Shen Lang was chopping vegetables when this statement nearly made him cut his finger: "Sister Xia, you're kidding, right?"
Xia Shuyi nodded seriously, "No, I'm serious. Don't you think she's really pretty?"
Shen Lang shook his head and declined, "She's kind of reserved. We wouldn't be a good match."
"How would you know if you don't try? Are you worried about the costs with her grandma being hospitalized? Think it might be a financial strain if you were together?"
Xia Shuyi said straightforwardly, "Don't worry about the money. If it's a financial issue, I can handle it for you."
"Sis, you're different from those rich women online who kick men out when they find out they're spending their money on mistresses," Shen Lang said with a hint of sarcasm. "Here you are, giving me money to find a girlfriend. If your friends found out, they'd probably laugh at you."
"Hey, it's not like I want to do this. I just..."
Xia Shuyi trailed off, embarrassed, and gave Shen Lang a light tap on the arm.
"Forget it, if you're not interested, I won't push it. But she's really pitiful. She has a strong sense of pride and is quite stubborn. Since you live across from her, if you have time, you might as well help her out."
"I know."
...
After dinner at Xia Shuyi's place, Shen Lang couldn't wait to open the mysterious treasure chest he got from the landlady.
He had earned nearly two million from the system recently and had also received a few hundred thousand from Xia Shuyi and other wealthy women. With so much money on him, Shen Lang felt a bit uneasy.
He didn't understand how the rich protagonists in novels didn't have regular jobs but could comfortably accept billions in their accounts. Didn't they worry about someone checking their financial sources?
Even if it was only a few million, if Shen Lang's account exceeded a hundred thousand, his parents would definitely come asking questions to find out where the money came from. That's why he hadn't told them about buying a car. They'd surely demand an explanation!
Some novel protagonists claim to make money from stock trading, but if Shen Lang said that, his parents would definitely want to see him demonstrate it.
Now, Shen Lang hoped the system would give him a reliable skill that would let him actually earn money legitimately. Once he made his first big profit, even if his parents discovered something, he could handle it.
"System, open the mysterious treasure chest!"
[ Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the god-level writing talent: The host's writing inspiration will be significantly enhanced, reaching a truly divine writing level! ]
[ Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the god-level speed talent: The host's hand speed has been greatly improved, with unmatched finger dexterity! ]
"Wow... This is a bit too fitting."
Shen Lang shook his head with a wry smile. It seemed he couldn't escape the fate of being a struggling author. Both new skills were related to writing!
"Well, it might work out."
Shen Lang thought carefully. Since writing was his livelihood, becoming rich from writing novels wouldn't raise too many questions.
At that moment, he felt a flood of inspiration and writing techniques rushing into his mind. The divine writing level felt truly attainable!
"Guess I'll keep being a struggling author."
Shen Lang opened his author dashboard, glanced at his completed martial arts novel, and thought it was terrible—like something a grade schooler might write.
With two top-level writing talents, Shen Lang eagerly created a new book on his dashboard, choosing the genre: Martial Arts and Passion!
With these high-level talents, Shen Lang's typing speed was astonishing, with even the shadows of his fingers visible. The rhythmic clacking of the keyboard never stopped.
Previously, Shen Lang might spend hours writing just one chapter and constantly revising it. But within an hour, he was amazed by the word count!
In just one hour, Shen Lang had written nearly twenty thousand words!
With the top-level writing skills, the content—both plot and character development—was flawless!
Looking at the time, it was just past 1 p.m. Shen Lang adjusted his posture and continued to write intensively!
By 9 p.m., with his fingers starting to ache, he had finished a 200,000-word martial arts novel!
Shen Lang read through the novel from start to finish and was thoroughly impressed with what he had written in just a few hours.
The novel's 200,000 words were on par with top-tier authors in terms of plot and story development!
After uploading all the text, Shen Lang spent another ten thousand to boost the novel's visibility and attract more readers.
"I wonder what the results will be like the next day."
Looking at the author dashboard with the novel's collection count at zero, Shen Lang muttered with anticipation.