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

I love early summer in Huaicheng the most, with its warm sunshine and leisurely clouds in the azure sky.

After class, I would stroll and chat with close friends in the corridor, basking in the sun.

Before we know it, youth has slipped through our fingers.

……

Next door to Class 6 is Class 7.

Unlike Class 6, where students sit in pairs, Class 7 has single-seat rows.

Di Lingyan leaned back in her chair, discussing a novel with Xiao Shengke sitting next to her... or rather, they were arguing about the novel.

"The Eagle Shooting Heroes is the coolest!" Xiao Shengke declared emphatically.

"I didn't find The Legend of the Condor Heroes good; it's incredibly boring," Di Lingyan said lazily. "It's not as good as a female-oriented novel."

"Ha!" Xiao Shengke sneered, "Do you understand the value of being number one in monthly votes? Do you understand the significance of being a pioneer with 200,000 average subscriptions? No, you don't, because you don't read male-oriented novels!"

"Who says I don't read male-oriented novels?" Di Lingyan retorted.

The website has three sections: published novels, male-oriented novels, and female-oriented novels. Occasionally, she would also read male-oriented novels—to fantasize about the thrill of conquering all and building a harem.

"What are you looking at?" Xiao Shengke asked.

"Hmph, I think it's the dragon race." Di Lingyan said confidently.

"Hmph." Xiao Shengke scoffed. "Does the Dragon Clan even dare to compare themselves to me, the Condor Heroes?"

He studied the rankings every day, so he naturally read Dragon Raja.

At first, he found it quite engaging, but just before the book's release, he broke down twice—

He had a crush on Chen Wenwen for three years, but Chen Wenwen got together with a rich second-generation heir;

He fell in love with Nono at first sight; Nono was the girlfriend of a wealthy foreign man.

As a writer of light novels, this was an intolerable flaw for Xiao Shengke, and he decisively criticized and deleted the book.

The Dragon Clan was released and garnered a whopping 6,000 first-time subscriptions, leaving Xiao Shengke completely baffled:

How did this become so popular?

He recalled his master's teachings and diligently studied the opening chapters of the Dragon Clan, only then did he have a sudden realization—

Although the male protagonist's emotions are portrayed as frustrating, the writing style is delicate!

The world-building and plot development are well-balanced, offering both action-packed excitement and suspense.

No wonder they're so popular!

However, this does not diminish Xiao Shengke's dislike of the author's writing style.

"In terms of writing style, plot, and setting, Legend of the Condor Heroes completely crushes Dragon Raja!" Xiao Shengke said proudly. "You can tell from the results. Dragon Raja struggles to even reach 10,000 subscriptions, while Legend of the Condor Heroes sold its rights long ago."

"Isn't that because The Return of the Condor Heroes rode on the coattails of The White Night's popularity?" Di Lingyan scoffed. "Without The White Night, if a new author wrote it, it would be hard to say whether they could even get a contract for this kind of retro writing style."

Xiao Shengke sneered three times, almost stepping on the stool.

"You don't understand, do you? The Legend of the Condor Heroes may seem classical, but it's actually super fashionable!"

"Traditional action novels feature turn-based combat where the higher the level, the stronger the character. But Teacher Da San pioneered the strategy-based combat style!"

"A life-or-death battle between two martial arts masters depends not only on their internal strength and martial arts skills, but also on their intelligence, mentality and willpower!"

"In the end, the outcome was decided by an absolutely unexpected battle of wits and decisive moves—that's what makes it truly exciting!"

In fact, Lu Ran did not adhere to the traditional martial arts framework, but instead incorporated popular elements from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

The Legend of the Condor Heroes and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure have many similarities. For example, Jonathan Joestar and Dio were childhood friends, while Guo Jing and Yang Kang were sworn brothers. The battles also incorporate strategic thinking.

Lu Ran put a lot of effort into making The Legend of the Condor Heroes fit the online novel market.

