Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 543, "The Twelve Zodiac Animals," is complete.

Huizhou.

After publishing the paid chapter on Rongshu, Cao Sheng did not sit in front of his computer and wait for the subscription data to come out an hour later, unlike when he published it on Qidian.

After publishing the paid chapter, he turned off his computer, got up, went downstairs to wash up and rest.

there are many reasons.

Firstly, his new book had already achieved over 10,000 first-day subscriptions on Qidian, so he didn't care much about the subscription data on Rongshuxiao.

Secondly, he estimated that although Rongshuxia had launched a "30% discount" recharge event, Rongshuxia was only just beginning to test the waters of paid reading, and its readers did not yet have the habit of paying to read books. Just like Qidian when it first started paid reading, the number of readers willing to pay to read was definitely not large at the beginning. Therefore, Cao Sheng estimated that the first subscription data of "Cultivation Chat Group" on Rongshuxia would not be very high, let alone reach the number of first subscriptions exceeding 10,000.

three……

Third, he was sleepy.

The following morning, before he started writing, he didn't log into Rongshu's author backend to check the subscription data.

I'm not interested.

He was writing until almost noon, and after finishing the second chapter of the morning, he remembered to log in to Rongshu's author backend.

The first chapter of "Cultivation Chat Group" has garnered 1785 subscribers since its release.
It's less than 2000.

I estimate that we may not reach 3000 initial subscriptions by midnight tonight.

Although he was mentally prepared, Cao Sheng still couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he actually saw that the number of subscribers was so small.

Thinking about it carefully, I can understand why there are so few subscribers here.

Firstly, the paid chapters he published here last night were all previously published on Qidian. Many readers of this book have already read them on Qidian.

Secondly, since Qidian started experimenting with paid reading, most of the talented writers in the industry have gone to Qidian. Moreover, in order to attract more readers to subscribe, the authors of all the works published on Qidian have been putting in a lot more effort into writing, which is reflected in the fact that the quality of these works has also increased significantly.

This is inevitable!
When writing out of passion, every writer prioritizes their own enjoyment. How do they enjoy themselves? By writing what they want to write and not writing when they don't feel like it. It's impossible to rack one's brains to come up with a plot. After all, it's just for fun. How many people would put too much thought into it?
The significant improvement in the quality of works on Qidian has gradually attracted many readers to read books there regularly. Even though they know that excellent works on Qidian will be charged once they are published, it still attracts tens of thousands of readers to read books there.

As a result, after several months, the number of readers of Rongshuxia not only did not increase, but actually decreased by quite a few.

These are all factors that contribute to the low number of subscribers to "Cultivation Chat Group" here.

Although Cao Sheng was a little disappointed, he didn't care too much.

For him, the subscriptions on Rongshuxiao platform for "Cultivation Chat Group" published on both platforms are extra income.

The royalties I earn here are all extra money.

On the contrary, if the number of subscribers here is more than that on Qidian, he might really have a headache.

reason?

He is a major shareholder of Qidian.

He certainly hopes that Qidian can maintain its leading position in the industry.

……

It was 12:03 a.m. that night.

Cao Sheng logged into the author backend of Rongshu Xiao again.

I saw that the number of subscribers for the first chapter of "Cultivation Chat Group" had risen to 3077.
For most writers in the industry, this data is already excellent.

But for Cao Sheng, these figures were quite disappointing.

However, the book's subscription numbers did rise quite quickly in the following days.

By midnight on the second day, the number of subscribers for the first chapter had surged to over 4000. And on the third, fourth, and fifth days…

For several days in a row, the number of subscribers to this book within 24 hours on Rongshuxiao kept increasing. Strangely, the increase in the number of subscribers for the first chapter was far less than the increase in the number of subscribers for the new chapter within 24 hours.

On the third day after its release, the number of new chapters subscribed to within 24 hours reached more than 3800.

On the fourth day, the number of follow-up orders rose to over 4400.

On the fifth day, the number of repeat orders rose to over 5100.

On the sixth and seventh days, the number of repeat orders continued to rise.

The number of new chapter subscriptions within 24 hours actually exceeded the number of subscriptions for the first chapter, and the difference is getting bigger and bigger.

reason?

Cao Sheng looked at the number of subscribers to his book on Qidian and understood.

Although the number of first-time subscribers for "Cultivation Chat Group" on Qidian exceeded 10,000 within 24 hours, the number of repeat subscribers has been declining every day since the book was released on Rongshu.

The number drops by at least several hundred every day.

Some clues can also be seen in the book review section.

