It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

The three days of the college entrance examination flew by.

Lu Ran's original intention for going home was to lie down and relax, and to enjoy his mother's fragrant and spicy chopped chili fish head.

But I hardly had any free time.

I was woken up by Zhuozhuo at eight o'clock, had some extra breakfast, and then the whole family went to look at cars.

Then in the afternoon, I still need to discuss contract details with Di Qingling, such as exclusive rights, performance format, and adaptation clauses...

Lu Guosheng didn't understand much about these things either, so Lu Ran began to consider whether he should hire a professional administrative secretary for himself...

After all, the IPs he owns are highly sought-after.

Di Qingling is a good candidate. She is knowledgeable in law, has an appreciation for literature and art, possesses outstanding professional skills, graduated from a prestigious university, and has a strong background.

But Lu Ran could only dream about it; at such a young age, this person was already the chief producer of drama at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

How could she possibly debase herself with someone who is penniless?

After a long day, we finally had some time to rest. In the evening, the whole family quietly watched TV in the living room.

In today's era of valuing the cultural industry, domestically produced dramas are of high quality and consistently produce hit shows.

Lu Ran was on his phone chatting in the group.

Today, Zhou Jiahao was quite active in the group chat, posting the essay topic for the Chinese college entrance exam, complaining about how difficult the math problems were, and tagging Lu Ran.

"The sun and moon do not lose their essence, therefore they are obscured and then shine again; the Yangtze and Han rivers do not lose their source, therefore they are exhausted and then flow again."

In Lu Ran's opinion, this question was very well posed.

The origins of Chinese civilization can be explained from three perspectives: personal adversity, self-cultivation and governance, and the inheritance of civilization. It is precisely the inexhaustible cultural heritage of five thousand years.

During his three days at home, Lu Ran didn't forget to write and save up drafts.

The readers of this world are so lucky.

—Lu Ran simultaneously employed Jin Yong's story framework, Gu Long's impressionistic white space, Jiang Nan's modern romance, and the update speed of Tang Jia San Shao.

The daily installments are plentiful and satisfying.

This is the climax of the book's Peach Blossom Island marriage contest: both Guo Jing and Ouyang Ke want to marry Huang Rong, and Huang Yaoshi sets up three tests for them: martial arts, music, and memorization.

Guo Jing narrowly wins by reciting the Nine Yin Manual, and many masters make their appearance, creating a captivating clash between good and evil.

On the monthly ticket chart, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" naturally surpassed "White Night Walk," which had already ended, to take first place.

A writer of such caliber, terrifying indeed!

……

The day I returned to school.

The campus is much emptier now, but in three months, it will welcome a new batch of students.

The classroom was lit up and noisy, with small groups chatting idly.

Lu Ran rarely comes to evening self-study.

Although day students can apply to study at home in their first year of high school, the qualifying exams in late June and the final exams in early July are just around the corner.

You should learn as much as you can, lest you end up not even getting your high school diploma.

I'm catching up on my homework.

Xia Liang walked over and patted the table, signaling him to come out.

Lu Ran was taken aback. He walked out of the classroom and followed her to a small pavilion behind the teaching building, where green trees adorned the streetlights.

In the pavilion, all the distinguished guests gathered.

Li Xingping, Zuo Hanzhi, and Di Lingyan, three girls, some standing, some sitting, some graceful, some quiet, some dashing, the loose trousers of their summer school uniforms were licked by the evening breeze, revealing their slender curves, like a poem or a painting.

"What's wrong? Why are you all so serious?" Lu Ran asked.

Xia Liang said gravely, "There's a problem. First, the payment for the new issue's articles won't be released for the time being."

"Huh? What's going on?"

"We were too optimistic. This week's magazine sales figures are around 530 copies, and next week the retail inventory will be returned..."

Xia Liang sighed, "In other words, we lost money on more than 400 copies, and lost five or six thousand in total."

"After receiving the payment, there was no energy left to produce the next issue."

"Is it that serious?" Lu Ran asked in surprise. "Weren't our magazines quite popular?"

"...That's just survivor bias," Xia Liang explained. "After all, it's our school's magazine; every class buys a few copies, but that doesn't apply outside of school..."

