Before leaving get off work, Chu Li was stopped by Yu Yao. At that moment, her heart skipped a beat, fearing that she would ask about the submission status of the second issue of "Reader-Author Interaction Month"... That would be such a bad scene, and it was embarrassing just thinking about it.
Chu Li responded and stretched his neck to take a look. Fortunately, Lao Miao had already walked away with his FENDI bag in a cat-like pace... Chu Li returned to the editorial office like a flash of smoke, and closed the door like a thief. With a fearless expression, he sat down in front of Yu Yao.
"Boss, what's the matter?"
"Why are you so nervous?" Yu Yao said with a smile, "I just came to ask if Zhechuan is still unwilling to submit "Luohe Divine Book" for the Huazhi Award? Two months have passed, and the deadline for registration is almost here..."
“…”
So that's why.
At this moment, Chu Li didn't know whether she should breathe a sigh of relief. She shook her head and said, "Teacher Zhaochuan was very resistant and very determined not to participate in this selection... I also tried to persuade him, but Teacher Xia said in a shocking way that "even a hero can't resist the temptation of beauty". Although I'm not a beauty, he told me to try my best——"
Before Chu Li finished speaking, Yu Yao started laughing: "Teacher Xia is like this. This year during the Dragon Boat Festival, I said to him, "Happy Dragon Boat Festival, teacher." Do you know what he said to me? "The Dragon Boat Festival is for the dead, so we can't say "Happy Dragon Boat Festival." We should say "Good health on the Dragon Boat Festival." "
Chu Li: "..."
Yu Yao wiped away the tears from laughing: "I have been saying 'Happy Zongzi Festival' for more than 30 years, and now it has been overturned..."
What else could Chu Li say? He could only smile awkwardly: "The teacher is indeed a strict and objective person."
The atmosphere of the chat was good, and Yu Yao did not say anything that would ruin the atmosphere, such as forcing Chu Li to deal with Zhe Chuan... After the two chatted about some gossip about Teacher Xia, Yu Yao stood up, picked up his bag, and walked out with Chu Li.
Chu Li was walking in front, and she had originally thought that she had escaped a disaster... However, what was to come always came. When she relaxed for no more than ten seconds and was about to step out of the door, she unfortunately heard Yu Yao's voice behind her, which seemed to be inadvertent.
"By the way, how is the essay solicitation for the November issue going? With a week's submission period, Zhuchuan and his team only received a few dozen submissions, so Suoheng and his team probably won't have many, right?"
“…”
Yu Yao's question was somewhat unexpected. When Chu Li was trying to organize his words to see how to express his current awkward situation tactfully, Yu Yao came up, walked side by side with Chu Li, and asked: "How many submissions did you make to Suo Heng?"
The voice sounds very casual.
Although Chu Li is not actually.
“…”
The honest answer she could give was "zero".
Chu Li stretched her head over the corridor railing to look downstairs. The atmosphere was so awkward that she didn't know how to start the conversation. She felt that jumping down seemed to be the only best option.
"Indeed, there aren't many, and the quality isn't very good. Judging from the few articles submitted so far, the writing style and storytelling methods are not worthy of being published in a magazine..." Chu Li said implicitly, "Today is Friday, I think we can wait until after the weekend to have a look."
Yu Yao glanced at Chu Li and nodded thoughtfully.
She did not ask Chu Li how many works had been submitted to Suo Heng; just as Chu Li did not ask Yu Yao what the relationship between her and Suo Heng was, and why Lao Miao would always question Yu Yao in a tone of "Suo Heng, is it really okay for you to do this?" whenever there was a quarrel about something even slightly related to Suo Heng.
Fortunately, at this moment, Chu Li felt her phone vibrating, and the screen lit up, indicating that she had a new QQ message pushed in... Chu Li quickly put on an "I have something to do" face and lowered her head to look at the phone -
【Zhuchuan: When will you come back? 】
【Zhuchuan: What to eat in the evening? 】
【Zhuchuan: I’m hungry. 】
【Zhuchuan: Come back soon, I'm starving. 】
[Zhu Chuan: Don’t work overtime. You don’t give me overtime pay. If I’m so hungry that I want to open a can of Er Gouzi and eat a bite, isn’t that more serious?]
