Chapter 219: Failed Persuasion
Luo Nan went to Korea for the summer vacation and brought back some souvenirs for Zhao Yuyan. But thinking of the current Zhao Yuyan, she still felt a sense of pity. The Zhao Yuyan of the past wasn’t a shut-in; she still liked to go out. As a child, Luo Nan was always the one following her around. Back then, Zhao Yuyan would lead her all over the place, incredibly wild.
After growing up, for some reason, she had become a shut-in. Especially after moving out on her own, her laziness had reached its peak. She didn’t wash her clothes, didn’t wash her underwear, ate irregularly, and not only ordered takeout frequently, but the most infuriating thing was that she would spend an entire day playing games just because she was too lazy to go out to eat.
Her aunt often asked her to take care of Zhao Yuyan. What could she say? Zhao Yuyan was ten months older than her. Why was she the one taking care of her?
“Luo Nan, has your work been stable recently? You have to balance university too, you must be very busy.”
And there it was, a call from Zhao Yuyan’s mother. Her family and Zhao Yuyan’s parents were old friends. They had known each other since they were children. If they weren’t both girls, their parents would have definitely arranged a childhood engagement.
“It’s been okay. Besides work, my university courses aren’t too demanding, but I do have to run around a lot. I don’t find it too hard, though. After all, I make over a hundred thousand a month.”
“That’s true. Both our families believe in the importance of a university education. If you and Yuyan didn’t go to university, you would have entered the workforce early.”
That was also true. Zhao Yuyan and Luo Nan’s current incomes were definitely higher than those of many university students. If they wanted to, they could just work instead of going to university. They had popularity and a stable income just from writing novels.
But their families thought it was better to go to university, so both of them obediently enrolled. However, Zhao Yuyan became very lazy after starting university, often skipping classes and leaving early, constantly teetering on the edge of a passing grade.
“Auntie, I’ll come back when I have time. I’ll definitely come see you before school starts.”
“Alright. And bring Yuyan back with you. That girl doesn’t even come home for summer vacation. It’s too outrageous.”
“Okay.”
Luo Nan hung up the phone and started her car. In this day and age, having your own car was a good thing. At least you didn’t have to worry about transportation. She had asked Zhao Yuyan to ride with her several times, but the shut-in would rather stay at home than get in her car.
On the way, Luo Nan stopped by a bookstore. She could still see her books, Space Castle and Finding Home, displayed in the shop, right in the most conspicuous spot. She thought it was a good thing she was wearing sunglasses, otherwise it would be troublesome if she were recognized. As a contracted author with Qidian, and a newcomer who had debuted as an idol author, she had a certain level of popularity in the industry. Moreover, she was serializing two novels at the same time, which made her popular among her fans.
It was just a pity that she couldn’t compare to Shion.
She casually bought two magazines and then drove off. Writers more or less have their hobbies. There are always a few who buy books to read, partly for leisure and partly to find inspiration.
Since she was back in Guangnan, she might as well look for Zhao Yuyan. That girl definitely wasn’t eating properly, and her clothes were probably not being washed either. She would go and teach her a lesson.
The car sped away, disappearing from view.
…
With the summer heat, Shion-Sensei’s popularity continued to rise, especially with the upcoming publication of the second volume of Zixuan and the Paper Airplane, which had generated a lot of buzz among readers. In the “Send Razor Blades to Urge Updates” group, readers were still relentlessly searching for Shion-Sensei’s personal QQ, but after so long, they still hadn’t found it.
After her exams, Xiao Yanhan spent her days at home scrolling through her phone, chatting in groups, and looking for good books to read. As Shion-Sensei’s number one female fan, she firmly believed that Shion-Sensei was a literary youth, and a very stylish one at that. But she had no way of getting close to her idol, which troubled her greatly.
“Little Yan, didn’t you say you were going to your dad’s? Aren’t you going?”
“Not going.”
“Got it.”
After shooing her mother away, Xiao Yanhan started binge-watching a drama, lazily leaning against the sofa, doing nothing. She had actually been very diligent and hardworking during her third year of high school, but after the exams, it was as if she had nothing to do, and she became lazy.
Before that, she actually had things to do, but she just wasn’t good at them.
If only I could be as talented as Shion-Sensei. Thinking of her idol, the Shion-Sensei who had fought her way to the top, she felt a wave of emotion. From being a nobody, she had fought her way to first place in the Wenqing New Talent Award, and then with Ballad of the Enchantress, she had defeated the rival Qidian’s newcomer author, Canwu, winning a great victory for Wenqing. After that, Zixuan and the Paper Airplane had pushed her popularity to another level.
How could she not admire such a Shion-Sensei?
If possible, she really wanted to become Shion-Sensei.
“Little Yan, your dad just called me. If you want to go, he said you still can.”
“No, Mom. I know I don’t have the talent. Let’s just forget it.”
“You child, really…”
Xiao Yanhan turned a deaf ear to her mother’s words, not wanting to bother with them.
