Chapter 70: Thinking It Over: Should I Drag Out His Royalties?

The noon dismissal bell rang, and the freshmen who had spent the morning in military training cheered and leaped like a flock of ducks hearing their master call them to feed, gathering in groups of three or five and heading toward the canteen in a vast, surging tide.

Their grass-green figures, brimming with vitality, added a touch of energy to this campus.

Cao Sheng followed a few roommates, walking at a leisurely pace toward the canteen.

The roommates chatted as they walked, while Cao Sheng remained silent, a smile on his face, though his mind was still occupied with the settings for "Divine Tomb."

He vaguely remembered that the male protagonist of Chendong's "Divine Tomb" had apparently slept within the Divine Tomb for ten thousand years.

When the male protagonist emerged from the Divine Tomb, the world outside had long since undergone profound changes; the seas had become mulberry fields, and people and things were no longer the same.

But Cao Sheng could not recall what kind of world that was.

He could only create a new world himself.

So the question arose—what kind of new world should be set?

An ancient world? Or a future world?

An ancient low-martial world? Or an ancient high-martial world? Or perhaps an ancient Xianxia world?

A future post-apocalyptic wasteland world? Or a futuristic sci-fi world with dazzling technology? Or a future high-martial world where superpowers rise?

Wait.

On the way to the school canteen, these thoughts still occupied his mind.

Different world settings would produce completely different stories, with vast distinctions.

Arriving at the school canteen, queuing up to get a meal, and finding an empty corner to sit down with his food, Cao Sheng finally felt a leaning in his heart.

He wanted to write a fictional ancient high-martial world.

In this way, this world would have some seemingly awesome characters who could serve as opponents for the male protagonist.

Without some decent opponents, this book would be an invincible story with no suspense.

Aside from showing off and slapping faces, there would be nothing else worth writing.

If the power levels of the protagonists and antagonists differed too greatly, it would significantly reduce the reader's sense of gratification while reading this book.

As for the "high-martial" in this high-martial world... just how high is it?

He wanted to set it as a Cultivation world.

For example: in this new world, there would be many cultivation sects aiming to cultivate immortality, and legends of ancestors ascending to immortality would still circulate throughout the world.

But no one had achieved immortality for over ten thousand years.

The people here did not know that the legendary immortals and gods had perished one by one in the great war of ten thousand years ago, that the immortal gates for ascension had long been closed, and that the path to immortality... had been severed.

Against this world background, many cultivation experts remained lingering in the human realm; these experts, who should have been able to ascend to immortality, all lingered in the human world because the path to immortality was severed, each reflecting on whether their cultivation path was wrong.

Some experts were still reflecting; some experts had already exhausted their lifespan in the human world, their souls returning to heaven and earth; and some experts had already switched to cultivating the legendary Demon Realm techniques, hoping to go to the Demon Realm to become demons and gain endless lifespan.

Cao Sheng felt that with this setting, there were several advantages.

First, it provided the protagonist with a group of decent opponents, which could elevate the excitement of the story.

Second, such a high-level high-martial world could establish one or two cultivation systems, such as the Immortal Cultivation system, the Demon Cultivation system, and so on, thereby increasing the book's appeal to readers.

Third, the setting of this Cultivation world could attract most of the readers of his "I Wish to Become an Immortal," avoiding waste.

"Hey! Great Talent! Hello! We meet again, are you happy?"

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar voice entered Cao Sheng's ears, pulling his train of thought back to reality.

Looking up, it was the girl who had extended a pale, white arm for him to sign on two days ago when he was signing autographs for everyone at school—Ren Xueyi.

Cao Sheng was somewhat surprised.

He remembered that when she left that day, she had whispered to him that she would come find him again.

He didn't expect that today, in the canteen, she would come looking for him.

"Hello!"

Cao Sheng forced a smile and greeted her.

This Ren Xueyi was indeed quite beautiful; her skin was white and tender, her eyes were large and bright, and although she was not tall, anyone would consider her a beauty.

Seeing Cao Sheng respond, she smiled brightly, revealing two deep dimples, placed the tray in her hands in front of Cao Sheng, and sat down opposite him, wearing a red dress.

Her watery, big eyes looked at Cao Sheng curiously, and she asked with a smile, "Hey! Great Talent, do you remember my name?"

