Ai-chan Appears

Lin Ran didn't write for very long that night.

Early in the morning, he unusually didn't wait for the maid to come up and call him. He got out of bed, washed up quickly, admired his stunning appearance in the mirror for a while, and then went downstairs in a cheerful mood.

"Tsk, another day I woke up because I'm so handsome."

Now that we have a new little girl in the family, we need to make a good impression on her.

Well, yesterday's impression doesn't count.

As soon as Lin Ran got downstairs, she saw a "little bear".

That's right, it's our little Shiho. Since the procurement plan hasn't been implemented yet, she's still wearing that adorable bear onesie pajama with the hood up, revealing only her delicate, porcelain-doll-like face.

She was sitting on the sofa, holding a glass of milk in one hand and flipping through the newspapers and magazines that had been delivered that morning in the other. She seemed to be in a good mood.

"Oh, Young Master Ran, you're up?"

Akemi poked her head out from the kitchen.

Seeing Lin Ran already up, a hint of regret flashed across her bright face; she hadn't yet given him her morning kiss.

"I went to bed early last night, so I woke up. Good morning, Mingmei-nee."

Good morning, Young Master Ran.

Mingmei greeted them with a smile and continued preparing breakfast.

Lin Ran stretched and swayed over to Xiao Zhibao, sitting down very naturally. She picked up a newspaper, thinking that a good writer should read more books and newspapers to broaden his horizons in order to write good articles.

For this reason, Lin Ran subscribed to many newspapers and magazines. In the morning, the deliveryman would put them in the mailbox at the entrance of the villa. After he got up, he would flip through them. If he couldn't finish reading them, he would take them to school to continue reading.

Today's newspapers are all discussing his royalties.

To be more precise, the discussion revolves around the royalties from "Summer's End" and "The Devotion of Suspect X".

As a new writer, Lin Ran's royalties are 12%.

It's worth noting that in the Japanese book industry, the standard royalty rate for newcomers is usually 8%-10%, while established authors only receive 12%-15%. However, "Summer's End," who debuted at her peak, received the maximum royalty rate of 12% for a newcomer, which is extremely rare in the book industry.

All I can say is that "The Suspect" is an exceptionally well-written book.

The physical book of "The Suspect" is priced at 1600 yen per copy. After deducting 12% royalties and some taxes, Lin Ran can get about 170 yen per book.

As of now, one week ago, total sales in Japan alone have exceeded 58 copies, easily topping all weekly book sales charts and virtually securing the title of the year's best-selling book.

Lin Ran flipped through the newspaper, doing some mental calculations as she did so.

With 580,000 copies sold and a 12% royalty rate, not including taxes, I would receive approximately 98 million yen, nearly 100 million yen, which is about 5 million yuan in China.

This was in the 1990s, an era in China when even having 10,000 yuan was something to be publicized. He became a millionaire with just one book.

"Millions doesn't sound right, let's put it in Japanese yen instead."

Lin Ran thought to himself with a smug smile, "I'm a billionaire now, no longer that boy who used to get soaked in the rain."

Hey! That's awesome!

However, before he could gloat for long, Lin Ran suddenly remembered that the toys a certain young lady played with when she was a child were cultural relics worth billions of yuan. His smile instantly froze, and he silently withdrew it.

Young man, the road ahead is long and arduous...

Xiao Zhibao, standing to the side, sipped her milk, her eyes sweeping over the exaggerated headlines in the newspaper such as "Genius Writer Raises 100 Million" and "New Literary Star is Born," before glancing at the calm and collected Lin Ran beside her, and nodding to herself in approval.

Is this what a top-tier writer is like?

An ordinary person would probably be overjoyed to see themselves become a billionaire. Even if it were her, knowing that she had a hundred million, she would not be able to help but calculate how many bags she could buy. But Lin Ran's reaction was unusually calm and indifferent.

With this kind of mindset, it's no wonder he can write such popular works.

By a twist of fate, Lin Ran's image became even more lofty and radiant in Shiho Miyano's mind.

Congratulations!

A cool, clear voice rang in my ears.

Lin Ran turned around and met the little girl's gaze. The bear hat softened her usual aloofness and added a touch of gentleness.

"Huh? Congratulations on what?"

Congratulations on becoming a billionaire.

Xiao Zhibao pointed to the newspaper he had just put down.

Although she didn't know much about the literary world, she was well aware of how amazing it was to rake in nearly 100 million yen in royalties in a week; otherwise, newspapers and media wouldn't have publicized it so much.

"Thanks~" Lin Ran leaned back and slumped on the sofa. "But even as a billionaire, I could barely afford to pay off the mortgage on this villa before I was back to square one, back to the proletariat. All that hard work for half a year, and I'm back to square one overnight!"

Xiao Shiho: "..."

Listen to what you're saying, are you even speaking human language?

What does it mean to work hard for half a year just to afford a house? This is a villa in Mihana City. She and her sister have worked for the organization for so many years, and their combined wages probably wouldn't even be enough to cover the down payment.

Shiho Miyano picked up a fashion magazine and covered her small face.

Let's start rejecting Versailles.

……

"Young Master Ran, Shiho, breakfast is ready, come and eat."

The atmosphere at breakfast was much better than last night.

Mingmei finally remembered that she had a younger sister. In order to make up for the regret of not taking good care of her sister in the past, she kept feeding her sister throughout breakfast, turning on her sister-doting maniac mode.

"Shiho, you're too thin, eat more."

"Here, try this fried egg. It's a soft-boiled egg that your sister made especially for you."

"This bacon smells delicious too, ah—"

Faced with her older sister's feeding play, Shiho, a seasoned sister-complex, was actually a little happy, but only if there wasn't that onlooker with arms crossed and a "wow, the sisters' love is so sweet" look on their face!

She's not a real child.

"Sister, I can eat by myself."

She tried to preserve her last shred of dignity.

Akemi immediately switched to a wronged mode: "Does Shiho complain that her older sister's food isn't tasty enough?"

Xiao Shiho: "..."

Completely defeated.

In short, with precise control, the aloof young woman is utterly powerless against her natural nemesis, her older sister.

Lin Ran watched this heartwarming scene of "one willing to give and the other willing to receive," and the corners of her mouth never left her lips. She said, "By the way, someone in charge of processing your identities will be coming to your door this morning. You should get ready and think of your new names while you're at it."

"Yes, young master." Mingmei nodded immediately.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shiho Miyano broke free from her sister's control. After thinking for a while, she said, "Then let's call her... Ai Haibara."

As expected.

Ai ultimately chose the name that was destined for her.