Chapter 52

In the small forest to the left of the main building of the new campus of Ice City University of Technology.

Zhang Shuai, the moderator of the BBS Emotion Board "I Am a Lone Wolf," hung his head and passed a note to the girl opposite him, who had a round face and a bright smile that never left it, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Miss Liu, please be merciful and let me off, and treat me quickly."

Liu Ruyi glared, and Zhang Shuai quickly dared not say another word. He flipped open the note and said, "Look at you guys, what do you think about all day? Banning you for a few days is for your own good. You're already a bit deficient and don't take care of yourself."

Zhang Shuai cursed inwardly, damn it, I'm not deficient at all. I'm invincible and unbeatable, incredibly brave. I really want to prove it right away, but his face still looked miserable, and he kept nodding in agreement.

"Hey," Liu Ruyi exclaimed, looking at the information on the note in disbelief. "San Pang, Liu Meng? One person? You wolf, are you lying to me?" Liu Ruyi's expression changed immediately.

Zhang Shuai immediately swore and promised repeatedly, "I'm in this state, how could I dare to lie to you?"

Liu Ruyi believed him. She believed that Zhang Shuai wouldn't dare to lie to her again, but she was just a bit surprised. She secretly sneered, "Liu Meng, you knew I'm Ruyi, yet you still went against me. Even worse, you pretended in front of me."

She patted Zhang Shuai's back a few times and said, "Alright, scram."

Zhang Shuai didn't feel any significant change in his body and was a bit worried. "Is that it? Miss Liu, you can't play with me. My girlfriend is about to break up with me. This concerns my lifelong happiness."

"Stop talking nonsense. Whether it works or not, you'll know when you try it yourself. I'm in a good mood, so get lost quickly," Liu Ruyi said impatiently.

Zhang Shuai didn't dare to say more. He was really afraid of her. He didn't know if her family had a traditional Chinese medicine background or something, but she was quite mysterious. He ran to the west gate and quickly called a taxi, "Driver, East Gate of Ice City Normal University, hurry up."

The young driver didn't hesitate and sped up. Zhang Shuai was extremely anxious. The last time he couldn't get it up had left a shadow on him. He really wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible and kept urging, "Driver, faster, it's a matter of life and death."

......

In the following days, Liu Meng spent most of his days in the library, diligently reviewing "Advanced Mathematics" and English. The bright library always had a scholarly atmosphere. These days, his mind was very calm, and he felt comfortable being a diligent student, a familiar and pleasant feeling.

While reading, he received a message from Liu Ruyi, "Scoundrel, I haven't seen you for so long. Where have you been hiding? Let's meet tonight."

Liu Ruyi surprisingly attended a few classes but didn't see Liu Meng. She even went to the study room of Class 3 a few nights but still didn't see him. She couldn't hold her temper and took the initiative to ask.

The mid-term exam was the next day, and Liu Meng was reviewing well. He didn't expect Liu Ruyi to want to meet. He thought about it and decided to reply, "Forget it, I really don't have time today. How about next time?"

Liu Ruyi saw the reply and immediately gritted her teeth, determined to catch this guy and make him suffer.

At 6:30 PM, he arrived at Guo Yunting's house on time. Zhou Shiyuan was obediently doing her homework. Liu Meng looked at the little girl, who was so focused, and felt very pleased. He felt something was off, as the little girl had been unusually obedient these days, unlike her usual mischievous self.

Could it be that under my strong personality, the little girl has finally returned to the path of diligence and learning? He indulged in a bit of self-admiration but then thought he might not be that charming.

He decided not to think about it. As long as the little girl was obediently studying, it was a good thing.

Liu Meng could then enjoy playing on the computer and continue writing his novel. He had been reviewing for the exam, but he hadn't stopped updating his novel, which had already exceeded 2 million words, and the number of updates was close to 300,000. In 2004, this was a rarity in the online novel world.

At that time, many novels ended around 800,000 words, and those over 1 million were rare. A public version reaching 300,000 words and updating 20,000 words daily was a crazy pace.

Even the Dianmiao Chinese Network was on fire. In the world of online literature, updates were king, especially when they were of high quality. In three weeks, he had already cultivated a group of historical and alternate history readers, and some physical readers had also joined the online reading through word of mouth.

The comment section was already lively, with the first long review by "Sakura Flow" being pinned. Seeing that "Sakura Flow" had just updated a comment and written another long review, praising "Return to Ming" for its handling of the emotional storyline, dozens of replies quickly followed, making it quite lively.

Thinking about this, Liu Meng immediately logged into QQ, wondering if "Sakura Flow" had added him as a friend and wanting to chat with her.

