Eight hundred per thousand words.
After the meeting ended, Dong Xiaoyu still hadn't quite recovered from the shock.
She was just a junior editor and didn't have a single big-name author under her. In her hands, let alone 800 per thousand words, she barely had a few authors who even earned 80 per thousand. Feeling uneasy, Dong Xiaoyu once again went to the editor-in-chief's office.
"Xiaoyu, what is it? Still something else?"
"Chief Editor, I… I came about… the manuscript fee for 'Strange Tales.'"
Hesitating, Dong Xiaoyu spoke.
"What, is there a problem with the fee for 'Strange Tales'?"
"No, Chief Editor. It's just that the author of 'Strange Tales,' Fanchen, is only a newcomer. 800 per thousand… isn't that a bit too high?"
Even now, Dong Xiaoyu still felt that the chief editor might be joking with her, or even testing her.
But Zhou Qing shook his head. "Is 800 per thousand high? Perhaps for ordinary writers, even in a lifetime, they'd never get such a rate. But for truly talented authors, 800 per thousand may only be their starting price. The 'Strange Tales' series is excellent. Before, I didn't read it carefully and nearly missed a classic. Reflecting on it now, 'Strange Tales' is simple yet innovative, straightforward yet unforgettable, and accessible yet deeply rooted in Huaguo culture. For a piece like this, 800 per thousand feels cheap, not expensive at all."
"So that's how it is."
Hearing the chief editor's evaluation, Dong Xiaoyu finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had always been optimistic about 'Strange Tales.' Still, as a junior editor with neither seniority nor experience, even if she felt the work was good, she didn't dare suggest a higher price to the chief editor. If it hadn't been for the chief editor's kind reminder a few days ago, she wouldn't even have dared to propose 80 per thousand. Now, after hearing his explanation, she suddenly understood. She hadn't expected that the pieces she thought were merely very good would receive such high praise from the chief editor.
"I understand now."
Suddenly, Dong Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, as if she had realized something.
"What do you understand?" Zhou Qing asked with a smile.
"I understand…"
Dong Xiaoyu was about to speak, but felt it might not be appropriate, so she shook her head. "Nothing."
"What do you mean, nothing? If you've thought of something, say it. I don't like people who only say half of what they mean."
"Alright then."
Feeling a little awkward, Dong Xiaoyu still said, "Since the chief editor rates 'Strange Tales' so highly, doesn't that mean the recent surge in our magazine's sales has a lot to do with Fanchen's 'Strange Tales'?"
"Smart."
"More than just a lot to do with it. The results were brought about almost entirely by 'Strange Tales.'"
As he spoke, Zhou Qing gestured toward dozens of letters stacked beside his desk. "Look, these are all letters from readers we've received recently. 80% of them came specifically for 'Strange Tales.'"
"Wow, so many."
Seeing the pile of letters, Dong Xiaoyu was astonished.
"So now you should understand why I raised the price for 'Strange Tales.' However, Xiaoyu, 'Midnight Talk' is at a critical moment right now. Very soon, Suspense World's Zhang Yun will be launching his serialized work. You must stay in close contact with Fanchen. Oh, right, for the next issue, our 303rd issue of 'Midnight Talk', I plan to make 'Strange Tales' the main feature. See if Fanchen can provide three pieces from the 'Strange Tales' series."
But after Zhou Qing finished speaking, Dong Xiaoyu looked troubled.
"Chief Editor, I…"
"What is it now? You're hesitating again. Say it."
"Actually, Chief Editor, I haven't been able to get in touch with the author of 'Strange Tales,' Fanchen, these past few days."
"What? You can't contact him?"
"Yes. I've sent him dozens of messages, but he hasn't replied."
"Then email him."
"I did. No reply either."
"Then call him directly."
"He didn't leave a phone number, and Fanchen said he doesn't have a phone."
"No phone?"
Zhou Qing looked like he was about to lose it.
"I just praised you, and now you're dropping the ball. I'm ordering you, no matter what method you use, you must contact Fanchen within three days. Otherwise… forget it. Just do it. If you reach him, make sure you get his phone number or at least a way to contact him immediately."
