Chapter 28

As Xu Ying was writing furiously, her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw that it was her editor, Yue Yin, calling her.

Yueyin: The word count for "The Great Tang Female Painter" is almost up. When do you plan to release it?

Xu Ying was taken aback.

She's been accumulating drafts lately, and the content she writes and the content she publishes are out of sync, to the point that she didn't even notice that the chapters she published had already reached the word count for publication.

February Sky: How about the day after tomorrow?

This is all so sudden; I didn't even get a chance to say hello to my readers.

Yueyin also felt that the day after tomorrow would be more suitable.

Moonshadow: Okay, don't forget to send out an announcement.

February Sky: Okay.

Afraid that she might forget about it, Xu Ying put down her phone and immediately opened the Feihong Novel website on her computer. She posted an announcement in the comments section of "The Great Tang Female Painter," announcing that the novel would be available for purchase the day after tomorrow.

The readers in the comments section were very active when the author himself suddenly appeared, which made everyone even more excited.

- I caught a freshly baked Moon Sister.

Please, please update more chapters!

- No need to beg, didn't you see the author say the new book will be available the day after tomorrow? There will definitely be extra chapters when it's available.

-So happy, I can read so many chapters at once.

-I really want to empty out all the manuscripts in the big archive.

......

After posting the announcement, Xu Ying took a moment to read the readers' comments.

Most of the comments were mildly worded, though some criticized her for being unrealistic, applying things haphazardly, and confusing the past with the present. However, these were the minority, and she forgot them after reading them.

After reading the comments section, Xu Ying continued typing, writing for over an hour until almost midnight, when she finally got up to wash and prepare for bed.

She doesn't usually stay up this late.

I slept too much this afternoon, which is why I've been writing until now.

*

Time quickly came to the day when "The Great Tang Female Painter" was released.

Xu Ying had long planned to update ten chapters in a row, but she was still hesitant between updating one chapter every two hours and releasing ten chapters at once.

She shared her dilemma in a small group chat with two other people, which immediately drew criticism from them.

Mayfly: You're a living devil!

Mayfly: I choose 2222222

Breeze: 2

The reason these two people were so vehemently opposed was naturally because they themselves were eager to see the latest updates.

Ever since the two of them read the draft of "The Great Tang Female Painter", they have been feeling empty for the past few days, with nothing to read and no one to discuss things with.

Knowing the plot before other readers, but having to keep it a secret and not being able to say anything, and only being able to watch others freely discuss it, is quite painful.

So the two of them made a decision.

They decided that they would never look at the drafts in advance again, and that it would be more interesting to follow along with the readers.

After hearing their decision, Xu Ying was deeply impressed by their perseverance. She then decisively withdrew her hands, which were about to send the drafts, thinking, "Isn't it simple not to read them?"

February Sky: ...Are you sure you want to choose 2 for both?

Qingfeng: Confirmed.

Mayfly: Absolutely certain, the Thomas spiral is correct!

February Sky: Okay.

Xu Ying felt a little regretful.

But since her two friends were so eager, she decided to grant their request a little; she wasn't the kind of person who didn't know how to be reasonable.

Xu Ying moved her fingers and released all ten chapters.

The readers had no idea they were almost tricked by their beloved author. Now, ten chapters of good fortune had fallen from the sky, and they were happily reading and leaving comments. Their behavior couldn't be more naive.

Mayfly and Gentle Breeze shook their heads across the screen, keeping their achievements hidden.

After posting the chapter, Xu Ying went to do her own thing.

She was in a good mood today, and the sun was shining brightly outside, so she decided to do a thorough cleaning of the house and wash all the bed sheets and duvet covers.

She left the door wide open while she worked, and seeing her busy at work, Grandma Wang also went to tidy up her own house.

By the time the two of them finished cleaning up inside and out, it was already past noon.

Xu Ying suggested, "How about we have cold noodles for lunch?"

After a long, hot, and tiring day, who has the patience to cook?

Grandma Wang did not object.

"OK."

She was indeed a little tired.

Xu Ying was younger than her, so she didn't want her to cook again. She rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen herself: "Cold noodles are simple, I'll make them!"

As she spoke, she started a fire to boil water.

While the water was boiling, she didn't stop working; she took out a large bowl and started preparing the sauce.

Put the millet peppers, minced garlic, sesame seeds, and dried chili powder into a bowl, then use another gas stove to heat up some oil and pour it in. As soon as the hot oil is poured into the bowl, a sizzling sound is heard and the aroma is immediately released.

Xu Ying coughed because of the strong aroma that wafted towards her.

She took two steps back, coughed, and then added soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, and a little sugar to the bowl, stirring well to make a spicy and sour sauce.

After preparing the sauce, there are also side dishes.

Xu Ying took a cucumber and a small bunch of cilantro from the refrigerator. She washed the cucumber and cut it into strips, and washed the cilantro and chopped it...

After doing all this, the water in the pot was almost boiling.

She grabbed a handful of noodles and put them in.

While cooking the noodles, she suddenly remembered something, quickly rummaged through the refrigerator, and sure enough, she found the half-eaten ham sausage. So she took it out, cut it into strips, and prepared to mix it with the noodles and eat it.

After cooking the noodles and rinsing them in cold water, Xu Ying added the sauce, cucumber strips, chopped cilantro, and ham strips, and mixed them well. A bowl of sour, spicy, and refreshing cold noodles was ready.

"Dinner's ready!"

"Why!"

Xu Ying filled three large bowls to the brim.

She hadn't cooked for a long time, and when she suddenly started cooking, she didn't know her own strength and put in too much noodles, so everyone's bowls were overflowing.

