A Single Person's Infinite Wonderful Life

Li Wei genuinely regretted it; he should have chosen a more normal pen name. But pen names are like spilled water—once they're gone, they're gone. He couldn't change his pen name until "His Majesty the Demon King" was finished.

“Alright then, Li Weijun,” Machida Sonoko said with a smile.

After a few words of casual conversation, Li Wei hung up the phone. This light novel would hone his writing skills and also provide him with a legitimate source of income—a win-win situation. Back in the real world, Li Wei planned to submit the work again, aiming to earn money twice from a single piece of writing.

Chapter 80. Kato Megumi's Efforts

The French windows opened, and Kasumigaoka Utaha, wearing a loose t-shirt and holding a cup of cola, asked curiously, "Is that a call from home?" Li Wei turned around and smiled, "It's a call from Sonoko-nee, calling to tell me about the first-day sales of her new book." "Oh? How are the sales?" Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes were full of curiosity.

The promotional efforts for Li Wei's new book are absolutely top-notch. Not only are the light novel publishers heavily promoting it, but Li Wei himself is also posting concept art on various light novel forums. At the same time, the official website is revealing certain details of the novel, attracting the attention of a large number of veteran readers with its vast and meticulous world-building.

It can be said that Li Wei's early publicity efforts gave them a significant advantage over their competitors.

"14 copies sold on the first day," Li Wei said calmly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'm so envious. The first-day sales alone are almost catching up with the total sales of my best single volume." Kasumigaoka Utaha handed the cola to Li Wei. The weather was still quite hot, so the refrigerator in the apartment was always stocked with various drinks and sodas.

"Thank you." Li Wei took the cola and drank it all in one gulp.

He is currently living with Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato Megumi. Eriri originally wanted to move in as well, but her family is quite strict, and her parents control her a lot. They don't even allow her to stay out overnight, let alone stay away from home for extended periods.

Kato Megumi, on the other hand, had a severe lack of self-awareness. She simply greeted her family and moved in without her parents asking any further questions.

As for Kasumigaoka Uta 933, she had been living independently for a long time. After becoming a light novel author, she achieved financial independence and no longer stayed at home.

Kasumigaoka Utaha said, "The first volume just released its results, and you've already started writing the second volume. Darling, in terms of writing speed, you're already at the forefront of the entire industry. I don't recommend that you release the second volume too quickly." Li Wei nodded and said, "Are you afraid that the popularity won't be fully developed, or are you afraid of offending your peers?"

"A little bit of both, but the main concern is offending my peers. After all, if you release books at full speed, two volumes a month, the vast majority of authors in the industry will be forced into a fierce competition, and then it won't be as simple as offending one or two people," Kasumigaoka Utaha said.

Li Wei smiled. Kasumigaoka Utaha's words reminded him of online novels in China. In the beginning, the update speed of online novels was actually not fast. Two thousand words a day was already the limit for many authors, and they would often slack off and delay updates from time to time.

However, due to the diligence of a certain big name, the entire online literature circle was forced into a frenzy of increasing updates, which caused online writers to start a crazy competition, competing on update speed, wave after wave. This also led to many tragedies. In recent years, many online writers died suddenly because they buried themselves in writing day and night, eventually ruining their health.

In comparison, the update pressure for light novels in Japan is ridiculously low compared to that of online novels.

In China, a qualified online novel writer must at least guarantee 5,000 words per day. As for more, the more the better. Readers would love for authors to write 10,000 words a day, and to release 20,000 to 30,000 words every now and then. But if you do this, the author is very likely to die from overwork.

As for light novel authors in Japan, their update speed isn't particularly fast, averaging only one volume every two months. Each volume is around 100,000 words, which averages out to less than 1,700 words per day over sixty days—a treatment that online novel writers would envy.

"As for this book, the new volume will be released a little faster than other works, but not by much. I know what I'm doing." Li Wei and Kasumigaoka Utaha walked into the house. The weather was still quite hot at night. It should be said that the heat island effect in Tokyo is very serious, which makes it difficult for the high temperature to completely dissipate even at night. High-rise apartments are the hardest hit areas by the heat island effect.

"Is Hui still writing?" Li Wei asked.

“She’s been working incredibly hard these past two days, but she really didn’t need to,” Kasumigaoka Utaha said.

"It's probably because you and Eriri put pressure on her. After all, one of you is a light novel author, and the other is a promising student at Tokyo University of the Arts. Compared to your 'excellence,' she seems rather 'ordinary,'" Li Wei said.

Seeing someone virtuous and thinking of emulating them is a good thing. It's not a bad thing that Kato Megumi is working hard like this, as long as she doesn't go overboard or harm her body. Such efforts are positive.

“I have never looked down on her because of this. She is unique and does not need to be compared with anyone.” Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed.

“Hui is just struggling with herself. Once she gets over this stress in the next couple of days, she’ll go back to her usual routine,” Li Wei said.

Kato Megumi knew that her current skill level was not suitable for submitting directly to paperbacks, so she followed Li Wei's advice and published her work online first.

