Chapter 37

【ps: Thanks to Xiejun for the tip~】

Student writers often face many challenges, especially in the early stages.

When Tong Yan saw Lin Tao and the others standing as punishment in front of the teaching building, he felt a deep empathy and even a bit of fear. Should he really persist?

The wavering lasted only a moment, quickly suppressed by Tong Yan. Looking at the brand new, modern teaching building behind Lin Tao and the others, Tong Yan knew he should persevere. As long as he earned enough稿费 (manuscript fees), his sister could study in the cleanest and most prestigious teaching building in Quanyangping, receiving an education that was outstanding even by provincial standards.

Tong Yan should be grateful that there was a computer class on Thursday. Two 50-minute classes would allow him to write something, at least enough to temporarily tide over the situation.

After the English class ended, Tong Yan didn't even go to the restroom. He rushed to the computer lab first. In a corner of the lab, there was a computer where the teacher couldn't see what he was doing. The right side was a wall, and the left side was a broken computer, so no one would disturb him while he wrote. He had to get there early to secure this advantageous position.

Now, the daily updates of "A Private Soldier's History" had already caused many readers to complain. If he missed an update, it would definitely hurt his reputation and even cause readers to leave. The deadline for the short story with Watermelon was also approaching, and it was urgent.

Tong Yan chose to write the chapter for "A Private Soldier's History" first. After a few days of not writing, he had to spend some time recalling the previous plot to ensure a smooth transition. Otherwise, the writing would feel very disjointed, a major drawback of intermittent writing. Even if he thought it through carefully, he couldn't completely eliminate this stiffness.

After about ten minutes of typing, his state slowly returned, and the cursor on the Word document moved quickly. At this point, if anyone asked him to help with typing, he would firmly refuse. He was already struggling to keep up, and he had no time for volunteer work.

In the second half of the computer class, the teacher connected the internet. Tong Yan didn't immediately go to the Qidian website but logged into QQ, where a "ding" notification sounded.

Tong Yan first checked the message from his editor, Sister Watermelon, who asked how far the novel had progressed and when it would be completed.

Tong Yan couldn't answer immediately, so he closed the chat window and read Zhang Xiao's message.

In response to Tong Yan's message from last week, Zhang Xiao replied, "I know, I know. Big brother, you're more nagging than my dad. Don't worry, getting into Quanyangping No. 1 High School is no problem for me."

Tong Yan didn't know that Zhang Xiao's confidence didn't come from his academic performance but from his father's wealth. His father was called "Zhang Millionaire" ten years ago and was even more successful now. A casual donation to the city's No. 1 High School would easily get him in!

His cousin Liu Ming also replied with a long message, "I know you have a heavy academic load. If you can't write, don't force it. Recently, I've been frequenting a website called 'Dragon's Sky.' The forum there gathers many online writers. After getting to know them, I realized that their lives aren't as glamorous as we imagine. Not everyone can sit in front of a computer and make a fortune. Only the top few can live without worrying about their livelihood and write full-time."

"I'm not doubting your ability, but this path isn't as easy as we imagine, especially without compromising your studies. So, if you really don't have the time and conditions to write, don't force it. I can post a notice explaining the situation to your readers. In two years, when you're in college and have the time, you can start writing again."

His cousin's words were sincere, but Tong Yan still wanted to give it one more try, for his sister and for himself.

Tong Yan opened his QQ mailbox, copied the content he had written in Word to the draft box, and then started writing directly in the draft box.

The draft box automatically saved every minute. Even if the computer lab encountered a power outage like last time, the saved content wouldn't be lost. He could simply restart the computer, log into his email, and find it. This was the solution he came up with after a significant loss.

In the two classes, Tong Yan had to write and also handle some homework assigned by the teacher. The constant switching reduced his efficiency, but he managed to write over 3,000 words. After sending these chapters to his cousin, Tong Yan left a message on QQ.

"Brother, don't worry about me. I'll find the time. I'll try to create the conditions for writing. Here are 3,000 words. Don't upload today's chapter yet. You can combine the existing two chapters into three 2,000-word chapters. This will buy us an extra day. I'll write the next part as soon as possible. If I can't make it, let the readers know I have something to attend to and will resume updates soon."

Turning 3,000 words into 2,000-word chapters wasn't ideal, but it was the best solution Tong Yan could think of to address the lack of drafts. However, this would only last for three days, and he still had to write a short story, so he needed to find other practical solutions.

On his way down from the fifth-floor computer lab to the third floor, Tong Yan passed by Old Song's office and saw someone inside.

Theoretically, this shouldn't have been the case. Old Song didn't have classes on Thursday and usually only came in the afternoon.

So, who was in his office? Through the window, Tong Yan saw a small part of a head behind the computer. From the hairstyle and the boldness, he knew exactly who it was.

Instead of heading to the cafeteria as planned, Tong Yan pushed the door open and entered the office.

"Cough, cough."

Hearing someone come in, Song RAO was startled. Her hand quickly moved the mouse, doing something suspicious.

When she saw it was Tong Yan, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. "Tong Yan, you scared me to death! Don't you know to knock before entering?" Although she was angry, the two dimples on her cheeks made her smile sweeter than most girls'.

Tong Yan wasn't swayed by her charm. He walked over to her. "What were you playing just now?"

"I wasn't playing anything. I was just looking up some college information to prepare for the college entrance exam. You wouldn't understand." Song RAO spoke in a big sisterly tone.

"Is that so? Then what's the QQ炫舞 (QQ Dance) icon in the taskbar? Don't tell me that the wise and elegant Teacher Song still plays QQ Dance." Fortunately, his cousin's computer also had QQ Dance installed, or Tong Yan wouldn't have recognized the icon.

"Must you flatter me so much?" Song RAO muttered.

"Come on, just admit it, Senior Song." Tong Yan tapped the desk, signaling Song RAO to be serious.

Song RAO flicked her side bangs. "Last time, I rode my bike to bring you back to school and covered for you when you stayed up all night at the internet cafe. How should we settle this?"

Thinking about the leverage she had over him, Tong Yan deflated. "Alright, it's even. I won't tell Teacher Song. Aren't you going to eat? I'm going now." It was mealtime, and the office area was almost empty.

"You go ahead. I'm waiting for Zhao Ying. She's talking to our Chinese teacher." Song RAO propped her chin on her hand, looking lazy.

After a quick lunch, Tong Yan didn't return to the dormitory for a nap but went back to the teacher's office in the teaching building. He pushed the door of the Chinese department head's office and found it locked, but this didn't stop him. He smiled and reached for the keychain on his belt...

【ps: The situation isn't good, I'm far behind. To improve, I need your support and recommendations~~~~】

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