Chapter 74

【PS: Thanks to Jun San Ye and Yi Xiao Ji Duo Chou for their generous donations. Today is the last day for the new book ranking, and it's already at 13th place. Can everyone give it one more push and cast a vote so we can enjoy the spotlight on the homepage~~】

The next evening, the approval message arrived as expected, showing 1 collection, which could be from Sister Melon or some other reader. Tong Yan immediately updated another chapter. He remembered his cousin's advice: to build a reading habit by updating once a day before increasing the frequency. Updating twice a day and then reducing to once a day might result in the same total updates, but the reader's perception would be vastly different. At this stage, it was difficult for him to maintain two updates of 6,000 words a day, so he had to play a little trick.

After updating, Tong Yan added the novel to his bookshelf and notified Zhang Xiao on QQ. Zhang Xiao had been looking forward to Tong Yan's new book and had already reserved the position of deputy moderator for the new book.

On Thursday during the computer class, before that, Tong Yan asked Dong Mian, "Do you have an MP3 player?"

"I don't listen to music, why would I need one?"

"Do you know who in our class has one?" Tong Yan urgently needed it.

"I know."

"Who?"

"Tian Zini."

Tong Yan: "..."

She does have one, but it's not helpful in the short term. "Forget it, I'll think of another way."

"What do you need it for? Want to listen to music? I can sing for you. Want to listen to Andy Lau or Jacky Cheung? I'm known as the Chinese song library, 'A single plum stands proud in the snow...'" Dong Mian kept nagging, and Tong Yan had to run to the fifth floor to get away from him.

"Tong Yan." On the fifth floor, Tong Yan "happened" to pass by Song RAO's class and was "coincidentally" seen by her.

"Hey, what class do you have?" Song RAO was in the hallway, and Tong Yan joined her.

"Chinese, you have computer class, right?"

"Yep." Tong Yan nodded, not knowing what to say or why he had come to Song RAO. He wanted to leave for class but couldn't bear to go.

Fortunately, Song RAO spoke first, "You know what day it is tomorrow, right?"

"What day?"

"December 9th!" Song RAO said, a bit annoyed.

"December 9th? Stalin was born on that day, and Patton died on that day, but it's not a holiday, right?" Tong Yan pretended to think.

"You..." Song RAO was furious.

Tong Yan quickly put on a flattering smile, "I know, I know, the password to your dad's office computer."

They became close because of that computer password, which was also Song RAO's birthday.

"Are you going to do anything special?" Song RAO asked.

"What do you want me to do?" Tong Yan's heart raced.

"Sing me a birthday song." Song RAO's request was simple.

"Okay, don't leave after school, we'll go to the small playground to sing." Tong Yan regretted saying it, worried that Song RAO might think he had ulterior motives.

To his surprise, Song RAO agreed readily, "Okay."

Later, Tong Yan borrowed Song RAO's car keys, saying he needed to go out at noon.

Even during class, Tong Yan kept thinking about Song RAO. He felt their relationship was becoming abnormal. Would Song RAO notify other junior students about her birthday? Would she ask them to sing a birthday song? It was impossible. Even the boys in her class probably didn't have such treatment. Thinking that he was special to Song RAO made Tong Yan feel incredibly sweet. Similarly, Song RAO had become very special to him, but he didn't dare to think too deeply, as Song RAO was not an ordinary senior.

During the computer class, Tong Yan completed the discussion with Xiao Mai about the signing. Xiao Mai knew that the current Tong Yan Wu Ji was the former shop assistant, and she could only say, "Impressive!" that this kid could still persist in writing.

Being an experienced signed author, and with the contract from Qidian being the same as before, the second signing was quickly completed. Tong Yan uploaded the contract document to his email, which was his solution to replace the MP3 player and USB drive. When he needed to print it, he could log into his email on the computer at the print shop, download the electronic version, and print it.

Wasting no time, Tong Yan left the computer class a bit early and asked Old Song for a note.

"Where are you going?" Old Song asked as a matter of routine.

"To get a haircut." Facing Old Song, Tong Yan felt a bit guilty. The better his relationship with Song RAO, the more guilty he felt. Because of the evening date, he was already extremely guilty, so he didn't say much.

Fortunately, Old Song didn't pay much attention to the details and readily gave Tong Yan the note.

Although getting a haircut was just an excuse, the real purpose was to print and mail the contract. After finishing the task, Tong Yan got a haircut anyway. His hair, which was about an inch long, made him look neater and less irritable when writing. If it weren't for the school rules, he would have wanted a Ge You-style haircut.

When Song RAO saw Tong Yan in the evening, he looked completely different. The originally gentle and handsome boy now looked more rugged and strong due to the new hairstyle, making her heart beat faster. Damn, she shouldn't have let him sing for her, and she shouldn't have agreed to go to the small playground!

The small playground was next to a small forest, which was the school's love spot. Because of the dense trees and vast area, it was hard to see what was happening inside once you entered. Many couples had lost their first kisses and morals there, and every night, couples would sneak in for excitement.

The small playground, adjacent to the small forest, naturally became a beginner's spot for couples before they entered the forest. Most of the people there were in pairs, maintaining a certain distance while discussing life and studies. Even if a teacher was nearby, they couldn't say much.

Tong Yan and Song RAO walked side by side, finding a topic. As a senior student, Song RAO's study life was very interesting to Tong Yan.

"We're not learning new content anymore. We're reviewing from the first volume, and it's all about exams." Song RAO's tone was full of helplessness, especially because she wasn't doing well in the exams.

"Just bear with it. After this period, you can do whatever you want." Tong Yan comforted her.

"But it's still six months, it's so hard to endure." Song RAO pouted, looking very aggrieved.

"I still have a year and a half, it's even harder," Tong Yan chuckled, "Think about me, and you'll feel a bright future ahead."

"Thanks for your comfort."

"By the way, how is your dad? With your college entrance exam coming up, he won't find a stepmom to upset you, right?"

"It seems they broke up. He's been punctual with his work and coming home on time," Song RAO said, somewhat proudly, "He doesn't upset me, and I don't upset him."

"What did you plan to do to upset him? Tell me."

Song RAO's gaze lingered on Tong Yan's face, "I... won't tell you."

They walked and chatted, and after a full circle, it was already late. Song RAO asked Tong Yan to fulfill his promise, "Sing 'Happy Birthday' to me now."

"Sure," Tong Yan started, "Happy..."

At that moment, a skinny guy ran by, giving them a strange look and still staring at them even after running ahead.

He really ruined the atmosphere. Tong Yan started again, "Happy birthday..."

A couple walking nearby was startled by Tong Yan's voice and immediately kept a distance of over a meter.

"Happy..." Tong Yan himself lost confidence in singing.

Song RAO tugged at Tong Yan's sleeve, "Let's go there to sing."

Tong Yan followed her finger and saw a dense forest...

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