bombard readers with ten or twenty chapters at a time, but once their readership stabilizes, they slack off to one chapter.”
“In character, she never gets involved in vote manipulation or rankings. She even wears a mask at award ceremonies, never competing or scrambling!”
“They say literary folk look down on each other, but I don’t think any other author compares to her by even a finger’s length.”
“!!!”
Shen Xiyan was stunned, thoughtfully sizing up Su Jin.
This Su Jin was completely different from the one a moment ago.
If Qin Sheng had said these things, he wouldn’t be surprised—because she tends to exaggerate on purpose.
But he didn’t expect Su Jin to hold such a high opinion of her too.
It filled him with a strange sense of dissonance.
“Having someone like her teach me—isn’t that like a matchstick stirring a big water jar, or a pony pulling a heavy cart…?”
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