Recently.
Two trending topics suddenly appeared on Weibo.
#Seeking the official version of this song!#
#Looking for the mysterious man!#
Opening them revealed a video.
In the video, a couple wearing masks sat on a stage.
The boy held a guitar and sang with deep emotion, while the girl looked blissful.
The atmosphere was as romantic as an idol drama.
“What’s the name of this song?”
“I don’t know. I tried song recognition, but it didn’t identify it…”
“Ahhhh! I’m going crazy looking for this song everywhere, but I can’t find it!”
“That’s right. I searched the entire lyrics, and still nothing!”
“Has anyone noticed that the girl in the video looks a bit like Lin Yanyu?”
“The person upstairs, I feel the same way.”
“If it really is Lin Yanyu, then the singer is her boyfriend who confessed during the finals?”
“That’s unlikely. Lin Yanyu’s boyfriend is only a freshman. The person in the video plays the guitar like a master and his singing is top-tier. How could someone with such skill be a freshman?”
“This guy’s singing is ten streets ahead of current internet singers. He couldn’t possibly be unknown!”
“Who knows? Many fans have asked Lin Yanyu on Weibo, but she hasn’t responded.”
“What bad karma have I accumulated to not be able to find the official version of the song I like!”
“The live version is actually quite good, and it’s very sweet with the video. It’s just that the audience’s noise really affects the listening experience!”
“Sigh… I guess I’ll just make do.”
The entire internet was frantically searching for the singer.
Some went to Lin Yanyu’s Weibo to comment, but she didn’t reply.
When they learned that Shen Qingfeng was also at the event, they went to ask him.
The answer they received was that he didn’t know.
Su Yu was unaware of the netizens searching for the song and the person all over the internet.
He was still typing away in Lin Yanyu’s dorm.
However, the web novel companies he had applied to had not yet responded.
He could only save his drafts and decide which platform to go with once he received a reply.
…
Qingkong Literature.
Zhou Sisi was reviewing manuscripts as usual.
Web novel manuscripts were randomly assigned to editors by the system.
Perhaps because this genre was too unpopular, with very few submissions, she finished reviewing them in no time.
None of these books piqued her interest.
“Sisi, are you done?”
The speaker was another editor named Lu Xun.
“Yes, I’ve finished reviewing them. None of them are being signed,” Zhou Sisi said with a wry smile and shook her head.
“Could you do me a favor?” Lu Xun asked with a smile.
“What favor?” Zhou Sisi was taken aback.
“Ling Yu is starting a new book, and I need to discuss the plot with him. Could you please help me review the manuscripts I have? I’ll treat you to a meal when I’m done.”
Lu Xun looked a little embarrassed, as this was his own work.
But Ling Yu was the only top-tier author he had, and he couldn’t be careless about his new book.
The beginning of a web novel was very important; it determined the life or death of a book. Even a top-tier author might flop if their opening wasn’t captivating.
Being able to retain readers with the plot early on could lead to a spot on the new book list, which was the biggest source of exposure in the early stages and the most important indicator of a book’s potential.
“No problem, just transfer the manuscripts over,” Zhou Sisi agreed after a moment’s thought.
She was idle anyway.
“Thank you so much!” Lu Xun’s face lit up, and he transferred his manuscripts from his backend to Zhou Sisi’s.
“It’s nothing. Maybe reviewing your manuscripts will help me break this jinx of being unlucky,” Zhou Sisi joked.
In reality, she was very envious of editors who had top-tier authors, but she seemed to be too unlucky. In her three years in the industry, she hadn't encountered one yet.
“Keep at it! I wish you good luck!” Lu Xun smiled at her and then went back to discussing the opening with Ling Yu.
However, despite her words, he knew that Xianxia was originally an unpopular genre. Capable authors would write according to the market, flocking to more popular genres, and wouldn't foolishly attempt to break into Xianxia.