[The navy hired by the monkey: …]
【Zhu Chuan: I said so much and you only gave me six dots? Where is the basic social etiquette?】
【The navy hired by the monkey: . . . . . 】
[The monkey’s hired navy: Here you go, a big one, take it.]
【Tsukawa: …】
Yu Yao heard the people around him chuckle, and when he looked up, he saw her lips curled up and her eyes lifted up in laughter. Chu Li always looked like she was in full combat mode when she was in the editorial department, and it was rare to see her laugh like a real girl... Yu Yao couldn't help but laugh too: "Who are you talking to? You look so happy?"
Chu Li was startled when he heard this, and subconsciously turned his phone towards him. He put it away as if nothing had happened: "It's okay, a boring person."
At this time, the two arrived at the gate of the park where Yuanyue Society was located, said goodbye to each other peacefully, and wished each other a happy weekend.
…
An hour later.
Chu Li returned home and was washing rice to prepare for cooking. The man who had been sitting in the study and doing something else also ran out and leaned against the kitchen door frame to watch her washing rice. After watching for a long time, he finally said through his teeth: "You didn't work overtime tonight."
Chu Li poured out the first wave of rice washing water and said "hmm" without raising his head.
Zhu Chuan opened his mouth silently: "Aren't there many people who submitted their works?"
Chu Li raised her head this time and looked expressionlessly at the man leaning against the door, laughing at something unknown: "Are you bored or not? You know that the popularity of those three authors can't compare to yours, so why are you competing with them..."
"Hey," Chu Li said with a frozen face, "You won't be thinking about this all day long, will you——"
"Who are you accusing? I spent the whole day writing at home today," the smile on Zhuo Chuan's face disappeared immediately, and he kicked the trash can, "It's more than 10,000 words. Come to the study and take a look. If I'm not lying, you can print out these 10,000 words and eat them in front of me as a gift to apologize.
The trash can was kicked and shook, and Chu Li pulled out a kitchen knife.
Zhuchuan bent down and held the trash can, staring at Chu Li vigilantly.
Chu Li started cutting vegetables with a "crunch, crunch" sound.
Zhuchuan straightened up, walked to Chuli and stood firmly behind her. The shadow cast by the tall man enveloped the person standing in front of the chopping block. According to the routine of girls' comics, at this time, the male protagonist should hug the female protagonist's waist from behind, then bend down slightly and put his chin on her shoulder and act coquettishly or something...
However, the reality is that the male protagonist raised his hand and poked the female protagonist's shoulder in disdain, as if one finger was too many: "So, how many submissions are there?"
There was a pause in the sound of cutting vegetables. Chu Li raised the kitchen knife and turned around. Zhu Chuan's face changed and he took three steps back. Chu Li put down the kitchen knife and said calmly, "This cannot be told to anyone except the author himself."
Zhuochuan: "Am I also considered 'other'?"
Chu Li: "And it's someone with ulterior motives."
Chu Chuan: "Aren't you my editor? Why don't you stand by me?"
"You are the editor of the book 'Luohe Divine Book'," Chu Li corrected. "Who was it that kept saying 'I don't need to be an editor' last night? My mother danced in the square as a witness. Now you want to gossip and I become your editor again?"
Perhaps because he was really shameless, Zhuchuan didn't look embarrassed at all - he walked over and snatched the kitchen knife from Chuli's hand, threw it on the chopping board, and leaned over and put one hand on the kitchen counter, trapping the little girl who was half a head shorter than him between his chest and the kitchen counter...
When the two of them were very close, he did not stop leaning over. When Chu Li's body leaned back and he could no longer dodge, he finally stopped. At this time, the distance between the tips of their noses was only about the cross-sectional distance of a finger.
He was so close that Chu Li could smell a faint scent of mint tobacco in his breath.
"I said I didn't need an editor-in-chief, but you didn't know how to fight for me?" The man's eyes dimmed slightly, and his voice was deep and magnetic. "Do you know how many editors and authors in this industry finally became a perfect match, a match made in heaven, and walked into the sacred marriage hall?"
