Chapter 37

The competition for the sales of June's magazines has come to an end, with "Children's Literature" securing the well-deserved first place with an unshakable stance. Due to its significant lead, by mid-June, other magazines had already excluded "Children's Literature" from the competition.

This is a common phenomenon; people tend to automatically ignore those who are far out of reach. For example, we would never envy Bill Gates' wealth, but we might feel indignant if a friend or neighbor suddenly becomes wealthy.

"Feng Fiction" faced intense competition from "Yuan Shang Cao" and "Da Jianghu," and this sense of indignation was particularly genuine, especially for the latter, which was already in decline.

"Gu Yongsheng," Xue Muliang adjusted his posture, thought for a moment, and said, "I checked the data on his book 'Dragon Tiger Battle in Jinghua.' It's around 200,000 copies, which is roughly the level of a second or third-tier author in our company."

Mo Zhiyu looked at Xue Muliang intently and said, "Xiaoliang, that's not what you really think. Are you upset?"

Xue Muliang subconsciously avoided Mo Zhiyu's gaze and said, "I can't hide it from you, Mo-ge, I am a bit frustrated."

Mo Zhiyu smiled and nodded, "Is it because of that confession post or 'Da Jianghu'?"

"Both."

"Okay, how did you handle the post?"

"Silenced it."

"This won't be hidden from Lu Yichou, that fox," Cui Zong interjected, "But given his self-proclaimed high moral standards, he probably won't investigate. Silencing it is a good approach, avoiding too much entanglement with these unknown figures."

Xue Muliang nodded seriously.

"Also, we need to pay attention to this Gu Yongsheng. He's not an ordinary person." Cui Zong smiled slightly, perhaps recalling that strange response, and continued, "If possible, try to bring him over."

Mo Zhiyu quickly said, "The most important thing I want to discuss today is this. I have a rough plan, and I want your input."

Cui Song and Xue Muliang smiled in understanding; they knew all too well the tactics of this publishing industry's female strategist.

"First, let's talk about value. I've read both of Gu Yongsheng's works carefully. In short, they fully align with our criteria for signing authors: distinctive, well-written, profound, and full of potential. All four criteria are met."

"The key is the distinctiveness," Cui Zong added.

"Exactly. I won't talk about the first one, but let's focus on 'Seven Swords Descend from Tian Shan,' which is currently serialized in 'Da Jianghu.' Just the title alone piques one's curiosity, poetic and evocative, with a sense of the vast and mysterious world of martial arts. It truly has its unique qualities."

"Even more impressive is the content," Cui Song added, "I browsed through it, and the author's writing is excellent."

"Mo-ge's plan is..."

Xue Muliang was the first to see this book among the three. With his discerning eye, he naturally understood its value. However, since the author was under Lu Yichou, he knew it was impossible to poach him, so he chose to ignore it, just like he ignored Han Shuo. Now that both big bosses were interested in poaching, Xue Muliang was naturally overjoyed and eager to participate.

Mo Zhiyu smiled enigmatically and said, "Since we are making a move, we need to make sure Qianhong lets go."

Cui Song said, "I'm afraid Lu Yichou won't let go so easily."

"So we'll help him let go. Cui Zong mentioned earlier that their 'Yuan Shang Cao' hasn't been approved for publication," Mo Zhiyu paused technically, sipped her tea, and said casually, "We'll give Lu Yichou a dilemma: will he choose the publication number for 'Yuan Shang Cao' or an unknown author?"

Cui Song nodded and smiled, while Xue Muliang gasped, knowing the dark implications behind this simple statement. He was secretly relieved that his initial choice was correct.

"Ancient people said that heroes use martial arts to defy the law. Although this concept no longer exists, as an entertaining martial arts novel, if it contains elements that distort history, promote violence, or glorify brute force, which disrupt harmony, we cannot turn a blind eye. After all, such books have a significant influence on middle school students, and seeing these stories of swordplay and fierce competition will certainly impact their values."

Mo Zhiyu finished this statement with deep meaning, and the three of them smiled at each other, each raising their teacups.

...

The true tour for Qianhong Company began the next day, with a cruise on the Li River, a group photo at Elephant Trunk Hill, a wish at the Great Banyan Tree, and an exploration of Butterfly Spring...

Perhaps because they usually spend too much time in front of computers, or perhaps the scenery inspired their creativity, these reclusive men and women chatted and laughed all the way, pointing out the landscape with high spirits. During the cruise on the Li River, the leaders even sang songs to the mountains.

Then, Han Shuo was unfortunately recognized by passengers on a passing cruise ship.

"That person with the sunglasses looks like Han Shuo."

"It must be Han Shuo, isn't that Lu Yichou next to him? Ah, it's Han Shuo!"

"Han Shuo!"

"Ram into them! No, go over to them!"

These shouts immediately caught the attention of other rafts and cruise ship tourists, causing a small commotion on the Li River and among the mountains.

