The afternoon class was Market Research, and Lu Qing arrived at the Design Building classroom five minutes early to prepare for class.
Since it wasn't a mandatory course, Wen Le and others hadn't chosen it, which meant he was the only one heading out on Friday afternoons.
Several students were already seated in the classroom. Looking around, he noticed the girl who had sat behind him in the morning had also chosen the same course. At the moment, she was in her usual spot, head down looking at her phone, appearing drowsy.
Lu Qing thought for a moment and decided to sit in the same row, especially since his usual spot in the second-to-last row had already been taken, and all the remaining seats were too close to the front, which he disliked.
So he walked straight over and politely asked, "Is anyone sitting here?"
"Hmm?"
The girl was watching dance videos and wasn't pleased about being interrupted.
She looked up irritably, about to say "Can't you go somewhere else?"... but when she realized it was Lu Qing, her mind froze, and she swallowed those words... quickly changing her response to: "Um, go ahead."
After that, she turned away, maintaining an aloof attitude.
Lu Qing just needed a seat and didn't care about her attitude.
After sitting down, he took out his books and opened his phone, deciding to use the few minutes before class to check if there were any messages on his author backend.
The "Author's Assistant" (or AA for short) was a backend program specially designed by Endpoint Network for its writers.
Unlike the reader's client, whenever someone gave donations, votes, comments, or bookmarked an author's work, the author would receive synchronized notifications in the backend, which was very convenient.
Moreover, various report feedbacks and system notifications would also be pushed there, so Lu Qing had developed a compulsive habit of checking the Author's Assistant every few hours to see if there were any comments or if anyone was criticizing him... if there were, he would immediately respond and block them.
"The number of people asking for a new book is increasing, and because I haven't started a new one for so long, the comment section of my old book has become chaotic... too many trolls, no time to manage them all..."
He clearly understood that insults, abuse, and personal attacks were an inevitable challenge that authors had to face—
Since high-quality readers were rare and usually just read silently without commenting, this allowed low-quality readers to surface, making hostile comments appear to be the "majority."
If the comment section went unmoderated, garbage comments would pile up several layers deep, making newcomers think the work was subpar just by looking at it, even believing the trolls' fabricated rumors.
This was human nature at its most predictable—people enjoyed watching others attack each other, regardless of who was right or wrong.
Although the "Endpoint Network" where Lu Qing posted could filter out some trolls by setting comment thresholds, completely blocking cyberbullying was still unrealistic.
As a veteran author, his mentality was much better than when he first entered this circle, and he could completely ignore the garbage talk from garbage people, dealing with these malicious comments efficiently while viewing them as mere clowns.
As his fingers moved across the screen, he thought to himself: "With such a tight schedule, it would be nice if I could find someone reliable to help me manage the comment section."
Though he knew this was unlikely, it was still worth hoping for—what if he really could find a dedicated fan willing to help manage things as an assistant?
As he was thinking about this, suddenly, a huge red notification burst into view—
[You have received a Silver Alliance Leader donation of 1,000,000 Endpoint Coins from reader "Qing Xia" with the message: "Your work is so sweet, just showing a little support, hope you'll start a new book soon~ I'll always love Teacher Qingkong!"]
"?!!!"
The red broadcast notification simultaneously rushed into the Endpoint Platform's client, visible to all readers. A huge treasure chest appeared at the top of the screen with countless ingots, where quick-fingered readers could grab quite a few reading coins, while slower ones could only sigh in frustration, cursing their slow internet connection.
Lu Qing stared wide-eyed, momentarily unable to recover from this feeling of being "blessed by a big shot."
Although he had earned his big-name contract through his abilities and had received more than ten Alliance Leader donations for his previous works, he had never had a wealthy supporter directly give him a Silver Alliance donation.
On the Endpoint Platform, an Alliance Leader donation was worth 1,000 yuan, while a Silver Alliance donation was worth 10,000 yuan, a tenfold difference.
Based on the 50-50 split, this meant the author would directly receive 5,000 yuan.
Notably, the hidden value wasn't limited to just this, as the website would also give a platform-wide broadcast announcement, which could dramatically increase the work's exposure, boost average subscriptions, and bring more possibilities—truly killing two birds with one stone, creating a positive snowball effect.