“…”
"I'm a good writer, I'm rich, I live in a big house, and I look like the type that girls like you," the man raised his chin, "You live with me every day, how can I not be tempted?"
“…”
Teacher, I have seen you staring at the chicken nest in the morning, sticking your butt out and burying your face in Ergou's belly to act like a jerk in order not to get up;
Teacher, I have seen you yawning and reaching your hands into your pajamas to scratch your buttocks.
Teacher, I once fought with you for the toilet before work in the daytime. One of us stood inside the toilet and the other stood outside the toilet, and we both cursed at each other.
Teacher, I also think that you are rich, handsome, and good at writing, but if just counting the above three points is enough to make me "moved", then you should worry that your "Luohe Divine Book" will eventually fall into the hands of someone with a hole in his brain...
Chu Li blinked and lowered his voice: "I also want to strive to be your editor. How about submitting "Luohe Divine Book" for the "Flower Branch Award"? As long as you say "yes", from now on I will fight for the position of your personal editor even if it costs my life..."
“…”
“…”
The breath from the excessive aggression of the man in front of him was suddenly drained away, and Zhuchuan stood up suddenly, without any ambiguity, and his face was firm: "I won't."
Chu Li also turned around with a determined look, and picked up the kitchen knife that Zhu Chuan had thrown into the sink. Her heartbeat was as steady as a rock, and she continued to cut vegetables: "Then the negotiation broke down, you leave."
"Why is it so difficult to ask you some gossip? Our [30 Tenant Rules] have a 31st rule: Tenants must listen to what the landlord says; Tenants must answer any gossip the landlord asks!"
"Go ahead and add more. I'll pay any attention to you," Chu Li stood on tiptoe and opened the cabinet above her head to take the soup pot down. However, even with her fingertips stretched out, she couldn't reach it... At this moment, she suddenly retracted her hand as if she remembered something and turned around. She looked at the man standing behind her with his hands in his pockets and not trying to help. She was immediately out of breath and stomped her feet, "Come and help me get it! What are you still looking at!"
Zhuchuan was stunned.
Ten seconds later, he came over reluctantly: "You are so self-righteous even though you are short. Is it me who made you short? Why are you yelling at me..."
"I'm only 1.65 meters tall. What's so short about me? You're too tall! This cabinet is too high! How can a cabinet be installed that high? Is there something wrong with you?"
Zhuo Chuan came over, pressed down Chu Li's head with his big hand to make her shut up, and at the same time stretched out his long arm to take down the soup pot that Chu Li couldn't reach, pretending to put it into her arms: "The master who installed the cabinet didn't know that a loud and clamorous dwarf would live in this house in a few years... Here, take it, take it, wait——"
The man raised the pot to a height that Chu Li couldn't reach: "Tell me, can you count the number of submissions to Suo Heng on one hand?"
Chu Li: "..."
First Li: “………………”
The lid of the soup pot that was lifted high slipped down and hit the man on the head. The man uttered "ouch" and subconsciously threw the pot away to rub his head. Chu Li steadily caught the soup pot and the glass lid that was about to fall to the ground, and at the same time stomped on his foot swiftly, saying viciously: "Get out, don't make trouble here, otherwise you won't be able to eat until 9:20 when the dog walks!"
"...You look so fierce, what's wrong with me just caring about my colleagues? You act like I'm a dark person."
"Do you care so much about her? You are so dark. You are quite self-aware. What's wrong with Suo Heng's small number of submissions? If there were so few, would you still be able to write a sequel for her?!"
"You let Zhuo Chuan write the sequel for Suo Heng as a gunman! If you are brave enough, put this on the Internet and see if someone will find your address and send a bomb to you!"
"I live in the big house of Chuchuan University. I am not afraid of any bombs. Besides, how long has it been since you updated me?! If a bomb really comes in the mail, I don't know if the recipient is you or me?!"
In the kitchen, when the author and his editor were arguing over the topic of lack of nutrition, Ergou, who had long been accustomed to everything, walked in with his empty rice bowl in his mouth, stood up, propped up the cooking table with his two paws, threw the empty rice bowl into his special sink, then jumped in and turned away without looking back.
