Chapter 18

"Who said Liu Jingtong and Gu Yongsheng have nothing to do with each other? They are clearly the same person."

Zhou Daoran leaned back against the black swivel chair, a look of disbelief on his face as he looked at the girl in front of him and said, "This is the author's own intention, and he is very firm about it."

Mihu could only reluctantly relay the message, "What are the reasons?"

"He gave three reasons. The first two roughly mean that he believes the author should maintain a sense of mystery and focus on the story. He uses his real name to write fairy tales because the readers of fairy tales are all children who only pay attention to the story and have no interest in the person who created it. But wuxia is different."

"So what?" Zhou Daoran adjusted his posture and asked.

"His point is that he doesn't want to mislead readers. Those who read fairy tales shouldn't transfer their affection to wuxia, and those who read wuxia don't need to pay attention to his fairy tales because of him," Mihu paused and continued, "Based on my understanding of him, he wants to attract readers solely through the story itself. This is what you call the reverse selection of readers by the text."

Zhou Daoran snorted lightly and said, "Do you know how popular his fairy tale is now?"

Mihu nodded and said, "I have a general idea. Many of my relatives and friends' children are reading it, and they even asked me to find someone to get the next story."

"Editor Yao told me that many company executives and even government officials have called her, specifically asking for the continuation of 'Shuke and Beta.' Conservatively estimated, that single issue of the magazine could sell 1.5 million copies. 1.5 million, do you understand what that means? Our 'Great Wuxia' magazine, at its peak, only sold close to a million per issue. Even the arrogant 'Ding Xiaoshuo' only sold 1.3 million at its highest. Not taking advantage of this kind of popularity would make people think I'm crazy."

Mihu was about to mention Liu Jingtong's third reason, but Editor-in-Chief Zhou waved his hand to stop her and gave a direct order, "You are responsible for persuading him. Analyze the situation with him, use data and facts to make him yield. We are choosing to launch his work on Children's Day, which is a direct challenge to Xue Muliang. Without the popularity of 'Shuke and Beta,' what are our chances of winning?"

Mihu said with little confidence, "I will do my best, but please allow me to be pessimistic about the result. That guy usually smiles and seems indifferent to everything, but once it involves principles, he becomes a stubborn rock."

"It seems you know him well. That's good, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle," Zhou Daoran said in a relaxed tone, but his words were not to be questioned.

Mihu pursed her lips and left the editor-in-chief's office.

...

"Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle. This time, we lost because we didn't know our enemy," Xue Muliang, the current master of youth literature and best-selling king, was in a meeting. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and he had a determined expression, exuding the air of a young and capable CEO. "Children's literature is our weak point, or more accurately, our blind spot. After this incident, I don't know what you think."

"Our target audience is middle school students aged 14 to 20. We have always maintained an absolute advantage in this market. This failure..."

"Failure?" Xue Muliang raised an eyebrow and interrupted, "Director Chen, you need to be careful with your words. My company does not have the word 'failure.'"

"Yes, Mr. Xue, I misspoke," the speaker, Chen Yin, the executive editor of 'Ding Xiaoshuo,' said. He and Wu Man were the earliest followers of Xue Muliang, his left and right hands. "This incident was caused by the sudden rise of a fairy tale, so I think the proposal we discussed in March can now be put on the agenda."

Xue Muliang nodded, looking around at everyone present, and said, "The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the Children's Day special issue on June 1st and the launch of 'Ding Xiaoshuo's' sub-magazine 'After Class.' Since this is a significant decision for the company, we have invited Shen You, Adam, Luo An, and Beihetang to advise."

These four were all popular writers who could stand on their own, and together with Xue Muliang, they could drive thousands of young readers into a frenzy.

"'After Class' is aimed at readers under 14 years old, with the goal of 'Every child who can read has a copy of 'After Class,'" Wu Man said slowly. "So the magazine's style will be light and cute, with simple and interesting illustrations and content."

"In other words, colorful. We are entering the children's market, but we will also maintain our own taste. I looked at the cover and illustration design of 'Children's Literature,' and I had no desire to read it. It's too rustic," Xue Muliang said somewhat arrogantly.

The faces of the four authors and some editors subtly changed. The first children's book they read as children was mostly 'Children's Literature,' and for many of them, their eventual careers in writing were closely tied to that 'rustic magazine.'

