"Xiao Xiaoyu, your mom invited me to your house?" Su Shichen was completely baffled. "Do your mom and I know each other?"
"Of course not," Tang Lingyu said.
"If she doesn't know me, why would your mom invite me to your house?"
"Su Xiao Si, even if you don't know my mom, you definitely know about her."
"Know about her?"
"Yangcheng Daily," Tang Lingyu prompted.
"Yangcheng Daily? Could it be that Zhao Dandan, the Deputy Editor of Yangcheng Daily, is your mom?"
Tang Lingyu nodded, acknowledging it.
There had always been rumors in class that Tang Lingyu's mother was the Editor-in-chief of a publishing house. It seemed that gossip was indeed mistaken; the truth was she was the Deputy Editor of a newspaper.
It was certainly good to have a good relationship with a Deputy Editor of a newspaper, especially the Deputy Editor of Yangcheng Daily. Just as Su Shichen was about to blurt out his agreement, he suddenly held back. He seemed to have suddenly thought of something important, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "I have some urgent matters today, so I can't visit your house. Please tell your mom I'm sorry."
"Oh," Tang Lingyu replied, without asking for the reason. Ninety-eight percent of women like to gossip, but Tang Lingyu happened to be among the remaining two percent. She never inquired about other people's affairs; it was simply her personality.
He dialed his mom Wei Xin's number. "Hello, Mom?"
"Yes, it's me. I might be home a little late tonight."
"My novel is going to be published tomorrow, so I need to go to Aunt Wang's house to discuss it."
"Just Aunt Wang."
"Okay, okay, no problem, I'll be careful." Su Shichen discovered a problem. He had always referred to Wang Ni as Aunt Wang, but after that call, he referred to her as Aunt. Although Aunt Wang and Aunt were only a one-character difference, it felt much more intimate.
Su Shichen had a good memory; at least for places he had been to once, he still remembered them the second time. He arrived at Aunt Wang's house with ease.
"Bang, bang," he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Aunt Wang's voice was less assertive than usual, with a hint of softness, and a faint hoarseness could be heard.
"Xiao Chen?" Wang Ni opened the door and looked him over.
Su Shichen naturally also looked at Wang Ni. She was wearing a beige nightgown, her hair was disheveled, and her face showed slight fatigue. Compared to the assertive Aunt Wang, the current Aunt Wang had a delicate beauty. It was this delicate beauty that instantly ignited Su Shichen's protective instincts.
"Come in and sit."
Su Shichen followed Wang Ni into the house.
"Xiao Chen, why are you here?" Wang Ni was very surprised that Su Shichen had come, because when they had talked on the phone earlier, Wang Ni had clearly heard that a female classmate had invited him.
"Aunt, you have a cold, so of course I came to see you."
"Mm," Wang Ni hummed through her nose, her expression unreadable, neither happy nor unhappy.
"Help yourself, Aunt still has manuscripts to review." Su Shichen then noticed that the table was piled with manuscripts like a small mountain. Finishing this batch would take until at least midnight.
"Cough, cough," Wang Ni's beautiful brows furrowed, clearly feeling very uncomfortable.
"Aunt, have you taken your medicine?"
"No, taking medicine makes me very sleepy, and Aunt can't sleep right now. There are still many things to finish, and later, Aunt also needs to review the promotion plan for your novel, Xiao Chen."
"Aunt, work is never-ending. Take your medicine first; whatever needs to be done can be done tomorrow."
"No, tomorrow has tomorrow's tasks. Today's work must be finished today." Wang Ni was engrossed in revising the manuscript in her hand.
"Aunt, where is the medicine at home?"
"Aunt said, no medicine!" Wang Ni seemed a bit impatient from Su Shichen's continuous interruptions, and her tone became slightly stern.
Su Shichen sighed. There was an old saying that strong women were all workaholics. Originally, he had been somewhat skeptical, but now he believed it. For Aunt Wang, at less than thirty-five years old, to become the Editor-in-chief of a publishing house, she could definitely be listed among strong women. However, this attitude towards work—fearing drowsiness from medicine and thus, preferring to be sick rather than take medicine—this seriousness was a bit frightening.
Su Shichen got up and ran downstairs, while Wang Ni was completely absorbed in her work and didn't notice.
He went downstairs to buy medicine. Wang Ni wouldn't tell him where her own medicine was, and Su Shichen naturally couldn't just rummage through her things, so he had no choice but to buy it at the pharmacy.
After buying the medicine, he returned to Wang Ni's house and opened the refrigerator. There was quite a lot of stuff inside, enough to make a bowl of porridge.
Unlike other otaku, Su Shichen in his previous life dealt with hunger by cooking many dishes, and his cooking skills were not low, while other otaku usually resorted to instant noodles, frozen foods, or ordering takeout.
The preserved egg and lean pork porridge was ready, and finally, he sprinkled some chopped green onions on top. Mission accomplished.
"Aunt, preserved egg and lean pork porridge. Aunt, come and taste my cooking." He brought the porridge to Aunt Wang.
Perhaps because she was hungry, smelling the aroma of the preserved egg and lean pork porridge, this time Su Shichen didn't need to persuade her much. She put down her pen, picked up a spoon, and in a short while, a bowl of preserved egg and lean pork porridge was completely gone.
She put the bowl aside and picked up her pen again to continue working.
Washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen took about twenty minutes, which was just right.
He boiled some hot water with the water dispenser. One cup of hot water, two pills. Taking medicine about thirty minutes after a meal was the best time.
"Aunt, take your medicine first, then work."
