Chapter 41

Tong Yan, who was bold and meticulous, finally completed the creation of the science fiction short story "Fated Enemy: Cat People VS Dog People" using the computer in Old Song's office. After checking for grammatical errors and misspellings, he sent it to the editor, Watermelon, on Saturday night.

That night, Watermelon fell asleep with a smile, as Tong Yan's story was so entertaining and hilarious. In a word, it was "cute." Later, when Watermelon talked to Tong Yan, he suggested that he should pursue this style. At present, only a few works, such as Ling Bingyu's "Dog God's Luck," were known for their humor. They didn't need to be intense or logical; they just had to make you laugh so hard you couldn't stand up. Although this type of novel was niche, the competition was small, and it was easy to cultivate loyal fans.

Fortunately, Tong Yan didn't agree; otherwise, there might not have been a place for Zhang Xiaohua in the online literature world later on.

Speaking of which, after Watermelon submitted Tong Yan's manuscript, the chief editor was worrying about the inaugural issue. It wasn't because there were too few submissions, but because there were too many. Upon hearing the opportunity to publish their work in the magazine, the well-known writers from Qidian all temporarily slowed down their updates and put effort into writing short stories and side stories. However, there was only so much space, and it was difficult to decide who to include and who to exclude.

Fang Shi, one of the most senior chief editors at Qidian, was also responsible for the preparation of "Shanda Entertainment · Fiction." Fang Shi placed great importance on the reputation of the inaugural issue. He didn't want the magazine to be criticized by readers and peers for lacking literary quality. Therefore, besides the top-tier writers Yan Yu Jiang Nan and Xue Hong, he placed more emphasis on the writing style of the remaining selected authors.

After reading Dancing's "Dandong Side Story," Fang Shi found it quite good. Dancing was a rising popular writer. Although he had been writing on Qidian since last year, he only gained widespread attention this year. His "Face-Changing Warrior" ranked sixth on the monthly ticket list in its first month and has been consistently in the top three this month, alongside the two major hits "Desecration" and "Evil Wind Ode." He was a talent worth cultivating.

Therefore, it was better not to include it in the first issue. The first issue already had "Desecration Side Story - Night's Divide" and "Rising Dragon Way Side Story - Fallen Angel." It would be better to save the "Face-Changing Warrior" side story for later as a main feature. Fang Shi made his comments and replied to Dancing's editor.

"The Light of the Son Side Story" was written by Tang Jia San Shao, who had transferred from Huan Jian Book Alliance to Qidian this year. He was also a very capable writer. He had already gained significant fame with "Mad God" on an external website, but coming to Qidian was like starting over.

However, a master is a master. Tang Jia San Shao's "Kind Death God" reached a high subscription of 7,000 on its third day, which was outstanding even among Qidian's native writers. The chief editors had already decided to invite Tang Jia San Shao to the second annual Qidian author conference at the end of the year.

However, Fang Shi rejected this article. After all, "Light of the Son" was not Qidian's. He promised in his reply to Tang Jia San Shao's editor, "He's about to release a new book. When the time comes, we'll give it some good recommendations and focus on promoting it. Reaching Dancing's level shouldn't be difficult."

The third article Fang Shi read was a science fiction piece called "Nebula Footprints" by Gezi Li de Ye Wan (also known as absolut). Just seeing the author's name piqued Fang Shi's interest. His "Digital Life" ranked fourth on the monthly ticket list in August and was the most popular science fiction work on Qidian recently, hailed as the most commendable science fiction online literature since "Little Soldier Legend."

Moreover, Gezi Li de Ye Wan was a well-known first-prize winner of the New Concept Essay Competition, sharing the highest honor with the then-famous Han Sai. He later went on to attend East China Normal University. Among Qidian's writers, his writing style was exceptionally outstanding, which was exactly what Fang Shi needed.

After carefully reading "Nebula Footprints," Fang Shi found that Gezi Li de Ye Wan's writing and humanistic care indeed surpassed most online literature authors of the same period. However, it was a bit overdone. "Shanda Entertainment · Fiction" was not "Meng Ya," and such a literary style did not fit the market positioning of the magazine.

However, the first issue of the magazine lacked a science fiction short story, and given Gezi Li de Ye Wan's current popularity in the science fiction category, including this article was not out of the question.

Putting it aside, Fang Shi moved on to the next one, "Xianmo Side Story" by Bi Luo Huang Quan. With "Xianmo War Chronicles," Bi Luo Huang Quan became one of Qidian's eight professional writers. However, from his interactions with Bi Luo Huang Quan, Fang Shi felt that he was more suited to be an editor. His insight into books and views on online literature were very unique. The chief editor had once strongly invited him to join Qidian, but Bi Luo Huang Quan said he was planning a new book while finishing "Xianmo War Chronicles" and didn't have the energy, so he politely declined.

Thus, Fang Shi also politely declined "Xianmo Side Story." He thought, "When your next book flops, see if you come to Qidian. Don't blame me; this is called eagerly seeking talent."

Fang Shi continued reading, from historical writer Jiutu to online game writer Skeleton Spirit, from sports writer Lin Hai Ting Tao to fantasy writer Ren Yuan. Qidian was now talent-rich, with several popular writers in each category. Fang Shi felt both proud and conflicted. Who should he choose?

When he saw "Fated Enemy: Cat People VS Dog People," it was a completely unfamiliar pen name: Dian Xiao Er. Was this a new writer? All the manuscripts that reached him had been reviewed by editors, so they couldn't be too bad. But what were Cat People and Dog People?

Fang Shi read very slowly. After half an hour, he finished the 20,000-word story. During this time, his facial expressions changed richly, sometimes suppressing a smile, sometimes frowning, sometimes deep in thought, and sometimes with a profound gaze. This article was interesting. He also saw that Editor Watermelon had written in the recommendation that the author, Dian Xiao Er, was a high school student with a heavy academic load but still insisted on writing the long novel "Little Soldier History" at the internet cafe. He was currently in need of money, so the editor hoped the chief editor would adopt this story to help him financially.

Reading this, Fang Shi remembered that a few days ago, his subordinate 314 had mentioned a 16-year-old kid who wrote well and, with proper cultivation, might become the online literature equivalent of Han Sai and Guo Xiaosi.

Fang Shi thought that reaching the influence of Han Sai and Guo Xiaosi was a bit far-fetched, but Dian Xiao Er already had the talent to become a top online literature writer. His future success would depend on his diligence, as speed and update volume were crucial metrics in online literature.

Fang Shi re-examined Gezi Li de Ye Wan's "Nebula Footprints." After careful consideration, he marked it with an "X." Science fiction was a niche category, and one short story was enough. However, he couldn't neglect a popular writer like Gezi Li de Ye Wan, so he assigned the first issue's major recommendation to "Digital Life," a higher honor.

Looking at the excellent articles on his computer, Fang Shi swiveled in his chair and let out a relaxed sigh. Done!