Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Going Live / Three Rivers Reflection

Hello everyone! I am Cao Man Jun. I never expected to be going live so soon! The release will be on December 1st at midnight, and as promised, I will be providing five chapters that day.

I have been working hard on updates, but my stockpile of drafts is almost depleted. Sigh…

Firstly, I would like to thank Editor Lu Ming for nurturing me as a new writer and feeding me with so many recommendations! Then, to all the readers who have subscribed until now, as a newcomer, I really enjoy browsing through the book reviews. I feel very happy when someone praises me and cry when someone criticizes me. For some parts that everyone thinks are not good, I also want to make improvements. However, after going live, I will probably focus more on writing.

It’s okay if you don’t like my book. Just close it and don’t read it. But please do not criticize me in the book review section. I am very sensitive, but I don’t want to delete negative comments because I secretly hope someone will come out to defend me. If everyone loves me, I will be so happy.

I consider this book to be a semi-autobiography because I am currently in a phase similar to Mei Fang’s before his sudden death. I have a regular job at a game company where I work as a planner. I often work overtime until 10 PM and take a taxi home. I usually finish writing around 3 AM and go to bed, then get up at 9 AM to go to work again.

Given this, honestly, I don’t have the ability to write every day. So, I won’t beg for more monthly tickets or donations. I can only take a day off tomorrow to write at home and complete five chapters for the release. Later, if my work is less demanding, I will write more! I can only temporarily owe any additional chapters due to donations. Sigh…

Furthermore, if one day I suddenly stop updating without explanation, it might be because I have followed Mei Fang’s path and died suddenly and was reborn. Haha!

Another aspect of this book being an autobiography is that many of Mei Fang’s experiences are based on my own personal experiences. For example, the scene where he was beaten for wetting the bed. Many people criticized me, saying it’s unreasonable for a child to be beaten for wetting the bed. Actually, I was beaten because I had an accident with my pants, haha!

However, unlike Mei Fang, I don’t have his luck or courage. Every choice I made is something I deeply regret. This is why I believe it’s the reason my work resonates strongly with some readers.

But the person I most want to thank is a friend of mine who also loves writing stories about childhood sweethearts. He encouraged me to join him in creating together.

My friend has been writing since 2016. At that time, Qidian just opened its secondary universe section. His first signed work was about childhood sweethearts. It started with only 20 subscriptions, but he continued to update until it reached a million words. However, by the end, the average subscription was only 130. Nevertheless, this book brought him many loyal readers. Many readers still keep in touch with him, watching him grow from high school to college and even to work graduation. He said he cherishes these friendships greatly.

Then, he wrote many more stories about childhood sweethearts, but most of them did not do well. After finally writing a book with an average subscription of over 500, it eventually declined.

In short, whenever he gets inspired, he starts writing again. Over six years, he basically focused on writing original light novels in the secondary universe section, without any other dreams, just wanting to write the sweet love he imagines.

He always told me he must achieve his dream of writing a popular story about childhood sweethearts before he turns 25. Unfortunately, he lacked a bit of talent and luck, and he made many mistakes typical of young writers, leading to disappointment and hasty endings.

This year, he is already 26 years old. He said he can no longer continue writing. His job is in crisis, and he has remained single since graduation. He feels he lacks the ability and energy to pursue his dreams anymore, admitting his ordinariness is indeed difficult for him who has always been proud.

So, I thought, why don’t I give it a try? Although I won’t share any money with him, our relationship is good, and I can help him keep a memory. Hahaha!

Many readers may already know that my friend’s pen name is Duan Bian Lao Zei. He enjoys writing stories about childhood sweethearts but often inadvertently includes some pretentious elements, leading to disastrous failures. You can search for his works on Qidian. There are several long novels over a million words that I quite like.

Although he is a fool, I am grateful to him.

I could say that without his help, this book would not exist.

Unconsciously, I’ve written so much! Almost like a new chapter! In summary, I basically have only one writing friend, Duan Bian Lao Zei. Only he will recommend my chapters, so there are many feelings… There’s not much else to say!

Finally, I hope everyone will support the first subscription of this book. The importance of the first subscription needs no elaboration. I will release five chapters after midnight on December 1st. I hope those who can help will support me a little. Cao Man Jun will prepare beautiful illustrations for you!

Although I can’t burst out with rapid updates, I will strive to write a good story for all the readers.

Lastly, I would like to thank all of you for your support over the years!

That’s all.

(The End)