Chapter 14

"Your mother specially came to the school to ask for leave for you, to take you to meet a very important person," Mother Liu said mysteriously.

"Is it Editor Yao from *Children's Literature*?" Liu Jingtong immediately guessed.

"This child..."

Mother and son sat in the car heading to the city center. Mother Liu was in a good mood, dressed very appropriately. She turned to look at her son, reached out to straighten his collar, and reminded him, "When you meet Editor Yao, don't talk randomly. She is a very busy person and it's rare for her to come out."

"I will listen to Mom," Liu Jingtong replied earnestly.

"*Children's Literature* is a big magazine. I read it when I was a child. The last time Editor Yao called to request a manuscript, I took the initiative to agree for you, all for your good."

"I know, by the way, Mom, I was thinking, what if I just review at home and don't go to school anymore? What do you think?"

"You wish."

"..."

Editor Yao had booked a table at a Chinese restaurant called Yan Tower, with red tiles and flying eaves, the architecture and decoration style exuding an ancient charm. Liu Jingtong had seen Editor Yao in magazines before, finding her to be a kind and approachable mentor. Today, upon meeting her in person, he noticed some subtle differences; the real Editor Yao had a decisive and efficient demeanor.

The two adults greeted each other warmly. Mother Liu complimented Editor Yao for looking younger than in her photos, while Editor Yao praised Mother Liu for her excellent parenting. The atmosphere was harmonious.

"To be honest, my office is still piled with a stack of letters from parents, all urging for your son's manuscript. Kids love it, and there's nothing the adults can do about it."

"As parents, we all do that. Jingtong liked reading books when he was young, and he still has that habit. He has basically read all the books on his father's bookshelf."

"That's true. Nowadays, parents are gradually realizing the importance of reading for children. From my observations, forming good reading habits can benefit a child for life. Your son's ability to write stories that captivate children, like *Shuke and Beta*, is closely related to his love for reading."

Mother Liu modestly replied, "He has a talent for writing, which my husband and I only recently discovered. He once won second place in a school essay competition, but his scores for Chinese essays in exams are usually not high."

Editor Yao smiled and said, "Exam essays and writing ability are not necessarily related. Many great writers didn't write good essays when they were in school."

Liu Jingtong listened attentively with innocent eyes, but in his heart, he was thinking, "Should we get to the point now?"

"We don't understand much about this, but since he likes writing, my husband and I will support him."

Editor Yao nodded and then got to the point, "The reason I invited you both out today is to seek your advice on parenting and to confirm the contract issue. To be frank, after *Shuke and Beta* was published, many magazines and publishers want to work with Jingtong. However, as you may know, *Children's Literature* has produced many great writers. Jingtong has potential, and our magazine wants to nurture him."

Mother Liu nodded happily and said, "We are also familiar with *Children's Literature*. It would be an honor for him to be nurtured by the magazine."

Liu Jingtong nodded in agreement, looking youthful and radiant.

"Alright, let's sign the contract first, and then we can have dinner."

Liu Jingtong suddenly spoke up, "Teacher Yao, I have something I need to tell you in advance to avoid causing you trouble later."

"Go ahead," Editor Yao smiled at Liu Jingtong.

"I can only sign the contract for *Shuke and Beta* with you, not for myself, because I also want to write martial arts novels, which are not suitable for your magazine, so..."

"Martial arts?" Editor Yao was slightly taken aback and looked at Mother Liu, who also looked puzzled.

Liu Jingtong nodded and said, "I have always loved martial arts stories and enjoy writing them. I submitted a manuscript to *Great Jianghu* and it was accepted. I wanted to surprise my parents, but now that I'm signing with you, I feel I should be clear about it."

"Have they signed a contract with you?"

Liu Jingtong was noncommittal and said, "I told their editor that I would only collaborate on martial arts novels, signing the book, not myself."

Mother Liu, who was completely unaware, looked at Editor Yao nervously. Editor Yao frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "If we can't sign you personally, we will need to sign a special contract, a dedicated fairy tale contract."

Liu Jingtong nodded and said, "That's fine. I plan to write *Shuke and Beta* to over a million words, which should last until I go to university."

Typically, personal contracts are for three years. Since he indicated that this book could be serialized for three years, there was no real difference between signing him personally and signing the book. Liu Jingtong's casual remark was actually a reminder to Editor Yao.

Editor Yao, being experienced, quickly understood Liu Jingtong's intention. Such a contract would save *Children's Literature* money, while giving Liu Jingtong more freedom.

