Chapter 7

"Amidst the competition with 'Ding Novel,' 'Great Jianghu' has long lost its former dominant position. With the rapid development of 'Ding Novel' and its increasing market share, a series of old magazines, including 'Great Jianghu,' have gradually lost their chances of survival. However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse; 'Great Jianghu' has a strong foundation and can still survive for another two years."

The first paragraph of the post clearly introduced the current situation in the literary magazine field. Although the language was exaggerated and biased, it did not distort the facts. Mi Hu took a bite of the apple and continued reading.

"According to reliable statistics, 'Ding Novel' increased its market share by nearly 13 points last year, reaching nearly 70% of the market. 'Great Jianghu' has fallen by 15 points. It can be foreseen that within two years, 'Great Jianghu' will no longer exist."

The second paragraph used data to enhance the credibility and persuasiveness of the post. This data also matched what General Editor Zhou had mentioned, indicating that the poster might be an insider.

"An insider has revealed that 'Great Jianghu's' CEO Xu Qingbo has already stated that if the magazine's situation continues to deteriorate (which is obvious), he will sell the magazine or shut it down."

This statement further confirmed the poster's insider status.

"At this time, a middle school student named Liu Jingtang published an interesting fairy tale, which gained significant attention. This phenomenon immediately caught the attention of 'Great Jianghu's' leader, Zhou Daoran. Therefore, a plan to 'create a young genius and open a new school of martial arts' quietly began."

Upon reading this, Mi Hu frowned and was about to continue when her phone rang. She picked it up and saw that it was General Editor Zhou.

"Hello, General Editor."

"Have you seen the post?"

"I'm reading it."

"After you finish, don't rush to explain or reply," Zhou Daoran said confidently.

Mi Hu thought for a moment and immediately understood the General Editor's intention. This was a positive use of negative news. With the topic so hot, it couldn't be quickly extinguished.

"I understand, General Editor."

"Good. Send a message or call the other colleagues. I need to go feed Zhou."

Mi Hu smiled lightly and said, "You go ahead, General Editor."

Mi Hu hung up and continued reading the post:

"The cunning Zhou Daoran must have first met with Liu Jingtang's parents to discuss the cooperation plan, then sent his young and beautiful editor, Mi Hu (whom everyone knows), to secretly meet with Liu Jingtang. Hehe, let me speculate for a moment. A 13-14-year-old boy facing a fully developed beautiful girl would have no resistance, right?"

"Rubbish!" Mi Hu's face turned serious, and she angrily shouted.

"The next part is simple. The old fox Zhou Daoran, with his extensive network, could easily find a ghostwriter to write a novel like 'Dragon Tiger Battle in Jinghua.' After that, through a series of promotions and publicity, a news-worthy and hot-topic 'young genius writer' would be freshly and hotly produced. Ha, I wish 'Great Jianghu' sells a million copies, and long live General Editor Zhou!"

"PS: I haven't had much education, and I don't know many words, but I want to suggest that when General Editor Zhou promotes a genius writer next time, he should pay attention. It's best to have all the works written by the same ghostwriter; otherwise, the style differences will be too obvious and easily exposed. I've read 'Mang Mang and Ti Ti,' which is the level of a middle school student. That's all."

After reading the post, Mi Hu was furious and was about to post a rebuttal, but she remembered the General Editor's words and had to hold back. She logged in with a small account and left a comment: "The poster's heart is like a pig's, no, a wolf's, with extremely malicious intentions, especially the use of 'should' in 'Zhou Daoran should have first met with Liu Jingtang's parents,' which is shamelessly used."

Despite this, the post continued to maintain its heat. Subsequent posts questioning the authenticity of the young genius flooded in. Some even compared 'Mang Mang and Ti Ti' with 'Dragon Tiger Battle in Jinghua' word by word, finding discrepancies and concluding that Gu Yongsheng was not Liu Jingtang.

Conspiracy theories, due to their appeal to the public's curiosity and gossip, have a lasting market.

The next day, Mi Hu arrived at the office early and found someone was already there. Tang Nan looked worriedly at the screen until Mi Hu approached him.

"Good morning, Brother Nan."

"Oh, good morning. Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, how is it?"

Tang Nan smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "The doubts are endless, almost reaching a national level."

"Conspiracy theories are always interesting. These people..."

"Understandable. When I first saw the manuscript, I had the same doubts. Now the media is involved, and readers are waiting for our response."

"Let's wait for the General Editor to come. I'll write a response post first, which might be needed soon."

Mi Hu returned to her seat, opened her computer, and her mind raced. Suddenly, she realized that besides making vows, she didn't know how to respond. Indeed, the other side had a point, evidence, and reasonable speculation. How could she refute it effectively?

After a while, other editors came to the office, each with a complex expression. Editor-in-Chief Kuang Heng was relatively calm.

At 9:30, General Editor Zhou Daoran arrived late, but unlike the others, he entered the office with a smile, greeting everyone warmly.

