Chapter 189: Zhao Yuyan’s Lack of Motivation
Fame was troublesome; Yu Linna understood this all too well.
Though her identity as a novelist remained a secret, her name, Yu Linna, had become an internet sensation, a meme among the online community. The torn answer sheet incident had catapulted her to fame, her academic prowess and adorable appearance making her a subject of fascination. There were even reaction memes featuring her face.
Sigh, why did she have to be famous?
Why had she ever wanted to be famous? It was so inconvenient. Even simple tasks like grocery shopping were now a challenge, with people recognizing her, taking pictures, and posting them online. They really had too much time on their hands.
So, she spent the beginning of her summer vacation at home, her refrigerator stocked with food.
“Little Linna, are you still working?”
The doorbell rang, a familiar female voice calling from outside. Yu Linna put down her keyboard and went to answer the door.
Zhao Yuyan stood there, the epitome of a lazy otaku, wearing summer pajamas, her face still groggy, Bluetooth earphones around her neck, dark circles prominent under her eyes from pulling all-nighters, her limbs weak and limp, a clear sign of a sedentary lifestyle.
“Big Sis Yuyan, you must be tired. We’ll eat later.”
“I asked Bai Chen-sensei to buy us groceries. I’ll have to thank him later. He bought a lot of meat, and some vegetables too. Look at these carrots! They’re perfect for soup!”
Zhao Yuyan had often used her connections to buy groceries for them, a small price to pay for Yu Linna’s delicious home-cooked meals, her cooking skills far surpassing anything they could find at a restaurant. Zhao Yuyan’s palate had been spoiled.
Entering the apartment, she noticed the decor hadn’t changed since a month ago. This girl, Yu Linna, hadn’t bought any new furniture, no television, no game console, not even a proper shelf for her games.
“Little Na, don’t you think your apartment is a bit… bare?”
“Is it? I think it’s fine.”
“Think about it! You’re famous now! You’re a millionaire! And with the royalties from your two novels, you must have made a fortune! Even if you don’t have ten million, you must have a few million, right?”
“Oh, that money? I gave ten million to Zhiyun.”
“What?! Why?!”
Zhao Yuyan almost choked.
Ten million to Zhiyun? Just like that? It was too casual, too… unusual. Though they were close, giving away such a large sum of money… it was bizarre.
Zhao Yuyan’s heart sank.
Such an adorable, rich loli… and she was a fool.
“Ah, you misunderstand. I actually owed Zhiyun money. That ten million was just a partial repayment. I’ll pay her back the rest later.”
“Oh… I thought you were just giving her money.”
Zhao Yuyan relaxed, relieved.
But why would Yu Linna owe her so much money? Ten million… it was an astronomical sum. What had she done to incur such a debt? Had she taken out a loan and been unable to repay it, forcing her to become a novelist to pay off her debts?
Zhao Yuyan’s imagination was running wild.
“Little Linna, so you don’t owe her anything now, right?”
“Of course, I do. I still owe her a lot.”
“How much more? I’ll help you pay it back.”
“You can’t.”
“What? I can’t? That’s ridiculous! I’m the renowned Air-sensei! My income is no less than yours! Just name a price, and I’ll pay it for you.”
“At least sixty million.”
“…”
Zhao Yuyan stared at Yu Linna, her expression unreadable.
“…Sorry, I disturbed you.”
Holy fuck!
How did this girl owe so much money?!
She had thought it was just a small remaining balance, not more than ten million. But sixty million?! How could she possibly repay such a massive debt?!
Zhao Yuyan felt like she had just been slapped in the face, a stinging humiliation. Yu Linna, with such a massive debt, how had she even survived?
Yu Linna didn’t reveal the details of her debt; it was a secret she preferred to keep. And without that eighty million, she might not even be here today.
Ye Zhiyun had bought her life back, a chance to start over. Her success today was all thanks to Ye Zhiyun.
“Big Sis Yuyan, have a seat. I’ll start cooking. I don’t have a TV, so you can play on your phone.”
Yu Linna tied her apron and went to the kitchen. Zhao Yuyan, sitting in the living room, didn’t mind the lack of television; she just wanted to eat Yu Linna’s cooking.
