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The day after recording New Star Show, Lu Chen returned to Jinling Film City and threw himself back into the hectic shooting schedule of Full House.
Because this TV series was a joint production involving several powerful companies from both China and Korea, everything, from financing to casting, was progressing smoothly. If nothing unexpected happened, the drama could air during the summer season right on schedule.
For Lu Chen, filming kept him extremely busy, but his Grand IP Project was equally important. Every day, he carved out time to write diligently, uploading his new chapters to Wave Reading.
Unfortunately, under the pen name Recalling Ancient Times, his new novel was… well, a total flop.
By the night of May 27, Lu Chen had uploaded the first chapters of his new book. By June 5, ten days later, he had posted a total of 60,000 words, updating twice daily with about 6,000 words per day.
In terms of update volume, this met all the standards for an online fiction author. Most new writers uploaded much less before their books went on sale officially.
But the stats… were downright tragic.
Clicks: 420
Recommendations: 79
Favorites: 22
Comments: 58
Wave Reading was one of China's largest online literature platforms. Because it was linked to blogs for easier promotion, it attracted a massive number of authors, many of them "god-tier" writers who had already produced hit works turned into major IPs.
The site claimed to have over ten million authors, though the real number was likely lower, but competition was still brutal. For newcomers, breaking out was extremely difficult.
There was a recommendation system: signed works would all have a chance to be featured. As long as a book wasn't terrible, it might stand out and get exposure.
Editors on the platform kept an eye on new books. A manuscript of 1,000–2,000 words would get an initial review; another at around 50–60k words. If it met standards, the author would receive an internal message inviting them to sign a contract with the site.
But by the time Lu Chen's novel had hit 20–30k words, there was no message. Now at 60,000 words, still nothing. In the entertainment world's slang, his work had been "passed" by the editors, meaning it hadn't caught anyone's eye. No potential. No future.
Lu Chen had even registered a small WeChat account and joined several chat groups for new online authors. He'd quickly learned the unspoken rules of the online fiction circle, and that made him even more frustrated.
His grand IP dream had barely begun, and he'd already taken a heavy hit.
It wasn't just the pitiful click and favorite numbers. Of the 58 comments, 49 were from other writers self-promoting, trading reviews, or leaving empty "mutual support" posts. Only nine were from actual readers, and most of those were negative.
"What kind of garbage is this? Totally boring. I'm out."
"Author's writing isn't bad, but the plot is flat and the start is too depressing."
"Read a few chapters, feels suffocating. Dropping it."
"Author should read more from real masters. Learn from them!"
"Ugh."
Only one reader left a positive comment:
"Pretty good novel! Feels like the old-school Wuxia type. Nobody really writes this kind of story anymore. The author's got vision, supporting you!"
That reader even tipped Lu Chen 100 reading coins.
"100 reading coins, how much is that?" asked Chen Fei'er curiously.
A few days later, the pop diva herself was lying on the hotel's big bed, scrolling through the comments section on Lu Chen's author page.
She'd never been into online literature, her only exposure came from watching popular dramas adapted from web novels. So when Lu Chen started writing under a pseudonym, her curiosity was piqued.
Still, she didn't actually like this kind of story. Chen Fei'er preferred emotional, romantic fiction. Wuxia and martial worlds weren't her thing at all.
If it hadn't been Lu Chen's work, she wouldn't have bothered checking it.
"Cough!" Lu Chen cleared his throat. "That's… about one yuan."
"One yuan?" Her eyes widened in disbelief. "I thought it was a hundred! You're telling me you spent all that time, wrote sixty thousand words, and earned one yuan?"
"Cough cough!" Lu Chen coughed harder. "Technically, under the site's profit split, I only get half. So… fifty cents."
"Hehehehe~"
Chen Fei'er finally burst out laughing. She slapped the blanket, laughing so hard her shoulders shook. "Fifty cents!"
Just two days ago, the two of them had spent over ten million yuan giving away Korean tour packages to their fans, and now, Lu Chen's first step in his grand IP dream had earned him… fifty cents.
Now Lu Chen had toiled away day and night, sacrificing so many of the couple's romantic moments, only to earn fifty cents in the end.
Chen Fei'er wasn't laughing at him, she truly couldn't help it!
Between laughter, she said teasingly, "Serves you right! Who told you not to use your own name and instead start over with some newbie pseudonym? Now you've learned your lesson, haven't you?"
If Lu Chen had published the novel under his real name, all he'd need to do was make one casual announcement on his blog, and fans would flood in instantly. The rewards would pour down like rain, there's no way it would have ended in such a miserable state.
So Chen Fei'er really couldn't understand his thinking. In her eyes, Lu Chen's direction with this Grand IP Project was correct, but why not make use of the fame and fanbase he had already built?
There was a shortcut right there, yet he insisted on climbing the hardest, steepest path, so she didn't feel a shred of sympathy!
In truth, seeing the novel perform so poorly, Lu Chen did regret it a little. He even thought about reposting it under his real name.
But the whole reason he'd chosen a pseudonym in the first place was to test whether the Wuxia genre itself could still appeal to readers, rather than relying on his personal popularity to boost the numbers.
That distinction mattered. If the book could gain traction even under a newbie alias, then the data would be genuine and meaningful, and his Wuxia Grand IP Project would truly have potential!
Besides, Lu Chen simply wanted to keep a low profile.
But reality hit him hard, the new book had flopped completely.
Still, he refused to admit defeat. "So what if it flopped? I've already written a good chunk ahead. I'll at least finish this one. If it really doesn't work out… fine, I'll publish it under my real name!"
That, of course, felt a little humiliating.
Chen Fei'er gave him a playful glare. "And how long do you plan to keep writing? You haven't been spending any proper time with me lately, just glued to your computer! Careful, or I might dump you and find someone else!"
Lu Chen pounced playfully, pinning her beneath him with a grin. "Don't even think about it. You're not getting away from me in this lifetime!"
Chen Fei'er gave a mock gasp. "Help!"
But her protest was quickly silenced, replaced by soft, breathy murmurs and laughter.
The room soon filled with a heady, intimate warmth.
The laptop lay forgotten on the side, its screen still open. On it, four bold black calligraphic characters stood out clearly:
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
(End of Chapter)