"Boss Zhu, the job's done. Hope you'll settle the rest of the payment."
"Boss Yang, don't worry. When have we ever shorted you guys?"
"True enough! But Boss Zhu, we nearly lost money on this job. Next time, if there's another task this difficult, you'll have to pay us triple."
"Haha, Boss Yang, everything's negotiable."
"Alright then. Let's work together again if the chance comes up."
After hanging up, Zhu Shi, deputy editor of Suspense World, let out a long sigh. Even he hadn't expected 'Strange Tales' to have such potential. Despite being bombarded by thousands of troll accounts, there were still readers who held on. If that studio hadn't switched strategies and gone with "praise to kill," they might not have been able to suppress 'Strange Tales' at all. Who knows, it might've even caught public attention and gone mainstream.
Thankfully, everything was under control now.
Zhu Shi nodded to himself, feeling a mix of admiration for the sheer talent behind 'Strange Tales', and pity for its author.
But despite being an editor for years, he didn't think too deeply about it.
This world had no shortage of talented people. But without the right platform to showcase it, even the most brilliant talent would go unnoticed. Take Zhang Yun for example, was he really the best supernatural fiction author out there? Of course not. There were far better writers. But for various reasons, they remained buried.
…
'A Blossoming Tree'
When she received yet another love letter from Yu Bin, Li Luozhi felt deeply unsettled.
"Luozhi, what's wrong? You've been quiet."
After school, her close friend Xie Luyao asked, puzzled by her silence.
"Oh, I get it. It's Yu Bin again, isn't it? He's been chasing after you non-stop, it's probably driving you nuts."
Xie Luyao wasn't just a classmate, but also Li Luozhi's best friend.
Both were top students, and their similar names had brought them close. They told each other everything.
"Actually, Yu Bin doesn't really bother me that much."
Li Luozhi shook her head, clearly troubled.
"That's odd. Then what's going on today?"
"Here, take a look. He gave me this."
"Another love letter, huh?"
Xie Luyao chuckled as she took the piece of paper from Li Luozhi, about to unfold it when she added, "You know, Yu Bin's not a bad guy, but he does give off this rich-kid vibe. Still, I'll give him points for effort, writing you a love letter every day is kind of romantic. That said, his writing is usually nothing to write home about."
She unfolded the letter.
On the white sheet was the title 'A Blossoming Tree'.
Whoa! Yu Bin wrote a poem?
Dang, we've been classmates for three years and I never knew that.
Now Xie Luyao was intrigued, and kept reading.
"How can I make you meet me"
"In the most beautiful moment of my life"
"For this"
"I have prayed before the Buddha for five hundred years"
"Begging him to let us form a fleeting bond"
Reading aloud, Xie Luyao murmured the words softly.
"Not bad at all."
Though still in middle school, Xie Luyao was one of Ironstone Middle's top students, and like Li Luozhi, she was a literary girl, perhaps more accurately, a literary soul. While she lacked deep literary training, she did know how to appreciate poetry. Even though she said it was "not bad," deep down she hadn't been especially impressed so far.
At least, not until she read the next lines:
"The trembling leaves are my passionate longing"
"And you walked by without a glance"
"What fell behind you"
"My friend, those weren't flower petals"
"They were the pieces of my withered heart"
That final line hit like a wave; even someone without literary training would be deeply moved by it.
This is poetry's power, a single line can surpass a thousand miles of scenery.
"They were the pieces of my withered heart."
Xie Luyao kept repeating the line under her breath.
"Luozhi, now I understand why you were so quiet."
"No, you still don't."
Li Luozhi shook her head. "Because I suspect… this poem wasn't written by Yu Bin."
"It wasn't? Then he copied it?"
Xie Luyao was surprised, but after a moment, she nodded. She knew Yu Bin's writing wasn't exactly stellar, his past love letters were very average. This one was clearly a cut above.
"Maybe not copied, maybe ghostwritten."
"Ghostwritten? That's hard to believe. This poem surpasses every modern poem I've read, it's not something an average student could write. Do you mean someone at our school actually has this level of talent?"
"Yes."
Li Luozhi nodded with certainty.
"You mean… him?"
"That's right."
Suddenly, Li Luozhi sighed.
"I originally transferred into Class 2 just to compete with him one more time. But now, it seems… there's no need. Just this one poem, and I've already lost."
…
"Fanchen, you there?"
Late at night, Midnight Talk editor Liangcha sent Huang Yifan a message.
"Here."
Huang Yifan happened to be online and responded.
From the last issue, Huang Yifan had seen the numbers for Midnight Talk. Reportedly, their data had jumped by 200%. Although no one outright said it was because of 'Strange Tales', Huang Yifan knew, it was. Even if not entirely, it was the main reason.
It seemed 'Strange Tales' was starting to shine. That made him happy.
"Fanchen, take a look at this site."
Liangcha sent him a link. Huang Yifan wasn't sure what it was, but he clicked it anyway.
After ten minutes, he understood the situation.
But he wasn't flustered.
After going through the Feilong incident, he'd learned to stay calm during conflicts. It was clear someone from Suspense World was trying to sabotage him. But rather than getting angry, Huang Yifan grew more composed under pressure.
"I've seen it, Liangcha. What's the plan?"
"We just had an emergency meeting. Turns out it was Suspense World behind this. But don't worry, Fanchen, they're not targeting just you, they're trying to take down Midnight Talk. Still, because your work is too good, they're going after your reputation first. We've come up with a response. You'll register an ID on the Supernatural Forum, post a statement saying you're just a newcomer who's never posted there before, and that all those sockpuppets hyping you up are hired shills from another magazine. Tell everyone not to fall for it."
"Liangcha, I don't think that'll help much."
Huang Yifan wasn't impressed by the plan. "Most users have already formed an opinion. Even if I explain myself, they won't believe it. They'll just think I'm doing damage control."
"Fanchen, we know it won't solve everything. But if we don't respond at all, your pen name might get completely trashed."
"Not necessarily."
Huang Yifan shook his head. "In fact, Liangcha, I think… they're right."
"Wait, what did you say?"
Editor Liangcha was baffled.
"Don't you think 'Strange Tales' really is better than Zhang Yun's 'Curse of the Vengeful Ghost'?"
"Ugh…"
Liangcha was speechless, feeling like Huang Yifan's literary idealism had kicked in again.
Better or worse, this wasn't the time to debate that.
The point was, 'Strange Tales' had already dragged Zhang Yun's name into it. If they didn't handle Zhang Yun's fans carefully, what use was arguing over whose work was superior?
But Huang Yifan thought differently.
Seeing the forum smear campaign against him, he'd already come up with a counterattack.
You say 'Strange Tales' is better than Zhang Yun?
You say it deserves to be remembered for a hundred years?
You say it's the most iconic supernatural novel in decades?
Congratulations, you're absolutely right.
'Strange Tales' really is better than Zhang Yun.
'Strange Tales' truly deserves to be passed down for a century, even a millennium.
And compared to it, Zhang Yun's 'Curse of the Vengeful Ghost' really is nothing more than.
Literary trash.
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