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

The magazine sold out, and everyone relaxed.

The popularity of the single "Pipa Xing" naturally boosted the popularity of videos of the band's performances.

This also extends to the male voice actors who are interspersed throughout the broadcast—

Huaizhong Pictorial.

Even if only 0.1% of the people in Huaicheng see this, that's still over 100,000 people, a truly terrifying number...

The magazine itself wasn't bad, so it's normal that it sold out quickly.

Although it was expected.

But I'm still very happy.

Because of their long-term efforts, they have received solid rewards.

The anxiety that had been building up in my heart vanished.

"Cheers to Liangran Literary Club!"

Lu Ran held his Coke, clinked glasses with the three girls, then took a big gulp, feeling the refreshing sensation in his throat, and looked at their smiles.

The girls' smiles were all different—

Xia Liang's eyes crinkled when she smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth, as radiant as the morning glow.

Li Xingping liked to smile with her lips pursed; her skin was as white as milk, and her smile was as sweet as honey.

Di Lingyan is the most abstract, with a chuckle and a playful, lively expression.

"It's a pity that Yishuang and Hanzhi aren't here." Di Lingyan ate fries with ketchup.

"It's okay, we can have a video conference." Xia Liang was prepared and took out her phone to make a group call.

The faces of Zhao Yishuang and Zuo Hanzhi quickly appeared on the phone screen.

Zhao Yishuang strolled through a bamboo forest, lush and serene.

Zuo Hanzhi was in a quaint study. She sat in a large armchair, with a bookcase behind her filled with a dazzling array of trophies.

"Hi~" Zhao Yishuang greeted.

"I'm sorry everyone, I won't be able to return to Huaicheng until the day after tomorrow," Zuo Hanzhi said apologetically.

"It's okay, it's okay, look what this is? Sales statistics—completely empty!" Xia Liang exaggeratedly gestured the statistics list.

"Wow, that's great!" Zuo Hanzhi said in a monotone voice.

"I originally planned to print a thousand copies, no, even fifteen hundred copies would sell out!" Xia Liang lamented.

"Don't be too ambitious, focus on securing profits first," Zhao Yishuang said. "This time we're relying on the popularity of 'The Song of the Pipa,' but as time goes on, its influence will gradually fade."

"Yes, one performance of that kind of gimmick is enough," Xia Liang said seriously. "This meeting is to analyze whether or not to expand into the provincial capital for the next issue of the magazine."

"We haven't even settled things in Huaicheng yet, so don't be too ambitious," Zhao Yishuang sighed.

"The market in the provincial capital is much bigger. With the performance still going strong, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Xia Liang said confidently.

"...Lu Ran." Zhao Yishuang looked at Lu Ran and said calmly, "What do you think?"

All the women's eyes turned to him.

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, "I do think this is indeed a good opportunity for expansion, but let's not rush to roll it out in the provincial capital. How about we start with a pilot program in one school?"

Zhao Yishuang pondered for a moment: "I support the pilot program. I have classmates in all four top universities, so it would be better to start with a high school with a strong humanities focus."

"You two traitors, do you still consider me the president?!" Xia Liang was furious, but also felt that there was some truth to it. "Then let's start with the No. 1 High School in the provincial capital."

"What about the print run?" Li Xingping asked.

"Our home ground is Huaicheng, so I think we can expand the print run to two thousand copies. The provincial capital's No. 1 High School is such a big school, it shouldn't be a problem to take a thousand copies, right?" Xia Liang said.

"That's too many," Zhao Yishuang rejected. "We'll gradually increase the number to 1,000 copies in Huaicheng first, and 500 copies will be enough to test the waters at the Provincial Capital No. 1 High School."

"Lu Ran, you say it!" Xia Liang slapped Lu Ran's thigh.

"I think Huaicheng can print an additional 5,000 copies, and the provincial capital's No. 1 High School can print 2,500 copies as a trial," Lu Ran pondered.

"Alright, let's adopt the Xia Liang plan then." Zhao Yishuang readily compromised.

"Deal." Xia Liang high-fived Zhao Yishuang on the screen.

Lu Ran: ...

No, I've been very conservative!

……

Having determined the general direction, they then discussed some minor details.

For example, readers' feedback on the column, appropriately increasing pricing, and increasing efforts to solicit manuscripts.

Finally, the layout of the third issue of the magazine was finalized.

Lu Ran also delivered the third installment of "Living"—the finale—which coincided with Zhao Yishuang's "A Love Letter from an Unknown Woman."

After the meeting, it was already dusk. Di Lingyan had also eaten and drunk his fill: "Where should we eat tonight? The second issue of the pictorial turned a profit; we should celebrate properly!"

"How about we go to my place?" Xia Liang suggested. "We can all go grocery shopping together, cook dinner, and play some games."

"Okay~" Di Lingyan patted her little belly.

