130 That is no longer the case now.

The house was quiet, save for the rhythmic tapping on the keyboard, which finally ceased after a long while.

Checking the time, he shut down his computer and headed out. His new book had already surpassed thirty thousand words, which meant it was time to find an editor and sign a contract. However, as he had to go out during the day, he would have to handle that later.

Once the contract was signed, he would need to commit to two months of the "public period"—the free-to-read phase. Once the story officially launched and began generating revenue, he would be eligible for the "perfect attendance" bonus.

The perfect attendance bonus was an extra reward granted only if he maintained a daily output of six thousand words without a single day of interruption for an entire month. For Zhang Pa, this bonus was a mandate—a word-count quota that had to be met. Regardless of what he did during the day or how busy he was, he had to upload six thousand words before midnight.

Stepping outside, he glanced at the sky and pedaled his bicycle toward Kowloon Garden.

At nine-thirty, he pressed the doorbell. Long Xiaole opened the door and immediately pulled him into an embrace. "You're a real buddy. From now on, you’re my brother. As long as I have something to eat, you’ll have a share."

"You're crazy," Zhang Pa said.

"Cut the talk, hurry up and change your shoes," Long Xiaole replied.

Zhang Pa changed his shoes, entered the house, and sat on the sofa in the living room. Long Xiaole brought him a cola before heading upstairs to call his father. Soon, Long Jianjun appeared before Zhang Pa.

Zhang Pa stood up to greet him. Long Jianjun gestured, "Sit, don't be so formal. You saved Xiaole, which makes you a benefactor to the Long family. From now on, treat this place as your own home; don't be so reserved."

"All right," Zhang Pa said, sitting down with a smile. Long Jianjun sat opposite him. "Thank you for yesterday. Xiaole has made a good friend."

"Please, stop thanking me," Zhang Pa replied. "It's unnecessary."

"Then I won't," Long Jianjun chuckled. "The police have finished their questioning. The man was a repeat offender who had kidnapped several people and even committed murder. We really owe you for keeping Xiaole safe."

"Why are you back to thanking me again?" Zhang Pa asked.

Long Jianjun laughed lightly. "I had someone look into you. You live in Xingfuli, and life hasn't been entirely easy, has it?"

"It’s very easy," Zhang Pa said. "I am living the life I chose, doing what I want to do. It’s very easy."

"Fine, 'easy.' I was shallow," Long Jianjun smiled. "To put it another way, you’re currently short on money. That’s fair to say, right?"

"I wouldn't call it 'short on money.' It's just that I don't have any money. I am truly poor," Zhang Pa admitted.

Long Xiaole interjected, "It’s the exact same meaning, why the word games?"

"It’s not a word game," Zhang Pa explained. "That is genuinely how I feel."

Long Jianjun continued, "You saved Xiaole, and I suppose I’m what you’d call a rich man—a vulgar rich man, if you will. Suppose I were to give you some money, would that be alright?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I take free money?"

This answer was unexpected. Long Jianjun paused, then burst into a hearty laugh. "You’re quite something." He asked, "How much do you want?"

"That makes the whole thing meaningless," Zhang Pa replied. "I didn't save him for money, so how could I be the one to ask for a specific amount?"

"I asked that on purpose," Long Jianjun said. He leaned over, opened the coffee table drawer, and pulled out two bundles of cash, placing them in front of Zhang Pa. "This isn't a reward or payment. It’s just for you to improve your quality of life. Take it and spend it."

Zhang Pa glanced at the bundles. "Two hundred thousand?"

Long Jianjun nodded. "Never mind that. I brought you here to ask what your plans are for the future. If you need anything, or if I happen to be able to help, just say the word."

Zhang Pa replied, "That won't be necessary. You’re so enthusiastic and sincere that I’m feeling a bit shy; even though I really want it, I feel embarrassed to accept."

Long Xiaole laughed, "Big brother, you’ve got to be kidding me."

Long Jianjun said, "Let me explain. I, Long Jianjun, never owe anyone anything; it’s always others who owe me. You saved Xiaole's life, and that’s a massive debt. You have to give me a chance to repay you. I mean it—otherwise, I’ll feel unsettled, and it will bother me constantly."

Hearing this, Zhang Pa's first thought was of what Miao Zili had said the day before. After a moment of contemplation, he picked up one bundle, broke the paper seal, and took out a small stack. "Ten thousand. I’ll take this, but the rest is unnecessary."

"Are you insulting me?" Long Xiaole asked. "Is that all I’m worth?"

"Don't say that," Zhang Pa countered. "If you put it that way, I can only take one single bill."

Long Xiaole said indignantly, "Damn, am I really that worthless to you?"

"That one bill is only because of your billiards skills. As a person, you're worthless."

Long Xiaole flew into a rage. "I’m breaking off our friendship!"

Zhang Pa laughed, "Did you not go online?"

"Go online? What does that have to do with anything?" Long Xiaole asked.

Zhang Pa cleared his throat and, ignoring Long Jianjun's presence, asked softly, "What position is 'breaking off a friendship'?"

Long Xiaole, the blockhead, thought for a long time before asking, "What does that mean?"

Long Jianjun, unable to listen any longer, interrupted, "The money is all yours. We’ll have lunch soon—what would you like to eat?"

"Ten thousand is already plenty, truly," Zhang Pa said.

