Luo Changgeng was wearing a blue cotton-padded jacket, glasses, and a fountain pen clipped to his left pocket, exuding the air of a cultured man.
"Hello, Uncle Luo," Chu Xiang greeted him.
Luo Yue is an only child, and Luo Changgeng spoils her rotten. In front of Luo Changgeng, Luo Yue dares to arrogantly kick her father away and sit in his seat.
Chu Xiang had never interacted with her father like this before, and she was momentarily stunned.
Feeling helpless and embarrassed, Luo Changgeng smiled politely and said, "Young student, please sit down. Let me pour you a glass of water."
After drinking a sip of water, Luo Changgeng processed official documents, but didn't mention the manuscript for a long time.
Luo Yue grabbed Luo Changgeng by the neck. "Dad, you promised to help my classmate review the manuscript. You can't go back on your word. If you dare to go back on your word, I'll tell Mom, and she definitely won't let you in tonight."
Luo Changgeng had lost all face and dignity because of his daughter. He glanced at Chu Xiang and stared at his daughter with a warning look in his eyes.
Luo Changgeng certainly didn't take Chu Xiang seriously. Even books by well-known authors don't sell well, let alone to high school students. Although Deyang Publishing House isn't a big publishing house, it still has its own review requirements.
People of this era held an unwavering belief in literature. Luo Changgeng did not believe that Chu Xiang could actually write anything decent, so he just wanted to go through the motions and get rid of her. But Luo Yue was exceptionally persistent.
"Alright, bring me the manuscript, let me take a look." Luo Changgeng put on his glasses, looking extremely helpless. He planned to read it and then tell the two of them to go back and wait for further notice.
This is the publisher's usual rhetoric.
Chu Xiang handed in the manuscript, and Luo Changgeng frowned, pushed up his glasses, and turned to the first page.
A businesswoman? That's a fresh topic. Can a high school student write a good story about a businesswoman? And it's set in a port city.
And let me tell you, the things like Hong Kong Avenue, Victoria Harbour, Victoria Peak night view, Peter Lee, Ferdinand, smuggling, etc., completely blew Luo Changgeng, who had never been to Hong Kong, away.
The term "high-class" didn't exist back then, but Luo Changgeng felt that the book was very sophisticated.
Fifty years later, many people on the mainland had visited Hong Kong, and Chu Xiang's book was not particularly attractive. But in the 1980s, the mainland had just opened up, and everything in Hong Kong was new and exciting. The trendy setting, along with some foreign names, was enough to make it a sensation.
The book has a strong storyline, and Luo Changgeng read several pages without realizing it. He personally thinks it is a good book.
However, Deyang Publishing House mainly publishes orthodox literature, and this book is too popular and trivial. Publishing this kind of book is quite challenging for him.
Luo Changgeng couldn't make the decision alone, and fearing that he might give people hope only to disappoint them, he cautiously said:
"Our publishing house needs to discuss this before we can make a decision."
Luo Changgeng had a keen eye and recognized that although the book was superficial, it had great potential. That very night, he delivered the book to the home of the Party Secretary of the publishing house. The secretary found it strange that Luo Changgeng would personally make such a trip and be so conflicted about what kind of book it was.
The secretary picked up the manuscript, and when his wife, Zhou Fangchun, and Mao Guangyu arrived, he was engrossed in reading it.
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