Chapter 841

After dinner, the four of them drove back to Sky Ridge Elegant Residence.

Ying Chanxi went upstairs first to take a shower, while Yan Zhusheng headed to the piano room on the fourth floor.

Li Luo and Xu Youyu went up to the second-floor study together, petting cats while starting to write.

But it was still early, and Xu Youyu hadn't fully fired up yet; she leaned back in her chair, leisurely pulling out a cat treat from the drawer now and then to tease the kittens—yet never letting them eat it.

A Li was the smartest of the four kittens; after being tricked twice by Xu Youyu, she stopped falling for it.

Cotton Candy, whether because she wasn't smart or for some other reason, always came rubbing over at the sound of the treat and refused to leave if she didn't get it.

Orange Treasure, however, paid no attention to anything outside, never coming over at all, curled up in a corner of the desk sleeping lazily—no one understood why she slept so much every day without ever stretching her limbs.

Li Luo paid little attention to the cats; after petting Orange Treasure and White Give once at the start, he quickly slipped into writing mode.

By the time Xu Youyu slowly turned on her computer and writing software and had just typed a few words to begin, Li Luo had already finished a four-thousand-word chapter.

Back when they were at Bihai Lanting, the two wrote separately.

Although they had written together in hotels before, it was rare, so Xu Youyu only had a general sense of Li Luo's writing speed.

Now, sitting at the same desk, the contrast was starkly obvious.

"I regret putting our computers on the same desk."

Xu Youyu sat cross-legged in her ergonomic chair, glancing at the word count displayed on Li Luo's screen, then immediately deflated.

"I haven't even started yet! You've already finished a whole chapter?"

"You're not meeting me for the first time," Li Luo glanced at her. "This is just normal typing speed."

"Why don't you just write for me~" Xu Youyu sighed deeply. "I'll just dictate the content to you."

"Our writing styles aren't even in the same universe—give up that fantasy," Li Luo rolled her eyes, giving her thigh a light pat. "You're just not focused enough."

"By the end, it gets harder and harder to write…" Xu Youyu slumped onto the desk, sighing softly. "If you hadn't helped me organize the later outline before, I'd have given up already."

"You're not far from finishing, right?" Li Luo asked. "It's already over two million words."

"I think I'll reach three million," Xu Youyu propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the screen. "Probably finish around April or May next year."

"That's about the same as mine," Li Luo nodded. "Night Watch of Great Qian will also reach over three million words, likely ending around April."

"And after finishing?" Xu Youyu asked curiously. "Didn't you say you planned to seamlessly start a new book?"

"Mm." Li Luo nodded, then opened a outlining software and showed it to her. "I've been working on the new book's outline lately."

"But I've decided—I won't wait until April to release the new one."

"I'll talk to my editor at the annual meeting next month; if things go well, I can release the new book during the New Year holiday."

"Huh?" Xu Youyu's eyes widened at this. "Are you even human? Three series at once?!"

"I wouldn't call it three," Li Luo chuckled. "I'll finish all the remaining plot of Night Watch of Great Qian before the holiday—after that, it's just releasing pre-written drafts."

"So technically, I'm still only doing two."

"Besides, I Am Really Not a Star doesn't require much mental effort—it's not nearly as exhausting as you imagine."

"Don't even say it…" Xu Youyu waved her hand wearily. "Just thinking about it makes me exhausted—it's terrifying. Your energy isn't human."

"You should know better than anyone whether my energy is human or not," Li Luo teased with a chuckle.

"Hmph~" Xu Youyu shot him a glare. "You've already started secretly outlining a new book and didn't even tell me—I'm doing one too!"

"You are?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow, deliberately extending his hand toward her.

Xu Youyu immediately slapped his hand away: "I meant outlining! You pervert!"

"Oh, that's what you meant," Li Luo chuckled, withdrawing his hand. "So have you decided what to write yet?"

"The one you mentioned," Xu Youyu twirled her hair, her tone intrigued. "The idea of going bankrupt and becoming a billionaire."

"Good," Li Luo nodded in agreement. "Whenever you're bored, start collecting material."

"Material?" Xu Youyu thought for a moment. "If the protagonist's goal is to lose money—and lose it legally and reasonably—then…"

"Pay attention to industries where investment is high but returns are low or disproportionate, and where risk is as high as possible," Li Luo advised. "Also, they must be industries readers are familiar with, to maintain immersion."

"Hmm…" Xu Youyu pondered, then her eyes lit up. "Video games! Making games is super expensive—if you make one nobody plays, losing money is instant!"

"Mm, good," Li Luo nodded approvingly. "That's the right mindset—think of other similar industries."

"Then compile a list of these industries and specifically gather real-world pain points within them."

"User pain points, consumer pain points, corporate pain points, employee pain points—all aspects."

"The key final point is how the protagonist can legally and reasonably spend money lavishly—and still end up making a profit."

"Once this logical loop is solidified, the novel is complete."

After Li Luo laid it all out, Xu Youyu's ideas for this topic exploded into vivid detail—she wanted to finish Gu Dao Changqing immediately and start writing this new book.

Online novel writers are all fickle creatures—after writing one book for a year or so, they grow bored, like old married couples dutifully paying their dues, devoid of passion.

But once they start talking about a new book, their excitement surges like a first love—fierce as a spring beast.

The keyboard clacks never stop.

Unfortunately, reality was that Xu Youyu was still far from finishing her old book—she'd need to diligently type for another four months before she could be free.

Thinking of this, her earlier excitement vanished; she sighed deeply again, slumped back onto the desk, and stared blankly at the writing software on her screen.

Li Luo paid her no more attention, fully focusing again on writing—another four-thousand-word chapter completed, he opened the outlining software and continued preparing for the new book.

With the experience from Night Watch of Great Qian and memories from his past life, Li Luo's preparation for the new book was going smoothly.

Especially with the aid of the Memory Palace, his current writing ability was entirely different from his past life.

Most authors can only barely balance quality and quantity.

For most normal authors, maintaining a daily ten-thousand-word update is already the limit.

And that's only if they completely abandon all daily leisure and entertainment.

Once they miss a day, the ten-thousand-word rhythm becomes impossible to resume.