Chapter 79

As the sky gradually brightened, a faint cockcrow echoed from afar, followed by the sound of motor vehicles passing by. Soon after, an alarm clock in the dormitory began to ring. "Rising at the cock's crow" is the fate of high school graduates.

As a senior high school student, staying up all night to study was not uncommon for Mi Hu. After all, when senior students go crazy, even teachers and parents are afraid. Some have even gone to the extreme of suspending their heads from beams or pricking their thighs with awls.

Of course, if you saw a senior high school girl staying up all night to read martial arts novels, you would probably be so shocked that you'd spit out a mouthful of blood.

Mi Hu lacked this self-awareness for three reasons: first, she was an impatient person. Waiting to remove dandruff was impossible for her, and with an unread good book lying there, she couldn't wait any longer; second, the story itself was captivating, with the ultimate fate of the heroine, the secrets of the treasure, and the choices of the hero, all of which, in that world, countless martial arts readers had experienced to the point of neglecting sleep and food. Here, the phrase "neglecting sleep and food" was not an exaggeration; third, this was Liu Jingting's new book.

After reading the entire story, any doubts about Liu Jingting's breach of promise or breaking his word were completely dispelled. Whether as a reader or an editor, the impact of this book on her was not just a little.

There was too much information to list, too many implications to explore, and too much artistic value to discuss.

The ending about the treasure could be extended to the pursuit of fame and fortune, the anxiety and deceit, and the ultimate realization that it was all in vain.

The words spoken by Li Wenxiu to her master, "Master, you kill the one you can't have. I can't bear to let the one I love be killed by others," revealed the complex attitudes people have towards love, such as whether to let go or destroy, the nature of love, the nature of sin, the great love of humanity, and the idea that helping others is helping oneself...

Of course, the most moving part of the book was still those two sentences.

"If the person you deeply love deeply loves someone else, what can you do?"

Even if you are wealthy, charming, graceful, and handsome, if the person you love doesn't love you, what can you do?

This is a shared sorrow of all humanity. Matters of the heart are inherently beyond control, and this has nothing to do with money or power. There are examples of people combining with others for money and fame, but what they want is still the money and fame itself, and they still have no feelings for the person.

Even without the story, this question alone is enough to move and sadden countless people.

For Mi Hu at this moment, her feelings about this question were purely out of sympathy for the characters in the story and a sigh at the many helplessnesses in life. As for herself, she was not currently facing this dilemma. Her relationship with Liu Jingting was progressing steadily and healthily, and the more they understood each other, the more confident they became.

After all, the most precious gift in the world is the willingness to spend time with each other, because these things cannot be replaced by anything else.

It was the last sentence that touched her deeply, "They are all very good, but I just don't like them."

This sentence had long transcended the realm of love and become a kind of human wisdom. A crude saying would be, "Money can't buy what I like." Skyscrapers, gold and silver, jade and diamonds, if you don't like them, they have no emotional significance; matchboxes, candy wrappers, yo-yos, leather ropes, clay figures, and shuttlecocks, they have no intrinsic value, but because you like them, they are special and inviolable.

Mi Hu was now facing this problem. Studying abroad, entering the world's top schools, receiving the most advanced education in the Western world, and finally returning to the country to become an enviable overseas returnee, with top companies vying for her, first-class enterprises offering her jobs, and various types of men eagerly queuing up to send her roses.

All of these were very good, but she just didn't like them.

...

"Xiao Mi, did you not sleep last night?" A roommate, rubbing her eyes, held a teacup to brush her teeth and wash her face. Seeing Mi Hu sitting on the bed like a stone statue, she yawned and asked.

"Huh? Yeah." Mi Hu, gradually emerging from the story, suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of drowsiness.

"Are you going to class today?"

"Probably not. I'll write a leave note and have you give it to the homeroom teacher during morning reading."

"Okay."

Mi Hu read the last paragraph again, and a sudden inspiration flashed in her mind, "If the person you like likes someone else, is this referring to Yi Shui'an?"

"Is Li Wenxiu's prototype actually Yi Shui'an?"

Thinking about this, Mi Hu felt a sense of unease, reached for her phone, and called Liu Jingting.

"Beep—Beep—Beep—"

After several rings, a muffled voice came from the phone, "Sis, do you know what time it is?"

"I'm asking you, did you base Li Wenxiu on Yi Shui'an?"

"Huh? Just that?"

"Yes, I stayed up all night reading the book last night, and now I just want to ask you this. Tell me the truth."

"No."

"Then why are their experiences so similar?"

"Wait, you stayed up all night reading?"

"Yes, no, are you listening to the key points of what I'm saying?"

