Chapter 98

In the first few days of the month, the monthly ticket rankings on起点 (Qidian) were filled with intense competition. Various renowned authors showcased their skills, either by adding extra chapters or by being cute, all in the hope of securing a good position on the monthly ticket list. Tong Yan and his novel *Furious Thunder* firmly held a top ten spot with the momentum of a new and powerful newcomer.

Five months ago, when Tong Yan first encountered web novels, he never imagined he would be competing with the likes of Tang Jia San Shao, the author of *Mad God*, Yan Yu Jiang Nan, the author of *Blasphemy*, and Xue Hong, the author of *Rising Dragon Path*. Although these authors ranked ahead of him, it was already a significant achievement for Tong Yan. Originally, he could only admire their works and dream of being a writer. Now, he no longer needed to envy others because he was a genuine literary creator, a dream weaver.

Three days later, the battle on the monthly ticket list had largely stabilized, and the growth of monthly tickets began to slow down. In the evening, Tong Yan took a look and saw that *Furious Thunder* had secured the ninth position with 876 monthly tickets. This was the result of his ten updates on the first day and five updates each day thereafter. For a new book, this was a very impressive achievement. The success on the monthly ticket list also boosted the novel's average subscription rate, although it still had a gap compared to *Beast Blood Boiling*.

In these three days, *Beast Blood Boiling* had firmly secured the top spot on the monthly ticket list with a terrifying 2,900 votes, far outpacing the second place, Yun Tiankong's *Evil God Legend*. The era of *Beast Blood Boiling* had finally arrived.

Not only did *Beast Blood* excel in subscriptions and monthly tickets on Qidian, but a few days ago, Jing Guan also posted a chapter saying that the book had been noticed by Taiwan's Xin Chen Publishing House and a domestic magazine, *Serial Web Novels*, and might soon be published.

Tong Yan was not surprised by this news. Given *Beast Blood*'s current performance and popularity, if the publishers couldn't see its value, they would truly be blind. But did his *Furious Thunder* have the potential for physical publication?

Tong Yan was a complete novice in the field of physical publication, so he sought out Jing Guan to learn more. If he could open this channel, his income would significantly increase.

Jing Guan: Haha, this is my first time dealing with physical publication. It wasn't me who approached them; they left messages in the book review section looking for me. I'm still a bit dazed by it all.

Jing Guan had already quit his job at the restaurant and was now focusing entirely on writing. His January manuscript income exceeded 20,000 yuan, and with the additional income from physical publication, he felt even more confident about his decision.

Tong Yan: So, has it been decided to publish?

Jing Guan: Not yet. I need to compare offers. Initially, it was Xin Chen Publishing House, but then several other Taiwanese publishers contacted me. I'm still considering which one to choose.

Tong Yan: Alright, you're amazing!

Indeed, it was frustrating to see so many publishers vying for Jing Guan's book while his own received no attention. Was the gap between the two books really that significant?

Jing Guan: Actually, as authors, we should be more proactive. We should actively submit our works to magazines. Many authors I know have had their novels published in Taiwan, and most of their performances are not as good as yours. They are diligent and know how to seize fleeting opportunities. Moreover, the demand for web novels from our side in the Taiwanese market is very high. Even if you can't publish now, you don't need to worry; there will definitely be an opportunity.

Jing Guan then gave Tong Yan the contact information of several publishing company editors. If Tong Yan was eager to publish, he could contact them directly.

Tong Yan thought of the idiom "待价而沽" (wait for the right price). If the other party held the initiative, he would definitely be the one being exploited. Therefore, he did not immediately contact the Taiwanese publishers.

February 8th was Tong Yan's birthday. His parents made longevity noodles for lunch to celebrate his 17th birthday. Although his parents were still small business owners in the food industry, they had some culinary skills. The longevity noodles were a single, long strand, and it took Tong Yan a while to finish them. The texture was much better than the Lanzhou noodles he usually ate.

In the evening, Tong Yan bought some ready-to-eat dishes and invited his cousin and Zhang Xiao to a feast at Five Flavors Bookstore. Since he was about to receive his manuscript fee, he no longer needed to be frugal and bought some hearty dishes like chicken, duck, and pork trotters.

Tong Yan's gratitude to Zhang Xiao was beyond words, as he had already expressed it many times. "Brother, we have a special bond. Today is my 17th birthday, and I'll make an exception and drink some alcohol for you." Tong Yan even bought three bottles of beer to liven up the atmosphere.

Zhang Xiao's disdain was evident on his face. "Brother, did you not have a childhood? You're 17 and this is your first time drinking?" Despite his disdain, when Tong Yan finished his beer in one gulp, Zhang Xiao immediately followed suit, his movements and posture clearly more practiced than Tong Yan's.

Since it was Tong Yan's first real drink, even the low-alcohol beer made him a bit uncomfortable. His drunk behavior was to remain silent, which was the opposite of Zhang Xiao, who became very talkative after drinking. As a result, the dinner table was dominated by Zhang Xiao's endless chatter, while Tong Yan listened quietly, and Liu Ming occasionally joined in the conversation.

Through this drinking session, Tong Yan learned more about Zhang Xiao. It turned out that his father was the famous Zhang Baiwan, now known as Zhang Yida, from Qing County. However, Zhang Baiwan was a thing of the past; Zhang Xiao's father's business was now in Yangping City, and his wealth far exceeded ten million. Even Tong Yan, who was oblivious to worldly affairs, knew that several famous residential complexes in the city were developed by Yida Real Estate.

Zhang Xiao was a genuine rich second generation, but he had none of the arrogance or spoiled behavior often associated with wealthy children. Tong Yan did not judge him based on his father's wealth, just as he had not let Tian Zini's father's power affect their friendship.

Friends are friends.

Since Tong Yan had only bought three bottles of beer, one for each of them, Liu Ming remained unaffected, and Zhang Xiao was just more talkative, recounting some of his father's rags-to-riches story. Everything else was normal, except for Tong Yan, who, although he didn't say anything out of place, was unsteady on his feet. After Liu Ming saw Zhang Xiao off, he suggested that Tong Yan stay at his place for a while before going home. However, Tong Yan logged into QQ and, in a dazed state, sent one message after another to Song RAO.

Tian Zini knew it was Tong Yan's birthday and had planned to wish him a happy birthday with her main account. However, she didn't see him log in by 8 PM and was about to give up when her secondary account suddenly received a series of messages from Tong Yan.

"Rao Rao, today is my birthday. Do you miss me?"

"School is about to start soon, and then I'll be able to see you."

"I've decided to go back to school early so I can see you sooner."

"I've sung 'Happy Birthday' to you, and you have to sing it to me too."

"..."

Tian Zini's face gradually turned pale as she read the messages, her already pale face from dieting losing even more color.

Finally, when the messages stopped, Tian Zini hesitated for a long time, her fingers lifting and falling several times before she replied, "Did you send this to the wrong person?" It was a strong response, but she was already on the verge of breaking.

Struggling to hold back her sadness, Tian Zini sent a message to Ye Qingzhu: "Leaves, is Tong Yan in a relationship? Is there a girl named Rao Rao around him?"

Rao Rao?

Repeating these two words, Tian Zini suddenly thought of a name. No way, how could this be! She couldn't wait for Ye Qingzhu to reply during the computer class after school and decisively called Ye Qingzhu's home phone...