Chapter 82

Xigua's proposal was exactly what Tong Yan had in mind. If he went on sale in January, he would receive his royalties in February, a month earlier than he had anticipated. From the tone of Xigua, he might even get a new book monthly ticket bonus of 2,500 yuan. He had already started to imagine how his family's life would change because of him, but Tong Yan remained relatively calm.

Tong Yan: "Sister Xigua, what are the downsides of this?"

Xigua: "Going on sale half a month earlier will definitely not have as many readers or as much influence as going on sale later. The monthly ticket competition will also be less favorable because you will only have half a month. However, even if you go on sale in February, you won't have a chance to compete for the top five overall. As for the recommendation slots, I originally planned to give you three in January. If you go on sale half a month earlier, you will only get two, with the last one being a strong recommendation. If you can apply for a Three Rivers Pavilion recommendation, that would be best. If not, I will help you get an equivalent recommendation slot."

Sister Xigua's meaning was clear: if he chose to go on sale in mid-January, he would only have two recommendations before the release. If he went on sale in early February, he would have three. The latter option might result in better sales and more competitiveness on the monthly ticket chart, but Tong Yan firmly chose to go on sale in January. Getting the royalties a month earlier gave him more courage and determination to continue writing. Moreover, he checked the calendar and found that mid-January coincided with the winter break. After the break, he could fully devote himself to writing.

So, they decided happily. Tong Yan casually opened the monthly ticket chart to familiarize himself with this already crucial ranking at起点 (Qidian).

Looking at the current situation, the monthly ticket rankings for December were almost set. The hottest online game novel, "Meng Long Guo Jiang," which had ranked fifth last month, was now aiming for the top spot. However, it was being firmly held down by "Xie Du" by Yan Yu Jiangnan. With only a few days left in the month, "Meng Long" was unlikely to achieve its goal.

"Xie Du" was indeed too strong. Since the monthly ticket system was introduced, it had won four consecutive championships, establishing its position as the top red book at Qidian. It had won its fifth monthly ticket championship in November and was expected to win its sixth in December. Out of the 11 monthly ticket charts issued, it had won more than half. No wonder when a fan of a certain Jingguan commented that "Shou Xue Fei Teng" would have a status in the online literature world no less than "Xie Du," Jingguan firmly said, "Impossible!" "Xie Du" held such a high status in the hearts of online literature readers of that era. However, Jingguan could never have imagined that in the upcoming 2006, his "Shou Xue Fei Teng" would indeed become a super hit, as popular as "Xie Du" in 2005.

Following "Xie Du" and "Meng Long Guo Jiang," "Xie Feng Qu" by Xuehong was firmly in third place. "Chu Shi Chun Qiu" by Ning Zhiyuan and "Bian Lian Wu Shi" by Dancing were fiercely competing for the fourth and fifth spots. One of their future good friends, "Tao Gu Liuxian" by Tang Jia San Shao, had risen to eighth place, his best performance since joining Qidian. However, he was far from satisfied. With a full backlog of chapters, he decided to make a big move at the beginning of the next year.

Since there was no separate monthly ticket chart for new books, Tong Yan could only look at the overall chart. The new book champion of the month was undoubtedly "Tian Sheng Bu Fan" by Chushui Xiaocao, which could even rank sixth on the overall chart. It was a martial arts novel and a representative work of its kind before a certain J's certain epic.

"Next month, I will also fight on this chart!" The monthly ticket chart not only meant a high bonus but also represented attention and fan loyalty. It was like a monthly exam, but much more complex. In Tong Yan's eyes, it was a more exciting and challenging competition than a monthly exam. Previously, his opponents were over 2,000 high school students, but now, he was competing against nearly 2,000 VIP authors at Qidian!

A notification flashed on QQ. It was Zhang Xiao calling him.

Zhang Xiao: "Are you home?"

Tong Yan: "Yeah."

Zhang Xiao: "Now 'Bao Nu Lei Ting' is the top new book, happy?"

Tong Yan, being a bit showy, replied: "The gap with the second place isn't big enough, not happy~"

Zhang Xiao: "Bro, showing off will get you struck by lightning. Don't forget what happened to Han Ting!"

Tong Yan: "A short sentence, including a proverb and an idiom. Little brother, you can try to discover these in the online literature world."

Zhang Xiao: "No more nonsense. The new book fan group I created already has over a hundred readers. Do you want to come in and say a few words?"

Zhang Xiao was a very meticulous person. To prevent readers of "Xiaobing Yeshi" from recognizing Tong Yan, he created a new reader group. He usually recruited members in the book review section under the name of a deputy moderator. Since "Lei Ting" was more popular than "Yeshi," the activity level of the "Bao Nu Lei Ting" group far exceeded that of the "Xiaobing Yeshi" group. However, Zhang Xiao had been maintaining it, and the absence of the main author, Tong Yan, was a regret.

Zhang Xiao understood Tong Yan. He relied on the little time he had in the evenings to write, and he didn't have time to socialize with fans. Moreover, his active time was usually after midnight, when few people were awake. Therefore, Zhang Xiao didn't force Tong Yan to join the fan group, but now Tong Yan was on break.

Tong Yan: "Sure."

Zhang Xiao: "I'll add you."

Tong Yan: "Give me the group number, I'll help promote it."

Zhang Xiao: "241190226 (PS: Yes, this is the book's fan group. Please forget that it has appeared before~)."