However, completed works rarely received such treatment, as many readers would only make such generous donations during ongoing serializations to help authors climb the rankings.
Making a Silver Alliance donation to a completed book didn't make much sense.
Unless...
The person simply didn't care about money.
"This is so mysterious, suddenly getting a top supporter, and looking at their profile... seems to be a female reader."
Lu Qing scratched his head, puzzled, "How could I, someone who specifically writes male-oriented maid stories, have a female reader?? Is this even possible? Does this make any sense?"
"Looking at that big bro's... no, big sis's ID, 'Qing Xia,' it definitely sounds like a name a girl would choose, has that female fiction vibe."
Moreover, she had set all her previously read books to private, and his work was the only one she had ever donated to, making the situation even more puzzling.
Lu Qing pondered this and decided to check the Alliance Leaders' group chat.
The Alliance Leaders' group was a premium VIP group that fans who had made Alliance Leader donations could join, with a minimum spending requirement of 1,000 yuan.
There were about seventeen or eighteen people in total, all die-hard fans of Lu Qing, and extremely active with high standards of behavior. They never caused trouble for Lu Qing, completely different from the immature kids in the regular group who liked to stir up drama.
Some Alliance Leaders were even more protective—whenever Lu Qing got attacked by trolls, they would immediately mobilize as a group to defend their favorite author.
Now, the group chat had 99+ unread messages.
"Holy crap, did you guys see? We're getting a new big bro! Add one more to the brotherhood."
"Are you blind? That's a big sis! We should call her Big Sis... no, Rich Sis."
"I'm so moved, our Teacher Qingkong finally has his own Silver Alliance supporter, will he write 100 bonus chapters because of this..."
"If he really would, bro, I'll chip in too, how about we pool our money together and ask him to write another 100,000 words? It'd be totally worth it."
The lively Alliance Leaders' group was full of laughter and joy, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their top supporter.
However, even though the Alliance Leaders' group number was clearly listed in the book's description, after making such a large donation, the person seemed to vanish without joining the group or showing any further activity.
"..."
Lu Qing pondered silently, thinking that a big sister was indeed different, probably too dignified to join the group chat.
But regardless, since they had spent money, he needed to show his appreciation and thank them.
He opened the novel's page, found Qing Xia's comment section, and replied: "Thank you very much for your support. I never imagined my work would attract female readers, and while I'm surprised and delighted, I'm also worried, feeling even more pressure about the quality of my next work. In any case, I will continue to work hard."
He first left a message with his author account, so if they wanted to find him, they could click on his avatar to start a private chat—this was his way of proactively leaving contact information.
After doing all this, he put away his phone, preparing to focus on the class.
By now, the Market Research lecturer had taken his position at the podium, placing his teaching materials in front of him.
"Students."
As soon as the bell rang, the teacher announced: "We've reached the midterm of our Market Research course, and for next class, I require everyone to attend off-campus. The meeting point will be at 78 Ancient Lane in the city center."
"?!"
With these words, the students' previously scattered attention suddenly snapped into focus.
The female teacher continued with a smile, "You can freely form groups to complete this assignment. The task is to visit any company and interview their staff to understand how they conduct market research for their products.
Of course, during the interview, you must record both the visuals and interview content to ensure the authenticity and validity of your work.
This assignment will be combined with subsequent presentations and final written exams as your final grade. In other words, you only have one week to choose your team members and prepare for both the interview and presentation, otherwise, you won't have enough time to complete it."
"What?!"
Hearing such hellish assignment requirements, whispers erupted throughout the classroom.
"Oh God, group assignments are the worst... If we can't find a reliable team leader, won't it be a complete disaster? Besides, going out to interview company employees is so embarrassing! There's no way I'm doing the interviewing."
"Indeed... For introverts, facing working professionals is absolutely terrifying..."
"I'd like to know how we're supposed to divide the work—who contacts the company? Who interviews? Who presents? Who records? Who edits? Who summarizes? Who can guarantee that everyone's workload will be equal? More likely, every group will have freeloaders, right? If the team leader has to handle the interview stuff, I definitely won't volunteer."
Clearly, everyone was feeling immense panic and helplessness about the teacher's assignment.
However, in university, there are always some individuals whose attitudes are completely opposite to those of ordinary students.
