The Shocking Eunuch, Reborn as a Literary Girl

Chapter 4: VTuber Graduation
After deciding to write a novel, Chiya Umehara immediately began to think about specific action strategies that very day.

The first thing to determine is
"What to write, how to write, and where to write."

Based on her past path dependence, the most suitable platform would of course be Endpoint Chinese Website.

First of all, the terminal website itself is objectively the best choice.

This is the largest paid online literature platform in China, and also the platform with the highest income ceiling for authors. It is the best choice for writers who want to make a name for themselves and achieve great success.

Compared to other online literature platforms in China, the only problem here is that the entry barrier is too high.

Even just getting a contract here is a difficult thing for some novice writers who have never written a novel before.

Countless struggling authors submit their work to Qidian.com day and night, yet even getting their work accepted remains a challenge.

This step alone can filter out more than 9% of so-called "online writers".

Moreover, even if the manuscript is approved, it doesn't mean anything; it's just the beginning.

Next, you will face competition from other people who have also passed the first round of screening.

Approximately 8% of the contracted authors primarily earn their income through the "guaranteed minimum of 1500 yuan for 3 months" full attendance incentive program provided by Zhongdian Chinese Network to support new authors.

Only a small percentage of authors can actually earn enough money on the website "Endpoint" to meet their expectations and make a living from it.

But without a doubt, as long as one can achieve godhood on the Endpoint Chinese website, the benefits gained will be the highest among all Chinese online novel websites, without exception.

High barriers to entry, but also high returns – that's the characteristic of Zhongdian Chinese Network.

"At the end, one can attain enlightenment" is also the highest goal in the hearts of countless online writers.

However, the so-called threshold is for novice authors who haven't even entered the world of online literature.

For Chiya Umehara, she had long since passed the stage where she needed to struggle to secure a contract.

Or rather, it never happened at all.

She was a natural-born literary genius, and from the day she decided to make a living through writing, she was destined to leave a deep and lasting mark on people's hearts.

in spite of
In the period leading up to her death and reincarnation, she was already considered to have an "inauspicious later life" due to the continuous cutting of new books and a decline in her creative output.

Even during the period when her later years were widely considered "inauspicious," thanks to the pen name "Renci" (meaning "benevolence"), no matter how many times she abandoned or left unfinished books, people would still read her new books on time.

People say, "I just wanted to expose what kind of garbage he wrote this time; we have absolutely no hope that he can write anything good."

But in reality, if people weren't truly interested, there simply wouldn't be so many readers continuing to follow her novels.

The fact is, compared to most average authors, her writing is still quite good.

Even if she were to abandon the influence of her pen name "Renci" and start writing novels from scratch, she would be fully confident that she could start from zero and achieve legendary status on Qidian.com.

Considering the above factors, returning to the end point to write novels seems to be the best decision at present.

But after some thought, Chiya Umehara ultimately decided against returning to the finish line.

"forget it."

There are both subjective and objective reasons to explain her decision.

The objective reason is that she is now a foreigner.

To publish a novel at the end of the line, you need to upload your Chinese ID card and use a bank card with your ID card to receive payments.

This is a very troublesome thing for foreigners.

If you want to resolve this, you should be able to contact customer service for help.

But this is only in theory.

In reality, because there are relatively few overseas writers on the website and not many people have this need, the website doesn't have any very efficient solutions for this.

If we really go to the trouble of doing it, I don't know how long it will take.

Chiya Umehara is currently facing a tight cash flow situation, and she doesn't have much time to deal with the editors and customer service staff at the terminal website.

The above are the objective reasons, namely, it is inconvenient for overseas individuals to sign contracts on the Endpoint Chinese website.

The subjective reason is
"I really don't want to go back to that website anytime soon."

"After all, I've had enough of that kind of life."

In fact, she was never as "confident," "arrogant," or "self-absorbed" as readers perceived her to be.

She knew better than anyone that those so-called talents that seemed to have always been attached to her had truly drifted away from her without her even realizing it.

She used to cut books because she was arrogant and didn't take her readers seriously.

But now, she's simply cutting down the book because she can't write anything satisfactory.