The empty rice bowl smashed into the sink with a loud noise, as if it was a loud accusation against domestic violence that could break out at any time and in any place.
Chu Li pointed at Er Gou's back without saying anything. Zhu Chuan glared at her. The moment he saw Er Gou's empty dog bowl, he realized that he hadn't eaten anything except breakfast today and was starving. So he said nothing more and turned around and left the kitchen...
The man kicked his slippers and came to the sofa, lying down, crossing his legs and taking out his cell phone.
So a few seconds later.
Chu Li, who had finally finished cutting the vegetables and was about to cook in the kitchen, suddenly felt her cell phone vibrate. She held the spatula in one hand and took out the cell phone with the other hand, and took a look at it.
[The missing Mr. L: Wife, how is your work going recently? Are you busy? I read the November issue of your "Moonlight" magazine, and the "Reader-Author Interaction" is so interesting! ]
[Disappeared Mr. L: I heard that today is the first day of submissions. Do you think I will be selected if I submit? There won’t be many people competing for it, right?]
[The missing Mr. L: Quickly tell your husband some inside information. I’m not in the industry anyway, so where can I tell it? ]
First Li: “……………………”
What the hell is going on today that everyone is gossiping with her about this?
[The water army hired by Monkey: Which author do you want to vote for? ]
[The disappeared Mr. L: Suo Heng, I also liked her when she was quite popular! Hehehe! ]
[The disappeared Mr. L: Of course I just admire her talent. 】
[The disappeared Mr. L: If I like you that much, I only like you (＾＿＾)]
[The Monkey's hired navy: ...Why are you talking so much nonsense today? ]
[The monkey's hired navy: Are you off work? ]
At the moment of sending the message, Chu Li didn't know that on the sofa in the living room next door, a man holding a mobile phone turned over because of this: Why are you talking so much nonsense? Of course it's because he feels guilty.
The man was typing away at a speed of 3,000 words per hour. At the same time, in the kitchen next to the wall, the girl who was busy cooking was typing on her phone.
[The disappeared Mr. L: Yeah. I’m off work and driving home.]
[The water army hired by the monkey: How can you type for me while driving? 】
The man on the sofa holding his phone in one hand paused, raised his head slightly and glanced at the kitchen. Seeing no movement inside, he asked loudly, whether intentionally or not: "Aren't you cooking? Why is there no movement?"
"I'm waiting for the pot to heat up - what's it to you! I'm just lying down waiting for food and yet I'm talking nonsense!" A response came immediately from the kitchen.
The man raised his lips and slammed his head back onto the sofa pillow.
【The disappeared Mr. L: Red light! 】
[The disappeared Mr. L: You are the greatest (＾＿＾)]
[The monkey's hired navy: ...roll, roll, roll.]
[The naval forces hired by Monkey: If you want to submit your work to Suo Heng, please do so as soon as possible. I cannot tell you the exact number of submissions I have received. Anyway, I am in a hurry now. It is not just a matter of quantity, but also of quality... Hey, I want to wait until the weekend to see, otherwise I may really have to look for someone to help me write.]
[The water army hired by the monkey: Anyway, with your writing ability, as long as you submit your work, it will definitely be published. ]
Zhuchuan: “…”
Why is this banana man so serious?
Even Mr. L can't handle her.
[The Monkey's hired navy: Forget about that. I have to cook for the useless guy in my living room who only knows how to cross his legs and mess around.]
[The missing Mr. L: Are you living with someone? Shared rental? Male or female? ]
After a long time without any response after sending the message, the man sat up from the sofa, thought for a while, put on his slippers and walked towards the kitchen. He happened to see Chu Li busy bending over to adjust the heat, and her mobile phone was placed next to the sink.
Zhuo Chuan: "Were you playing with your phone when you were silent just now?"
Chu Li: "So what? You are the kindergarten teacher and you are in charge of this."
Zhuochuan: "I'm almost starving and you're still playing with your phone."
Chu Li: "You are jumping around here and accusing me. How can you be like a dying person?"