However, even when publishing her work online, Megumi Kato has an advantage that other creators don't have: she has two illustrators backing her up. One is from the top tier of the industry (cgch), and the other is from the very top of the industry. With these two big names "backing" her up, her work is inherently more attractive than that of other creators.

Kato Megumi's work is only 30,000 words long, but Li Wei and Eriri have already created a complete set of character designs and scene concept art for her work, along with top-notch illustrations, averaging one illustration for every 10,000 words. This kind of treatment, with illustrations throughout, is enough to make other authors on the website envious.

With Li Wei and Eriri providing illustrations throughout, coupled with the high quality of Kato Megumi's work, her work is now beginning to gain recognition on the "Let's Become a Light Novelist" website.

With less than half a volume and only 30,000 words in the beginning, it has already garnered 800,000 views. If it can maintain this level of success, it's not impossible for it to even be made into a physical product.

After entering the house, Li Wei closed the glass door of the French windows and returned to his computer desk to continue writing.

It must be said that Megumi Kato also has a certain talent in writing. Although she is not as talented as a prodigy like Utaha Kasumigaoka, she is still much better than the average person.

With his guidance, she progressed very quickly. When Li Wei first started writing online novels, she went through many detours. Kato Megumi was undoubtedly lucky. With mentors like him and Kasumigaoka Utaha, she didn't need to make mistakes on her own and avoided all sorts of pitfalls from the very beginning. That's why her writing was able to attract so many readers.

Li Wei read the comments in the book review section of Kato Megumi's works and found that someone was using a fake account to stir up trouble. He used his hacking skills to trace the source and eventually found out who was causing the trouble.

The people who started this trend are also writers on the "Let's Become a Light Novelist" website. They are unwilling to let a newcomer like Kato Megumi climb over them, so they banded together for mutual support and created alternate accounts to cause trouble in the book review section of Kato Megumi's works.

Li Wei could only sigh, never expecting that the light novel circle would have the same bizarre state of affairs as the online novel circle. Li Wei, a flop like him, naturally had never experienced such treatment, but a certain author who entered the industry at the same time as him had his mentality ruined by such methods, got into a fight with people in the book review section, and eventually stopped writing in despair.

In Li Wei's view, the author who was targeted was actually very talented, but the problem was that he was too talented, which aroused the jealousy of his peers. Ultimately, he was attacked by a group of colleagues, his reputation was ruined, and he had no choice but to leave the online literature circle. (True story)

Li Wei would naturally not tolerate such a thing happening to Kato Megumi. Kato Megumi was his wife, and a group of jealous people dared to violate his taboo; they were simply courting death.

Li Wei didn't actually go online and attack anyone, but his methods were no less ruthless. After collecting substantial evidence against those individuals, he publicly revealed the evidence and their true identities, forcing these troublemakers to leave the light novel writing community and cease writing altogether. With their true identities and past actions exposed, these light novel authors who had been stirring up trouble in the book review section suffered a complete social death. They could never again aspire to be light novel writers. While the internet may have no memory, the memories of otaku are remarkably sharp.

For these troublemakers aspiring to make their mark in the light novel world, Li Wei's actions were even more unacceptable than killing them.

Li Wei is the kind of person who retaliates in kind. If these people provoke him, he might not punish them so severely if he's in a good mood.

But those troublemakers actually targeted Kato Megumi, which touched a nerve with Li Wei. He wouldn't stop until they learned a lesson they'd never forget.

Chapter 81. The Sweet Treat After the Stick

After completing his daily writing task, Li Wei stopped working. He is a person who values ​​the balance between work and rest and generally does not push himself too hard. So when it's time to relax, he will unwind and stop thinking about work.

Li Wei was the only one in the study. Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato Megumi were in the adjacent master bedroom, which also had a long desk where Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kato Megumi usually wrote.

"I don't feel like playing games right now. I might as well call Aki Tomoya and ask him what he's going to do," Li Wei muttered to himself as he picked up his phone from next to the computer.

Aki Tomoya has been playing the ostrich for the past few days, and Li Wei has ignored him. Even in the classroom, the two haven't exchanged a single word, acting like complete strangers.

Li Wei wasn't angry about this. He gave Aki Tomoya a few days to process things, and now it was time for him to make a decision.

The question is whether to continue making the game or not. If we do, we'll continue; if we don't, we'll have to pay compensation. It's that simple. Of course, he still hopes that Aki Tomoya will continue making the game. After all, a steady stream of profits is always better than a one-off deal.

I dialed Aki Tomoya's number, and after waiting a moment, the call was answered.

"Hey, Anki-kun, good evening." Li Wei leaned back in his ergonomic chair, putting his legs on the desk.

"It's Li Weijun, good evening." Aki Tomoya's voice was somewhat deep, and there was a faint murmur of noise, like from a bar.

“Right now, let alone getting drunk at a bar, I don’t want to have to come and take you home after you’re drunk,” Li Wei said.

"I'm not old enough to drink yet. I work at a bar as a waiter." Aki Tomoya doesn't shy away from this. He's a working-class guy who's used to working odd jobs. Plus, he's not bad looking. With a little light makeup, he's kind of handsome. It's because of this that he's able to work as a waiter at a bar.

