Chapter 90: For instance, like this

On the way home from school, a coin in Zhai Da’s hand danced incessantly, as if it had a life of its own.

The rhythm of its leaps was perfectly synced with the music in his headphones.

His footsteps were, too.

The effect of the [Dynamic MP3] remained potent, and those being influenced by it felt not a shred of embarrassment.

How could they possibly hold back? Regret only came in the moment of walking downstairs; while walking upstairs, there was only excitement.

His rhythmic stride attracted the attention of many, though it hadn't reached the level of social suicide yet; there were many students on this road.

Being a little weird was normal.

As he passed a bus stop, a little girl waiting with her father stared at the coin, which moved like a spirit snake. She was mesmerized, and suddenly, she stretched her neck and clapped her delicate little hands.

Her small palms made soft patting sounds, her fingers splayed out like flower petals.

Zhai Da smiled and stopped, standing opposite the little girl. With a flick of his finger, a playing card spun out, circled the girl’s head, and returned to Zhai Da’s hand.

The little girl’s gaze followed the card. By the time she turned her head back, Zhai Da was right in front of her, holding a large, thick lens cloth.

"Pull it open."

The little girl instinctively tugged at the lens cloth.

A tiny morning glory was held before her eyes.

The little girl’s mouth hung open, and she blankly accepted the little flower, which had just been plucked from the nearby green belt.

Zhai Da gave the lens cloth a shake, performed a bow, and walked away with a flourish.

The girl’s father finally turned back to see what had happened, looking warily at Zhai Da’s retreating back.

"Daddy, the big brother gave me a flower!"

The man hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't commit the joy-killing act of throwing the flower away.

"Daddy, I'm giving it to you!"

The girl stood on tiptoe, and the man instinctively crouched down. Finally, the morning glory was tucked behind the father's ear.

The man instinctively wanted to pluck it off, but seeing his daughter’s smiling face, he held back.

After all, for most men, the first time they receive flowers is at their own funeral.

Only a small portion of lucky ones get to receive flowers while still alive~

By this time, Zhai Da had already walked far away. Passing the overpass, he instinctively looked at the side railing.

He actually couldn't run into Lu Siwen after school because she didn't attend evening self-study, but it seemed like it had been a while since he’d met that girl on the way to school... Now, it was all phone contact, and strictly about business.

Just then, his phone rang with two consecutive messages.

He took it out and looked:

"Your bank card 482*****9623, real-time deposit of 73,826.15 yuan..."

This must be the blog reading revenue share from Star Wave. It was more than he had anticipated... the odd numbers meant it was after tax.

Over seventy thousand in a month—more than he had imagined.

It also meant his savings had officially crossed the one-hundred-thousand mark.

He didn't know that his class was currently discussing his "income." Those high schoolers were clearly being conservative; for a "contracted blogger" like Zhai Da, the earnings weren't just some sneaky advertising fees.

A few tens of thousands a year? He was making tens of thousands a month!

The other message read: "Little Zhai, regarding the promotion of 'Long Journey of Lu', please give me a call back when you're free after school..."

This was Editor-in-Chief Lou En from Phoenix Media. It seemed the other party had reached a conclusion on the "new promotion method" they had discussed last time.

Zhai Da smiled, put his phone back in his pocket, and continued playing with the coin as he walked.

Gradually, influenced by the music in his headphones, Zhai Da’s footsteps regained their rhythm.

But when walking down the overpass stairs, he decisively restrained himself.

If he were to dance his way down... that would be a bit "clownish"...

————

At home in the Sanmao residential complex, Yu Xiaoli and Lu Wei were already cooking.

Returning to his room, while waiting for dinner, Zhai Da took out his phone and called Editor-in-Chief Lou En back.

"Little Zhai, school's out? I had a few young people at the company read your work yesterday and discussed the release. We think the method you mentioned might be worth a try."

Zhai Da said while packing his schoolbag: "That’s great."

"However, there are a few details to discuss. Little Zhai, you're a third-year high school student, right? May I ask how your grades are?"

"Not bad, over four hundred points. By the way, this year is the '08 new regulation, with a total of 480. You can think of it as around... 620 points under the 750-point rule."

To prevent the other party from thinking he couldn't even get into college, Zhai Da took the initiative to explain.

"That’s good... that’s good... To be honest, some young people in the company suggested that the promotion for this book should focus on the 'high school genius' angle. So, if the release time could be set after the college entrance exam, preferably right after it ends, it should have a very strong effect."

"Of course, this must take into account the balance between your writing and studies. I heard from Siwen that you haven't finished the second half yet."

Zhai Da nodded honestly: "Not a single word written."

Although releasing it during the summer vacation after the college entrance exam was indeed a good marketing node, at this stage, the exam was always Zhai Da’s top priority; he couldn't make any promises.

However, with the help of the [Literary Girl's Pen], the efficiency of writing original works was actually very high, because the emotions were fluid and immersive, and the structure and plot direction had samples.

During the first half, he had once written seven or eight thousand words in a state of extreme focus, and that was by hand.

Now that he had the [Dynamic MP3], once he found the right song, his efficiency should be able to improve another level.

So Zhai Da said: "I can't guarantee I can finish it before the college entrance exam, but I can guarantee that as soon as the exam ends, I can finish it very quickly, at most within a week. That way, it can still catch the heat of the summer vacation and the exam."

After all, it would take half a month to get the results after the exam, followed by filling out applications, waiting for admission, and other steps... The "heat" of the college entrance exam would last the entire summer for a specific group of people.

"Yes, yes, yes, studies are the most important. By the way, do you have an outline for the second half? Can I take a look?"

Zhai Da nodded honestly: "Not a single word written."

On the other end of the phone, Lou En looked at his phone in confusion.

Was the signal lagging? Why was he repeating himself?

However, because Zhai Da was young, a college entrance exam candidate, and a well-connected person, this influential editor-in-chief was very easy to talk to:

"Follow your own pace; studies come first."

"By the way, regarding what you said last time about releasing a portion of the content on the blog, we think that’s also feasible, but the word count shouldn't be too high. I think one to two thousand words is a good choice, ending on a subtle cliffhanger."

Leaving a hook, a cliffhanger!

Although Zhai Da hadn't done this before, he was very familiar with it from reading web novels in his past life.

It mainly relied on suddenness and room for imagination, creating a feeling of an abrupt stop and unfulfilled desire.

For example, the previous sentence was still advancing the plot normally.