In the quiet depths of the night, let’s share some light-hearted, trivial talk.

I’ve been writing up until now, working on tomorrow’s manuscript. Anyone who knows me knows that I never keep a stockpile of drafts. But things have changed—I have to keep at least a day’s worth ready, because now that I have a child, my time is split. I can only start writing the next day’s chapters once I’ve coaxed the little one to sleep.

Today, I received a leader’s reward from my long-time reader, Lu Qiuqiu, which made me very happy. There was also support from the esteemed Sui Feng before, which gave me much encouragement. After all, I’ve had two straight books fall flat, and it felt like all my popularity was gone. But seeing the support from old friends truly touched me.

To an author, no matter what excuses you have, a flop is a flop. That’s the harsh reality of this profession—it’s not about reasons; it’s about delivering compelling stories.

Fortunately, I’ve managed to keep a good mindset. Even after those failures, I didn’t give up on myself. I kept working hard, because writing is a lifelong pursuit for me.

I had high hopes when I started this book. When I handed the manuscript to my editor, they said it had great potential, which made me excited to get started. The book’s initial performance on the recommendation list was average, with collections growing slowly and very few recommended votes. I found myself comforting the baby while telling my wife, “Looks like this one’s another bust. Time to tighten our belts again.”

Thankfully, I’ve built up some resilience. I’m still enjoying the writing process, and this story is genuinely fun to write. I’ve laid out many plot points that will unravel gradually as the story goes on. I’ll keep writing steadily, hoping that more and more readers will come to enjoy it with time.

I want to thank all the old friends who followed me here from previous books. Seeing so many familiar names brings me peace—it reminds me that there are still readers who care about my work. I’ve become much more philosophical about things, but I suppose being philosophical shouldn’t mean I ramble on.

It’s late at night, and it’s hard not to get a bit chatty. Let’s just treat this as a friendly conversation. But after saying so much, it feels wrong not to ask for something.

The platform’s rules have changed: recommendations are now based on a PK system, judged by the number of 24-hour follow-up reads. Honestly, I still don’t quite understand what follow-up reads mean, but that won’t stop me from asking for them. The higher the follow-up reads, the better chance the book has to beat others in PK and advance to the next round—it’s pretty thrilling.

It’s almost as if this system is forcing a laid-back person like me to become more ambitious. Thankfully, I’ve already made it to the third round of recommendations. The next step is the coveted Sanjiang list. Whether I make it there depends on everyone’s follow-up reads, so I sincerely ask for your support. Since I don’t quite get how follow-up reads work, I’ll just ask for recommendation votes.

Alright, no more pretending—I’ll lay my cards on the table. That’s right, my ambition is showing. All these words were written in hopes of earning just one recommendation vote from you!

A new week has begun—let’s stay full of energy and keep moving forward! Let’s write diligently and strive for progress every day! For the Sanjiang list, for advancement, for the next round—let’s give it our all!