Chapter 68 I'm not contributing anymore, can I go with you?
That's not what I meant.
Pi Xiukang was startled to see Yao Xiaoyu angry for the first time. Knowing he might have crossed a line, he quickly distanced himself from her. His current position was largely due to Yao Xiaoyu, and he dared not offend this young lady.
He was appointed as the exclusive editor by "A Little Fish" not because of his outstanding abilities, but because he was the first to accept Yao Xiaoyu's manuscript. Yao Xiaoyu found dealing with others troublesome, and she found Pi Xiukang easy to use, so she gave him the position.
Things are always valued for their rarity. There are countless editors who know how to get things done, but those who can write articles of Yao Xiaoyu's caliber can be counted on one hand in the entire literary world. This includes short story writers like Miss Qiu, Pink Rabbit, and Wedding Dress, who were only briefly popular. From the very first issue of Ding Xian's Biography, people have been trying to poach her from his team.
Once the reputation of "Little Fish" for consistently delivering manuscripts and being easy to please spread, even more people would be envious. If he hadn't been so vigilant, Yao Xiaoyu wouldn't have bothered to replace him, and he would have been poached countless times already.
If a top-quality raccoon wants to change its master, it has to walk ten meters or so outside; if Yao Xiaoyu wants to change editors, all she has to do is shout, and the entire editorial department will come running—their newspaper is not a monolithic entity!
Whether to support the newspaper or Yao Xiaoyu is not a question that requires any hesitation.
“Ms. Xiaoyu, think about it. In the manuscripts you sent before, apart from correcting typos and talking about prices, I would at most point out some unreasonable plots. I never deleted them all, right?”
Pi Kangxiu looked at the handprint on the table, which was about an inch deep, and used polite language from the bottom of his heart—this was the mark left by Tao Xiaoxiao, who was sitting outside pretending to be mute, when she quietly came in while Yao Xiaoyu was slamming the table. Pi Kangxiu could see clearly that Tao Xiaoxiao's hand was just a fleshy palm, not to mention metal, there wasn't even a ring.
If that slap had landed on him, he'd probably be embedded in the wall, impossible to pry off!
"That's true, so why this time? Don't try to fob me off with those same old words."
Yao Xiaoyu recalled the previous manuscript submission process, and her anger gradually subsided. She spoke much more calmly, but her meaning was still very clear: without a plausible reason, this matter cannot be resolved.
Pi Kangxiu smiled bitterly for a long time before finally whispering out the news: the newspaper had been targeted by the Japanese. The boss had received the money, and most of the formalities had been completed. Unless Yao Xiaoyu changed the villain in the banquet to a Chinese, deleted the Japanese factory at the end, added Sino-Japanese friendship, and established the image of foreigners as naturally superior, the newspaper could only be published here.
Would Yao Xiaoyu be willing to make Miao Youjin kneel down and become a dog for foreigners?
Pi Xiukang didn't say it aloud, but Yao Xiaoyu understood what he meant and fell silent for a moment.
She refused.
"They've already said that since we've been bought by Japan, we have to follow their rules. Starting next week, we have to bow first when we greet people and say 'Hi' when we respond..."
Pi Kangxiu became more and more frustrated as he spoke. In an environment where national affairs were not to be discussed, he didn't have much of a concept of national identity. But he felt that these rules were very awkward, even more awkward than when he first called Yao Xiaoyu "Ms."
He dared not resign, though. Before finding this job, he had spent half a year waiting for food to cook. Just recalling those days of forcing himself to go out and returning disappointed made Pi Kangxiu shudder. He did not want to go through that again unless absolutely necessary.
"Then I'll stop here and not write the rest."
After understanding the newspaper's current situation, Yao Xiaoyu quickly made a decision. She was only glad that she had written the entire article on a whim, but told Pi Xiukang that she only had some ideas for the rest, and even deliberately made the plot vague to maintain mystery, which made her bold idea possible.
When one door closes, another opens. The story of Miao Youjin, written by a little fish, has come to an end, but that doesn't stop Miss Qiu from feeling that the ending wasn't exciting enough and writing a fanfiction about Miao Youjin.
Moreover, Yao Xiaoyu originally had to hold back because Miao Youjin was going to post it on her main account, but now she's going all out. After all, Miss Qiu's opening work is known for cursing heaven and earth and even the air. If the work's emotions aren't exciting enough and the language isn't intense enough, it wouldn't fit Miss Qiu's persona!
Editor Lü is very reliable, and Ta Kung Pao is generous with its pay. Apart from the fact that copying makes life unbearable and getting paid is a bit troublesome, in every aspect, it is far superior to the current newspapers. As Yao Xiaoyu thought about it, she became depressed and wished she could go back and revise the article right now.
"Publish it before the newspaper's change of ownership is completed, to signify the end of this story, and add a statement at the end that I will no longer contribute to the 'Storybook Collection'."
Yao Xiaoyu actually disliked moving, but this employer had really crossed her line. Fortunately, the two novels and one short story by "Little Fish" were all quite good, so it shouldn't be difficult for her to submit her work to other newspapers and magazines. Even if other places didn't accept her, she still had gold bars and royalties to support her, and she could just use another pen name.
It's a bit of a shame that we can't take the editor with us. We'll have to work on the new editor all over again, which sounds like a lot of trouble.
Yao Xiaoyu silently prayed that her second editor would be someone compatible with her, unaware that Pi Kangxiu, after hearing her words, seemed to have made up his mind—
Where do you plan to submit your new manuscript? Can I come with you?
Pi Kangxiu looked into Yao Xiaoyu's eyes and gave a stiff smile.
"I've followed you through two of your books, so if you bring me along, you won't need to go through much of a trial period, saving you time and effort..."
