The editor cared a lot about Chu Jin’s academic progress, so the first ssage was about Chu Jin’s college entrance exam scores.
Linglong Dice: (Hey old pal, have your college entrance exam scores co out yet?) Because she was familiar with Chu Jin, she was quite uninhibited when chatting with her.
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (Yeah. /Smile)
Linglong Dice: (Seeing how you are, you must’ve done well, right?)
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (It was okay, the results were as expected.)
Results as expected ant that she had done well, and she had ntioned before that she wanted to aim for Capital University. It seed Capital University was within reach now! While "The Return of the Past" was in high spirits, the editor seized the opportunity to urge her to start a new book.
Linglong Dice: (So old pal, now that you’ve finished your exams, when do you plan to start a new book?)
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (Let nature take its course...)
Seeing her respond like this, the editor quickly changed the subject.
Linglong Dice: (Our website has arranged an author interview for you, the kind where you show your face on video. When are you free?)
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (I’m not very photogenic, I’d rather not do a video, afraid it would affect the book sales. I could consider a written interview, though.)
Linglong Dice: (Nowadays, all the good-looking people say they’re not! Co on, Master, let’s not be modest, okay?) Even her ID photos look that good, and she’s still calling herself unattractive! Is she trying to fool her uneducated editor?
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (Linglong big sis, I’m serious.)
Linglong Dice: (Haha... that’s a cold joke.)
The editor typed quickly and was also fast in switching topics. Soon, she sent another ssage, (Didn’t I tell you to apply for a Weibo account to interact with your readers? Why haven’t you applied for it yet?)
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (I... forgot.) Chu Jin had been really busy lately and had genuinely forgotten.
Linglong Dice: (/Spits blood, and about that book-signing event, our website is already arranging it. You better get your Weibo account set up soon to build up so popularity for the signing! By the way, just to let you know, the signing event is planned for mid-November, so get prepared.)
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (That soon? I’ll apply for Weibo as soon as possible.)
Linglong Dice: (You really mustn’t forget this ti!)
Resplendent Rivers and Mountains: (Don’t worry!)
After chatting with the editor, Chu Jin logged into the author’s backend and clicked on the inco managent page. This page showed the inco from online subscriptions made by readers and did not include revenue from published books.
Since her book was published, Chu Jin had never once checked her inco.
When she saw the online inco for the past three months, Chu Jin was stunned. Just from the PC and mobile end, her inco had reached an eight-digit figure!
Her author level had also gone from being a signed author to a diamond one!
Chu Jin never dread that the royalties from the digital version would be so much. She thought at most it would be a seven-digit number, but it turned out to leap directly to eight digits.
A whole twenty-six million.
Rembering the editor’s words, Chu Jin first browsed the comnt section for a while and replied to comnts, then picked up her phone and registered a Weibo account with the nickna ’The Return of the Past’ and announced her new Weibo account in the comnt section.
The mont the comnt was posted, readers imdiately started leaving ssages.
"Ahhh, I’ve finally waited for Sister Past, I’m going to follow you!"
"Love Past Past a thousand years."
"Love People People ten thousand years."
"Love Return Return a hundred million years."
"Everybody loves , and I love everybody."
"Stick to formation, guys! Are you having fun goofing off?"
"Sister Past is my lifelong love, no one else."
"What’s Weibo? Is it like WeChat?"
"The one above, just Baidu it and you’ll know what Weibo is!"
"I don’t have Weibo, but for Sister Past, I’m going to register an account."
"Ahhh! I found Sister Past!"
Unlike other authors’ comnt sections, ’The Return of the Past’s comnt area was very unique, almost devoid of discordant voices, no trolls, and no haters, everyone was very friendly. So people even got to know each other through the comnt section and went from the virtual to the real world.
They ca together because of similar values and had a lot to talk about.
Seeing the comnt section so lively, Chu Jin curled her lips into a smile, picked up her phone, aid at a corner of the balcony, snap took a photo, and posted a Weibo.
The Return of the Past V: Hi everyone, I’m Chu Xiaobai. Picture jpg
In the picture, a plump white cat was snuggled in a flower pot, sleeping. Its head was resting on a cactus, mouth slightly open as if drool could flow out at any mont, looking adorably silly.
By this ti, her followers had gone from 0 to 500, and the number was still rising steadily.
And as soon as this Weibo was posted, the comnt section exploded.
"So my goddess is also helplessly addicted to sniffing cats!"
"Sister Past, I don’t want to see this silly cat’s photo, I want to see yours."
"Sister Past, reveal your face!"
"This Chu Xiaobai is really causing a stir!"
"Did this silly cat practice Iron Head Kung Fu?"
"Hi big sister fairy, I’m Chu Xiaohei."