Zhuochuan walked into the kitchen, took the wok that Chuli handed over, threw it into the sink, rinsed it twice with boiling water, and asked casually, "Are you chatting with your boyfriend?"
Chu Li raised her eyes, took her gaze away from the induction cooker, and looked at Zhuchuan calmly. Before she could say anything, the man standing not far away had already laughed like an old witch: "Look at you, you are still shy. It seems that your boyfriend is good at saying sweet words?"
First Li: “???”
Zhuo Chuan: "You are very good at flirting, a love saint."
Chu Li: "..."
…
After this day, Chu Li spent a weekend that was hard to describe.
Apart from the annoyance caused by the stupid author who was watching her like a spy at home, waiting to steal gossip information, every two hours, she would carefully open the submission mailbox like a student waiting to check the college entrance examination scores or a gambler waiting for the lottery to be opened.
As a result, every time I came here, I was trembling with fear and hope, but every time I left, I was disappointed.
The submission situation over the weekend is still not optimistic.
Niannian and Hippo were smart. They started with cute stories. Niannian wrote about the protagonist’s dog dying and the dog returning in human form to repay his gratitude; Hippo wrote about a poor god descending to earth to experience hardships. Both stories were easy for readers of all ages to follow, so by the end of the weekend, the number of submissions had reached five and three respectively…
Let’s not talk about the quality for now.
After all, there are more troublesome things besides this.
That was the beginning of Suo Heng - I don't know what Lao Miao was thinking, but she wrote a sci-fi beginning that was similar to a very large structure, something like the Federation and the Empire, the beginning of the war, the fall of the general star, etc...
It is indeed better written than “Niannian ga Hippo”, but how can the readers continue reading?
So by the weekend, there was still no one who had submitted an article.
Chu Li was having a headache. Half of the seven submission days had already passed, and even during the most promising weekend, the number of submissions was still "zero". So on Sunday night, after dinner, he checked the submission box again. Chu Li finally couldn't sit still anymore and @ Lao Miao in the internal WeChat group of the Moonlight editorial department -
[The water army hired by Monkey: @喵喵 The weekend is over, and the submission situation is very bad, Nian Nian 5, Hippo 3, Suo Heng 0, what should I do now? ]
【Ah Xiang: ……】
【Little Bird: ……】
【Yu Yao: ……】
【Yu Yao: So little?】
[The trolls hired by Monkey: And the quality of their submissions is not good every year. Can you guys quietly extend the manuscript deadline to before the next printing? There is no need to announce it to the public. Before the submission deadline, people still submitted to Chu Chuan and his team, but we directly rejected them... But this time we can be less strict, let's see if there are any more manuscripts submitted? ]
【Yu Yao: I think it’s OK.】
[Yu Yao: @喵喵, come out and see if this works, or I can contact a few strict authors to help write the sequel just in case.]
Lao Miao didn't say anything for a long time.
Until the dinner was officially over, Chu Li kicked Zhuchuan with the plate in her hand to urge him to wash the dishes with her. At this time, her mobile phone on the table suddenly vibrated -
Chu Li and Zhu Chuan, who were about to play rock-paper-scissors to decide who would wash the pot tonight, were stunned. After looking at each other, they both raised their heads and looked at Chu Li's mobile phone screen at the same time, and then saw a sentence pop up in the center of the screen -
[Meow Meow: What else can I do? The author I'm with is just not popular.] [Meow Meow: How about I go and inform Suo Heng and the others to simply cancel the subsequent publication in January? They're not popular anyway, so who can blame them for not being popular? No one cares about what happens next, haha.]
【Meow meow: This magazine only has Tsukawa and Jiang Yucheng. 】
Chu Li: "..."
Zhuchuan: “…”
The man raised his hand and pointed at the pile of dishes in Chu Li's hand that could be thrown to the ground at any time to vent his anger, and reminded him calmly: "The plates are stable and very valuable. If they are broken, you will have to pay for it. The plates don't understand how fucked up this sissy is. They are innocent."
The author has something to say:
Zhuochuan: Am I good at teasing people?
First Ceremony: ...