Words Upon Release

It is time for the official launch.

Although I knew this day was coming, I still feel caught off guard. I had hoped to delay the release a little longer. Seizing this moment, I would like to talk to you all about... money.

I truly never used to think money was important. But that was in the past. Now, I find money to be of the utmost importance.

I have been writing novels for seven years. (No, this is not a boast about my experience.) Seven years ago, a naive kid stared up at the starry sky and made a wish: "I want to change the world through my writing." (Thinking back on it now, it’s so embarrassing.)

That naive kid was obsessed with writing pure literature. After two years of laboring over his craft, he suddenly grasped something on this path and resolutely changed his dream: "I want to support myself through my writing." Because changing the world with words is damn near impossible, but supporting oneself with them seemed like a glimmer of hope.

However, even this dream, downgraded by eighteen levels of difficulty, remained incredibly hard to realize. So, the naive kid kept reading and writing, until one day, people began to call him a "master." He had, in fact, gained a limited amount of influence by posting his work on various forums. People began contacting him, asking him to write advertorials and marketing copy. But at that time, he was still a hot-blooded youth; he resolutely rejected these invitations, still obsessed with writing only what he wanted to write.

He did not socialize with other authors, nor did he seek out any organizations; he simply buried his head in trying to improve his writing skills. The result of this was obvious: his progress was limited, while those young people who had started on the path of writing at the same time as him—those who had once called him "master"—were living much more comfortably.

They recommended each other, shared their fanbases, grew together, signed with companies, managed promotions, used the money they earned to package themselves, and then promoted and wrote even more. Gradually, the naive kid was left behind. He realized that, after all this time, he was still all alone. Except for his words.

He suddenly realized: earning money does not mean betraying your dreams. On the contrary, dreams require the support of money to be realized. Changing the world with words is difficult, but changing the world with money is quite simple. One cannot survive on words alone; only by turning words into money can one survive. Or perhaps, one can use money to survive first, and then use words to change the world.

That naive kid was me.

Later, I came to Qidian, intending to start over. This is a brand new platform, and I am facing a brand new group of readers with entirely new themes and language.

Hmm, I really like this feeling. It’s just like when I first learned to write. I once thought that even signing a contract was out of reach, so I never expected this book to make it all the way to a commercial launch.

First, I must thank my readers. That you have supported a web novel newcomer up to this point—well, I don’t know whether to say you have unrefined tastes or just poor judgment. Ha, I’m joking. In short, thank you all.

Then, I must thank my editor, Ziliang. He accompanied me from the signing to the launch and offered so many invaluable suggestions.

Finally, I want to thank the people around me who have always supported my writing. It is your tolerance for this greenhorn that has allowed me to make it this far.

In short, this book is very important to me. Now that it is officially launching, the subscription count for the first chapter is extremely important to me. I hope you will all click on this chapter and subscribe to it. Let’s make the first-day subscription numbers look decent.

I don’t actually care how much money this book makes; I just want to write it well, and then move on to the next, and the next, and the next, and the next. As long as I am able to write, I will keep going. That conviction has not changed since seven years ago.

I’m rambling a bit, so please forgive me. Thank you all for your support.