Lu Ran hesitated before saying, "You guys play..."

The literary society activities were one thing.

It felt weird to shop for groceries and cook with the girls.

"What, trying to leave the organization?" Xia Liang asked warily.

"Alright, Lu Ran has his own things to do too," Li Xingping said sweetly.

"Alright..."

Xia Liang took out her phone and transferred 3600 yuan, the royalties for the 120,000-word novel "Living," to Lu Ran.

She muttered, "Don't complain about the amount. Our pictorial magazine is just starting out, and you're already receiving the highest possible payment from our literary society."

"That's a lot." Lu Ran smiled.

After watching the girls leave together, he took a taxi to the CBD in the city center.

He actually has something important to do today.

Di Qingling was extremely efficient; she had only mentioned wanting to set up a studio when she immediately provided an initial investment of one million yuan.

On Sunday, she had already set up the basic framework of the studio, mainly covering office space, equipment, copyright registration, legal affairs, etc.

Although Lu Ran couldn't help much.

But since he had troubled them, how could he really just sit back and do nothing?

……

Financial Building, 20th floor.

When Lu Ran arrived, Di Qingling had everything arranged in perfect order.

The company name is displayed at the front desk: Lingran Culture Co., Ltd.

The 200-square-meter office area includes the chairman's office, manager's office, finance office, and studio area. Its main business is IP incubation and operation.

"...That's roughly the situation."

In the chairman's office.

Di Qingling stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, dressed in a smart and sharp white suit, her figure curvaceous and tall.

Her long, jet-black hair was neatly tied up, her oval face, free of makeup, was pure and graceful, and each earlobe was adorned with a jade ring.

Holding the documents, she concisely introduced the business to Lu Ran, each sentence decisive and clear, revealing her as a strong woman accustomed to giving orders.

"The rest of the staff are easy to recruit. But for the manager position, you'd better find someone you can trust."

"A trustworthy person?"

Lu Ran thought of her unemployed aunt's husband, "Can a relative do it?"

"Of course, I don't have much free time to come over usually, so he needs to be able to take full responsibility."

Di Qingling's face was cold and stern as she looked down at the document Lu Ran had sent. "The main IPs being developed and operated are yours... White Night Walk, um, and The Condor Heroes... What's this Dragon Raja?"

"This will be a work that influences a generation of teenagers," Lu Ran said.

Di Qingling crossed her long legs, her perfect hip line resting against the edge of the large office desk. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the blue sky and white clouds stretched out, and glass skyscrapers stood tall, offering a panoramic view of the eight-lane road and the commercial street.

"The more I understand you, the more surprising you become."

She sighed softly.

"Besides going to school, you have to maintain a daily update of 20,000 words for The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and you still have the energy to write Dragon Raja on a secondary account. You even have to contribute articles to a magazine every week..."

"Oh right, you also wrote several love letters and poems during these two months."

"Can you tell me where you get so much energy?"

Lu Ran laughed nonchalantly: "I'm terrified of being poor. If I have the chance to work hard, I'll give it my all... How many people don't even have a direction to work hard for?"

Di Qingling recalled the first time she met Lu Ran, at a somewhat snobbish family dinner at Lu's uncle's house.

Compared to Lu Guoqiang's wealthy merchant family, Lu Ran's family was just an ordinary family.

A father who was out of touch with the times, a gentle and caring mother, and a quiet and lovely younger sister.

Lu Ran, who wrote over 300,000 words in ten days, creating the novel "White Night Walk," can be described as breaking through his impoverished circumstances with a single click, creating a legend in the world of popular literature.

He did not slow down after that.

Instead, it took off even more wildly—using a more magnificent and all-encompassing epic to shatter all doubts.

The second time I saw him was in the Boya Building during my student days, one morning, when he was playing the flute, a sound that seemed to dispel his sorrow.

No matter what others said about him being a romantic and promiscuous, all she heard in the sound of the flute was loneliness.

His precocious intelligence, which surpassed that of his peers, gave him a superior and tolerant attitude.

They used abstract disguises of laughter, anger, and curses to conceal their true, insecure selves.

People generally admire the saying, "We are all fellow sufferers in this world, why should we need to have known each other before?" But she prefers the line, "Spring river, flowers in the morning, autumn moon in the night, I often take wine and drink alone."

you say.

Treat me like you would treat a cherry tree in spring.

Even if it's only as short as spring, it should be as passionate, vibrant, and romantic as spring itself.

Looking into the boy's clear and determined eyes, Di Qingling's sharp gaze gradually softened.

She reached out her fair and slender hand and grabbed Lu Ran's collar.

One step, two steps.

The setting sun resembled a burning kumquat, its light flowing across the glass.

A bright red lipstick mark was left on Lu Ran's cheek, and Di Qingling whispered in his ear:

"Don't overwork yourself, I'll take care of you."