Starting to write novels in 2013 might have been a bit late, but Zhou Yuwen had fought in the web novel world before, and he still had the skills. Plus, many works from his previous life hadn’t appeared in this world yet, so he figured he could easily make a few million by blending and innovating.
A quick glance at the novel rankings on the website showed that in 2013, fantasy still dominated, although it was starting to decline. Zhou Yuwen wanted to write fantasy too, especially since it could be adapted into a TV series later for extra profit. Unfortunately, he only knew how to write urban novels. His writing skills were diocre, and he wasn’t good at plotting. His only strength was character creation.
In his previous life, Zhou Yuwen had managed to break through with a single novel, making Su Qing regret divorcing him. She thought he would go far in the novel world, not understanding the industry. Back then, Zhou Yuwen had made a few million with his very first novel. He was surrounded by people praising him, predicting that he would beco a legendary author. Su Qing believed them, feeling that she had missed the chance to share in Zhou Yuwen's success and persistently tried to reconcile with him.
However, Zhou Yuwen’s path in the web novel world wasn’t as smooth as it seed. After his first novel, he ran out of ideas. He was never a natural writer, just soone who slightly modified his own experiences, never expecting such sudden success.
Now, reborn, Zhou Yuwen struggled to think of what to write next. He couldn't just rewrite his previous works, because in Zhou Yuwen's novels, basically, the protagonist will have sex with every woman after that. Although such works have been sought after by many book lovers, they are really not worthy of being published in high society and cannot escape the fate of being banned.
This ti around, he aid for the honor of being a master writer.
After much contemplation, Zhou Yuwen decided on a plot: a successful yet carefree middle-aged man who, after attending a banquet, drives himself ho and gets hit by a truck at a turn. When he opens his eyes again, he finds himself back in his high school days. There, he reconnects with his childhood sweetheart and later, in college, ets his true love. Through constant dramatic encounters, he could easily write up to two million words.
Once the the was set, writing beca easier. Zhou Yuwen rembered many scenes from a similar work he'd read before, so he just needed to rewrite them with his style.
Of course, nowadays, writing a novel required more than just a good hook. It also depended on financial backing.
First things first, Zhou Yuwen posted 4,000 words and left a bold statent in the comnts: "Ahem! This is my first ti writing on this site, so I don’t know the rules yet. Once signed, I'll update 20,000 words daily, or I'll cut off my b*lls."
Of course, writing a novel today required more than just a good hook; it also depended on financial backing. In his previous life, Zhou Yuwen had suffered from a lack of knowledge. When he first started writing, he thought that if his work was good, it would naturally get noticed. He made so money but didn’t realize he needed to invest in promoting his book to reach the top of the charts and attract readers.
That day, although Zhou Yuwen created a buzz with his bold claim, he only posted 4,000 words. As a 30-year-old with writing experience, his work was clearly more polished than that of the young, inexperienced writers. In the first two chapters, he vividly outlined the protagonist and the childhood sweetheart.
In that year, novel websites still had decent traffic and were not yet controlled by capital. New books could still get noticed through natural traffic. Many people stumbled upon Zhou Yuwen’s novel.
Seeing the author's bold claim, readers exclaid, "Wow, this author is hardcore!" and clicked to check it out. Once they started reading, they couldn't stop.
Wow, just reading the first two chapters is already captivating! Zhou Yuwen’s protagonist is completely different from the popular ones nowadays.
In 2013, most protagonists were thick-skinned and sleazy, losing their composure around won and shalessly flirting, causing the female lead to blush and tremble.
Zhou Yuwen’s protagonist, on the other hand, clearly had depth and experience.
Damn, now I’m really looking forward to it!
"Guys! I found a great book. The author promised 20,000 daily updates or he’ll cut off his balls!"
"Really? That’s hardcore! Maybe he doesn’t have balls to begin with?"
"It’s only 4,000 words so far. Why would he say such things? Maybe he's just bluffing!"
Another group chat chid in: "Guys! There's a eunuch writing a novel online!"
"Seriously? Let’s check it out!"
That's how the internet works—stories get distorted after being repeated a few tis, but who cares? As long as the traffic cos in, it doesn’t matter. On the first day, without any promotion, Zhou Yuwen’s novel already had 200 favorites. This was unprecedented in the history of novel writing; even in his previous life, Zhou Yuwen only managed to get single-digit favorites on the first day.
With so spare ti, Zhou Yuwen wrote a few more chapters to stockpile. The next day, during military training, he continued to take ti off to sell campus cards. Zheng Yanyan also took ti off, but they only exchanged a few words. Chang Hao, now the class representative, couldn't take ti off and diligently helped the instructors.
After three days, the first weekend of university arrived. Weekends during military training weren’t free, but there was an open period in the evening from 5:30 to 9:00 PM to go out and buy supplies. Only essential items were allowed—no snacks or drinks could be brought back to campus! If caught, students would face penalties and be reported as failing military training.
Of course, these rules were more of a scare tactic. Initially, the enforcent was strict, but by graduation, the school would find ways to ensure everyone graduated. Still, these warnings were sowhat effective in intimidating the current students. Since snacks couldn’t be brought in, they could only indulge outside the campus.
That day, Li Qiang and his friends were especially excited because Chang Hao was taking them to eat at Toronto and et so pretty girls!
Zhou Yuwen, on the other hand, was indifferent. He knew he would see his ex-wife, but he couldn’t pass up a al at Toronto. After all, they had seafood, and it would be a waste not to indulge.
Chang Hao teased Zhou Yuwen, saying he didn’t like Su Qing but his actions showed otherwise. Zhou Yuwen replied, "Can't help it, I'm hung up on Zheng Yanyan!"
"Forget it, she’s not into you," Chang Hao shot back.
"Then why aren't you giving up since she’s not into you either?"
Dorm mates could bond quickly. Within a week, Zhou Yuwen and Chang Hao had beco good friends, aided by mories from his past life.
As they prepared to go out, Chang Hao sprayed cologne and styled his hair. Li Qiang followed suit, using whatever Chang Hao used, even asking, "Brother Hao, what’s this?"
"Face wash, you country bumpkin!"
"Isn’t that for girls?"
"You’re such a hick!"
"Hey, let
use it!"
"You’re using too much! This is Innisfree!"
Listening to their banter, Zhou Yuwen looked out the window. It was a typical September afternoon, with a blue sky and a gentle breeze rustling the camphor tree leaves.
In the dorm, Chang Hao complained, "Why use so much? You don’t even have a girlfriend!"
"Hey, you never know, maybe Shen Yu will like !"
These ordinary monts felt familiar and precious.
Ah, youth is wonderful.
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