Chapter 8

"Mom, Dad, I'm back."

"Ai Chen, did you cause any trouble at Wang Ni's place yesterday?" Wei Xin asked.

Wang Ni? Su Shichen realized that the person his mother was referring to must be Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang was only in her early thirties, definitely not over thirty-five, while his mother was thirty-eight, so calling her "sister" wasn't wrong.

"Of course not." Aunt Wang doesn't know what I did to her while she was sleeping, so it shouldn't count as causing trouble, right? No, it doesn't.

"How about the book deal?" Although Su Jian seemed indifferent, he was actually very concerned about this matter.

"I've already signed the contract with Aunt Wang. She's already given me the 5,000 yuan advance." I took out the money, bought a computer, and treated Ma Jun to a big meal, so there's only a little over a thousand left.

"Why is there only a little over a thousand left? Wasn't it 5,000 yuan? Did you spend it recklessly again?" Wei Xin's face was stern, and her tone was somewhat severe.

"No, I bought a computer." Wei Xin opened her mouth to say something, but Su Shichen didn't give her the chance to speak. "I'm in the second year of junior high. By the third year, I'll need to use a computer frequently. I can't always run to your room, and besides, there's a lot of important data on your computer. If I accidentally lose something, it would be bad."

"Let it be, Wei Xin. The 5,000 yuan is what Shichen earned himself. Let him manage it himself. We're not short of 5,000 yuan." Su Jian spoke up.

Wei Xin finally gave in, but she still muttered, "What do you know? I'm afraid that if Shichen buys a computer, he won't study and will only play on it, and his grades will drop."

"Mom, you don't need to worry about that. The computer I bought isn't too powerful. It can only play movies and look up information, not games. That's why it only cost a little over 3,000 yuan." With that settled, things would be easier.

"Shichen, are you going to need another internet cable for the computer?"

"No, the internet at home is 8M, which is more than enough for two computers. I just need to run a cable from the modem."

"Will we need to pay more each month?" Wei Xin asked.

"No, we'll still pay the same amount each month."

"Okay, when will the computer arrive?" Su Jian asked.

"I bought it from a classmate, so it can be delivered today." Su Shichen replied.

"Okay, I'll call Uncle Wang later to have him run the cable." As they were talking, the computer arrived. Su Shichen's room already had a desk, so they didn't need to buy one. However, they didn't have an extra power outlet, so they had to buy a power strip. After some effort, they finally set up the computer at home.

After finishing his homework, Su Shichen turned on the computer. The computer wasn't connected to the internet today, but he could still save his drafts. Su Shichen had a significant advantage in writing novels: he never got writer's block because the entire plot was already in his mind, and he was essentially copying it.

His fingers danced on the keyboard, typing at a moderate speed. In about an hour, he had written around 3,000 words. As a student, his primary task was to attend classes, and he got out of school at 5:30 PM. If nothing came up, he would get home around 6:00 PM, finish his homework, and start writing around 7:00 PM. Writing 10,000 words a day would take about three hours, so he would finish around 10:00 PM. This schedule worked well, and he could save more drafts on weekends.

Tomorrow, the web novel "The Legend of the Ordinary" (凡人修仙传), which is considered the origin of the "ordinary person" genre and the pinnacle of the "spiritual root" genre, would finally be released in this world!

On his way to school, he happened to run into the class president, Li Dongfang. "Class President..."

"Alright, I lost the bet on that word. You don't need to ask anymore. I owe you a favor." Li Dongfang interrupted him before he could speak, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Class President, I was just saying it was a coincidence. I had forgotten about the bet, but since you mentioned it, I'll reluctantly accept the favor."

Her cheeks puffed up, and she huffed, "Hmph!"

"What favor? Don't be too unreasonable."

"Let me think." Actually, Su Shichen hadn't really thought of a specific favor, but seeing Li Dongfang's pouting lips, he blurted out, "Kiss me."

"Peck!" Li Dongfang moved quickly, tiptoeing to kiss Su Shichen on the cheek.

Li Dongfang was quite bold and straightforward, not at all shy. After the kiss, she ran off, and by the time Su Shichen realized what had happened, she was already out of sight.

"Am I too evil for making a 14-year-old girl kiss me? But it felt pretty good." He touched his cheek, feeling the soft, moist touch of her lips. It was a very pleasant sensation that left a lasting impression.

A casual bet had unexpectedly earned Su Shichen a kiss. More surprises like this would be great. "How evil, as they say, every otaku has a perverted heart, meaning every otaku is a lolicon. Could my hidden lolicon heart have been awakened?"

He couldn't help but picture Li Dongfang's lively and youthful appearance, which indeed made many lolicons swoon.

