Chapter 19: Rumors Arise

Page 1/3

The principal could only decide to wait and see for the time being, curious about how far Lin Qianfan’s public account could go.

However, Lin Qianfan was unaware of these matters.

He was busy handling an increasing number of submissions and had even started reaching out to students from other schools, inviting them to contribute.

His roommates gathered around him, chattering excitedly about submitting their own pieces.

“Qianfan, your public account is so popular now, we want to submit something too.”

“Yeah, as brothers in the dorm, we can’t miss this chance, right?”

“And you don’t even charge us submission fees; it’s a win no matter how you look at it!”

Lin Qianfan stared at them, flipping through a stack of newly received manuscripts without looking up. “What are you planning to write?”

Yong Pan quickly answered, “We talked it over and decided to write a campus adventure story with us as the main characters.”

“Hmm, sounds okay.” Lin Qianfan put down the manuscripts and looked up at them. “But have you started writing yet?”

“Not yet.” Another friend scratched his head. “We wanted to ask your opinion first.”

Lin Qianfan was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “I suggest you don’t write it.”

Yong Pan was stunned. “Why not?”

“You guys get fired up quickly but lose interest just as fast. Instead of wasting your energy, I might as well give each of you fifty yuan directly.”

“Eh, fifty yuan?” Yong Pan’s eyes lit up. “You’re going to give us fifty?”

“Yeah.” Lin Qianfan stood up, walked over to the table, and slapped a crumpled fifty-yuan note on it. “But it’s not for writing; it’s for doing something useful.”

“Useful? Like what?” The guys clustered around.

Lin Qianfan pointed at the computer on the desk. “You’re all good with tech, right? Help me build a website.”

“A website?” Yong Pan frowned. “What kind of website?”

“A shopping website.” Lin Qianfan paused. “There aren’t many online shopping platforms yet. I want to create a place where people can buy things easily.”

The dorm fell silent for a few seconds before someone spoke up, “We don’t even know how to do that.”

“Exactly. Even nationwide platforms can struggle to work well. Do you really think we can pull it off?”

Lin Qianfan looked at them calmly. “I’m just asking you to build the website framework. Whether it works or not is something we’ll deal with later.”

“But…” someone tried to object but was cut off.

“No buts. Fifty yuan a month. You in or not?”

Yong Pan stroked his chin thoughtfully, then nodded. “Alright, let’s give it a try.”

“Good. Build the framework first; I’ll handle the rest.” Lin Qianfan nodded with satisfaction and returned to his seat.

Page 2/3

“What rest?” Yong Pan asked, puzzled.

“Supplies.” Lin Qianfan answered simply.

A few days later, Lin Qianfan began searching online for nearby clothing factories, planning his next move.

“There are quite a few factories around here, but to negotiate a partnership, I’ll probably need to visit in person,” he muttered to himself.

Yong Pan came over and plopped down beside him. “Qianfan, are you really going to visit the factories?”

“Yes. Where else do you think the goods will come from?” Lin Qianfan flipped through his notes. “Or I could head straight to the Yi Market; there are more merchants there, more options.”

“Yi Market?” Yong Pan raised an eyebrow. “You’re going alone?”

“What, you want to go?” Lin Qianfan glanced at him.

Yong Pan quickly waved his hand. “No thanks, I’ll stick to coding.”

“Good, then work hard and don’t slack off.” Lin Qianfan stood up, grabbed his jacket. “I’m going to make some contacts and check out the factories.”

Meanwhile, Xia Ruo was also beginning to think seriously.

“Lin Qianfan, does your public account still need submissions?” Xia Ruo asked quietly during a break.

“Yeah, why? Do you want to submit something?” Lin Qianfan paused his writing and looked up at her.

Xia Ruo nodded. “I’ve written a little, but it’s not organized yet.”

“Alright, send it to me when it’s ready.” Lin Qianfan said, adding, “Payment’s the same—five yuan.”

Xia Ruo shook her head. “No need, I just wrote casually. I don’t want the fee.”

“Don’t be polite. You deserve to be paid.” Lin Qianfan smiled. “This is a professional operation; no exceptions.”

Xia Ruo didn’t argue further and quietly agreed.

However, rumors about Lin Qianfan circulated more and more widely around school.

“I heard Lin Qianfan’s public account can’t really pay students for their submissions.”

“Yeah, those payments before were probably borrowed money.”

“Poor guy, trying to run an operation like that—what a joke.”

These words spread like wildfire, even reaching Lin Qianfan’s own class.

“Hey, Lin Qianfan, where do you get the money to pay for submissions anyway?” Xu Qian’s voice suddenly came from the back row.

Lin Qianfan glanced at her but said nothing.

“Don’t play dumb. Everyone knows you don’t have any money.” Xu Qian smirked.

Lin Qianfan kept ignoring her and returned to his writing.

Page 3/3

Xu Qian’s irritation grew.

“Hmph, pretending to be a big shot when you’re dirt poor.” She muttered, then turned to whisper with Li Yanzi.

On the other side, Xia Ruo overheard the rumors too.

She sat quietly, head bowed, feeling conflicted.

“Does Lin Qianfan really have no money?” She thought, recalling the payment he had given her earlier, a faint unease stirring.

That Friday, at home, Xia Ruo took some money from her piggy bank, planning to bring it to school the next day to support Lin Qianfan.

“What are you taking money for?” Xia Ruo’s mother suddenly appeared at the door, frowning.

“It’s nothing, just…” Xia Ruo whispered, “something at school.”

“You need that much money for school matters?” Her mother’s tone was sharp. “Are you being scammed again?”

“No…” Xia Ruo lowered her head, unwilling to say more.

Her mother sighed and left the room.

At home, Lin Qianfan was typing when suddenly he received a message on QQ.

Opening it, he saw it was from Xia Ruo.

“Lin Qianfan, I need to talk to you.”

He paused, glanced at his unfinished draft on the desk, bit his lip, and quickly typed back: “I’m doing homework now. I’ll find you when I’m done.”

Early Saturday morning, Lin Qianfan leaned over his desk, dark circles under his eyes, mechanically typing on the screen.

He had stayed up until dawn the night before, barely finishing this week’s drafts, and had nodded off briefly from exhaustion.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he remembered he still had to finish the remaining drafts quickly, especially since he had arranged to meet Xia Ruo for a meal.

He checked the time and thought silently, “Tight schedule, gotta hurry.”

Then he buried himself in typing, fingers flying swiftly across the keyboard.

When he finished the last sentence, he let out a long breath, rubbed his forehead, and glanced at the clock on the desk.

“Half past ten…”

He told his grandmother he had to step out for a bit, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door immediately.