Chapter 2

After Zhou Hong said this, Zhou Xing suddenly remembered the task.

The door to his brother's room was tightly closed, but a sliver of light seeped through the crack. Even though it was already 2:30 AM, his brother was still working hard. The faint sound of typing could be heard from the room, and the clattering of the keyboard sounded like heavy hammers striking Zhou Xing's heart. Although he was no longer the troublemaker he used to be, he still felt a twinge of guilt.

"Father, you should get some rest," Zhou Xing said to his father, who he instinctively feared, but he still managed to say, "I'll go check on my brother."

Zhou Hong's face darkened: "Nonsense! Do you think your brother isn't working hard enough? You want to disturb him now?"

Zhou Xing replied, "I'm not going to disturb him; I want to help him."

"Help him?" Zhou Hong asked coolly, "How are you going to help him?"

When it came to this question, Zhou Xing found it hard to explain. He couldn't just say that he had a head full of ideas and a rich system that could help his brother become a top-tier writer in the online literature world. If he said that, no one would believe him!

After a moment of silence, Zhou Xing said sincerely, "Father, I was young and foolish before, causing a lot of trouble for the family. But now I've come to my senses. Don't worry, I won't cause any more trouble. I promise to make your life better and help you achieve your long-held wishes!"

Hearing this, Zhou Hong was stunned.

Was this still the son who always argued with him? Was this still the son who never repented? Was this still the son who feared nothing? If someone else had said these words, it wouldn't be surprising, but he knew his son's character better than anyone. From a young age, he had never admitted defeat or apologized. It was harder to hear him say "I'm sorry," "I was wrong," or "I promise" than to climb to the heavens. How could he suddenly change so much?

He was afraid it was just a passing fancy, and he would revert to his old self tomorrow.

But Zhou Hong didn't have the energy to think more about it. He said sternly, "It's good that you know your mistake. Go to sleep now, and don't disturb your brother's work."

Zhou Xing was anxious: "Father, you have to believe me this time. I really want to help my brother."

"Help what? Taking care of yourself is the best help you can give him," Zhou Hong waved his hand. He didn't think a seventeen-year-old could provide much help to his older brother.

Creak...

The door to the room opened automatically, and Zhou Yang walked out.

"Father, Xing, you two aren't arguing again, are you?" Zhou Yang looked at them helplessly. Every night, they would argue for an hour or two, then go back to their rooms to sleep. This happened every day. Didn't they find it tiring?

Seeing Zhou Yang, Zhou Xing immediately ran over and climbed onto his brother's shoulder.

He chuckled, "Bro, you're wrong. We didn't argue today. In fact, I was just telling Father that I want to help you, but he didn't believe me and didn't want me to disturb you, so I spoke a bit louder."

Zhou Yang habitually ruffled his little brother's hair and said affectionately, "Tell me, how are you going to help me?"

In reality, he didn't believe his little brother could help much, but he didn't want to discourage him. He had always been more doting on his little brother than their parents.

"Bro, how many average subscriptions do you have for your book?" Zhou Xing asked, not rushing to explain.

Zhou Yang smiled bitterly, "350."

Such a result was embarrassing for him to admit.

Zhou Xing asked again, "Do you know why your book has such low average subscriptions?"

Zhou Yang was very clear about the reasons, but imagination was an abstract thing. Even if he knew his shortcomings, he couldn't change them. "The genre is old, and the plot is cliché, right?" He knew his book well and pointed out its flaws. If not for his excellent writing skills, his book might not even have been signed.

"Bro, do you want to listen to a story?" Zhou Xing asked.

"Sure, go ahead."

Listening to his little brother tell a story was a good way to take a break, so Zhou Yang had no reason to object.

Zhou Hong sat quietly on the side, not saying a word.

Under the light, the living room was still bright. Zhou Xing smiled, showing his white teeth, and began to tell a story: "This is a world of martial arts, where there are no flashy and colorful magic spells, only the peak of martial arts. The story begins in a place called Wutan City..." 'Battle Through the Heavens' is hailed as the pinnacle of the 'waste' genre and is considered a classic among light novels. It once swept various charts and held the top spot on the wireless bestseller list for years, remaining popular even when Zhou Xing crossed over. If such a story were placed in this world, it was destined to be a hit!

"Xiao Dai'er..."

"Nalan Yanran..."

"Yao Lao..."

One by one, vivid characters came out of Zhou Xing's mouth, and the story gradually became more substantial.

"Is this story really thought up by my little brother?" Zhou Yang shouted in his heart, his shock evident on his face. "What a brilliant idea! No matter who thought of this story, even with terrible writing skills, it would still achieve remarkable success!"

As a professional online writer, Zhou Yang knew better than anyone what this story meant!

