Tea-flavored Romance

The price dropped so drastically in the time it takes to eat a meal. V-Bet is really unreliable... Ning Yuan looked at the entries on his phone screen and suddenly felt a little bored.

If you're saying he's unhappy... at least it prevents him from becoming so famous that everyone only remembers his mesmerizing smile... but if you're saying he's happy...

Popularity equals money... if only it could translate into video views...

Oh well, there are gains and losses. Just consider it money spent to avoid trouble.

Ning Yuan, without any formal instruction, possessed a certain Ah Q-like spirit. After turning off his phone screen, he saw several friends huddled in front of Xiao Hei's computer, marveling at it. He couldn't help but curiously approach them.

"What are you looking at...??? What the hell is this?"

"Brother Yuan, our video has become the hottest material in the parody section! This is just the beginning. In a few days, we will dominate the parody section of Bilibili!"

"Why do you sound so proud of it?!" Master Ning asked in shock. "Is your dream to become material for the parody video section?"

Fire is a good thing, but the location of the fire is very important... Ning Yuan doesn't want to be written into lyrics like that gold medal chef in entertainment news!

Wuhu, crooked mouth!?

"That's not it... It's just that my wife once dominated Bilibili, and now I'm just as successful as her, so it's inevitable that I feel a bit emotional."

"Excuse me for asking, but what about your wife...?"

"She should be called his ex-wife," Lao Wu added. "Everyone in the old anime/manga fandom knows what to do."

"Nonsense! What ex-wife! In the world of anime, divorce is a thing of the past!" Xiao Hei slammed his fist on the table and said arrogantly. Ning Yuan ignored him, took the mouse and swiped it, and found that there were indeed many articles by the Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King in the homepage recommendations.

"This……"

"Brother Yuan, calm down... You need to realize that our videos are really popular... Look at the number of views for our Legend of the Dragon King series! It's only been uploaded for a few days! And it's already surpassed one million views!"

"It sounds like it's going to be really popular..." Master Ning murmured, "So, how much does it cost to make a living off of it?"

If... it's possible to make money this way, then sacrificing a little bit doesn't seem like a big deal, right?

"I'm not sure about that..." Hei Sang thought for a moment and said regretfully, "Because I've never made a video this popular before, I don't know if the algorithm will change. But judging from this trend, it's only a matter of time before this one video earns more than 10,000 yuan."

"People like us who diligently create anime and manga content get no attention, but you, Yuan-ge, became famous overnight... I suddenly feel a little resentful... This society is full of oppression against anime and manga culture..."

"..."

Ning Yuan's eyes were bright, and his tone was a little excited: "Wouldn't that mean we don't have to rely on the prize money from the micro-film festival, but can just rely on the website's creation incentives to pay back Lu Jiujiu's money!"

"Quick, Xiao Hei, tell me... is there any way to quickly make easy money?"

"??? Why do you think of making easy money so naturally? Yuan-ge, can't you have some standards?!"

"Of course not." Master Ning released Xiao Hei's clothes. "Three days. I gave the other content creators three days. I debuted on the 21st and reached the top on the 24th. In three days, which one of them can surpass me?"

"If viewers think that other people's crooked mouths are more expressive than mine, then they can quickly unfollow me and follow them instead. Now that I am the biggest overlord of the parody video section, I should be the one with the money coming to me, not the other way around."

"You mean that Bible recitation, right..." Xiao Hei exclaimed in shock, "Brother Yuan, how come you're so skilled at it!"

"Don't ask so many questions..." Master Ning coughed twice, "So... what are some ways to start making easy money?"

It's not that I don't want to be an ideal content creator... I'm still in debt right now... Besides, what if Bilibili also succumbs to capital and limits his popularity? Wouldn't he be devastated?

We've already learned from the experience with Weibo! We can't be careless... I wonder who's so bored as to target a new director's work like this... Are they just bored out of their minds?

"Live streaming to fleece investors."

Ning Yuan pondered for a moment: "Is it the kind of live stream where I have to keep making a crooked face and calling everyone '666' and 'let's all go for it'?"

"This is the fastest way to make money..."

"I can't move, goodbye..."

