Chapter 20: The Days of Lying Flat Are Growing More Stable

Men get together, they inevitably end up talking about topics unsuitable for children.

Especially around twenty years old, when hormones are at their peak, so it's normal for Liu Dongxu to bring up this topic.

But hearing him say Wang Jiajia was talented, Zhang Xian couldn't hold back anymore.

Was that talent?

That was pure practice making perfect, damn it!

After all, Wang Jiajia was the person Zhang Xian had ever seen with the most red threads above her head—so thick and tangled, you couldn't even count them.

Before a professional like her, Liu Dongxu was no different from a green recruit.

Zhang Xian wanted to speak up and warn him, but then he remembered what Liu Dongxu had said to him before, and swallowed the words back.

If he spoke ill of Wang Jiajia, this guy would surely think he was just jealous of him!

Everyone has their own fate!

Brother Dongxu's destiny includes this trial!

Zhang Xian silently sighed in his heart.

"Big Brother Xian, tell us about you and Chu Yourong!"

"How does it feel?"

Liu Dongxu asked again, grinning mischievously.

"This kind of thing—how do you put it? It's something you can only feel, not describe!"

Zhang Xian replied offhandedly.

"Big Brother Xian, come on, you've already eaten the meat—can't your brother at least smell the aroma?"

Liu Dongxu clearly wasn't buying Zhang Xian's answer.

"If I absolutely have to put it in one word, it's 'smooth'~!"

Zhang Xian, cornered, could only speak in riddles.

Liu Dongxu, as if he'd found a treasure, quietly mused over Zhang Xian's description.

The electric scooter first stopped at Liu Dongxu's front gate; he got off, didn't immediately enter the yard, but sneaked a small box out of his shopping bag and shoved it into Zhang Xian's hands: "Big Brother Xian, take this."

"What's this?"

It was dark; Zhang Xian couldn't tell what he'd been handed.

"Super effective!"

Liu Dongxu winked and grinned, then strode boldly into his own courtyard.

Zhang Xian examined the object in his hand—it was a box of a certain brand's thin condoms, emblazoned with the bold words "Super Long-Lasting."

He gave me this?

What was this guy thinking!

Zhang Xian was speechless; naturally, he couldn't guess Liu Dongxu's bizarre logic: even though I can't have the goddess, at least when you two play cards, you're using the condoms I gave you—that's still a kind of participation.

Liu Dongxu had given him a four-pack, neatly square in a small box; Zhang Xian casually slipped it into his pocket, then rode his scooter into his own courtyard.

To Zhang Xian's surprise, before he'd even stopped the scooter, his fifth sister Zhang Pandi—home from school for the weekend—came out smiling to greet him.

"Oh, if it isn't Doctor Zhang!"

"You finally remembered you have a home, huh?"

Zhang Pandi was studying medicine, enrolled in a combined bachelor's and master's program lasting eight years, and usually lived on campus, rarely coming home.

So the moment they met, Zhang Xian teased his fifth sister.

"Dare you mock me? You looking for a beating?"

Zhang Pandi waved her tiny fist playfully; both she and the fourth sister, Zhang Laidi, were two years older than Zhang Xian. With such a small age gap, neither felt the need to show deference, and since girls mature faster, they'd beaten him up plenty as kids.

"I'm just saying you haven't been home in ages."

"You're not dating someone, are you?"

As she spoke, Zhang Xian focused his attention on the top of Zhang Pandi's head—no red threads. That meant his fifth sister wasn't currently dating anyone.

The "Bagua Eye" skill—he'd practiced for several days and now used it fluently. He no longer saw red threads above everyone's head like he had at first; now he only saw them when he concentrated.

His world had returned to normal. Otherwise, seeing red threads above every person he met would be too bizarre.

"I'd love to date someone, but I just don't have the time!"

"But you—Dad said you're dating Chu Yourong. Is that true?"

Zhang Pandi had rushed out of the house specifically to ask about her brother's relationship with Chu Yourong.

Since he'd publicly announced the relationship, Chu Yourong's name had been trending daily.

