"I'll accompany you~~~"

Pan Ge gave a sweet smile, beads of sweat sliding down her cheeks, her gaze resolute.

Han Lie was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said, "Do fewer machines. Pay attention to the intensity; you'll hurt your hands."

"Mm-hmm!"

Pan Ge obediently agreed and continued to grapple with the chest press machine.

It's good for girls to work out.

A better figure, a stronger waist, a firmer touch... aren't all these benefits for me?

The little weakling is too frail now. With more training, she'll definitely last longer.

But the problem is...

Xi Luting is working out, and Pan Ge has also started. If they both get stronger, how am I supposed to sleep with both of them later?

Right now, it's already difficult for me to handle both of them at the same time.

As they keep getting stronger, the balance of power in bed will surely begin to reverse.

Physiology dictates that men will gradually weaken, while women will one day transform into demonesses.

I need to feel a sense of urgency now...

Brother Lie looked at his system panel, full of fighting spirit. He began lifting weights, grunting and huffing, sweating buckets.

I'd better max out my Strength and Agility soon, upgrade the system, and see how powerful that Special score of 89 really is!

Next, the two of them quietly practiced on their own.

Occasionally exchanging glances and encouraging each other with a few words, the atmosphere was very pleasant.

Pan Ge was very much like a supportive partner. She wasn't the clingy, love-obsessed type; she wouldn't disturb Han Lie when he was busy and was also very focused herself.

This is very comfortable.

After finishing today's training, they went their separate ways.

She didn't chat with Han Lie about Xi Luting or any other person, for that matter. Her demeanor was unusually calm.

Han Lie was baffled all the way home and had no choice but to make a caring phone call to her before going to sleep.

The result was her giggling and retorting, "Don't you like it?"

Like it? Like hell I do!

Who would like such an uncontrollable situation?

But her attitude was very peculiar. "We both need to keep improving. Whoever falls behind completely loses. Understand?"

Understand? Understand my ass!

Han Lie felt that he was losing his grip on her thoughts more and more.

He could only vaguely ascertain that Miss Pan was planning a long-term war, the all-out kind.

What would be the outcome of winning or losing?

Han Lie didn't know.

He could only give his all and accept Pan Ge's challenge.

Damn it, this doesn't feel like dating at all?!

Brother Lie muttered to himself while opening his alternate QQ account.

He handled the praise and advice from Editor Xiao Qilin, checked the backend subscriptions, and then received the drafts edited by Little Cucumber. After making final revisions, he uploaded and published them.

The performance of *The Goddess CEO* was steadily rising; it currently ranked among the top 20 most popular works on the entire site.

Essentially, it was a very clichéd, female-oriented, small-scale romance. However, clichés often mean a broad audience. Plus, once the angst-filled parts began, fan loyalty became extremely high. So, in reality, Han Lie was now a minor god in the writing circle.

He had five fan groups. Each was at the maximum of 1,000 members, with only the fifth group not yet full.

He was in twelve author groups.

It was no exaggeration to say the female authors were really something else. Two of the private groups were nothing short of repositories for racy images, stories like *Phoenix Wen*, and dirty jokes.

How did Han Lie get in?

It was thanks to Xi Luting.

Her talent shone like the blazing sun, leaving other authors in awe and admiration. So, they cordially invited her and essentially crowned her king of the group.

When it comes to making money, I, Little Cucumber, am not the top earner.

But when it comes to writing smut, I bow to no one!

When Han Lie joined the group, he quickly became an admin, then brought Xi Luting in and started lurking.

Every morning, he would skim through the nighttime chat logs, always finding surprises or shocks.

Just yesterday, Brother Lie had stumbled upon Little Cucumber's passionate description of playing Fight the Landlord.

The lewd friends in the group thought Little Cucumber was just talking big. They chatted and laughed about it for a while before dropping the subject.

But Han Lie knew it wasn't so!

After going through all the chat history, he finally confirmed that deep down, Xi Luting was indeed fond of it.

However, she deeply regretted it afterward, feeling that she should not have acted that way.

She even vented her resentment towards Pan Ge in a joking manner, believing that sooner or later she would be corrupted. She felt that the "shameless couple" couldn't give her enough security.

