Yuan Feng Hui could definitely secure a new publisher for Wen Ying!
She wouldn’t even need to try hard. Just by spreading the word, publishers would flock to her, eagerly offering terms to entice Wen Ying to switch. That was the power of a bestselling author.
Little Ni wanted to say this was an unfair contest, but the words reached her lips and she held back.
It wasn’t that Wen Ying wanted to leave; someone was causing trouble. If Wen Ying did leave, it could only be blamed on Bao Li Xin!
Rong City Literature Press wasn’t a top-tier publisher. What kept Wen Ying there wasn’t a lucrative publishing contract, but the relatively relaxed creative environment and the bonds formed along the way.
Now, that relaxed creative environment was heavily disrupted. Could she rely on sentiment to keep Wen Ying?
That would be too selfish!
Unless she could restore that relaxed creative environment for Wen Ying.
Without that ability, she shouldn’t hinder Wen Ying’s bright future.
Little Ni gritted her teeth, “Alright, let’s compete with you, Yuan Jie, and see who moves faster!”
As she spoke, Little Ni’s gaze shifted, her young face showing resolve. Editor Wan, seeing a glimpse of a younger Zou Wei Jun, instinctively tucked his tail and chimed in, “Compete, sure! Becoming chief editor is tough, but getting rid of one isn’t!”
Being a chief editor required ability and experience; ousting one only needed destructive force.
As everyone knew, doing something was hard, but destroying something was easy~
At that moment, Editor Wan might as well have had “I’m a villain” written on his face. Even Wen Ying couldn’t help but want to laugh—his greasiness, after a while, became oddly tolerable. Compared to hypocritical gentlemen, Editor Wan at least had authenticity.
It was Song Fo Xiang’s turn to speak. He wasn’t in a rush, asking Wen Ying slowly, “If we don’t get rid of Bao Li Xin and you go to another publisher, will you still teach me how to write bestsellers?”
Wen Ying tried hard to suppress a laugh, “That won’t stop us from exchanging ideas and improving together. Our friendship is built on writing. As long as we’re both still creating, it’s unlikely we’ll fall out.”
Oh!
Song Fo Xiang felt reassured, shifting to a more comfortable position on the sofa, “Then let’s compete. I really dislike Bao Li Xin. His professional level, let alone compared to former Editor Zou, is far worse than mine. What makes a good leader? One who does nothing is better than one who meddles blindly!”
Song Fo Xiang had been a magazine chief editor before.
When he was in charge, he lacked ambition, unlike Bao Li Xin’s decisive style, but the magazine staff all liked him.
If only he hadn’t been disciplined before.
Otherwise, when Zou Wei Jun left, Song Fo Xiang would have been the most qualified to take over as chief editor.
—In the end, it was all that scoundrel Zhao Gou’s fault!
All three—Little Ni, Editor Wan, and Song Fo Xiang—expressed their resolve, full of determination. Yuan Feng Hui didn’t dampen their enthusiasm.
After all, she wasn’t really trying to force Wen Ying to switch publishers. Wen Ying should go wherever was best for her development.
As they left Yuan Feng Hui’s home, Wen Ying whispered, “Yuan Teacher, aren’t you bullying honest people like this? Once I sign the publishing agency contract with you, the troubles during ‘Xun Yong’s’ publication should be yours to handle, but you’ve pushed half the workload onto Little Ni and the others…”
Doesn’t your conscience hurt?
Yuan Feng Hui replied righteously, “The world is complex. If they stay in a comfortable environment too long, their skills will regress. I’m giving them a chance to grow!”
Yuan Feng Hui felt she was a good person. Wen Ying thought about it and couldn’t find a reason to argue.
Back home, Wen Ying pondered how to discuss this with her parents.
Old Wen would definitely not object.
As the saying goes, taking someone’s money softens your stance. Old Wen was in that position now.
Father and daughter were hiding the secret of a 10 million investment in Tian Jiao. For some of Wen Ying’s decisions, Old Wen had to agree even if he didn’t want to.
Sure enough, when Wen Ying brought it up with Old Wen first, he didn’t object at all. Wen Ying was puzzled, “Don’t you have any objections?”
Wen Dong Rong had been listless since finishing his exams, still not regaining his energy, and this moment was no exception.
“Would objecting do any good?”
“…I can respect your opinion, but whether I follow it is up to me.”
Wen Dong Rong gave a cold laugh, “So why would I object? First, you won’t listen to me. Second, the 10% income you save won’t go to me!”
No need to waste the effort.
As for whether the family’s tigress would agree, Wen Dong Rong, considering the 2,000 yuan monthly filial tribute, reminded Wen Ying, “Your mum’s in a bad mood today. She went out for something at noon, came back with a sour face. Even I… have to avoid her sharp edge. You know, a good man doesn’t fight with a woman. I’m a gentleman through and through.”
Wen Dong Rong now had a keen sense of Chen Ru’s moods.
Noticing his wife’s displeasure, he was impeccably well-behaved all afternoon. When Deng Shang Wei invited him to the countryside, he postponed it to tomorrow, spending the afternoon cleaning the house spotless.
Even so, he couldn’t earn a smile from Chen Ru. Wen Dong Rong was at a loss.
Of course, he would never admit his low family status, attributing everything to his “gentlemanly demeanor.”
She went out at noon and came back in a bad mood?
Even Wen Dong Rong didn’t know what happened, and Wen Ying was even more clueless.
That evening, Wen Ying tried to gauge Manager Chen’s stance, briefly mentioning her disagreement with Editor Bao and Yuan Feng Hui’s proposal.
Expecting fierce opposition from Chen Ru, Wen Ying was surprised when Chen Ru fell into thought, “Take 10% of your royalty income for Director Yuan to fully handle your novel’s publication?”
“Yes, we tentatively agreed on three novels. If any doesn’t reach 2 million copies in sales, Yuan Teacher won’t take a cent of commission…”
Wen Ying tried to explain that this deal favored her, but Chen Ru decided on the spot, “Commission isn’t an issue. A bit more is fine. Director Yuan is reliable!”
Huh?!
Wen Ying blinked.
That was agreed to too readily!
Wen Ying couldn’t guess Chen Ru’s thoughts.
10% commission was significant, but compared to Wen Ying’s entire future, it wasn’t.
Chen Ru calculated, Wen Ying not handling publishing琐事 would free up more energy. This deal was worthwhile!
Energy for what?
To go abroad, of course!
With Chen Ru’s enthusiastic support, Wen Ying signed with Yuan Feng Hui the next day.
They agreed that starting with “Xun Yong,” Yuan Feng Hui would agent the publication of Wen Ying’s next three novels.
“Review the contract carefully. If there’s no issue, you can sign.”
The contract was drafted by Zheng Zhi He, with impeccable terms.
Yuan Feng Hui knew the Nine Cauldrons series had more than three books but didn’t demand more.
Wen Ying saw the contract included overseas publishing rights but didn’t comment either.
The old fox and the young fox each had their own plans, saying in unison, “No problem, sign it!”
By Monday at school, Xie Qian only learned about it from Li Meng Jiao’s mouth!
“Wen Ying and I now share the same agent. Ahhh, I’m so excited!!”
Li Meng Jiao was thrilled, but Xie Qian wasn’t happy at all.
He had to talk to Wen Ying, immediately, right now, not a minute longer.