It had been a week since the gaokao ended, and Yu Linna’s life had been relatively peaceful, her days filled with writing, preparing for the release of Volume Two of Ballad of the Enchantress. After the gaokao, with the university application process still a while away, she had a three-month summer vacation.
What to do with so much free time? She hadn’t thought about it. But she had promised Huo Ningning a trip, and she hadn’t seen Aunt Wu in a while. She had never really spent time with Aunt Wu as a child, their poverty making such luxuries impossible. But now, both she and Huo Ningning were better off.
The start of summer didn’t mean she would be slacking off. She planned to use the break to write, to pour out the stories in her head. She had started Ballad of the Enchantress in March, but there were still so many stories left to tell.
“Little Linna, are you still writing?”
“Yes, of course. I want to write a book a month.”
“…”
Zhao Yuyan wanted to ask her why she was working so hard. She, the queen of procrastination, hadn’t even started Volume Four of The Rich Man’s Game, and here was Yu Linna, a machine of productivity.
Perhaps that was the difference between them.
Compared to Yu Linna’s diligence, Zhao Yuyan was a true slacker, always delaying, knowing her readers would still eagerly devour her novels upon release, no matter how long they had to wait.
“By the way, Big Sis Yuyan, why are you still writing short stories? I saw on Weibo that you’ve written three in the past few months. When are you going to write your novel?”
Zhao Yuyan didn’t answer. If she admitted that writing short stories was easier than writing novels, she would be lectured.
She was lazy; she didn’t want to work. The thought of sacrificing her gaming time, her snacks, for work… it was unappealing. Besides, The Rich Man’s Game was being adapted into an anime; she would be earning a lot of money soon. Why rush?
After a brief dinner, Zhao Yuyan returned to her games, her faith unwavering. She had just been watching Little Angel’s LOL stream, her skillful plays making Zhao Yuyan itch to play, to crush some noobs.
She had barely sat down, the game still loading, when the doorbell rang, ruining her mood. Who was it? Who would dare to interrupt her gaming time?
“It’s the middle of the day! It’s gaming time! Who is… ahahaha, Sister Chen! You’re here! Come in!”
Zhao Yuyan’s initial annoyance quickly faded upon seeing Chen Xi at the door.
Today, Chen Xi seemed… different. Her usual cool demeanor was replaced by a chilling aura. Though it was summer, Zhao Yuyan felt a sudden shiver.
“Air-sensei, you’re living quite the life.”
“No, no! Look how thin I’ve become! I’ve been pulling all-nighters, working on my manuscript! I even have dark circles! I’m a young girl, sacrificing my health for work! It’s not easy!”
She feigned a sob, wiping away non-existent tears.
“Oh, please. All-nighters playing games, you mean. Look at this mess! The trash is overflowing! Your clothes are piled on the sofa! And you haven’t even washed your underwear! How can you be so lazy? You’re a girl!”
“…”
Zhao Yuyan’s face flushed, her deception exposed. She was indeed lazy, hating chores. Washing clothes every few days wasn’t a big deal, and washing underwear daily was too much trouble. She could just buy new ones.
“I don’t mean to be a nag, Air-sensei, but you were so well-behaved when we first met. What happened in just a year? Your mother let you live alone, and you don’t even clean! You’ll never get married!”
Chen Xi sighed, her tone motherly. Even her own mother hadn’t lectured her like this.
“Marriage… it’s not for me. No man would want me. I’ll marry my novels.”
“Fine. Is Volume Four of The Rich Man’s Game finished?”
“Not yet…”
Zhao Yuyan’s head bowed, her face flushing, her fidgeting making her look surprisingly cute.
But Chen Xi wasn’t fooled.
“The anime adaptation has already started! If you don’t have enough material, they can’t make it long! You have to finish Volume Four! You’ve been procrastinating for months!”
“But… I have a few short story ideas…”
“Put them aside! Focus on Volume Four! Look at your neighbor, Shion-sensei! She finished the gaokao and immediately started writing Volume Two of Ballad of the Enchantress! And it’s already finished, just waiting for illustrations! You should learn from her! You’re her senior!”
“sob sob …”
Zhao Yuyan sobbed silently.
But she wasn’t crying because she wasn’t a good senior. She was crying because she had no time to play games or watch TV. She didn’t want to work!
