C18 The Contract Was Blocked so He Might as Well Write Web Novels to Earn Money!!

It seemed the live streaming platforms were treating newcomers like easy marks, ready to be duped into signing deals.

But Qin Mo wasn't about to be taken for a ride!

He spoke into his phone with a calm voice, "Sorry, I have no immediate plans to sign a contract or sell my song rights."

The person on the other end's enthusiasm took a nosedive, their tone chilling considerably.

"Mr. Qin, do you find the offer insufficient? Despite your tens of millions of fans, the traffic is inflated and not truly valuable. After all, you're still a newcomer; it would be wise to focus on tangible benefits..."

Were they insinuating he was overreaching?

Qin Mo drained his coffee and sank deeper into the couch.

"No, it's not that. I simply don't wish to sign a contract at this time."

The other party seemed taken aback, clearly not expecting such a response.

After a two-minute lull, they tried again.

"Mr. Qin, the sum we've proposed is quite generous. Tell you what, I'll request approval to bump your annual salary to 1.2 million, with an additional 50,000 per song for copyright fees, and an extra 100,000 for 'Dusk'. Would that work for you?"

Qin Mo remained firm, "It's not about the money. I'm just not ready to commit to any contracts right now."

The caller's frustration was palpable, their impatience evident in their tone.

"Fine. If Mr. Qin is set on this, we can't force the issue. Apologies for the intrusion."

With the call ended, Qin Mo tossed aside his phone.

No wonder the entertainment industry here seemed so behind. On Earth, platforms would be clamoring for a streamer who gained a million followers overnight.

So far, only Conboat and Cat Tooth had reached out to him.

After a refreshing shower, Qin Mo returned to his computer.

His phone was flooded with notifications.

All from "Rampaging Lolita" – friend requests, one after another.

Yu Ke'er, that cheeky girl, was using the friend request feature like a chat window?

Rampaging Lolita: Uncle, how's my song coming along?

Rampaging Lolita: You promised to write me a song, don't leave me hanging!

Rampaging Lolita: Uncle, this is my final request, remember? You better not be lying to me!

Rampaging Lolita: Add me, Uncle, I don't have a manager!

Nearby, Yu Ke'er's manager, Deng Lan, sneezed.

Qin Mo clicked on the girl's profile to check her details.

Her signature featured the lyrics Qin Mo had sung.

"Forgetting the pain might be possible, but forgetting you is far too difficult."

Qin Mo pressed a hand to his forehead.

She really seemed to love that song, having mentioned it numerous times.

But at her young age, did she truly grasp the song's nuances?

For some reason, the little princess's humility tugged at his heartstrings.

After a moment's hesitation, Qin Mo accepted the friend request.

The girl was clearly thrilled, sending a voice message that ran over thirty seconds.

Rampaging Lolita: I'm so ecstatic, Uncle, you finally approved my request! I don't mean anything by it, just write me a song already. The tracks the company's musicians are churning out are terrible, I can't stand them. You made a promise to help me, Uncle, and you need to keep it!

Qin Mo, reclining on the sofa, chuckled.

He got what Yu Ke'er was driving at.

Back on Earth, he'd experienced love twice.

His first love was a college classmate.

Back then, Qin Mo was shy, studious, and not from a well-off family.

His life was a monotonous cycle: classroom, dorm, library.

The girl struggled with math and asked Qin Mo for tutoring. As they spent more time together, they grew closer.

Yet, their romance was always tepid, without any dramatic highs or lows.

Come graduation, she was set to return to Carrimon, while Qin Mo planned to stay in the capital to pursue his career. They parted ways amicably.

His second romance began when he was a fresh-faced manager, and she was a new artist at the company.

Qin Mo, eager and quick to learn, made a name for himself quickly.

The young artist had a touch of pride and was quite beautiful, a few years Qin Mo's junior.

The girl had nearly been blacklisted after crossing an investor!

Qin Mo stepped in to smooth things over, and the investor let it slide.

She fell head over heels for Qin Mo and boldly declared her love at the office.

They were a couple for quite some time.

Despite no real issues, she rose to fame and was constantly filming, while Qin Mo mentored a new talent.

Their paths diverged, and they drifted apart.

Neither of their romances had conflicts, yet neither lasted.

Qin Mo believed he was naturally detached when it came to love.

So, he held little hope for Yu Ke'er's advances.

Snapping back to reality, Qin Mo saw a barrage of messages from the girl.

"Respond, quick!"

"Uncle, you're so aloof. You shouldn't be Qin Mo, but Cold Mo instead!"

With a smile, Qin Mo typed back, "I'll write to you in three days. No need to rush. We'll talk then."

And with that, he removed Yu Ke'er.

...

Yu Ke'er's heart raced with excitement upon receiving Qin Mo's message.

At last, the uncle had responded!

Could this be a promising beginning?

But her next message was met with a red exclamation mark!

The screen read: "This user is not your friend. Please send a friend request first!"

Yu Ke'er was dumbfounded.

What was going through this bachelor's mind?

I'm so into you. Would it kill you to like me back?

Dejected, she tossed aside her phone.

...

Qin Mo accessed the system's virtual panel.

The system task was still the same unfinished one: to sign up for a music variety show and win the championship.

The prize was an S-Class Idol Charm Essence!

He noticed a pattern in the task drops.

One was a fixed task with a hefty reward, mandatory and with increasingly longer refresh times as the rewards escalated.

The other was a random task, seemingly tailored to Qin Mo's current circumstances!

Like when he unlocked a secret task during his first roadshow.

Qin Mo pondered whether any entertainment-related activity might trigger a random task from the system.

The contract signing was still up in the air, and getting on that music variety show wasn't happening anytime soon. He was strapped for cash!

A lightbulb went off in Qin Mo's head.

Why not write a novel to make some money?

Back in his past life, he'd rubbed shoulders with a few web novelists.

Some of them had sold their work's rights for a fortune—hundreds of millions!

And even while their stories were being serialized, many were raking in tens, sometimes hundreds, of thousands of yuan each month!

Granted, the going rate for a rookie novelist was peanuts, and some slogged away for years without much to show for it.

But Qin Mo had a treasure trove of classic stories in his mind. On the culturally starved Blue Star, he was sure he could pen a hit.

No time like the present!

He fired up his browser and hit up the most renowned literary websites.

He zeroed in on Wasteland Literature and Red Fruit—currently the two biggest platforms for male-oriented fiction.

Wasteland Literature catered to the traditionalist crowd, prizing eloquent prose and tight logic, with wuxia novels leading the current trend.

Red Fruit, on the other hand, was all about the "easy read"—stories that delivered a rush and were breezy to digest. Fantasy and mystery genres were the hot tickets there.

Qin Mo spotted his chance!