From the depths of my heart, there are words I wish to say to you.

I want to share my thoughts with you.

What are you usually doing around eleven o'clock at night? Playing online games? Watching movies? Reading novels? Or perhaps cuddling with your girlfriend or being embraced by your boyfriend, whispering sweet nothings? In any case, you are happy, and compared to you, I am not quite so fortunate.

At eleven every night, I sit before my computer, staring at the screen, my fingers mechanically tapping away. Sometimes, after writing several thousand words, I find the result unsatisfactory and must delete everything and start again. I light a cigarette, forcing myself to stay awake, just to try and craft a compelling storyline. The reason I do all this is simply to write a book you will enjoy.

Some friends say, “Isn’t it just six thousand words a day? And so late with updates!” When I hear this, I feel helpless and ashamed. I wish I could update ten thousand, twenty thousand, even fifty thousand words for you every day. But can I guarantee the quality that way? I don’t know. Still, I’ve made up my mind: starting this week, I’ll increase the updates, again and again, pouring all my time into this novel.

I read every message you leave, and I read them carefully. Sometimes, I don’t reply because I don’t dare to make promises; writing is indeed a grueling task.

Yet, seeing your messages fills me with joy. Your enjoyment is my greatest affirmation. Even when I write late into the night, even when winter is cold, my heart remains warm. Every night at eleven, after finishing the updates, I wake at three or four in the morning to check readers’ reactions, to see your comments and the number of views. Honestly, I genuinely care about your feelings. Although we’ve never met, I regard you as my dearest friend. “A man will die for someone who truly understands him.” For you, losing sleep means nothing.

Do you know what it’s like to write in a room without heating until eleven in the winter? Your feet grow numb from the cold, and after warming up in bed, they itch terribly—if you scratch, it hurts; if you don’t, it itches. I doubt you’ve ever experienced this. Waking at four or five to check messages and stats takes courage—the bed is warm, the air outside is chilly and damp. Even with the heater on, it takes time to warm up.

I’ve rambled on so much—perhaps you’re tired of reading, maybe even want to curse me: “Old Liu, you’re always fussing. Isn’t this just about charging for the book? Why all the chatter?”

Yes, this book will indeed be a paid one. Writing those words fills me with discomfort. Since you started reading, I’ve considered you a friend. The friends in the group call me Uncle Cat, and treat me as their best friend. “How can you charge your friends for reading? Are you even human?”

I am human, a regular person, and I truly need to make a living.

Some say, “I’ve got your book in my sights, and you’re charging for it?” In truth, charging is a reluctant decision. The website invests heavily to operate a book, and the entire cover has not a single advertisement. That’s a considerable expense. I have to live—even a cup of instant noodles after a tiring night costs money.

Talking about money really strains the relationship!

But being realistic reveals my genuine feelings.

Back in school, teachers made us write essays—three hundred, five hundred words at most—and even then it took an hour and a half, scratching our heads. If I could pay five yuan for one, I would! So, walking down the street, if you see a coin worth ten cents, you probably wouldn’t bother picking it up.

I see you as a confidant and hope you care about me, too. I genuinely want to tell you that I want you to stay. Let’s finish this book together—see how Wang Dachuan thrives in the realm of yin and yang, witness Wang Ying’s great revival, watch Wei Qi risk everything for his friends, and see how Shangguan Wan’er chooses between her feelings.

My hard work is simply to give you a captivating novel. Your decision to stay is for the sake of emotion.

Love you!

Now, finally, let me talk about the ways to recharge and subscribe. Besides recharging, Black Rock has a very considerate feature: activities to earn free Black Rock Coins—there are many activities, such as games, and as long as you have time, you can easily earn coins, making it possible to enjoy both games and reading.

For Black Rock’s paid content, you can log in with your Black Rock account or directly with your QQ, Baidu, or Sina Weibo account. Then click “Recharge” on the website, and the recharge options will appear. It supports all kinds of online banking, Alipay, and Tenpay. Various game cards are supported (Junnet OneCard, Shanda Game Card, Journey Game Card, Q Coin Card, Joy Card, YeePay ECard, NetEase Card, Perfect World Card, Sohu Changyou OneCard, Zongyou OneCard, Tianxia Tong, Tianhong OneCard) as well as mobile, Unicom, and Telecom recharge cards. There’s also SMS recharge, but one yuan only gets you forty Black Rock Coins, so it’s not worthwhile. I recommend using online banking or Alipay, or game cards and recharge cards. If you still don’t understand, you can contact the website’s customer service. The customer service QQ is 2814551419.

For overseas users, you can use PayPal to recharge—everyone should be familiar with that, so there’s no need to worry. However, it seems you can’t do it on your phone, so if you have time, use your computer.