Chapter 15 : Signed and Sealed, Eyes on the Monthly Exam
“Come here, Bai Guang, take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
“A manuscript.”
“Messing with who?”
“Quit clowning around. I’m serious.”
In the Qidian Editorial Department, seeing how excited Maoya was early in the morning, another senior editor, Bai Guang, grew curious and leaned over for a glance. But after a single look, he scoffed and turned to leave.
“Not another ‘something-something Supreme’. I get it, okay? If you want to vent, go find someone else. I’m busy.”
“Screw you! This one’s actually good!”
“Good?”
Bai Guang sneered.
“With that weird temper of yours, if it were really good, would you even let me see it? You’d treat it like treasure, scared someone might snatch it from you.”
“Heh, I’m not worried. I already added him on QQ.”
“You added him?”
That made Bai Guang take things more seriously.
Normally, if a submission met the requirements for a contract, it was the editor who contacted the author and asked them to add the editor.
That’s because many authors weren’t committed. They might disappear after submitting, move to another platform, or even suddenly drop dead. Having editors take the initiative to add authors was inefficient and not worth the trouble.
But this time, Maoya had taken the initiative to add the author on QQ.
That could only mean one thing: not only did he think this submission had contract potential, he saw big promise and personally liked it too.
“What kind of story is it…”
Bai Guang suspiciously leaned toward the screen and this time took a good look.
The title was the same old cheesy style: [Something] Supreme.
But… it had a twist.
“Supreme Confucianism and Taoism…?”
“Exactly!”
To be fair, the word “Confucian” did set it apart from the usual [Whatever] Supreme type.
But what was it actually about?
“Martial arts genre?”
Bai Guang thought of a classic old novel called The Tao Was Originally Buddha.
“Nope, it’s a traditional monster-fighting and leveling-up story. But the premise is really unique. Just read a bit and you’ll see.”
…
At that time, web novels placed huge emphasis on the “Golden Three Chapters.”
For a fantasy novel to be viable, it had to introduce the protagonist, the cheat ability, and the core conflict within the first three chapters—this was key to retaining readers.
And Supreme Confucianism and Taoism nailed that.
In fact, it did so impressively well.
The real kicker? Even though its core was standard “fight monsters and level up,” the outer shell was completely refreshing.
“…We’ve heard about ‘battle qi’ and ‘spiritual power’ so many times. But ‘literary aura’ as a cultivation method? Now that’s interesting…”
Bai Guang nodded as he read.
“…At the end of the Shang dynasty, King Wen of Zhou authored the timeless classic Book of Changes. Heaven revealed omens. Literary aura descended. He was conferred the title of Sub-Sage? Tsk…”
A grin spread across Bai Guang’s face.
“…He held the sacred book Book of Changes and read aloud… golden characters flew from his mouth… one hundred thousand demons howled in agony, blood splattering everywhere… This literally visualized the idea of ‘condemning with words’! Fascinating. Truly fascinating…”
Bai Guang swayed as he read, while Maoya beamed like a Buddha statue.
When he saw settings like “Confucius achieved Sainthood, Mencius and Xunzi became Half-Saints,” Bai Guang, with years of editor’s intuition, boldly predicted.
“This book has major potential. Maoya, you might’ve struck gold.”
“Eh—hard to say. No matter how fresh the premise or how good the writing is, it still depends on how the story develops. It’s a new author, after all. I’ll reluctantly sign them and take a look.”
That’s what he said, but Maoya was clearly in a great mood.
He hadn’t seen a new book this promising in a long time.
“I don’t know if they’re really new. Could be a veteran author using a pseudonym.”
“Doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter. QQ’s added. Now I just wait for a reply… ‘Clouddweller’… Hmm. That pen name’s a little awkward. Makes me think of pinching someone’s philtrum…”
---
“Achoo!”
…?
Who’s cursing me?
Inside a classroom at Jiangzhou County No. 2 High School, Guan Ren suddenly sneezed.
Could it be that Luo Xiaobei passed it to him?
Possibly. It was flu season with the weather changing.
Even though Luo Xiaobei said she wasn’t sick, who knew for sure?
And it wasn’t that Guan Ren was paranoid. Throughout their childhood, nine out of ten colds between him and Luo Xiaobei had been transmitted to each other.
The tenth one was probably indirectly passed on too.
The reason didn’t need saying.
After all, Luo Xiaobei’s habit of demanding hugs wasn’t something new. She’d been like that since they were kids.
“Better get back to homework.”
Unlike the Chinese weekly report this time, the English and Math assignments were mostly multiple choice, with only a few fill-in-the-blanks and word problems. Guan Ren rubbed his nose and wrapped it all up in a few minutes.
…
Next up were two Chinese classes.
“Anyone who didn’t hand in their weekly report this morning, stand up.”
Gu Wancheng stormed into the classroom and went straight into disciplinary mode. As a few students slowly stood up, she didn’t even glance at them. She picked up her Chinese textbook and launched right into teaching.
“Turn to page 38. Read it twice. ‘Jade dew withers the maple grove.’ Begin.”
“Jade—dew—withers—the—maple—grove—”
The class began mumbling through the text, while the students who hadn’t submitted their reports stood reading with glum faces.
Those students were just getting what they deserved.
But Xu Hui? He was asking for it.
He had turned in his report. He wasn’t being punished.
But he couldn’t help himself.
