Chapter 54

【PS: Second update, please recommend and support~】

Going live? This was what Tong Yan had been waiting for since he started writing web novels. Going live meant he could officially earn royalties!

Tong Yan: Sister Melon, can we really go live?

Even the innkeeper, Zhan Hong, sitting at the counter could sense Tong Yan's excitement and eagerness.

Watermelon: The number of followers for 'The Wild History of a Private Soldier' is already quite substantial. Once we give it a strong recommendation, breaking ten thousand is a sure thing. This fully meets our requirements for going live.

Watermelon: However, the list for next week's strong recommendations has already been finalized. You'll have to wait until the week after next. So, in about half a month, your novel can go live. I'll let you know how to activate the VIP function at that time.

Tong Yan: Thank you, Sister Melon, thank you!

This news was like a thunderclap for Tong Yan, giving him renewed energy after being bogged down by the plot of his novel. To earn royalties, he was ready to give it his all this time!

As he was about to leave after logging off, Tong Yan was called back by the innkeeper.

"That kid, come here."

"What's up, boss?" Tong Yan asked, puzzled. He hadn't forgotten to pay for his internet time, so why was she calling him?

"Where do you go to school?" Zhan Hong asked.

Tong Yan instinctively became wary, "Why are you asking? Does the internet cafe care about that?"

"Just asking. If you don't want to say, I'll guess. Is it Yangping No. 1 High School?"

Being guessed correctly didn't mean much. Tong Yan's age clearly made him more likely to be a high school student, and the nearest high school was No. 1 High School. This guess was not very sophisticated.

"Yeah, so what?"

Zhan Hong smiled, "Nothing, we're alumni. I also went to No. 1 High School. Call me senior."

"Can I get free internet if I call you senior?" Tong Yan asked slyly. In fact, he didn't want to call her that; he always associated the term "senior" with Song RAO.

"Then don't call me that," Zhan Hong replied even more slyly. "By the way, who's your homeroom teacher? I might know them."

"Song Xiancheng, the one known as the handsome Song Seung-heon. You must know him," Tong Yan said proudly.

Zhan Hong's expression froze, and her lips twitched. It was him, really him! Looking at Tong Yan, she couldn't help but admire him. This kid actually dared to date his homeroom teacher's daughter; he must have the courage of a lion. But, she liked it.

"I know him, of course. Your Teacher Song is quite famous."

"Of course," Tong Yan nodded. "Boss, I'll be leaving now. I might come back these next few evenings."

As he stepped out, the first thing Tong Yan did was look for bicycles, hoping to spot that graceful and slender figure. Waiting for Song RAO outside the internet cafe had become a habit for him.

Unfortunately, he didn't see her, which was normal. She couldn't predict his movements, so it was unlikely she would always appear at the right time.

Tong Yan walked down the street with a dejected look. After a few steps, he suddenly heard a girl's voice, "Tong Yan?"

Tong Yan's spirits lifted, and he turned around quickly, only to deflate again, "It's you, Yezi."

It was Ye Qingzhu. Of course, this road was more convenient for her. Song RAO always took a detour to pick him up.

Ye Qingzhu didn't catch the disappointment in Tong Yan's voice and said, "Let's go together."

"Sure, okay, thanks." Tong Yan and Ye Qingzhu walked north together. Several times, he almost called her "senior," but in the end, he stopped talking. Ye Qingzhu wasn't much of a talker either.

Since it was the first day of school, Tong Yan could walk through the main gate without any issues.

As they approached the school gate, Tong Yan stopped and let Ye Qingzhu ride in. At that moment, Song RAO and Zhao Ying happened to be riding from another direction and saw Tong Yan and Ye Qingzhu on the same bike.

Song RAO saw Tong Yan from a distance and was about to greet him, but when she saw Ye Qingzhu behind him, she made a sharp turn and rushed into the school, leaving Zhao Ying a bit flustered.

Tong Yan had wanted to call out "senior," but she ignored him and went straight into the school, leaving him disappointed.

Tong Yan had timed his arrival perfectly, just in time for the first evening study session. As usual, it was a night for copying homework, but unlike before, when others copied from him, now he copied from others.

"Guanyi, let me see your math test..."

In the past, whether it was holiday homework or after-class assignments, Tong Yan always did them himself. He enjoyed the sense of accomplishment after solving difficult problems. But now, to save time and mental energy, he copied from Dong Guanyi, rationalizing that he could solve them himself if he had to.

Two days later, after resting and regaining his strength, Tong Yan climbed over the wall again. After a night of intense writing, he managed to write four chapters. His current state wasn't as good as before, and he wrote very slowly and laboriously. If he wrote more loosely, he could have written seven or eight chapters, but he cared deeply about the quality of his work and didn't want to compromise on that, so he had to compromise on the word count.

Before leaving, Tong Yan logged into QQ and sent the chapters to his cousin. To his surprise, his cousin was online.

Liu Ming: Xiao Yan, where are you now? Are you at an internet cafe?

Tong Yan: Yeah.

Liu Ming: You! Don't write for now. Get back to school quickly and call home.

Tong Yan: Mingge, what's wrong? Did something happen at home?

Liu Ming: Your mom is sick. Uncle has already taken her to Yangping for treatment. It seems to be cancer...

Tong Yan didn't know how he left the internet cafe. When he stepped outside, the sky wasn't fully bright yet, and the entire sky was as dark as his mood.

Tong Yan wanted to go straight to the hospital, but he couldn't. If he did, he would be skipping school, and his late-night internet sessions would be exposed. So, he had to go to school first.

The school's convenience store had a public phone. During the morning exercise period, Tong Yan went to the store and called home.

At this time, Shan Shan should still be at home, and if he called any later, she might not be there.

"Brother? Brother!" Recognizing Tong Yan's voice, Tong Shanshan's voice was filled with sobs. The 14-year-old girl was truly terrified.

"Shan Shan, tell me, what's wrong with Mom?"

"When you left, you took Mom for a check-up, and they found a tumor in her stomach... The county hospital said they couldn't treat it, so Dad took her to the city... City Third Hospital, yes..."

While Tong Yan was on the phone with his sister, the class monitor, Huang Yelou, was already furious in the morning exercise formation.

"What's wrong with Tong Yan? He actually skipped morning exercises. I have to tell the homeroom teacher." As one of the class monitors, Huang Yelou was responsible for counting the number of students during morning exercises, and Tong Yan had walked right into his trap.

Dong Guanyi spoke up, "Is it that serious? Why don't you ask his dorm mates why Tong Yan hasn't come yet?"

Wang Ping and Zheng Jing, the four of them, became the focus of everyone's attention. Unlike Dong Guanyi, they knew the truth. They had all known that Tong Yan had gone out all night. When Dong Guanyi asked, they all panicked. Could it be that Tong Yan really didn't make it back? This was really bad!