Trillionaire's Slice of Life-Chapter 377 - 264 Ding Xiaoni’s Rage
Chapter 377: Chapter 264 Ding Xiaoni’s Rage
Early November.
The nationwide distribution of 500,000 copies of (Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection) had, over two whole months, amounted to a total of 4,300 copies sold!
For a truly famous author, such a result might be distressing, but for Chu Mo, it was an unexpected delight.
At least it proved that there were at least 4,300 people in Hua Country who genuinely liked the books he wrote.
If he were a well-known established author, such a first-time performance would surely deter him from thinking about writing a sequel, but Chu Mo had no such concerns about sales figures.
Therefore, after two months of collating, (Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection 2) was also released nationwide.
The second volume likewise contained 300 short stories, including 230 previously published in magazines and 70 newly-conceived pieces that he had never published before.
Compared with the first volume, Chu Mo cared more about the sales and feedback of the second, for a simple reason: all 300 pieces in the first volume had been previously published, and he had been entirely nonchalant, harboring no concerns about the market’s reaction.
But upon the release of the second volume, because the first had sold 4,300 copies, proving that people indeed liked his work, he couldn’t help but develop some expectations.
Moreover, the 70 stories concluding the second volume had been written after Chu Mo obtained the unlimited bank card. He followed his heart and penned these stories according to his own ideas and philosophies.
He was eager to know how such genuine, market-disregarding, self-true writings would be received in the market!
Carrying all these thoughts, Chu Mo had a smidge of anticipation for his second book.
No sooner had (Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection 2) hit the shelves in Magic Capital than Chu Mo, just as before, made his way to the largest bookstore there to search for books, although he had already received a sample of from the publisher. He still wanted to personally check it out at the bookstore!
It had been two months since his last visit to the bookstore, and the dozen or so books he had brought back to his bedroom were already thoroughly read. Chu Mo’s favorite among them was , a book he had carefully perused twice, a rare piece that engaged him enough for a second read.
Hanlin Bookstore was one of the largest bookstores in Magic Capital, with three massive floors, each spanning several hundred square meters. In an age of declining physical book sales, such a bookstore was a rare sight in Magic Capital.
Just like last time, Chu Mo didn’t head straight for the short story collection shelf, but instead started at the beginning and casually strolled around.
Unlike last time, he wasn’t accompanied by the two maidservants, Yu and Liang Bing. He had left his bodyguards outside the bookstore, so today he was alone.
It was a weekday and students were at school. At this hour, there were few customers in the bookstore, a quiet and peaceful atmosphere all around. Chu Mo flipped through the books at leisure, pausing now and then to quietly read a title that caught his interest.
Momentarily, his gaze landed on a book!
(Lan Ting Collection Preface)!
He pulled the book from the shelf and browsed through it, quickly becoming engrossed!
“… Companionship with one’s spouse endures a lifetime. Some thoughts are shared within the solitude of a room; others send the spirit wandering beyond the body…”
He was so absorbed that he was startled by the footsteps approaching. Glancing sideways, he caught a glimpse of a young girl with a schoolbag on her back and headphones in her ears.
She was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, which suggested that she should be in high school at his age, and not here in a bookstore.
Of course, whether she was skipping classes or had taken leave was none of Chu Mo’s concern. After a mere glance at her, he turned his attention back to his book.
With the selected (Lan Ting Collection Preface) in hand, Chu Mo turned and continued to pick out other books.
However, at this moment, faint music reached his ears. He concentrated more closely and glanced at the young girl selecting books next to him. Even in the quiet bookstore, Chu Mo could still hear the music coming from her headphones!
The song coming through the girl’s headphones was very soft; one had to listen attentively to make out the lyrics. At first, Chu Mo did not pay much attention, but soon after, he was captivated by the beautiful melody. He found himself unconsciously drawing closer to the girl, who was also holding books, to listen intently to the song’s tune!
“…
With each sun-drenched morning,
I take my backpack and hit the streets.
My leather shoes tap-tap against the pavement,
…”
The singer’s voice was distinctive, ethereal with a touch of loneliness. Chu Mo was not a fan of celebrities and rarely listened to music, so he couldn’t tell who the singer of the song was.
He glanced at the girl with a ponytail next to him and hesitated, deciding against asking her who it was.
The girl next to him had her hair in a ponytail, carried a sling bag, and her cold demeanor had a touch of nonchalance, all typical of a rebellious teenage girl. If he inquired, she might mistake it for an attempt to flirt…
He closed his eyes to listen intently, planning to remember the lyrics and look them up online later.
“…
With a novel hairstyle and a bright coat,
I spent the whole night in tender embraces with her,
And purple stars scattered by the bedside,
…”
Still that ethereal yet lonely song, Chu Mo was seldom moved by a tune, making this a rare experience for him.
He memorized a few key lyrics, then pulled out his smartphone and conducted a search on the web browser, quickly zeroing in on the song!
The song was called “Emptiness,” performed by Ding Xiaoni!
A slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth, Chu Mo casually browsed through Ding Xiaoni’s profile, a curious idea suddenly sparking in his mind.
