As soon as Fang Zhongzhi finished speaking, Wang Can, the editor who had just been reporting on the youth fiction category, added, "Chief Editor, an editor once said that he doesn't want to work at our New Moon Publishing House anymore. He just wants to coast by for a few months, collect his paycheck until the end of the year, and then jump ship to another publisher."
"Wang Can, don't you dare smear me with baseless accusations."
Gao Zhangtian turned his head and gave Wang Can a cold glare.
"Gao Zhangtian, I didn't even mention your name. Why are you so worked up? Feeling guilty, are we?"
"Hmph, Wang Can, if it wasn't about me, why would you jump in right after the chief editor finished speaking? A straightforward man doesn't speak in riddles. You don't even have the guts to admit it, some nerve you've got, always scheming against others. And who doesn't know what you did to Xiao Qiang back then when you were his assistant? If not for that underhanded move, you'd never have taken over the youth fiction category."
Gao Zhangtian shot back directly, calling Wang Can out by name.
"You, Gao Zhangtian! When did I ever sabotage Xiao Qiang? You better explain that right now!"
"You know exactly what you did."
"Fine, fine, Gao Zhangtian, I get it now. You've never liked me. But the chief just asked, you haven't published a single new title in two months. If that's not coasting on the job, what is it?"
"Wang Can, are you the one asking me, or is the chief editor?"
"Of course it's the chief."
"In that case, what gives you the right to butt in? Or are you trying to take the chief's seat?"
"Gao Zhangtian, you…"
Wang Can was about to argue back, but seeing the chief editor staring at him, he immediately shut his mouth.
"Chief Editor, I apologize! I got a little carried away."
Seeing Wang Can go quiet, Gao Zhangtian felt a twinge of satisfaction, but still turned to explain, "Chief, the reason I haven't recommended anything for publication in the past two months isn't that I'm slacking off, and definitely not because I'm trying to coast. I've just noticed that the market across most categories has been sluggish lately, and very few high-quality manuscripts have appeared. Our supernatural category is even worse. I tried pushing a few works earlier, but the results were poor. They sold, technically, but in hindsight, they were just a waste of the company's publishing resources. That's why, these past two months, I've been carefully searching for potential authors in the hopes of finding something truly noteworthy."
"Oh? And have you found one now?"
"Yes! Chief Editor, I recently came across a novel called 'A Chinese Ghost Story'. It's extremely well written. I estimate that it could sell at least 300.000 copies."
"Alright, then promote it well. But remember, publishing houses have rules. You haven't released anything in two months, and your performance is currently at the bottom. If this book underperforms, you know what that means…"
"Understood, Chief. If this book fails, I'll submit my resignation."
"Good! That's all for today's meeting. Dismissed."
Fang Zhongzhi gave him a nod and glance before leaving the room, but paused at the door to add, "Gao Zhangtian, do your best. It's the company's policy, it's not like I'm out to pressure you."
"I understand, Chief. I promise this book won't disappoint you."
"Good."
Fang Zhongzhi patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the conference room.
…
"Zhangtian, are you really planning to resign?"
After the meeting, as the other editors left, Hu Ming, who had a good relationship with Gao Zhangtian, pulled him aside and whispered.
"Hu Ming, when did I say I was resigning?"
"Didn't you just say it earlier?"
"Come on. I only said I would resign if 'A Chinese Ghost Story' didn't perform well."
"Same difference."
"…Come on, Hu Ming. You don't believe in me?"
"Sigh, it's not that I don't believe in you, Zhangtian. It's just the supernatural category, you know? It's always been niche, and there aren't any standout authors. Sure, Zhang Yun's pretty well-known, but even in general literature, he doesn't rank; his influence is limited. So this category has just been getting worse and worse. I haven't read your 'A Chinese Ghost Story', but it's probably by a new writer, right? Even if the writing's great, debut works don't usually sell well."
"You're making me want to resign right now. But don't worry, this one really is a gem. I have high hopes for it. Anyway, quit giving me a hard time, your wuxia titles aren't doing any better. You'd better watch out for Wang Can. That guy's in charge of youth fiction, the hottest genre right now. Even trashy titles sell better than our supernatural or wuxia stuff. I'm just worried he'll start coming for you too."
"I'll keep my guard up around Wang Can. But Zhangtian, I didn't mean to discourage you just now. I just want you to prepare yourself, don't put all your eggs in one basket. If New Moon doesn't work out, you should move on. With your years of experience, any publishing house would be lucky to have you."
"Thanks, I appreciate it. But right now, I'm not going anywhere. I've been at New Moon for five years, I've grown attached. Besides, I still trust my instincts."
"In that case, Zhangtian, I hope your new book becomes a smash hit, and crushes Wang Can's youth fiction titles."
"Crush youth fiction? That's asking too much. I'm not expecting a miracle."
The two encouraged each other and went their separate ways.
…
"Hello, your novel 'A Chinese Ghost Story' is excellent. New Moon Publishing has agreed to publish it. However, since you're a new author, the company can only offer a 7% royalty rate. If you're okay with that, we can proceed with the contract. Here's my TT number, we can communicate through that from now on."
The next day, Huang Yifan received a reply from Hongdou, the editor from New Moon Publishing, approving his submission.
He added the TT number and agreed to the publication.
Even though the royalty was only 7%, Huang Yifan didn't try to negotiate.
He was just a newcomer, no name, no reputation. What leverage did he have?
Only when your work sells and your pen name gains recognition will publishers automatically offer you better terms, even without you asking.
Without dwelling on it, Huang Yifan signed the contract with New Moon Publishing and got back to writing.
He'd written 20.000 words already, and for a Simplified Chinese print edition, a typical volume was about 200.000 words. That meant he still had 180.000 to go.
Of course, the TV version of 'A Chinese Ghost Story' had way more than 200.000 words. Though Huang Yifan hadn't started writing those yet, he knew it would be a long novel, probably close to a million words. For now, he just needed to complete Volume 1. Due to market concerns, the publisher wouldn't let him go all in from the start. Usually, they'd test the waters with the first volume. If it sold well, they'd print more and ask for sequels. If not, it'd be axed.
Huang Yifan understood this. It was harsh, but that's the reality of writing.
Being a writer isn't as glamorous as it sounds.
But since he'd chosen this road, he wouldn't complain, only work harder.
"The Blue Demon's Tear."
The TV adaptation of 'A Chinese Ghost Story' might not be as iconic as the Leslie Cheung version, but it still portrayed love with great depth.
The Blue Demon's Tear was one of its most heart-wrenching legends.
The Blue Demon was the most beautiful woman in the Moonshade Dynasty. But in the demon realm, there was no such thing as love, until a man named Zhuge Qingtian entered their world. He taught the Blue Demon what love was. Unfortunately, humans and demons were enemies. Love between them was forbidden.
When Zhuge Qingtian died at the hands of the demon clan just for a glimpse of the Blue Demon, she shed pale blue tears. Her tears mixed with his blood and crystallized into a single, faint-blue pearl. This pearl became known as the Blue Demon's Tear.
Legend has it, when two people truly in love hold the Blue Demon's Tear, and one of them says "I love you" to the other, the pearl will glow with a beautiful light…
In the story, the heroine Nie Xiaoqian comes to the human world with the Blue Demon's Tear, which reveals true love, and that's where she meets Ning Caichen.
The story unfolds slowly.
Huang Yifan had never read the TV version's script, but that didn't matter. What mattered were the scenes that moved him, the moments he remembered. As long as he could bring those emotions to life on the page, this novel would be a success. He knew it.
All he had to do… was capture the soul of the story: love.
==========
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