When she looked back at the first few books she wrote, she realized that those combinations of words that she could easily type on the keyboard back then were now practically impossible for her.

Even when she actively tried to imitate her past successful works, the final result was still not ideal.

It was also ridiculed by readers as "a clumsy imitation of your past self".

She knows better than anyone that what she's writing is a pile of dog shit.

But that's precisely why she reacts to stress and breathes out.

That's why they use seemingly tough and arrogant words to make themselves appear confident.

But a fake is a fake.

No matter how much someone tries to intimidate others, as an author, you still need to let the quality of your work speak for itself.

She was caught in a vicious cycle of trying to prove herself to her readers, but ultimately failing to do so.

She had a vague feeling that she should probably settle down, read some books, and rediscover some creative inspiration.

However, the frustration of repeated failures and the overwhelmingly negative public opinion online forced her to release her stress in such an extreme way.

This is undoubtedly a vicious cycle.

But with this reincarnation, everything seems to have taken a turn for the better.

That's right, she plans to try writing light novels.
At first glance, it seems not much different from writing novels on the Chinese website of the terminal.

One is a popular entertainment work written in Chinese and intended for Chinese audiences, while the other is a popular entertainment work written in Japanese and intended for Japanese audiences.

It's just a difference of that magnitude.

My abilities remain the same; I still can't write good things, and I still lack inspiration.

However, Chiya Umehara had a gut feeling.

A tree dies when moved, but a person thrives when moved.

Sometimes, changing your environment, doing something different, and having more unique experiences can spark inspiration.

The reason I couldn't write anything good in my past life was largely because I was caught in a vortex of obsession and anxiety.

Now, she has used reincarnation to escape her predicament and sever all ties with her past readers.

Choosing not to rush back to writing novels on Qidian.com, but instead to create light novels for the Japanese market, is also an opportunity to change the environment and find inspiration and creativity again.

Although both are popular works, the styles of popular reading materials in the two countries differ greatly due to cultural atmosphere, internet environment, and other reasons.

Try catering to different customer groups and creating works that are not entirely the same as your past styles; you might just find new inspiration in the process.
That's what Chiya Umehara thought.

And
"As a phenomenal Chinese online novelist, wouldn't it be a piece of cake for me to come to Japan, write a light novel to prove my worth?"

Yes, she began to have that competitive drive to prove herself.

Besides the rivalry with readers, one reason she was anxious and constantly canceled books in her past life was that her peak came too early and was far too high. Not long after her debut, she had already become one of the highest-earning authors on Qidian.com, and her later work, "Phoenix Clan," propelled her popularity to new heights, making her a phenomenal author in China.

What are these "contract signing zone", "thousand-order zone", "premium zone", "super premium zone", "ten-thousand-order zone"?
What about Honor One-Star, Two-Star, and Three-Star ratings?
What are the top-ranked, legendary, and platinum-level players on the Chinese website "Qidian"?
These things, which many online novelists dream of, offer her absolutely no sense of accomplishment.

After all, it was something he had already obtained right after his debut.
Reaching her peak too early meant that the rest of her creative career was nothing but loss.

No matter how good the grades are, she thinks it's "no big deal".

No matter what I write, I always feel that "this is nothing compared to what I wrote before."

But now, having come to Japan, I have acquired native-level Japanese proficiency.
It feels like being in a cultivation novel, where you level up to the maximum in one map, show off and slap people in the face, then switch to another map, clear your level, and start all over again.

It was full of novelty.

In China, titles like "high-quality product," "top-quality product," "tens of thousands of orders," "king," "god," and "platinum" are nothing special to her.

But in Japan, a completely new map, all the rules are different.

Although she doesn't know the specific rules right now.

How do I publish my work, and what constitutes success?
These kinds of things require further investigation.

But that's it.
"No matter what the rules are, I am absolutely confident that I can reach the top."

"Because I am who I am. I am the 'merciful' one, and even in Japan, my literary talent flows like a spring."

Thinking of this, she shook off her previous gloom and revealed a confident smile.

"Alright, I'll compose a haiku here."

"The clouds are broken.
pen sign
I can do it on my own."

Thinking about this, Chiya Umehara suddenly felt her anxiety dissipate considerably.