Pi Kangxiu tried his best to explain his usefulness to Yao Xiaoyu. He was gambling that Yao Xiaoyu would rather work with him than find a new editor, but even after he had said everything he could, Yao Xiaoyu still did not budge.
"The rewards I receive do not match the effort I put in."
Pi Kangxiu's words were flowery and eloquent, Yao Xiaoyu's observations were incisive, and Pi, the editor, was very useful, but only a handy tool, not indispensable. However…
"Can you tell me why you want to come with me?"
Yao Xiaoyu rested her chin on her hands, adopting the standard posture of listening to a story. Pi Xiukang guessed correctly; rather than finding unknown newcomers to re-establish contact, Yao Xiaoyu did indeed prefer to use familiar acquaintances who were more comfortable with her, provided that he was honest enough.
“After you leave, I won’t have a good life here; if I go out to find a job, there are too many applicants and not enough jobs, and I may not be able to find one that suits me; but if I go with you, with your pen name, newspapers and magazines will give me a chance. I have the ability, and after working for a while, I will definitely be able to establish myself.”
Pi Kangxiu sensed Yao Xiaoyu's change of heart and didn't hide his desire to avoid risks. Yao Xiaoyu nodded in agreement, but still felt that something was missing.
"Besides, I always feel uncomfortable with the whole bowing thing at work."
Upon hearing Pi Kangxiu's words, Yao Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. Regardless of whether it was true or not, just based on that one sentence, Yao Xiaoyu was willing to give him a chance!
"Find out which newspaper or magazine is suitable for me to submit my article."
With Yao Xiaoyu's decisive statement, Pi Kangxiu felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He patted his chest and assured her that he would definitely publish Mr. Xiaoyu's statement that he would no longer cooperate with Huaben Daquan. He would go to a suitable platform for Yao Xiaoyu to submit her work after work today.
"So, have you decided what you're going to write about in your next article?"
After their conversation ended, Pi Kangxiu cautiously asked, and Yao Xiaoyu froze for a moment. She nodded calmly on the surface, but inside she was already wailing—a large part of the ending had been cut, and her vacation that she could have taken a month off was gone!
"By the way, Kaiming Bookstore said that the biography of Ding Xian has been printed and they want you to go and collect the royalties in the next couple of days."
Pi Kangxiu patted his head, finally remembering that he hadn't said anything. Except for using copyright as an excuse when dealing with the Yao family, Yao Xiaoyu, who had long forgotten about it, suddenly brightened up, and all her resentment about the lost vacation disappeared.
"Go to Kaiming Bookstore, that'll be faster."
Yao Xiaoyu pulled Tao Xiaoxiao and chose the strongest rickshaw driver. The rickshaw ran fast and steadily, and they arrived at their destination in no time. The driver did not take the opportunity to raise the price. Yao Xiaoyu was in a great mood because she was about to receive a large sum of money, and she slipped a silver dollar into her hand as payment.
"You gave too much..."
The honest-looking rickshaw driver shook his head frantically, frantically rummaging through his money pouch. Yao Xiaoyu smiled and shook her head, telling him to keep the money safe. The rickshaw driver was grateful, and for some reason, he blurted out a series of auspicious words, which made Yao Xiaoyu, who was already happy, even happier.
Of course, it would be even better if the blessings didn't include things like "may you have a long and happy marriage and many children."
Yao Xiaoyu led Tao Xiaoxiao into the Kaiming Bookstore and quickly came out with a thin banknote. The two then called a driver to exchange the money, but this time the driver not only took a long detour but also tried to overcharge them because they were young girls. After being slapped, they realized that the two were not to be trifled with. He hurriedly dropped them off at the entrance of the money exchange and ran away without even daring to ask for the fare.
Ding Xian's biography was priced at three cents. The first printing was 12,000 copies. With an 11% royalty, it cost a total of 369 silver dollars. Yao Xiaoyu exchanged it for a large yellow croaker, and had the waiter pack the rest into a tube for ten dollars. She then went to eat an authentic local Shanghainese meal before finally returning to the Yao family home.
Late at night, in Yao Xiaoyu's room.
Having drunk several cups of strong tea while having snacks, Yao Xiaoyu, unable to fall asleep, suddenly sat up and began revising her manuscript with swift and energetic movements, but the result…
"Not sleek enough!"
Looking at the words that should have been cold and indifferent but were now wet with emotion, Yao Xiaoyu tried hard to recall the feelings she had when she wrote the article by the brother and sister who created Miss Qiu's pseudonym.
Two minutes later, unable to get into the zone, Yao Xiaoyu decided to perform a manual environment simulation.
She went downstairs and brought up several blocks of ice, manually turning her room into a cold storage. Then, expressionless, she took out some dried millet peppers, stuffed them into her mouth, and chewed them. She couldn't tell if it was the spiciness or the burning sensation that traveled from her mouth to her stomach. Yao Xiaoyu finally regained that feeling.
With a few quick strokes, Yao Xiaoyu wrote furiously.
Swish, swish, swish, Yao Xiaoyu was covered in sweat.
Swish, swish, swish! Yao Xiaoyu got really into revising! She was completely absorbed! She was obsessed! The pristine white paper was like a cold snowfield, the ink-black characters were like gleaming blades, and the white paper and black words exuded a chilling aura. No evidence was needed; every word was a natural imprint of Miss Qiu's work.
...
A pen, a lamp, a night, a miracle.
As the sun rose, Yao Xiaoyu finished revising Miao Youjin's story.
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The author's note: Ms. Qiu's writing style: There are no fancy words or moving phrases, but every word carries a chilling coldness, as if your flesh has been cut open in the snow and ice, and the howling wind has penetrated your bones. After reading it, you realize that it was just an illusion brought about by the words. You exhale with fear and realize that your innermost clothes have been soaked with cold sweat.
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