Xue Muliang noticed and paused, saying, "I know that novel carries the memories of many people's childhoods, including mine. I also know that the magazine has published some famous authors, but I hope everyone understands a principle: we are now magazine people. Since we have entered this industry, we should bring some changes to it and change the industry's rules because of us."

As Xue Muliang spoke, he subtly observed everyone's reactions. Seeing their expressions improve, he changed the subject, "We can't think that steamed buns are better than bread just because we have eaten steamed buns before. Similarly, since we are doing magazines, we should aim to be the best in the industry."

This kind of statement from Xue Muliang was not new. Even the security guard at the door might know that Xue Muliang had the ambition to be a disruptor in the industry. How much more so for these executives?

Of course, emphasizing the company's philosophy was not particularly significant for the four authors. They were here today because of the next topic—Children's Day special issue.

It seemed to be a new trend that Children's Day was no longer just a holiday for children. College students and even company employees were starting to half-jokingly wish each other a happy Children's Day.

The so-called Children's Day special issue was not about making a special issue for children but about extracting the innocence and sincerity of children, packaging it, and then selling it.

For example, pure first love, for example, unforgettable memories...

"Besides the start of Mr. Xue's 'Sad Forest' in the Children's Day issue, Luo An, Shen You, and Adam will all have special articles, making it an all-star lineup," Chen Yin looked up from his notebook, his expression excited as he looked around the room. "Additionally, we will launch a special issue called 'Ding Fantasy,' which will be fully managed by Beihetang."

Beihetang was famous for his fantasy works, and his representative work, 'Fengyi,' still had a large following. He became famous through 'Great Wuxia,' and entrusting this special issue to him was a move with deep meaning.

"This special issue will run for half a year or longer, mainly to build a reputation and test the market. It will then become an independent magazine," Xue Muliang explained, looking at Luo An and Shen You. "By the end of this year, I have two more projects to announce. The details are still being refined, and I will discuss them in detail with everyone after the annual meeting."

"Okay, then I will talk about the Children's Day plans of other magazines, starting with 'Great Wuxia,'" Wu Man glanced at Beihetang and continued, "'Great Wuxia' will continue to promote the wuxia writer 'Gu Yongsheng,' claiming him to be the pioneer of new wuxia."

At this, Beihetang and Xue Muliang both showed a hint of disdain. Beihetang sneered and added, "There was a lot of noise recently about Gu Yongsheng being a middle school student and possibly the author of 'Shuke and Beta,' but it has been debunked."

"That's easy to verify. We just need to see if they use the fairy tale to hype up the so-called new wuxia when it is published."

"Based on my understanding of Zhou Daoran, if it is indeed the same person, he will definitely make a big deal out of it," Beihetang analyzed.

"Let him do what he wants," Xue Muliang said calmly. "Now, 'Great Wuxia' has no right to be mentioned in the same breath as us. Even if it is the same person, a fairy tale writer writing wuxia, I want to see how they explain it."

"The writing style and tone are completely different. I can confidently say they are not from the same person," Shen You and Luo An agreed.

Xue Muliang said, "The only magazine that could have some impact on us during Children's Day is the upstart 'Children's Literature,' but I don't believe this popularity will last long. Children's attention spans are short. What can two mice do?"

These words showed that he had moved on from the recent setback. His confidence was not surprising because this time, his new book would be the main attraction.

...

"The Children's Day special issue of 'Ding Xiaoshuo' will be led by Xue Muliang's latest novel. In other words, we are using 'Seven Swords' to directly challenge Xue Muliang's 'Sad Forest.' This is a war without gunpowder."

Mihu was trying to persuade Liu Jingtong, but her expression looked more like she was mechanically completing a task.

"War," Liu Jingtong laughed, "You make the warm and loving Children's Day sound so bloody."

"I have no choice. I need to use facts to persuade you," Mihu shrugged.

"Xiaomi, have you seriously thought about the underlying factors behind the resurgence of Children's Day?"

"Of course, it's the merchants pushing it. What did you call me? Are you getting too bold?"

Before Mihu could get angry, Liu Jingtong immediately said seriously, "That's just one reason. There's a view in the literary world that when humanity collectively reminisces about childhood, a great work will inevitably emerge."

Mihu rolled her eyes and said, "You can keep your self-indulgent fantasies. Give me ten chapters of the manuscript."

Liu Jingtong shook his head and said with a smile, "Not in a hurry. If your editor-in-chief insists on his stubbornness, we will only be friends, not partners anymore."