Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

"Comics, sample copy!" On Monday, after morning reading ended, Zhang Yiyi pulled a comic book as thick as a pinky finger from her backpack and handed it to Xu Qingfan. "Oh? You have the sample so soon?" Xu Qingfan exclaimed as he accepted the comic book. "How is it, how is it? Yiyi and I looked at it yesterday, and if Brother Qing Fan also thinks it's fine, Aunt Zhang can arrange for the printing!" Lin Wanning leaned in with a beaming smile. "Let me have a look!" Xu Qingfan gently ran his fingers over the book's cover where the name of the comic and the pseudonym had raised, glossy lettering. Since many of the jokes in the book were set in everyday life, Xu Qingfan had named the comic "Hilarious Daily." Naturally, he didn't choose the pseudonym Lin Wanning had previously suggested—Wan Ningyi Fan. Instead, Xu Qingfan suggested the name "Deeply in Love." After the two searched the dictionary and learned the meaning of the idiom, they happily agreed. The quality of the paper used for the hardcopy was also very good—tough and smooth, making a crisp rustling sound when flipped. [How much does it cost to print one copy of this comic?] Xu Qingfan felt a bit uncertain. Of course, Xu Qingfan didn't know that to support their little comic venture, Zhang Chunxue had furiously thrown in three hundred thousand yuan to the publishing house for printing and distribution. Including the promotional fees, the publishing house printed a hundred thousand copies of "Hilarious Daily" in one go. With the eight yuan retail price recommended by the publishing house, even if all one hundred thousand books sold out, the three hundred thousand would just barely cover the cost. After all, the profits had to be split across various channels, and once the production costs were deducted, the three kids would only earn a little over three yuan per book sold. After taxes, it indeed wasn't enough to pay back the three hundred thousand Zhang Chunxue had fronted. But within that three hundred thousand was almost a hundred thousand yuan for channel promotion. If the warm-up was successful, by the time the second batch of comics was printed and introduced to the market, the shortfall would quickly be filled. "I think it's great!" Xu Qingfan said after reading the whole comic, giving it high praise. "Hehe, Ningning thinks so too, so we can go back and tell Aunt Zhang this afternoon!" Lin Wanning's excited expression was impossible to hide. "Brother Qing Fan, hurry up and sign it too. The first book we want to give to Aunt Zhang!" "Sign it, on the title page!" Zhang Yiyi helped him flip the cover to the first page. Not knowing when, Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning had already left their signatures there. Yiyi wrote her regular pseudonym "Deeply in Love," while Wanning's read "One Night Deeply in Love*(^o^)/*," followed by a cute symbol smiley face. Seeing the smiley face, Xu Qingfan couldn't help but smile and took up the pen to write "Deeply Qing Fan" in the blank space. "All done, Yiyi, please thank your mom for us!" Xu Qingfan handed the comic book back to Zhang Yiyi. "Okay!" The little girl nodded cutely. Chen Qiuyue, who'd been watching the entire scene like an onlooker munching on watermelon seeds, felt envious. In fact, Lin Wanning had asked her if she wanted to draw comics together, but always slacking off during elective art classes, she didn't have confidence in her own drawing skills and had decisively refused. [Why can't I do anything well...] The little girl fell into a pit of self-pity. "Brother Qing Fan, do you think no one will buy our comics?" Lin Wanning began to worry after her excitement subsided. "How could no one buy them? Our comics are drawn so well, they're bound to be a hit!" Xu Qingfan flicked the little girl's forehead and teased. "Mom said, the publishing house thinks they will sell!" Zhang Yiyi also chimed in from the side. "Yes! They will definitely be a big hit!" Lin Wanning clenched her fist with conviction. "Once we make money, Ningning is going to buy lots and lots of strawberry cakes and treat everyone every day! I'll buy a bedroom full of stuffed animals and sleep on a twenty-layer mattress like the Princess and the Pea, and also... also... Oh? Brother Qing Fan, someone is looking for you!" Lin Wanning suddenly looked out the window, Xu Qingfan, Zhang Yiyi, and Xia Xiaoxiao behind them, who was pretending to read a book but actually eavesdropping, all turned their heads in unison. Wu Lingyu had appeared in the corridor outside the classroom at some point and, wanting to call Xu Qingfan out but too scared to do so, her hesitant expression froze on her face. The bell for class was about to ring, and she looked very anxious. "What's up?" Xu Qingfan stood up and leaned against the window, communicating with her over the half-wall that separated them. "This... this is for you!" Feeling the gaze of so many, Wu Lingyu nervously handed the plastic bag she was holding to Xu Qingfan. "Why did you make this for me again?" Xu Qingfan received it with surprise. "Mom said... said that the kebabs didn't cost a hundred bucks, thank you guys!" Wu Lingyu bowed slightly and then turned to run. Xu Qingfan grabbed the girl's hand before she could withdraw it and pulled her back, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Wait for me in the classroom at noon, we'll have lunch together!" Wu Lingyu's heart was pounding wildly as she nervously looked only at the emblem on Xu Qingfan's school uniform. "No... there's no need, I..." Wu Lingyu wanted to say something else, but Xu Qingfan interrupted her, "That's settled then. If you dare not wait for me, I'll never go to your house for kebabs again!" Xu Qingfan let go of her hand and patted the young girl's head gently. Wu Lingyu stopped herself from speaking for a bit before saying, "Oh... I'll wait for you then... just don't stop coming for kebabs!" The girl said this with her head down and then turned and ran off nervously. After Wu Lingyu left, the three girls looked at Xu Qingfan with puzzled eyes. "Brother Qingfan, are you going to eat lunch with Wu Lingyu at noon?" Lin Wanning asked with wide eyes. "Not just me, it's us!" Xu Qingfan said, tapping the young girl on the head. "Brother Fan is hitting people again!" Lin Wanning covered the spot where she had just been hit, looking aggrieved. "Alright, alright, it's like this..." Xu Qingfan said with a smile, rubbing Lin Wanning's head as he explained to them what had happened when he and Xiaoxiao had gone for kebabs over the weekend. After hearing the story, Lin Wanning was outraged, "How could the landlord do that! Isn't that a scam?" "Exactly, should our 'Deeply in Love' squad stand up for justice or not?" Xu Qingfan asked. "Definitely! They should shut down just like that bad kindergarten did!" Lin Wanning said, clenching her little fists. "I'm coming for lunch too!" Xia Xiaoxiao, who had been sitting at the back secretly listening, suddenly pushed Xu Qingfan's shoulder and spoke up. "Yeah, let's all go together." He turned to pinch the girl's cheek, but Xiaoxiao was prepared and used the Chinese language textbook on her desk to block Xu Qingfan's mischievous hand. "Brother Fan, why didn't you call Ningning and Yiyi for kebabs last week?" Suddenly, Lin Wanning asked. "Er... that... let's eat the braised duck necks made by Wu Lingyu's mom!" As soon as she heard there was food, Lin Wanning immediately gave up on her question, "Yay, duck necks!" Observing the small interaction between the two, Zhang Yiyi's face lit up with a radiant smile. (PS: My collection count hasn't been growing much lately, did I mess up somewhere. o(╥﹏╥)o)