In contrast, Dragon Raja is a rather modern and fashionable work, while basically maintaining its original flavor.

"I, my dragon race, am not a battle-themed fantasy novel!"

Di Lingyan angrily rebuked, "How can grades possibly reflect Tingyu's ingenious ideas, magnificent imagination, and delicate emotions?"

"What should you read online if you don't subscribe?"

"Just wait! The dragons will surpass Shooting Eagle!"

"A fool's dream!"

Xiao Shengke laughed out loud.

Judging from the plot development of Dragon Raja, at worst the author will have a change of heart, give the male protagonist a power-up, let him slay dragons all over the world, and then win the heart of the beauty...

In terms of mainstream storyline, can it compare to the Guo Jing and Huang Rong pairing?

Even assuming we take a step back, who is the author of "The Eagle Shooting the Bird"?

It's my master, Lu Ran!

Even a casual love letter he writes can be the best in the poetry world.

Even if The Eagle Shooting Heroes can't be considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels, ranking it fifth wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?

Want to surpass The Eagle Shooting Heroes? Maybe in your next life!

Di Lingyan grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Why is there such a large difference in subscriptions for such a great book as Dragon Raja?

It must be because Yue0 didn't advertise!

Thinking of this, she silently counted her pocket money...

Uh, it seems I'm still far from being a Silver Might. Tonight I'm thinking of eating the six-yuan double-pepper chicken leg outside the school.

No Money!

I had no choice but to cast two free monthly tickets to encourage Teacher Tingyu.

Go for it! Go and take down that guy in the rain who's carrying a knife but no umbrella! Stand up for your little fans!

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the classroom door.

"It's Lu Ran!"

"Brother Ran, long time no see, haha."

"Could you sign my autograph? I really love your 'Pipa Xing'! Just sign my school uniform!"

"Me too! Me too!"

Lu Ran's appearance at the entrance of Class 7 caused a small commotion.

"Why has Master come? Is he here to spur me on...?" Xiao Shengke was both surprised and delighted.

He straightened his back proudly and glanced at Di Lingyan.

Look, this is the Umbrella Giant!

A low-key yet sophisticated writer!

The reserved and slow-to-warm-up girls in the class rushed up one by one, surrounding Lu Ran and asking for his autograph.

A girl who was leading the group turned around and pulled the bottom edge of her uniform tighter so that the white school uniform would stick to her back, making it easier for Lu Ran to write.

"Exaggerated..." Di Lingyan curled her lip.

It has to be said that female fans are much more powerful than male fans... Lu Ran could only say, "Excuse me for a moment."

The crowd parted to make way.

Lu Ran walked up to Zhao Yishuang.

The young girl sat upright and graceful.

Her dark black hair was tied into a loose ponytail, her eyes were like an icy lake, and her brows exuded a scholarly air.

Perhaps it was because of the hot weather, but her porcelain-white face was tinged with a faint blush, adding a touch of pink to her indifferent, jade-like expression.

She raised her chin, and even though she was sitting, her expression was one of disdain and arrogance, as if she were looking down at someone.

She is a proud girl who will never bow her head.

Gazing into her eyes, I saw sunlight bathing her translucent, snow-white cheeks, flawless and radiant.

Lu Ran smiled nonchalantly.

He placed the letter on her desk.

I'm sorry, it took me this long to understand you.

The two remained silent, tacitly agreeing to keep quiet.

He put down the letter and walked out of the classroom.

The enthusiastic students followed him out and lined the corridor waiting for him to sign autographs one by one.

One girl boldly asked, "Do you still like Yishuang? What about Zuo Hanzhi? Do you think I still have a chance?"

Lu Ran said seriously, "This student, don't follow my example. You're blind to everything, and you're blind to everything else."

The girl lowered her head shyly.

The students watching smiled kindly; no one would look down on Lu Ran just because he didn't catch up with Zhao Yishuang or Zuo Hanzhi.