Cao Sheng fell silent for a few seconds, his gaze instinctively shifting to her right forearm.

He remembered that when she asked him to sign her arm last time, she had said she guaranteed she wouldn't wash that arm for the whole month.

But...

At this moment, her right arm was clean and white, with not a single character remaining.

Ren Xueyi had strong observation skills; following Cao Sheng's line of sight, she also looked at her right arm, blinked, and laughed, "Hey! You wouldn't really think I wouldn't wash this arm for a month, would you? Hehe."

Cao Sheng: "Do you need something from me?"

Ren Xueyi frowned slightly, tilted her head, and glanced sideways at Cao Sheng, "What? You forgot? I said last time, I like you! Do you think I was lying about that? No! That statement is true!"

After speaking, she even raised an eyebrow at Cao Sheng.

Cao Sheng smiled and asked in return, "What do you like about me?"

Ren Xueyi leaned in a bit, her eyes filled with a smile, and said in a low voice, "Does that need asking? You are so handsome and so talented! Isn't it normal for me to like you? How about it? Consider dating me?"

She was very confident.

She seemed to have no doubt at all about her ability to win Cao Sheng over.

And her conditions did indeed seem very good.

Not only was her skin white and tender and she was beautiful, but looking at her attire and style, she seemed like a little Princess, so her family background should be quite good.

The label of "rich, beautiful, and white" was probably prepared for girls like her.

Unfortunately, her flamboyant personality was not the type Cao Sheng liked.

So, he asked, "Can you cook?"

Ren Xueyi was surprised, "Cooking? You like girls who can cook?"

Cao Sheng nodded.

Ren Xueyi frowned, "Why? We're just dating! We're not getting married—why should I know how to cook? Besides, even if we did marry someday, we could just hire a maid! My mother can't cook either, and precisely because she can't, we've kept switching maids who each specialize in different dishes—we actually eat more variety that way!"

Cao Sheng: "..."

You have a maid at home?

So she really is a rich, beautiful girl?

"What are your usual hobbies?"

He changed the subject.

Ren Xueyi smiled lightly, "Oh, plenty! Reading, surfing the internet, ice skating, dancing, shopping, golfing, tasting red wine..."

She listed over a dozen in one breath.

When she finished, Cao Sheng, like an unfeeling interviewer, smiled gently but spoke coldly, "We're not compatible."

"Why not?"

Ren Xueyi was baffled.

Cao Sheng: "I only like staying home."

Ren Xueyi blinked, seemingly unwilling to give up, "I can take you out! With me, your life will be exciting! Don't you like writing novels? Doesn't writing need life experience? Let me take you to experience life—wouldn't that be good?"

Cao Sheng shook his head slightly.

The old saying goes: At forty, one is no longer confused.

It means that by age forty, a person no longer feels lost among choices—they clearly know what they want and where to focus their time and energy.

This Ren Xueyi, who claims she can take him out, would only disrupt his already peaceful life and throw off his rhythm.

It would do no good to his focused writing.

So he didn't think she could be his perfect match.

About time.

Guangzhou.

In a private room at the canteen of Huacheng Publishing House.

General Manager Xu Zhiwen was dining with several department heads.

Eating while chatting.

Someone said, "The reprint of 200,000 copies of 'Living with an Air Hostess' sold out fast! Too bad the new book by Zhongyuan Yidianhui isn't this genre anymore—otherwise we could've collaborated again."

Someone else said, "I heard his new book 'I Want to Become an Immortal' was signed by Changjiang Literature—wonder how the sales will be."

Suddenly, the Finance Department head asked, "Hey, Manager Xu, since Zhongyuan Yidianhui's new book isn't with us anymore, shouldn't we delay paying his next royalty?"

As soon as he spoke, everyone fell silent, all eyes turning to Xu Zhiwen.

Xu Zhiwen looked at the Finance Department head and frowned, "No! Don't delay!"

Finance Department head: "But his new book isn't signed with us anymore..."

Xu Zhiwen: "So what? Does that mean he'll never write anything else again? One book not with us and you want to withhold his royalty? If 'I Want to Become an Immortal' sells well, we'll definitely try to sign him again. If it sells poorly, his next book might return to romance—still someone we want to work with. Are you really thinking of withholding his payment now? Do you even have brains?"

Finance Department head: "..."