It only took one day for Xi Luting to finish her assignment for Han Lie.
Darn it, a whole ten thousand words!
Man, it was incredibly detailed.
Han Lie had no idea if the psychological descriptions and specific feelings were accurate. After all, our Brother Lie was a virgin, only skilled in ’manual work.’ He’d never experienced a ’truly grand scene’ for himself.
Anyway, it was quite vivid and particularly convincing—freaking exhilarating. It had Han Lie rapping his knuckles on the underside of his desk. THUD. THUD.
Teacher Han meticulously reviewed it, word by word, spending a full half-hour on the ten thousand words.
In the end, he offered enthusiastic praise to Student Little Cucumber.
"You wrote exceptionally well! It far exceeded my expectations!"
Seriously, this whole thing was preposterous.
Even with his Level 3 Literature, Level 3 Writing, and Level 3 Driving skills, Han Lie still wasn’t on Xi Luting’s level.
If it could be converted, Xi Luting’s special writing skill would be at least Level 4.
But how many books had she read, and how many words had she written?
Han Lie had to admit once again that this world belongs to geniuses.
Talent just doesn’t make sense sometimes.
But Xi Luting’s talent... well, it was skewed in a seriously bizarre way...
Han Lie stroked his chin, pondering for a good while. He kept feeling that things weren’t so simple.
Is there a possibility... that Xi Luting’s talent for writing erotic stories is actually just an extension of some greater talent?
Han Lie was dying of curiosity.
Xi Luting waited for a whole half-hour, both nervous and excited, finally receiving praise from the Ham Tycoon.
A jolt went through her, and she trembled as if she’d received an electric shock.
A Lonely Cucumber: "Did I pass?"
Ham for Cucumber: "Yes, my ’little brother’ tells me that one-third of the profits is rightfully yours!"
It sounds like praise, but why does it sound so weird?
Xi Luting’s face reddened, her feelings a strange mix—part pleasure, part excitement, part embarrassed annoyance, and with a tiny hint of thrill.
Xi Luting, you really are a pervert! she muttered to herself, forcing herself to calm down and get down to business.
A Lonely Cucumber: "Do we need to sign a contract?"
Ham for Cucumber: "What do you think?"
Xi Luting bit her lower lip, torn. She wanted a guarantee, but she didn’t want to sign a formal contract, mainly because she didn’t want to reveal her ID number and photo. She hoped to keep her relationship with the Ham Tycoon simple, not wanting her appearance to complicate things. But if the book did really well, that one-third share of the profits would be a substantial amount of money. How could she protect her interests without a contract?
A Lonely Cucumber: "I don’t know..."
Han Lie chuckled silently, deliberately asking, "Do you have any concerns?"
A Lonely Cucumber: "Um... I’m very ugly. I don’t want to show my photo."
Ham for Cucumber: "That’s okay. I care about your talent, not your appearance."
A Lonely Cucumber: "(Moved) (Moved)"
Ham for Cucumber: "Alright, how about this: I’ll give you access to the author’s backend, so you can check the real earnings anytime. Then give me your bank card number. The day the royalties are deposited each month, I’ll transfer your share to you immediately. What do you say? Are you willing to trust me?"
Xi Luting wasn’t naïve, but she really didn’t think the book would make much money from subscriptions. Most of the rags-to-riches stories on Jinjiang came from selling copyrights.
So she agreed readily, "Okay, I trust you!"
Ham for Cucumber: "(Laughter) That’s right, my Little Cucumber!"
A Lonely Cucumber: "(Laughter) Pleasure working with you, Brother Ham!"
Ham for Cucumber: "Love you, Sis Cucumber~"
A Lonely Cucumber: "(Shy) (Shy) (Shy)"
His days became quiet and fulfilling. Mornings were for exercise. At noon, he’d scrounge a meal from Fang Feifei, and in the evening, from Yu Yun. He studied in the morning and afternoon, wrote after 8:00 p.m., and precisely at 11:30 p.m., he’d start flirting with Little Cucumber.
