Chapter 41

A company facing two troublemakers, both at the center of controversy, is a rather thorny issue for any publishing company. However, astute publishing businessmen also understand that once this crisis is weathered, they will receive substantial rewards.

In this entertainment-dominated environment, being besieged and criticized is nothing to fear; what is truly terrifying is the lack of topics and attention. From a certain perspective, criticism represents attention and is itself a form of publicity. Moreover, such actions that incite hatred are particularly likely to trigger readers' rebellious psychology. Often, the more viciously the media criticizes, the more determinedly the readers support.

Another piece of good news is that due to the grand opening of the "Legendary Cup" writing contest, the focus of the media and netizens has inevitably shifted. This is a characteristic of the information age: no matter how sad or joyful an event, its shelf life is only a few days. Most importantly, despite the heated discussions, Gu Yongsheng has not made any statement. This time, he even spared the "hehe." Meanwhile, Qianhong Company, Gu Yongsheng's publisher, played the sympathy card, vaguely expressing their helplessness in the face of an irresistible force.

In this situation, the critical side decisively declared their victory, believing that Gu Yongsheng had been completely brought down and would never recover. However, true readers became genuinely worried because they detected a hint of danger from some highly suggestive statements. The idea that he would never recover was, of course, nonsense, but they had no idea when he would recover.

In the end, everyone just wanted to read books in peace. However, in the face of some powerful, machine-like forces, individual power seemed insignificant, and this minor request could not be fully satisfied.

They posted battle cries on forums and microblogs with a mix of sadness and anger, but these insignificant comments were quickly drowned out by the constant updates of the latest news.

At this point, the mainstream discourse had already shifted to the mountainous and sea-like writing contest. This contest carried the noble mission of spreading traditional culture and enriching people's spiritual lives. It aimed to select writing talents from the public in the fairest way possible, and it might even give some lopsided high school students the opportunity to attend prestigious universities. The prize money was also very high...

So everyone adjusted their posture and enthusiastically entered the next topic.

For Qianhong, the easing of public pressure did not mean that the matter was resolved. After Gu Yongsheng's serial was stopped, Lu Yichou began to actively work on securing a publication number for Han Shuo. This "working" involved circling around various dinner tables.

After a round of dinners, the publication number finally showed some signs of progress, but there was still no progress on the Gu Yongsheng front. Before Lu Yichou could speak, the red-faced head of the relevant department said earnestly, "If possible, try to get that author to come out and apologize, to admit his mistake..."

This one sentence blocked the path completely. Lu Yichou secretly cursed these fat and bloated officials but smiled and agreed, saying he would properly educate the author to recognize his mistake. Thinking of that young face, Lu Yichou secretly smiled bitterly.

...

In the office of Dingjie Culture, which faced Jiangdu across the river, an important guest arrived today. The boss, Xue Muliang, instructed his secretary very seriously not to disturb him under any circumstances.

Mo Yuzhi sat on a white sofa, casually looking at the luxurious furniture in the room. Although she knew that Xue Muliang was enthusiastic about luxury goods, she still marveled at it.

"Mo Sister, do you want sugar or milk in your coffee?" Xue Muliang asked earnestly.

"Add some sugar."

Xue Muliang prepared the coffee for Mo Yuzhi and served it to her, smiling. "What would you like to eat today, Mo Sister? Shall I book a table now?"

Mo Yuzhi took the coffee and said, "I just came to sit for a while; I have to go to Yanjing for a meeting soon."

"The writing contest?"

Mo Yuzhi nodded and said, "This writing contest is a task assigned by the higher-ups. The relevant leaders in the city have instructed both Cui and me to take it seriously. So I came to talk to you specifically. If there are suitable authors under your company, or even you yourself, you can participate. You don't necessarily have to win a prize, but you must show your attitude."

Xue Muliang nodded and said, "I have already instructed the editors to contact the authors and treat this as a task. I have also discussed it with Shen You and Beige Tang. We three will all participate. Mo Sister, rest assured, we will take it seriously and strive to win a prize for Cui and you."

Mo Yuzhi nodded in satisfaction and said, "I always trust you to handle things well. Another matter is Gu Yongsheng..."

At the mention of this name, Xue Muliang's expression changed slightly. "I sent Xiao Zhong to talk to him personally, but his attitude seems very firm. Also, according to Xiao Zhong, he is really very young, around 14 or 15 years old."

"That's normal. You and Han Shuo were also young when you started. Well, let's put him under pressure for a while. It's good for young people to have some pride, but when they realize they can't change the situation, they will become more flexible."

"Mo Sister, can we..." His tone was probing, but his eyes were very sharp.

Mo Yuzhi interrupted, "Xiao Liang, remember, if we want to stay in this industry long-term, we must leave room for maneuver and look to the long term. No one knows what he will become in the future. Just like you and Han Shuo, when you first became famous, you faced a lot of criticism. Now, you both have a certain level of influence and are beneficiaries. At this point, do you want to suppress new talent the way others once suppressed you?"

Xue Muliang nodded quickly and said humbly, "With a little power, my mind has become a bit rigid."

Mo Yuzhi said, "You are smart and should understand these principles. When we poach authors, we must use both the carrot and the stick. We can ignore Qianhong's feelings, but we must consider the authors' feelings. As a professional publisher, you must remember this."

Xue Muliang nodded again.

"Moreover, never forget that no one can silence a truly talented person, especially in this era of widespread internet."

"I will remember, Mo Sister."

Mo Yuzhi stood up and said, "You can maintain contact with Gu Yongsheng, but not too frequently. Also, be careful with your words. You can shift the blame to me and Cui. He is frustrated because he can't publish, and he will doubt Qianhong's capabilities. Seize this point. I won't say more, but you should know the significance of a good author to a company."

