Chapter 83

Tong Yan greatly enjoyed this time alone, no longer having to write secretly like a thief, he could freely type away at the keyboard. However, he hoped that one day he could write novels at home openly without having to worry about his parents and sister.

Tong Yan believed that day would surely come. When he could earn over ten thousand yuan a month, he would choose to be honest with his parents, allowing them to enjoy the fruits of his labor, regardless of whether they would be angry with him.

*Furious Thunder* was already over a hundred thousand words. Because Tong Yan had designed the main character, Han Ting, to have a fiery temper and a strong sense of justice, and also had a panda that was a treasure even in another world, based on the principle that a man with nothing to hide has nothing to fear, but a man with something to hide is always suspected, many troubles would find him.

Although some readers might think the protagonist was a troublemaker, this setup kept the conflicts and tensions in the novel constant, leading to continuous climaxes. Under the author's supreme control, each conflict would favor the protagonist, turning into satisfying plots, and also leaving room for the protagonist's growth.

This involved many skillful writing techniques, all accumulated from the *Little Soldier's Wild History* era, as well as techniques he had learned from reading novels recently. At that time, he was still too inexperienced to apply them, only writing in a straightforward manner. While it was smooth and comfortable to read, it lacked excitement and drama.

*Furious Thunder*, like its name, was a novel that was very cathartic and satisfying to read, effectively stirring the readers' emotions. Of course, this required skill, and Tong Yan had initially acquired this skill. Although it was still a bit raw, he had already developed his own style, which was highly praised by readers.

Tong Yan never started typing without a good plan. Getting stuck in the middle of writing was a huge waste of time, and time was too precious for him. So before he started writing, he would list the characters and events that would appear in the upcoming plot in another document, summarizing hundreds or thousands of words into a few words or a sentence, giving himself a clear plan. Then he would type away with confidence.

As long as he knew what he was going to write next, Tong Yan's typing speed could exceed 3,000 words per hour. In a day, even with editing, correcting, brainstorming, and resting, he could smoothly write 25,000 words. At night, he could secretly write another 5,000 words, which would be ten chapters. If there was a major promotion, he could confidently announce, "More chapters coming!"

In the evening, Tong Shanshan felt her brother was a bit strange. He stayed in his room all day, never coming out to breathe fresh air, and even locked the door. She really wanted to go in and see what he was doing, but her mother stopped her, "Your brother is definitely studying. Don't disturb him."

Tong Dad had the same opinion, "Your brother didn't do well in the last two exams. The final exams are coming up soon. He must be determined to do better."

Although her parents said this, Tong Shanshan still found it strange. Her brother had never locked himself in his room before when he studied. She pressed her ear to the door and heard faint tapping sounds.

Back at school, Tong Yan had a stockpile of 50,000 words, giving him a solid foundation. With the final exams just over half a month away, he only needed to write one chapter each night to meet the readers' demands, allowing him to get more rest each day.

For someone who used to go to bed at 2 AM, suddenly being able to sleep at 1 AM was a wonderful feeling. Tong Yan woke up smiling every morning, and his energy during the day was much better.

With such good energy, Tong Yan no longer had to stand during class. During breaks, he would take walks in the school garden, orchard, and by the small pond, instead of napping on his desk.

Coincidentally, Song RAO and her best friend Zhao Ying often appeared in that area during breaks.

Although the relationship between Tong Yan and Song RAO hadn't been fully revealed, after Tong Yan gave her a birthday gift, their relationship was no longer a simple senior-junior relationship. Especially the string of numbers on the corner of the page, which Song RAO, the little fool, couldn't figure out, and Tong Yan wouldn't tell her, but she believed it must be a very spicy message.

To see each other more often, they would go to the small pond to watch the goldfish during breaks. Seeing the girl with dimples smiling all the time made Tong Yan feel very happy throughout the day. If he could hold her hand while watching the goldfish, he would even laugh in his dreams.

Unfortunately, the small pond was a crowded place, and Song RAO was always accompanied by Zhao Ying, a bright light bulb. So all their interactions were restrained and proper, always keeping it in check!

Before class, Song RAO handed a folded A4 printout to Tong Yan, who secretly and respectfully put it away.

If one thought it was a love letter, they would be wrong. Back in the classroom, Tong Yan placed the paper in his Chinese elective textbook, where he had already stored a few others. They were Song RAO's "drawings," nominally a return gift for his birthday present, but Tong Yan preferred to see them as tokens of affection.

Song RAO's mother worked in graphic design, and she had shown artistic talent from a young age. Her mother had taught her the basics, but after her parents divorced, she hadn't touched a paintbrush again, afraid that it would remind her of her mother.

However, after Tong Yan gave her the illustrated *The Little Prince*, Song RAO thought the illustrations of the Little Prince and the rose were hideous and didn't meet her aesthetic standards. So she picked up her old hobby and started drawing her own *The Little Prince* illustrations. She didn't draw for fame or profit; her main goal was to let Tong Yan appreciate and collect them, and to relieve the stress of the upcoming college entrance exams.

Tong Yan truly appreciated Song RAO's work, which had a completely different style from the original. The prince was drawn as tall and handsome, and the rose was anthropomorphized with two dimples. What was Song RAO trying to imply!

Tong Yan looked at the four previous drawings again, feeling happier with each one. He liked Song RAO's bold "implications."

If he had known Song RAO had such artistic talent, he should have asked her to draw a cover for his novel. *Furious Thunder*'s cover was made by a fan, Xiaoyuer, and it was indeed cool and stylish, but it was too similar to the mainstream covers on Qidian. Tong Yan preferred to be non-mainstream.

Dong Mian kindly nudged Tong Yan, "Stop grinning like an idiot, the teacher is here."

Tong Yan immediately put away the drawings and looked up just in time to see Mr. Song. His feelings towards Mr. Song were now very complex. He used to see them as both teacher and friend, but now he felt like Mr. Song was a kind elder. Tong Yan wished he could kneel down and call him "Father!" One word: affectionate!

However, Mr. Song didn't feel the same way. He was angry every time he saw Tong Yan. Why was this kid so troublesome? "Tong Yan, come with me!"

...

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