For instance, the high-achieving students with strong execution abilities looked at everyone's confusion with smirks of satisfaction—
"I bet you'll all come rushing to ask me to be the team leader soon. Nobody has more experience than me when it comes to presentations and making PowerPoints. I should take this opportunity to show off in front of the girls."
Or the second-generation rich kids with strong family backgrounds, who remained unfazed—
"Need to contact a company? My dad's company is in the suburbs of Tianhai. One phone call and I can arrange for someone to be interviewed. Anyone who doesn't want the hassle can just make me their leader."
Or the tech-savvy students with broad interests who could contribute invaluably to this course—
"I've been doing photography in the anime community. I have the equipment and can handle the recording. Of course, I can take care of all the editing tasks too. Any group that needs help can come find me."
The classroom was suddenly filled with an atmosphere of scheming and maneuvering, with some students competing for team members, others forming small cliques, and some being left isolated with no one willing to include them.
Lu Qing was different; he existed outside of these circles—always working alone on all assignments.
"Rather than teaming up with those guys, it's better to handle everything myself. This way, effort and reward are directly proportional, and working for yourself never feels worthless or exhausting."
His solitary nature had created a legendary reputation. In the past, Lu Qing's presentation title pages always read "Research: Lu Qing, Content: Lu Qing, PowerPoint: Lu Qing, Presenter: Lu Qing..."
A thoroughly self-sufficient individual.
Therefore, everyone knew he preferred not to team up with others, so no one bothered to ask him anymore.
As time ticked by, the instructor on the podium watched with an amused smile as everyone below frantically formed alliances, each trying to secure their position.
Eventually, when eight major teams had formed in the classroom, the chatter gradually died down.
Overall, the class had divided into several large groups, ranging from 5 to 10 members each.
The remaining students were on the verge of tears. In this crucial elective course, those without friends taking it with them had truly drawn the short straw, their situation no better than that of stray dogs.
Lu Qing naturally felt nothing about this.
"Although the assignment is somewhat difficult, as long as I have enough time, I can complete it step by step," he pondered to himself.
However, what he hadn't expected was that until near the end of class, the pink-haired girl wearing a mask sitting to his left hadn't moved at all, as if she too had no suitable teammates.
He initially thought she was like him, confident enough to work alone. However, when he noticed her starting to glance in his direction...
And even losing interest in her phone...
He couldn't help but get a bad feeling.
Lu Qing cautiously asked, "What's wrong, classmate? Is there something on my face?"
"Why aren't you looking for teammates?"
Seeing that she'd been noticed, the girl turned to face him, getting straight to the point.
"..."
Looking at her scrutinizing and possessive gaze, Lu Qing's first thought was—Oh boy, she's targeting me, isn't she? She couldn't be trying to freeload off my work...
However, before being certain about the situation, he couldn't jump to conclusions, so he simply replied neutrally, "I prefer working alone, it's more convenient."
"Working alone? Can you complete all the tasks the teacher assigned?"
A hint of doubt flashed in the girl's eyes.
"Of course. I can't guarantee how well it will be done, but I can definitely complete the entire process," Lu Qing responded confidently.
"I see."
She looked him over once more, noting that he didn't seem to be bluffing.
Then, suddenly changing her approach: "Would you mind having an extra member in name only?"
"Huh?"
Lu Qing thought to himself, "I knew it," secretly proud of his prediction.
Instead of immediately refusing, he counter-questioned, "Why? What can you offer me?"
Faced with the girl's initiative, he switched to rational mode.
He had no desire to be any strange girl's tool. They were merely fellow students who happened to take the same course, not even from the same department, and he hadn't even noticed her existence before today.
He neither wanted to have a chance encounter leading to college romance, nor did he want to deliberately show off by helping a girl, so after calm analysis, he saw no reason to accept her request.
However, the girl explained, "I'm usually too busy and have already missed this class four times. One more absence and I'll fail. Unfortunately, I don't have many friends at this school and always act alone. I'm also aware that my abilities alone aren't enough to handle all these tasks. This assignment will definitely fail without reliable help. So, if you're willing to help me—"
At this point, she slowly raised her arm, gradually removing her carefully worn hoodie and black mask, sincerely revealing her features that were cute enough to melt one's heart, and earnestly proposed:
"I'll repay you with what I'm best at."
"Eh...?"
"I'll go on a one-day date with you."