"No," she replied coldly, without even lifting her head.
This wouldn't do. Su Shichen seized the opportunity and snatched the pen from Wang Ni's hand with one swift motion.
"Xiao Chen, what are you doing? Don't you know Aunt is working? Stop playing and quickly give Aunt back her pen!!" Wang Ni's tone turned icy, coupled with her cold expression and powerful aura, almost making Su Shichen give in and return the pen.
Even her cold face couldn't hide her fatigue. He wasn't wrong; he just wanted Wang Ni to take her medicine. Thinking this, Su Shichen gathered his courage, "Take your medicine. No medicine, no work."
Wang Ni didn't reply, but simply stared at Su Shichen with an icy gaze. Their eyes met, and Su Shichen saw a hint of anger in Wang Ni's eyes. To be honest, facing this beautiful Editor-in-chief, who had such presence and a cold tone, he was genuinely a little scared.
What's there to be afraid of? She won't eat him! He gathered his courage and met her gaze without backing down.
Seeing that being firm wouldn't work, he tried being gentle. Her expression softened. "Xiao Chen, Aunt must finish this pile of documents today, otherwise the publishing house will be very chaotic tomorrow."
Wang Ni's soft and weak voice almost made Su Shichen's heart melt. At the publishing house, Aunt Wang was an ice queen Editor-in-chief, and at home, although she was much gentler when speaking to him, she always maintained a dominant position. When had she ever pleaded so softly and weakly? Su Shichen's male chauvinism slightly swelled.
"No, no discussion. No medicine, no pen."
"Hmph," she snorted through her nose, then stood up. "If you don't give it, then don't. Aunt has plenty of pens at home."
Su Shichen panicked. It was true, she had plenty of pens; he couldn't possibly snatch them all. When a person panics, they do bold things, just like Su Shichen now. In his haste, he directly hugged Wang Ni with both hands.
"Xiao Chen, what are you doing, taking advantage of Aunt? Let go of Aunt quickly." Only then did he realize that his action was indeed a bit indecent. Hugging her, pressing against her, even though they were clothed, he could still feel the pressure from Aunt Wang's two peaks on her chest.
So soft, so big!
However, instead of letting go, Su Shichen tightened his embrace. A man's strength is inherently much greater than a woman's, and coupled with Wang Ni being sick and weak all over, she couldn't break free.
"No, I won't let go, unless Aunt you take your medicine first." He was determined to make Wang Ni take her medicine. The two of them were in a stalemate for a while, and finally, Wang Ni compromised. "Let go of Aunt."
"Then Aunt, you promise to take your medicine?" Su Shichen asked happily.
"Mm," she hummed softly through her nose. Fearing Wang Ni would go back on her word, Su Shichen quickly took out two pills. Wang Ni tilted her head back and tossed the small pills into her mouth.
"Alright, that's enough," Wang Ni's voice sounded a bit strange.
Su Shichen suddenly remembered something. "Aunt, open your mouth and let me see."
"Alright, that's enough, Xiao Chen. If you keep this up, Aunt will really get angry."
"Quick, open your mouth!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Su Shichen regretted them a little. His voice was very loud, as if he were yelling at Aunt Wang. What if Aunt Wang really got angry?
However, to Su Shichen's surprise, the usually assertive Wang Ni obediently opened her mouth.
"Alright, you've seen it, right?"
"Wait a moment." He cupped Wang Ni's cheeks with both hands, intending to pry open her mouth with his hands. Naturally, he touched Wang Ni's red lips. They were moist!
"That's disgusting, putting your finger in Aunt's mouth."
"Then you open your mouth." Wang Ni opened her mouth, and Su Shichen's sharp eyes immediately noticed that the small pill was stuck at the very back, not swallowed at all.
Children don't like to take medicine because it's bitter, so Su Shichen had used this method himself as a child. Just now, he heard Wang Ni's voice was a bit unusual, so he just said it casually, not expecting that Wang Ni would actually use such a childish trick to deceive him in order not to take medicine. Actually, Aunt Wang was quite cute sometimes!
"Quickly swallow the medicine." Her throat moved, as if she had swallowed the medicine.
"Drink some more water."
She picked up the cup and drank the water, tilting her head back.
"Is that enough?" Wang Ni opened her mouth wide, as if for Su Shichen to inspect.
Although Wang Ni's tone was cold, this action was truly no different from when Su Shichen was discovered as a child, opening his mouth to his mother after swallowing medicine to prove that he had really taken it.
"Xiao Chen, it's getting late now. Are you still thinking of staying overnight at Aunt's house?" Wang Ni suddenly asked.
"Ah, no, that, Aunt, I'm going home now. Call me if you need anything, and remember not to work too late."
"Mm," she replied with a hum through her nose again. Given Aunt Wang's workaholic personality, she probably wouldn't listen to him.
Back home, the next day, a novel titled "Journey to the West" appeared in some books and bookstores. And news about "Journey to the West" also appeared in some local TV stations and newspapers. Deyun Publishing House was considered one of the top publishing houses in Yang City, so its network and connections were naturally self-evident.
To build momentum for a new book, how to build momentum, to put it simply, is through software and hardware recommendations. Software means having some famous novelists and critics comment on and recommend the novel, accumulating a good reputation for the novel.
Hardware is much simpler. If software relies on the publishing house's connections, then hardware relies on the publishing house's budget, which means advertising. Even if only one out of a hundred people who see an advertisement buys the book, if the advertisement can reach ten million people, then there will still be a hundred thousand sales. So, advertising is an indispensable part.