I Became an All-round Artist

“What is this?”
Yang Feng sent a message to Chu Kuang through the contact list.

Lin Yuan saw the message after finishing his meal and replied, "Isn't this the manuscript your company requested? The person who contacted me was named You Rong, claiming to be the editor-in-chief of QuDu magazine. Did I run into a scammer?"

Lin Yuan felt a bit relieved.
Thankfully, he had been cautious and sent the manuscript to Yang Feng, the editor responsible for The King of Net. If the person claiming to be You Rong wasn’t actually from Yinlan Bookstore, Lin Yuan wouldn’t suffer any losses.

“He’s not a scammer,” Yang Feng replied, his expression complicated.

Seeing that Chu Kuang didn’t respond further, Yang Feng immediately stood up from his seat and called his supervisor: “Boss, this needs your attention. You Rong has secretly solicited a manuscript from Chu Kuang!”

“What?”
The chief editor on the other end of the phone was startled, his voice filled with anger. “We watch out for external threats day and night, but it turns out we’ve got a mole inside! You Rong dared to go behind our backs in the Youth Fantasy department to request a manuscript from Chu Kuang? I’m at the office right now, and I’m heading straight to the magazine department to deal with this!”

While many companies were on holiday for the Lunar New Year, some employees at Yinlan Bookstore were still working, especially those who lived locally in Su City. The pay was five times the regular wage, so many were willing to work during the holiday.

After hanging up, the chief editor of the Youth Fantasy department, Lao Xiong, stormed over to the magazine department and quickly spotted You Rong.
“You're out of line, Lao You! How dare you request a manuscript from Chu Kuang behind our backs?”

“Lao Xiong, no need to say it so harshly.”
You Rong had already anticipated trouble when Chu Kuang mentioned he had sent the manuscript to Yang Feng, so he was mentally prepared. “I was just about to inform you. Come, have a seat and a cup of tea. We’re all colleagues here.”

“Don’t try to play dumb with me!”
Lao Xiong, ignoring the puzzled looks from surrounding employees, retorted angrily, “Chu Kuang submits 200,000 words for The King of Net every month. I don’t need to tell you how popular the book is right now. And now you want him to write for you too? Isn’t that going to affect his work on The King of Net?”

“That’s not on me,” You Rong defended himself. “Even if I didn’t ask him for a manuscript, he’s been publishing short stories on Tribe himself. And those short stories are high quality! Instead of giving them away for free, why not publish them in our magazine QuDu? After all, it’s one of the company’s flagship magazines.”

“He’s just doing it for fun,” Lao Xiong fumed. “But you’re encouraging him to focus on writing short stories! His energy is limited. After writing for your magazine, how much will he have left for The King of Net?”

“It’s voluntary,” You Rong coughed awkwardly.
He knew he should have informed Lao Xiong beforehand, but since he anticipated resistance, he thought he’d take action first and explain later. Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone according to plan.

“You’re deliberately poaching our talent!”

“How can it be poaching if we’re all in the same company?”

“You’re just jealous of our success!”

“That’s too much, Lao Xiong!”

The two editors were now genuinely angry, arguing in front of the staff. Eventually, someone called the chief editor, who came over to calm things down. “Stop shouting, both of you. Let me see the manuscript.”

Yang Feng quickly forwarded the manuscript to the chief editor.
The title of the story was The Gift of the Magi, a short piece of only about 3,000 words. The chief editor quickly finished reading it.

But then, something unexpected happened...

After reading the manuscript, the chief editor fell into an unusual silence.

Upon closer inspection, both Lao Xiong and You Rong were shocked.

The usually stern and authoritative chief editor had tears welling up in his eyes, and he discreetly wiped them away.

Was the chief editor... crying?

Both editors were stunned.

Feeling uneasy, You Rong hesitantly asked, “Chief editor, are you okay? It’s the New Year, and we just had a little argument. You don’t need to be this upset.”

“Exactly,” Lao Xiong chimed in. “It’s just a manuscript request. Since Chu Kuang agreed, I won’t make a fuss. If he’s confident he can manage both, then I’ll trust his judgment.”

The two editors had never seen the chief editor like this.

The chief editor stood up, his voice slightly hoarse as he made a phone call. “Book me the earliest flight home. I want to go back as soon as possible.”

“Chief editor...”
Lao Xiong and You Rong were now panicking.
The chief editor had originally planned to stay in the city for the New Year, but now he was suddenly abandoning work because of their dispute!

With red-rimmed eyes, the chief editor glanced at the two of them and said, “Do you know how hard things were for me when I first started this company?”

“Huh?”

Ignoring their confusion, he continued, “I remember the worst time, when my wife and I survived a whole day on just water and steamed buns. Later, she found a job as a cleaner in a school cafeteria, and I’d visit her during lunch just to grab a free meal. That cafeteria soup tasted heavenly.”

“What happened after that?” Lao Xiong asked instinctively.

The chief editor smiled faintly. “Later, my wife moved into a luxurious villa and dined on the finest foods... though she often had to eat alone while taking care of my parents. Do you think we were happier then or now? It’s the New Year, and I miss my wife. I need to spend time with my family. You two, who are local, will have to hold down the fort. I’m counting on you.”

With that, the chief editor gave them a slight bow and walked away.

“Chief editor...”
You Rong muttered in disbelief.

The chief editor paused briefly and added, “Oh, and make sure to get me an autograph from Chu Kuang. Tell him I’m a fan of his work.”

Then, he was truly gone.

Lao Xiong and You Rong exchanged bewildered glances, slowly realizing that their argument hadn’t been the catalyst for the chief editor’s emotional response.

It was the story itself!

For the first time, the chief editor had openly admitted to being a fan of one of the company’s authors.

It was the power of the story that had moved him.

Once Lao Xiong left, You Rong couldn’t wait to open The Gift of the Magi. He wanted to see what kind of story could make the chief editor so emotional.

The story was short.
As he read through it, You Rong didn’t react much at first.

But when he reached the ending, he suddenly clutched his temples, groaning in anguish.

“Ah!”

Now he fully understood the chief editor’s reaction. The power of the written word could be overwhelming, especially when a story like The Gift of the Magi hits close to home.

“Boss, are you okay?”
A concerned employee asked.

Slumping in his chair, You Rong muttered, “Chu Kuang told me to read the story before naming a price... How can I dare to name a price after reading something like this?”

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