Chapter 37: Quite the Prima Donna

Provincial Capital, Dahe Publishing House.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief Lu Dahe arrived at his office right on time. He first brewed a cup of tea, lubricated his throat with a leisurely sip, and then picked up the latest newspaper to read.

Spending the better part of every morning drinking tea and reading the paper was a ritual Lu Dahe never broke, a habit that many secretly grumbled about. However, Lu Dahe never cared for such idle gossip. He was currently second in command, holding power over everyone else—was there any need to care about the chatter of subordinates?

Furthermore, Lu Dahe believed that studying the newspaper was his most important duty. In an era of shifting winds and changing tides, a seemingly insignificant phrase in the paper could be the peal of thunder before a storm. If a bunch of deaf and blind fools couldn't hear or see it, wouldn't that just work to his advantage?

"Knock, knock, knock."

An annoying sound of knocking interrupted Lu Dahe’s reading. He furrowed his brows and glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was only 9:10 AM. Who was this blind fool coming to make trouble? Didn't they know that he, Lu Dahe, disliked being disturbed at this hour? As for the Editor-in-Chief, the only person in the publishing house who could bother him at will, he would never come knocking; a single internal phone call would have Lu Dahe scurrying over to serve him.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a young man wearing glasses walked in. Lu Dahe glanced at him, took a sip of tea, and continued reading the newspaper with relish, as if he hadn't noticed an extra person in the office at all.

The young man looked quite flustered. After holding his breath for a few seconds with a reddened face, he said, "Hello, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Lu. I’ve come to ask about the novel *Lurking* and how we should proceed with it."

Lu Dahe lifted his eyelids, peered at the young man over the top of the paper, and said in a measured tone, "How to proceed? The office will study and decide that. Why is a young man in such a hurry? In our line of work, one must never be impatient; we have to exercise strict quality control for the sake of the broad readership..."

The young man stood there, listening to Lu Dahe’s lecture for a full three minutes before seizing the chance to interject while the other was drinking water: "But Deputy Editor-in-Chief Lu, we received the submission several days ago. We really owe the author a reply, don't we?"

Lu Dahe set down the newspaper and stared coldly at the young man. "Geng Zhi, how many years have you been at the publishing house?"

The young man named Geng Zhi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Three years, Editor."

Lu Dahe raised his voice and scolded, "Then do you think you are currently qualified to instruct me on how to do my job?"

Geng Zhi panicked and said, "No, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Lu, that’s not what I meant..."

"Enough," Lu Dahe said, waving his hand sternly as if shooing away a fly. "Get out! Attend to your own duties, do not interfere with other colleagues, and certainly do not violate protocol by contacting the author privately."

Geng Zhi left the editor’s office with a belly full of resentment. He truly could not understand what he had done wrong to offend his direct superior. Last week, the publishing house had received a novel submission, which had fallen into the hands of Geng Zhi, the editor in charge.

An editor in charge was responsible for direct communication with authors, reading submissions daily, determining their publication value, and reporting to the higher-ups to decide the manuscript's ultimate fate. When Geng Zhi opened the submission titled *Lurking*, he was immediately struck by its brilliance and gave it the highest possible rating. Furthermore, it wasn't just Geng Zhi who gave it top marks; after colleagues reviewed it among themselves, the consensus was unanimously positive.

However, unexpectedly, once the manuscript was submitted, all news of it strangely went silent. A few of the more prudent and experienced colleagues said that the subject matter of such a novel was too sensitive—while it was very well-written and outstanding, it might not be permitted for publication. But *Lurking* was truly exceptional, and Geng Zhi, who hadn't seen a professional breakthrough in a long time, was unwilling to give up. Today, he finally couldn't hold back anymore, leading him to enter the Deputy Editor-in-Chief’s office at an inappropriate time and suffer a reprimand.

Geng Zhi sat down at his desk, dazed and unable to regain his focus for a long time.

"Sigh, Xiao Geng? Xiao Geng?" The older woman sitting across from Geng Zhi suddenly whispered to him.

Geng Zhi startled and hurriedly asked, "Sister Xu, what is it?"

Sister Xu said in a low voice, "Did you go to see Deputy Editor-in-Chief Lu to ask about that book, *Lurking*?"

Geng Zhi said, puzzled, "Yes! How did you know, Sister Xu?"

