Mrs. Wang was delighted.
Meeting Zou Weijun up close for the first time, she was exactly as Li’s mum described!
Raised in an intellectual family, Zou Weijun was upright, gentle, principled, capable, and cultured. Mrs. Wang spotted so many of her strengths.
These qualities made Mrs. Wang beam with joy.
To befriend someone like Zou Weijun, Mrs. Wang was brimming with confidence!
Culture is key.
Even just her refinement made it impossible for Zou Weijun to resist Mrs. Wang’s familiarity. The trick? Sincere enthusiasm and thick skin!
Thick skin was the crux. No matter how many tactics, without it, she’d be too shy to cling to Zou Weijun.
So, thick-skinned Mrs. Wang not only planned to stay for lunch at Xie Qian’s house but also aimed for dinner.
As for whether her son Wang Shuang was struggling through a full day of tutoring, Mrs. Wang didn’t spare him a thought all morning.
She’d come to secure a new friend for her son, but now she was the one wanting to be “kidnapped” by Zou Weijun, so gentle and refined.
If Wang Shuang complained, Mrs. Wang would think him ungrateful, tutor Xie Qian hasn’t grumbled, so what right do struggling students have?
Yuan Fenghui and Mrs. Wang had different goals, and Yuan lacked Mrs. Wang’s housewife free time. After finalising the writing contest in the morning, she had to return to the company.
Before leaving, Yuan Fenghui, in front of Zou Weijun, declared Mrs. Wang would handle future coordination, firmly pinning the PR manager role on her.
I’m not, I didn’t, don’t talk nonsense!
Mrs. Wang nearly jumped, but Yuan Fenghui smirked slyly.
Deny it.
Go on, deny it now!
If you’re not Tianjiao’s PR manager, what’s your stake in Tianjiao sponsoring the contest?
Wen Ying mentally applauded Yuan Fenghui, a master move, lethal. Mrs. Wang had fawned all morning, and Yuan waited here to trap her!
“Fine, I’ll coordinate with Sister Zou from now on.”
Mrs. Wang grudgingly accepted the role, her expression betraying no resistance.
She was confident that before the contest ended, she and Zou Weijun would be like sisters sharing a skirt, and she’d no longer need the PR manager title!
Yuan Fenghui left, satisfied.
Xie Qian’s housekeeper, Sister Liu, was thrilled.
With Mrs. Wang staying for lunch, the house felt livelier!
Since Wen Ying, Xie Qian, and Li Mengjiao often ate there, Sister Liu knew their tastes. But Mrs. Wang was new, so before preparing lunch, Sister Liu asked what she liked. Fresh off her “defeat,” Mrs. Wang, oblivious to the word “restraint,” listed several dishes, kindly adding not to overwork, as she couldn’t eat so much in one go, save some for her next visit.
“I’ll bring Wang Shuang for tutoring tomorrow, is that alright?”
Mrs. Wang cheerfully planned her mooching, sacrificing so much for this forced friendship, whimpering inwardly. Spending money was minor, but working? That was major!
One more diner wouldn’t bankrupt the house, and since Zou Weijun and Xie Qian didn’t object, Sister Liu welcomed Mrs. Wang’s request.
Mrs. Wang was a character, never stingy with praise, making cooking for her rewarding.
Hearing his mum would drive him tomorrow, Wang Shuang, mid-sip, nearly choked.
This wasn’t motherly love, just her “convenience.”
Wen Ying shot Wang Shuang a sympathetic look.
Being a tool wasn’t shameful.
The real fear was not even qualifying as one!
During a lunch break, Xie Qian asked Wen Ying about the contest talks. She was pleased with the morning’s progress, “The contest is basically set. Aunt Zou just called Xiao Ni, checking if *Spark*’s first issue has enough manuscripts. If Xiao Ni’s side is fine, *Spark* launches in November!”
Before the launch, it’s promotion time.
For the contest to make a splash, prize money is only a small part of the budget, the real cost is promotion.
Initially, Yuan Fenghui mentioned online promotion, but by the end, she wanted a TV ad short!
Xie Qian got it instantly, “Teacher Yuan never fears a big scene, only one that’s not big enough.”
A creative writing contest with TV ads, that’s a huge investment.
Even non-prime ad slots aren’t cheap. Mrs. Wang might bleed cash, but she showed no wallet pain, only glee.
The money Mrs. Wang was set to spend could cover more than a few meals at Xie Qian’s, it could feed her there for life.
And all this, just to secure friends for her son.
A person’s care for family isn’t in words but actions. Wang Shuang was lucky to have such a mum, so was his talent just “luck”?!
Lucky in birth.
Lucky in friends.
Xie Qian suspected Wang Shuang was even lucky in games!
Wen Ying knew Xie Qian’s concerns and reassured him, “It won’t cost too much. For the promo short, Yuan won’t hire outsiders, she’ll use Li Mengjiao and Yun Chen, our company’s artists. Tianjiao’s sponsoring this contest, not for profit, just a token fee for their efforts.”
Adopting a talent show’s judging mechanism wasn’t copying its profit model.
If the contest mimicked Super Girl’s 1-yuan-per-vote SMS system, the literary world would unite against it.
Wen Ying’s suggestion was forward-thinking, but she didn’t want to be the industry’s enemy. More crucially, getting readers to pay to vote for stories is tough for short stories. Readers spend when they’re emotionally invested, but short stories under 10,000 words are read quickly, unlike novels, which build deeper attachment over time.
Asking readers to pay to vote then would hurt feelings.
This contest, Wen Ying never planned to charge readers. Neither Tianjiao, *Spark*, nor Rongcheng Literature Press would see profits on paper!
No money from readers, and hard to get from advertisers either. *Spark* could sell ad space with higher circulation, but not Tianjiao.
Xie Qian mused, “Teacher Yuan won’t do a losing deal. It’s not profitable on paper, just costs, but it can build a positive image for Li Mengjiao and others. But you…”
Like when Yuan Fenghui wanted Li Mengjiao as a fire safety ambassador, these jobs don’t pay, yet Yuan was eager.
Non-paying work builds Li Mengjiao’s image, paving the way for bigger earnings later!
Xie Qian wasn’t worried about Li Mengjiao losing out, but he wanted to ask Wen Ying.
Aren’t you, little hamster, worried at all?