Currently, Ding Xiaoni is the hottest superstar at Shi Yuan Entertainment, even surpassing the veteran superstars Lin Wanqiu and Sun Qing Ruoxi in popularity. Ding Xiaoni has now taken over Lin Wanqiu’s position as the top diva of Shi Yuan Entertainment, her status incomparable to before.
The cause of all this was simply because two months ago, due to the disobedience of the strongest trainee, Ding Qian, Chu Mo shifted all the resources originally allocated to Ding Qian to Ding Xiaoni instead.
With the full support of two top entertainment companies, Shi Yuan Entertainment and Shangyuan Entertainment, Ding Xiaoni’s fame has spread throughout the entertainment circles of Hua Country and she is even showing signs of becoming an international superstar.
She has won numerous awards and has been named the top female star in Hua Country—her popularity is unmatched, and there are few in the entire country who can vie with her for the spotlight.
“I didn’t expect Ding Xiaoni’s singing to be so pleasant; no wonder so many people like her. I remember last time Qin Zixuan mentioned that Ding Xiaoni wanted to meet me to express her gratitude!”
With a faint smile still playing on his lips, Chu Mo did not linger any longer. He walked directly to the short story literature shelf without wasting any more time, starting from the very bottom and then easily finding his target on the third row of the second-to-last shelf.
(Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection 2)!
Placing the Lan Ting Preface that he was holding onto the shelf in front of him, he then gently opened his own collection. As the book was newly printed, Chu Mo took a deep breath, seeming to inhale the faint scent of ink from its pages.
Chu Mo, with a look of rapture on his face, gently turned the title page of the book, as if caressing his beloved child with great care and intoxication.
However, to an outsider, his self-indulgence seemed a bit abnormal. A ponytailed girl who had come to the same section caught sight of Chu Mo’s peculiar demeanor. The youngh girl in her rebellious phase barely concealed her distaste as she said:
“Gross!”
With those words, she turned and left, leaving Chu Mo alone with a wry smile.
His good mood disrupted, Chu Mo put away his rapture and casually flipped through the book, starting from the title page and perusing earnestly, page by page, line by line.
After an indeterminate amount of time, having read a third of the book, he removed his glasses and rubbed his slightly sore nose bridge. When he put his glasses back on, he noticed that the ponytailed girl who had left earlier was standing beside him again, holding (Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection 2) in her hands.
A subtle flutter stirred his usually calm heart, and he found it difficult to concentrate on the book any longer, his gaze unwittingly drifting towards the ponytailed girl from time to time.
Chu Mo hadn’t taken a good look at the girl before, only noticing that she behaved like a rebellious teenage girl—best to avoid any tricky situations. But now, perhaps influenced by the fact that she was reading his book, Chu Mo suddenly found the young girl before him quite cute!
This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.
Of course, this wasn’t entirely a figment of his imagination; the girl’s features were indeed pretty, and at the budding age of sixteen or seventeen, she was like a flower about to bloom.
Chu Mo deliberately glanced at the book in the girl’s hand. She was a quick reader; while Chu Mo had just gone through a third, she had already reached well past the halfway point, and not by skimming either—she turned each page gently, her expression very focused.
He really wanted to ask her for her thoughts on the book. As the author, there wasn’t a single writer who could remain utterly indifferent to their readers’ feedback.
But, after noticing the headphones on the girl’s ears and her air of youthful defiance, he figured the chances were high that even if he asked, he wouldn’t get any response!
Perhaps he’d be insulted again with another “Gross!”
Scratching his head lightly, Chu Mo hesitated, but then noticed that the song still playing through the girl’s headphones was the same “Emptiness” he had heard earlier.
She was looping the song, which meant she must really like Ding Xiaoni!
His eyes lighting up with an idea, Chu Mo pulled out his phone and dialed a number. When the other party picked up, he said straight away:
“It’s me, is Ding Xiaoni at the company right now?”
He received a crisp response from Qin Zixuan over the phone!
Since he was in a bookstore, Chu Mo kept his voice low as he nodded and said:
“Tell Ding Xiaoni to give me a call, I need to speak with her! Now!”
…
After hanging up on Qin Zixuan, Chu Mo switched his phone to vibrate. He glanced at the ponytailed girl who was still engrossed in reading beside him and suddenly came up with an idea!
(Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection 1) had sold 4,300 copies in two months without any promotion.
If he were to actively promote (2), for example by leveraging the fame of top superstars like Ding Xiaoni, Sun Qing Ruoxi, Lin Wanqiu, Wang Tuo—then even those who weren’t interested in short story collections might buy it because of their idols, right?
He remembered the online influencers who could sell millions worth of products; if he could mobilize the dozens of top stars from Shi Yuan Entertainment, then what kind of sales could his (Chu Mo’s Short Story Collection) achieve?
A hundred thousand copies?
Half a million copies?
Or even more?
With that thought, Chu Mo’s heart began to heat up with excitement.
Just then, his phone vibrated in his hand. He saw an unfamiliar number on the caller ID.
Taking a deep breath and picking up the phone, Chu Mo pressed to answer. Next, a slightly nervous and excited female voice reached his ear.
“Mr. Chu…”
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