"The top-up service at the Banyan Tree is 30% off, much cheaper than here! Ah Hui, I'm going there to support you!"

Why isn't Qidian offering a discount? Are they forcing me to go to another website?

"Ah Hui! You really do love banyan trees the most, right? Then I'll go over there to support you!"

……

and many more.

Posts like these helped Cao Sheng understand why subscriptions on Qidian were declining.

Fortunately, William Zhu kept his promise, and the 30% discount was canceled after one week.

However, these few days have been enough for many readers to recharge their accounts, and the money they recharged is simply not enough to finish reading in a short period of time.

Therefore, the subscription data for "Cultivation Chat Group" on Qidian.com has not increased significantly.

Cao Sheng, on the other hand, managed to stay calm.

There wasn't much time to think about this issue.

He's been very busy every day lately.

In the morning, I wrote "The Romance of Chinese Martial Arts"; in the afternoon, I wrote "Cultivation Chat Group"; and in the evening, I wrote the script for "The Twelve Zodiac Animals".

Another week or so passed, and he finally finished the script for "The Twelve Zodiacs".

It was past midnight that night.

He sat in front of the computer, looking at the script that had just been revised for the nth time and was finally finalized, a smile appearing on his face.

My feelings are quite complicated.

I felt a sense of accomplishment, but also a bit apprehensive.

The sense of accomplishment comes from this script, which is completely different from the original "Chinese Zodiac" storyline in the original timeline. Apart from the script title and the ultimate goal of seizing the animal heads, this script should have little in common with the original "Chinese Zodiac".

I was uneasy... partly because this script didn't resemble the original "Chinese Zodiac" at all.

He was unsure how well the script, which was completely different from the original, would turn out when filmed.

Can its box office and critical reception compare to the original "Chinese Zodiac"?

He wasn't sure.

While writing, he felt that this way of writing would be more effective.

But after he finished writing it, he suddenly began to doubt his own judgment.

He worries that when he reads the scripts he wrote, he has the limited perspective of "not recognizing the true face of Mount Lu because he is in the mountain himself."

Just like some of the novels he wrote before, when he was writing them, he was very satisfied with them and full of confidence. But when he published them and saw that the data growth rate was far less than he expected, and the readers' evaluations were also far less than he expected, and when readers pointed out flaws from various angles, he realized that he had not written well.

This kind of limited perspective is something almost every creator experiences.

Almost every author is very confident in what they are writing when they are writing a book.

However, only a very small number of these publications actually yield results.

The vast majority of works, after publication, receive far less data than the authors expected.

This applies not only to the novel industry but also to the film and television industry.

Many bad movies are made with great confidence from investors, directors, and lead actors before their release. Only after the movie is released and the box office and word-of-mouth are terrible do they realize that they made a mistake.

For example, a certain famous director meticulously filmed "The Promise." To make this movie, he spared no expense, even building a city before filming. Before its release, the movie was promoted with great fanfare. After its release, he still insisted that he did not make a bad movie, but that the audience did not understand it.

At this moment, Cao Sheng was somewhat worried that his novel, "The Twelve Zodiac Animals," would turn out to be something like "The Promise."

can you?

The question lingered in his mind, but no one could give him an answer for the time being.

Save the script and turn off the computer.

He got up and went downstairs.

He didn't want to sleep during the time he should have been resting.

While simultaneously serializing two novels, he managed to squeeze out time to write the script for "The Twelve Zodiacs," leaving him mentally and physically exhausted.

He finally finished the script tonight, and even though it was already midnight, he still wanted to go out and have some fun to relax.

For example: go out for a late-night snack, or take a drive around.

So he washed his face to refresh himself, changed his shoes, and went downstairs.

He called Tan Yu as he went downstairs.

I originally intended to call Jiang Xiaoshuang.

But considering that Jiang Xiaoshuang has to go to work tomorrow, as a program host, if she doesn't get enough rest, her complexion will be dull and she'll have dark circles under her eyes, which will greatly affect her image.

Therefore, it was decided at the last minute to call Tan Yu out.

Anyway, Tan Yu hasn't entered the workforce yet, and her studies aren't too demanding. At worst, she can just take a nap in the classroom tomorrow morning; it won't have much of an impact.

"Hello? Why are you calling me at this hour?"

Tan Yu's voice came through the phone; it was a normal voice, clearly indicating she wasn't asleep yet.

Cao Sheng: "Are you asleep?"

Tan Yu: "Not yet! We just got into bed. What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Cao Sheng: "I'm thinking of going out for a late-night snack, do you want to come?"

