Chapter 39: Self-Cultivation of the Workhorse

Even though it was just him and Lin Yuan for dinner, Sun Yaohuo ordered an array of dishes, to the extent that Lin Yuan couldn't bear it anymore.

"Don't order so much; we won't finish it," Lin Yuan remarked.

Sun Yaohuo chuckled, "Don't be too courteous, junior. Want a drink?"

Lin Yuan shook his head.

"Then we won't drink," Sun Yaohuo stated.

Lin Yuan then ordered, "Waiter, two servings of rice."

Sun Yaohuo gestured, "I'm on a diet recently; no rice for me."

Lin Yuan gave him a puzzled look. "I ordered for myself."

Sun Yaohuo: "..."

When the rice arrived, Lin Yuan dug in, not wasting this sumptuous meal.

Sun Yaohuo jested, "Nutritionists say those who eat less tend to age slower. Junior, eat more."

Lin Yuan looked at Sun Yaohuo earnestly. "I had a friend who didn't eat for ten days; he forever remained eighteen."

Sun Yaohuo: "..."

Lin Yuan frowned. "Is this joke not funny?"

He believed he was quite humorous.

Sun Yaohuo, after a few seconds of blank stare, suddenly burst into hearty laughter. "That's hilarious, absolutely hilarious! You got me there, hahaha!"

Isn't that a bit too forced?

The waiter gave Sun Yaohuo a strange look, understanding for the first time the meaning of a forced smile.

Cough.

After a brief laugh, Sun Yaohuo quietly resumed eating.

In reality, he was considering how to console Lin Yuan.

He couldn't tell if Lin Yuan was joking or not. Seeing Lin Yuan's deadpan expression, he actually thought that someone's friend might have had an incident due to not eating for too long...

"He who eats, exhibits wisdom," Lin Yuan said after a pause. "Is this one funny?"

Sun Yaohuo, bewildered, looked up and then slapped his thigh in laughter. "Hahahaha!"

Right.

Lin Yuan suddenly remembered that there are no three kingdoms in this world, and naturally, there are no references like "The wise acknowledge the time, the shrewd acknowledge the person."

What exactly was Sun Yaohuo laughing about?

Lin Yuan looked sympathetically at him.

It seems the senior's sense of humor is quite low.

Thus, for the first time, an understanding formed between the two, and they quietly resumed their meal.

Midway through the meal, Sun Yaohuo attempted to lift the mood again. "I've listened to your latest two songs, really loved them!"

Although it was an attempt to brighten the mood, Sun Yaohuo genuinely meant those words.

In the heyday of "Life Like Summer Flowers," there were discussions within the company about Xianyu. Some even speculated that Xianyu might have written this song due to sheer luck.

Influenced by this notion, Sun Yaohuo also once thought that Lin Yuan fell into this category.

However, to his surprise, Lin Yuan went on to write two more songs, both of which gained immense popularity. This junior was nothing short of a genius. Sun Yaohuo realized that crossing paths with him back then was undoubtedly a stroke of luck!

Lin Yuan politely responded, "Thank you."

Sun Yaohuo chuckled and expressed his admiration, "I guess from now on, only the top vocalists in the company will have the opportunity to collaborate with you, my junior. The minimum standard for working with you now is someone like Zhao Yingge."

Lin Yuan shook his head, "Too expensive."

Sun Yaohuo was puzzled, "What's too expensive?"

Lin Yuan explained, "Don't you know? The top vocalists demand high shares."

Sun Yaohuo laughed, thinking Lin Yuan was joking, "Could it be that my junior still wants to work with newcomers forever? The newcomers at the company are really fortunate. If I could collaborate with you without sharing the earnings, I'd be more than willing. Sun Yaohuo, no need for a share!"

To be on fire without taking a share? This is the self-cultivation of a workhorse.

Lin Yuan's eyes sparkled, "Really?"

Sun Yaohuo further appreciated Lin Yuan's sense of humor, "Of course it's true. My junior, don't make fun of me. At your level, you're unlikely to have any interest in someone like me. But that's fine. I'm already very grateful to you for helping me get started. With your blessing, I'm doing well now. I may not be a big sensation, but I get occasional gigs."

"Senior."

Lin Yuan examined Sun Yaohuo once again, "Do you have a vocal range of three octaves?"

"Huh?"

Sun Yaohuo explained, "My comfort zone is between D2 and A4. My actual vocal range is from C2 to C5, and my highest falsetto note currently is A5."

Lin Yuan nodded thoughtfully, "That's enough."

Sun Yaohuo was puzzled, "Enough for what?"

"Nothing, let's have dinner," Lin Yuan said.

It wasn't time yet; he needed to take a break before releasing new songs.

However, Sun Yaohuo, the senior, could become a "Red Rose" workhorse. His vocal tone and range met Lin Yuan's requirements, and his emotional singing was spot-on.

Of course, the deciding factor was not this.

...

A few days later, at the Silver Blue Library.

The chief editor looked at Yang Feng, "I've read the 'Tennis Prince' that you submitted, to be honest, it's exceptionally well-written, both in character development and writing style, it's very polished, almost unlike the work of a newcomer. The only issue is that the audience for this genre is too narrow!"

"But it excels in being fresh."

Yang Feng argued, "From the plot of around a hundred thousand words, coupled with the outline sent by the author, it feels like it could be a good story. Perhaps readers are also looking for a change recently. After all, the current market is heavily saturated with similar themes, and readers inevitably suffer from aesthetic fatigue."

"Old Shen, what's your take?"

"The chief editor glanced at the deputy chief editor to his right.

The deputy chief editor pondered, "Because the theme is too niche, I, like you, am not optimistic about 'Tennis Prince.' However, from the perspective of the story itself, I feel it would be a pity to give up too easily. How about a compromise?"

"What do you mean?"

"After reviewing all the manuscripts, how about considering placing it as the fifth in this round of the Super Rookie Award? Also, let's be conservative in publication—initially print a hundred thousand copies. The first four will follow the old rule, with an initial print of five hundred thousand copies."

"The Super Rookie Award only selects five books.

"Normally, the initial print for these five books starts at five hundred thousand copies. However, the prospects for "Tennis Prince" seem not promising. So, the deputy chief editor suggests a conservative approach, printing a hundred thousand copies initially to gauge the market's reaction.

"I agree."

After some thought, the chief editor nodded. He then grimaced and said, "Let's pave the way with this novel because I also wish to diversify the novel market's thematic categories. After all, the consequences of thematic homogeneity are collectively borne by the entire publishing industry. For this reason, haven't several other major publishing houses in Qin Prefecture recently introduced some new themes? We, as the market giant, cannot lag behind. Although most attempts with these new themes have largely failed, I believe, Yang Feng, you share the same sentiment."

Yang Feng nodded.

He acknowledged that the sales of "Tennis Prince" might not match those of the top four in the Super Rookie Award. However, the market requires the emergence of new themes, and the appearance of these new themes must be guided by publishing houses. Only when the market signals the "willingness of publishing houses to embrace new themes" will new authors refrain from solely writing about otherworldly adventures.

From this perspective, Chu Kuang enjoyed a wave of dividends.

Because, purely considering sales, with "Tennis Prince's" narrow audience, it's highly unlikely to obtain a publishing opportunity. Hence, an initial printing of a hundred thousand copies is already a good outcome for this novel.

"Very well."

"The chief editor made the decision, "Yang Feng, get in touch with Chu Kuang first. Have him send over approximately a hundred thousand words of the manuscript again. The list of the top five in the Super Rookie Award will be announced by the end of January, and the five novels will be officially published in February."

"Understood."

Yang Feng nodded.