"Then let's get started!"
-
After deciding on the next steps, Chiya Umehara quickly began to take action.

First, she took 40,000 yen from the 50,000 yen she had left and used it to pay for her sister's tutoring fees.

As for the two sisters' daily food expenses, they could only rely on day-wage jobs to make ends meet.

Although it was a bit shabby, there was no better way.

No matter what, my sister's studies cannot be neglected.

However, the cost of tutoring classes, food, and daily necessities can be covered by savings and part-time jobs.

I really can't pay the 8 yen rent in the short term.

This is the real source of tension.
From what she knew, this landlord was really not a good person.

Although I have to admit that I took good care of both sisters and watched them grow up.

But the problem is...
This landlady, it seems, is actually a nightclub owner by profession.

When Chiya Umehara was a minor, things were fine; she generally wouldn't say anything she shouldn't.

Recently, after learning that Umehara Chiya had come of age, whenever Umehara Chiya seemed a little embarrassed when paying rent, she would hint, "You're quite good-looking. If you're short of money, I have a job for you."

“It’s not a big deal, as long as you can let go of that little bit of dignity. And I will take care of you like a daughter.”

That's right, they're already trying to get people involved in this business.

I was thinking of calling the landlord and humbly asking, "I'm really short on cash lately, could you make an exception for a while?"

But she knew that if she made that call, there was a high probability that the other party would recommend that she go into the sex industry.

So after thinking about it, I decided to give up.

Currently, there are still half a month's rent left.

This made her feel a bit stressed.

Half a month
If you're relying on novel royalties, then considering the time from publication to income, it's simply impossible to keep up with rent payments.

Even if she could finish writing the novel in half a month at the fastest speed, it would still take a long time from publication to receiving the money.

Even conservatively, it would take at least two months.

As for other part-time jobs, the money is simply not enough.

In other words, this problem is basically unsolvable at present.

Chiya Umehara felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.

But for now, we can only take it one step at a time.

Whether you work to save money or borrow money later, it's all good.
Alternatively, you could try to persuade the debtor to come to your door to collect the debt.

Since none of these are reliable solutions, we shouldn't think about it for now.

Let's just pretend this never happened and figure something out when we're about to die.

There's always a way out.
All that's left is to focus on the present.

I must continue working.

With her cash reserves dwindling, Chiya Umehara has to work part-time to cover her current living expenses, otherwise she really won't be able to afford food.

At the same time, writing novels is something I must continue.

In her past life, she always felt that it was a terrible thing for some part-time authors to work during the day and come back at night to update their novels.

Whether it's working or writing novels, both are extremely energy-consuming activities, and it's not easy to do either one well.

She felt that if she went to work during the day, she would be exhausted when she came back at night, her mind would be blank, and she wouldn't be able to write anything.

'So I definitely can't do it.'

That's what she was thinking at the time.

But now she has discovered that sometimes whether or not she can accomplish something is influenced by the environment and the pressures of reality.

Never say you "can't do it" unless you're truly desperate.

However, although she has now decided to work during the day and write novels at night, objectively speaking, this does have a negative impact on her creative work.

Doing both of these things at the same time is already her limit; it would severely distract her.

Like Chiya Umehara before her, who insisted on doing daily Vtuber live streams while working and writing novels, that was completely beyond her capabilities.

Sudden death was her final fate.

Even if she didn't die suddenly, it would be almost impossible for her to write anything decent under such a state of complete lack of energy.

More likely, he will fail at everything – working, writing novels, or doing live streaming.

Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Chiya Umehara chose to give up the live broadcast without hesitation.

In her current view, this is something that requires a lot of time investment but yields little return and has a very low cost-effectiveness.

The reason why Chiya Umehara continued to stream before was that she still fantasized that her popularity would one day recover and she could return to her peak income level.

But at this point, she no longer had any expectations for it.

With that in mind, she logged into her YouTube account that very night and recorded a final, simple "graduation video" for her viewers.

Arisa officially disconnects from the relationship.

The result was unexpected.
This graduation video has surprisingly high view count.

　P.S.: Data is quite important during the new book launch period. If you like it, please don't wait until it's finished reading; please click to follow it. Thank you! Arigato!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)