Seeing his deskmate Chen Yaozu standing, Xu Hui grinned from ear to ear, full of schadenfreude. First he poked Chen Yaozu’s leg, then he tugged at his textbook, and finally jabbed his butt with a compass.
Chen Yaozu snapped. He slammed his textbook on the desk and yelled.
“Will you knock it off or not?!”
That outburst instantly drew the attention of nearby students and of Ms. Gu at the podium.
“Xu Hui.”
“Ms… Ms. Gu…”
“You stand up too.”
“…”
Xu Hui stood up.
Chen Yaozu immediately calmed down.
On the surface, it seemed like a peaceful resolution with no one getting hurt.
But in truth, Guan Ren was the most uncomfortable person during these two periods.
Because he kept feeling a cold, invisible gaze secretly monitoring his every move.
Especially whenever he interacted with his deskmate.
Like picking up an eraser.
Or copying some notes.
Guan Ren always felt a chill down his spine. But the moment he looked up, that mysterious gaze vanished without a trace.
At first, he thought it was Luo Xiaobei again.
After all, last time she had been the one throwing wads of paper at him for fun.
But this time, when he glanced at Luo Xiaobei, although she was occasionally looking at him too, all she did was stick out her tongue cheekily and then hurriedly turn away.
Clearly, she wasn’t the one behind the “mysterious gaze.”
His childhood friend’s gaze, like her tongue, was warm and playful. How could it ever feel cold?
…
In the end, Guan Ren had no way to resolve the issue for now, so he chalked it up to imagination.
More importantly, there was something else that gave him a small jolt of excitement.
…
“It’s done! Signed!”
After school, back home, Guan Ren checked his email and, as expected, found the editor’s approval reply.
But the editor adding him on QQ first—that was unexpected.
[Maoya]: Hello
[Maoya]: I’ve read your manuscript. It’s quite good.
[Maoya]: Have you written anything before?
For context, Guan Ren didn’t accept the friend request until after night study.
Normally, editors would have clocked out by then.
Yet the moment he accepted, Maoya responded instantly with three consecutive messages.
Did he really think that highly of this manuscript…?
Guan Ren thought for a moment. Probably not that much.
Even if the manuscript was excellent, for an editor to stay glued to work QQ late into the night probably meant there were personal reasons involved.
In other words, Maoya personally really liked the story.
Either way, Guan Ren decided to stay quiet and play the role of the aloof expert.
---
In uncertain social situations, especially when the relationship or status between parties isn’t clear, replying to messages instantly can easily put you in a passive position.
So Guan Ren decided to leave Maoya hanging for a bit and go browse Bilibili instead.
“Lanlanlu Gepao… Jin Kela Liang Feifan… Huh? This man with the red bandana looks familiar…”
(Lan Lan Lu) — a memeified Chinese pronunciation of McDonald’s I’m lovin’ it slogan (or a distorted commercial line)
(Gepao) is often internet slang for Buzz Lightyear in meme culture.
(Jin Kela) is a well-known Chinese fertilizer commercial that became a meme.
(Liang Feifan) is a fictional or exaggerated figure often associated with this ad and meme.
After a few random clicks, Guan Ren ended up in the “New Releases” section and opened an episode of Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts. The moment it started, the barrage of FFF Brigade and 23333 comments froze his screen.
To be fair, that was entirely his computer’s fault.
The number of comments wasn’t even that high.
Back then, getting a Bilibili video to 10,000 views was already a big deal.
After all, “ACG culture” was still a niche. Neither a trend nor flooded with kids. And there was no anti-ACG backlash yet. Things were, all in all, simple and pure.
In the end, Guan Ren found an obscure video, turned off the laggy comments, and exited, only to be drawn to another video title on the homepage.
[Chengkong & Huameng: To LOVE-Ru Uncensored BD Blu-ray 720P]
“……”
Sigh!
Bilibili really was too unregulated right now. How could they allow such unhealthy content?
As the saying went, this kind of video should be harshly censored by Green Dam Girl!
Guan Ren was heartbroken over this indecency.
So he decisively clicked it—to criticize it, of course.
…
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Five minutes later, Guan Ren’s “critique” was finished.
“Time to reply.”
You could leave an editor hanging, but not for too long.
At the end of the day, Guan Ren was still a newbie author. He needed to manage boundaries carefully.
[Guanguan Jujiu]: Hello, Editor. Sorry, I just saw your message.
Thirty seconds later:
[Maoya]: No worries~ You’re still up?
[Guanguan Jujiu]: I’m a night owl. It’s you who’s working hard, Editor.
[Guanguan Jujiu]: I’ve written bits and pieces before, but only on small sites. The results weren’t great. I figured I’d try Qidian to ‘seek the Dao’, you know?
There’s a tip in the author community: newbie authors shouldn’t tell readers they’re newbies.
Guan Ren took it a step further. Not even telling the editor this was his first novel. That way, the editor might have a bit more confidence in him. Maybe not much, but a little was better than nothing.
[Maoya]: Sounds good~ I think your Supreme Confucianism and Taoism is quite promising. Go ahead and publish the first chapter in the backend. Tomorrow, a contract editor named Xiaolu will add you and explain the contract and mailing process.
[Guanguan Jujiu]: Got it, thank you, Editor!
…
After ending the conversation with the editor, Guan Ren struck while the iron was hot and started writing.
He kept at it until 2 a.m. and only went to bed after cranking out another 10,000 words.
“Contract’s in the bag. Next up: time to go all out for this weekend’s monthly exam…”