Even making easy money should have its dignity! You're all chosen ones who have awakened the system, how can you be so depraved!

If the Legend of the Dragon King series could be longer, that way we could make a sequel and capitalize on nostalgia... Unfortunately, this thing is all about novelty; the rest of the formula is essentially the same, leaving no room for a sequel.

I was careless... I should have made some web series or something...

"Let's put aside the issue of making easy money... Brother Yuan... our film is a hit now... so the wrap party will have to be something special..."

“That’s easy to say…” Ning Yuan glanced at the number of views on the screen and felt reassured.

It feels like I have a hen that lays eggs... I feel very gratified.

"Add more dishes...but no main courses! Get rid of that bad habit, you can get full just as easily from eating lobster!"

"Alright! I'll add a few more of our signature dishes!"

Chapter 59: What exactly is a 2.5D anime girl?

After the Dragon King series became a huge hit on video websites, Ning Yuan, the master of the crooked mouth, gradually began to feel the pressure of fame.

"Look, isn't that the Dragon King himself?"

"What Dragon King? It's Lord Asura himself!"

"No way, isn't this the Liu family's son-in-law?"

Ning Yuan: "..."

The most outrageous one was a girl who was so excited when she met Ning Dalongwang that she couldn't speak. After a long pause, she finally managed to utter, "Li Ning!"

Ning, Dragon King, Asura, Son-in-Law, Immortal Physician, Source: ? ? ?

Master Ning, who had received a completely new title, was quite melancholy. He didn't know if the girl was doing it out of patriotism or because she had a problem with her eyesight...

I think the former is better... I hope the girl is alright.

After all, the main users of video websites are young people. Once the video went viral, the first people to pay attention to Master Ning were naturally his classmates at school. In addition, his brothers who had participated in the filming of Dragon King promoted it with all their might, and Ning Yuan's fame grew rapidly in just a few days, to the point where he would attract attention wherever he went.

At first, he really wanted to wear a mask, a hoodie, and a hat, but then he thought that his explosive rise to fame was actually accidental, essentially using novelty to attract attention. Since everyone's enthusiasm would soon fade like the tide, he might as well enjoy being a celebrity for a while now.

Ning Yuan thought this way, and he did it this way. The day of the gathering arrived as scheduled. He didn't try to hide anything and, as usual, swaggered out of the dormitory with the few good-for-nothings from room 415, heading towards the restaurant where the gathering would be held.

"You guys go first, I'll go pick up Lu Jiujiu."

As Ning Yuan left the school gate, he unlocked his phone and swiped the screen without looking up, about to walk away, when Lao Wu suddenly called out to him: "Wait, Brother Yuan."

"Is Little Zero coming today?"

"Not coming...what's wrong?"

Master Ning glanced at Old Wu, completely bewildered. He thought to himself, "I don't know what Ning Yiling has been busy with lately. It's one thing that he can't come to filming, but even at the wrap party, he acted like he was too busy to come."

Could this girl have joined a pyramid scheme?!

"Ahem..." Old Wu coughed lightly, and said with a hint of shyness, "Didn't she introduce some young ladies to our crew to help out before... If she doesn't come, then what about all the friends she knows...?"

"..."

He finally remembered that Ning Yiling had said she would arrange a social event for them, but the event never happened. Instead, she packed up the participants and sent them to Ning Yuan's film crew to relax and have some fun. The atmosphere of daily collaboration and working hard for the same cause allowed them to develop their relationships.

This is actually a very good way to date; when a group of people are working towards the same goal, it's always easier for sparks to fly between men and women. That's precisely why Gu Xihua and Jiang Xihua both chose to have Ning Yuan insist on filming the short film with him.

Following this logic...

"You haven't fallen for some girl during this time, have you?!"

"Nothing like that... it was just a simple chat!" Old Wu said shyly, "I've always wanted a girl's WeChat to help me rank up... but I was too busy filming recently... so I didn't get around to it."

"...This works?" Master Ning was slightly speechless, then thought for a moment and replied, "They should be here by now. I remember I invited them..."

