When Ye Xinglan came into Xiaoxi’s room, Xiaoxi was curled up in her chair, clutching her hair, her mind completely frozen in front of the word processing software.
Yes, Xiaoxi was stuck on her story again, and this time it was especially bad.
Lately, because she was wary of Muxingge, Xiaoxi’s plotlines had become very bland, which led to her backend data plummeting over the past two days.
Xiaoxi was anxious, desperately wanting to regain her previous writing rhythm, even if it meant writing another mediocre royal harem story. After all, losing money was far worse than losing pride!
Right now, Xiaoxi was obsessed with making money. She still owed Ye Xinglan two months’ rent, plus the rent due next month, and the money Ye Xinglan had fronted for her new phone.
Altogether, Xiaoxi owed nearly ten thousand yuan!
She had never owed so much money in her life, and the pressure of debt made her unwilling to give up any opportunity to earn.
But the recent daily-life plotlines she wrote were not only dull, they completely derailed the direction of her current story.
Most of the inspiration born from her past experiences had already been used up, which was why she was now completely stuck—unable to write a single word.
What made things worse was that she had no drafts saved up. If she couldn’t write something soon, tonight’s update would be in serious jeopardy!
“What’s wrong, Xiaoxi? You look so gloomy.”
Ye Xinglan rubbed Xiaoxi’s cheek and sat on the edge of her bed. Seeing the blank document on the screen, she immediately knew Xiaoxi was stuck.
“Well, I told you already that your recent plots were boring. The first few chapters were great, but now…”
“I know,” Xiaoxi sighed, “but inspiration is hard to replicate. I just can’t think of anything right now!”
Seeing Xiaoxi’s hair in a tangled mess, Ye Xinglan grew serious and started brainstorming with her.
“How about adding a new character?” Ye Xinglan suggested. “You’re already writing about [Bailing Songstress] Muxingge, why not include the Blood Moon Witch as well?”
“I want to see Muxingge utterly defeated by the Blood Moon Witch! Kekekekeke…”
Xiaoxi shook her head. Ignoring Ye Xinglan’s villainous laugh at the end, the first part of her suggestion actually had some merit.
Since the plot was stuck, it wouldn’t hurt to introduce a new character and add a little side story. Many stories in the same genre even included villains from real life.
After all, some villains were very well known—like the Blood Moon Witch. But Xiaoxi’s conscience wouldn’t allow it.
Writing a royal harem story about magical girls was already pushing her boundaries.
Including her nemesis in the story and having her repeatedly defeat the magical girl was something Xiaoxi simply couldn’t do!
Her bottom line as a member of the [Eternal Star] forbade her from writing anything that would boost her enemy’s prestige while destroying her own dignity!
“Why not? Come on, why won’t you write it?”
Seeing Xiaoxi refuse, Ye Xinglan pouted and nudged Xiaoxi’s computer chair. “I’ve sponsored your book quite a bit, haven’t I? Is this how you repay your Jin Zhu’s requests?”
The saying went: ‘biting the hand that feeds you.’ Xiaoxi was helpless. She couldn’t openly reject Ye Xinglan, so she made up an excuse.
“It’s not that I don’t want to write it… it’s just that I can’t think of any plot involving the Blood Moon Witch, you know? If I had one, I’d definitely write it!”
“No plot, huh?” Ye Xinglan’s eyes lit up. “I have a story you might want to hear.”
Suddenly recalling an incident involving Muxingge, Ye Xinglan remembered a time she almost defeated Muxingge in battle.
It happened when the Divine Summon Order caught Muxingge off guard and set a trap, successfully capturing her alive.
Seeing Muxingge suspended mid-air, Ye Xinglan was prepared to humiliate her severely, but in the end, Muxingge unexpectedly escaped.
This incident fit perfectly with a defeat theme, and if Xiaoxi could write it well, it would at least fulfill a dream of hers—in reality, she never managed to humiliate the magical girl, but in a fictional story, she could.
“You?”
Xiaoxi sized up Ye Xinglan, doubt thick in her voice. Ye Xinglan had never written a novel before; any plot she came up with probably wouldn’t be useful.
Besides, Xiaoxi always adapted plots from her past experiences. Ye Xinglan was just an ordinary person—where would she get that kind of inspiration?
Still, to show respect to her Jin Zhu, Xiaoxi decided to listen. Worst case, she could say, “I don’t think it fits” afterward. That way, she wouldn’t offend her sponsor outright.
“Okay, then, here it goes—”
Xiaoxi nodded perfunctorily, though her eyes stayed glued to the screen, trying to piece together her own plot.
But as she listened, her attention gradually shifted to the story Ye Xinglan was telling.
A lone magical girl, caught due to carelessness, captured and humiliated by a powerful enemy, then fighting desperately to escape…
Hmm, this… this plot actually sounded pretty good!
It wasn’t until Ye Xinglan snapped her fingers in front of her that Xiaoxi snapped out of her reverie.
“So? Not bad, right?”
Xiaoxi said nothing. She knew the inspiration was good, but did she really want to write about the Blood Moon Witch? Her conscience—
sigh Sorry, Xingge! Considering how many times I saved you in battle before, please forgive me! It’s just life forcing my hand!
Xiaoxi felt her moral line slip down another notch.
“By the way, Xinglan, your story sounds pretty real, like it actually happened.”
“Ahaha, really?” Ye Xinglan smiled awkwardly. “Looks like I do have a knack for storytelling. You better get to writing then. I won’t bother you—I’m off.”
After the door clicked shut, Xiaoxi glanced at the time, took a deep breath, and began typing.
……
Late at night, freshly showered, Muxingge returned to her room where a neatly organized file of Xiaoxi’s personal information lay on the desk.
She had hired a reliable Private Detective, and as soon as she handed over the files tomorrow, the detective promised to investigate Xiaoxi’s entire life history thoroughly.
Though digging into someone’s past wasn’t exactly honorable, Muxingge now seriously suspected that this royal harem story was connected to an old friend of hers. Her primary goal was to investigate that friend.
Just then, a notification popped up on her phone—a novel update alert. Muxingge glanced at the time: 11:59 PM. The author’s update time was oddly specific.
She casually tapped open the latest chapter, but after reading only the first few lines, her eyes widened.
Ten minutes later, after flipping back and forth through the chapter two or three times, only one question remained in Muxingge’s mind—
Who the hell is writing this novel?!