Finally, Serena's novel was officially released.
Without Serena's knowledge, Ren — her loyal supporter from the beginning — secretly bought nearly a hundred thousand copies of the book. He distributed them to all his employees, including contract workers who had just joined a week ago.
At first, the employees were puzzled. They wondered why their boss was giving them a novel instead of the usual lunch vouchers or cash bonuses. However, curiosity led them to bring the book home.
That night, many of them casually opened the first page, intending only to read a chapter before bed. But the opposite happened. Once they started, they were instantly immersed in the world Serena had created.
The story felt alive, full of emotion, and touched their hearts in unexpected ways.
Before they knew it, many of them stayed up all night finishing the novel.
The next day, the office atmosphere was different. Warm whispers filled the workspace, with conversations about the characters, the plot, and the overflowing emotions after reading the book.
Falling in love with Serena's writing style, many employees immediately searched for her other works. To their surprise, they discovered this was Serena's first officially published novel.
Before this, she had only written web novels on various online platforms, mostly in mystery, slice-of-life, and fantasy genres.
Even though her earlier works weren't always romantic like her new novel, readers still eagerly explored them all. Their admiration for Serena's versatility grew rapidly, and soon, her fan base expanded massively.
As a result, Riri — Serena's editor — became incredibly busy. She hadn't expected that within less than a month, Serena's book sales would nearly reach one million copies.
Requests for book signings, media interviews, and literary event invitations flooded their publishing house's email.
Meanwhile, Serena — the rising star of the literary world — was still sound asleep, completely unaware.
---
The ringing of her phone woke Serena from a deep sleep.
Still half-asleep, she groped around for her phone on the bedside table. After a moment, she found it and, without opening her eyes, answered the call.
"Hello..." she mumbled in a hoarse, sleepy voice.
"SERENAAAAA!!!"
The voice on the other end shouted her name with a mix of panic and excitement.
Serena's eyes remained heavy. The words from the caller floated around her ears, barely comprehended.
"Hello? Hello? Serena? Can you hear me? Hello?!"
Serena mumbled something unintelligible and, without realizing it, ended the call, drifting back to sleep.
---
Around ten in the morning, Serena finally opened her eyes.
She blinked a few times, feeling like she had forgotten something...
But what?
Sitting at the edge of the bed, she frowned, trying to recall — but no memory surfaced.
"Maybe it's not important," she muttered.
She then went to shower and change clothes. After freshening up, she searched for her phone to check her messages.
Oddly, the phone wasn't on the table where she usually left it.
"Huh? Where did it go?"
She searched every corner of her room — flipping pillows, lifting piles of books, even peeking under the bed. Finally, she found the phone tucked under her blanket.
"How did it end up here?" she murmured.
At that moment, memories of the early morning phone call surfaced.
With her heart slightly pounding, Serena checked her call log and saw "Riri" listed at the top.
Without hesitation, she hit "Call."
The call connected immediately. Riri's voice sounded... a little hurt.
"SERENAAAA!!!" Riri cried.
Serena winced in guilt. "Ri..." she whispered.
"Thank goodness you called back! We have to meet. Now!"
Riri spoke with urgency.
"What's going on, Ri?"
"A lot! But I want to tell you in person. Can we meet at the usual café?"
"Sure, I'm heading out now."
"Noted! I'll be waiting!"
Without even eating breakfast, Serena grabbed her coat, stuffed her wallet into her bag, and rushed out the door.
---
At the café where they usually met, Riri was already waiting.
Two cups of steaming tea sat on the table.
As soon as Serena arrived, Riri waved excitedly. Her expression was hard to read — a mix of exhaustion, relief, and fiery enthusiasm.
"Serena! Sit! We have a lot to talk about!"
she said, pushing one cup of tea toward Serena.
Serena sat down, her heart racing. She held the cup tightly to steady herself.
"What's going on, Ri? You look so serious," Serena asked, curious.
Riri took a deep breath, pulled a folder from her bag, and handed it to Serena.
"Congratulations! Your novel has sold over 950,000 copies in just one month!" she exclaimed.
Serena's eyes widened. "What...?!"
"Seriously! These are the official numbers from the publisher.
In fact, the first print run is almost sold out. We're planning a reprint! And not only that..."
Riri leaned closer, lowering her voice like she was sharing a big secret.
"The publisher wants to host a huge event — your very first book signing!"
Serena flipped through the report — graphs showing sales growth, lists of bookstores waiting for restocks. It all felt surreal.
"My book... really sold that much, that fast?"
Serena whispered in disbelief.
Riri nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course! This is your golden moment, Serena. You have to attend the signing event. We can even hold a meet and greet with readers.
It's not just about sales — it's about building your reader community."
Serena bit her lower lip, hesitating.
She stared into her tea, her mind swirling.
"I'm not comfortable being in the spotlight, Ri..." she said softly.
Riri smiled understandingly.
"I get it. But this is part of your journey as a professional writer. And trust me, your fans really, really want to meet you."
Serena fell silent again. She had never dreamed of becoming the center of attention.
For her, writing was about creating worlds in her own view, not about fame.
"So... what do you think?" Riri urged after a long pause.
Serena looked up and gave a faint smile.
"I... can't do it."
The answer made Riri gape in shock.
"Wha—What??!!"
Riri stared at Serena, utterly stunned.
"Why?!" she asked quickly.
"From the beginning, I only wanted to write... I never intended to become a sudden celebrity.
Of course, I'm grateful if people love my work.
But for a meet and greet, I don't think I can... I just don't feel comfortable,"
Serena said firmly but gently.
Riri still stared at her, mouth slightly open, looking deeply disappointed.
"I'm sorry," Serena added apologetically.
There was a brief silence.
Finally, Serena spoke again, her voice softer.
"You probably didn't know... but when I signed the contract with the publisher, I specifically requested no public events.
I'm a bit surprised you suggested it."
Riri fell silent. Serena took another sip of her tea.
"If it's about signing books, I can help during the reprint —
I can pre-sign the books. But for meeting fans directly... I truly can't."
Riri let out a long sigh.
"I understand..." she finally said, though her voice was low.
She looked at Serena, her smile weak but sincere.
"I'll talk to the publisher and marketing team," she said.
"Thank you, Ri," Serena replied warmly.
Riri nodded, then turned to stare out the window, her mind seemingly far away, thinking about what to do next.
Between them, only silence filled the table for a long while.
---------
Autor note :
Sorry for the slow update, guys. I've been swamped with work."