Li Xingping said, "We also considered subsidizing it ourselves, but if sales don't improve each period, it's just throwing money away, which is meaningless."

Lu Ran understood.

The most important reason for publishing the "Huaizhong School Newspaper" is not to make money, but to build influence.

But now, it can't even cover the costs of maintaining operations.

Xia Liang said, "Our current problem is whether to postpone the payment and grit our teeth and do one more issue, or to pay the payment and then stop and cut our losses."

"How much will the printing and royalties cost?" Lu Ran asked.

"The expenses were a little bit higher than expected..."

Xia Liang bit her lip. "There's still a shortfall of 10,000, and I can personally fill 5,000."

"This is still the ideal scenario where things stabilize next term. After all, the senior year students have already graduated..."

"I'll put up 20,000, and we'll go all out next time!" Lu Ran pondered. "If we're going to do it, we should do a high-end arts and literature magazine. The price can be a bit higher, at least 15 yuan a copy."

"Hey, the point of our discussion isn't about money!" Xia Liang sighed, "The problem is... what's the point of making a good magazine if it's not selling? And you're even raising the price?"

Di Lingyan couldn't help but say, "Are you stupid? Having a lot of inventory is a waste! You can't be a sucker just because you have money!"

Li Xingping agreed: "Yes, we should reduce the number of pages and the print run to lower costs."

"Sorry, sorry." Surrounded by beautiful girls, Lu Ran gave an embarrassed smile.

I recently made a small fortune and I'm getting a little cocky.

Zuo Hanzhi asked, "What are the reasons for the sales falling short of expectations?"

Xia Liang said, "During the holiday, I visited retail outlets. Newspaper kiosks near the No. 1 Middle School were all sold out, but those three kilometers away were not selling at all..."

"This is also what I'm struggling with. The quality of the magazine should be fine, but the publicity and appeal are insufficient."

Lu Ran seemed to be deep in thought.

"White Night" sold very well this week because it has a loyal readership and has been distributed nationwide, taking advantage of the convenience of the Internet and logistics network.

Huaizhong Pictorial, though essentially a niche student publication, was produced to the high standards of a literary magazine.

This is certainly difficult to recoup the costs.

"But we've been promoting Lu Ran's name, and it still doesn't have any appeal," Li Xingping said dejectedly.

"...Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me? Where do I get the appeal? Do you think I'm Jia Tu?" Lu Ran said, embarrassed.

He was indeed quite famous in Huaizhong, and also had a slight reputation in the poetry world.

But in terms of influence, it's practically zero.

Who would buy a ten-dollar magazine just to see themselves? To see if they've released any new love letters? Don't be ridiculous.

As night deepened, everyone fell silent.

The real problem we face is a choice between persisting or giving up.

Do they believe that sales will rebound thanks to word-of-mouth?

Or do I still doubt myself and wonder if it's worth persisting?

Xia Liang's heart was wavering...

In the past, Zhao Yishuang would have made all the decisions.

Zhao Yishuang is always proud and always holds her head high as she moves forward, and the development and outcome of each event proves that her decisions are absolutely correct.

But she's not here now.

"Thank you all for your hard work. The royalties will be delayed for now. We will reduce the number of pages in the next issue and print 500 copies in the first run."

Xia Liang clenched her fist repeatedly, making a relatively conservative decision that respected market principles.

"We'll use the remaining money for some advertising in Huaicheng."

"Publicity?" Lu Ran was taken aback.

"Life is tough, so I have to perform on the overpass."

Xia Liang took a deep breath, her eyes suddenly sharpening. "For the sake of the magazine, for the sake of the literary club, let's debut as idols!"

"what?"

Lu Ran collapsed in shock.

A high school girl goes to perform?

You actually came up with such a brilliant idea?

"We'll go to the city center for an event next weekend," Xia Liang said, counting on her fingers. "I remember Han Zhi can sing, Xing Ping is a dancer, and Ling Yan... well, let's have him play the drums and gongs."

I can see that you all possess extraordinary skills.

Xia Liang suddenly pointed at Lu Ran—

Do I want to become an idol too?

"Lu Ran, you can't waste your online traffic." Xia Liang drew a circle with her finger. "You'll be in charge of live-streaming e-commerce, can you handle that?"

"walk slowly."