She was better suited to be a reader, not a creator. Compared to dealing with commercial things, lying on the sofa was more suitable for her.
Although it was a bit decadent. Her father was a renowned figure in the industry, after all. As his daughter, she hadn’t inherited any of his genes and hadn’t achieved anything noteworthy.
Stretching lazily, Xiao Yanhan finished another episode of the drama. She wondered if she should read the second volume of Ballad of the Enchantress again. She was Shion-Sensei’s number one female fan, so of course she had to read her books several times.
It was almost August. She would be able to see Shion-Sensei’s new book soon. Happy.
By the way, where was Shion-Sensei herself now? She heard that she was also going to be a university student. Was she close to her? The little fan Xiao Yanhan couldn’t help but harbor all sorts of thoughts. It would be great if she could go to the same university as her idol.
As for Shion-Sensei, she herself…
Was at Fang Jiangning’s house.
Fang Jiangning had just finished her stream and had called Yu Linna over to her house to hang out and chat.
“Linna, I don’t think my parents will agree to let me turn on the camera and show my face. They only let me show my hands.”
“They treasure you too much, that’s why they can’t bear to let you show your face.”
“But I’m not a child anymore. I want to show my face, I want to stream.”
“You should finish the animated video first. You owe me one episode of ‘Tokyo’ final thoughts.”
“I’ll get it done. But the problem now is how to solve my camera issue.”
It seemed Fang Jiangning really wanted to show her face. She had been an uploader since high school and had started streaming, but she had never shown her face. Despite this, her popularity was very high, being the only girl among the top ten Bilibili uploaders. At her peak, she had even reached the top three.
But because no one knew what she looked like, her fans were even more curious about her mystery.
After all, this was a society that judged by looks. If a girl was pretty, someone would definitely pay attention, regardless of whether she had any talent.
It was the same when Yu Linna was filming commercials for Chenghe. They didn’t care if you had any ability. As long as you were good-looking, you were prioritized for commercials. It was just that Yu Linna’s acting was bad at the time, and she had no ability, so they didn’t give her a movie role. If it had been another company, she could have easily gotten a role through some under-the-table dealings.
“In my opinion, you should just wait until September to stream. Once you’re in university, your parents can’t control you.”
Yu Linna sat on her bed, playing on her phone, and answered faintly.
“I have a feeling my parents won’t agree even after I start university…”
“Please, you’re an adult. Do you still have to listen to your parents’ arrangements for everything? Just do what you want to do. Why do you have to listen to them? You’re not a child anymore.”
Although Yu Linna had no parents and didn’t know what it felt like to be controlled by them, under normal circumstances, parents shouldn’t interfere too much once their children grew up, right? After all, they were adults. Did they still have to call and demand their children be home before midnight when they went out to play? That was too unreasonable.
All of the above was what she had read in books.
“That makes sense…”
Hearing her say that, Fang Jiangning seemed to understand something. Thinking about it carefully, she had always been very obedient to her parents. Because she was their only daughter, she didn’t want to disappoint them and had always been well-behaved. After entering her third year of high school, her grades improved rapidly, and she performed exceptionally well to get into Guangnan University. Her parents were very happy, and she felt that this was the best way to repay them.
But thinking about it, she was indeed an adult now. She shouldn’t listen to her parents for everything. She should have her own opinions.
“I want to buy a better camera…”
Yu Linna glanced at her. It seemed she had figured it out. She smiled faintly. This girl, really, why did she have to think so much? The problem was actually very simple, she just made it complicated.
As for her, she was just used to being independent since she was a child and wasn’t used to listening to others, so she had given her advice from that perspective. But it was surprisingly effective.
“Linna, can you be my coser again? This time, how about cosplaying Angela?”
“Just spare me. I already refused Wenqian’s cosplay. I’m not going to do it again.”
“I’ll give you some money.”
“Jiangning, do you think that can move me? I’m much richer than you now. I don’t need that.”
Although she said that, Yu Linna’s brow twitched.
“Well, in that case… next week, we’ll go for a seafood feast. Abalone and crab, all you can eat.”
“…I have money. I can afford to eat.”
“Do you know how to get there, nouveau riche?”
“…”
“Do you want to eat? If you do, then agree to be my coser.”
Fang Jiangning looked like she was sure to win. She was certain this girl would be swayed. After all, how many times had Yu Linna given in?
Yu Linna did indeed have an internal struggle. She ruthlessly swallowed her saliva and turned her head away.
“I’m not going.”
“…”
Why!
It always worked before!
How could this be!
Fang Jiangning simply couldn’t believe it.
“Do you think I’m stupid? If I eat your seafood, I’ll have to be your live stream subject. I might accidentally show my face. I don’t want to be on the Weibo hot search.”
“But, but, dammit… I was so close! Aren’t you supposed to be the silly, sweet, and naive type?”
“What kind of character am I in your eyes!”
Fang Jiangning’s live stream plan was a complete failure.
