I'm a web novelist, and you want me to work in the entertainment industry?

On the other side, Xia Ziyi bought a seashell nightlight at the gift shop, while Xu Anan bought some postcards.

The four then left the gift shop and continued walking along the stone path.

The light grew brighter, and the leaves on both sides rustled in the wind overhead.

After walking for a few minutes, Xia Ziyi, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped in front of an old house with white walls and blue tiles.

Or to be more precise, it stopped in front of a small blackboard propped up in front of that old house.

It was a bookstore, and on the blackboard at the entrance were a few lines of words written in colored chalk: "New arrivals today: the official, genuine physical copy of 'Dragon Raja'."

"Isn't this the book by that author called 'Zero'?" Xia Ziyi had a pretty good memory and stared at the line of chalk writing for two seconds.

"Let's go in and take a look!" she said, and then went into the bookstore.

……

The lighting inside the store was a bit lower than outside, but it didn't feel dim.

Sunlight slanted through the glass window, casting shadows of the windowpanes on the floor, and dust motes floated in the beams of light.

As soon as you enter, the most eye-catching display stand in the store is located directly opposite the entrance.

Several stacks of brand-new books were laid out on top, with the one in the very center being none other than "Dragon Raja".

Next to it was a handwritten recommendation card, the handwriting neat and tidy, showing that it was written with great care.

"The latest work by the Chinese online black gold author 'Zero' has made it into the top ten trending searches, fully depicting the passion and loneliness of youth."

"This author seems to be more famous than I thought." Xia Ziyi walked to the booth, picked up a book, and gently flipped through a couple of pages.

Xu Anan felt that it was time to appropriately show her interest in "Dragon Raja".

She followed Xia Ziyi's example, picking up a book and gently opening it, as if she were carefully examining it.

Cheng Che's focus was different from theirs—he glanced at the price of the physical book.

When I found out, I was shocked to find that it was being sold at such a high price. What's the difference between this and robbery?

What? I get a cut of the profits from the final sale?

That's fine.

His expression instantly changed from "disdain" to "gratification".

Tian Xiwei's attention was drawn to a book called "Battle Through the Heavens" on the side of the booth.

There was also a handwritten card next to it.

"The masterpiece of 'Zero,' a black gold author on Chinese websites, is a thrilling and exciting novel that has garnered over 100 million views across the internet. Fortune changes every thirty years; never underestimate a young person's potential!"

Tian Xiwei stared blankly at the last sentence—this sentence was quite groundbreaking; she had heard of it a long time ago, but only now did she realize that this book was also written by "Zero"?

Wow, this Zero is amazing! He wrote this book too? I never knew that!

[The fastest path to legendary status in the online literature world, the highest peak in the online literature world, what do you think?]

Anyone with even a slight understanding of online novels knows that Zero is a bug-level existence in the online novel circle, having jumped three times in one year, achieving both Black Gold status in one year and Black Gold status in one book.

[Zero: If you don't write books, seeing me is like a frog in a well looking at the moon; if you do write books, seeing me is like an ant gazing at the blue sky.]

Just then, a young shop assistant wearing round-framed glasses came out from behind the bookshelf.

Upon seeing someone standing in front of the new book display, his eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly walked over.

"Are any of you interested in Zero's book? Would you like me to introduce it to you?"

"Okay, okay, then I'll trouble you." Xia Ziyi said happily.

"This book, 'Dragon Raja,' is a fantasy novel that focuses on youth and passion," the clerk began to introduce it with practiced ease.

"The author's writing is exceptionally good, especially the emotional descriptions, which are particularly delicate. The author even made it into the top ten trending topics on Weibo before because of killing off a character."

"Is this book very angst-inducing?" Tian Xiwei suddenly asked.

"It's quite heart-wrenching, but the heart-wrenching moments are exceptionally well done," the shop assistant said, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh, I see." Tian Xiwei nodded thoughtfully, then turned her head and gave Cheng Che a meaningful look.

Cheng Che felt a chill run down his spine and turned around to find Tian Xiwei giving him a dangerous look.