Thinking about this, Editor Yao re-evaluated Liu Jingtong, marveling at his intelligence. The subtle hint showed his wisdom, and the requirement to sign the book but not himself showed his confidence. More impressively, he was willing to be honest, which earned her respect.

In fact, Liu Jingtong could have signed a more lucrative contract with *Children's Literature* and still continued to work with *Great Jianghu*. Since he was a minor, he could easily solve this by signing the two contracts under his parents' names. Moreover, the styles of martial arts and fairy tales were so different that even if he submitted martial arts stories to *Children's Literature*, they would likely not pass the review. He could publish them elsewhere without violating the contract.

One should treat others with integrity. Editor Yao said seriously, "Let's sign the contract for *Shuke and Beta* first. I will adjust the details. Let's enjoy our meal today."

Liu Jingtong smiled and said, "I will not let you down, Teacher Yao. Also, if the parents are really pressing, I suggest changing the magazine to a bi-weekly publication or releasing a small magazine as a supplement. I can guarantee six chapters per month."

"Ha ha, Liu Jingtong, you have given me many surprises today. I sincerely hope to have more cooperation with you in the future."

Liu Jingtong smiled and nodded modestly, and the cooperation was thus settled. Mother Liu's expression changed several times, but she finally sighed in relief.

...

The next day, Liu Jingtong had to go to school. The idea of studying and getting into university was deeply ingrained in everyone's mind, considered the most orthodox path to success.

Liu Jingtong felt a bit depressed. At Yan Tower, he had answered Editor Yao's questions maturely and shrewdly, and had earned the family three ten thousand yuan, equivalent to his parents' half-year salary. With such a stellar performance, he confidently proposed not going to school, but his mother firmly rejected the idea.

Additionally, shortly after arriving at school, a small incident occurred. The homeroom teacher for the first year called him out during morning reading and politely requested that he tell him the next three chapters of *Shuke and Beta* so he could share them with his son.

Liu Jingtong was naturally very conflicted. This involved a confidentiality agreement, and any leak could lead to legal trouble. So he had to politely refuse, telling the teacher that he had suggested to *Children's Literature* to release a bi-weekly publication, and the next three chapters would be released in early May, followed by three more at the end of May, and so on.

The teacher understood the difficulty and did not insist, saying thanks and letting Liu Jingtong return to the classroom.

As Liu Jingtong walked a few steps, a scene suddenly came to his mind: a young teacher father trying to appear all-knowing in front of his son, attempting to set an image of a wise and powerful hero, but suddenly at a loss when his son asked about two mice.

This scene was truly heart-wrenching, so Liu Jingtong turned to the young teacher and said, "Beta will soon meet Shuke. The two mice will fight, but they will eventually become good friends and go on adventures together."

The young teacher's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "I thought so too, afraid of saying the wrong thing and being laughed at by my son. Ha ha, thank you, Liu Jingtong. I'll treat you to a meal another day."

On that April day, Liu Jingtong stood outside the classroom, seeing a happy father, and felt that what he was doing was meaningful.

After the morning reading class, Liu Jingtong was about to go to the cafeteria for lunch when several classmates suddenly surrounded him, asking about the next chapters of *Shuke and Beta*. These junior high school students naturally had little time to read the story, but if they knew the plot in advance, they would have a lot of face in front of their younger siblings.

Liu Jingtong, helpless, said he was still thinking about the story. Immediately, a few of them proposed their own ideas. Liu Jingtong smiled and responded, quickly escaping. As he left the classroom, he saw Mi Hu smiling at him from under the flagpole. The classmates who followed him out wanted to continue discussing, but seeing that he had a date with a beautiful girl, they could only envy and walk away, grumbling in their hearts about how lucky this kid was to have a beautiful older sister.

The beautiful older sister, Mi Hu, took out a white box from her backpack and handed it to Liu Jingtong, saying, "Here's a work phone for you, for easy contact in the future."

Liu Jingtong took the phone and said thanks.

"Also, here's the first batch of royalties for *Dragon Tiger Battle in Jinghua*, two thousand two hundred yuan."

"I'll keep the phone, but you keep the royalties for now. I'll call you when I need money."

"That's not acceptable..."

Liu Jingtong interrupted, "If you don't keep it, I won't take your phone."

Mi Hu, helpless, said, "Alright, I'll keep the money for you, but this is a one-time thing."

"We'll see. Maybe I'll need you to manage my royalties in the future," Liu Jingtong said casually, making Mi Hu's face turn red, then even redder.

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