Chapter 82 - 70: The Hanfu Young Lady
After confirming that the author’s handle was [Young Master Shi Wushuang], Su Ran furiously tapped away on his phone, venting his reader’s frustration with the author’s daily 4,000-character Chapters—especially the infuriating cliffhangers.
[Your fluff novel is really well-written. The heroine, skilled in the four traditional arts, is absolutely incredible. And she likes to wear hanfu! I love her character.]
[But... 4,000 characters a day... I have to admire your talent for padding the word count. Can’t you write a little more and speed up the plot?]
[Just say it: how big a donation for an extra Chapter?!]
The story had cut off at a critical moment, and Su Ran felt an unbearable, clawing anxiety.
He’d read every harem novel under the sun, yet he never expected to be so thoroughly captivated by a simple fluff story.
Extra Chapters—it was an unspoken rule in the world of web novels. If you wanted to quench your thirst for more, your only option was to donate for an bonus Chapter.
「At the same time.」
Su Hang. The shore of West Lake. An open-air teahouse.
The lazy afternoon sun filtered through the swaying bamboo, dappling the fair skin of a woman named Shan Weizi.
Today, Shan Weizi was dressed in a pale green hanfu. A cool breeze swept across the surface of West Lake, setting the bamboo leaves behind her RUSTLING. It also gently stirred the low ponytail that cascaded down her back, tied with a red silk ribbon, and sent a few loose strands of dark hair dancing by her ear.
There was certainly no shortage of young women in traditional hanfu by the shore of West Lake, but this particular lady—from her looks and figure to her overall aesthetic—seemed a perfect match for the lake itself.
Many passing tourists couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at her.
Facing her laptop, she would alternately flash a smile, a look of secret delight, and then a hint of bashful indignation. Her every expression was memorable.
She gently tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear, took a sip of West Lake Longjing Tea, and lightly tapped on the keyboard: [One bonus Chapter for an Alliance Leader!]
"..."
Su Ran considered it. A thousand yuan for an Alliance Leader donation wasn’t a huge deal to support an author he liked on the web novel platform. He replied with an "OK" and then asked if there would be a bonus Chapter following the kiss scene.
’Sure enough,’ he thought. ’People really are different online than they are in real life.’
[No bonus Chapter. I don’t know how to write one.]
[...]
’Doesn’t know how to write one? That means she has no experience,’ Su Ran mused.
Su Ran donated 100,000 points (1,000 yuan) to *Senior, Come Down From There* and attached a message: [People in the group chat are saying you’re a girl?]
Shan Weizi’s slender fingers tapped out a reply on the keyboard: [I’m a real man!]
Su Ran: [That makes sense. You’re so good at writing those ’racy’ scenes, a girl probably couldn’t do that. I noticed the descriptions of traditional Chinese painting in your book are very accurate. Did you study it as your major?]
Shan Weizi: [Mhm, you know about it too?]
Su Ran: [A little. How about this? Since we both love painting and I really like your novel, let me be your fan community manager.]
Su Ran had never been a fan manager before; he’d never had the money for it.
But for a work he truly enjoyed, he was eager to try promoting it and helping it find a wider audience. For now, *Senior, Come Down From There* was only doing so-so. ’No matter,’ he thought. ’A little promotion should do the trick.’
Shan Weizi quickly approved the fan manager application from [Buddha says do not be arrogant].
[I see you only have 533 monthly tickets, and today’s already the 28th. I hear there’s always a big fight for the monthly ticket rankings at the end of the month?]
[Yeah, but a small-time author like me wouldn’t dream of competing.]
[You just focus on writing a brilliant story, and the monthly tickets will come. Alright, I’ve got to go. Talk later.]
After the chat ended, Shan Weizi posted the promised bonus Chapter for her new Alliance Leader, then closed her laptop, stood up, and headed home.
Meanwhile, Su Ran finished reading the latest update: Chapter 103: You Can’t Do That, Junior~.
