Chapter 96

But what’s the point!

Such a powerless apology, such a belated attempt to salvage the situation—does anyone really care?

When the incident happened, the news was a sensation, with all the media vying to report it.

But when it came to the apology, the media couldn’t be bothered to help explain or even spread the information.

It’s like the current situation with *Wuxia Story*. No matter how desperately Zhu Zhengting tries to explain, no netizens are willing to listen.

Everyone’s impression of *Wuxia Story* remains the same, with only two points.

The first point: *Lian Cheng Jue* is very good.

The second point: The author of *Lian Cheng Jue* was suppressed and had his royalties withheld.

Zhu Zhengting picked up the report.

The rows of eye-catching figures were enough to blind the eyes of other magazine editors.

From the initial three to four thousand subscriptions, to the current fifteen thousand subscriptions...

Yes, fifteen thousand subscriptions!

A number that makes all the magazine editors stare in shock.

A number that drives all the advertisers wild.

*Lian Cheng Jue* becomes more exciting with each chapter, with each chapter’s plot being so captivating that it’s impossible to predict, and the pits dug earlier are perfectly filled.

Therefore, after the initial two to three chapters of setup, the book’s popularity becomes increasingly evident.

Almost every new issue sees an increase in sales by several thousand, higher than the total sales of some small magazines.

And even more terrifyingly, as the book’s fame increases, the more issues that are released, the more the sales increase. By the eleventh issue, the subscription sales increased by over fifty thousand.

After all, the initial sales of *Wuxia Story* were only three to four thousand!

According to his informants, Cheng Xiong, upon learning of *Wuxia Story*’s sales, spent an entire afternoon smoking in his office, not saying a single word.

Thinking about this, Zhu Zhengting felt even more regret.

Cheng Xiong’s earlier blindness led to *Wuxia* not befriending Lin Mu in time and persuading him to change his allegiance, which was understandable.

But what about himself?

After obtaining this unparalleled gem, he recognized its value, but at the last moment, due to his pride, which now seems utterly useless, he forced Lin Mu to leave!

In recent days, the magazine’s phone lines have been almost overwhelmed, with almost every call requesting a subscription to the next issue of *Lian Cheng Jue*’s grand finale!

Yes, the readers want to subscribe to the grand finale of *Lian Cheng Jue*!

Not to the next issue of *Wuxia Story*.

The increase in subscriptions is, of course, a good thing.

But when the staff on the phone tried to recommend a half-year or full-year subscription, which would save a lot of money, how did the readers respond?

“Cut the crap! Just subscribe to the next issue!”

“What a nuisance! I already said I just want the next issue, why are you still pushing it!”

“I’m here for *Lian Cheng Jue* and One Page Book! Why are you blabbering on about nothing!”

“Half-year subscription? Pfft, with your lousy magazine, no one would subscribe if it weren’t for *Lian Cheng Jue*!”

“One Page Book has already moved to *Story World*, and *The Ballad of the Wandering Swordsman* got me so pumped up, who would want to read your J8 stuff!”

“Girl, if I subscribe for half a year, you’ll take me out for a meal, a drink, and a game of poker. What? Calling me a pervert? Damn, I’ve never been insulted like this before! If you don’t want to, just recommend something else. If that doesn’t work, send me a photo to jerk off to. Hello? Hello? Damn, why did you hang up! What kind of attitude...”

...

In short, there are many calls, but almost all of them say they only want to subscribe to the next issue.

As for the future?

There is no future...

The phone and online subscriptions come in frequently, and the staff in the reader service department have been working from around 5 or 6 in the morning until 11 or 12 at night, working 18 hours a day!

If I hadn’t announced that they would be paid for two days’ work for one, they would have resigned long ago!

A rough calculation shows that, based on the current increase in subscriptions and the fluctuation chart for each chapter, the final issue of *Lian Cheng Jue* could possibly increase to 200,000!

200,000!

A number that Zhu Zhengting never dared to dream of, and that’s even without significantly increasing the magazine’s distribution, 200,000!

It’s already competing with the subscription numbers of the industry leader, *Story World*!

The neighboring *Wuxia*, after the *Feng Ye Seven Curses* incident, saw its subscriptions drop to two to three thousand. If it weren’t for the new heavyweight author they hired, it would have been completely ruined.

The once formidable opponent, who could only be looked up to, is now so pitiful in front of him, and his own sales have unknowingly increased to the point where he can compete with the industry leader.

But the more so, the more Zhu Zhengting feels a chill in his heart.

In recent days, with the increase in magazine sales, countless advertisers have come to him to build relationships, calling him brother and begging for ad space.

But when he realized the importance of *Lian Cheng Jue* and probed these advertisers about future cooperation, those who were just “brothers” a moment ago immediately changed their faces, using all sorts of excuses to delay.

Clearly, these people have also noticed the potential problems with *Wuxia Story* and only want to ride the wave of *Lian Cheng Jue* to maximize their advertising benefits.

With this mindset, *Wuxia Story* has yet to secure the ad space for the next issue, which is unimaginable for a magazine.

No one is optimistic about the future of *Wuxia Story*, not even Zhu Zhengting himself.

Imagine, when the next issue of *Wuxia Story* reaches its peak and shocks countless people with its subscriptions, the following issue returns to the original three to four thousand sales, or even lower.

How will the advertisers view it?

How will the readers view it?

How will the industry peers view it?

This is not just a return to the old situation; such a significant drop will make everyone lose confidence in *Wuxia Story*. The magazine would need another novel as good as *Lian Cheng Jue* to restore its reputation.

But after the “One Page Book royalty withholding incident,” most authors who have other ways to make money no longer actively contact the magazine. Even if Zhu Zhengting thick-skinnedly calls them, they either don’t answer or talk about something else.

Although they don’t explicitly refuse, the meaning is clear.

He just contacted a few well-known authors in the industry, and after talking until his tongue was dry and offering generous royalties, he finally secured a few short stories.

But they are just ordinary short stories!

When did a simple short story require the big boss to personally step in!

This is not just a matter of being screwed; it’s being thoroughly screwed...

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