These were all Xiao Ying’s readers.
Deng Shangwei couldn’t help but grin at the thought.
Who among Boss Qin and General Manager Wang didn’t envy him? His niece, a high schooler, had published a book!
Children from wealthy or influential families might have many talents, but writing was a skill unrelated to background—you either had it or you didn’t. Moreover, from magazine serialisation to book publication, Wen Ying’s family hadn’t helped one bit; it was all her own effort. This was different from Tianjiao Film inviting Wen Ying to write scripts, where connections played a role. Publishing a book, however, was purely her own ability.
The glory of the older generation fades, but young people like Wen Ying, who conquer with talent, are always held in high regard.
Deng Shangwei, worried about delaying other readers, always stepped back in line whenever someone held a copy of Youth Idol.
When the clerk finished and saw Deng Shangwei still at the end of the queue, they were puzzled.
He’d been standing all morning—why hadn’t he moved forward?
“Still buying Youth Idol?”
“Yes, 100 copies, but no rush, let others buy first.”
Deng Shangwei counted: in one morning, the bookstore had sold nearly 50 copies of Youth Idol. He wasn’t sure how the publisher calculated royalties for Wen Ying—did she get one or two yuan per book?
He was thrilled about Wen Ying’s achievement, but his business mindset couldn’t help calculating her earnings.
If one bookstore sold 50 copies in a morning, how many could it sell in a day?
Rongcheng had more than one bookstore.
Sichuan Province wasn’t limited to Rongcheng.
Expanding further, how many bookstores were there nationwide?
The royalty income for bestselling authors was beyond most people’s imagination. If Youth Idol sold over a million copies, Wen Ying’s earnings from one book could match all the wealth he and Chen Li had built in Rongcheng up to last year!
Deng Shangwei calculated happily, but the clerk checked the backroom and delivered bad news: “Youth Idol’s stock is under 100 copies. If you want to buy, we’ll need to order more.”
“Your bookstore stocked too little!”
Deng Shangwei’s complaint was half-hearted; he was secretly delighted.
He’d rather hear the clerk say Youth Idol was sold out than just short of 100 copies!
The clerk rolled their eyes.
Youth Idol’s stock was hardly small; bookstores rarely stocked so much for a debut author.
“So, do you still want it?”
“Of course!”
100 copies of Youth Idol cost 3,200 yuan. Deng Shangwei paid without hesitation, taking only a receipt and one copy, leaving the rest for other readers.
“I’ll leave the box here. When the books arrive, pack them in it!”
Seeing his big purchase, a parent browsing with their child grew curious.
Youth Idol seemed really popular lately—should they buy a copy to check it out?
The promotional slogan sounded good, “Youth Idol, Overcoming Obstacles”, but hopefully it wasn’t just hype. If it was all about early love, heartbreak, crushes, unrequited love, or love triangles, as if youth was only about romance!
“Give me one too.”
“Youth Idol?”
“Yeah, so many people are buying it, it should be decent!”
The customer is king. The clerk sold the book and quickly reported: Youth Idol needed more stock. The last book with this momentum was Hush, Little Secret, but that one caught fire amid criticism after its launch, selling little on day one.
Youth Idol was different—it was already being slammed into fame before its release!
…
Hunan Province.
Youth Idol was also on bookstore shelves.
In Hunan, it had buyers but wasn’t as hot as in Rongcheng, where print media promotion lost 90% of its impact.
Still, Rongcheng’s constant coverage had some effect on Hunan, and Aige had a decent market share there, giving Youth Idol a reader base.
The dispute between “The Fish Against the Current” and Aige confused readers, but after following seven serialised issues, not being able to read the rest left some itching with curiosity.
Reading is a simple joy—why complicate it?
Sometoxic Some readers were deterred by the magazine’s statement, but others only cared about the story. Liking the egg didn’t mean liking the hen; even if the author was flawed, it didn’t stop them from enjoying the text.
A sneaky figure appeared at a bookstore entrance.
Wearing a hat and sunglasses in the summer heat, wrapped tightly in a scarf, they drew curious glances.
“One copy of Youth Idol,” the figure said in a low voice to the clerk.
The clerk blinked, “You’re Li Mengjiao—”
Li Mengjiao nearly split apart. Disguised like this, and still recognised?
The clerk, excited, whispered, “I’m your fan!”
A true fan never tires of their idol’s songs and can recognise their voice!
Li Mengjiao shushed them, grabbed a notepad, signed it, and the clerk slipped it under the counter as if nothing happened.
Li Mengjiao bought one copy of Youth Idol.
Huh, Li Mengjiao was a reader of Youth Idol?
The young clerk realised this too late.
Should they stock more copies?
Li Mengjiao returned to her hotel, pulling off her scarf, sweating from the trip.
Hunan was the hub of the talent show, and with the national finals heating up, Li Mengjiao’s popularity was soaring. In Rongcheng, she could walk freely; in Hunan, fans mobbed her outside the TV station.
A big star buying a book in a bookstore would be trapped if recognised.
The safest bet was waiting for Wen Ying to send a sample, but Li Mengjiao couldn’t wait.
She wanted to read Wen Ying’s novel right away.
Even with Emerald Forest’s premiere tomorrow and Yuan Fenghui’s talks with Hunan TV in their final stages, Wen Ying’s book launch was more important to her.
Qin Jiao and Wang Shuang could track Youth Idol’s sales, but Li Mengjiao thought she could do more, waiting for a suitable chance.
…
Shanghai.
Gong Sheng was driving, with Xie Qian in the back.
Passing a bookstore, Xie Qian suddenly asked Gong Sheng to stop.
He got out and entered the bookstore. He hadn’t read the full Youth Idol, and an author’s mindset affects their work. Had the final 120,000 words fallen apart?
Also, it was Youth Idol’s launch day. Nationwide sales data would take time, but Rongcheng’s local data should be available. How many copies would it sell on day one?
