It was early on a weekend morning. The first rays of sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a warm glow into the bedroom.
Raiden Ei slowly opened her eyes and instinctively reached out beside her.
Though her senses were still groggy from sleep, she quickly noticed the emptiness next to her—Lu Chen wasn't there.
The drowsiness faded instantly. Her eyes snapped open as she propped herself up, scanning the room.
There he was, sitting at the computer, tapping away on the keyboard.
Seeing him still in the room brought a strange sense of comfort. Her heavy eyelids finally gave in, and she collapsed back into the soft bed.
It was still early—back to sleep.
Lu Chen had gotten up at the crack of dawn to start writing. To stay sharp, he needed his essential morning coffee.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in front of the screen. Lu Chen had added a generous amount of sugar. For some reason, his taste in sweets was starting to resemble Ei's.
Was it mental exhaustion driving his sweet tooth? Or had Ei's influence rubbed off on him? Either way, he tossed another sugar cube into the cup.
He was up early today because his web editor had finally gotten back to him. The editor, cold as always, dropped a single line:
"You can sign the contract. Keep updating daily."
And that was it.
Lu Chen wanted to discuss the future direction of the story or maybe share some writing ideas, but the editor barely responded. After an hour, he finally got a one-word reply.
"Okay."
...
Okay my ass. I was asking whether the story should keep its lighthearted tone or shift toward something deeper—was that so hard to answer?
Then again, maybe the guy was catching up on sleep this early in the morning? Just tossing out a half-hearted reply?
Lu Chen didn't dwell on it. After all, web editors weren't like those at Yae Publishing House. They managed a mountain of projects, most of which got dropped after just a few chapters.
He'd only posted ten chapters—just over 20,000 words. It was no surprise the editor wasn't all that engaged.
Plus, the beginning of Lu Chen's story was more of a slow burn.
"Liyue: Floating World Among a Thousand Rocks"
"The story I'm about to tell began 3,700 years ago..."
"A god named Morax arrived on a wild, untamed land."
The tale unraveled gradually, using the ancient Liyue text Stone Book Compilation as a preface. With just a few lines, the image of Morax and a disaster-stricken Liyue took form.
"In the beginning, the Rock King descended, pushed back the seas, set the heavens in balance, calmed the tides, and brought peace to the people."
When Morax first arrived in Liyue, he was met with relentless tsunamis and floods, leaving the people struggling to survive. Even worse, a sea monster called the Eight-Legged Beast coveted the land, stirring up massive waves and destroying homes, constantly threatening the lives of the people...
Lu Chen still remembered the tone he had set for Floating World Among a Thousand Rocks—a post-apocalyptic story about building a new world from scratch. Despite the classical, archaic narrative style that echoed ancient Chinese epics, the core remained unchanged.
Zhongli led his people in gradual growth and development while surrounded by enemies, eventually standing tall and proud upon the land.
Watching Liyue rise, brick by brick, step by step, gave readers the sense that they were part of the construction effort themselves—that was the story's real draw.
The first release platform lived up to its name. Even though there weren't many chapters yet, the review section already had a comment.
A reader said they loved the classical, chapter-based rhythm and exclaimed, "My youth has returned!" They were eager to see how Morax would overcome the looming crisis.
Lu Chen thought about the phrase "my youth has returned"—probably someone who had been into wuxia novels. Judging by the vibe, they weren't all that young anymore...
With over 20,000 words already published, there was still only one lonely comment and fewer than a hundred views.
But Lu Chen wasn't worried. He had faith in his writing. As the plot developed, things would only get more exciting. Reaching 500,000+ reads was just a matter of time.
He closed the document and finished his now-cold coffee. It tasted bitter.
He rubbed his aching neck. Just then, a pair of small hands gently pressed against him. Ei had appeared behind him without him even realizing.
"You're awake?"
"Mm." Ei nodded, her hands landing perfectly on Lu Chen's shoulders.
"Ahh—" Lu Chen winced, a mixture of pain and relief on his face.
Raiden Ei saw his reaction and started to let go.
But Lu Chen hadn't had enough. He looked up at her with a pleading expression.
"Ei, harder, don't hold back on me..."
Raiden Ei found his expression both amusing and exasperating, so she gradually increased the pressure... and then more...
"Aah—" Lu Chen groaned in pain. Ei nearly twisted his neck right off...
But the wave of relief that followed was undeniable.
Her slightly cool hands pressed firmly against both sides of his neck. They were so close, he could even catch a whiff of her refreshing scent. His writing fatigue vanished in an instant.
"Mmm... that feels so good..."
"Don't stop... harder!"
Lu Chen leaned his head back toward Raiden Ei, eyes tightly shut. She could see the mix of expressions on his face—both twisted and relaxed, caught between pain and pleasure...
Did her boyfriend have some strange fetish?
She eyed him suspiciously.
When Lu Chen opened his eyes, he saw her puzzled expression. He had no idea she'd just jumped to some pretty wild conclusions. He just stretched lazily, ready to enjoy a peaceful weekend.
Ei came back to herself and noticed how tired he looked. Her purple eyes shimmered with concern.
"You were working all day yesterday... can't you take a break?"
"I'm not tired. I'm a man with six points in stamina." Lu Chen waved her off and went to wash up.
Loud noises echoed from the living room early in the morning. When Lu Chen opened the door, he saw several large cardboard boxes stacked on the floor.
Everyone was packing for the move. He'd be taking a day off next week, and they would be saying goodbye to this little four-bedroom apartment.
Just then, he saw Yae Miko carrying a box out of her room. Curious, he peeked in and saw it was full of novels.
Dressed in pajamas, Miko yawned lazily. But seeing Lu Chen and Ei step out of their room, she perked up a bit.
"Morning, you two. How was your sleep last night?"
"Very well, Miko," Ei answered honestly.
Yae Miko set the box down and shot her a look. "I asked how you slept, not how you slept!"
Ei turned to Lu Chen, confused. Was there even a difference?
"Our sleeping habits aren't really your concern, Guuji," Lu Chen replied on her behalf, sounding annoyed.
"What's with the shyness...? Boring, boring." Yae Miko yawned and walked back into her room.
Only then did Ei realize what Miko had meant by "slept," and memories of their intimate moments from last night flashed through her mind.
Her face turned a little red.
At that moment, Venti emerged from his room, dragging a heavy box behind him. Given past experience, Lu Chen wasn't even curious anymore about what was inside.
Clink, clank—it was obviously just alcohol.
All the early-morning noise in Lu Chen's house finally attracted attention. As expected, Grandpa Zhang showed up at the door.
Seeing the packed-up living room, he asked in surprise, "What's this... Lu Chen, are you moving?"