Chapter 177: Chapter 112: When Dreams Merge with Reality (Two in One, Seeking Subscriptions)_2

Li Yuan’s heart lurched with a surge of panic as he read the messages, one after another. It was as if he could see Xia Zhijin worrying about him, afraid he had drunk too much and gotten into trouble.

This silly girl. Li Yuan was deeply touched, his hands trembling slightly as he held his phone. Looking at the string of messages from Xia Zhijin, he was momentarily at a loss for how to reply.

After thinking for a long time, Li Yuan typed something into the chat box, only to delete it. He glanced in the direction of Little Fish and could faintly hear the girls’ cheerful laughter. Composing himself, Li Yuan put on a smile again and walked toward the private room.

Jiang Zhiyu stood up and cheerfully took Li Yuan’s hand. “Xia Hua, we’re done eating. Let’s head back to school.”

Zhang Ruoxue from the Chinese department at Ji University looked at Li Yuan with deep admiration and thanked him sincerely, “Thank you for your insights, Talented Li. What you said about the development and trends of online literature is incredibly insightful, even better than what our professors say. I learned a lot and hope to ask for your guidance again in the future.”

Li Yuan waved his hand with a smile. “You flatter me. These are just my own superficial views and aren’t necessarily correct. Just listen to them for fun.”

Zhang Ruoxue’s beautiful eyes were fixed on Li Yuan. “I wasn’t flattering you at all. What you said makes a lot of sense. The development of literature is always tied to its era. In this day and age, traditional media like newspapers and magazines are inevitably facing a massive impact. The internet era has already dawned, and literary works are being aimed more directly at a mass audience, becoming more accessible, commercial, and mainstream. Literature is no longer a high-brow art form for a niche audience. Instead, it will evolve with the internet, leading to web series, film adaptations, animation, and more…”

This topic had come up at the dinner table. Given Li Yuan’s status as a Great Writer, Zhang Ruoxue, a talented student from the Chinese department, had asked him about the trends in online literature.

Listening to Zhang Ruoxue’s insights, Li Yuan couldn’t help but glance at her again. This top student from a prestigious 985 university’s Chinese department has a remarkably accurate grasp of the literary market and its future.

Jiang Zhiyu watched Li Yuan with adoring eyes and said with a giggle, “I also think what Xia Hua said makes a lot of sense. With the rapid development and upgrading of smartphones and e-readers, people’s reading habits will change quickly. The future will definitely be the golden age of online literature.”

“Xia Hua, you’ll definitely become the number one online writer.”

I’m secretly thrilled. In Little Fish’s eyes, I’m the most incredible person in the world. So this is the power of the idol filter.

Li Yuan laughed. “Alright, alright, stop praising me, or my head will really get too big.”

「Downstairs from the girls’ dormitory.」

Li Yuan looked at a reluctant Little Fish and stroked her head.

“Little Fish, I’m not going to go up. You should head back with your friends.”

Little Fish held onto Li Yuan’s arm, completely unbothered by the stares of passing students. Her voice was filled with deep reluctance. “Xia Hua, can’t you stay with me a little longer?”

If I don’t head back soon, I’m afraid that silly girl, Xia Zhijin, will get so anxious she’ll actually call the police. That would be taking things way too far.

“Little Fish, I have some other things to do this afternoon, and I need to write tonight.”

Jiang Zhiyu understood. She was already overjoyed that Li Yuan had spent half the day with her. “Xia Hua, you have to make sure you rest,” she said. “If writing is too tiring, you can update less.”

Li Yuan nodded with a smile. “Yeah, I know. Once school starts and I have more classes, I’ll probably update a little less each day.”

He still had a large backlog of Chapters saved up. After his rebirth, it was as if he’d activated a talent cheat. His memory was more than ten times better than in his previous life. Although it wasn’t quite at a photographic level, it wasn’t far off. For him now, writing wasn’t just about money. It was a way to realize his passion, build his reputation, and elevate his social standing.

Jiang Zhiyu reluctantly let go of Li Yuan’s hand. “Xia Hua, you have to come to the freshman welcome gala on September 30th!”

Li Yuan smiled. “Barring a life-or-death emergency, I’ll definitely be there to watch your performance, Little Fish.”

“Don’t say that, Xia Hua! Don’t jinx it!” Jiang Zhiyu quickly covered Li Yuan’s mouth with her hand. “I just want you to be happy and safe.”

“Alright, I’m leaving. We’ll be in touch.” Li Yuan smiled. He was about to say she could contact him anytime, but then he remembered how his phone had been blowing up all day and quickly added a caveat. “Oh, by the way, Little Fish, I get really focused when I’m writing. Sometimes I’m at the computer for hours at a time. So if I don’t reply to your messages right away, please don’t be angry, okay? The moment I see your message, I’ll reply.”

Jiang Zhiyu looked slightly taken aback for a moment, but then her smile returned as she nodded. “Xia Hua, I get it. Don’t worry. Just make sure you’re the one to message me when you have free time, okay?”

Li Yuan smiled. “Okay, Little Fish. I’m really leaving now.”

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly spoke up, “Xia Hua, wait a second.”

Li Yuan asked in confusion, “What is it?”

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly stood on her tiptoes and gave Li Yuan a quick peck on the cheek. It was as light as a dragonfly skimming the water’s surface, and she pulled away just as fast.

“Bye-bye, Xia Hua!”

Li Yuan touched the spot on his cheek where Little Fish had kissed him. So this is the legendary goodbye kiss?

“Goodbye, Little Fish.”

After watching Little Fish go upstairs, Li Yuan leisurely departed.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep