Chapter 39 of 100

Chapter 39

13 min read3,279 words

Originally, Tong Yan, who was typing at a speed of over 80 characters per minute, suddenly stopped his typing.

Song Rao, who was watching with great amusement, said discontentedly, "Hey, why did you stop? Keep writing!"

"Didn't you notice that it's a bit crowded here?" Tong Yan tilted his head with difficulty, expressing his dissatisfaction to Song Rao.

Reminded by Tong Yan, Song Rao suddenly realized that they were actually so close, their two youthful and handsome faces were only five centimeters apart.

Song Rao, feeling embarrassed, touched her ponytail, "What you're writing is quite interesting. Is this a fairy tale?"

Tong Yan broke out in a sweat, "Is what I wrote that childish? It's a science fiction novel."

"Miao Star and Wang Star, well, it does make sense to call it science fiction," Song Rao recalled the plot she had just read with interest, "Why are you writing this?"

Since he had stopped, Tong Yan decided to explain clearly, "This is a short story I wrote. I plan to submit it to a magazine to earn money. This is why I need to use this computer, and I stayed up all night for this."

"Ah? Can you really earn money from it?" Song Rao's eyes widened. She knew that her father had once earned 14.5 yuan by submitting articles to a newspaper when he was young, and he had boasted about it for over ten years. In Song Rao's view, anyone who could earn money by writing must be extraordinary, at least more talented than her father. Could this boy in front of her have such great ability?

Tong Yan shook his head, "It's hard to say. Whether it will be accepted depends on the editor. I need to input this novel into the computer as soon as possible. If I don't hurry, it will be past the deadline."

"Oh," Song Rao nodded, and under Tong Yan's gaze, she belatedly asked, "Am I disturbing you?"

"If you stay a bit further away, it might be better. I feel pressured when you're too close," Tong Yan said frankly.

"But I want to read your novel. I think it's very interesting," Song Rao didn't hide her thoughts.

"Really," Tong Yan's face lit up, "So what I wrote isn't bad." Tong Yan, who had never written a short story before, was a bit unsure, but the first reader's positive feedback made him relax a lot.

"Of course it's not bad, it's very good!" Song Rao agreed.

"Wait, I remember Mr. Song said you don't really like reading, right?" Tong Yan remembered that Old Song had complained to him about his daughter's lack of interest in studies. This didn't seem like someone who could get into reading.

Song Rao pouted, "You don't know what he makes me read. 'The Count of Monte Cristo,' 'How the Steel Was Tempered,' and 'The Three Musketeers.' I'd be crazy to like them!"

"Actually, the ones you mentioned are entry-level Western literature, considered easy to understand and popular. If Old Song made you read 'Walden' or 'One Hundred Years of Solitude,' you'd really be in trouble."

"Have you read all these?"

Tong Yan nodded.

"You're amazing!" Song Rao gave him a thumbs up, "No wonder what you write is so good."

Tong Yan smiled and nodded.

"Then I won't disturb you," Song Rao looked at the time, it was almost one o'clock. Her father should be coming soon, and she didn't feel right to ask to play games anymore, "But you have to let me read it when you're done."

"Of course," Tong Yan smiled, "I still need your password."

"Whenever I need it, you have to provide the key support."

Song Rao and Tong Yan made a mutual promise and parted ways amicably. However, Tong Yan was still curious about Song Rao's birthday. Seeing her admiring look just now, maybe she would tell him next time.

Direct transcription was faster than writing while thinking. In less than an hour, Tong Yan had already input over 3,000 words. With less than an hour before the afternoon class, and without Song Rao's magnetic interference, Tong Yan's typing speed increased. Writing 6,000 words was also possible with a bit of effort.

Although he was writing with enthusiasm, Tong Yan's anxiety never stopped. He was always paying attention to the outside, as the teachers' office was not soundproof or private. The large window had no curtains, and anyone passing by in the corridor could see everything inside. So Tong Yan had to constantly be alert to the outside noise to take the fastest and most accurate corrective measures.

At 1:30 PM, students started to enter the teaching building, and some diligent teachers entered the office to prepare for the afternoon classes.

Based on Tong Yan's understanding of Old Song, he was punctual but not diligent. He usually arrived about ten minutes before class. Recalling the schedule, the 3rd and 4th periods in the afternoon were Chinese, which meant the 1st and 2nd periods for Class 1 were also Chinese. This was not conducive to his quick lying.

Tong Yan always wanted to write for one more minute, but when the office door knocked, he regretted not finishing a minute earlier.

Fortunately, it wasn't someone else, but Ye Qingzhu.

Ye Qingzhu didn't expect to see Tong Yan in Mr. Song's room. She saw a small head moving behind the computer, so she knocked.

True to her "silence is golden" nature, even in this situation, Ye Qingzhu didn't ask what Tong Yan was doing.

Tong Yan saved his draft, logged out of QQ, and shut down the computer, pretending to be calm, "Ye Qingzhu, you came to get Mr. Song's textbook, right? Here you go." Tong Yan handed the textbook on the table to Ye Qingzhu.

After receiving it, Ye Qingzhu didn't move. Tong Yan knew that without satisfying her curiosity, she wouldn't let it go. Women, after all, are all gossipy.

"Actually, I was just..."

"Do you have a QQ number?" Ye Qingzhu interrupted Tong Yan.

"What?" Tong Yan thought he had heard wrong.

"I saw you playing on the computer just now, so you must have a QQ number, right? This is what Nini asked me to find out a few days ago." Ye Qingzhu mentioned Tian Xiaoni, giving no chance for Tong Yan to misunderstand.

After getting Tong Yan's QQ number, Ye Qingzhu left without prying into what he was doing on Old Song's computer. Such a girl was truly a relief.

This place was not suitable for staying long. Tong Yan packed his notebook and quietly slipped away.

Although the noon was quite nerve-wracking, constantly on guard against anyone discovering his illegal actions, the results were still good. He had written nearly 6,000 words, about a quarter of the entire novel.

Most importantly, this experience provided Tong Yan with a third way to write, besides the internet cafe and the computer lab. Almost every noon when Old Song was not around, he could go to the office to write. Even, even, Tong Yan's heart beat faster, could he try during evening self-study as well?

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