"I knew the moment I saw you," Sister Xu said mysteriously. "Take a piece of advice from your sister: give it up!"

"What? Give it up?" Geng Zhi said, both shocked and anxious. "Sister Xu, you’ve read that novel too. If we give up on it, it would be such a pity."

"Keep your voice down," Sister Xu said, glancing around before continuing, "I mean for you to give it up, not the publishing house."

Geng Zhi looked foolish, asking uncomprehendingly, "Sister Xu, what do you mean? Could you be a bit clearer?"

Sister Xu pointed toward the office next door and lowered her voice: "According to reliable information, Xiao Feng next door has already contacted that author, 'Seven-Inch Blade'."

"What?"

"How could he?"

Geng Zhi stood up abruptly, staring at Sister Xu in disbelief. The fire he had been trying to keep suppressed in his stomach suddenly surged up through his throat and chest.

"How could he? How could he, you ask? Don't you know, Xiao Geng? Just because that Xiao Feng is a college graduate, and just because that Xiao Feng is handsome, and the Editor-in-Chief's daughter... hey, hey, Xiao Geng, where are you going?"

Before Sister Xu could finish speaking, Geng Zhi was already storming toward the office next door.

A man in black sitting in the corner set down his teacup and complained to Sister Xu, "Old Xu, don't stir up trouble! It won't look good for anyone if this turns into a laughingstock."

Sister Xu glanced at him and said, "Hmph, then why didn't you stop Xiao Geng? Besides, that Feng Bo acts so high and mighty all day—you don't mean to tell me you like him?"

The man in black chuckled and said, "Ha, I'm almost retired; what is there that I still can't stand?"

Sister Xu looked at him with disdain. "Tsk, you're the most cunning one in the whole office."

Geng Zhi burst into the office next door, startling the three colleagues inside. Two of them immediately lowered their heads, pretending not to see him. But Feng Bo, who was sitting in the middle, looked up at Geng Zhi and said coldly, "Something up?"

Geng Zhi didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Did you contact that 'Seven-Inch Blade'?"

Feng Bo said with annoyance, "That’s a question you should ask the Editor-in-Chief, not me."

Geng Zhi said angrily, "I’m asking you! Don't you know the rules? The manuscript was clearly mine, why are you trying to snatch it?"

The rules Geng Zhi spoke of were actually the unspoken conventions of the publishing house: whoever received a manuscript first owned it. Even if an order came from above, one was supposed to decline. But Feng Bo clearly didn't care about any rules; anything that landed in the bowl was food, and whoever reached for it first got to eat.

"If you've got the ability, go ask the Editor-in-Chief. If you don't, get out..."

"If you've got the ability, say that again?"

"I could say it eight times and it would still be..."

"Ring-ring-ring~"

Just as the two were about to escalate the conflict, the office phone rang. Feng Bo snatched the receiver first, adjusted his tone, and said amiably, "Hello, Dahe Publishing House."

"Yes, I am Feng Bo... 'Seven-Inch Blade'? You are Li Ye, right?"

Geng Zhi was instantly anxious, reaching out to grab the phone from Feng Bo. But Feng Bo looked at Geng Zhi sternly and held up a "hush" gesture. Geng Zhi gritted his teeth, forcibly stopping his movement. Internal conflicts could not be allowed to become a laughingstock for outsiders.

Feng Bo smiled triumphantly and said into the phone, "Yes, our suggestion is for you to bring over the rest of the manuscript. After our analysis and research, we will make a decision on whether to publish it."

"Why? Don't you know what’s wrong with your own manuscript? Bring the full draft over; we need to send professional editors to help you correct it..."

"You don't have time to come? Why don't you have time?"

Unknowingly, Feng Bo's tone had shifted from the initial amiability to a condescending, overbearing manner.

"What did you say? You have to study for exams? What exams... are you really just a high school student?"

Feng Bo’s voice rose sharply, the final sentence almost shouted.

Back at the Qing Shui County Post Office on the other end of the line, Li Ye was left completely speechless.

*Aren't editors in this era supposed to be warm and enthusiastic?*

*Aren't they supposed to be righteous and broad-minded?*

*But judging by the voice on the other end, this person isn't even that old! Why does he sound so pompous and act so arrogant?*