After joining the group, it was only eight o'clock, and the group was very lively.

Yixiao Jiduochou: "Hey, new member! Oh, Tong Yan Wuji?"

Xiaoxiao Shu Tong: "Imposter, change your nickname quickly."

Woben Xiaozhang: "It's real, I brought Tong Yan Wuji into the group. Now no one can say it's an unowned group, right?"

Ganmao de Qielu: "Clap!"

Wozhu Chuiguo Feng: "Throw flowers~!"

Jiulong Dao Wang Mo: "Old Zhang, you're amazing. No wonder you always get to be a deputy moderator!" (It seems that Wang Mo was once again dragged into Tong Yan's pit by his friend Zhang Xiao).

Xiaoxiao Shu Tong: "Big author, say a few words. We finally caught a live one today."

Tong Yan Wuji: "Hello everyone, I'm Tong Yan Wuji. Thank you for liking and supporting me and 'Bao Nu Lei Ting.'"

Yushiguang Duizhi: "So official."

Tong Yan Wuji: "I'm a handsome guy, so you should support me."

Yushiguang Duizhi: "Big Wuji is so humorous."

Jiulong Dao Wang Mo: "Handsome guy, show us a photo, let's see if you're as handsome as me."

Tong Yan Wuji: "Definitely handsomer (Tong Yan was very confident), and I only weigh 130 pounds."

Jiulong Dao Wang Mo: "I, I, I..."

The 180-pound Wang Mo retreated.

Woben Xiaozhang: "I finally brought Tong Yan Wuji into the group. Does anyone have any questions?"

Woza Ni Shenbian: "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Yixiao Jiduochou: "Wow, a girl appeared, usually they just lurk."

Xiaoxiao Shu Tong: "Didn't you see the author himself is here? It's not strange that my girl is here. She's a big fan of the author and even caused a commotion at Longkong Mountain for him."

Tong Yan Wuji: "Thank you, my girl. I heard about you from Jingguan."

Yixiao Jiduochou: "What about Jingguan? I've read his books."

Woza Ni Shenbian: "You haven't answered my question yet."

This girl was quite aggressive.

Tong Yan Wuji: "I'm still young, focusing on my career for now."

Woza Ni Shenbian: "Don't beat around the bush!"

Tong Yan Wuji: "No."

Yixiao Jiduochou: "Oh, you two won't have something going on, right? That's too fast!"

Xiaoxiao Shu Tong: "I thought my girl liked me. Cry!"

Seeing the conversation getting more and more off-topic, Zhang Xiao quickly asked a few questions about the novel to bring the scattered minds back. Zhang Xiao particularly liked Tong Yan's "Bao Nu Lei Ting," even more than "Xiaobing Yeshi," so his questions were mostly about what readers cared about. The atmosphere in the group gradually became more serious.

After about half an hour, Tong Yan felt it was time to leave. He should maintain a good relationship with his fans, but he shouldn't make it his main focus. His main job was to write stories that fans would like, and he shouldn't put the cart before the horse.

Before leaving:

Tong Yan Wuji: "I have something to tell everyone. 'Bao Nu Lei Ting' will go on sale in January, probably in the middle of the month. I hope those who are Qidian VIP members can save their monthly tickets for Lei Ting. Thank you very much!"

Yixiao Jiduochou: "Don't worry, we'll definitely save them for you!"

Woben Xiaozhang: "Everyone should support the official version and support Tong Yan Wuji."

Woza Ni Shenbian: "Remember to let us know before going on sale."

Xiaoxiao Shu Tong: "Update more, and the votes will come!"

Seeing everyone's positive responses, Tong Yan felt very confident. He said "goodbye" and quickly logged off. His backlog was already running low.

Initially, to compete for the top spot on the new book chart, Tong Yan had been updating two chapters of 6,000 words almost every day. This had slightly exceeded his writing speed, so his backlog had been decreasing. Now, he only had five chapters, less than 20,000 words. With the break, he had enough time to build up his backlog again.

Selling snacks during the day was not as good as in the evening, but there were still buyers. Tong's parents were unwilling to give up this small business and were out almost all day. While Tong Yan was concerned about their hard work, he was also relieved. If they were at home during the day, the sound of his typing would definitely catch their attention. Now, he only had to deal with his sister, Tong Shanshan.

"Shanshan, do these problems, and these, and these, in the living room. Finish them, and I'll explain them to you." Tong Yan picked out a few difficult problems from Shanshan's second-year junior high math textbook.

Tong Yan's intention was to bury Shanshan in a mountain of problems so she wouldn't bother him. However, Shanshan was more reasonable than he thought.

"Bro, don't give me problems. Our teacher will give us them anyway. Let me go out and play. I have plans with Chen Lan." Shanshan pleaded pitifully.

Tong Yan reluctantly agreed, "Remember not to play too early and come home late."

Shanshan excitedly escaped the prison of math problems and, only after leaving the house, realized, "Bro said the opposite, right? So, I'll do the opposite. Hehe!"

[PS: Thank you to Zhou Hao, Wei Xiaoliu, Xiaoxiao Shu Tong, Luhan Tianhe, Ai Han de Wo, Zhang Tianshi Jiangmo, and Shanghua Pinyu for your support. Congratulations to Zhou Hao for becoming the first steward of this book! As for the update ticket from Yuan Ding San Sheng, Bai Fo really can't do it~]

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