20: Chapter 20 Is writing novels really that lucrative?

After entering the bank, Chen Fan took Chen Jianjun and Wang Mei straight to the counter.

Chen Fan pushed open the door, and a blast of warm air greeted them. There weren't many people in the lobby; a few scattered individuals were lined up in front of several windows, and a few elderly people sat on the chairs in the waiting area.

Wang Mei followed behind him, looking around with a slightly nervous expression. Chen Jianjun, on the other hand, was composed, standing to the side with his hands behind his back, though his gaze never left the counter area.

Chen Fan had originally intended to go straight to an ATM, but after thinking about it, he walked up to the ticket dispenser and pressed a button.

"Let's go to the counter; printing out a transaction history will make it clearer for you both."

Wang Mei nodded and followed behind him.

After getting their number, the three found empty seats and sat down. Wang Mei sat in her chair, clutching the hem of her clothes, her eyes fixed on the electronic display on the wall, watching the numbers tick by one by one.

Chen Jianjun was able to sit still, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed to rest, though his eyelids twitched occasionally, clearly showing he wasn't asleep.

After waiting for about ten minutes, the broadcast called their number.

Chen Fan stood up and walked to the window to sit down. Wang Mei and Chen Jianjun followed behind him and stood to the side.

Inside the counter was a young woman in her twenties, wearing a blue uniform with her hair in a ponytail, sporting a professional smile.

"Hello, what service do you need?"

Chen Fan handed over his bank card: "I'd like to check my balance and print out a transaction history."

The young woman took the card, swiped it through the machine, and then tapped away at the keyboard.

Something popped up on the screen; she took a glance and then froze.

She blinked, then looked again.

982,347.50 Yuan

Nine hundred and eighty-two thousand.

She instinctively looked up and glanced at Chen Fan.

This boy, wearing a plain hoodie, carrying a backpack, and looking only seventeen or eighteen years old—he had nearly a million in his account?

She looked at the two people standing next to him, dressed plainly; they clearly looked like they were from the countryside and were likely his parents.

The young woman's fingers hovered over the keyboard, momentarily forgetting what to do next.

"Hello?" Chen Fan prompted.

The young woman snapped out of it, her face flushing slightly: "Ah, I'm sorry."

She tapped the keyboard a few more times to confirm. It was correct; that was the figure.

"Your account balance is..." She paused, lowering her voice a little, "982,347.50 Yuan."

As she said the number, she herself felt it was somewhat unreal.

Standing nearby, Wang Mei swayed upon hearing the number and grabbed onto Chen Jianjun's arm.

The young woman turned the screen slightly so they could see it: "Please take a look, this is the balance."

Wang Mei leaned in, staring at the string of numbers, her eyes instantly reddening.

"Nine hundred and eighty-two thousand..." she murmured, her voice trembling slightly.

Chen Jianjun stood behind her, saying nothing, but his Adam's apple bobbed.

The young woman looked at them, then at Chen Fan, her eyes filled with curiosity, but her professional training kept her from asking any more questions.

"Would you like the transaction history printed?"

"Yes, please." Chen Fan nodded.

The young woman operated the machine a few times, and the printer whirred to life, spitting out a long receipt. She tore it off and handed it over along with the bank card and ID card.

"All done. Please keep these safe. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you."

Chen Fan took the items and stood up.

Wang Mei was still stunned, staring at the transaction history sheet, motionless for a long time.

"Mom, let's go." Chen Fan tugged at her.

Wang Mei finally reacted, took the transaction sheet, and held it carefully in her hands, as if she were holding something fragile.

The three walked out of the bank.

The December sun shone on them, feeling warm.

Wang Mei stood at the entrance and unfolded the transaction sheet, reading it word by word. Although she couldn't quite understand the transaction records, she recognized the balance line at the very bottom.

Balance: 982,347.50

After watching Chen Fan and the others leave, the female bank teller stood stunned for a moment.

She recalled the words "Author's Royalty" she had seen on the transaction sheet, and then thought of the boy in the plain hoodie who looked like he was only seventeen or eighteen.

A royalty of nine hundred and eighty-two thousand?

She couldn't help but wonder: What does this person do? What kind of thing could he write to earn so much money?

Novels? Screenplays? Or that kind of...

She couldn't resist opening her browser and searching for the transfer entity she had seen: Shanghai Xuanting Entertainment Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Relevant information popped up quickly.

Company Name: Shanghai Xuanting Entertainment Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Founded: August 26, 2004

Main Business: Operating Qidian Chinese Website.

...

After understanding enough, she finally realized that Chen Fan was writing novels online.

But can writing novels online really earn that much? Maybe I should try writing too.

After reading through the information one by one, she belatedly realized.

So... Chen Fan was writing novels online.

So writing novels online really can earn such a huge sum of money.

She stared at the words "Qidian Chinese Website," "Monthly income over ten thousand," and "Great Author" on the screen, and her heart suddenly stirred.

If he can write, then maybe... I could give it a try too?

Anyway, I'm idle most of the time; even if I don't write well, I won't lose anything.

If I could actually earn some pocket money, even if it's only a tenth, no, a hundredth of what he makes, it would still be more stable than working this job.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, and her heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

Maybe... I should try writing too?

...

On the other side, after walking out of the bank, Wang Mei looked at the slip in her hand and couldn't help asking: "Son, what is this Shanghai Xuanting on here?"

"That's the company for the website where I write novels; they are responsible for sending me my royalties."

"Son, is writing novels really that profitable?"

Chen Jianjun, who had been silent the whole time, finally couldn't help but speak up, his tone filled with a touch of disbelief:

"Son, is writing novels... really that profitable?"

Chen Fan smiled, and fearing his parents might overthink it, he quickly explained:

"Dad, you're overthinking it. Actually, most people who write novels don't make much money; they can't even earn a few thousand a month, just enough to scrape by. Only a very small number of people who write a hit book can actually make some money."

"Is that so!" Chen Jianjun nodded, half-understanding.

"Right." Wang Mei looked at Chen Fan, a glimmer of doubt flashing in her eyes, "I suddenly thought of a question: you have classes every day, so where do you find the time to write novels?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianjun also looked at Chen Fan.

"Uh," Chen Fan paused slightly, then told the truth: "I go to an internet cafe every night and pull all-nighters to write."

Hearing Chen Fan's answer, the expressions of both parents changed.

"Then what about your classes during the day?"