Chapter 13 Why are you dressed like this? What am I wearing? ...
After several days of unremitting efforts, Gao Xing finally finished the revision of "Feng Yue" the night before the deadline.
Shortly after submitting the manuscript, good news came from Jinian that the project had been approved and could begin the subsequent publishing process.
"The initial plan for Feng Yue is to print 3,000 copies. Although it's not a lot, if the sales are good after it goes on sale, we will print more copies, and you can also get additional royalties and commissions."
Gao Xing didn't even dare to think about adding more prints. She was already very happy to get the amount stated in the contract.
"By the way, do you have any ideas for the cover?" Jinian asked her on the phone.
"Cover?" Gao Xing was confused.
Generally speaking, unknown small authors like her have no say in the cover of their work. It is entirely decided by the publishing house. More humane publishing houses will seek the author's opinion, and only some big authors have the right to choose independently.
According to industry practice, there was no need to ask Gao Xing for the commemorative edition. She could just find a contracted illustrator from the publishing house and assign the task. However, this was her first time editing a book, so she wanted to respect the author's opinion as much as possible. After all, the work was the author's child!
"That is... what style do you prefer? Concept cover or character cover? Do you have a particular favorite style?" Jin Ji explained patiently.
Gao Xing had only a vague understanding of these professional terms, and his eyes unconsciously fell on the picture album on the table that had been sent to him this week.
Opening the title page, one is greeted by a picture of a seated deity, eyes cast down in silence. The deity's face is expressionless, gazing upon the mortal world with neither sadness nor joy. Despite this, the painting's tones are warm, lending a touch of benevolence to the deity's cold and aloof presence.
"Mr. Shixu, is that okay?" she asked with ignorance and fearlessness.
The other end of the line suddenly fell silent. Gao Xing then realized how thoughtless he was and quickly changed his tone: "I can do anything. You can arrange it!"
Any other editor would have bluntly told her to forget it. "How could someone of Mr. Shixu's stature paint the cover for your romance novel? Why don't you just ask Tang Yanfu to sell you his copy of 'Fire'?"
But Gao Xing was the first author of the Ji Nian band. Adhering to the mentality that no matter how hard it was, he couldn't let his child suffer, and no matter how poor he was, he couldn't let his daughter suffer, Ji Nian gritted his teeth and said, "I... will give it a try."
After hanging up the phone, Jinyi looked at the pile of manuscripts on his desk and suddenly wanted to light a cigarette.
Shixu is known for his privacy, so I wouldn't dare call him directly. A senior at the publishing house told me that an editor, wanting exclusive rights to Shixu's book "A Hundred Aspects of Life," called him directly without prior notice, bypassing his agent. Not only was he blocked, but the entire publishing house was also blacklisted.
Jinian was just a small shrimp and didn't want to be turned into shrimp paste, so he went to the senior editor of the next group to ask for the contact information of the time series agent.
"Teacher Shixu's agent, why do you want his phone number?" the editor asked her puzzledly.
Jinian didn't dare say that it was a commissioned article, because if he did, the joke would spread throughout the publishing house tomorrow, throughout the publishing circle the day after tomorrow, and throughout the country the day after tomorrow.
"I saw him last time and he was very handsome. I want to get to know him." Jinian lied with her eyes open. In fact, she had only seen the back of the other person's head from a distance.
The editor immediately showed an understanding expression and said, "I know, I know. He is indeed quite good-looking and has a good figure. But I heard that he is quite difficult to deal with. You are very brave, little Ji Nian!"
Ji Nian couldn't help but feel anxious: "Is it difficult? How difficult is it?"
The editor sent her the number and email address and lowered her voice: "Do you know what people in the circle call him privately?"
Ji Nian also whispered, "What's your name?"
"Money-grubber!" the editor whispered. "I heard he only cares about money. He's completely disregarding it. All his girlfriends have been rich women. Last time, with the time-series teacher's album, he ripped off his boss so badly that he felt bad!"
"So exaggerated?" Jin Nian was puzzled. "But didn't Mr. Shixu's picture album sell out this time? I see the boss is grinning from ear to ear lately. In the last meeting, he even said he wanted to have a separate segment for the 20th anniversary celebration."
