Chapter 86

From ancient times, the hierarchical differences between people ultimately boil down to the imbalance in the control of resources and the asymmetry in the access to information. Historically, individual corrupt officials and sycophants have been able to manipulate entire eras, often because they controlled certain key resources and important information. Even in today's era, this imbalance still exists in various fields and even manifests in daily life, as with Yu Xiaoshu and Zhao Kan at this moment.

Yu Xiaoshu, in an attempt to please Ye Chi and hope to get a new book by Yi Shui'an in advance, had no choice but to seek help from Zhao Kan, who always spoke confidently and impressively. At this moment, Zhao Kan had the upper hand over Yu Xiaoshu.

However, what Yu Xiaoshu didn't know was that Zhao Kan's knowledge of the publishing industry and all its gossip was mostly derived from forums and other netizens. As for industry connections and publishing resources, he had none. So, when faced with the sincere requests of Yu Xiaoshu and Liu Jingtong, his confidence began to waver.

"Well, the information I have is that Yi Shui'an's new book will only be available on Christmas Day. A month in advance? The manuscript won't even be out by then, and I can't do anything about it."

Yu Xiaoshu looked at Zhao Kan in confusion and said, "Why a month in advance? Didn't you say the book is coming out on Christmas? Just five days in advance would be fine."

"Oh, so Ye Chi's birthday is on December 20th?"

Yu Xiaoshu nodded hastily, and Liu Jingtong, who was eager to stir things up, seized the opportunity to say, "Oh, so Mr. Kan, you mean five days in advance is definitely no problem?"

Zhao Kan glared at Liu Jingtong, who feigned confusion, completely unaware of what he had done wrong.

"Just five days, Kan Kan, can you do it?"

Zhao Kan was almost certain he couldn't get the book five days in advance, but with his two roommates pressuring him, he had to agree, no matter what. He could only tough it out for as long as he could.

"Sure, I'll keep an eye out for you, but don't get your hopes up. After all, I'm just an ordinary reader."

When Zhao Kan said "ordinary," he sounded so humble that it was hard to believe he was ordinary.

Liu Jingtong found it amusing but kept a straight face, asking, "I'm curious, Mr. Kan, what motivated or led you to become an 'ordinary reader'?"

Yu Xiaoshu had already let go of Zhao Kan but, because he needed his help, looked at him with great reverence, waiting for him to recount his glorious past.

The worst thing for a storyteller is to have no audience, so being a serious and interested listener is one of the most subtle forms of flattery. Employees who have heard their boss's entrepreneurial stories can certainly relate to this.

Zhao Kan smiled slightly, lost in his memories, and said, "Speaking of my reading history, it's been about eleven or twelve years. As Jingtong said, I indeed started my reading journey by chance. I was only about five or six years old at the time, and for some reason, my preschool teacher gave me special permission not to attend classes."

Yu Xiaoshu quickly chimed in, "Mr. Kan was already amazing as a kid."

Zhao Kan waved his hand, "Not really. Mainly because I was quite fat and often got bullied by other kids."

Liu Jingtong couldn't help but laugh and glanced at Yu Xiaoshu, who unexpectedly said, "Mr. Kan was already humble back then."

Zhao Kan's memory of that time was a bit fuzzy, and by today's standards, he didn't seem like someone who would be afraid of being bullied. So, he actually agreed with this assessment, saying, "Anyway, I was pretty honest back then and didn't like to fight. After the teacher excused me from attending school, I spent my days with my uncle, who was quite an unusual person."

Zhao Kan paused at the right moment and pointed to the water dispenser, "Jingtong, get me a glass of water."

Liu Jingtong exclaimed, "You must be mistaken."

Zhao Kan's pause was a classic storytelling technique, known as "leaving a cliffhanger." His intention was to get Liu Jingtong to do his bidding, thereby subduing both his roommates in one day. However, Liu Jingtong wasn't buying it and had a "you can talk or not" attitude.

Fortunately, Yu Xiaoshu was quick to act and promptly got the water for Zhao Kan. Zhao Kan took the opportunity to continue, "My uncle was passionate about martial arts. He practiced every day, except when he was sleeping or eating. He would punch the sandbag, hang from rings, and do flips. The most memorable thing I recall is that he could crack his back and neck, making a 'pop' sound. I thought it was a sign of great martial arts mastery and admired him immensely. Under my influence, he began to feel special and started challenging people, inviting them to punch his abs."

