Xie Jinghu’s troubles could not be shared with his elder brother, nor with his own mother. There was no reason to expect Wen Ying to sympathise either.
In any case, the gaokao was over. Using the excuse of a “book-signing event”, Wen Ying arrived in Shanghai without any difficulty.
Ding Chao, editor-in-chief of Shanghai Literature Press, personally picked her up at the airport and arranged a hotel for her.
Once Wen Ying had checked in, Editor Ding told her one thing. “Tomorrow’s venue will also host a signing for another author.”
Wen Ying instantly guessed. “Editor Ding, the other author wouldn’t happen to be Blue Whale, would it?”
Ding Chao smiled and nodded. “Director Yuan said it was no big deal whether we mentioned it or not, but I thought it better to tell Teacher Little Fish in advance.”
In Yuan Fenghui’s eyes, nothing ever counted as a big deal.
Wen Ying did not mind clashing with Blue Whale at all.
Clashing schedules was like clashing outfits. The one who looked worse always felt the embarrassment.
Book signings compared an author’s popularity, not looks. Wen Ying had no worries on that score. Actually, even if it were about looks she had nothing to fear. She glanced at her reflection in the mirrored wall of the hotel lift. She was no longer the short, dark, chubby girl of the past.
Right now Wen Ying only cared about one thing. “Between me and Blue Whale, whose signing was scheduled and whose venue was booked first?”
Ding Chao told the truth. “Blue Whale’s side booked first, of course. She’s a university student, so her time is more flexible. As far as I know, Shanghai is the final stop on Blue Whale’s tour.”
Wen Ying was doing a nationwide tour. Blue Whale was copying her.
Just as Wen Ying wrote Star River and You, Blue Whale followed with Crown of Thorns.
Bao Lixin not only refused to let his signed authors “innovate” in content, he even copied Wen Ying’s promotional tactics wholesale.
Hearing that Blue Whale had locked in the date and venue first, while Wen Ying’s team booked later, wasn’t it obvious that Ding Chao and Yuan Fenghui were deliberately stirring things up?
Ding Chao saw Wen Ying fall silent and worried that a young woman like her might have a strong sense of fair play and insist on a “clean fight” against a rival. He was about to persuade her when Wen Ying suddenly burst out laughing.
“That’s perfect. When it comes to writing books, my Star River and You came first. For signings, I can let Blue Whale book first. There’s a proper order to everything. That’s very fair.”
The one who starts the trouble is the villain. Blue Whale plagiarised first. Wen Ying scheduling her signing to clash with Blue Whale’s was perfectly justified.
Ding Chao let out a sigh of relief.
An author who could produce three consecutive bestsellers was indeed perceptive.
“Teacher Little Fish, tomorrow morning I’ll bring the make-up artist to pick you up. Our signing starts at nine. It takes time to get to the venue, plus breakfast and make-up, so you’ll need to be up around six-forty at the latest. No problem?”
Ding Chao explained the schedule. Wen Ying laughed. “Editor Ding, I’ve only just finished the gaokao. Have you ever met a senior-high student who could sleep past seven?”
Indeed, none existed.
Ding Chao understood. Although the gaokao was over, Little Fish’s body clock had not adjusted yet. Early rising was no trouble for her at all.
Ding Chao was completely reassured.
After helping Wen Ying check in and going over the details, he took his leave.
Shanghai Literature Press truly valued Wen Ying. Editor Ding did not stay at the hotel himself, but he left two young female staff members behind. They could handle anything Wen Ying needed.
Wen Ying did not actually need much help, but she appreciated the press’s attitude.
In a good mood, Wen Ying first reported that she was safe to her family, then contacted Wu Chunqin, and even spent half an hour on the phone with Xie Qian.
With time still to spare after all that, she opened her laptop and started working on the outline for the second book in the Nine Cauldrons series.
She kept going until nine in the evening, then took a bath and went to bed comfortably.
While Wen Ying slept soundly in her hotel, a few kilometres away in another hotel, Blue Whale was so anxious she could not sleep at all.
The nationwide signing tour had certainly fed Blue Whale’s vanity.
Along with the signings came interviews. Bao Lixin had spent real money to promote her.
Outsiders saw only the excitement, but insiders knew the truth. Crown of Thorns had not sold as well as expected. Taken on its own the figures were respectable, but both Blue Whale and Bao Lixin were comparing them to Star River and You. The gap was glaring.
The shadow of plagiarism hung over Blue Whale constantly.
At the signings, watching the queues and hearing readers shout how much they loved her did not make her happy.
Instead she kept wondering whether these readers truly liked her.
Did they like her, or did they like “Reverse Flow Fish”? What if, halfway through tomorrow’s event, a reader rushed forward and accused her of copying?
Blue Whale was not just imagining things.
At the previous signings no one had confronted her, but that did not guarantee tomorrow would be the same.
Tomorrow she would be at the same venue as Reverse Flow Fish.
Judging by the scale of Reverse Flow Fish’s usual events, several thousand die-hard fans might turn up.
Those die-hard fans had been cursing her online ever since Crown of Thorns was released. If they saw her in person tomorrow, would they let her off?
Forget physical violence. One spit from each of them would drown her.
Blue Whale was genuinely terrified. She was so anxious she even suggested cancelling tomorrow’s signing.
Bao Lixin naturally refused.
Blue Whale’s shoulders shook. “We announced tomorrow’s signing long ago. The time and venue were public. Yet they deliberately booked the same slot at the same place. They’re clearly targeting us.”
Readers everywhere were calling her a plagiarist, yet Reverse Flow Fish herself had shown no reaction.
This was the same person who, right after her debut, had dared to sue a magazine. How could she have no temper at all?
Bao Lixin had told her Wen Ying was busy with the gaokao and had no time for anything else. Blue Whale had believed him, trembling.
Now the gaokao was over. Was Wen Ying finally free to deal with her?
Blue Whale wanted to back out at the last minute. Bao Lixin would never allow it.
Of course he knew Wen Ying’s side had deliberately clashed schedules, but that suited him perfectly.
“What are you afraid of? Tomorrow, when you see her in person, lower your posture and greet her first. As the saying goes, no one hits a smiling face. You’re the junior, she’s the senior. If you observe all the courtesies and she ignores you, the problem is hers. If her readers cause trouble? Even better. The moment her fans make a scene, I’ll say she incited them. Ever since your book came out, Reverse Flow Fish has been egging readers on to cyber-bully you. Imagine the headlines.”
Bao Lixin waved his arms, voice rising with excitement.
Blue Whale was not comforted in the slightest.
At the root of it all, Crown of Thorns really had imitated Star River and You. Blue Whale felt guilty, and that guilt could not be wiped away.
