CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 49: THE WINGS THAT STIR UP TROUBLE

In fact, Han Lie’s goal wasn’t just to tease Xi Luting.

She had other uses.

So, the coaxing had to continue.

Ham for Cucumber: "Your problem is that you’re too young and your experience is insufficient. You can only rely on time to hone your skills slowly. There’s no quick fix. My advice is to avoid similar themes and write about topics you can manage. Then leverage your writing strengths to gradually cultivate a fanbase. You should think about which type of writing comes most naturally to you?"

Passionate scenes!

Xi Luting immediately thought of an answer.

Rich guy, you have no idea! I’ve never watched a real film. It’s all through a bunch of messy little adult stories that I learned about this stuff, and then I could write with endless variety... Talented like no other!

But, although that was the truth, she couldn’t really say it out loud.

After some thought, she expressed herself very tactfully—

"I might be more adept at delicately describing certain scenes and have a keen sense for the physical and emotional changes in women..."

Upon reading this message for the first time, Han Lie didn’t even understand it.

After pondering for a moment, he had an epiphany.

Brother Lie almost burst into laughter and then mercilessly exposed her.

Ham for Cucumber: "Passionate scenes?!"

Xi Luting felt so awkward she started picking at her toes, thankful that she was curled up in her own blanket and the discussion was taking place through a screen.

So, she weakly responded with one word: "Um..."

Ham for Cucumber: "Passionate scenes should only be embellishments... troublesome."

The little cucumber’s morale continued to deflate. "So what should I do?"

Ham for Cucumber: "Are you sure you really like this career and are willing to continue polishing your skills, then?"

Xi Luting found the question rather strange, but her answer was affirmative.

A Lonely Cucumber: "Yes, I really love writing!"

What a load of bull.

Actually, she had no other choice.

Xi Luting was a girl with a keen sense of self-awareness.

Initially, her dream was to become a star.

However, she grew to 1.77 meters tall at the age of 16, crushing her dreams of stardom into tiny pieces.

With her height and looks, becoming a model might have been possible.

But the reputation of the modeling industry in her country was so poor, and the ceiling was so low, that she didn’t want to wade into those muddy waters.

Going to an office job was out of the question. The only paths left for her were to either marry into a good family or to start her own business.

Studying finance was part of her attempt, and so was writing web novels.

As long as she could make it, she didn’t mind trying any means, whether entirely legitimate or somewhat less so.

Therefore, she asked again with full expectation, "Do you perhaps have any good advice?"

Ham for Cucumber: "It’s not particularly good advice, just a sudden idea that came to me."

A Lonely Cucumber: "Oh? I would love to hear the details!"

Ham for Cucumber: "Actually, I’ve always wanted to write an unconventional, abusive romance featuring a domineering CEO. Sweet in the early stages, cutting in the middle stage, with twist after twist."

A Lonely Cucumber: "!!!"

A Lonely Cucumber: "That sounds quite good! What would the story roughly be like?"

Ham for Cucumber: "The male protagonist, Wang Yan, is a handsome, proud, dark, and ruthless true domineering CEO, while the female protagonist, Xi Meng, is a beautiful but kind and resilient false Cinderella. The two meet on a train and, through a series of coincidences, develop feelings for each other, starting the sweet phase. Then, Xi Meng’s father’s company comes into conflict with Wang Yan in business. Wang Yan’s innate ruthlessness and brutality leave no room for mercy, and he sends Xi Meng’s father to prison. Xi Meng’s half-sister, in order to save their father and Xi Meng, sacrifices herself, becoming imprisoned, abused, and ’trained’ by Wang Yan... Turns out, the male lead’s tastes are unique, but because he loves the female lead too much to bear inflicting such things on her, he needs to find a substitute to vent on. Xi Meng is alerted by a male character who admires her and finally uncovers the truth, leading to her complete transformation. From an innocent little flower, she quickly evolves into a powerful, cold, and ruthless leading lady. While wearing a disguise, she begins her plan for revenge. The first step is to pretend to be devoted and marry the male protagonist. In the grand wedding, the older sister, forced to wear ’toys’, manages a strained smile, while tears of ’happiness’ twinkle in the female protagonist’s eyes—the dramatic tension is maxed out. In the end, she completely destroys the male protagonist’s career, life, and male function, then commits suicide in front of him, but leaves him a child, ensuring he lives a life of unbearable pain from which he cannot seek the release of death... In short, the story has to be as torturous as possible, capturing that extreme tangle of intense love and hate. What do you think? Does it sound intriguing?"

Oh my god! So freaking intense!

Xi Luting looked at the text on her phone, her body trembling slightly.

Classic domineering CEO stories were enduring, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to introduce fresh ideas. And while historical-setting abusive romance stories were rapidly on the rise, they often possessed an inherent lack of grounding.

Merging domineering CEO stories with abusive romance stories—anti-traditional, anti-trope—offered a breath of fresh air while providing a strong emotional release.

A Lonely Cucumber: "I want to read it! It sounds so much better than my own story! Go ahead and write it; I’ll be your first reader!"

Han Lie let out a sly chuckle, his true intentions revealed.

Ham for Cucumber: "But I’m only good at some parts. For instance, I can’t write the heavy-handed passionate scenes or delve into female psychology. After all, I’m a guy! Your writing style and passion are exactly what I lack. So, how about this... I hire you to polish and refine my drafts. You have two options. First, a fixed fee of 20 yuan per thousand words for fine-tuning. Second, if you’re confident in the story, you can take one-third of all earnings from subscriptions, rewards, copyright sales, and so on. However, the naming rights and ownership will be mine."

Xi Luting was utterly stunned.

A man?! A man who relishes female-targeted novels and even wants to write a domineering CEO story?! Okay, okay, let’s set aside gender for now... He’s seeking me out to collaborate on writing... No, wait, to ghostwrite for him? I...

Xi Luting felt dizzy, her mind in turmoil.

A Lonely Cucumber: "This is so sudden. Let me think about it."

Ham for Cucumber: "Of course. I’ll have the outline ready soon and write the ’Gold’ first three Chapters for your review. You can decide then. There’s no rush. Even if we can’t collaborate, we’re still friends, so don’t feel pressured."

A Lonely Cucumber: "Alright, I’m going to sleep then."

"Sleep well."

The other person’s avatar dimmed, and Xi Luting fell into deep bewilderment.

How could this be happening? My fan suddenly wants to be my employer?! The story is fresh and good, but there’s so much competition. Can it really work?! But that kind of torturous love is so attractive...

The conflicted Xi Luting had no idea that this was the "Wife-Chasing Funeral Pyre," a type of abusive romance novel that would become a future blockbuster.

Han Lie hardly read novels targeted at female audiences, yet he was aware of the concept. After a haphazard revision, he wasn’t sure if it perfectly aligned with the orthodox "funeral pyre" tropes, but the dramatic tension was certainly stretched to the max.

In 2013, it should be good enough.

As for why he was doing this...

The big bull market of 2014 was set to kick off in January. Before actually entering the market, Han Lie hoped to earn some extra pocket money and level up his stock trading skills as much as possible.

He had readership, Level 3 literary foundations, and Level 3 writing skills—why not make the most of them?

Plus, he could also groom Xi Luting along the way; it was a win-win situation.

Moreover, writing for the female audience was just dipping his toes in the water. His real trump card was a meticulously prepared novel about financial stock trading.

In his previous life, right before the 2015 stock market crash, a stock trading novel on Qidian had gained a vast following, becoming the first "Thousand Alliance" novel.

He wouldn’t face punishment for causing a stir.

And Xi Luting... she was the wings on which Brother Lie would soar...