Fortunately, she was hungry after working all morning, and she ate the whole bowl of noodles without wasting a single drop.

After finishing her meal and returning to her bedroom, Xu Ying finally had time to check her phone.

She sat on a small stool by the bed, preparing to check the status of her new book on the Feihong Novels app. Before she could even open the app, she was bombarded with a series of unread messages from Yueyin.

Moon Shadow: !

Moonlit: In February, a sugar daddy will come and throw money at you.

Moonshadow: My god, I don't just have one mom, I have two!!!

Moon Shadow: Damn it, these two big spenders are at odds now, both wanting to be number one on the leaderboard, and they're taking turns throwing money at you, sob sob.

?

Xu Ying frowned, and instead of replying to Yue Yin's message, she checked the app first.

Clicking into the donation section of the "Tang Dynasty Female Painter" homepage, she saw the two names at the top, and the donation amounts following these two names were indeed far greater than those of the others below.

Currently, the person in first place is named Shuangmu Qiaozhong, whose reward amount is 300,000, and the person in second place is named Xingyun Lailailai, whose reward amount is 260,000.

Such a large amount of donations alarmed most of the website's readers.

At this moment, the comment section of "The Great Tang Female Painter" has been filled with countless people who are just watching for fun. Whether or not they are readers of the book, it doesn't stop everyone from joining in the fun.

The main reason is that these two generous donors are so entertaining.

At first, it was this person named Shuangmu who was generous, and he immediately gave a reward of 200,000 yuan. 200,000 yuan is not a small amount, and many readers in the comments section liked his post at the time.

So far, things are still normal.

However, Shuangmu Ringing the Bell stayed at the top of the donation ranking for less than half an hour before being pushed off by a reader named 'Lucky Come Come Come'.

Moreover, this stroke of luck came precisely to the right, with a reward of exactly 210,000, only 10,000 more than the amount given to Shuangmu Ringing the Bell. Anyone with eyes could see that she did it on purpose.

This has really stirred up a hornet's nest.

Shuangmu was clearly a man with a temper, and he quickly gave another 50,000 in tips, instantly reversing their rankings.

At this time, Shuangmu Ringing the Bell tipped 250,000, and Lucky Come Come Come tipped 210,000.

-?! !!

- In the world of the rich, tens of thousands of dollars can be spent casually.

- Being number one is very important, hahaha!

No one can shake Boss Zhong's number one throne!

The readers in the comments section were amused by this move.

However, it wasn't over yet. Lucky Lai Lai was also stubborn. After she found herself falling to second place on the leaderboard, she immediately started giving rewards as well.

The tip was just the right amount, exactly 10,000 more than Shuangmu's bell ringing.

At this moment, luck came in, bringing 260,000, and Shuangmu rang the bell, bringing 250,000.

This is a provocation, an outright provocation!

If the first time it was 10,000 more than the double-bell ringer, it could be said to be an accident. But this time it was exactly 10,000 more, so the luck was definitely intentional.

The readers are going crazy with joy.

Just when everyone was wildly speculating whether Shuangmu Bell Ringer would reappear, he lived up to expectations and came back with his 50,000 yuan reward.

They reclaimed the top spot on the leaderboard.

Hahahaha!

-I knew the bell ringer wouldn't give up easily.

- Indeed, those who ring the bell are persistent.

The monk remained unmoved, only throwing money at the problem.

-Pfft, you've already come up with a nickname so quickly, that's hilarious!

Lucky Girl, come out here! You've been outdone again! Come on, ahhhhhh!

......

The back-and-forth tipping between the two not only amused the comment section but also spontaneously divided them into two factions, each cheering for the two big shots.

However, perhaps because Shuangmu was the first to tip, there are many people supporting him at the top of the comments section.

But there are even more people who enjoy themselves.

Many people are now frantically calling for Lucky to come, just waiting to see if she will make another move.

After learning the whole story, Xu Ying was speechless.

Two such childish people.

She went into the backend and messaged the two people privately. She didn't know if they were minors or not. If they were minors, she would definitely return the money to them.

However, even if she gets a refund, she can only get half back at most, because the other half is taken by the platform.

After Xu Ying's private chat, Shuang Mu was the first to respond to her.

Shuangmu rings the bell: Sister Xiaoying, it's me.

Xu Ying's eyes widened in disbelief. Lin Zhongxu?!

He's broke, isn't he?

February Sky: Where did you get the money?

Shuangmu rings the bell: It's in my card! I can use the money again.

February Sky: Give me your card number, and I'll transfer the money back to you.

Shuangmu Rings the Bell: I don't want it. I gave it to you as a special tip, how can I ask for it back?

Xu Ying was furious with him.

February Sky: Do you know that the platform takes half of the money you tip? You might as well just transfer it to me next time!

Shuangmu rings the bell: Is that alright?

Is it okay? Is it alright...? If he weren't not around right now, Xu Ying would have dragged him over and given him a good beating. She never realized this unlucky kid was so deserving of a beating!

February Sky: Of course not, send me the card number quickly.

Shuangmu rings the bell: You should keep it.

Shuangmu Rings the Bell: Otherwise, just consider it as me depositing money with you. That way, if my bank card gets frozen next time, I can still ask you for some money to spend.

Shuangmu Rings the Bell: Hey, that's great! That's a wonderful idea, hehe!

February Sky: ...Have you never thought about listening to your mother properly?

If you listen to the rules, your bank card will never be frozen again.

Shuangmu rings the bell: I never thought of that.

February Sky: ...Get lost.

Two wooden bells striking: a sign of receiving the order.