Ling Yu, the author he had, could only make money in Xianxia because he had been writing for many years and had accumulated a loyal readership.
…
Zhou Sisi went to the restroom and returned to her seat to continue reviewing manuscripts.
Lu Xun had sent about ten books.
These books were all around 10,000 words for their opening chapters.
So, she read them very quickly.
“As expected, all of them are unoriginal.”
Half an hour later, Zhou Sisi lost patience.
Just as she was about to close the backend to rest her eyes, she suddenly noticed the name of the next manuscript.
“The Legend of Sword and Fairy” Author: Jiang Nan
“Writing about swords?”
Judging by the title, the genre seemed to be Xianxia.
She clicked it open out of curiosity.
The name Li Xiaoyao was quite good; it had that Xianxia feel.
As she continued reading, when she saw Li Xiaoyao and his aunt tricking the Baiyue cultists, her brows furrowed.
The protagonist’s character setting was a bit unlikable.
Reading further, she soon finished the 10,000-word plot.
It ended right at the point where Li Xiaoyao went to Xianling Island.
“That’s it?”
Zhou Sisi felt a little unsatisfied.
The plot hadn't fully unfolded yet; there was only a vague main storyline of going to Xianling Island to get medicine.
While the main storyline created anticipation, it was too weak.
“The protagonist’s character setting must be intentional by the author, using a scoundrel to highlight the chivalry later on. However, the pacing in the early stages is too slow, and the plot is a bit dragging.”
She came to a conclusion.
Should she sign it or not?
After considering for only two seconds, she decisively clicked to agree to the signing application.
Out of all the books she had read today, only “The Legend of Sword and Fairy” made her interested in reading further.
She hoped that the plot on Xianling Island would bring her a surprise.
…
Just as Zhou Sisi agreed to sign, Su Yu received a text message.
“Qingkong Literature, editor Peach Blossom Eyes?”
A female editor?
What did a female editor know about Xianxia?
However, since the other two companies hadn’t responded, Su Yu considered it and finally decided to serialize “The Legend of Sword and Fairy” on Qingkong Literature.
Qingkong Literature offered paid access after 200,000 words, earning revenue through subscriptions.
Once a work was signed, it entered the website’s book catalog.
During this period, there was only a little exposure when updates were made.
Website recommendations would only be arranged after 100,000 words.
Su Yu was not in a hurry.
He uploaded another 10,000 words to the website and then stopped paying attention to it.
…
“So soon?”
Zhou Sisi, who was about to get off work, habitually refreshed her backend and saw that the book she had just signed had been updated.
She stopped her action of turning off her computer.
“I’ll read this before I leave.”
She wanted to see what would happen when Li Xiaoyao arrived at Xianling Island.
She clicked open the updated chapter.
Li Xiaoyao smashed the defensive stone statues on the island with the Broken Heaven Hammer.
He finally ascended Xianling Island.
Unexpectedly, he stumbled upon Zhao Ling'er bathing.
After being discovered and reprimanded by Zhao Ling'er, she looked at his face and suddenly called him "Xiaoyao Gege."
“Does the male protagonist know Zhao Ling’er? Amnesia trope?”
As Zhou Sisi read this part, doubts arose in her mind.
She adjusted her posture and continued reading.
Zhao Ling'er took Li Xiaoyao to see Uncle Big Tree and said that she had been waiting for Li Xiaoyao for ten years.
She took him to get the Purple Gold Pill and encountered Grandma looking for her, after which the two hid in a wardrobe.
When she saw Li Xiaoyao doing something inappropriate to Zhao Ling'er, Zhou Sisi couldn’t help but let out a "girly giggle," then she reacted and cursed, "Scumbag!"
However, she couldn’t help herself and continued reading.
The 10,000-word plot ended with Grandma asking Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er to get married.
“Gone again?”
Zhou Sisi clicked twice, but the page wouldn’t move.
Damn it, this author named Jiang Nan is a legendary writer’s block victim!