Then he whistled and looked away.

I don't know why you want to read my posts, but I never said that "Dragon Raja" wasn't a tragic novel, nor did I say that "Dragon Raja" was a lighthearted novel.

"And this one?" Tian Xiwei looked away and pointed to "Battle Through the Heavens," "Was it also written by Zero?"

"Yes, but this book is very different from 'Dragon Raja'. It's purely a thrilling and action-packed novel." The clerk nodded.

"It seems this person is really amazing," Xia Ziyi exclaimed.

"That's really impressive," the shop assistant agreed. "And Zero is the youngest black gold author certified by Chinese websites, so he can't be very old, maybe not even thirty."

Upon hearing this, all four people present fell silent for a moment.

The shop assistant thought she had said something wrong and froze on the spot, not daring to utter a sound for a while.

"Under thirty?" Tian Xiwei broke the silence first. "Was this information published on the website?"

"No, not at all." The shop assistant breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "It's just that I often read online novels and know a few black gold writers who are only in their early thirties."

"Since Zero is the youngest, that means he's probably not even thirty years old yet!"

Xia Ziyi, Xu Anan, and Tian Xiwei looked at each other, and they all remembered what Teacher Yan had said earlier.

Cheng Che looked at the shop assistant with a stomachache on his face—if you're going to introduce a book, just introduce it properly, why bring up the author's age for no reason!

[Not even thirty years old? But didn't Teacher Yan say that Zero is only a few years younger than him?]

[Hahaha, Teacher Yan's boasting finally got exposed! So he didn't even know Zero, and he was just bragging and lying all along?]

[666 Old Thief Zero has drastically modified Little Thief Zero, isn't that amazing?]

[Uh, if Zero is a "petty" thief, then I have a bold idea...]

"So Teacher Yan is joking... Waaah."

Xia Ziyi was about to blurt out what she was about to say when, fortunately, Xu Anan reacted quickly and quietly tugged at her arm.

She suddenly realized that she had almost said the wrong thing again, and quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth, blinking her eyes guiltily.

Xu Anan didn't think too much about it. She felt that Teacher Yan probably just said it casually to save face.

However, it would be wonderful if Zero were not yet thirty years old.

Being young means she can write for many, many years to come, which means there are many more heart-wrenching stories waiting for her in the future.

Just thinking about it makes me excited!

Tian Xiwei fell silent in front of the booth.

She was thinking.

As this information was corrected, she felt a jolt of electricity run through her body, clearing all her thoughts.

Over the past few days, various fragmented clues have begun to piece together on their own, gradually forming a complete line.

The youngest black gold writer.

Not yet thirty years old.

His works have appeared in the top ten trending searches, and he has the highest traffic in the online literature circle.

A few days ago, he announced a break from updating "Dragon Raja" under the pretext of "mango allergy," which became a trending topic on Weibo.

I updated "Wings of Mourning" last night.

She turned her head and glanced at Cheng Che, who was looking down at a book and seemed to have suddenly become very busy.

Then, scenes from the past few days began to replay in her mind, one by one—

The day that "Wandering Diary" officially announced its search for non-celebrity guests happened to be the same day that Zero's hiatus from updates went viral.

She saw Cheng Che typing on his laptop both on the night of the show's recording and yesterday.

Yesterday at noon at the beverage shop, he didn't order the signature mango pomelo sago, but instead ordered a glass of lemonade.

This morning, she guessed he might be a famous author and asked him if he had a great novel—he said no.

Tian Xiwei's gaze fell on "Battle Through the Heavens" in front of her.

Zero doesn't actually have "one" really great novel, because... he has two.

And then think about his rubbish, which is exactly the same as Lu Mingfei's...

Cheng Che shivered for no reason.

He glanced sideways and, sure enough, Tian Xiwei was looking at him again.

She smiled gently, a smile so radiant and beautiful, yet it held a lion within, as if she were about to pounce and tear him apart at any moment.

Cheng Che: ...Oh no, we're doomed.