After he finished speaking, he returned to his workstation.
He opened the backpack he’d brought with him, took out his laptop, and started his daily writing.
Seeing Xiao Ran so calm, Xiaoliu leaned his head towards Uncle Zhang and whispered, "I feel like Xiao Ran is in pretty good shape today. At least he’s not as upset as we thought he’d be."
Yan Li was gorgeous and known for her professional competence. In many people’s eyes, she was a goddess. Being dumped by a goddess like that, they figured Xiao Ran must be taking it hard.
But he didn’t look disheveled or hungover at all. In fact, he even smiled and greeted them. His attitude surprised them, but it also made them breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
’Who would’ve thought? That kid Xiao Ran is a tough one. He can really take a hit psychologically.’
...
Time really flies when you’re writing. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the lunch break.
He was packing up, ready to go home, when the phone he’d set beside him buzzed. Xiao Ran picked it up and saw it was, surprisingly, a message from Liu Min.
Liu Min: Hello, Teacher Xiao. Our company’s finance department has transferred the money to your account. Could you please confirm receipt?
Liu Min had been busy with this since early in the morning. The payment was already small, and she would have been truly embarrassed if it wasn’t sent promptly—after all, this was an author she personally admired.
Seeing the message, Xiao Ran quickly exited WeChat.
He opened his text messages. Sure enough, there was one from ICBC: The balance of your card ending in 3045 is 2,795,432.00 yuan. The time was eleven in the morning.
The promised 2.9 million yuan had become about 2.79 million. The rest must have been deducted for taxes, a fact that Xiao Ran understood.
Still, to be honest, seeing a balance of nearly 2.8 million yuan was pretty exciting for Xiao Ran.
’After all, with this money, I can finally move!’
’A new environment for a new beginning.’
It was the same logic as people who have to get a haircut after a breakup.
He quickly replied to Liu Min.
Xiao Ran: Thanks! If you hadn’t reminded me, I honestly wouldn’t have noticed.
Liu Min: You’re welcome, it’s my job. By the way, Mr. Xiao Ran, I forgot to introduce myself properly. I’m a screenwriter at Ai Qi, so for this book, we might need to make a few small changes in some places.
Liu Min: Of course, this absolutely doesn’t mean I think your writing is bad. Actually, every novel that gets adapted for TV is more or less revised a bit. After all, TV shows are for a mass audience, and there might be minors watching. Do you understand what I’m saying?
Liu Min was worried Xiao Ran would object, so she worded her message very carefully.
From a reader’s perspective, she felt the book was truly exceptional, and she worried that changing even a little would ruin its original flavor.
But it couldn’t be helped. She was a screenwriter, not the author. Xiao Ran’s writing was indeed very good, especially the business-related parts.
However, some of those maneuvers couldn’t be shown to a general audience.
The on-screen experience was something she had to consider.
Moreover, she actually had a bold idea: to use this show as next year’s big New Year premiere drama.
Something this important couldn’t afford even the slightest mistake.
But she’d overlooked one thing: Xiao Ran wasn’t some delicate snowflake. He completely understood Liu Min’s position. Even the books of top-tier authors had plenty of plot points changed, so why would his be any different?
Xiao Ran: Of course, no problem. I understand!
To put it bluntly, they were just trying to guarantee ratings. A 2.9 million yuan copyright fee, plus the actors’ salaries, prop costs, and crew wages—just those things alone added up to a huge expense.
Having invested so much money, they were naturally going to be as meticulous as possible.
Seeing Xiao Ran’s message, Liu Min, who was sitting at her desk, let out a sigh of relief.
Her body went limp as she leaned back in her chair. Honestly, she really had been worried Xiao Ran wouldn’t agree.
She’d been in this business for ten years and had met too many bizarre authors. Some wrote mediocre books but acted incredibly arrogant, thinking their work was high art and that any change was a desecration. ’It’s all bullshit!’
She never expected Xiao Ran to be so easygoing and not have any airs at all.
At this thought, a look of admiration appeared in her eyes.
’He really is an author I admire. His character is as good as his writing!’
Liu Min: Thank you, Teacher Xiao. Then let’s plan to meet tomorrow at noon, how does that sound? We can discuss the details then.
She had already decided: if Xiao Ran could rewrite parts of it to be even better and more suitable for the screen, she could apply to have him brought on as an associate screenwriter. As for the salary, it certainly wouldn’t be disappointing.
Xiao Ran blinked. ’Tomorrow at noon... I’ll probably have to take time off work for that.’
He hesitated for a moment before replying: No problem!
Liu Min: By the way, Teacher Xiao, have you started a new book? I’m in a book famine lately [Cheeky]
Honestly, she thought Xiao Ran’s books were really good, and since she was currently in a book famine, she just had to ask.
Xiao Ran: I’m writing it now. I’ll probably publish it this afternoon. But you might want to let it build up some Chapters before reading. It’s only 10,000 words right now, and during the new book period, I’ll basically be releasing 4,000 characters a day. A lot of readers tease me, saying the book’s over before the appetizers have even been served.
Liu Min: That’s fine, 4,000 is 4,000. A good book is worth the wait. Looking forward to Teacher Xiao’s new book.
Liu Min’s anticipation for Xiao Ran’s book was palpable. As a veteran bookworm with over a decade of reading under her belt, she had high standards for what she read. Plus, she was usually busy and had little time to read, so 4,000 characters a day was just right for her.
...
After finishing his chat with Liu Min, Xiao Ran didn’t stay idle. He hopped on his little electric scooter and rode to a real estate agency downstairs.
He had the agency appraise his current house.
The agent gave him a mixed answer. Due to the general rise in housing prices over the past two years, Xiao Ran’s house could sell for at least seven million yuan now.
After all, it was large and a duplex, so its price was quite a bit higher than a new build’s.
But the bad news was, he’d have to wait.
It was a second-hand property, after all. He had to be "zen" about it—which, to put it plainly, meant it all came down to luck.
As you know, property in Shanghai isn’t very easy to sell. It’s just too expensive, so selling it quickly was basically impossible.
This meant that if he wanted to make a down payment on a new place now, his only option was to borrow money.
Five hundred thousand yuan was no small sum.
Xu Cheng’s hot pot restaurant was losing money right now, so if he wanted to borrow money, his only likely source was Zhang Chuan.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Zhang Chuan was an "IT dog"; he’d worked his butt off day and night for years and had actually earned quite a bit.
Plus, his parents lived out of town and sent him money every so often, so the guy ought to have some savings.
Asking him was the best choice.
’I’ll give him a call after he gets off work and ask.’
He returned home with a heavy heart.
The moment he opened the door, a fragrant aroma hit him. The smell of chili peppers flash-fried in hot oil, mingled with the rich scent of meat, drilled straight into his nostrils.
The girl’s main dish today was stir-fried pork. She had spent a full two hours making it.
She’d watched the instructional video countless times, and chopping the chili peppers had made her eyes burn so much that they still felt hot.
Hearing the door, the girl, who was dishing out rice, couldn’t wait to ask, "Hey, are you back?"
"Yeah, I’m back."
After speaking, Xiao Ran changed his shoes as usual and walked toward the dining room.
To be honest, during their three years of marriage, Yan Li had rarely been home. The same went for Yan Xici, who usually ate lunch in the cafeteria.
So the house had always felt cold and empty, and he always felt like something was missing.
But today, after smelling the rich aroma of a home-cooked meal, for the first time, he had the very real feeling that he had truly come home.