Chapter 93

Many years later, Liu Jingtong stood on the balcony of an office building by the river, and he would certainly recall that Christmas morning when someone was watching the snow by the window.

He had just finished discussing the new book and the old unfinished works with Lu Yichou, the president of Qianhong, about the release of "Seven Swords," the possibility of a joint book signing event with Yi Shui'an, and the ending of "Mandarin Ducks Saber"...

Regarding the book signing event, Liu Jingtong still politely declined, even when Lu Yichou compromised to a small book club meeting, Liu Jingtong still refused. On one hand, a book club meeting with Yi Shui'an couldn't be small, and on the other hand, Lu Yichou's compromise was actually an offensive move. When signing the initial contract, Liu Jingtong had already told Mr. Lu that he wouldn't do a book signing event, which was a pre-established commitment. Lu Yichou, out of his business instinct, thought that time could smooth out some agreements and allow for renegotiation.

At the end of this topic, Lu Yichou still performed his difficulty and helplessness with old cunning, but these tactics to lay the groundwork for later persuasion couldn't fool Liu Jingtong, who had lived two lives. He simply said, "Thank you for your understanding," and dropped the topic.

Then came the ending of "Mandarin Ducks Saber." This story was actually very simple: four low-skilled, silly bandits robbed on the road and encountered an extraordinary couple, a scholar, and a girl. The extraordinary couple possessed a powerful "Couple Saber Technique," but due to constant arguments, they violated the true essence of the technique and couldn't fully utilize its power. To deal with strong enemies, the couple taught the technique to the scholar and the girl. The scholar and the girl practiced the technique to fight the enemies and developed feelings for each other. Then the scholar discovered that one of the girl's mothers was actually his birth mother...

Liu Jingtong's manuscript submitted to Qianhong ended here. After much brainstorming, Lu Yichou proposed an ending where the scholar and the girl were half-siblings. If a happy ending was desired, the ideal way would be for the main characters to wander the world together, leaving behind morality, cold eyes, and gossip.

This speculation was undoubtedly reasonable, but it didn't fit the overall tone of the story. Generally, in martial arts novels, when the main characters choose to wander the world, it's after a significant event that leaves them physically and mentally exhausted, such as Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü after sixteen years of longing and the Battle of Xiangyang, or Li Xunhuan and Sun Xiaohong after their beloved's marriage and the final battle with the boss...

"Mandarin Ducks Saber" didn't have these issues, so such an arrangement seemed very abrupt and inconsistent.

Liu Jingtong didn't make too many comments on Lu Yichou's conclusion, only saying that after the New Year, he would hand over the ending of the story. Then their conversation came to an end.

...

"Isn't this a bit too coincidental?" Liu Jingtong said with a touch of absurdity as he looked at the name on his phone screen, then answered.

"Merry Christmas."

The voice of the second young master of the Gong family, full of energy, rang in his ear. He seemed to be in a good mood.

"Same to you. By the way, you should be busy today."

"You mean the TV series premiere?"

"Of course not, you should be accompanying someone all day." Liu Jingtong was referring to Wang Qianqian.

"Ha, on my way. What about you?"

"I have an exam today."

"Right, you're in the third year of high school."

"Enough small talk. Let's get to the point."

"What do you mean? I just wanted to send a simple greeting, but since you mention it, I might as well ask. How's the new book coming along?" Perhaps realizing his own shamelessness, Gong Cheng'en asked somewhat awkwardly. If he could get some news about Gu Yusheng's new book before meeting Wang Qianqian, he could show off a bit.

"It will be published in 'Great Wulin' on New Year's Day, but I've left a bit of a cliffhanger. I want to play a game with everyone, for entertainment."

"This time..."

"Pure comedy, don't worry."

"I trust you. By the way, 'The Sword of the Yue Girl' starts at 7:40 PM tonight. You should try to watch it. I'm not biased, but it's really good. Qianqian will definitely become a great screenwriter or writer in the future."

"That's a very fair and objective evaluation." Liu Jingtong smiled.

Gong Cheng'en didn't delve into the sarcasm in Liu Jingtong's words and said, "I just bought your 'Seven Swords,' but I haven't had time to read it yet. I saw in the news that the first print run was just enough for the pre-orders. Congratulations, two super bestsellers in a year, are you planning to leave no room for other authors?"

"It's just in the martial arts genre, not that exaggerated," Liu Jingtong suddenly thought of something and said, "There's something that Wang Qianqian might not have told you, and I want to tell you in advance."

"Um, what is it?" Hearing it was about Wang Qianqian, Gong Cheng'en's tone became serious.

"After 'The White Horse Cries in the West Wind' came out, Wang Qianqian called me, which I've already told you."

"Um."

"She wasn't in a good mood after reading the book and felt it was my fault..."

Gong Cheng'en smiled knowingly.

Liu Jingtong continued, "So, she hoped I could write a script for you as compensation."

