Chapter 7

With money in his pocket, Wu Cheng's courage grew. Yesterday, Zhao Yazhi had returned his ID card to him. After being cooped up in the room for over ten days, he had only gone out in the morning to run. Otherwise, he had not ventured out at all, living a life much like his previous one. So, after finishing a ten-thousand-word manuscript today, he left a note and prepared to go out for a good stroll.

As soon as he stepped out of the residential area, Wu Cheng was being watched. A few thugs followed him, looking for an opportunity to kidnap him, but they found that Wu Cheng had hailed a taxi and left.

"Brother Xing, what do we do?"

"Follow him. The client wants us to kidnap him and dump him in Kowloon Walled City, letting him fend for himself. A thousand bucks for dealing with a little brat, easy money, right!"

"Following Brother Xing is definitely the right choice!"

"Yeah! Brother Xing, after this job, let's join Sunji! Always doing small jobs like this is no fun. What do you think, Brother Xing?"

"Sure, let's talk about it after this job! Come on, I'll take you to Da Fu Hao tonight..."

"Long live Brother Xing!"

...

Wu Cheng had never been to the Urban Entertainment News office before. Usually, he submitted his manuscripts, and the Urban Entertainment News staff would come to collect them. In the past few days, "Hui Ming" had started its serialization.

However, the sales of the Urban Entertainment News had not changed much. At most, it increased by a hundred copies a day, far from the expected explosive growth.

Getting off at a crowded place, Wu Cheng quietly listened to the conversations around him but did not hear anyone talking about "Hui Ming." He wondered if it was too advanced for the audience or if there was some other reason. This made him somewhat disappointed.

Arriving at the Urban Entertainment News office in Mong Kok, Wu Cheng composed himself and walked in with a smile, but he was stopped by the receptionist at the front desk. "Hey, kid, who are you looking for? This isn't a place for you to play!"

Wu Cheng reached up to brush his hair, looking confident. He smiled and put his index finger to his lips, whispering, "Beautiful sister, I'm a relative of your boss, Wu Shulan. Don't tell her! I want to surprise her... Oh, and how do I get to her office?"

The receptionist, seeing that Wu Cheng, though dressed simply, had an unusual aura, believed he was a relative of Wu Shulan. She nodded and quietly pointed to the office at the back.

Wu Cheng smiled, winked at her, and waved, then walked in with a casual air.

The employees inside the company were surprised by Wu Cheng's confident demeanor, but seeing the receptionist waving at them, they pretended not to notice.

When he reached the office door, he was stopped by another woman. Using the same trick, he convinced Wu Shulan's secretary and knocked on the office door.

Knock, knock, knock...

"Come in!"

The door opened, and Wu Cheng walked in. Wu Shulan was bent over her desk, not looking up, writing with her pen and said, "What is it? Wait a moment, I'll be done soon!"

Wu Cheng started pacing around the office until he heard a voice behind him.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

Wu Cheng turned around, smiled at her, and sat down on the sofa by the rest area, saying, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Wu Cheng, the author of 'Hui Ming'!"

"You? The author of 'Hui Ming'? Ha ha, are you joking with me?" Wu Shulan laughed at first but quickly changed her expression, more dramatic than a movie, "Who are you really? If you don't say, I'll call security. At your age, you should be learning good behavior, not making big claims."

"I knew you wouldn't believe me!" Wu Cheng shook his head and said, "Do you remember the additional clause in the contract? I asked Sister Zhi to add it. She wouldn't have done it on her own."

"Is it really you?" Wu Shulan frowned, finding it hard to believe, then shook her head and said, "Even if it is you! Didn't you already submit today's manuscript?"

"I came here today for two reasons!" Wu Cheng said, patting the sofa beside him, "Come sit down! It's tiring to talk with my neck craned."

Wu Shulan found it hard to believe but laughed and shook her head, thinking she was overthinking it. She still sat down, curious to see what this little brat wanted.

After Wu Shulan sat down, Wu Cheng formally introduced himself, "Let me introduce myself again. I'm Wu Cheng, originally Wu Zhicheng. My father is Wu Mingzhong, my grandfather is Wu Kaicheng, and my great-grandfather is Wu Zhenghua... I have an uncle named Wu Mingquan, who came to Hong Kong with his family over twenty years ago. He has three sons and married a concubine after coming to Hong Kong, having a daughter. His eldest son is Wu Zhiliang..."

"Stop! How do you prove you are Wu Mingzhong's son?"

Wu Cheng shook his head and said, "I can't! So, you admit it?"