His novel progressed rapidly; each day he managed to write at least 5,000 words to hand over to Xi Luting for polishing.
Meanwhile, Xi Luting’s days were thrilling yet fulfilling. She would spend entire days polishing the text. To avoid the prying eyes in her dorm, she had to play a game of cat and mouse between the library and various classrooms. It wasn’t until she found a small, private room in the university’s main library that she could finally work in peace.
By the time they officially uploaded the first Chapter of the new book on the 7th, they had accumulated a 25,000-word buffer.
Author name: Ham for Cucumber.
Title: The Domineering President’s Revenge Goddess
Core of the story: Melodramatic, pretentious, artistic flair, dark male lead, powerful female lead, tortured romance...
When he saw the male lead’s name, Han Lie couldn’t hold back.
"Does the name of the male lead have any significance?"
A Lonely Cucumber: "Um..."
Xi Luting struggled for a while, but in the end, driven by her trust in Brother Ham, she told him a partial truth.
A Lonely Cucumber: "I know a guy who might come from a wealthy family. His last name is Han. I think there are many aspects of him I can observe and learn from, which would help me depict a domineering president..."
Ham for Cucumber: "(Surprised) Wow! You actually know a real-life domineering president?!"
A Lonely Cucumber: "No! That guy is still a student, but his way of doing things does have a bit of a domineering president vibe."
Han Lie struggled to hold back his laughter, kindly giving her some advice.
"Then you should get on good terms with him, hang out more often, and carefully try to understand his inner world. It will be a huge help to your writing."
A Lonely Cucumber: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I will!"
A Lonely Cucumber: "But I don’t really like him. He’s too proud, always acting so superior, looking down on us ’underachievers’!"
Ham for Cucumber: "(Mischievous smirk) So you’re going to fantasize about him in your book?"
A Lonely Cucumber: "I am not!!!"
A Lonely Cucumber: "You’re so annoying! Get lost!"
Han Lie burst out laughing.
I’m not usually , unless I really can’t help it.
Ham for Cucumber: "Alright, alright, you’re not~~~"
A Lonely Cucumber: "I’m not, period!"
Ham for Cucumber: "Then you’ve got to work hard and write well. Someday, you can throw your success in that guy’s face: ’What are you so arrogant about? I’m a famous author, you know!’"
A Lonely Cucumber: "Wow! What a great idea! (Star-struck)"
Ham for Cucumber: "Go for it!"
A Lonely Cucumber: "(Strive) (Strive) (Strive)"
After the chat ended, Han Lie stroked his chin, a sly grin spreading across his face.
Clearly, Xi Luting had a not-so-low opinion of him. No matter how well she usually hid it, that slip-up just now revealed everything. Moreover, as the relationship between the male and female protagonists in the book progressed, her self-insertion would only deepen.
This is getting interesting, hehehe...
Feeling pleased, Han Lie stretched lazily and got up to tidy his room. After seven days of being a shut-in, a good amount of trash had accumulated in the dorm. As he cleaned, he imagined future interactions with Xi Luting and couldn’t help but grin mischievously again.
"Big bro! We’re back!"
The dorm room door was suddenly pushed open, and Ding Ding and Little Northeast barged in, laden with bags.
The excited young duo abruptly stopped in their tracks, stunned at the entrance.
In the dim, unlit room, their Big Bro Han was squatting in the farthest corner, holding a large black plastic bag. He was stuffing things into it while letting out an eerie, low chuckle...
The faint light from the laptop screen flickered, illuminating his profile and casting his face in an interplay of light and shadow that created a terrifying expression...
Good heavens! Big Bro, what on earth are you putting in there?!
Han Lie turned his head and greeted the two with a smile, "Back already?"
Seeing that smile, half-hidden in shadow, a shiver ran down both their spines, and their legs almost gave out...