Chapter 90

【PS: The previous chapter was accidentally posted in the first volume. This won't affect the web version, but for the app users, please download it again to get the correct version.】

Tong Yan seemed not to care much about his grades on the surface, but when he actually held the report card, he felt it was as heavy as a thousand pounds. This score was not only unbelievable to Old Song, but also to himself. Upon reflection, it was during the exam period that his novel had just been released, and his mind was preoccupied with the novel's performance and plot. Even while answering questions, he couldn't help but get distracted. With such a score, he could only blame himself.

He didn't want to see the disappointed looks on his parents' faces, so Tong Yan decided that after school started, he would no longer push himself so hard. He wanted to make his parents proud, and he also wanted to get into a good university to broaden his horizons.

But now, he still had to push himself, as the monthly ticket bonus was at stake and couldn't be taken lightly.

When he got home, only Shanshan was there. The little girl immediately tried to take the bag on his back when she saw him, but Tong Yan quickly said, "I'll do it myself."

Shanshan was a middle school student and had her holiday earlier than Tong Yan. Tong Yan asked her, "Have you done your homework? Go back to your room and do it."

"Bro, what's in your bag? Why is it so heavy?" Shanshan asked curiously, a question she had wanted to ask for two months.

"Inside is... ta-da!" Tong Yan quickly took out a bag of plum candies from his bag, "This is for you to eat."

Shanshan ignored the plum candies and started rummaging through the bag. Apart from books and test papers, there was nothing strange, which made it even more suspicious. Shanshan had already become suspicious of Tong Yan's bag.

Fortunately, this time Tong Yan had put the laptop bag in his luggage, avoiding the first round of inspection by his sister. However, after moving the things to his room, the girl still didn't leave. Since she didn't leave, Tong Yan couldn't work, "Shanshan, eat the plum candies and go out to play with your friends."

"Bro, are you hiding something from me?" Shanshan, acting like a little adult, put her hands behind her back and looked at her brother, hoping he would confess.

"Shanshan, have you heard the saying, 'curiosity killed the cat'?" Tong Yan patted his sister's slender shoulder.

"Oh, are you going to kill Dahuang!" Shanshan ran out and tightly hugged Dahuang, who was basking in the sun. The yellow cat meowed unhappily twice but gave up when the protest was ineffective.

"Little sister, let's not joke around. It's a metaphor, do you understand? In short, don't ask about my business, and you'll definitely benefit in the end."

Tong Yan tried to tempt her, but Shanshan's character was always strong, and she was not swayed, "Last time you came home, you were always in your room alone and wouldn't let me in. Now you want me to leave. What secret are you hiding?"

"You said it's a secret, so how can I tell you?" Tong Yan didn't expect his sister to be so sensitive and to have noticed the signs, but he didn't confess.

Under Shanshan's watchful eye, Tong Yan took out his physics textbook and started studying. Seeing that there was nothing to discover, Shanshan finally returned to her room.

Tong Yan seized the opportunity, took out the laptop bag from his luggage, and sneaked out. He thought it was better to stay at his cousin's place. He decided to confide in Liu Ming and use his laptop at the Five Flavors Bookstore. Although it was often crowded and noisy, it was better than being watched by Shanshan.

As soon as Tong Yan left, Shanshan pushed open his door with a test paper in hand, "Bro, can you explain this... question? Hey, where are you?"

"Bro?"

Shanshan searched around but couldn't find Tong Yan. She opened his bag and called out, "Bro, are you in here? If you don't come out, I'll search on my own."

To be honest, Tong Yan hadn't been to the Five Flavors Bookstore for a long time, but it still felt familiar, "Bro Ming."

Liu Ming was organizing the books on the shelves. Seeing Tong Yan, he was pleasantly surprised, "On holiday? Come in quickly!"

Tong Yan noticed that the layout of the bookstore had changed. His cousin had opened a section to sell stationery, a new way to generate income. Tong Yan said, "Where's Jiao?"

Liu Ming smiled bitterly, "You don't have to worry about her anymore. We broke up."

"Ah? You broke up?" Tong Yan was very surprised. He could tell that his cousin really liked this woman, and she was quite attractive, "Why did you break up?"

"A while ago, the Ministry of Education cracked down. The bookstore sold a book with a bad influence and was ordered to close for a week. During that week, I had no work, and our conflicts escalated. Small arguments turned into big ones, and we eventually broke up." Liu Ming explained briefly.

Tong Yan understood. It was probably due to "Campus Gang." Several bookstores in Yangping City were affected, and some still hadn't reopened. At the time, everyone thought the book was selling well and that students loved it, but who would have thought it would cause such trouble?

"Bro, I want to stay here for a while."

"Sure, you can study in the back room."

"I'm not here to study, I'm here to write a novel."

"You're writing another novel?"

"Not another, I've already started," Tong Yan took out his laptop, "My new book is already on the platform. It's not convenient to write at home, so I came here."

Under Liu Ming's surprised gaze, Tong Yan recounted the past two months, from buying the computer to prepare for the new book to the novel's release a few days ago.

"Bro Ming, I hope you can keep this a secret. I like writing novels and also want to help ease the family's burden," Tong Yan said sincerely.

"How much can you earn in a month?" Liu Ming asked a very practical question. If you can't earn much, how can you help ease the family's burden?

"Based on the current performance, in the first half-month after the release, the pure subscription income is about 2,000 yuan, so a month would be 4,000 yuan," Tong Yan said. He didn't consider the monthly ticket bonus, as he would likely lose it after this month.

Liu Ming was speechless. A monthly income of 4,000 yuan! He ran the bookstore, worked from dawn till dusk, and after paying rent, his monthly profit was only about 3,000 yuan, and it was still less than his cousin, a high school student writing a novel!

Why don't I have the brain to write a novel!

"Write, write. You're already making 4,000 yuan a month. What can I say?" Liu Ming relented. Tong Yan immediately plugged in his laptop in the back room. Liu Ming asked, "By the way, what's your novel called?"

"Raging Thunder!" Tong Yan said, emphasizing each word.

Three days after "Raging Thunder" was released, it had already received 145 monthly tickets. After surpassing Guan Pingchao's "Mystic Dust of Immortality," it was almost on par with Fu Tian's "Clouds of Ambition," but it was still the fifth new book.

As for the subscription situation, the first VIP chapter's subscription, which was the highest, reached 2,015, and the average subscription increased to 1,902, steadily rising.

Today, there weren't many customers at the Five Flavors Bookstore. Liu Ming was reading "Raging Thunder" on the computer, thoroughly enjoying it. This book was much more interesting than "The Wild History of a Soldier." Tong Yan was typing away, planning to update three chapters today.

After more than two hours, Liu Ming said sheepishly, "Bro, can I read Chapter 72?"

"Isn't it on the website?" As soon as Tong Yan said this, he realized that Chapter 72 was the first VIP chapter, and his cousin couldn't see it.