Compared to Zhou Yang, Zhou Hong felt even more deeply, as he shared many similarities with the protagonist, Xiao Yan. He had once been a prodigy in the capital, and he also had a mysterious wife... Because of these similarities, he felt a stronger sense of immersion, as if the protagonist was himself.

Zhou Xing's throat was dry from talking.

It took about half an hour to tell just a tenth of the story.

"Xing, keep going!" Zhou Yang urged. Zhou Hong also wanted to urge him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, feeling very uncomfortable.

But Zhou Xing shook his head, "Bro, do you think this story is easy to write?"

Happiness came too suddenly, and Zhou Yang was both excited and delighted: "Are you saying you want to let me write this story?"

Zhou Xing nodded, "Why not? I want to write it too, but my writing skills would tarnish a good story. Besides, I came up with this story for you."

Zhou Yang said excitedly, "This is great! I will definitely write it well!"

He was so happy he danced around.

"But I have one request," Zhou Xing continued, "You must stop updating your current book and focus on the story I give you. Writing a book is most taboo when you try to do two things at once. I don't want such a good story to be ruined by you. Is that okay?"

"This..."

Zhou Yang wanted to say that if he stopped updating his current book, how would the family eat?

But before he could speak, Zhou Hong made the decision for him: "Zhou Yang, listen to your brother this time. I'll take care of the other things."

...

5:00 AM.

Zhou Yang had already written the first three chapters, and the book's title, as suggested by his little brother, was 'Battle Through the Heavens.' Looking at his masterpiece, Zhou Yang felt a surge of excitement and a sense of achievement. Although the story came from his little brother, he was the one who would present it to everyone, infusing it with his own sweat and emotions. It was now like his own child, and he had never poured so much emotion into a book before.

At the same time, he had high hopes for this book. This time, it could only succeed, not fail!

"Upload chapter: Chapter 1 - The Fallen Genius."

Author: Dong Yang.

After a series of operations, Zhou Yang finally uploaded the first chapter.

From then on, the Origin Chinese Network had a new book called 'Battle Through the Heavens,' bringing a new spring to both new and old readers. Compared to the original, this book had better writing and a broader audience, and it was destined to be a hit.

In another room.

"Hmm..." Zhou Xing yawned, then his eyes lit up, "Bro finally uploaded it."

The efficiency of the Origin Chinese Network was truly remarkable. The chapter was reviewed and approved within a minute of being uploaded.

Zhou Xing, who had already created an account, immediately took action.

"System, buy me 10 million Origin Coins."

"Processing purchase, please wait..."

"Purchase complete. 10 million Origin Coins have been transferred to the host's account. Reminder: The host still has 99.8 million RMB available for spending this month."

Choosing to tip 10 million Origin Coins, Zhou Xing lightly clicked the 'Confirm' button.

"[Tip] A shower of flowers, moved to tears, the gentleman's talent deserves this reward! 'Zhou Xing' tips 'Dong Yang' 10 million Origin Coins: I heard about the Origin Chinese Network from a friend recently and decided to check it out. I didn't expect to find such a good book so quickly. Here's a small tip to show my appreciation. I hope the author continues to work hard and updates frequently."

"Congratulations, 'Zhou Xing' has become the Gold Alliance of 'Battle Through the Heavens'!"

What a rush!

Zhou Xing felt a thrill from head to toe. In his previous life, he was a struggling author, always begging for recommendations, collections, and tips in his chapters. This time, as a reader and a legendary tycoon, he could tip 10 million Origin Coins without hesitation, feeling incredibly relaxed and stress-free. You can imagine what that feels like!

In short, Zhou Xing had never felt so vindicated.

However, as enjoyable as it was, it was already late. Yawning continuously, Zhou Xing couldn't hold out any longer. He set his alarm, turned off the light, and fell asleep immediately.

He didn't know that the Origin Chinese Network was boiling because of him.

The Origin Chinese Network's QQ groups, such as the Origin Chinese Network QQ Group, the Author Integrity Exchange QQ Group, and the [Luo] Origin Chinese Network Author Assembly, were all buzzing with excitement over the sudden appearance of a Gold Alliance. The Gold Alliance and Silver Alliance were introduced at the beginning of the month, and while there were already many Silver Alliances, no Gold Alliance had appeared yet. It wasn't that readers couldn't afford to tip, but they were used to tipping bit by bit, accumulating over time. Tipping 10 million Origin Coins at once felt very different from tipping 10 times 1 million Origin Coins, even though the total was the same.

The Origin Chinese Network's wealthy readers had been holding back, but unexpectedly, they were beaten to the punch by someone who appeared out of nowhere.

The first Gold Alliance in the online literature world appeared!

Tipping 10 million Origin Coins at once was a truly shocking amount!

His name was—Zhou Xing.