"Are you listening to the key points of what I'm saying? A senior high school student staying up all night reading a novel, if your mom finds out, she'll draw a Milky Way between us. And, do you know how harmful staying up all night is to your body?"

Mi Hu, who had originally intended to confront him, suddenly became a child who had done something wrong, and meekly replied, "I, I couldn't control myself because the story was too good. I didn't realize how quickly time would pass."

"Don't flatter me. If I had known, I would have sent you a chapter. You're so grown up and still can't control yourself. You're about to take the college entrance exam, and you can't go to class today, right?"

"Yes, I asked a classmate to take a leave note for me."

Liu Jingting huffed angrily and said, "Go to sleep right now and reflect on it when you wake up. Got it?"

"Okay." Mi Hu obediently replied, completely forgetting her original intention. It was clear how much staying up all night had affected her brain.

A classic scene in the early stages of a young couple's relationship is one party's "seemingly strict but deeply caring" scolding of the other.

After hanging up, Mi Hu moved her computer to the table, hastily wrote a leave note, and without taking off her coat, fell asleep.

...

"Thank goodness I reacted in time."

Liu Jingting, huddled in his bed, sighed in relief after hanging up. If not for Mi Hu's reminder, he wouldn't have noticed that the story of "White Horse Cries in the West Wind" subtly reflected Yi Shui'an's recent emotional troubles. If Yi Shui'an saw it, what would her reaction be?

On second thought, this might not be a bad thing. After returning from the grasslands, releasing "White Horse Cries in the West Wind" was a natural progression. Now that the story subtly alluded to Yi Shui'an's breakup, it would only confirm that the story was indeed a spontaneous decision on the grasslands.

In any case, before sending the manuscript to Qianhong, he should inform Yi Shui'an in advance.

...

At 9:00 AM, the editors at Qianhong had all arrived at the company. Although they still greeted each other and chatted about yesterday's hot news, complained about the latest movies, and gossiped about celebrities, everyone was secretly nervous because today Gu Yongsheng would send the manuscript.

As editors of Qianhong, a company known for its renowned authors, they were used to treating the release of new books and manuscripts from big-name authors with a calm attitude. However, this time was different with Gu Yongsheng. First, he was a rising new talent, whose popularity rivaled that of Xue Muliang and Han Shuo. His rapid rise in a media landscape dominated by Xue and Han was itself a news story.

Second, the online discussions about his new book had been ongoing for five days. Besides the efforts of the water army, Qianhong itself had launched corresponding promotional activities. Even the well-known blogger Luotou, who usually maintained a certain image, had expressed his anticipation for Gu Yongsheng's new book, representing the mindset of many other bloggers.

"Stop all online discussions about Gu Yongsheng's new book. Don't respond to any more comments. The manuscript will likely be sent by 12:00 PM. I will send it to everyone via company email, and you need to prepare a book review within two days. This time, we won't pretend to be objective. Either praise it or write personal reflections. Don't avoid over-interpreting."

"If my estimation is correct, the water army is already on high alert. Everyone should understand that this is not just about an author releasing a new book."

Early in the morning, President Lu made a motivational speech in the group chat. Everyone responded with "received" as usual. This scene was not unfamiliar to the veteran editors at Qianhong, as Han Shuo's new book had received similar treatment long ago.

Half an hour after President Lu's speech, Yi Shui'an sent a screenshot in the group. The screenshot was a message from Gu Yongsheng: "The manuscript is in your inbox. The story has existed for a long time. If there are any similarities, it is purely coincidental. Please don't be offended."

"I also received the email," Wei Wuzhi said.

"I received it too," President Lu said. "All editors, log into the company's internal email and prepare to receive the manuscript."

...

Today, the Qianhong editors had little work to do. Apart from maintaining their authors, all other tasks were put on hold. Their only task today was to review Gu Yongsheng's new work, "White Horse Cries in the West Wind"!

The office was unprecedentedly quiet. The usual sounds of chatting and snacking had disappeared. The cleaning auntie, coming in to clean, almost mistook it for a weekend.

About three hours later, Wei Wuzhi said in the group, "Everyone, let's go eat."

A few minutes later, an editor replied, "I'll eat after I finish reading." Several other editors expressed the same sentiment.

"I thought it would be a messy argument, but now I realize it was just an unnecessary worry. Old Wei, we underestimated Gu Yongsheng."

With their rich reading experience and skills, President Lu and Wei Wuzhi completed the entire story in less than three hours, which was already a very long time for them.

"With this 'sharp blade,' they will naturally realize their foolishness. If you want to harshly attack an author, but the author harshly retaliates, what can you do?"

Wei Wuzhi humorously paraphrased a classic line from the book.

(Still asking for votes, then going to find food) (To be continued, please search for Piaowenxue for better and faster updates!)

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