Over the past two years, I wrote two books, "The Royal Entertainment Guide" and this still-ongoing "A Refined Scholar of the Cold." The two books had very different styles. Many readers of "A Refined Scholar of the Cold" went off to read "The Royal Entertainment Guide," then came back and left comments saying they could not have been written by the same person, praising the former while disparaging the latter. In fact, I had only changed my approach a little. Above all, the enormous difference between Chen Caozhi's and Zhou Xuan's personalities made the perspectives and thoughts presented in the books completely different. But if you read closely, the charm glimmering between the lines of both books should feel familiar. That was my own particular charm: still as a maiden, swift as a fleeing hare-or was it really a fleeing hare?
Before uploading "A Refined Scholar of the Cold," I was apprehensive, afraid readers would not like it. After all, its prose could hardly be called lighthearted, and its protagonist was proper and reserved, very different from the currently popular raunchy and hot-blooded styles. Several author friends who had read the opening also said it was outside the mainstream, too niche, with worrying financial prospects. I was not very confident either. At that point, our esteemed Hu Shuo stepped forward, stood firm against the objections, and gave me affirmation and encouragement. The results after uploading also showed that as long as you wrote with care and brought out your own distinctive qualities, you could find a readership that supported you.
Writing this book really was exhausting. At a tortoise's pace of six hundred Chinese characters an hour, trying to make it on Qidian was rather miserable. I could only make up for it by putting in the hours. Aside from my day job, I spent more than eight hours of my free time writing every day. My waist ached and my back hurt, but I kept going. Here, I earnestly ask readers who can afford a subscription to support me and "A Refined Scholar of the Cold." Your subscription is a ray of dawn as I write through the dark night; many subscriptions gathered together become that beautiful rising sun.
I still remember asking for monthly votes at the end of last month. That night, "A Refined Scholar of the Cold" had 628 monthly votes. To spur myself to write diligently, I left a note in the chapter saying that if we reached seven hundred votes before eight the following evening, I would work hard to post seven thousand Chinese characters. But when I got up the next morning, we already had more than seven hundred votes, and by eight that evening, we had passed eight hundred. There was a children's song that went, "Ask for fifty cents, get a whole yuan-wouldn't you say that's strange?" My enthusiastic readers gave me so many wonderful surprises. I was truly very moved. Many readers also sent me tips, and many offered ideas and advice for "A Refined Scholar of the Cold" in the review section and reader groups, as well as supplementary reference material. Here, I thank you all. Please keep supporting me and "A Refined Scholar of the Cold."
Finally, thank you to Qidian, to the esteemed Hu Shuo and Hong Cha and Miss Yezi of Qidian Editorial Group 4, and to my fellow townspeople Xue Ye and Twelve-Storied Tower. You gave me so much help!
P.S. A request for monthly votes: I want to make a push for the top six in the category's monthly vote rankings this month. Readers, please give me your support. Thank you.
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