Chapter 844: Xu Youyu Has a Huge Conscience

Twelve noon.

Li Luo finished his fitness routine, took a quick shower in the small bathroom he brought along, then changed clothes and prepared to go upstairs for lunch.

Just then, Ying Chanxi drove home and entered through the gate of the underground garage on B1.

"Why are you here?" Ying Chanxi stepped in, slipped on slippers, and looked at Li Luo in confusion.

"I foresaw that our Chanxi was coming home, so I waited here specially to escort you upstairs for lunch," Li Luo grinned and pulled her into his arms.

"Sounds nice," Ying Chanxi rolled her eyes, not believing a word of it, but her lips still curled up sweetly, "Lin Yi sent me a message saying they made lunch today and told me to come back and eat with them."

"Mm," Li Luo nodded. "Aren't we going to look at houses this afternoon? They came over early to cook, so will you come with us to check out the properties?"

"Will Zhusheng come too?"

"Probably."

"Then I'll go too."

As they spoke, the two reached the first floor.

Xu Youyu and Yan Zhusheng were already helping to carry dishes in the dining area.

Seeing this, Ying Chanxi immediately shoved her bag into Li Luo's arms and rushed forward to join in the work.

The villa's kitchen was large, with three sliding doors opening to the dining room, so even with Lin Xiuhong and the other two cooking inside, it didn't feel cramped.

Now with six people inside, it was still just barely spacious enough.

But Li Luo had no intention of squeezing in; he simply washed his hands at the sink beside the sideboard and sat down at the dining table, ready to enjoy lunch.

Soon after, the other six took their seats, and Lin Xiuhong waved her hand—everyone picked up their chopsticks.

"By the way, Mom, why are you here too?" Li Luo asked, glancing at Lin Xiuhong. "I didn't think of it until now, but I thought I only told Aunt Yuan and Aunt Cui about buying the house."

"Your Aunt Cui invited me," Lin Xiuhong gave him a look. "Then I asked Aunt Yuan if she had time to come over for lunch before checking out the houses."

"I see," Li Luo nodded understandingly, then smiled. "Then why not buy one for her too?"

"You wouldn't even move in with your dad when I asked you before."

"Now if Uncle Ying moves from Jincheng Community, and Uncle Xu and the others move here too, you'll have people you know around you."

"You talk like that," Lin Xiuhong shot him an irritated look. "Do you think money grows on trees?"

"It's not that expensive," Li Luo said, turning to Butler Liu. "How much does a townhouse here cost again?"

"A standard unit is around five to six million," Butler Liu bowed slightly in reply.

"See? Isn't that cheap?" Lin Xiuhong glanced at her son.

"It's fine," Li Luo said. "Just two or three months' royalty income."

Lin Xiuhong: "..."

"Are your royalties really that high now?" Cui Suling couldn't help asking.

"Mom, he's got one book ranked number one site-wide, plus another that's consistently in the top ten across all channels—his royalties are normal at this level," Xu Youyu added beside him.

The average subscription for Night Watch of Great Qian is now nearing one hundred thousand; just from Qidian's main site, the monthly royalty alone reaches six hundred thousand.

Including channel fees, it easily surpasses one million.

Remember, this year Wenxue Group's distribution channels are still very rich; Li Luo's two books are both major hits on these channels, and channel royalties often far exceed main site subscription royalties.

For example, last month's settlement showed Night Watch of Great Qian's total royalties exceeded one point five million, with the bulk coming from channel revenue.

Meanwhile, I Am Really Not a Star, with around sixty-five thousand average subscriptions on the main site, earns about two hundred thousand in main site royalties, but channel royalties reach six to seven hundred thousand—add in other minor income sources, monthly earnings still break one million.

In other words, Li Luo's pure digital income from just these two books now reaches two to three million per month.

And his personal income is still far beyond that.

"The songs Li Luo wrote for me continue to generate passive income every month—it's a substantial sum," Yuan Wanqing smiled.

"That's right," Ying Chanxi nodded along, explaining to Lin Xiuhong. "Lin Yi, the royalties from Li Luo's songs, even after converting the ongoing income, earn him a lot each month."

This income isn't just from Yuan Wanqing's online digital albums.

It also includes streaming revenue from platforms like Tencent Music, and BGM creation on platforms like TikTok, which pay creators royalties for streams.

Also, radio stations, TV networks, KTVs, and other public venues using background music must pay licensing fees for the songs.

Of course, this area is mixed—most use pirated audio—but generally, the more formal the institution, the more likely they use licensed versions.

Additionally, if any variety show features someone singing a song Li Luo wrote, the production team must pay copyright fees to broadcast it.

This ongoing income may not match Li Luo's subscription royalties, but due to music's widespread dissemination, the long-tail effect is very pronounced.

Some songs with massive reach can continue generating substantial income for creators even ten or twenty years later.

"Don't forget Little Joy," Yuan Wanqing continued. "Zhi Cheng mentioned to me that the streaming rights for Little Joy have been sold in multiple rounds—those earnings must be substantial too."

"Not much, not much," Li Luo waved his hand modestly. "Just a few tens of millions—nothing compared to Aunt Yuan."

Yuan Wanqing gave him a look: "I'm complimenting you—don't change the subject. Besides, no matter how much I earn now, it's all thanks to you."

Yuan Wanqing's studio now has annual revenue exceeding one billion, but that's just revenue.

After accounting for expenses, what actually lands in Yuan Wanqing's hands is about one hundred million.

This year alone, Li Luo has already earned three to four hundred million from Little Joy's investment returns.

Add his two books' annual income of roughly two hundred million, plus the recent sale of Kai Duan's rights, and other minor earnings, the gap between him and Yuan Wanqing isn't that wide.

To Li Luo, all this is just external wealth—once income reaches this level, it's merely a string of numbers.

What matters more is how to use it to make life happier and more fulfilling.

After listening to their back-and-forth chatter, Lin Xiuhong fell into a long silence.

She had already known her son earned a lot.

Especially when Little Joy sold for over ten million in copyright fees, she'd been stunned for a long time.

But that copyright fee, split fifty-fifty with the website and after taxes, left Li Luo with only a few million—and it was a one-time payment.