When the RV pulled up to the seaside villa, Lu Chen spotted a young woman in glasses squatting at his doorstep.
"Could that be your editor?" Miko asked in surprise.
"Seems like it..." Lu Chen noticed a tent set up in the front yard. He couldn't help but think, This editor is seriously committed... camping outside my house?
The RV came to a stop with a light hiss of the brakes. The glasses-wearing young woman immediately looked up, her eyes scanning every person getting off the vehicle.
There were quite a few people exiting the RV, and every one of them was strikingly attractive—enough to make the editor wonder if she'd stumbled onto a film set.
But she quickly shook off that thought. She had more pressing matters.
Among the crowd, her eyes focused on the three males. Her author, "Chen," was a man.
Of the three, two looked like teenagers. One of them even seemed sick and needed help getting down.
Naturally, her gaze settled on the mature, scholarly-looking man.
"The top writer—Chen?!
Is it you?!"
Zhongli looked at the woman who had suddenly rushed up to him, his expression slightly confused.
He glanced over at Lu Chen, who for the first time felt truly embarrassed that someone had called out his ridiculous pen name in real life.
"…That's me," Lu Chen said helplessly.
"Wait…" The editor turned her stunned expression to Lu Chen. "You're Chen?"
Everyone glanced between the tent and the young woman, still unsure what was going on. Lu Chen waved them off to rest inside.
"I honestly didn't expect the author of Liyue's Floating World Amid a Thousand Rocks to be this young."
The editor gave Lu Chen a once-over before sighing in amazement. "I thought someone who could write such a steady, scholarly, traditional serial novel would be some elderly man…"
"Huh?" Miko smirked, looking over. "Actually, that's not far off!"
"Scram."
Lu Chen shot her a glare, then turned back to the editor. "Seriously—what kind of old man would use a pen name like that? Also, don't call me 'Chen.' Just use my real name, Lu Chen."
"Got it." The editor smiled and offered her hand. "I'm Sha Lin."
Sha Lin had originally come to demand an update. The whole "razor blade" thing was a joke, but she had genuinely camped out at Lu Chen's front door with some pent-up frustration.
However, when the handsome author smiled at her, half that anger just... vanished.
She had no idea that was thanks to [Charm 9]. She just thought she was being shallow.
Feigning annoyance, Sha Lin said, "Honestly, I've never seen a writer ghost their readers this long and still stay near the top of the charts. So? Are you really back, or are you just gonna drop two chapters and disappear again?"
"Of course not..." Lu Chen laughed awkwardly.
"Then where'd you go during the hiatus?" Sha Lin asked curiously.
Lu Chen replied truthfully, "I was off saving the world."
"..."
Sha Lin was dead silent.
"If you don't want to say, just don't," she sighed. Still, now that she had him in her sights, she wasn't letting him off the hook.
"I wasn't joking..." Lu Chen muttered under his breath.
...
After bringing Sha Lin into the living room, Lu Chen laid out his plan to start a business—building a light novel website from the ground up.
He wanted her to act as general manager, overseeing the company structure and handling everything from operations to logistics. In return, he'd give her a cut of the profits.
"As for funding, don't worry about it. Whatever you need, just tell me," Lu Chen said casually.
Aside from the money already in his account, his family's basement was stocked with jade raw stones his grandfather had collected. Once those were sold, their assets would skyrocket.
"Alright..." Sha Lin didn't know exactly how wealthy Lu Chen was, but one look at the Ling Shan Bay villa told her he wasn't short on cash.
The thought of no longer having to work under someone else—and getting to build a novel site from scratch with her own hands—filled her with excitement.
"I honestly thought you were joking at first, but you're serious... Give me a little time. I've made some connections over the years—I'll reach out to a few friends. They're seasoned editors and site operators."
Sha Lin was clearly a veteran. She knew a lot of industry stuff that Lu Chen hadn't even thought of. He listened intently, nodding the whole time.
As far as Lu Chen was concerned, anything money could solve wasn't really a problem. Setting up the platform was just the first step—it could be handled with cash. What mattered more was that Miko and Hu Tao's works actually became popular enough to complete the mission.
After seeing Sha Lin off, Lu Chen headed to Dawn & Craft Brew Bar with Diluc.
As soon as he opened the door, Lu Chen was stunned—the place was packed. Even during the daytime, it was buzzing with energy. For a second, he thought he'd walked into the wrong place.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Lu!"
The bartender from before had now become the head bartender. With Diluc away the past few days, he'd been running the place.
"Good afternoon," Lu Chen nodded, then looked over at Diluc.
"How'd you pull this off? The bar's insanely popular now."
Diluc took off his jacket, revealing a crisp, tailored white shirt. He adjusted his cuffs as he stepped behind the bar.
The moment he appeared, all the female customers turned their heads.
Diluc ignored the stares and calmly mixed a Mondstadt-style cocktail for Lu Chen.
"Part of it's because Mondstadt-style drinks have become really trendy in the city. Our supply is limited, so people have to come here specifically to get them."
"Oh."
"The other reason..." Diluc paused, looking hesitant.
"Hmm?"
He glanced around. Lu Chen followed his gaze—the bar still had more female customers than male.
"Our bar's gained a little fame on social media," Diluc admitted.
"Seriously?"
Lu Chen pulled out his phone and searched " Dawn & Craft Brew Craft Bar." Sure enough, he found post after post.
#HiddenGemAlert! Retro decor, great music, and the owner is ridiculously handsome. Full marks from me! (Photo: candid of Diluc)
#BestMusicBarEver! I came for the music. The live singer here totally nails the V.T. vibe. Old-school fans, don't miss this!
#AnyoneHereForTheDrinks? Mondstadt-style cocktails are chef's kiss! What was I even drinking before this?
#BeachsideTavern (selfie) (selfie) (selfies from every angle)
#CheckIn (selfie) (selfie) (location)
Lu Chen was speechless.
Dawn & Craft Brew Bar had become a full-blown local hotspot.
"I thought we'd have to expand or open new branches to meet the goal of increasing sales twentyfold..." Lu Chen looked around at the bustling bar and realized—maybe not.