Swinging his hips, he slowly walked to the classroom, where Ma Jun was already waiting for him.

"Xiao Si, you're finally here." "What do you need?"

"Xiao Si, did you forget what day it is today?"

"What day?"

"Today is the day the school magazine is released."

"The school magazine release day, what does that have to do with me?"

"Are you kidding? It has everything to do with you. This month's school magazine features your article as the main piece. How can you not buy a few copies to keep?"

Ma Jun seemed as excited as if his own article had been featured.

Under Ma Jun's urging, Su Shichen bought a few copies of the school magazine.

The cover of the school magazine showed an aerial view of the entire school: [Experimental Junior High School Magazine Issue 235 (Environmental Protection Issue)].

Below was his article:

"Recommended by the School Magazine Department, a perfect blend of environmental themes and micro-science fiction: 'Feed—Me.' By Su Shichen, Class 20, Junior 2, 36 pages."

The main article meant the title was displayed on the cover.

He shrugged, not really caring. If he weren't so young and lacked credibility, the articles in his mind could be published in any newspaper. After all, Su Shichen wasn't alone; he had the support of countless Earth authors and literary giants.

Ma Jun was very happy and, taking the lead, treated everyone to a delicious meal.

He was happy, and everyone was happy to get free food, but two people were sulking.

One was the class president, Li Dongfang. She had lost the bet, and Su Shichen had made such a request. Although she had a bit of admiration for him, this was too much, so she was quite upset.

The other was Tang Lingyu. She held the latest issue of the school magazine. There was no denying that Su Shichen's article was much better than hers, but her pride wouldn't allow her to admit defeat. So she clutched the magazine tightly and took it home.

When she opened the door, a strong smell of alcohol hit her. Tang Lingyu frowned and shouted, "Zhao Dandan, you're drinking secretly at home again."

"Oh? My precious daughter is back. What do you mean by 'secretly drinking'? I was just stuck while writing a review, so I had a little to find some inspiration." The speaker was Tang Lingyu's mother, Zhao Dandan, with long hair and a flushed face from drinking, looking very alluring.

Tang Lingyu didn't say anything and snatched the beer from Zhao Dandan's hand.

She cleaned up the bottles and the messy table.

From the empty beer bottles on the floor, it was clear that Zhao Dandan had drunk about five or six bottles while eating peanuts.

Zhao Dandan combed her hair and tossed it back. "School magazine, did our precious daughter's article make it into this issue?"

"No, it didn't. This time, the article chosen from our class wasn't mine. One of my classmates wrote better than me." Tang Lingyu replied.

"Who? Who could write better than our precious daughter?" Zhao Dandan's dazed eyes showed a hint of curiosity. Tang Lingyu was her daughter and her student, and her writing skills had long surpassed those of a junior high school student, even surpassing some high school students. Therefore, the articles chosen from Class 10 had always been Tang Lingyu's, from the first year to the second year. However, this time, she had been surpassed, and from Tang Lingyu's tone, she admitted that the other person wrote better.

Zhao Dandan knew her daughter well. She wouldn't admit defeat unless the other person was significantly better.

"It's a boy named Su Shichen. He used to hate writing, but after the summer, he suddenly became very good. Here, it's the article on the cover."

"Feed—Me. Haha, what an interesting title. Let me see page 36." Zhao Dandan read the article carefully, while Tang Lingyu went back to her room to do her homework.

The 3,000-word article didn't take long to read. Soon, Zhao Dandan finished it and skimmed through the other articles.

"The level of this article is clearly several grades higher than other junior high school articles. It's even on par with the teacher's articles in this magazine. Our precious daughter didn't lose by much. Writing about environmental protection in the form of a science fiction story is truly genius, with such imaginative ideas."

Putting down the magazine, she picked up a pen. "Today, I read an article in my daughter's school magazine, written by a young boy named Su Shichen..."

Zhao Dandan planned to write a review of the article and publish it in a newspaper.

After finishing, she worked in the kitchen for a while. "Precious daughter, come out and eat. Mom made some delicious food for you."

Tang Lingyu walked to the dining table. "Zhao Dandan, why is it instant noodles again?"

"Oh, my precious daughter, I forgot to go to the market today, and there's nothing in the fridge, so we'll have to make do. Besides, look how delicious and fragrant the instant noodles are. Not everyone can make them this well."

"Zhao Dandan, you said you forgot to buy groceries yesterday and ate instant noodles. You forgot again today?"

"I'm busy with work and taking care of you, both as a mother and a father..."

"Alright, alright, don't pretend to be teary-eyed. I'll buy groceries when I get home from school tomorrow."

"Kiss"

"Let go, don't kiss me..."