As soon as he logged into QQ, two verification messages popped up. One was a notification that "Sakura Flow" had passed the friend verification, and the other was a request to add a friend. Eager to chat with "Sakura Flow," he saw that the request was from an intellectual beauty's avatar and quickly accepted it.

"Sakura Flow" was online, and he sent several messages eagerly. Soon, the two were chatting as if they had known each other for a long time.

He didn't even notice the message notification below. Another message came in, "Are you San Pang? Hello, I am the fourth group editor of Dianmiao Chinese Network, Donggua. I would like to discuss the signing of your work 'Return to Ming' with you."

Donggua, who hadn't finished work, was still reviewing new books. Books rated three stars required a 50,000-word review to decide on signing, four stars required a 30,000-word review, and two stars required a 100,000-word review. "Return to Ming" was initially rated two stars.

While reviewing new books, he didn't expect QQ to pop up a message, indicating that San Pang had passed the verification. Donggua was excited and quickly sent a message.

Donggua, who was usually proud, was for the first time somewhat humble and accommodating.

Liu Meng was chatting enthusiastically with Sakura Flow and didn't notice the message.

Donggua was excited to finally contact this cunning fox. He sent a message, but after a while, there was no response. He felt a bit impatient and sent another message, "Comrade San Pang, are you there?"

This had a bit of a coquettish tone.

The status clearly showed he was online, but after five minutes, there was still no reply. Donggua's temper flared, and he sent a direct message, "Fatso, stop pretending, you're clearly online."

Liu Meng had been chatting with Sakura Flow about Ming history and the novel, and she had given several insightful suggestions. Finally, Sakura Flow said, "I have to go to school, let's chat next time."

This person, so knowledgeable, was still a student? Liu Meng casually replied, "Ah, you're still a student, no kidding, what grade?"

"Third year of junior high, didn't you check my profile?"

Liu Meng almost fainted. He had been chatting with a third-year junior high student for so long. He opened her profile and saw clearly written: 15 years old, female, Hong Kong Island.

"Sakura Flow" said goodbye and logged off, leaving Liu Meng still feeling a bit unsatisfied.

This book friend, though young, had a deep understanding of online literature and knew the website's operations well. She even gave Liu Meng some development suggestions and advised him not to sign too quickly, suggesting he continue the public version, predicting that "Return to Ming" would exceed 5 million words and become a major hit.

After closing the chat window with "Sakura Flow," he noticed the flashing message. He opened it and saw that it was from the Dianmiao Chinese Network editor Donggua, who had already sent several messages. Liu Meng calmly replied, "Hello, beautiful editor, I've already read your contract."

Donggua, who had been somewhat disheartened, was suddenly invigorated by San Pang's reply. He sat up straight in his chair, ready to start the fox-catching operation.

"Here's the thing, we believe your work has potential and want to recommend it to achieve better results. However, without a contract, we can't recommend it according to our rules."

"Oh, no rush, let's wait and see. Huandao Book Alliance has already given me a major recommendation, and I haven't signed with them either," San Pang replied.

Seeing that Huandao Book Alliance had given a major recommendation this week, Liu Meng was quite moved. Although they had never contacted him, he had already decided to sign with Huandao Book Alliance. Recently, the book review section of Huandao Book Alliance had been flooded with criticism, mostly from the loyal fans of the great god A Chao.

The major recommendation was originally for A Chao's new book "Supreme Fist King," but it was temporarily changed to "Return to Ming," which made A Chao's fans very unhappy, and they came to curse. Meanwhile, "Return to Ming" had also formed a significant fan base.

The two sides were like water and fire, and the book review section was filled with intense debates.

Among them, the book friends "Emperor Zhengde" and "Rogue Prince" were the most enthusiastic, spontaneously forming a book friend group to rally the fans and increase their strength, which moved Liu Meng. He made this post a sticky and highlighted it.

Seeing this, Donggua almost wanted to curse. This was the first time he had negotiated a contract with a new author in such a manner. 99.99% of new authors would sign immediately upon seeing the contract, not act like a big shot.

"New books have a golden period. Missing this period for a recommendation, even a good book might be buried. I hope you can consider it carefully. After all, Dianmiao Chinese Network now has the largest number of readers in the online literature world," Donggua thought about his words and continued.

"No problem, I'm best at emerging from the sand," Liu Meng replied. In this situation, if he didn't take the initiative, he would be a fool, and this was not difficult for him.

"Staying in the sand for too long can suffocate," Donggua replied through gritted teeth.

"I brought an oxygen tank, enough for three months. Let's meet again in three months, beautiful lady."

The two were talking and engaging in a battle of wits.

Before Donggua could think of a strategy to counter, Liu Meng sent a message: "Got to go, see you later. PS, beautiful editor, it was nice chatting with you."

Donggua threw a book on the table and cursed, "Shameless, utterly shameless."

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