Xue Muliang took careful note and said, "I will have my driver take you to the airport."

...

"Before going to the airport, I want to emphasize again that this is a great opportunity. You must do everything to get him to participate. The publication number issue is almost resolved. They are just trying to wear down Gu Yongsheng's patience. As long as he performs well in this contest, all problems will be solved."

Lu Yichou stood in front of a black Cadillac, speaking to Vice President Hou and Chief Editor Wei.

"Alright, Lao Lu, we will handle this. You should remember to send back the meeting content in a timely manner." Wei Wuzhi and Lu Yichou were from the same batch of writers, so their conversation was relatively relaxed.

"Okay, I will call him again later."

...

When Liu Jingtong received Lu Yichou's call, he was at the People's Park watching crocodiles. After the middle school entrance exam, his father promised to take him and his mother to the park, and today was the day the promise was fulfilled.

"Hello, Mr. Lu."

"Xiao Gu, have you been following the recent news? There is a large writing contest currently accepting submissions. I sincerely hope you will participate."

"Oh, I saw it on TV. I will consider it."

"It's not about considering; you must participate. If you can win a good ranking, this malicious defamation will be debunked."

"Alright, I am currently accompanying my parents in the park. I will check the rules tonight."

After hanging up with Lu Yichou, Liu Jingtong felt a bit guilty. After watching the TV advertisement, he quickly wrote the manuscript and sent it under the pen name "Nan Bo Wan." He had his own reasons for doing this, but it was inconvenient to tell others.

After watching the crocodiles, as his parents walked out of the crocodile house, Liu Jingtong secretly sent a text message.

"Mom and Dad, the sun is coming up. Let's go see the peacocks."

As the family walked about ten meters, they suddenly heard a clear voice behind them: "Liu Jingtong!"

Liu Jingtong "confusedly" turned around and saw Mi Hu standing not far away. They exchanged a glance, and Liu Jingtong "surprisedly" said, "Hu Xiaomi, what a coincidence, you're also here to see the peacocks!"

Mi Hu held back her laughter and walked up to Liu Jingtong, saying, "I'm here to see the porcupines."

Liu Jingtong quickly introduced her to his parents, "Mom and Dad, this is my senior, who has taken very good care of me. I ask her for help whenever I have questions about my studies."

Mi Hu, slightly nervous, bowed and said, "Hello, Uncle and Aunt."

Seeing such a polite and attractive girl, Liu's parents were naturally very pleased. They said, "Hello, are you here alone? Didn't you come with your parents?"

"They are working overtime today."

"Come with us." Liu Jingtong suggested, "Ha ha, it's my birthday today."

Liu's father didn't speak, but his expression showed he agreed. Liu's mother smiled and said, "Sure, since you take such good care of Xiao Ting, Aunt will treat you to a meal today."

Today was Liu Jingtong's birthday, and Mi Hu had once asked him nonchalantly how he planned to celebrate it. Out of a girl's natural reserve, she didn't make any further suggestions, but the clever Liu Jingtong understood her meaning and designed this cliché park encounter.

Today, Liu Jingtong, who had come to this world, officially turned fifteen. As the saying goes, "Thirty is the age of establishment," so he was now fifteen and a half.

During the meal, Mi Hu and Liu Jingtong talked about the writing contest. Mi Hu strongly encouraged Liu Jingtong to participate, and he mysteriously told her that he would participate but under a new identity, asking her to wait and see with a touch of narcissism.

"I won't use the name Gu Yongsheng, of course, and definitely not Liu Jingtong. These days, those people have made me so depressed; I want to give them a good scare."

Mi Hu pouted cutely but believed in his ability.

"You can participate too; you might get a direct admission to Yanjing University."

"I am writing it now; I will show it to you later."

"No problem."

...

Since the submission email for the "Legendary Cup" writing contest opened, in less than a week, nearly ten thousand submissions had been received, and the contest's homepage was constantly updating the data.

If someone looked closely, they would see a submission titled "Yue Nv Jian" below the first image. This manuscript, like the others, flashed by and had not yet attracted much attention.

About a week later, Song Xiaoyu, a sophomore at Nankai University, finished breakfast and, as usual, sat in front of his computer. Because he lived far from home, he had applied to stay on campus for the summer. Three days ago, he submitted a manuscript to the writing contest and had been closely monitoring his popularity since then.

Looking at the constantly flashing data on the screen, Song Xiaoyu smiled bitterly and muttered to himself, "It seems there's no hope." He held the mouse and kept scrolling down, trying to find his manuscript.

"Yue Nv Jian, what's this? Is it about weapons?"

Curiosity piqued, Song Xiaoyu clicked on it, and a martial arts short story of over ten thousand words appeared before him:

["Please!" "Please!"

The two swordsmen turned their swords upside down, right hands gripping the hilts, left hands resting on the right hand's back, and bowed.

Before they could straighten up, a white light flashed, followed by a metallic clang as the two swords met, and both took a step back. The onlookers all let out a light "Oh."

"Oh—It seems to be a novel," Song Xiaoyu muttered to himself.

It took Song Xiaoyu nearly an hour to finish the novel. After reading it, he was completely entranced, speechless for a moment. Then he murmured, "It's, it's like this!"

Regaining his senses, Song Xiaoyu immediately posted the novel on the campus BBS, with the title: ["Legendary Cup" Writing Contest, Special Special Special... Prize Work, Freshly Out!!!]

The page turned, and the ad began.

The page turned, and the ad ended.