…
Naturally, the editors of 'Midnight Talk' couldn't reach Fanchen.
Because Huang Yifan, who was writing under the pen name Fanchen, was still typing nonstop in an internet café at the time.
At that moment, let alone 'Midnight Talk', Huang Yifan wasn't responding to anyone at all.
But ten days and ten nights without rest eventually took their toll on his body. When he returned to school, he collapsed on the spot.
When he opened his eyes again, Huang Yifan was already lying in a hospital bed.
And he stayed in the hospital for a full week.
During that week, Huang Yifan felt both deeply moved and deeply guilty.
What moved him was that after he woke up and throughout his recovery, his parents never once asked where he had gone during those ten days. What made him guilty was knowing how much worry those ten days of hiding in an internet café had caused. Especially his parents, those ten days had even put a few strands of white hair on his mother's head. And his father, upon hearing that he had gone missing, rushed back from thousands of kilometers away.
"Mom, why didn't you ask where I went these past ten days?"
From the hospital bed, Huang Yifan asked his mother.
"I wanted to ask. But I felt that you've grown up now. As your mother, I can't worry about you for your whole life. What should be done and what shouldn't be done, I think you already know."
"I'm sorry, Mom."
Almost instantly, tears rolled down Huang Yifan's face.
During those ten days, it wasn't that Huang Yifan hadn't thought of his parents, nor that he hadn't thought of going home.
He was just afraid that once he went home and calmed down, all the impulsiveness that had driven him would disappear.
Sometimes, people have to force themselves.
At that time, Huang Yifan had pushed himself to the very limit. If he stepped down even once, he would never be able to climb back up.
In the end, Huang Yifan chose to go mad all the way.
But nothing is ever perfect.
Huang Yifan's madness moved countless readers, yet it also terrified his parents and his teachers.
"Actually, Mom, during those ten days, I didn't go anywhere. I didn't go out to play, and I wasn't skipping class because I hated school. I just went to do something I thought was very meaningful. But Mom, don't worry. From now on, your son will never do this again. No matter how important something is, I'll handle it properly. I won't make you and Dad worry, and I won't make my teachers worry either."
Lowering his head, Huang Yifan apologized earnestly.
"Since you can think that way, you little brat, then now I'm going to enjoy scolding you properly."
"You little punk, do you know how angry you made your mom these past ten days?"
"Do you know how long your teachers and I looked for you? Do you know I even called the police?"
"Are you itching for a beating, or did you lose your mind? Skipping class is one thing, but you had the guts to skip class right in front of your homeroom teacher."
"Were you trying to play the hero or show off?"
"Fine, Li Shuhua really gave birth to a fine son. I swear, sometimes I want to throw you straight into a trash can."
"What's the use of having a son like you? Your dad and I are even thinking about having another one. After all, the second-child policy is open now."
Huang Yifan was left completely dumbfounded as his mother Li Shuhua suddenly unleashed a torrent of scolding.
If it weren't for the fact that Huang Yifan was still a patient, he probably wouldn't have escaped a beating.
"Mom, Mom, stop for a second. Didn't you just say you weren't going to scold me?"
"Not scold you? Who said I wouldn't scold you?"
"Didn't you just say I was sensible now and knew what to do?"
"That was because I was afraid you'd gone crazy, you little brat. I was afraid that if I scolded you, you'd become even more messed up."
"Ah… Mom, I never realized you were this wise."
Huang Yifan burst into tears.
So it turned out his mom had been checking whether something was wrong with his head, which was why she hadn't said anything earlier.
Only after she was completely sure that Huang Yifan was perfectly normal did all the anger that had built up over those ten days and ten nights finally explode.
Yet at this very moment, Huang Yifan's heart felt as sweet as if it were filled with honey, incredibly warm.
No matter how fiercely his mother scolded him, Huang Yifan didn't feel angry at all.
In this world, the only person who could scold him like this was his own mother.
==========
Support the translation and help me keep the work.
patreon.com/Childish_Patriarch