In another group, she actively participated in discussions about copyright.

Her inquiries ranged from publishing in simplified and traditional Chinese, to comics, animation, and film adaptations, and finally to the long-term operation of a personal IP.

After going through the information, Han Lie had a clear idea.

Xi Luting obviously pinned her hopes on online literature, which was the only way she could possibly achieve independence.

Earning money, gaining respect, living a high-quality life on her own terms, and liberating herself from Pan Ge's control—this was her plan.

The idea was good and had a certain potential for realization.

So, when he received Little Cucumber's request for advice, Brother Lie passionately encouraged her.

One Lonely Bright Gua: "Master, do you think it's possible to earn... um, 50 million just by writing online?"

Ham for Cucumber: "Of course, it's possible."

One Lonely Bright Gua: "Really?!"

Ham for Cucumber: "A female-oriented novel averages 500,000 words. If you write four books a year, that's a total of ten by the end of 2016. Two of them become huge hits, which will in turn boost the popularity of the other eight. The income from electronic sales alone could total 5 million. As for film rights, with the explosive popularity of *Scarlet Heart*, there's been a clear upward trend in rights prices every year. If you hold off until 2016 to start selling, an average of 5 million per book should be doable, right? Look, that's already 55 million. Plus, income from part-time scriptwriting, some hype for the 'beautiful female writer' gimmick, some physical book signings, and merchandise—even 9 figures is not a dream."

Damn, the picture I'm painting for her...

No, wait, this is already a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast I'm serving up...

And Xi Luting completely bought it, getting excited all at once.

"Wow! The average housing price in the Magic Capital is just 35,000 yuan per square meter right now! I'm going to buy a luxury apartment over 400 square meters, and then a Maserati..."

TSK TSK, look at those modest ambitions.

Brother Lie found it incredibly amusing, so he tirelessly hyped her up.

"When the time comes, whoever has bullied you, just slam a black gold credit card in their face and disdainfully look down on them: 'I've made my fortune from scratch, worth over a hundred million. What are you?'"

Xi Luting was overwhelmed with excitement and started rolling around in her happiness.

Full of fighting spirit and eager to start, she asked, "I'm going into seclusion! I'll go all out to wrap up *The Goddess CEO*! Master, what should we write next?!"

Next book?

If I write another female-oriented novel, I'm a dog!

Of course, that was just a thought. The bait still had to be laid.

Ham for Cucumber: "How about writing the story of you and your crush? Youth-themed movies are a huge hit right now. Look at *Those Years*—its box office was explosive. Film adaptations of campus romance novels are definitely marketable."

One Lonely Bright Gua: "HISS... That could work! It really is a hot trend..."

Ham for Cucumber: "Right? When the time comes, tell me your story in detail. I'll help you create an outline, then you can write it yourself and take all the credit. I'm too busy with my studies; I don't have time to write."

One Lonely Bright Gua: "!!!"

One Lonely Bright Gua: "Master! You're not going to guide me anymore?"

Ham for Cucumber: "You've graduated. It's time for you to venture out into the world on your own. Earn your own money and spend it as you like—how great is that? We were bound to go our separate ways sooner or later. I can't have you ghostwriting forever, understand?"

Xi Luting certainly understood; she just felt a little uneasy.

One Lonely Bright Gua: "Yeah... I'll think about it more then. Anyway, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate it. I even feel like I can't express how grateful I am to you. You've taught me so much..."

Damn!

Is she being this sincere?

Brother Lie felt particularly guilty. Look what I've turned Little Cucumber into!

WAHAHAHAHAHA...

The dog of a man clutched his stomach and laughed wildly for a long time, so hard his abs ached. In the end, he only replied with a built-in QQ emoji: [Hug].

Xi Luting leaned against the headboard, her eyes turning red, moved by such a simple yet profound response.

"Brother Ham, you really are such a gentleman—so warm-hearted, kind, and adorable. You're a truly good person. You will definitely find happiness!!!"

PFFT!

Han Lie collapsed to the side, completely undone by laughter.

*****

Still not feeling well, coughing every day. Will make up for the updates in a few days.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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