Chapter 18

【PS: Thank you, Gongzi Lang, for your repeated generous donations, and thank you, Dong'e Xidu, for your support. We have successfully entered the top 50, but the competition is still tight. We need to keep pushing forward!】

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

"Indeed, it's me who wrote it. You know, my nickname is Dian Xiao'er." Tong Yan did not deny it.

"Really you!" Zhang Xiao slapped his thigh. "I asked you on QQ, but you didn't respond. I left a message in the book review section, but you didn't reply. I thought I must have mistaken someone else for you."

Tong Yan's QQ number was registered after his cousin bought a computer. He only had two friends: his cousin and Zhang Xiao. He rarely went online because there were too few people to chat with. As for the book review section, he only checked it after uploading new chapters, so it was normal that he didn't see the message.

Tong Yan immediately opened the webpage for "The Little Soldier's Wild History" and indeed saw a comment in the book review section from an ID called "Wo Ben Xiaozhang": Boss Tong, is it you?

Wo Ben Xiaozhang, Zhang Xiao himself, had indeed left the message yesterday evening. No wonder Tong Yan hadn't seen it. At this point, the comment had attracted the interest of many readers, and its popularity even surpassed that of Flame Thirteen's.

1st Floor: What, Dian Xiao'er's last name is Tong? And he's a boss?

2nd Floor: No way, what kind of boss has so much free time? He even writes novels? Doesn't he need to earn money for a mistress?

3rd Floor: What's a mistress? I, the innocent one, don't understand~

4th Floor: So Dian Xiao'er is rich. Xiao'er, can we be friends?

5th Floor: Don't fantasize, maybe the OP mistook someone else for him.

...

There were over ten replies to this book review, indicating that the author's identity had caused a small stir among the few readers.

Zhang Xiao was also surprised, "Wow, so many replies! You're about to become famous, buddy!"

Tong Yan felt a bit proud and replied to the comment, "It might be me~~" Although his real-life friend was right there, he couldn't resist interacting with him online.

Such an ambiguous response immediately sparked more speculation, mainly involving the keywords "mistress" and "boss." However, Tong Yan didn't pay much attention. He was chatting with Zhang Xiao about his writing journey, which was the reason for Zhang Xiao's visit.

"Over half a month, I read a lot of books day and night. Some were truly amazing; I couldn't help but applaud. Look at the handprints on the table; they're mine."

"But there were also some books that, despite their fame, I found mediocre. They weren't as good as my essays."

Zhang Xiao interjected, "But essays and novels are different, right? Those are over a million words."

Tong Yan continued, "So I didn't underestimate those online writers. Writing quickly inevitably lowers the quality of the text. A million-word novel, even if it's a bit watered down, still has an extremely large framework, which isn't easy to write. I heard that the completion rate for online novels is very low; most of them get abandoned halfway (PS: the professional term is 'eunuch'). Therefore, I didn't dare to be careless. Before deciding to start writing, I spent three whole days building the world of 'The Little Soldier's Wild History.' Even so, when I started writing, I was still very cautious."

"Only three days of preparation? I don't think you took it very seriously," Zhang Xiao said with a smirk.

Tong Yan ignored him and continued, "Although the preparation was a bit rushed, I kept learning as I wrote. Just now, I submitted an application for a contract. If it's approved, I should be close to getting paid for my work."

At this point, Tong Yan no longer hid his pride. To him, earning royalties was a more respectable form of income than other jobs, perhaps due to his admiration for writers since childhood.

"Never thought royalties were so easy to earn. I might write something to earn some pocket money," Zhang Xiao said, though he didn't lack pocket money. The title of "author" was very helpful for dating girls in school, a temptation he found hard to resist.

Tong Yan sighed, "It's not that easy. Writing a novel tests both your mental and physical strength. I spend at least eight hours a day just typing, barely leaving my chair. Then, I have to brainstorm plots at night, racking my brain to prepare for the next day's progress. Altogether, it's about eleven or twelve hours a day, just to update a few thousand words." Tong Yan spoke honestly, not to discourage Zhang Xiao.

"Writing a novel is so hard. I'll stick to being a reader," Zhang Xiao said, pulling his shoulders up. "By the way, how many favorites does your novel have?" As a reader, he could see the clicks and recommendations on the page, but not the favorites.

"I haven't checked today, but it should have increased a bit." Tong Yan reopened the backend. At that moment, he heard a "ding." The last time he heard this sound was when his book passed the review. This meant he had a new message.

When he saw the content of the message, Zhang Xiao grinned, his genuine laughter attracting Liu Ming from nearby. "What's going on? What's going on?"

Tong Yan and Zhang Xiao made room for Liu Ming, who could just see the small text on the screen: "Hello, I am the editor of Qidian, Watermelon. Your work, 'The Little Soldier's Wild History,' has been submitted for a contract. Please contact the contract editor, Wheat (QQ: ******), to discuss the contract details. When adding as a friend, please note: Book title 'The Little Soldier's Wild History,' author Dian Xiao'er, submitted by Watermelon."

"Brother, your novel has been contracted! Amazing! I knew you could do it!" Liu Ming patted Tong Yan hard on the back, and Zhang Xiao shook his shoulders vigorously, expressing his excitement.

Compared to them, Tong Yan was much calmer. He knew that getting a contract was inevitable. He had observed for some time that any book that entered the top ten of the new book potential list would almost certainly be contracted, and he was no exception.

Following the instructions in the message, Tong Yan logged into QQ and added the contract editor, Wheat, as a friend. Under the watchful eyes of his cousin and Zhang Xiao, he began the conversation with the editor.

Liu Ming kept an eye on the chat box, showing great concern for his cousin's first contract. He was afraid that the naive Tong Yan might be cheated, but at this point, Liu Ming couldn't offer much advice. This was a normal contract process with Qidian, neither a loss of national dignity nor a desperate plea. Everything would follow the rules, signing a two-year "Literary Work Electronic Contract" (Note: In 2006, it was changed to five years, and in 2009, it became a permanent contract).

The contract terms stated that if neither party notified the other in writing to terminate the agreement within two months after the two-year period, the agreement would automatically extend for one year. The authorization was for global electronic rights, and it also included exclusive global Chinese publishing rights (simplified and traditional), magazine rights, and the rights to adapt the work into films and animations. Of course, these were premature for Tong Yan.

Everything was new to Tong Yan, and he had many questions. The editor provided answers, and the editor also had to ask Tong Yan some routine questions. He answered whatever was asked, but when it came to the bank account number, he encountered a problem because Tong Yan didn't have a bank card.

It's perfectly normal for a sixteen-year-old kid not to have a bank card.