Other female celebrities post beautiful photos and focus on their careers—she, meanwhile, treated social media like a WeChat Moments, posting constant lovey-dovey updates.

Netizens had even given her the title "Top Love-Struck Idol in the Entertainment Industry!"

"Didn't Dad already tell you? Chu Yourong came to our house today."

Zhang Xian didn't directly confirm or deny it; he dropped a known fact and let Zhang Pandi fill in the blanks.

"I just can't believe it—how could Chu Yourong possibly like you?"

"What does she see in you? What's your advantage?"

Zhang Pandi furrowed her brow slightly, feigning utter bewilderment.

"Zhang Pandi, don't you think your brother is outstanding?"

"Look at this face, and this physique..."

Zhang Xian struck a posing stance, then lifted his T-shirt hem to show off his abs—but after gorging on barbecue, his stomach was round and bloated, revealing not a single muscle line.

"Enough, enough! My eyes are burning!"

Zhang Pandi waved her hand impatiently, then switched expressions: "Since Chu Yourong is your girlfriend, can you get her to meet for dinner tomorrow, Sunday? I adore her!"

"Let's deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow!"

Zhang Xian had no intention of actively inviting Chu Yourong out; they were merely in a cooperative relationship, no need to flatter.

Now that he had a system, he wouldn't be a lickspittle!

"I finally got time this week!"

"Xiaoxian, didn't you forget that time you had a high fever and who took care of you? And when you were in college and got into a fight..."

Zhang Pandi began "digging up old favors."

"Alright, alright, I'll ask later, but she's a celebrity, with so much work—she might not have time!"

Zhang Xian waved his hand helplessly, pretending to concede, but in truth had already prepared all the reasons to reject Chu Yourong.

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

Zhang Pandi's face lit up with a smile; having a celebrity sister-in-law was quite an honor. She planned to take several photos with Chu Yourong at dinner tomorrow.

The next day.

Zhang Xian slept again until he woke naturally.

Ding!

Number One Lying Flat Assistant's yesterday's income is being settled.

Number One Lying Flat Assistant's yesterday's income: 355,890 yuan!

Host received double earnings: 711,780 yuan!

Zhang Xian was still dazed upon opening his eyes, but upon hearing the amount his father earned yesterday, he instantly snapped to attention.

How much??

Zhang Xian sat up on the bed and checked his bank account transaction record.

Correct—it was over seven hundred thousand!

What did Dad do yesterday??

How did he earn over thirty thousand in just one day!?

Zhang Xian rubbed his forehead, thought for a moment, then arrived at the answer: yesterday was the day "Apple Fragrance" went live nationwide for sale. Without doubt, the thirty-plus thousand was the royalty share from "Apple Fragrance."

In this timeline, there were two music platforms of roughly equal size: Sprite Music and Ku Mao Music. Both operated on a membership model; when singers released new songs, royalties were distributed to creators based on member listening rates and new membership numbers.

"Apple Fragrance," having already gone viral online, naturally performed well upon official release.

Zhang Dongshan was the original singer of this song; according to platform agreements, he received thirty percent of total sales, the lyricist and composer each received thirty percent, and the platform took forty percent.

Of course, this royalty split wasn't fixed—it could be negotiated based on actual circumstances.

For example, if Chu Yourong sang a work by a new creator, her powerful fanbase meant it didn't matter much who wrote the song—the base audience was already there, so the creator naturally took less.

Conversely, if a song came from a famous musician but was sung by a relatively unknown singer, the singer would take less.

The platform's forty percent was almost always fixed, unless you were a super-star with massive influence or had signed an exclusive licensing contract.

Zhang Dongshan had signed the most basic standard contract with the platform, so Zhang Xian, as the song's creator, also received thirty percent.

He opened the copyright website app and confirmed it: the earnings column showed a withdrawable amount of just over 300,000 yuan.

Since both Zhang Xian and his father Zhang Dongshan each received thirty percent, this meant Dad's live stream had earned over fifty thousand yuan yesterday!

Good, good.

This lying-flat lifestyle was becoming increasingly stable!