"Goddess, hi, I’m Chu Xiao Lu."
"Bai Erbai here asking for dicine!"
"Bai Sanbai here asking for dicine!"
"A goddess is a goddess; even the cat she keeps exudes a fairy vibe..."
Chu Jin hadn’t used Weibo before and wasn’t too familiar with it. After playing around for a bit, she logged out and then logged into her personal online banking, entering the account number and password of the bank card bound to her author’s account.
She divided the twenty-six million into three parts and donated it.
All donations were made anonymously.
The first part was donated to the recent flood-affected areas, contributing to the disaster relief efforts.
The second part was donated to left-behind children in poverty-stricken mountainous areas, to help them with their basic needs and complete their education.
The third part was divided into three sums and donated to three stray dog and cat rescue stations in Capital City.
Donating to stray animals wasn’t a spur-of-the-mont decision, but ca after she read a newspaper report yesterday, which ntioned that due to limited capacity and funds at the shelters, euthanasia had beco necessary for so dogs and cats, calling on people to adopt instead of buying.
No matter what, those were living beings, and she hoped that this money could bring hope for life to those innocent animals.
Outside, the sunlight was just right. Having taken care of all this, Chu Jin stuffed her phone into her pocket, looked out the window, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.
Around seven o’clock in the evening, Mo Qingyi began to sit in front of the dressing table, getting all dressed up. It was her first visit to a bar, so of course, she had to take it seriously.
Chu Jin, on the other hand, was sitting in front of the computer, her fingers flying rapidly across the keyboard, tapping away noisily.
Mo Qingyi turned her head and called out, "Chu Jin, stop playing on the computer, go change your clothes, we’re leaving at 7:30, you have half an hour left."
"Change clothes?" Chu Jin looked up with so confusion, "Why do I need to change clothes?"
Mo Qingyi explained, "We’re going to ’The Return of the Past’ later! Didn’t we agree to et Xinran at 8 o’clock at the entrance?"
"There’s no need to get changed, I think what I’m wearing is pretty good." Chu Jin continued her typing while talking, making the keyboard clack loudly.
Mo Qingyi glanced at her and saw that Chu Jin was wearing ripped jeans, a white T-shirt, and white sneakers—overflowing with youth, the very image of a teenager. She couldn’t help but tease, "Chu Jin, are you really going to the bar dressed like this? Others will think you haven’t even graduated from high school yet. At least try to dress a bit more maturely."
Although the outfit suited her well and looked good, it was just too innocent, giving people an easy opportunity to take advantage. And in a bar, a place filled with all kinds of people, she should dress more maturely and uniquely, so as not to be underestimated.
Chu Jin arched an eyebrow slightly and said, "Changing is such a hassle; you do it, I’ll wait for you."
In the end, Mo Qingyi changed into a light purple dress and applied exquisite minimal makeup. This look did indeed make her seem quite mature and significantly more glamorous than usual.
When the two arrived at ’The Return of the Past’, it was exactly eight o’clock. Many luxury cars were already parked in front of the bar, and Miao Xinran was waiting by the door of one of them.
"Wow, Xinran, not bad, driving your own car now," Mo Qingyi said as she patted Miao Xinran’s shoulder.
Miao Xinran smiled, "That’s right, what do you think? My car is pretty great, isn’t it?"
"Not bad at all," Mo Qingyi nodded continuously, "When I get my driver’s license one day, I’ll ask my mom to buy a car too!"
The environnt in the bar was actually quite nice.
Unlike what Miao Xinran had imagined, it wasn’t very complicated. Although the lights were very dazzling, they weren’t too noisy, and the music wasn’t too explosive. It was all perford live by musicians with cellos, pianists, and saxophonists harmoniously creating uniquely characteristic music.
Under the glow of the lights, the red wine looked incredibly tempting.
There were n and won in the dance floor swaying their hips—an atmosphere that was both lively and serene.
There were those drowning their sorrows with alcohol, those looking for fun, and those enjoying life, a mix of different people all together.
The motions of the bartender were dizzyingly deft, with various bottles of liquor constantly creating patterns in his hands, eventually resulting in a beautiful "blossom," eliciting gasps of surprise and dumbfounded stares from young won.
The three of them ca to the bar together, Mo Qingyi and Miao Xinran were very curious about the layout of the bar, and with drinks in hand, they walked around before heading straight to the dance floor, moving their hips to the rhythm. The lively atmosphere was easily contagious, and soon, they were dancing wildly and carefree—youth was for living unrestrained.
As a successful businessperson in her previous life, Chu Jin had often visited places like bars, so she wasn’t at all curious about the environnt here. She didn’t follow Mo Qingyi and the others wandering around aimlessly, nor did she go to dance on the dance floor. Instead, she sat at the bar, looking down at her phone, with a beautifully colored cocktail in front of her.
