Chapter 19

【PS: Thank you to Shujin Ping Sheng Yun Shui Xin for the tip, and also to LK's Xie Lingshu for the recommendation. The number of favorites has skyrocketed~ Uh, I'll update when I can't sleep at night~】

"Brother Ming, do you have a bank card? Can I borrow it for a bit?" Tong Yan had no choice but to turn to his cousin for help.

Liu Ming had one, but he still shook his head. "How can you use mine? When your royalties come in, they'll all be deposited into this card. Aren't you afraid I might keep them for myself?" At this point, Liu Ming was very confident that his cousin had the ability to make a living in the online literature industry.

"I'm not afraid," Tong Yan said firmly.

"I'm afraid even if you're not," Liu Ming said. "Even brothers need to be clear about money. Have you gotten your ID card yet? With an ID card, you can get your own bank card."

Tong Yan nodded. "By coincidence, I just got it, but it's with my mom." In mainland China, you can get an ID card at 16 years old, and Tong Yan had just turned 16.

Liu Ming and Zhang Xiao both sighed: a 16-year-old writer!

They both suggested that Tong Yan use his ID card to get his own bank card so that he could manage any income himself, which would be more convenient and free.

So, Tong Yan explained the situation to his signing editor, Xiao Mai, and temporarily left. He then ran home, rummaged through his drawers to find his ID card, and headed straight to the only bank in the county—the Agricultural Bank of China. In this underdeveloped small town, the banking industry was not well-developed, and apart from the Agricultural Bank, there was only a rural credit cooperative.

Meanwhile, in the editorial department of起点 (Qidian) in Shanghai, the editors were busy reviewing manuscripts and dealing with authors. After the launch of the eight professional authors, the number of writers publishing on Qidian had increased, making the editors even busier.

Xigua was a responsible editor who had just graduated from university and had not been in the job for long. She was also a fan of online literature, which seemed inevitable; otherwise, she wouldn't be good at this job. Besides handling the few signed authors under her, she spent most of her time browsing the vast sea of books on Qidian.

Not long ago, she came across a new, fresh book called "The Little Soldier's Wild History." She admitted that she read it because the book's title and the protagonist's name were similar to "The Little Soldier's Legend," but after reading it, she couldn't stop.

Although both were stories set in a space background and both started with a small soldier rising to prominence, "The Little Soldier's Legend" focused on military aspects, while "The Little Soldier's Wild History" excelled in adventure. The author's writing style was excellent, with a humorous and witty tone. Some of the jokes were very well-crafted. In this regard, it was not inferior to "The Little Soldier's Legend" and might even be better. However, the pacing and the ability to create excitement were far behind Xuan Yu, who was a seasoned author with many years of experience writing long novels. Before "The Little Soldier's Legend" became famous, he had already published many sets of books in Taiwan.

In contrast, the author of "The Little Soldier's Wild History," Dian Xiaoer, seemed much more inexperienced. Although his writing style was fresh and the story was interesting, it lacked the drive to make readers want to read to the end. He used fewer techniques for setting up plot points, foreshadowing, and stirring emotions, making it a bit more mundane.

However, even so, "The Little Soldier's Wild History" was still a very good work, and the updates were consistent. In the online literature world of 2005, this was considered quite commendable. As a reader, this was Xigua's favorite work in recent days. So when "The Little Soldier's Wild History" met the conditions for signing and the chief editor assigned the review to her, she didn't need to spend more time understanding it because it was a work she valued. She immediately sent a message to Dian Xiaoer without any hesitation, but this guy hadn't contacted her yet.

Xigua, growing impatient, knocked on the desk of the signing editor, Xiao Mai. "Hey, Mai Mai, has the Dian Xiaoer I assigned to you contacted you?"

"He has, we're chatting right now," Xiao Mai said, waiting for Tong Yan's reply.

"Ah? Not done yet? Hurry up, I need to talk to him too!" Xigua said urgently, eager to fulfill her duties as a responsible editor.

Xiao Mai poked her chin, deliberately being mysterious. "We can't continue the chat."

"What? Why can't you continue? Is he hard to communicate with? Talented people might be like that," Xigua tried to defend Dian Xiaoer.

Xiao Mai chuckled inwardly and said seriously, "It's not that he's hard to communicate with, but there's a generation gap."

"Generation gap?" Xigua frowned. "How old is he? Is he a creepy old man? Or an eighty-year-old grandpa?" Xigua was scaring herself.

Seeing Xigua's expression, Xiao Mai felt quite pleased. "No, he's only 16, very young."

"Sixteen?!"

"Yes, I have his ID number here, and he was indeed born in 1989. He's currently trying to get a bank card, otherwise, he can't sign the contract," Xiao Mai revealed the truth.

Their conversation caught the attention of other colleagues.

"Wow, 16 years old, he should still be in school, right? Can a kid's writing be any good? What's the name of his book?" a male editor with a bit of a bald spot asked.

"The tenth book on the new book potential list, 'The Little Soldier's Wild History,'" Xiao Mai answered.

"Oh, I've read that one. It's pretty good, with a concise and humorous writing style. I like it," a quiet-looking female editor chimed in. "So it was assigned to Xigua."

"I've read it too. I clicked on it because of 'The Little Soldier's Legend,' but it's a bit too young for me."

"The book's performance is good, but it's mainly due to the influence of 'The Little Soldier's Legend.'"

The editors discussed the quality and performance of "The Little Soldier's Wild History."

At this moment, one of the chief editors of Qidian, 314, asked, "Xiao Mai, you said he's 16, right?"

"Yes," Xiao Mai and Xigua nodded simultaneously. Xigua still found it hard to believe, but after seeing Tong Yan's ID number, she had no doubt. However, being new to the industry, her experience was somewhat limited.

314 asked again, "Is he a student or has he entered society?"

"He's a student. I asked him, and he said his grades are pretty good, uh, that's what he said."

314 nodded. 16-year-old writers were not unheard of on Qidian. Because the threshold for online literature was low, as long as you had a computer and internet access, and a bit of creativity, you could publish a novel online. So, it wasn't surprising to find 14 or 15-year-old writers on Qidian. However, it was very rare to find someone who could achieve a certain level of success and persist to the point of signing a contract. After all, teenagers at 14 or 15 were not yet mature, lacked experience, and lacked the perseverance and determination of adults, so their writing often didn't meet the standards. "Dian Xiaoer" was one of the few writers 314 had encountered who could achieve success at such a young age.

If, as Xiao Mai said, this kid was doing well in school, he could be a positive role model for online literature.

Just as 314 was thinking, Xiao Mai exclaimed, "Look, the little kid is back!" A group of people quickly gathered around Xiao Mai.

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