In any case, those girls from the neighboring school also participated well. Whether it was helping to move equipment, running errands to buy milk tea, or stabilizing the morale of the actors, they all contributed to the filming of this short film to some extent. Inviting them to a dinner party is no problem at all.

On the contrary, Ning Yiling barely showed up. Apart from introducing the extras, she was basically useless...

Thank goodness she didn't come, otherwise people might have suspected me of abusing my power for personal gain.

"That's good...that's good..." Old Wu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease: "Tonight I'm going to sit near the girl I like...nobody stop me!"

"Who's stopping you?" Xiao Hei pouted, a hint of envy in his voice. Compared to Lao Wu's confidence, his progress with the cosplay enthusiast girl who had life-size figurines at home wasn't going so smoothly. He thought for a moment, then comforted himself, "Although there aren't any suitable girls in Xiao Ling'er's circle of friends... every cloud has a silver lining. Maybe my true happiness lies in Gu Xihua's circle of friends..."

"Brother Yuan, please, hurry up and get Gu Guanxue sorted out. I need Sister-in-law Yuan's help to introduce me to some potential dates!!"

"Damn it, Sister-in-law Yuan!" Ning Yuan clenched his fist, too lazy to explain further to these guys, and simply changed the subject, saying, "I'm not going to say anything more, I have to go pick up Lu Jiujiu, lest she get tricked into going to the coal mines..."

Given this young heiress's thirst for money and her easily fooled face and demeanor, it's not really impossible for her.

“Hai hai hai…” Heisang responded skillfully.

The four parted ways, and the group continued walking towards the pre-arranged dinner location. Master Ning changed direction alone, crossed the zebra crossing, walked across a street, and soon Lu Jiujiu's slender figure came into view.

Her dark hair was loose, and the wind ruffled the stray strands around her ears. She stood not far from the school gate, her posture straight, her legs pressed together in a tight line. She wore a beige knit sweater with a light red skirt, and artistic canvas shoes. A cloth bag was slung over her shoulder.

While it's said to have a strong artistic feel, it's really just because the patterns on the canvas shoes were drawn by Lu Jiujiu herself. It seems to be an assignment given by one of her elective course teachers last semester. The persistent little rich girl Lu Jiujiu ruined more than a dozen limited edition designs before she could barely draw a pair that she liked. In the end, she even wanted to design a pair for Ning Yuan, still feeling unsatisfied.

Master Ning held tightly to his only pair of limited edition Adidas King shoes and shook his head firmly.

A genius would design this for you!

It has to be said, she's a 2.5D anime girl who makes you want to exclaim "Wow!" in your heart. She's more real than a two-dimensional character, but less down-to-earth than a three-dimensional one. The people around her seem to naturally become part of the background when they're with her.

Suddenly, a boy barged into Lu Jiujiu's 2.5-dimensional world. He was dressed smartly, his hair was meticulously styled with hair gel, and he walked step by step toward the little fool with his hands behind his back.

Before Master Ning could arrive, he saw the boy walk up to Lu Jiujiu and seem to say something. Lu Jiujiu, on the other hand, was stunned and looked completely bewildered.

The distance was too great to hear, so they could only guess from the gestures. After Lu Jiujiu said something, the confident smile on the boy's face gradually turned into disappointment and bitterness.

Chapter Sixty: Girls shouldn't accept flowers from random people.

Master Ning never imagined that he would witness his sugar daddy being confessed to in the street again... When was the last time? The month before last? Or last month?

In short, it's not surprising at all that Lu Jiujiu was confessed to. This girl isn't like Jiang Xihua, a goddess-like beauty whose aloofness deters mortals from confessing to her. Nor is she like Gu Guanxue, who possesses both high looks and high emotional intelligence... Faced with a naive and beautiful girl from another dimension, many people would feel that they could win.

However, Lu Jiujiu regretfully told them:

No you can't.

"Hi, I'm Lin Ren from Class 1, Sophomore Year, Chemistry Department... I like you... Do you have a chance?"

Lu Jiujiu paused, then said blankly, "Oh."

"Won't……"

Lin Ren: "???"

The chemistry major looked completely bewildered, feeling like he'd been rejected, but also like he hadn't... He thought for a moment and then asked, "Lu, do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."