Chapter 60

【ps: Thank you to Nian Huan and Yi Xiao Ji Duo Chou for your generous donations. I can't really tell you two apart, can I?~~】

On Friday, Duan Hou personally went to the school bookstore to wait for the new issue of *High School Student*. Upon seeing the new book, he eagerly searched for the article he had written, *The Vigorous Rising Sun*. After a long search, he finally found it in a very inconspicuous place, occupying only a ten-centimeter square of paper.

Duan Hou's remaining self-confidence was shattered. It turned out that the editor-in-chief, Zhang, had been merely humoring him.

Thinking about how he had already told many people that his article would appear in this issue of *High School Student*, Duan Hou regretted it immensely. If people saw his article occupying such a small space, he would be laughed at!

Thinking of the terrible consequences, Duan Hou decisively told the owner, "I'll take all the copies of this issue of *High School Student*! How many are there?"

"Twenty copies, 100 yuan in total." Although the owner found Duan Hou's actions strange, he was more than happy to sell them quickly and didn't ask any more questions. He just noted down the publication name and number, planning to have the supplier deliver another ten copies in the afternoon, as they would likely sell.

Duan Hou reluctantly paid 100 yuan, buying a pile of what felt like waste paper, and his mood sank to its lowest point.

In the distant city of Shanghai, the editor at Qidian, Watermelon, was not in a much better mood. And similarly, their bad moods were both due to the same person.

Watermelon: Xiao Er, are you there? Reply, please!

Watermelon could no longer contact Tong Yan. On the day Tong's mother was hospitalized, Liu Ming had uploaded all the chapters Tong had sent him, and then stopped managing Tong's novel. He knew Tong couldn't guarantee updates at the moment.

By Friday, *The Little Soldier's History* had been on hiatus for four days without any explanation. Not only were his fans in an uproar, but Watermelon, as the editor, was also in a headache.

Today was Friday, the day to send backend messages to the writers. Watermelon had secured a strong recommendation for Tong Yan for the following week, but if Tong continued to be on hiatus, she would have to reconsider whether to give it to him. After all, a strong recommendation was very valuable to many writers, and if Tong persisted in his current state, it would be a waste.

On Thursday, Watermelon had waited for Tong to contact her during his computer class as usual, but there was no response from Tong's QQ. She even left a message in the book review section, asking him to contact her as soon as he saw it, but still received no reply.

Watermelon had one last method left. She found Tong's contract from Xiao Mai, which had his contact number. Editors rarely involved themselves in the writers' real lives, and contact was usually limited to QQ and email. The phone was only used as a last resort. Watermelon was worried about Tong and even suspected something had happened to him, so she decided to use this final method of contact.

Liu Ming didn't open his shop today. He was preparing to go to the city with his father to visit his hospitalized aunt when his phone rang with an unknown number.

"Hello, who is this?" Liu Ming answered.

"May I ask who you are?" The voice on the other end was a girl's, speaking Mandarin.

Liu Ming was puzzled. "Do you not know who I am? If you don't, hang up."

"Wait, do you know Xiao Er? Uh, his real name is Tong Yan."

"Are you," Liu Ming paused, "are you called Watermelon?"

"Do you know me?"

Liu Ming said, "There are only a few people who know my cousin's pen name is Xiao Er, and as his editor, you should be one of them."

It turned out this number belonged to Xiao Er's cousin. Great, now she could finally get in touch with the guy!

Watermelon continued, "Can you help me contact Xiao Er? He's been on hiatus for several days. I was planning to give him a strong recommendation next week, which is very important for his career..."

"Wait, Miss Xi, my cousin isn't in the mood to write novels right now. As for the recommendation, it's better to give it to someone who really needs it." Liu Ming interrupted Watermelon.

"First, I don't have the surname Xi, and who are you to decide? Can you speak for Xiao Er?" Watermelon was irritated by Liu Ming's response.

"I can't speak for him, but even if you asked him directly, the result would be the same. He can't write novels right now." Liu Ming said firmly.

"What happened to him?" Could he really be in trouble?

"He's fine, but his closest relative is in the hospital, waiting for surgery. It's not a minor issue. For their ordinary middle-class family, this is a significant event. If the surgery goes wrong, he might even... he, how can he write that novel with such a heavy heart!" Liu Ming was emotional by the end, as the patient was not only Tong Yan's mother but also his beloved aunt.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Watermelon felt weak after Liu Ming's explanation.

"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault. Since everything is clear, that's it. He can't write novels for now, and I can't predict the future." Liu Ming was about to hang up.

"Wait," Watermelon said cautiously, "I understand your feelings, but please convey my message to Xiao Er. Ask him to contact me when he can. Even if not as an editor and writer, we are friends. I think he might want to hear advice from a friend, don't you think?"

Liu Ming thought for a moment. "I'm going to the hospital to visit my aunt today. If I see him, I'll pass on your message."

After ending the call, Watermelon looked at the few works under her management. Although none of them were as popular as *The Little Soldier's History*, they were doing okay. She randomly chose a fantasy novel to replace *The Little Soldier's History* for the strong recommendation.

Liu Ming met his cousin at the hospital and relayed Watermelon's message. "You decide what to do."

After leaving the hospital, Tong Yan didn't go back to school directly. Instead, he went to Spider Internet Cafe. He still had some money on his membership card, enough for this session. He turned on a computer and logged into QQ. After just a few seconds, he heard the "ding" sound, and Watermelon's avatar was flashing.

At the same time, Class 2 of Grade 12 was having a Chinese class. Old Song asked the students to read *The Teacher's Discourse* aloud, and then he walked to Tong Yan's desk, unethically reaching into it and feeling around. Dong Mian, seeing this, held his breath, guessing what Old Song was looking for. Fortunately, he had already moved the magazine. Ha, I'm so smart!

"Dong Mian, why are you smiling?"

Old Song found this guy suspicious. "Stand up."

Dong Mian stood up, and Old Song searched his drawer again, then smiled as he pulled out a thick magazine. "This must be it..."

【ps: Please follow my new Sina Weibo "Ni Bai Fo" and join the group: 241190226~ Follow me~】

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