Long Jianjun disagreed. "It’s all yours, and you must take it, or I’ll be very unhappy."

Zhang Pa smiled, "Are you forcing me to take money?"

"You just said you wanted money, didn't you?" Long Jianjun replied.

"I did. I want a big house, an airplane, and a yacht. I want plenty of things, but wanting doesn't mean I have to have them." He stood up with the ten thousand yuan. "Thank you, Uncle Long. I won't stay for lunch; I really do have things to attend to. I’ll treat you another time."

Long Jianjun remained seated, looking at the money on the table. "No, you must take this money." He paused. "Let me tell you, I spend more than two hundred thousand every year just on meaningless dinners. You saved Xiaole’s life; two hundred thousand is the bare minimum. If you want, I can add a zero or more."

"That’s impossible," Zhang Pa said. "If I asked for two billion, you’d probably kill me."

Long Jianjun laughed, "Do you think I'm stupid enough to give you whatever you ask for?"

"Exactly," Zhang Pa said. He turned to Long Xiaole, "I’m leaving."

Long Xiaole told him to wait, went into the room, and returned with a cloth bag. He stuffed all the money from the table into it and pressed it into Zhang Pa’s hands. "If you don't take it, we're done."

Zhang Pa thought for a moment. "Fine, I’ll take it. Thank you." He walked toward the door.

"Let’s eat together at noon," Long Xiaole called out. "We should have a good drink."

Zhang Pa replied that he would another time, as he really had things to do today. Long Jianjun didn't press him further. He stood up and said, "Alright, we’ll gather another time." He and Long Xiaole walked Zhang Pa out. Long Xiaole even put on his shoes to walk him all the way to the gate. Seeing Zhang Pa unlock his bicycle, he asked, "Do you have a license? I have two cars sitting idle in my garage; pick one."

"I don't know how to drive," Zhang Pa replied.

"You don't know how to drive? In this day and age?" Long Xiaole was surprised. "Learn! I’ll pay for it, and once you’ve learned, you can take any car you want."

Zhang Pa smiled. "I know you're rich. That's enough, I'm off." He got on his bicycle and rode away.

"I’m serious, get your license!" Long Xiaole shouted.

Zhang Pa waved his hand and left Kowloon Garden with two hundred thousand yuan. Unfortunately, he had neither his bank card nor his ID, so he was forced to carry the massive amount of cash everywhere. For him, this was truly a staggering sum; he had never held—no, he had never even seen so much money in his life, unless you counted photos online.

What a surprise. Just like that, he was rich? He had two hundred thousand? Looking at the cloth bag hanging from his handlebars, he felt incredibly uncertain. Was it really that easy?

However, the most important thing right now wasn't the money, but resolving the dispute with Miao Zili. That was a problem—a massive, troublesome problem. Compared to it, the joy of having two hundred thousand yuan was reduced to zero.

Not far ahead was Labor Park. He turned in, parked his bike on the sidewalk, and sat on a bench near the path, pondering how to settle the matter with Miao Zili. Miao’s intent was clear: it wasn't just about deleting or handing over the photos; he had to ensure Zhang Pa had no backups and that there was no chance of another gay sex scandal surfacing.

After thinking for a while, he realized that no matter what Miao Zili did, he himself would inevitably come out the loser. He decided to just call him. Once the line connected, he said, "I think this is pointless. Is there any meaning to us calling each other like this every day?"

"That’s not the answer I wanted to hear," Miao Zili said.

Zhang Pa smiled. "Let's be blunt. I completely agree with everything you’ve said. I can give you the photos, but the question is, what will you do then?"

Miao Zili chuckled. "I like that answer. Wait for my call tonight." He hung up.

Zhang Pa shook his head with a bitter smile. He suddenly grew very interested in the family backgrounds of Miao Zili, Wang Zhongxing, and Zhang Chen. He wanted to know what kind of powerful figures stood behind them.

He sat in the park for a while longer, watching couples walking their children, elderly people performing opera, and a businessman in a suit sitting there in a daze. It was clearly a real world, so why did it feel so unreal?

Zhang Pa gripped the cloth bag in his hand. After thinking for a long time, he called Miao Zili again. "If I say I’ll cooperate with you, what kind of promise will you give me?"

Miao Zili laughed. "My word is the promise."

See that? How confident young Master Miao was. The moment Zhang Pa decided to bow his head, Miao immediately assumed the role of the dominant party, as if he had Zhang Pa firmly in his grasp.

Zhang Pa smiled. "See you tonight," he said, and hung up.

The center of the matter was Liu Xiaomei, and the cause was Wang Zhongxing’s pursuit of her. But Wang was such a big shot; who couldn't he get? Once he flaunted his family status, even an A-list celebrity might not be able to resist such temptation—or threat. So why did he come all the way to the provincial capital to harass Liu Xiaomei?

Well, perhaps he was just a massive pervert.

He let his mind wander, but he didn't dare ask Liu Xiaomei. He could only guess, but what if he couldn't find the answer? He decided to stop thinking about it. If he was going to die, so be it; let come what may. Zhang Pa let out a long sigh and rode his bike home. Whatever the outcome, he would find out tonight.

On the way, he bought some cold noodles. Once home, he started working and contacted his editor to discuss the contract. Soon, the editor sent a message asking for his personal and book details to be entered into the contract before sending the full document over. All Zhang Pa had to do was print it, sign it, and mail it to the company.