The young body is resilient. Spending three to four hours in front of the computer doesn't feel uncomfortable at all for Zhou Yuwen. His typing speed is decent too, around four thousand words per hour.
In just three hours, he wrote over ten thousand words. But writing novels takes a toll. During breaks, he craves a cigarette. Once, in his boxers at the downstairs convenience store, after much hesitation, he ultimately didn't buy one. Quit!
Not understanding the importance of a regular schedule when young, various health issues crop up after thirty. Suboptimal health is a minor issue, but things like stomach problems really hurt, keeping him awake at night.
After Zhou Yuwen traveled through time, his sole sensation was that a young body truly had its advantages. Having experienced the weight of thirty years, returning to eighteen made him feel as light as a feather.
It could also be the perks of being a time traveler. Zhou Yuwen felt his current physique was even better than before, his senses sharper than ever, and his memory significantly improved. Previously needing time to recall something, now a simple prompt could unravel entire memories effortlessly.
Zhou Yuwen was just an ordinary person who desired a simple life. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet and regular exercise were essential to him.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Zhou Yuwen started writing. At six o'clock, he went to the stadium for a run as scheduled. Thinking it had been a while since he last exercised, he thought he could manage about a kilometer.
As it turned out, during his run, he didn't hold back and ended up running five kilometers in half an hour. Out of breath, another runner chased after him and asked, "Young man, just back from the military?"
"Sort of, just returned from the Temporal Infantry," Zhou Yuwen replied.
"???"
It seems that after time-traveling, there are indeed unexpected perks.
After the college entrance exam ended, Zhou Yuwen spent his time at home writing novels. His mother asked him about his plans. Zhou Yuwen replied, "Let's just aim for an ordinary university. After all, university is just the beginning; the future development depends on myself." His mother said, "As long as you're happy, that's what matters."
So it was settled. Zhou Yuwen attended an ordinary university. As he watched his son, whom he had raised, about to leave, Zhou's mother was reluctant to part but also deeply gratified.
As for Zhou Yuwen himself…
Well, he was a man in his thirties. There was no point in getting sentimental with his mother. They probably just had a chat. Due to family reasons, Zhou Yuwen had never been good at expressing his emotions. He finally mustered up the courage to confess his love to Su Qianqian, a girl in high school. However, he was deceived by Su Qianqian for a year.
It's not fair to say he was deceived. If it weren't for Su Qianqian, how could Zhou Yuwen have passed the entrance exam and started his second life in the game?
So, being a "lickspittle" (a person who seeks favor by flattering others) isn't scary, but you should do things that benefit yourself. A truly remarkable "lickspittle" excels in everything from music and chess to painting and calligraphy for their goddess. If the goddess rejects you in the future, she must be blind.
Anyway, Zhou Yuwen no longer has feelings for Su Qianqian in this lifetime.
Dating a man with a psychological age of thirty? He might just tell you that with a little extra money, you can take a technician from a certain club out.
Under the scorching July sun, in Zhou Yuwen's room, the old air conditioner emitted a sighing cold breeze. Apart from daily running exercises, Zhou Yuwen spent most of his time typing and writing novels.
Twenty thousand characters a day, with a hundred thousand words uploaded to a small website.
Zhou Yuwen's writing is filled with suggestive undertones, leaving readers ecstatic.
Readers clamor for more updates.
Upon release, it immediately surged to the top of the monthly sales on the small website.
Being number one on the small website doesn't yield much money after 2010, at most around 20,000 yuan.
Zhou Yuwen feels the money comes in too slowly.
The main issue is that this kind of novel isn't presentable. Writing occasionally is fine, but taking it seriously might lead to trouble. Looks like it's time to change tactics; are there any quicker ways to make money?
Because of writing novels, I joined an authors' group where people exchange ideas on writing. Zhou Yuwen, as the top monthly seller, maintains a mysterious presence, seldom speaking but occasionally peeking at the screen for any updates.
One day, the group chatted:
"Men's fiction earns money too slowly. Women's fiction is faster!"
"Yeah, you can get published with 50,000 words, and the subscription fees are twice as much as men's!"
"Those women readers give scary tips, tens of thousands!"
"Mainly, women's fiction can earn royalties from physical book sales, but men's fiction doesn't have that."
"Women's fiction has lower requirements. I've read some; they're much more colorful than ours."
Listening to their lively chat, Zhou Yuwen wondered, is women's fiction really this profitable? Then he thought again, these days, writing women's fiction indeed makes money, plus it never delays royalty payments.
"Ah, if only I knew how to write women's fiction, I'd switch!" someone in the group remarked.
"Can't write it out! It requires good writing skills!" Zhou Yuwen couldn't help but laugh when he saw that. What's so difficult about writing these romance novels? It's just a woman with a group of men, right? One cold and charming, one sweet and gentle, and throw in a mature uncle type. Since 2012, no matter what kind of novels are written, as long as they are colorful enough, who cares about writing skills?
Zhou Yuwen examined it carefully again and found that romance novels were indeed good. Mainly, writing his own books on this small website wasn't prestigious, but romance novels were different. At least there was still a chance for them to be published.
Zhou Yuwen didn't intend to plagiarize at all; he just started writing casually.
He set up an ordinary and unremarkable female protagonist, preferably from a single-parent family where her father remarried a selfish and narrow-minded stepmother who favored her own biological daughter. The protagonist initially planned to introduce herself to a wealthy second-generation at a banquet but was rejected.
Just as the wealthy second-generation was pulling the protagonist away, a sinister CEO suddenly appeared and pulled her back, saying, "Don't leave! You belong to me!"
Excitedly drinking his soda, Zhou Yuwen's creativity flowed. He wrote ten thousand words every morning, writing about the Three Kingdoms in the morning and romance novels in the afternoon. He found that writing romance novels was much easier than writing novels for men. Male readers need to look up a few references, while female readers only need to tear it up.
After the female protagonist has numerous harems, a group of 20-year-old fresh meat will die for the female protagonist.
That day, Zhou Yuwen wrote and posted 10,000 words. When he wrote 30,000 words, the editor came to discuss the contract. When 60,000 words were published on time, they exploded the entire scene.
Zhou Yuwen even gave himself a very cool author's name - Mr. Zhou