"Let's keep it one thing at a time," the editor warned her. "Anyway, you can have fun, but don't get sucked into it."
I thought to myself, I’m just commissioning an article, how can I get caught up in this?
After thanking the editor, she saved the number and email address she received, even though she knew the possibility of being commissioned to write an article was even slimmer.
"Qian Chuan?"
After entering the number into the WeChat search box, she looked at the other party's ID and the golden ingots on the profile picture, and seemed to know where the nickname "Qian Chuan Zi" came from...
After that day, Shen Xingjian started wearing old-fashioned pullovers again, and no one knew what was going on.
But Gao Xing didn't have time to care about him. After the publishing matter was settled, she was busy preparing for various recruitment exams. After all, this was her main job.
That evening, Gao Xing came down to have dinner as usual and saw Shen Xingjian sitting at the dining table in a long coat and long pants, lost in thought, wondering what he was thinking about.
Gao Xing walked over, pulled out a chair and was about to sit down when he suddenly yelled, "Why are you dressed like this?"
Gao Xing looked down at himself, puzzled: "What am I wearing?"
"Who told you to wear your clothes... like this!" He turned his face away, as if she had done something immoral.
The heat had hit southern Beijing over the past couple of days, and the heat upstairs was as intense as a steamer. At 25 degrees Celsius, the air conditioning was practically off. She couldn't stand the heat any more, so she rolled up her T-shirt to her shoulders and her shorts to her thighs. Her clothes were loose to begin with, so even with them rolled up, it was still a normal look.
Gao Xing didn't understand what he was making a fuss about. Was there a dress code for going downstairs to eat?
"Why do you care how I dress?" She rolled her eyes in her heart and ignored him.
Shen Xingjian opened his mouth to argue, but his eyes kept unconsciously drifting to her exposed collarbone and shoulders, and then quickly moved away as if they were burned.
He held his breath and angrily returned to his room to retrieve the cohabitation agreement they had signed earlier and slammed it on the table: "Article 7: Appropriate attire is required in public areas!"
I'm glad to know this is in the agreement, but the key is, what's wrong with her? Even a T-shirt and shorts are inappropriate. Is she trying to be a saint?
She picked up the food slowly and methodically, without any intention of adjusting. "Whether it's appropriate or not is not up to you alone. Are you very appropriate?"
Shen Xingjian was unconvinced when he heard this: "How am I inappropriate? There is no exposed part of my body except my face!"
Gao Xing raised her head, glanced at his body wrapped tightly in black clothes, and said with a smile: "This is China, not the Middle East."
Shen Xingjian: “!”
He choked up and was angry, but he didn't know how to refute.
This woman is not only very strong, but also extremely vicious when it comes to insulting others!
He grumbled angrily, weighed the pros and cons for a moment, and decided to get down to business first: "By the way, I need to use the computer you brought back last time. Please put it in the living room for me later."
Shen Xingjian gradually realized that the laws governing the folding of spacetime would take time to unravel. He decided to focus his investigation on himself. After all, everything that had happened in the past ten years had been beyond his expectations, and he wanted to know what had happened. To solve these mysteries, he would need the help of futuristic equipment.
Hearing what he said, Gao Xing paused in eating.
Sure enough, she knew she couldn't count on this person! Fortunately, she went to repair her laptop as soon as the deposit arrived, otherwise she wouldn't know how to deal with his face in the future!
"I understand." Gao Xing agreed readily. After all, it was originally his.
After dinner, Gao Xing deliberately avoided Shen Xingjian's room and placed the computer safely on the sofa in the living room. Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by him.
"Some fruit?"
Shen Xingjian pushed over a plate of exquisite fruit. The bright red watermelon, pink peach, green jujube and purple grapes shone with an attractive luster under the light.
Although Shen Xingjian provided her with three meals a day, according to the principle of ownership of the items by whoever contributed in the cohabitation agreement, she had no right to touch the drinks and fruits.
She immediately became alert: "What do you mean?"
“Ahem…” Shen Xingjian cleared his throat uncomfortably, “I need to use this computer to check something, you sit next to me and turn on the hotspot for a while.”
If Shen Xingjian wanted to check the information of the future, he could only use the future network.
It turns out that there is no such thing as a visit without a reason. Gao Xing secretly curled his lips and pretended to agree reluctantly: "Okay."