Some were secretly pleased, while others felt indignant.

Meanwhile, the real fans are already shipping the new couple.

"Lu Ran, have you found your pipa player?"

"No." Lu Ran smiled. "It's better not to find it. Leave me with something to remember you by."

Another burst of laughter followed.

Through the window, Zhao Yishuang glanced at Lu Ran, who was surrounded by a crowd, before leisurely opening the letter.

A brightly colored letter paper.

The ink characters, as vibrant as flowers, are not confined to squares; each stroke is sincere and childlike.

Soft, favored, clean.

It carries Lu Ran's unique humor and abstract style.

Like a gentle breeze, it dispelled the heavy, leaden haze.

As she traced each word with her fingertips, imagining the feelings he had when he wrote those words, she couldn't help but smile.

The person who wrote such a detached and austere text as "To Live" also has such an endearing side.

"A person's nature is like white jade, which remains cool even when burned; a person's writing is like a red string, which becomes more profound the more it is struck." Zhao Yishuang thought.

This line of poetry is probably also referring to himself.

She inexplicably recalled the military training shortly after the start of the semester, when Lu Ran was full of energy and competed with the instructors in pull-ups.

After the crushing defeat, he would hang on the horizontal bar every night after training, looking like a dried-out fish...

Last semester, he submitted his work to the magazine. Most people would give up after being rejected once or twice, right?

But Lu Ran submits four or five articles every week, and if they weren't so wildly imaginative, I wouldn't have the heart to reject them anymore...

Perhaps he has never changed.

……

School ends on Friday.

Zheng Yue and Zhu Yishu agreed to meet at the school gate, but Zheng Yue insisted on dragging Lu Ran along.

So now they are on their way to Yande High School.

With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, stalls selling zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) have started appearing on the streets.

"Why think so much?" Lu Ran said casually. "At worst, it's just..."

"Huh? I considered you a friend, but you want to... you want to... me?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't have any romantic feelings in high school. Actually, you're a good person, and you'll meet even better girls in the future..."

"Actually, I'm secretly laughing at you for being delusional, then I'll distance myself from you, and maybe even gossip about you behind your back with my best friend..."

"Holy crap, this is so embarrassing!" Zheng Yue was stunned and wanted to back out. "Maybe I should just forget about it. I don't want to lose my childhood friend..."

"A tiger sees no ravine, a coward sees only obstacles. Let's go."

The two crossed the zebra crossing.

The sign for Yande High School was in sight, and students in red and white school uniforms poured out of the school gate, creating a scene as lively as a market.

Zheng Yue was feeling very conflicted, torn between sending the love letter or not.

Lu Ran squatted on the round stone stool, still in the mood to observe: "Damn, they actually allow skirts at their school, that's really indecent."

"It's normal for girls to wear skirts on such a hot day," Zheng Yue retorted.

"I meant the man."

"Pfft, hahaha..." Zheng Yue's tension eased considerably.

His gaze froze, his heart pounding in his throat. "They're here! They're here!"

The setting sun was warm and inviting, and the summer breeze was gentle and pleasant.

Among the students pouring out of the school gate, two girls walked out side by side, chatting and laughing, looking particularly beautiful from a distance.

Zhu Yishu wore a white short-sleeved top and loose-fitting athletic pants, her short hair giving her a refreshing and poised look.

The girl beside her had fiery red hair, which was very flamboyant and eye-catching.

She has a slender and tall figure, and her clothes are stylish and cool.

She wore a red school uniform jacket, a knee-length red and purple plaid skirt below her slender waist, leather shoes, and white lace socks, revealing a section of her fair and straight calves.

What's most striking is the dark red pipa bag slung over her slender shoulders.

"Brother Ran! I thought Sister Liang was invincible, but..."

Zheng Yue nudged Lu Ran with her shoulder and whispered, "There are more experts?"