He knew Huizhou Teachers College well and knew that once it got late at night, the school's access control would be ineffective.

The small gate next to the school gate is open 24 hours a day.

Although there are guards on duty in the gatehouse, they won't care if you leave the school gate after midnight.

Tan Yu: "Oh? Really? Come on! Where? Where should I look for you?"

Cao Sheng looked up at the night sky. "Wait for me at the school gate! I'll drive to pick you up."

Tan Yu: "Okay! I'll go wait there right away."

……

After hanging up the call, Cao Sheng had already arrived in the courtyard downstairs.

Hearing the commotion outside, Huang Lijun came out from the ground floor and saw Cao Sheng. Huang Lijun was a little surprised, "Boss? Are you going out at this time?"

Cao Sheng nodded.

Huang Lijun quickly turned around and called out, "Qu Hai! Qu Hai! The boss is going out! Come out quickly!"

Soon, Qu Hai came running out, holding his car keys.

……

Huizhou Teachers College.

A girls' dormitory.

Tan Yu, who was already in bed, quickly got out of bed after receiving the phone call, dressed, put on her shoes, and rushed to her desk to look in the mirror, comb her hair, and put on makeup.

It attracted the attention of several girls in the same dormitory.

It was already past midnight.

But college students! How many nights can they fall asleep before midnight?
Many people don't go to bed before midnight.

Even if you get into bed, you won't be able to fall asleep. The noise and lights from your roommates, the next roommates, and upstairs and downstairs will keep you awake.

The girls in Tan Yu's dormitory were the same.

Everyone is used to this kind of schedule.

The girls had only been in bed for a short time and were still awake.

Hearing that Tan Yu answered a phone call, she quickly got out of bed, dressed, put on her shoes, combed her hair, and put on makeup. Who couldn't tell that she was going out on a date?

"Tan Yu! Did your boyfriend ask you out?"

Everyone in the dorm already knew that Tan Yu had a boyfriend.

First, Tan Yu herself admitted it; second, Tan Yu's makeup skills became more and more exquisite, her clothes and shoes became more and more beautiful, and she would disappear for a few hours every week.

In college, girls who aren't dating usually don't wear makeup.

This is a common phenomenon in this era.

Only those who are in a relationship, or are currently in a relationship, have the time and motivation to put on makeup and dress up.

"Tan Yu, your boyfriend is something else! Asking you out at this hour, it's obvious he doesn't want to waste a single moment and wants to go straight to a hotel with you! And you're going too?"

"Hehe, what are you saying? Judging from Tan Yu's impatient look, she must want to head straight to the hotel herself! Right, Tan Yu?"

"Tan Yu! Who exactly is your boyfriend? You haven't introduced him to us yet, isn't that going too far? Are you just reluctant to let him treat you?"

Several girls chimed in, some joking, others curious.

Tan Yu glanced back at them, blushing slightly. "What do you mean, 'heading straight to the hotel'? He's been very busy lately, just finished work. I haven't introduced him to you yet because he's usually so busy and can't find the time. I'll introduce him to you when he's free, is that alright?"

She did want to introduce Cao Sheng to them.

Before Cao Sheng broke up with Huang Qingya, she didn't dare to have this thought.

But ever since the news of Cao Sheng and Huang Qingya's breakup was exposed by the media, she has been eager to make her relationship with Cao Sheng public.

Or rather... to establish a relationship with Cao Sheng.

Unfortunately, Cao Sheng never intended to commit to a relationship with her, and she didn't dare to pressure him, but the thought in her heart never left her.

"Really? Your boyfriend is that busy? He's busy until past midnight every night? I just can't believe it!"

"Tan Yu, so your boyfriend is from outside the school? And he's already working? You like mature men?"

"He can't even spare a moment to see us? Is he a high-ranking official? He's incredibly busy!"

……

The chattering of the girls was overwhelming for Tan Yu, and since she was in a hurry to wait for Cao Sheng at the school gate, she could only smile awkwardly and quickly comb her hair and put on makeup.

About twenty minutes later.

She waited for Cao Sheng's Land Rover SUV at the school gate. When she got in, she was wearing a flowing white dress, with exquisite makeup, and looked beautiful and charming.

Sitting in the car, Cao Sheng hadn't changed his clothes; he was wearing loose-fitting home clothes, his hair was a bit messy and unkempt, and he didn't seem to be in a good mental state.

He looked like a young landlord.

Upon seeing each other, Tan Yu revealed a beautiful smile, appearing obedient.

After she got into the car, Cao Sheng casually put an arm around her shoulder and ordered, "Drive!"

(End of this chapter)