"Anki-kun, are we still doing it? Your game." Li Wei asked directly and bluntly.

"Can I still make games now?" Aki Tomoya asked, his tone filled with dejection and bitterness.

Aki Tomoya hasn't been idle these past few days. Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri's attitudes have made it clear that they won't help him, so the game's production costs have skyrocketed. He needs to hire a qualified scriptwriter and two illustrators, and the salaries of just three people are not cheap. Add to that the cost of materials and other expenses, and it will cost ten million yen. If the costs are not controlled properly, there will be almost no money left.

Although Li Wei agreed to continue investing at any time, Aki Tomoya's inner fear prevented him from spending the money lavishly.

“An Yi, you have talent! You are a rough gem that has yet to be discovered. Are you really willing to give up here? When you are old and look back on this, won’t you feel that it is a regret in your life?” Li Wei said in a serious tone.

Aki Tomoya was Li Wei's chosen best score-boosting tool, and he didn't want to lose such a tool here, so giving him a sweet treat at this time was crucial.

The blow from those three girls was too great for Aki Tomoya. Now that someone has already played the bad cop, Li Wei has to play the good cop. In any case, before the final showdown, Li Wei will maintain his current persona and gradually lead Aki Tomoya into the deepest part of the trap.

“I’m very grateful for your encouragement, Li Weijun, and I know what problems I’ll face after breaching the contract. But right now I need some time to recover, and I need to start recruiting. I have to hurry up if I want to present my work at the winter anime convention,” Aki Tomoya said.

"It's good that you can cheer up. I'm glad you can stick to your principles." Li Wei smiled. The tool was taken care of. As long as Aki Tomoya continued playing the game, he could continue to grind for points. Now, with a few hundred more points, he could reach 10,000 and do two rounds of ten-draws. Even if he didn't draw, he could still get some good items by directly exchanging them.

Aki Tomoya said, "Thank you for your support, but I will be changing the type of my work. Originally, I wanted to make a pure love romance game that would move all players, but now I've changed my mind. I want to make an NTR romance game that will shock all players and let them taste my pain... cough cough, enlightenment! That's right, enlightenment!"

Aki Tomoya quickly corrected himself, but Li Wei's hearing was excellent. He didn't miss anything despite the noisy environment on the other side. It seems that Aki Tomoya has been quite depressed these past few days. Moreover, he has started to become twisted and actually wants to change the type of work, jumping directly from pure love works to NTR-type works. This leap is really huge.

Li Wei had no interest in what kind of games Aki Tomoya played, and whatever Aki's intentions for revenge against society were none of his concern.

After getting the answer he wanted, Li Wei chatted with the other party for a few minutes before hanging up the phone.

Not long after hanging up, just as Li Wei opened the game, the phone rang again, and this time it was Eriri's voice. ... Please give me flowers.

"Honey, answer the phone!"

Her voice was soft yet slightly high-pitched, carrying a touch of charming arrogance. Just hearing that voice was enough to conjure up the image of an arrogant young woman in one's mind.

"Huh? It really is Eriri." Li Wei was taken aback when he saw the caller ID on the phone screen.

Line connected.

"Honey, it's me calling you again. Can't you take the initiative just this once?" Eriri immediately expressed her dissatisfaction.

"I just finished work for today and was just about to call you when you called first. What are you doing now?" Li Wei took the initiative.

"I just took a shower. I finished drawing the original manuscripts I've been working on for a while, and practiced the new art style you taught me, my dear. For the first time, I feel like my talent isn't enough," Eriri said.

At this moment, Eriri was only wrapped in a bath towel, her hair, which was not yet dry, was wrapped in a headscarf. She was lying casually on the bed with her legs bent and her two little feet occasionally touching each other.

"Don't practice for too long, especially at night. I'm not here to supervise you," Li Wei said with concern.

“I understand, but the deadline is fast approaching. If we don’t work hard now, we’ll be behind on our deadline,” Eriri said.

Eriri has a doujinshi club centered around her. On average, she completes one doujinshi every month, and then the other members of the club print and sell it.

This club was set up by her parents so she wouldn't have to feel embarrassed to show her face in public. After all, it's not something to talk about for a girl to draw 18+ erotic comics. Eriri sighed and said, "I'm so bored by myself. You're with Shiwa-nee and Megumi, and I'm all alone here."

"Just bear with it. When the time is right, I'll come clean with you from your parents. I'll come to welcome you then, just like a prince welcoming a princess," Li Wei said with a smile.

"You can't lie to me, you have to keep your word!" Eriri's eyes shone. If Levi really did that, she would be so happy she'd faint. How romantic that would be!

The chat with Eriri was quite pleasant. Couples in love always have endless things to talk about, and before they knew it, half an hour had passed. Even after hanging up, Eriri's beautiful image lingered in Li Wei's mind. That's the advantage of having it all—you won't miss out on any good girls.

Chapter 82. Before the Celebration Gathering

After that phone call, Li Wei and Aki Tomoya resumed their usual way of communicating.