At 9:40, General Editor Zhou Daoran posted a real-name statement on the forum, stating that he would reserve the right to pursue the legal responsibility of the netizen "Dian Xia'er."

"I've posted the statement. Everyone, go and support it," Zhou Daoran said casually in the work group. Everyone replied with a "YES" emoji.

At 10:00, "Dian Xia'er" dropped the second bomb:

"According to an informant, Gu Yongsheng's contract... the title needs to be longer..."

"Dian Xia'er just finished breakfast, planning to walk the dog and look at beautiful women, when a friend texted me that someone reserved the right to pursue my legal responsibility. I was shocked and immediately went to the toilet to urinate, which improved my mood. Since I'm here, I'll urinate again."

"General Editor Zhou Daoran of 'Great Jianghu' claims he will pursue my legal responsibility. Speaking of legal responsibility, I have a question for Mr. Zhou: How was the contract with the 'genius young writer' Gu Yongsheng signed? Who signed it? According to my information, the contract was signed by your editor, Mi Hu, on behalf of your company. I'm ignorant, so I don't understand this process. Please enlighten me, I'm waiting online."

This post stirred up a storm, pushing the "questioning the genius" movement to its peak. Mi Hu's face turned pale, and General Editor Zhou Daoran's expression finally changed. A terrifying thought struck him.

Could this have been a conspiracy from the beginning? Liu Jingtang first gained fame by publishing 'Mang Mang and Ti Ti' in 'Children's Literature,' then submitted to 'Great Jianghu,' which led to his promotion. Then, the other side posted to question the authenticity of the young genius. The innocent young boy claimed to entrust the contract to his editor, which was a trap. Although the contract was not finalized, the charges of deceiving a minor and promoting a fake young genius would stick.

Liu Jingtang was their pawn, and this was a setup. Zhou Daoran felt cold sweat on his back. He angrily left his seat and walked to the editorial office, roaring at Mi Hu, "You've caused a big disaster!"

Mi Hu stared blankly at the screen, tears streaming down her face as she heard the General Editor's rebuke. "It's impossible, impossible. He wouldn't deceive me."

Zhou Daoran sneered, "He wouldn't deceive you, but he deceived all of us. It was a setup from the beginning. 'Mang Mang and Ti Ti' and 'Dragon Tiger Battle in Jinghua' were both hyped up. There is no new martial arts, no Gu Yongsheng, just a conspiracy." Seeing the girl in front of him crying, he softened his tone, "You're young, and it's not your fault. It's my mistake, my impatience. I'll take responsibility for you."

Mi Hu covered her mouth and suddenly stood up, rushing out of the office.

"Mi Hu, what are you doing?" Zhou Daoran had never been so angry with Mi Hu, whom he treated like a daughter. He was afraid she couldn't handle it.

"Xiao Li, Xiao Tang, you two go and bring her back."

The two editors quickly followed her. Mi Hu, with her sharp and sensitive mind, also suspected a conspiracy when she saw the post. However, she recalled Liu Jingtang's sincere eyes and profound words, and couldn't accept that he was just reciting lines and deceiving her.

Mi Hu ran out of the office building, stopped a taxi, and headed straight for the city's No. 1 Middle School. She needed to find Liu Jingtang and get to the bottom of it. She could lose her job, but she didn't want to be deceived.

Fifty minutes later, the taxi stopped at the school gate. Mi Hu paid and rushed into the school, the security guard not even having time to ask.

It was the start of the fourth class of the morning. Mi Hu went to Class 7, Grade 3, stood at the door, and called out, "Liu Jingtang, come out here!"

The teacher was stunned and frowned, asking, "Who are you, and what do you want with Liu Jingtang?"

"Oh, teacher, she's my sister. I'll be out for a moment." The teacher nodded unhappily, saying, "Be quick."

Liu Jingtang came out of the classroom and saw Mi Hu, who had tears on her face, and was puzzled, asking, "What's wrong, Sister Mi Hu?"

The term "Sister Mi Hu" immediately calmed Mi Hu's anger. Without looking at Liu Jingtang, she coldly said, "Follow me to the pavilion."

They walked to the pavilion, and Mi Hu asked sharply, "Liu Jingtang, tell me the truth. Have you ever deceived me? Are you a pawn sent by another company to destroy our magazine?"

Liu Jingtang was confused, asking, "What are you talking about?"

"Why did you ask me to sign the contract? Which company are you working with?"

Liu Jingtang was still confused and slightly annoyed, but when he saw the girl in front of him, who looked so pitiful with tears in her eyes, he felt a sudden urge to protect her. He asked gently, "Mi Hu, what happened? Tell me, and I'll do my best to help you."

Mi Hu looked into Liu Jingtang's eyes, sensing his sincerity, and her heart skipped a beat. After a moment of silence, she recounted the entire "post storm."

"Haha, interesting, very interesting," Liu Jingtang laughed after hearing the story. "I just said that, and it caused you trouble. People expect new talent to rise, but when it