Wu Shulan frowned and then shook her head, "I find it strange. If you are really the author of 'Hui Ming,' with your talent at such a young age, you don't need to claim kinship with us! Why did you investigate our family so thoroughly?"

"Don't be in a hurry! I came to claim kinship, but it doesn't mean I'm here to seek favor. Tell me about your family first, their names, and so on. If it doesn't match what I know, I won't recognize it." Wu Cheng raised his index finger and shook it, looking cocky.

Seeing Wu Cheng's cocky attitude, Wu Shulan found it somewhat amusing but still said, "My father is Wu Zhiliang, my second uncle is Wu Zhichen, my third aunt is Wu Zhimei, my fourth uncle is Wu Zhijing... My elder brother is Wu Shuwen, and my second cousin is Wu Shuwu..."

Wu Cheng nodded, and when Wu Shulan stopped, he said with a hint of sadness, "In March this year, my grandfather passed away. My father brought me to seek help from our uncle here, but we couldn't contact my elder uncle, so we had to sneak in. We encountered a storm at sea, and my father also passed away. Now, only I am left from our branch of the family."

Sighing, Wu Cheng continued, "Don't worry, I'm not here to seek favor. You know I don't need to. I came to confirm and to let you know about our branch of the family, so your elder uncle won't worry. Also..."

Wu Cheng turned to look at the office and smiled, "Also, I want to give you some advice on running a newspaper. How about it? Interested in hearing my thoughts?"

Wu Shulan frowned slightly, but in truth, she had already believed Wu Cheng when he mentioned his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

However, she couldn't understand how this guy could be only twelve years old.

In her memory, Wu Cheng should be twelve this year. A few years ago, her grandfather still had contact with the mainland. But a disaster no one expected had occurred, so the old man cut off contact, planning to reconnect after the disaster passed.

She didn't expect that they would come looking for them. But...

Thinking about how mature this boy had become, she felt a bit heartbroken. Life without parents must have been tough. Poor kid, still putting on a show in front of me.

Seeing his cocky attitude, Wu Shulan sighed, sat down next to him, and pulled him into her arms, saying sadly, "Alright, don't put on a show in front of me. If you want to cry, just cry out loud! No one will bully you anymore, you have family here!"

Wu Cheng's lips twitched, thinking, "This isn't how the script goes!"

"Little niece, don't do this!" Wu Cheng gently pushed her away.

Little... little niece!?

Wu Shulan's eyebrows and lips twitched involuntarily, suddenly realizing that she was indeed his niece! This little guy, really... she wanted to strangle him!

"Alright! Though I haven't confirmed it with my grandfather, since you can recite our family tree at such a young age, I'll recognize you as my little uncle."

Wu Shulan smiled and then said seriously, "So, little uncle, you can share your thoughts on running a newspaper. I want to see what you have to offer!"

Wu Cheng didn't hesitate, picked up the newspaper on the coffee table, and shook it, saying, "First, your newspaper's layout is a mess, with no clear distinction between main and secondary content, and it lacks the ability to grab the reader's attention instantly. Second, the theme is unclear, and the content is bland, lacking the desire to make people want to buy it. Third, it lacks entertainment value, or rather, has no entertainment value at all. With these three points, it's a wonder the newspaper has any sales at all!"

"Looks like little uncle has some knowledge of running a newspaper!" Wu Shulan smiled. Though she didn't show it, she was somewhat impressed.

With this insight, it's no wonder he could write a novel like "Hui Ming" at such a young age. Though the writing style of "Hui Ming" is somewhat colloquial, it excels in storytelling and historical depth.

At such a young age, to have such clear logic, is quite remarkable.

Wu Cheng, hearing this, was secretly surprised. After all, he had never worked in a newspaper before. His ability to point out these issues was simply because he noticed the significant differences between newspapers of this era and those of the future. The biggest difference was the lack of a "lead" section in newspapers of this era.

"Cough, I wouldn't say I have expertise, just some thoughts!" Wu Cheng smiled and continued, "To increase the sales of the Urban Entertainment News, you need to revamp the layout. First, fix the messy layout. Second, have a clear theme and enhance entertainment value. Third, add a 'lead' section on the front page."

"Lead? What do you mean?"

"Simply put, a lead is like a book's table of contents, allowing readers to quickly find the content they are interested in. You can make the lead section's font larger, bolder, and even add colors to make it more eye-catching."

"Um, not bad! Makes sense! Little uncle, continue!"

Wu Shulan's excitement grew.