Zhao Kan took a sip of water and continued, "I saw a few boys, around seven or eight years old, punch his abs and complain about sore hands. One of them was even knocked back. I was amazed and begged to learn this 'martial art' so I could go back to school and take revenge. After much pleading, my uncle finally agreed to take me as his disciple and started teaching me stances and breathing exercises. After a week of practice, I thought I had mastered it and went back to school to challenge the boys who used to bully me."

"Did you beat them up?" Yu Xiaoshu guessed.

"No, I chose a literary battle. I stood there and said, 'You can punch my abs, and I'll knock you back.' One guy kicked me in the stomach, and that bastard kicked really hard."

"Did you knock him back?" Yu Xiaoshu asked, lacking confidence.

Zhao Kan shook his head and laughed, "I suddenly got scared and dodged to the side. He missed and fell flat on his back."

"Clever," Yu Xiaoshu and Liu Jingtong said in unison.

Zhao Kan nodded and continued, "The other boys said I was cheating and ganged up on me. I thought they were fighting unfairly and not giving me a chance to use my 'martial art.' So, I went home and asked my uncle to teach me real fighting skills. He gave me a stack of books."

"Martial arts manuals?" Liu Jingtong asked with a smile.

"Indeed, you might have seen them. They were very popular at the time, like Shaolin Kung Fu, One-Finger Zen, Eighteen Throws, and Stretching Kicks."

"So, after seeing those books, you decided to give up martial arts and focus on reading?" Liu Jingtong guessed.

Zhao Kan nodded, "Those books had a lot of pictures, like comic books. I found them increasingly interesting and forgot about practicing martial arts. From then on, I became a bookworm."

After hearing Zhao Kan's story, Liu Jingtong couldn't help but think of his own reading experiences. The first book he read was the serialized "Chu Chuk and Beta" in "Children's Literature." The first martial arts novel he read was also a comic book, coincidentally the same one he was serializing under the pseudonym Gu Yongsheng, "Seven Swords Descend from Heaven." The first classic he read was Lu Xun's "The True Story of Ah Q," and the first foreign novel was Haruki Murakami's "Norwegian Wood"...

Thinking about this, he suddenly had a thought, a somewhat difficult question. Then he heard Zhao Kan say, "That night, I must have embarrassed you. Over the years, I can't say I've read thousands of books, but at least a thousand. However, very few have made me cry uncontrollably. Even 'The White-Haired Demoness' didn't do that."

"By the way, I heard that the author Gu Yongsheng only writes tragedies," Yu Xiaoshu mentioned, having seen this comment online.

Gu Yongsheng sighed, "It's not a matter of whether I can or can't, but a matter of the author's perspective. Although there are various opinions, now that I think about it, the endings of my previous books seem reasonable. The author lays the groundwork for the ending throughout the story. Perhaps the author believes that tragedies are more powerful."

...

Liu Jingtong didn't dwell on the previous question. "There's always a way when you reach a dead end." For now, he would focus on domestic novels. After all, he was still in high school, a minor, and many actions were still restricted. When the time came, he would promote his books to avoid trouble.

That night, after reading the post by Tian Dao You Chang, Liu Jingtong became even more curious about this person. A vague idea formed in his mind. No matter how well Qianhong and Lu Yichou treated him, he couldn't stay with them forever. Whether to make his books shine more brightly or to pursue personal goals, he would eventually have to stand on his own. He would start his own business and publish his own magazine. To achieve this, he needed two basic conditions: money and people.

Money was no longer an issue for him. "The White-Haired Demoness" alone had brought him "seven figures" in income. With the upcoming publication of "Seven Swords," the merchandise from "Chu Chuk and Beta," the copyright for "Xiao Shiyi Lang," and other potential new books, he conservatively estimated that by the end of high school, his wealth could approach "eight figures."

After entering college, he would have much more freedom in terms of time and personal rights. Then he could start implementing his plans one by one. So, he needed people, highly skilled people, which was why he was so interested in "Tian Dao You Chang."

The online discussion about "The White Horse Cries in the West Wind" continued. Although there were occasional rude and baseless attacks, as the history teacher had said, these posts quickly drowned in a sea of praise and analysis.

However, the posts requesting Gu Yongsheng to write a less tragic next novel resonated with many readers, and the hired commenters took advantage of this.

Liu Jingtong had a clear idea in his mind and wasn't too concerned. He turned off his computer and began to reply to Professor Chen Shilang's email. (To be continued)