It was just a fleeting peck, but for Su Ran, it hit all the right notes.
Su Ran loved reading novels. He’d never bothered with fluff stories before, but now he had a real taste for them.
Of course, as the new fan manager, he responsibly started a campaign in the fan forums to rally monthly ticket votes. He also became an admin in the fan group chat to help drum up support.
As for competing in the monthly ticket rankings...
Su Ran wasn’t just making empty promises. He had the resources to back it up, on one condition: the author had to deliver a story that truly resonated. As long as the writing satisfied him as a reader, he would gladly open his wallet.
「At the same time.」
Not far from West Lake Park stood a quaint, antique-style courtyard home.
Dressed in a sky-blue hanfu, Shan Weizi lifted her hem, climbed the stone steps, and pushed open the courtyard gate. "Grandpa, I’m home~" she called out to the old man drinking tea inside.
She trotted over lightly, her long hair swaying, and playfully took the old man’s arm once she reached the tea table.
"Hahaha..."
The old man chuckled, affectionately patting Shan Weizi’s head.
"And this is...?" A middle-aged man rose slowly, his gaze appraising the young woman in the hanfu. He asked uncertainly, "Elder Shan, could this be your granddaughter, Shan Weizi?"
Shan Weizi didn’t recognize the middle-aged man, but she offered a polite curtsy all the same. ’After all,’ she thought, ’for a girl in hanfu, a traditional greeting is more fitting.’
The traditional greeting left the middle-aged man at a loss for a moment.
"Hahaha..." Elder Shan, whose full name was Shan Changqing, made the introductions proudly. "Weizi, this is President Li Tai, the chairman of Sichuan Shengshi Real Estate. And President Li, this is the granddaughter I was just telling you about, Shan Weizi."
"Talking about me?" Shan Weizi asked, looking puzzled. She then gave Shan Changqing a playful look. "Grandpa, were you badmouthing me behind my back again?"
Elder Shan, who adored his precious granddaughter, explained, "How would I dare? President Li was just telling me how he almost spent four million yuan to buy your *Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix* from your senior brother... no, from that bastard Wang Changyue!"
"My painting is worth four million?"
President Li briefly explained what had happened. Upon hearing the story, Shan Weizi gritted her teeth in anger and clenched her small fists.
"That Wang Changyue is getting more and more despicable! Forging my work, of all things! It’s a good thing he got caught, or I’d have taught him a lesson myself!"
Shan Weizi was Wang Changyue’s Little Junior Sister. Both had studied under Shan Zhentian, whose father, Shan Changqing, was a titan of the Su Hang Painting School.
While Wang Changyue’s skills at imitation were superb, he could only mimic his master, Shan Zhentian; he was incapable of replicating Shan Changqing’s style.
Li Tai said, "Fortunately, a young man saw through Wang Changyue’s scheme at the time. Otherwise, he would have fooled all of us."
Shan Weizi asked, "He saw through it at a single glance?"
Li Tai nodded. "That’s right. The young man recognized in an instant that the painting wasn’t by Master Shan, but by you, Shan Weizi. So... it wasn’t you who sent him, Miss Shan?"
"I didn’t even know Wang Changyue was making forgeries, so I certainly didn’t send anyone to expose him. If I were going to expose him, I would have done it to his face. Why would I need to send someone else?"
The more Shan Weizi thought about it, the more puzzled she became. Her style was very similar to her father’s, Shan Zhentian. Even he had failed to identify her work on several occasions. How could a stranger recognize it as hers at a single glance?
"What was his name? I’d like to look into this."
"He’s about your age, Miss Shan. As for his appearance... he’s tall, handsome, and has a scholarly air about him. Very refined and easygoing... His surname is Su, and his given name is Ran!"
"Su Ran?"
"Yes, Su Ran. Do you know him, Miss Shan?"
"I don’t."