I’ve made it onto the Sanjiang list.

I’ve finally made it. I originally thought it would be last Sunday, but there was a mix-up, my apologies. Still, after some twists and turns, we’re on the list after all.

I have mixed feelings about it—half excitement, half anxiety. I’m excited because a niche book like this has somehow received so much support. I’m a little overwhelmed. But I’m also anxious because I worry my writing skills are limited and that I won’t be able to do this story justice.

I don’t need to repeat what a niche subject American football is. In fact, the idea of writing a football novel first came to me last year. Back then, Peyton Manning had led his team to victory in the fiftieth Super Bowl and then announced his retirement. I was moved to tears, my heart pounding and my blood boiling with passion.

I’ve only been a fan of football for a few years. Unlike most fans in China who started following the New England Patriots after witnessing their miraculous three championships in four years, I’m a fan of Peyton Manning. He’s the veteran who played in the Alliance for thirteen years, achieving countless glories, leading the Little Horse Team from its lowest point to a Super Bowl victory, and building the glory of an entire city, only to be cast aside by his team because of a neck injury.

When no one believed in him, when countless people were predicting his downfall, Daman joined the Denver Broncos in 2012. He went on to lead the team to four consecutive division championships and won another Super Bowl ring. Finally, after eighteen years in the Alliance, the legendary quarterback announced his retirement, ending his legendary career like something out of a Hollywood fairy tale.

Competitive sports are always cruel, but they are also always legendary.

Ever since then, the idea of writing a football novel would pop into my head from time to time, but I never went through with it. I was well aware of how incredibly niche football is and figured the book would flop spectacularly. I also worried that my abilities weren’t up to the task of telling a truly magnificent and thrilling story. It wasn’t until this year, spurred on by a few friends in my reader group, that Bambi was born.

After writing the opening, I sent the draft to my reader friends and made a playful threat: "No one is going to read a football novel. If you guys aren’t even interested, then I’m not going to write it."

Here, I want to formally thank a few of my reader friends: Spring Path, Great Demon King, and Encore. Without your encouragement and support, this book, Bambi, would not exist. I must also thank my editor, Huihui. Bambi originally had a different opening, and it was thanks to Huihui’s suggestions that we have the current version and the rest of the story that followed. Also, thank you to Xiao Chi and Elf for passionately cheering me on, and to Queen for helping design the new cover!

And now, Bambi is on the Sanjiang list.

This journey has been so magical and exciting. Thank you. I sincerely thank every reader who has supported Bambi. Every add to your library, every recommendation ticket, every donation, and even every comment you leave in the reviews—all of it is a huge encouragement to me. Thank you, I truly mean it!

For a niche competitive sport, for an unpopular subject like football, your support is incredibly precious. Every single bit of it is the motivation that keeps Bambi going. So, let’s see just how far Bambi can go together!

I also want to formally thank Zombie Dance, the author of "Run My Life." It was his recommendation in his own book that helped Bambi get noticed in the vast sea of novels out there. Thank you so much! I hope "Run My Life" gets great results with its monthly tickets this month!

Since I have this Chapter for announcements, I’d like to talk a bit about football.

Since football is a niche sport, I’ve tried my best to explain some of the basics without affecting the story’s pacing. I also welcome our more experienced fans to add their own insights, as I’m only an amateur fan myself. I want to once again thank this book’s "unofficial co-author," Spring Path. He’s a true expert and veteran fan who has provided immense help with much of the book’s data and information!

If any of you are interested, you can watch live football games. The 2017 season is just past the halfway mark. Since Daman’s retirement, my favorite team is now the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately, AR got injured and will be out for at least eight games, which is heartbreaking. However, the news last week was that AR had his arm sling removed. Great news, *throws confetti*!

Every week, Tencent live-streams the games: the Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night matchups. Accounting for the time difference, that means they air on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday mornings here in China. You’re all welcome to tune in. Guangdong Sports also has live broadcasts.

Also, there are many fantastic movies and TV shows about football for those of you who are interested. Here is my recommended list:

Rudy, Draft Day, The Blind Side, Remember the Titans, Invincible, The Longest Yard, Concussion, Any Given Sunday, Mr. Sweetheart, Friday Night Lights (Movie & TV Series), and Ballers (TV Series).

Now that I’m done with the football recommendations, let me explain the update schedule. I had already addressed this in a previous announcement and hoped everyone would understand, but some of the comments I’ve received have been truly nasty, so I feel I should explain it again.

Bambi was first published on September 18th. My update schedule has been consistent: two Chapters a day, each 3,000 characters long. A daily update of 6,000 characters is equivalent to what would be three Chapters a day for many other books.

My plan was to go premium on November 1st. What I didn’t anticipate, however, was just how niche the sports genre is. While Bambi’s recommendations and click-through rates have been great, the number of ’collections’—readers adding the book to their libraries—has consistently been disappointing. The follow-up recommendation features have also been a bit slower than expected.

I thought the book would be featured on Sanjiang last week, but due to a mix-up, I had to wait until this week. Now, I have no idea what effect this feature will have or if the collection numbers will improve, so the premium release date will naturally be postponed. If I keep up one 3,000-character Chapter a day, even if we go premium smoothly in two weeks, Bambi will already be at 350,000 characters. If it gets pushed back even further, there will be even more free public Chapters.

Most new books go premium at around the 300,000-character mark. Since my collection numbers are still not ideal—we haven’t even broken 10,000 yet—I’ve had to drop to one Chapter a day. I’m hoping to secure more recommendation features to boost the collection numbers in preparation for the premium launch. But at the same time, I’m worried you all don’t have enough to read, and I’m also worried sick about the collection stats and how the book will perform once it goes premium. I’m so stressed out, and yet some people are accusing me of acting like a big shot and deliberately holding back Chapters. To be honest, it’s quite hurtful and feels unfair. I wouldn’t dare to call myself a top author; I’m not even a well-established flop.

This was supposed to be a celebratory note for making the Sanjiang list, and I didn’t want to get into all this other stuff. But, in the end, I couldn’t help myself. I hope you can all understand.

Finally, it’s a true honor that Bambi has received so much positive feedback. Even with just one Chapter a day, the recommendation tickets are still climbing, and there have been numerous donations. I see all the support from my readers, and I am eternally grateful.

After a bumpy ride, Bambi has finally made it to the Sanjiang feature. The first thing I’m hoping for is for our collection count to cross the 10,000 mark. After that, I hope we can have a smooth premium launch. I won’t say much else; once we go premium, I’ll let my updates speak for themselves. My only fear now is that I’ll ruin the story and disappoint all of you. That would be the worst. So, I’ll keep doing my best.

For all the clicks, all the recommendations, all the donations, and all the support—sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, I want to express my gratitude once again. Thank you all!