It wouldn't hurt to lend him the hot water, mainly because the fruits looked really tempting and she hadn't eaten fresh fruits for a long time.
After the terms were agreed, Shen Xingjian turned on his computer and began to find out the changes in the Jinghu area, while Gao Xing contentedly enjoyed the long-lost fresh fruit.
Public information shows that the Mingjing Lake Resort project began planning in 2015 and was due to be completed in 2023. It was originally scheduled to open in early 2024, but due to a major scandal at the Shangcheng Group, the opening was postponed to July, which was also the time Gao Xing would move in.
In other words, he most likely moved out in early 2015? Wouldn't that be half a year later?
Shen Xingjian's brow furrowed as he continued to dig deeper into his tracks. In the information age, a person's financial flows and movements best reflect their lives. As long as they could track down his account transactions, locating him ten years from now would be a piece of cake.
However, when he tried to log into his bank account, he found that all known passwords were invalid. He had no choice but to hack in through unconventional means.
As the loading icon on the page slowly turned, Shen Xingjian was surprised to find that all the transactions in his account had stopped in 2015! After that, he seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving no trace on the Internet.
While happily enjoying her fruit, she glanced at the screen and saw half the bank's backend code on the page. Her heart skipped a beat. She had a hunch, wondering if this person was doing something illegal. But she didn't understand computers, so she could only observe for the time being.
Just as she was hesitating whether to ask, Shen Xingjian's phone suddenly rang, and the three words "Xu Jiakai" on the caller ID were particularly eye-catching.
He glanced over and picked up the phone casually: "Hello?"
On the phone, Xu Jiakai told him about the results of his recent communication with Guanya: "Guaya's investor talked to me again a few days ago. He said that Guanya's strategic transformation plan is gradually progressing and is expected to officially enter the smart car manufacturing field in the second half of the year. He is very optimistic about our team and hopes to have deeper cooperation..."
Xu Jiakai didn’t say it too bluntly, but Shen Xingjian had known him for nearly ten years, so how could he not understand the meaning of his words?
Guanya is different from Wanhe, a capital that wants to get involved in everything. Their goal is very clear. Whether it is the current mobile phone manufacturing business or the automobile manufacturing business that is about to be developed, every step is to seize the technological high ground for the Minghong Group behind it.
Following the trend is certainly safe, but whether they will eventually successfully reach the shore or be washed away by the waves is not something they can control.
"Cooperation? They want to swallow Zhongyue whole, right?" Shen Xingjian's tone was not good.
Xu Jiakai understood his attitude and tactfully changed the subject: "She...came to see you?"
This time he didn't use a questioning tone, but an affirmative tone, and it was obvious that he already knew something.
Xu Jiakai tried to make his question sound natural: "She said...she saw a woman in your house? Is that true? When did it happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
This time, Shen Xingjian did not interrupt him, but let him ask all that Shi Yunran wanted to ask.
"Xu Jiakai, how long are you going to let her order you around?"
Xu Jiakai paused, and there was a long silence on the other end of the phone.
Shen Xingjian asked him this question many times, sometimes out of pity for his misfortune, sometimes out of anger at his lack of fighting spirit. Every time, he just answered with a faint wry smile.
Young love is like an arrow that cannot be retrieved once it is shot. Even if he wants to dodge, he cannot stop the arrow from shooting uncontrollably into his heart.
“Shen Xingjian, if you really find the person who can take care of you, I will be happy for you.” Xu Jiakai finally said softly.
This was the truth, not an excuse to gather information for Shi Yunran. Compared to his own unrequited love that was doomed to fail, he hoped that Shen Xingjian could be happy, because this would make the years of guilt in his heart easier to bear.
After the call ended, Gao Xing saw his face darken and asked curiously, "Xu Jiakai? Is that the famous Xu Jiakai?"
Shen Xingjian paused and looked at her sideways: “Do you know him?”
"Guanya's youngest CEO," Gao Xing said matter-of-factly. "At the age of 32, he's already at the helm of a multi-billion dollar company. Reports about him are everywhere on the internet."
Shen Xingjian was struck by lightning, and repeated in disbelief: “You said he is…the president of Guanya?”
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