Chapter 5

Very soon, the news that Lin Mu had published a novel in *Wuxia Story* and earned more than two thousand yuan in royalties spread throughout the high school.

In the entire school, there were so many male students, and few of them did not like reading wuxia novels. There was a small bookstore at the back gate of the school that sold *Wuxia Story*.

Thus, as soon as the shop owner, Old Chen, placed the new issue of the wuxia magazine on the shelves, it was snatched up.

After finding out the reason, Old Chen felt a bit uncomfortable. He worked hard to sell books, and even after selling a whole batch, he might not earn two thousand yuan. He never expected that a student could earn that much by writing an article.

The *Wuxia Story* issues that were bought also spread widely among the students. The girls were particularly curious about the "celebrity" who had appeared in their midst.

Therefore, in Lin Mu's class, there were often a few girls who would come over during breaks, pointing and whispering about Lin Mu as if they were looking at a panda.

Lin Mu's "original girlfriend," Shen Bingjiao, naturally also knew about this matter.

Her feelings were very complex. She didn't know whether she should advise Lin Mu to focus on his studies or not interfere. After all, two thousand yuan in royalties was a huge sum for a student.

Though they had decided not to see each other, her concern and longing for Lin Mu still made her walk past his classroom after lunch, just to look at his seat when he wasn't there, to soothe her thoughts.

Unexpectedly, the classroom was empty, as everyone had rushed to have lunch, but Lin Mu was still sitting there, writing furiously.

Seeing this, Shen Bingjiao guessed what Lin Mu was doing. She was happy about his efforts but also felt conflicted.

Feeling someone's gaze, Lin Mu looked up. Seeing her, he guessed her intentions and, after hesitating for a moment, waved her over.

Shen Bingjiao bit her lip and, seeing that the classroom was empty, walked over and sat down in front of Lin Mu.

"Why didn't you go to have lunch?" After a moment of silence, Shen Bingjiao finally asked.

Lin Mu put away his manuscript, placed it in the single-shoulder file bag he had bought, and rubbed his right hand.

"Just after school, the dining places are crowded. I'll go later, and in the meantime, I can write more."

Shen Bingjiao opened her mouth, unsure whether to reveal her concern.

Seeing her expression, Lin Mu couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at!" Shen Bingjiao suddenly felt a surge of委屈 (grievance). She had been thinking of him in every way, but he seemed to have changed.

You just listened to the breakup without trying to win me back at all!

Of course, these were just Shen Bingjiao's inner thoughts, and she wouldn't say them to Lin Mu.

Lin Mu was moved by this girl who always thought of him. He had been in this world for some time, but the only person who truly cared for him wholeheartedly was this simple girl in front of him!

Lin Mu was bold by nature, and being reborn gave him even less of the shyness of a high school student. On a whim, he directly held her right hand.

"Don't worry, I have my plans. Even if I don't get into college, I can support myself with the royalties. If I can keep getting published, I'll continue writing to earn money. If not, I'll focus on my studies. You can rest assured!"

Seeing this girl who always thought of him, Lin Mu didn't want her to be distracted, so he lied to her directly.

Shen Bingjiao's face turned red, and she struggled to free her right hand. The old Lin Mu had said he liked her, but he had never dared to hold her hand.

She never expected him to be so bold today, grabbing her hand right in the classroom...

"I'm going to have lunch. You decide for yourself!"

Watching Shen Bingjiao flee, Lin Mu smiled easily, slung his file bag over his shoulder, and walked towards the student restaurant he often visited.

...

That evening, Lin Mu entered the Memory Palace again.

On the screen, his reputation, which had been at six thousand since the new issue of *Wuxia Story* was released, had increased by a few points every so often.

Lin Mu didn't know the formula for calculating reputation, but he guessed it was related to the number of people who watched *The Phoenix Hairpin* and perhaps the satisfaction they felt from the story.

With his reputation reaching six thousand, Lin Mu didn't immediately think of anything else to exchange for, so he saved it, planning to earn some money to buy a desktop computer.

The internet in this world was already quite developed, and online novels were gradually beginning to appear, though they were still in their early stages, not like the fantasy and urban novels that dominated in his previous life.

The sales of *Wuxia Story* were limited, and most adults found it difficult to buy the latest issues. Therefore, its sales mainly relied on loyal subscribers and scattered sales.

The bookstore near Lin Mu's school was a retail presence like this. This time, because of Lin Mu, the students were more interested, so they sold out quickly.

Otherwise, according to tradition, it would take about four to five months to sell out a new issue.

Life settled down, and Lin Mu continued to submit manuscripts, once every half month, not too many, basically the length of one *The Phoenix Hairpin*.

It's worth noting that *Wuxia Story* and similar journals were published every half month.

Lin Mu wasn't interested in other magazines, and one magazine clearly couldn't rely solely on one author's novels, even if the quality was excellent, they would be split into two issues.

But this was just Lin Mu's perception of calm.

In fact, the people secretly watching him never felt calm!

In just two months, except for the first half month when Lin Mu didn't receive a response from the magazine, the next three issues brought him nearly three thousand yuan in royalties each.

As a regular author, he naturally received better treatment, with his royalties per thousand words rising to one hundred yuan. Although he couldn't compare to the famous authors who started at one hundred and fifty yuan per thousand words, he was already extremely eye-catching among new authors, leaving a significant impression on the editor, Lin Shuiqing.

The second week, Lin Mu's "Fish in a Cage" was too novel, and Editor Lin Shuiqing was afraid the readers wouldn't accept it, so he didn't adopt it.

Although Lin Mu no longer opened his letters in class, those who were interested could always count the number of words in his "One Page Book" signed novels in each issue. Even at the lowest rate of eighty yuan per thousand words, it was still over two thousand!

Once was luck, which only drew attention, but doing it twice and three times directly set the whole school abuzz.

At the same time, when Lin Mu earned over eleven thousand yuan, his reputation also increased significantly.

The first issue of *The Phoenix Hairpin* brought him fifteen thousand reputation points before his second novel was published.

And with the publication of the next three novels, the four novels in total earned Lin Mu over eighty thousand reputation points.

As his reputation in *Wuxia Story* grew, the increase in reputation also gradually increased.

However, danger was also approaching...

PS: Thank you, Pure Banana 233, for the 100 yuan tip.