Chu Jin had been sitting there for a while and had already beco the most striking scene in the bar. Capital City was not short of beauties, but soone as stunning as Chu Jin was rare indeed. Her unpainted face was delicate, and her peach blossom eyes were captivating yet pure, and although her clothes were simple, she exuded an effortless elegance that was breathtaking.
Many people passed by; so even circled around her five or six tis, but no one dared to actually stop and strike up a conversation.
She looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl, yet she was cloaked in an aura that exceeded her apparent age, instilling a sense of respect and deterring any improper thoughts.
The atmosphere in the bar, already buzzing, suddenly shot up to an extre, with all kinds of screams, whistles, and frenzied shouts, as if so celebrity superstar had just walked in.
Chu Jin slightly furrowed her brows, looking up toward the source of the sound, only to see spotlights trained on a young man in a white shirt, sitting on stage with a guitar, singing and playing by himself. He had an exceptionally high appeal, the most popular fresh face of the mont.
The audience below the stage was too enthusiastic, their screams and whistles even drowning out the singing. The scene was no less frenetic than that of a movie star.
After glancing that way, Chu Jin quickly withdrew her gaze, her deanor indifferent. Her serene face showed not a ripple of emotion, a stark contrast to the nearly crazed fans nearby.
In this bar, there were very few who weren’t attracted to the young man in white on stage; in fact, most people ca specifically for him. But she was the exception.
The bartender next to her tried to draw Chu Jin’s attention with dazzling cocktail-flipping skills, but sadly, her focus was entirely on her phone. After completing a difficult maneuver, disappointnt flashed in the bartender’s eyes as he took away the drink in front of Chu Jin and placed a freshly mixed one before her.
"Beauty, since that drink didn’t suit your taste, why not try this newly concocted one? It’s called ’Fascination’ and fits your charm perfectly."
Beneath the multicolored lights, the half-red, slightly blue liquid shimred enchantingly in the transparent glass, garnished with a slice of lemon. It looked as appealing as juice, enticing one to down it in one go.
At his words, Chu Jin slowly lifted her eyes, took a sip of the drink, and said to the bartender in a detached tone, "Thank you."
The bartender had thought her to be an icy beauty who didn’t speak much, but it turned out she was just an ordinary person. Looking at the glass, he continued, "Beauty, why have you only had a sip? Don’t you like it?"
Chu Jin slightly raised her eyebrows, her words pointed, "The drink is good, but too spirited for ."
The bartender’s specialty was to hide strong alcohol in sweet juices or beverages before smoothly taking down the target.
The more beautiful sothing is on the outside, the more dangerous it can be.
The bartender hadn’t expected Chu Jin to make such a statent. The drink tasted sweet and smooth on entry, like fruit juice, without even a hint of alcohol. How did Chu Jin know it was strong?
This girl was terrifying! She might look young and innocent, but she was actually sharp as a needle, not soone to be easily handled.
But it was also possible she was feigning knowledge, posturing. After all, it’s reasonable for a young girl to be cautious since she ca to the bar alone.
Continuing, the bartender said, "It’s so dull over here, beauty, all alone. Why not join the crowd? Tonight, Yi Shao is here performing. It’s a rare opportunity; you really shouldn’t miss it."
Chu Jin replied indifferently, "Not interested."
She was no longer a starry-eyed girl and had long passed the age of chasing celebrities.
Few could resist Yi Shao’s charm; at least the bartender never saw anyone who did. Every woman, after seeing Yi Shao, would fall at his feet. This young girl was quite interesting, likely to arouse a man’s desire to conquer.
The bartender, with a warm smile, said, "You probably don’t even know who Yi Shao is, right?"
Even if not attracted by Yi Shao’s looks, many won were drawn by his status and wealth, which was why the bartender asked such a question—he wanted to see if Chu Jin was a true "Fairy" or a false one.
Chu Jin offhandedly replied, "Don’t know."
The bartender leaned in slightly, speaking mysteriously, "Yi Shao has quite the background. He’s the sole heir to the Fang Family in Capital City, and also the owner of ’Night Colors’. Not only is he good-looking, but his assets are over a billion. Most importantly, he still doesn’t have a girlfriend."
That was part of why Yi Shao was so popular; he was practically the epito of Prince Charming in the hearts of myriad young girls.
At these words, Chu Jin rely responded with an indifferent "Oh."
Her expression unchanged, her clear face betraying not a hint of disturbance.
Oh?
What did that "oh" an? The bartender was taken aback. So all those words he had said before were in vain! The girl had not taken them in at all!
If she really had, would she have reacted this way?
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