Han Shuo took off his sunglasses, walked to the bow of the cruise ship, and greeted everyone, saying, "Everyone, pay attention to safety, don't ram into us! This is Plan Z, it's not time for that yet!"

The river erupted in laughter, and everyone took out their phones to take photos.

"Envious?" Mi Hu patted Liu Jingtong's shoulder and asked.

"Any answer would be inappropriate. If I say I'm not envious, you'll call me insincere. If I say I am, you'll call me vain. So, I'm both envious and not."

"Are you admitting you're both insincere and vain?"

Liu Jingtong shrugged and pointed to a misty mountain in the distance, saying, "What do you think of that mountain?"

"Heavenly paradise? No, a mysterious sect from a fantasy novel?"

Liu Jingtong smiled and said, "I think of a poem."

"Ha, pretending to be literary. Lu Zong said no literature today, only talk about the moon and the breeze—what poem?"

Liu Jingtong stood up, his left hand behind his back, his right hand extended, and said dreamily, "I find the green mountains handsome, and I believe the green mountains find me handsome too."

Mi Hu: "..."

A young author in his thirties laughed and said, "Xiao Gu's poem is well-revised, his narcissism has the charm of my younger self."

Similar "recognition" incidents occurred frequently during the trip, even the usually low-profile Yi Shui'an was recognized several times. At the Great Banyan Tree, Yi Shui'an was chatting with an editor when a reader quietly approached her, handed her a notebook, and said, "An An, sign for me, or I'll call out..."

Not far away, Lu Yichou was discussing his grand ambitions with several authors.

"The company will venture into film and television in the future, which is inevitable. We have the best writers and the most exciting stories, so we are willing to take on the responsibility of saving domestic films."

Lu Yichou looked refined, but his confident and composed demeanor, combined with occasional sharpness, was quite infectious.

...

At this time, on the playground of a middle school in Jianghai, a burly middle school student was giving a speech, but his topic was not about saving films or culture, but about fighting.

"You five take the steel pipes, the rest use bicycle chains. When he comes out of the school gate, block him and surround him."

The faces of the dozen middle school students were filled with eager anticipation. Bullying honest students was a daily occurrence for these troublemakers, but this time, they were going to beat up a teacher, which was a first.

In thousands of middle schools across the country, the conflicts between teachers and students have been ongoing. During school, teachers discipline students, and after graduation, students take revenge on teachers. This scene at the bridge is just one of many similar scenarios, known as the "wait until after school" culture.

The unfortunate teacher, who was always strict and harsh, was completely unaware as he pushed his bicycle out of the school. He never expected that as soon as he left the school gate, he would be surrounded by a group of young thugs, a sack placed over his head, and then he felt hard blows all over his body, hearing a chaotic and vulgar chorus of curses from the voices of young men in their voice-changing period.

No need to guess, it must be the new graduates who harbored resentment.

...

The next day, the incident of the teacher being beaten appeared in a small corner of the Jianghai Morning News. The dozen middle school students, who had no experience avoiding surveillance cameras, were quickly caught by the police station, and their parents were notified to come and pick them up with medical fees and fines.

This seemed like a very ordinary case of a group of teenagers beating someone up. People who read the news would at most condemn it, feel sad, and then move on to more eye-catching news.

However, one person who read the news did not skim over it but fell into deep thought. After a moment, a strange smile appeared on his face, and he picked up the phone.

This person was the manager of the Yellow River Literature Public Relations Department, Ge Pin. Last night, he received a secret mission from above, and after thinking all night, he had no clear ideas until he saw this ordinary news.

...

After three days of touring in Guilin, Qianhong Company began their return journey. On the plane back to Jianghai, Liu Jingtong and Mi Hu were debating the connection and differences between coincidences in literary works and real life.

Liu Jingtong pointed to a fashionably dressed girl in front of him and said, "If this were in a novel or TV drama, if I went up to that girl and started a conversation, according to the plot, we would definitely meet again by coincidence until we end up living happily ever after. But if I go up to her now, I might get beaten up by her or her boyfriend."

"How do you know she has a boyfriend?"

"Just an example. And look at the wristband on her wrist; it's a Lakers' Kobe decoration, probably given to her by her boyfriend."

Two hours and forty minutes later, the plane landed in Jianghai. Back in Jianghai, Lu Yichou treated everyone to another meal. Afterward, the authors said goodbye to the editors, promising to meet again next time.

When Lu Yichou and his employees returned to the company, the vice president, who had been left in charge, immediately reported two important pieces of news to Lu Yichou without giving him a moment to catch his breath:

The first was a serious warning from the authorities regarding the publication of "Yuan Shang Cao" as a magazine.

The second was that a graduate from a middle school in Jianghai, after reading Gu Yongsheng's martial arts novel, attempted to emulate the heroic deeds of the characters in the novel, and together with other companions, severely beat an excellent teacher.

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The page is now complete.