Gong Cheng'en couldn't hide his surprise and asked, "She really said that?"

"I have no reason to lie to you."

"This—um, I understand, but you don't have to feel obligated. She's that kind of person, you don't have to take her words seriously."

"I do take it seriously," Liu Jingtong chuckled, "but not because of her words. I just happen to have this idea recently, it's a coincidence."

"Then, do you mean to write a script directly?"

"I don't know how to write a script. It's a novel that's closer to a movie script. Are you interested, Young Master Gong?"

"Mr. Gu, you're joking. After 'The Sword of the Yue Girl' and 'The White-Haired Demoness,' many people will be lining up to collaborate with you. So, how do you plan to handle this script?"

"My idea is to serialize it in a magazine first, but before that, I want you to release a message, and then finalize the details with Qianhong. Of course," Liu Jingtong admitted, "there will be some risks."

"No problem." Gong Cheng'en agreed without hesitation, "I'm almost there. I'll start working on it as soon as I get back."

"Alright, I'll write a story outline for you later."

"No need, um, just tell me the name." Gong Cheng'en smiled strangely, "I can show off in front of her later."

"Xiao Shiyi Lang."

...

Telling Gong Cheng'en about "Xiao Shiyi Lang" was a spontaneous decision by Liu Jingtong, but it was also a flash of inspiration. First, by having Star Moon TV release the news, it would highlight the special script collaboration due to the pleasant cooperation with Gu Yusheng. Since the original intention of "Xiao Shiyi Lang" was to be a script, any differences in style from previous works would be attributed to the author's deliberate choice, a form of artistic innovation.

Second, doing something secretly for someone and having a third person tell that person would create a greater impact and better effect.

After hanging up, Liu Jingtong was dazed for a while. He felt something was off, a vague discomfort, but couldn't pinpoint the exact issue. Everything seemed to be arranged reasonably.

...

Because it was the first snow of the new winter, traffic wasn't significantly affected. The distribution of "Seven Swords Descend from the Mountain" and "Half a Lotus" went very smoothly. Since Yi Shui'an and Gu Yusheng were these two oddballs, Qianhong could only habitually play solo, with no press conferences, no author appearances, and no book signings. All new book activities were detailed on the official microblog.

No, Yi Shui'an did participate in the promotion; she forwarded a post from Qianhong's official microblog. As for Gu Yusheng, after his brief appearance at the Great Wulin forum, he disappeared again. His official microblog had long been neglected.

Despite this, both authors' new books maintained a fiery popularity that didn't match the current cold weather. Yi Shui'an was rated by the media and literary critics as a niche author. Regardless of whether this evaluation was fair, everyone knew that "niche" and "loyal" were close siblings. Everyone also knew that in a country with a population of billions, the scale of the "niche" was still impressive. Steadily capturing this "niche" audience meant a life of comfort.

Another point was that Yi Shui'an's readers were known for their high quality. This high quality not only referred to their moral character but also their literary appreciation. The famous screenwriter De Bao once lamented on his microblog that if he could have fans like Yi Shui'an's, he would have no regrets in life.

This statement was naturally sly and self-satisfied, because what kind of idol attracts what kind of fans.

So, as soon as "Half a Lotus" reached the readers' hands, high-quality book reviews began to appear.

Gu Yusheng's "Seven Swords Descend from the Mountain" presented a different scene. If Yi Shui'an's book sales were like a steady stream, then Gu Yusheng's "Seven Swords" was a raging fire, fierce and overwhelming.

Although Gong Cheng'en's words were somewhat exaggerated, they did reflect some facts. By the end of the morning, several places across the country had reported stock shortages.

This didn't mean that Gu Yusheng's popularity and influence had completely surpassed Yi Shui'an. First, comparing the sales of novels and essays was inherently unfair. Second, Gu Yusheng was a newly rising writer, and both online and offline media were extremely enthusiastic about him. Besides his true fans, there were also many curious onlookers. If one in ten of these onlookers paid attention to Gu Yusheng's new book, it would still be a significant number.

This phenomenon was particularly common in the arts and entertainment industry. A new actor might become famous overnight for a role, and with the media's deliberate promotion, their popularity could seemingly surpass many established stars overnight, a so-called bubble effect.

"Seven Swords" was not a long work, and Gu Yusheng wrote it in one go. The serialized part remained unchanged when it was published as a book, so readers quickly finished the entire story.

The readers of "The White-Haired Demoness" were finally able to see the ending of Zhuo Yihang and Lian Niechang, and they were not happy.

The fans of "Seven Swords Descend from the Mountain" finally saw the ending of Ling Weifeng and Liu Yufang, and they were also not happy.

Thus, a post appeared on the Wulin People forum: [Zhuo and Lian's sad ending, Seven Swords' tragic conclusion, Gu Yusheng, if you insist on this, we will have to abandon your books!] (To be continued. Please search for Piaowenxue for better and faster updates!)