Luo Xiaolu had no writing experience whatsoever in her past life. If she wanted to start writing, web novels were her only option.

Thanks to the revival of the entertainment industry this year, web novels were entering a golden age. But in reality, they were only at the level of development Luo Xiaolu remembered from seven or eight years ago.

This was the era when urban power fantasies ruled the world.

Hundreds of books followed the exact same template and formula. Lines like “Don’t bully a poor young man” had long since gone viral beyond the web-novel scene. Chūnibyō teenagers used them as QQ signatures or captions for their selfies.

There was even a particularly tongue-in-cheek rumor.

On the country’s biggest novel website, any book that began with “Ding~” was guaranteed to get a publishing contract.

Honestly, Luo Xiaolu wasn’t confident under these circumstances.

With the memories from her previous life, she could certainly write novels ahead of their time. But people in this era might not have the taste to appreciate them.

Urban power fantasies still existed in her previous life, after all. Most of their readers were newcomers who didn’t know any better. Veteran readers wouldn’t even deign to look at that stuff.

So Luo Xiaolu decided to take a gamble.

In this fast-paced world, where formulaic stories and brainless wish-fulfillment were everywhere, she would write a slow-paced light novel that could heal people’s hearts.

Then she’d see how many readers could stick with it.

Once the audience’s tastes proved receptive, Luo Xiaolu believed she would definitely succeed.

She might even change the world!

According to her memories, Luo Xiaolu found a laptop inside a dust-covered cardboard box.

It was an ancient model that even a hardware junkie wouldn’t bother picking up from the roadside. At most, it could run a game like Krypton.

It had been Luo Xiaolu’s twelfth-birthday present.

And who exactly was Luo Xiaolu?

She was the school’s delinquent girl, the big sister of her crew, and a top-tier social butterfly.

Of course she wouldn’t waste her time on a computer. It was only natural for the thing to gather dust.

After stuffing all her cosmetics into a drawer, Luo Xiaolu placed the laptop on the desk and plugged in the charger.

The computer booted up soon after.

Luo Xiaolu opened the browser and entered the country’s largest novel website—Penguin Chinese Web.

The moment she entered, an announcement for a writing contest caught her eye.

**Campus Youth Literature Writing Contest**

All authors are welcome to submit works based on this theme and create the stories readers will love most!

The editorial department will be offering three prizes—

**Gold Prize:** 100,000 yuan in cash and one copyright package worth 100,000 yuan.

**Silver Prize:** 50,000 yuan in cash and seven days of promotion on the homepage.

**Bronze Prize:** 10,000 yuan in cash and seven days of text promotion on the homepage.

As expected, this was bound to become another clash of industry heavyweights.

It was no exaggeration to say that such generous rewards would have most of the website’s authors itching to give it a try.

But at that moment, Luo Xiaolu could see only one thing.

Money.

So much money!!!

Luo Xiaolu’s eyes lit up.

Her family was barely getting by. They were already three months behind on the apartment’s rent.

She desperately needed this money.

The contest claimed to be about campus youth stories. In reality, it was a contest for school power fantasies.

The various big-name authors would surely submit stories like *The School Beauty’s Personal Expert*, *The Invincible Scholar System*, or *The Supreme Dragon King at School*.

Luo Xiaolu, however, would do the exact opposite.

She would write something pure and refreshing.

She had already decided on the title:

*Your Lie in July.*

Everyone who needed to understand would understand the reference.

The protagonist would be named Gongsheng.

That alone would set him apart from names like Xiao Yan, Lin Yi, and Chen Fan, which filled other novels. His name would tell readers right away that this wasn’t the kind of story offering the usual service.

The heroine would be named Lavender.

She would be lively and cheerful.

No more cookie-cutter characters!

Luo Xiaolu would absolutely avoid settings like the mayor’s icy, beautiful daughter, the blonde tsundere childhood friend, the pure white lotus, or the big-chested, empty-headed, overly proactive desk mate.

She wanted to create a character who would leave a deep impression and be remembered by every reader.

And so, Kaori Miyazono became the prototype for her heroine.

The story was about Gongsheng, a genius pianist who had abandoned the piano after the violent teaching methods of his now-deceased mother left a shadow over his heart.

He could no longer hear the sound of the piano.

Then, during the summer of his second year in high school, he encountered a blonde girl named Lavender.

From there, he began the journey of redeeming himself.

The first time Gongsheng met Lavender was in a park.

Crape-myrtle blossoms drifted in the breeze and fell across the grass. The girl sat on a slope with her eyes closed, playing the violin.

The music drew countless sparrows into circling around her.

It also drew Gongsheng toward her…

There had never been a scene more beautiful than that.

The second time Gongsheng truly got to know Lavender, she was the girlfriend of his best friend, Ryota.

From that moment on, the seed of his unrequited love began to bloom in his heart…

Before she knew it, Luo Xiaolu had spent five straight hours typing.

She hadn’t even taken a bathroom break.

At the same time, Luo Xiaolu discovered the boost provided by the “Writer Skill Card.”

Any work she had ever read could be recreated with perfect clarity in her mind.

As a longtime fan of Makoto Shinkai, Luo Xiaolu used every poetic, artistic line she had encountered in his works.

The result was exceptionally beautiful.

And who exactly was Makoto Shinkai?

A train fanatic, a famous short-haired-girl enthusiast, a sister complex addict, a master of fresh and delicate romance, an over-the-top artist, and practically the embodiment of melodrama.

If his works weren’t artistic, then the word “artistic” didn’t exist in this world!

In fact, prose so artistic it made your scalp tingle was Luo Xiaolu’s greatest advantage.

“Now, all I can do is see whether the readers like it.”

Luo Xiaolu took a deep breath and published the 20,000 words she had written on the website.

“I’ll take a little break and continue later.”

Model worker Luo Xiaolu leaned back in her chair and stretched.

Knock, knock, knock~

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Before Luo Xiaolu could react, the door opened.

A small head peeked inside.

It belonged to a long-haired little girl with a pair of crystal-clear, deep-blue eyes. She gazed at Luo Xiaolu with a faintly resentful look.

“Big Sis, why are you so late today?” Luo Xiaotang said, biting her lip.

“?!”

Only then did Luo Xiaolu remember that she had a little sister.

And it was already one in the afternoon. She still hadn’t prepared anything for the girl to eat.

Luo Xiaotang had gone hungry for five whole hours before finally finding the courage to knock on her sister’s door.

What an adorable little sister!

Luo Xiaolu pounded her chest and stamped her feet, overcome with guilt and regret.

She immediately stood up, walked to the door, and patted Luo Xiaotang on the head.

“Don’t be afraid of disturbing Big Sis. If you’re hungry, come knock on my door sooner!” Luo Xiaolu said seriously.

“Ew, I only just woke up. What are you even talking about? Big Sis, you’re so gross!”

Luo Xiaolu: “…”

Her little sister, Luo Xiaotang, was only two years younger than her.

She was a completely shameless, sharp-tongued shut-in.

Luo Xiaotang suffered from severe social anxiety. Her mental age was somewhat younger than that of her peers.

After dropping out of school, she spent every day either eating, sleeping, or playing games.

No matter how untouchable and overbearing Luo Xiaolu acted outside as a delinquent girl, she was always gentle with her younger sister.

**“Quest unlocked: Prepare a breakfast worthy of an artistic girl!”**

System text appeared before her.