I Became an All-round Artist

At the Silver Blue Publishing House, in a certain office, Chief Editor Lu Bei was just about to head to a meeting when suddenly, like a heavy tank, Lao Xiong came running towards him, panting heavily.

“What’s going on?” Lu Bei quickly stepped aside.

Lao Xiong leaned against the door, gasping for breath, before finally managing to speak: “I just sent you Chu Kuang’s new book. You must check it out!”

“Chu Kuang’s new book?” Lu Bei’s interest was piqued, and he nodded. Seeing Lao Xiong gasping for air again, he didn’t say much more and made his way to the meeting room.

This was an internal meeting. One of the executives was enthusiastically discussing some marketing strategies, but Lu Bei couldn’t shake off Lao Xiong’s words. He discreetly took out his phone and opened the new book Lao Xiong had sent him.

Lu Bei was a big fan of Chu Kuang. The last time he read Chu Kuang’s short story, The Gift of the Magi, it moved him to tears, so much so that he set aside work to spend the New Year with his family. Since then, Lu Bei had kept a close eye on Chu Kuang’s work.

“The Legends of Zhu Xian?” The title sounded bold and grand. Intrigued, Lu Bei began reading secretly, figuring it wouldn’t be a problem—after all, these executive meetings tended to drag on for hours.

Just don't get caught.

Lu Bei wasn’t new to reading during meetings. He had never been caught because he would occasionally pretend to listen to the presentation, nodding at key moments, and even typing on his laptop as if taking notes. In reality, the notes were meaningless gibberish—so indecipherable that even a programmer would be baffled.

But this time, Lu Bei got careless. He hadn't expected Zhu Xian to be so captivating. After just ten minutes, he was utterly absorbed, forgetting even to pretend he was paying attention. He didn't notice that people were calling him.

“Chief Editor?”
“Chief Editor?”

Finally, the executive giving the presentation snapped, slamming his hand on the table in frustration, “Lu Bei!”

“Huh?” Lu Bei snapped back to reality, offering an awkward smile as he reluctantly put down his phone. Most of the people in the room were of the same rank as him, so the other executive must have been really angry to call him out by name.

The meeting continued, but Lu Bei was uncomfortable. His mind was fixated on Zhu Xian, and he couldn’t help but anticipate what would happen next. He didn't hear a word of the presentation, only wishing for the meeting to end quickly so he could return to reading.

Finally, the meeting ended.

Lu Bei rushed out of the room, already pulling out his phone to call Lao Xiong, but Lao Xiong was waiting for him at the door, looking somewhat anxious. “Should we increase Chu Kuang’s contract terms?”

“What were the terms before?”

“Seven percent.”

“Increase it to ten percent.”

Lu Bei didn’t hesitate. Ten percent was usually reserved for veteran bestselling authors. Chu Kuang wasn’t quite at that level yet, but Lu Bei was confident that the popularity of this new book would at least match that of his previous work, The Prince of Tennis. And that was based on just the little he had read so far.

“Got it,” Lao Xiong replied, not surprised at all. He had been blown away by Zhu Xian from the moment he finished reading.

Lao Xiong had never imagined that a xianxia novel could be written like this. It was why he had rushed out of the meeting room earlier in a frenzy. He wanted to personally ensure the marketing and publishing teams were on board, and more importantly, he needed to convey to the chief editor just how incredible this book was.

“Oh, by the way…” Just as Lao Xiong was about to leave, Lu Bei suddenly frowned. “I asked you for Chu Kuang’s autograph last time, didn’t I? Why haven’t you gotten it yet?”

Lao Xiong froze. He had completely forgotten about that request. He figured Lu Bei had too, but now Zhu Xian had reminded him.

…

Lin Yuan, on the other hand, was unaware of the storm Zhu Xian had caused in the editorial department. That evening, after school, he received a call from Yang Feng.

“Teacher Chu Kuang!” Yang Feng’s tone had become noticeably more respectful. “Your new book is absolutely phenomenal. The company is considering publishing the first volume of Zhu Xian next month. How do you feel about that?”

It hadn’t always been this way. In the past, Yang Feng would’ve said something like, “Chu Kuang, congratulations! Your novel has passed our review, and we’ll be publishing it next month.” Same meaning, but the tone was different now.

Lin Yuan didn’t pick up on the subtle change in Yang Feng’s attitude. He responded as concisely as ever: “That’s fine. When do we sign the contract?”

“Here’s the thing!” Yang Feng chuckled, “The company has decided to raise your royalty rate to ten percent. That’s quite high for the industry. Is there anything else you’d like us to take care of?”

“Sounds good!” Lin Yuan’s tone lifted slightly in surprise.

Yang Feng was taken aback. Wasn’t Chu Kuang supposed to be indifferent to money? Why did he sound so excited about a royalty increase?

Of course. Money means many things. Perhaps for Teacher Chu Kuang, the royalty boost wasn’t about the cash itself, but rather the company’s recognition of his talent. The money was a gesture of sincerity.

Money has value. Sincerity is priceless.

After all, xianxia wasn’t the easiest genre to write, and Lin Yuan had probably felt some pressure while creating it. No wonder he appreciated the acknowledgment.

“I’m glad you’re happy with the offer,” Yang Feng continued. “Also, I wanted to let you know that the company will soon begin the pre-sale promotion for Zhu Xian.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, that’s all.”

After hanging up, Lin Yuan was in a great mood. He was pleased that Silver Blue Publishing had taken the initiative to increase his royalties, and he felt good about continuing to work with them.

Perhaps the rate would go even higher in the future? He’d have to consult his sister about that. She was an expert in the publishing industry, after all.

Lin Yuan had considered taking Zhu Xian to his sister’s publishing company, but after doing some research, he realized her company was too small to offer the same financial rewards as Silver Blue Publishing.

In the end, making money was more important than helping his sister’s career. Besides, he could always share his earnings with her if she needed it.

Surely his sister preferred money too. Who doesn’t like money?

That evening, after Lin Yuan's conversation with Yang Feng, Silver Blue Publishing officially announced on their website that Chu Kuang would be releasing a new book in July. The pre-launch hype had begun, and Chu Kuang’s fans were ecstatic!

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