“Xiao Fen, I wasn’t wrong about you, you really are so diligent.”
In the morning, after a busy rush, Xiao Fen and the two others were taking a break. Suddenly, a voice of praise caught her off guard. The three of them were having breakfast, having been too busy to eat earlier.
Xiao Fen looked up and saw Zheng Bai Cheng, with Xiao Hua by his side. From their appearance, it seemed like they were a couple. Xiao Fen wasn’t surprised. In their age group, some people started dating in middle school. Hong Kong was quite open in this regard, especially within school grounds.
“Cheng Ge, you shouldn’t just disappear and then reappear so suddenly! You scared me, I thought I saw a ghost!”
“Fen Jie, this is Zheng Bai Cheng, the author of Da Tang and Jiang Hu?”
“Wow, the rumors are true! That’s amazing.”
“Cheng Ge, I’m A Jian. Fen Jie asked me to come and work here. I’m a fan of your books.” A Jian stepped forward, shaking Zheng Bai Cheng’s hand with an excited expression.
Zheng Bai Cheng also smiled, squeezing his hand tightly. “Wow, Xiao Fen, you hired a book fan of mine. I’m so touched. A Jian, when my novels are published, I’ll definitely send you a copy, and I’ll even sign it for you.”
“Thank you, Cheng Ge. You’re my idol now, Cheng Ge.”
“Let go, you little brat. Cheng Ge, don’t bother with him. You came here today to deliver the manuscript, right? A lot of people have been coming to see you lately. Here are their business cards. This is their list of requests.”
Xiao Fen handed a small box to Zheng Bai Cheng. Inside, there were business cards, and in the notebook, she had written down the requests from those people.
“These people are so enthusiastic. They…”
Xiao Fen was beaming, as if she was the one being requested. In reality, she was the first hurdle they had to overcome.
“Xiao Fen, you’re quite powerful these days. I’ll call these people now and ask them to come get their copies of the novel.”
Zheng Bai Cheng picked up the phone, not forgetting to tease Xiao Fen. With his words, she actually started feeling quite powerful.
“Hello, this is Zheng Bai Cheng. I’m calling for…“ He called the City Daily first, after all, they were the big money makers.
He then waited for them to come, and took the opportunity to check the accounts for the period when they were away. He found that Xiao Fen had done a great job keeping the books.
Looking at the accounts, he said, “Xiao Fen, you should really study business, become an accountant. Are you interested in studying? I’ll pay for your education.”
Xiao Fen replied, “My grades aren’t good.”
“Then just study a specific subject. Train these two, then you go study. We’re going to expand this grocery store throughout Hong Kong and Kowloon!” Zheng Bai Cheng spoke passionately, but Xiao Fen didn’t react much. A Jian, however, was very excited.
“Cheng Ge, if you open grocery stores throughout Hong Kong and Kowloon, I’ll be your right-hand man.”
“Slap!”
“Ouch!” Xiao Fen slapped A Jian on the head. “Stop messing around, you little brat.”
“Cheng Ge, I’ll listen to you. After all, you’re my boss.”
After a quick review of the accounts, the person from City Daily arrived. Seeing Zheng Bai Cheng, he quickly took a few steps forward and said, “Zheng Sheng, we’ve been eagerly waiting for you.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. Here’s the manuscript, 100,000 words. That should be enough for a week, right?”
“Zheng Sheng, you’re joking. Here’s the check. Please accept it. We hope to continue working with you in the future.”
The two chatted for another ten minutes before the man left to complete his task. Then, Zheng Bai Cheng picked up the phone and called the Commercial Daily.
This time, Zheng Bai Cheng didn’t wait long. In less than ten minutes, the man arrived. It was Li Cheng Long. Upon arriving, he said, “Ah Cheng, you have to help us out with Commercial Daily this time. We’re willing to pay more than anyone else.”
“Ah Long, we are friends. The people from City Daily offered 200 per thousand words.” He wasn’t lying to him, but simply stated the price directly.
Li Cheng Long thought for a moment and said, “Ah Cheng, as long as your novel is as good as Da Tang, I’m willing to pay 220 per thousand words.”
“Don’t rush. This is the final part of the Jiang Hu manuscript, a total of over 1.2 million words. Take a look.”
“No need. We can still serialize it for three months. Ah Cheng, you’re really productive. You maintain both quality and quantity, you’re amazing.”
While the two were talking, Xiao Fen pulled Xiao Hua aside and started discussing private matters.
“Xiao Hua, are you guys, uh?”
Xiao Fen’s eyes were wide, her expression mischievous, and she even winked. Xiao Hua was so embarrassed, her cheeks flushed with shyness.
“There’s nothing between us. My grandpa came to my house to propose, but… well, you know… with my background…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear. She might not be able to become a wife. However, Xiao Fen envied her, saying, “Even as a concubine, I wish I could be her. I guess they wouldn’t even look at me.” She wasn’t very beautiful, and her cheerful and lively personality wouldn’t fit into a wealthy family. They would prefer someone more demure.
Then Xiao Fen started gossiping about things she’d heard recently. The love affairs and conflicts of the Hong Kong elite were always a hot topic for ordinary citizens.
Xiao Hua listened with a mix of surprise and shock. However, thinking about how Cheng Ge was kind to her, she felt at ease.
“Even if Cheng Ge has other women in the future, as long as he’s good to me, I’m happy.” Xiao Hua said firmly, looking like she was about to be executed.
“Hee hee, Cheng Ge won’t do that. He’s not that kind of ungrateful person. You’ll have plenty of blessings to enjoy in the future. Don’t worry.”
While they were chatting, Zheng Bai Cheng and Li Cheng Long also finished their discussion. After seeing Li Cheng Long off, Zheng Bai Cheng picked up the notebook and started looking through it. When he saw the name of Hong Kong Commercial Radio, he laughed and picked up the phone to make a call.
From the time Zheng Bai Cheng came back to when he made his third call, a lot of neighbors had come by. They were all concerned, some praising him, some saying that his novels were great, that he was a talented young man from their neighborhood, and that he should come back to see them more often.
Zheng Bai Cheng answered each one patiently and without any pretense.
However, more and more people arrived. He realized it was good to come back, as today’s sales had increased again.
At this point, the person from Commercial Radio finally arrived. The journey from Broadcast Drive took about forty minutes. When he saw Zheng Bai Cheng surrounded by people, he knew that he wouldn’t get out of this without paying. The fact that they called meant it wasn’t about their friendship, but about money.