Lin Yuan became aware of the buzz surrounding "Net King" thanks to recent discussions between Jian Jian and Xia Fan.
Their conversation was straightforward.
While chatting about novels with Xia Fan, he didn't miss the chance to rib Lin Yuan: "Do you grasp the challenges of being a supernova now? Focus on your career instead of dreaming about writing novels for profit, unless you can pull off something like Chu Kuang did with 'Net King.'"
It seemed both Jian Jian and Xia Fan assumed Lin Yuan's supernova aspirations had flopped.
After all, Lin Yuan had never hinted that he was "Chu Kuang" himself.
Apart from Jian and Xia Fan, Editor Yang Feng updated Lin Yuan daily on the progress of "The King of the Net" and earnestly discussed whether he could expand the novel's outline.
"No," Lin Yuan simply refused.
Yang Feng was reluctant to give up, extolling the benefits of expanding the word count: "The success of 'The King of Nets' is remarkable. A million words are too few. It would be a waste to end it prematurely..."
"No chance," Lin Yuan reiterated.
He understood that more words equaled more money, and he saw merit in some of Yang Feng's arguments. However, the system provided only one million words for "Net King."
The system's explanation was straightforward:
A million words suffice, and you can rewrite it if necessary.
Yang Feng couldn't push Chu Kuang further. With "Net King" blazing a trail, Chu Kuang was no ordinary novelist anymore.
So, faced with Chu Kuang's refusal, Yang Feng could only sigh and say, "Alright."
In Yang Feng's eyes, Chu Kuang was being stubborn!
Despite the novel's popularity, Chu Kuang was sticking to the one-million-word limit. Even after thorough analysis, as a newcomer, he seemed oblivious to the rarity of crafting a successful work.
Meanwhile, on campus, Lin Yuan was focused on the latest updates from the system. Today marked the completion of the literary prestige task!
[Mission completed: comprehensive development]
[Quest content: literary reputation surpasses ten thousand]
[Task Reward: Three Bronze Treasure Boxes]
After a moment's thought, Lin Yuan said, "Open one bronze treasure chest."
Let's test his luck.
As he opened the first bronze chest, the system displayed in light blue text: [Congratulations on acquiring the song "Balloon."]
"Balloon" by Xu Zhepei?
The result was neither great nor terrible. Lin Yuan considered his luck average, so he decided to stash the other two bronze chests in storage for a better day.
Now, it was time for lunch.
This time, it was Jiang Kui's treat.
Jiang Kui had been promoting "Fish and Dragon Dance" in Qizhou before returning to Qinzhou recently.
It was Xianyu's song that catapulted her from an unknown rookie to a fairly prominent debut singer, so her first order of business upon returning was to invite Xianyu to lunch and express her gratitude.
Just as he hadn't refused Sun Yaohuo, Lin Yuan didn't turn down Jiang Kui's invitation either.
He enjoyed treating others to meals.
Upon arriving at the designated restaurant, Lin Yuan suddenly realized it was the same one where he dined with Sun Yaohuo last time.
"Xianyu Teacher," Jiang Kui greeted.
Jiang Kui, a petite girl, had dolled herself up for the occasion. Despite her short stature, she had to crane her neck slightly to talk to Lin Yuan, who stood at six feet tall.
"Just call me Lin Yuan," he said.
Jiang Kui smiled and responded, "Then I'll call you Teacher Lin Yuan."
Lin Yuan didn't bother to correct her and chose a table to sit at. Before his food could even cool down, a surprised voice caught his attention:
"Senior?"
Turning around, Lin Yuan saw that it was Sun Yaohuo who had spoken, accompanied by a heavily made-up woman.
"Please go ahead," Sun Yaohuo said to his companion.
Though visibly annoyed, the woman left.
Taking the seat next to Lin Yuan, Sun Yaohuo wore a look of eagerness. "Since we've run into each other, let me treat my junior to this meal!"
"Sun Yaohuo, I invited Teacher Lin Yuan to lunch today," Jiang Kui interjected.
Jiang Kui and Sun Yaohuo were both aspiring stars before, so they knew each other, and their relationship was ordinary.
But today was different.
Sitting on opposite sides of Lin Yuan at this restaurant, they exchanged heated glances.
"Jiang Kui, please," Lin Yuan said, unaware of the tension between the two.
Jiang Kui smiled, cast a glance at Sun Yaohuo, and proceeded to order a spread of dishes, mimicking the weight of Sun Yaohuo's previous meal: "Is there anything Teacher Lin Yuan would like to add?"
"Chuanjiang fish, braised pork elbows, and two extra servings of rice," Sun Yaohuo said, flashing a glance at Jiang Kui.
"Got it," Lin Yuan agreed.
It seemed Sun Yaohuo knew Lin Yuan's preferences. Jiang Kui suddenly felt a pang of insecurity. "Didn't you just eat? And aren't you with your girlfriend?"
"We broke up," Sun Yaohuo stated matter-of-factly. "She didn't want me to have lunch with my junior. Who needs a girlfriend like that?"
"..."
Jiang Kui felt like she'd been punched in the gut.
How could someone be so shameless!?
Soon, the food arrived, and the trio began their meal. Despite having just eaten with his girlfriend...ex-girlfriend, Sun Yaohuo's appetite showed no signs of waning.
After the meal, Jiang Kui hurried to settle the bill, fearing Sun Yaohuo would beat her to it.
Though it was just a meal, Jiang Kui had already witnessed Sun Yaohuo's adept flattery.
Inviting Teacher Lin Yuan to lunch, Jiang Kui hoped to express gratitude and perhaps gain favor with him. After all, who hadn't tried a little flattery?
Though the odds were slim, if Teacher Lin Yuan was in a good mood and offered her a good song, wouldn't it be worth it?
Meeting Sun Yaohuo, Jiang Kui learned what true flattery looked like!
Once they finished eating, they decided to take a stroll to aid digestion.
Lin Yuan had no objections.
Jiang Kui was fine with it too.
After fifteen minutes of walking, Lin Yuan said, "I could go for some water."
Suddenly, Sun Yaohuo and Jiang Kui turned to him simultaneously. "Senior/Teacher Lin Yuan, how about some milk tea?"
"Sure," Lin Yuan agreed, and the two of them disappeared.
Five minutes later, Sun Yaohuo returned with a cup of milk tea. "Senior, I got you some milk tea."
"Wait," Jiang Kui said, although she was shorter and had shorter legs, she was still slightly slower than Sun Yaohuo.
"Competing with me? You're out of your league," Sun Yaohuo taunted.
But his triumph was short-lived as Jiang Kui returned with six cups of milk tea, remarking, "Mr. Lin Yuan, I wasn't sure which flavor you'd like, so I got a few options from the milk tea shop."
Lin Yuan opted for lemon flavor. "Is this too much?"
Jiang Kui smiled, "Not at all."
Jiang Kui distributed the extra milk tea to passing children in the mall and pointed to Lin Yuan, saying, "This young man treated you to milk tea."
"Thank you, mister!"
Accompanied by their parents, the children accepted the milk tea without hesitation, their parents untroubled by the source.
Everyone's trying to flatter someone.
Jiang Kui glanced back at Sun Yaohuo, victorious in her own way.