Xu Lin took out the remaining 2 yuan from his pocket and took the bus home. If he rode a bicycle back, he really wouldn't have the energy for it.
He left the bicycle for Bai Xiaoxiao to use to go to school tomorrow. He had more important things to do in the evening—publish his novel! He hadn't been completely idle recently, as his favourite games hadn't been released yet or were set to be released in the future. Besides studying, he spent his time writing novels. With several days' worth of drafts, he had already written 30 chapters and decided to publish them to test the waters.
The genre was urban, but he incorporated elements he had seen in novels from the future. He wasn't sure if it would work now, but he hoped it could bring him some initial income.
With his own money, he wouldn't need to trouble his parents for many things. Originally, he planned to wait until winter break to publish his book, but because of Bai Xiaoxiao's situation, he prepared earlier.
He wanted to help Bai Xiaoxiao a bit, but he wouldn't make any promises until he succeeded. That wouldn't be responsible for both parties. If he failed and couldn't afford to help, promising something would be meaningless. So, he only gave her his pocket money.
He thought about helping her adjust her health a bit, and after earning some royalties, he could take her for a comprehensive medical examination.
He opened his computer, went to the familiar website, and with his brain and memories from the future, would he be successful this time or not? Regardless, he had to take this step now.
A few minutes later, Xu Lin took a deep breath. On the computer screen, the book titled "Is This Definitely Not Daily Life?!" was under review.
Now, he just had to wait. If it didn't pass the review today, he would release a new chapter tomorrow.
He took out his phone, checked WeChat, and found a voice message from Chu Qingchan: "I'm about to come back. Have you finished your exams?"
"There is one tomorrow morning, then it's over."
"Then come pick me up at Zizhou Airport."
"It will take a 4-hour bus ride to the provincial capital."
"I happen to arrive at 5 in the afternoon tomorrow."
"Hey, come back by yourself."
"I'm just teasing you. You should take a good rest after the exam. Pay attention to that girl; she should still be in Linshui."
"I know, she's not a tiger. I'm not afraid of a girl; having martial arts doesn't mean she's above the law."
"But she can hurt people without leaving much evidence."
"Uh..."
"By the way, Teacher Guan is staying in Yanjing for a few days. She wants to see you when she comes back."
"Did you succeed?"
"Completely successful. She agreed to record a song for me. But I still don't have much confidence; the teacher said I need to practice more; having a good foundation doesn't mean I can sing well right away."
"Well, then you should work hard."
"Yeah, you should rest early and get good grades in the exam."
The other person didn't continue messaging, and Xu Lin also exited WeChat, continuing to write.
With an overall outline and a clear mind, he finished writing two chapters in just over two hours.
"Xu Lin, come out and have some fruit."
"Coming."
Hearing his mother's voice, he left the bedroom and entered the living room, where he found a table full of boxed fruits, which seemed quite expensive just by looking at the packaging.
"Did you guys win the lottery?"
"Eating fruits doesn't require winning the lottery, but indeed, we didn't buy these; they were a gift from Chu Qingchan's sister."
Li Yuan gave him a glance, implying that saving money was for him to gather funds for marriage.
"Chu Qingchan's sister?!" Xu Lin heard this and suddenly looked uneasy. "A blonde foreign girl?"
"Yes." Li Yuan nodded, picking up a bright red cherry.
"Where did you guys meet her?"
"Just at the small square in the neighborhood. At first, we didn't believe it, but then we saw a photo of her and Qingchan on her phone."
"Oh my god, she never left."
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Didn't any of you wonder why she appeared in the neighbourhood by herself?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it, after she put down the things, she left, and we didn't get a chance to ask anything."
"Sigh..."
"Son, it's not like we insisted on taking the things. She said a couple of words and left. I was holding the stuff, and it was impossible for me to chase after her."
"Mom, I'm not blaming you for that... Forget it; I'll go back to my room. But Chu Qingchan has a little conflict with her family, so you know."
"Is that so? Every family has its problems." Li Yuan immediately nodded, understanding the surface meaning of Xu Lin's words.
Although Xu Lin was thinking that the girl was dangerous and that it was better to avoid too much contact,.
Moreover, she managed to search for information about his parents again, and he was really angry. After being upset twice by a girl, he felt helpless.
After eating a piece of watermelon and a few grapes, Xu Lin returned to his room and found a QQ message.
Thinking it might be from Ji Yun, he eagerly sat down and saw a QQ profile picture with a smiling white cloud—it was the class teacher?
He initiated a message, and the class teacher was probably concerned about his exam results.
The message read, "How do you feel about the exam?"
"Teacher, do you think the sense of my body counts?"
"I haven't received the grades yet. Isn't it just about how you feel about your own exam?"
"Then it should be fine."
"Good, wait for you to get second place in the whole class."
"Teacher, why don't you hope for me to get first place?"
"Ji Yun didn't make it to the top 10 last time because she missed a big question."
"Alright, I'll continue to work hard next time."
"If you can make it into the top 50, we'll have to admit that you're quite impressive. Alright, teacher, I won't disturb your study. Keep up the good work tomorrow."
"Okay, teacher."
After closing the message, Ji Yun, Li Bin, and the others also sent messages related to the exam. Only Hei Yuanliang asked about Bai Xiaoxiao.
"Did you go?"
"Yeah, her mother is indeed unwell, and her father does all the work himself."
"Speaking of which, Bai Xiaoxiao's health is not good either. A friend of mine in her class mentioned that during morning exercises last time, she accidentally fell and almost fainted."
"Probably malnutrition. She looks too thin."
At this point, Xu Lin was convinced that she really needed to take care of her health.
"Yeah, so do you really like this girl?"
"I really don't. I just feel that she needs help."
"If you were from a wealthy family, it would be understandable. Besides, there are many families facing difficulties; you can't help them all."
"Yeah, no one can help everyone. So I just want to see if I can help the people I come across."
"You're too kind, like the supporting characters in many TV dramas."
"What do you mean?"
"The main characters are not as kind as you."
"Haha, I'm just a student. I am not asking my parents for help. I just want to help her within my capabilities."
"Yeah, then study well. I have to memorise some things too."
"Okay."
After the chat, Xu Lin glanced at the novel website's backend and found that the chapters had surprisingly passed the review. He uploaded the third chapter and thought about the chapter name. Suddenly, an advertisement popped up in the lower right corner.
It was an ad for a travel platform, with a picture of a plane about to land.
"The title for Chapter 3—let's call it 'What does surprise mean?'" he thought.
After setting the chapter name, he casually opened WeChat and checked the flight and train tickets.