Chapter 74 This book will kill you

Chapter 74 This book will kill you

Chapter 74 This book can kill people.
This may be the quietest half hour in the editorial department of "Wenyi" since its establishment.

Takuya Yanjing's suicide note and the subsequent preface and introduction together have only more than 10,000 words. For these editors who are busy with all kinds of work and have to read at least 100,000 words of manuscripts every day, this amount should be a amount that they can translate with just a few clicks.

But now, these more than 10,000 words, like a chain tied to a lead ball, are dragging their hands down on the manuscript paper. With every turn of a page, the indescribable feeling of heaviness will inexplicably increase.

I can't watch this anymore.

This book will kill you.
The editors' minds were filled with similar thoughts. They knew that they were moving step by step towards the abyss, but like the protagonist in the novel, they despised their own behavior on the one hand, but on the other hand, they continued to sink deeper and deeper into it, unable to extricate themselves because they experienced a kind of pleasure like illness that they had never experienced before.

Because the brain is always awake, I feel pain while feeling pleasure.

But the sunk costs have already been invested, there is no way back for them, and they can only sink deeper and deeper.

Looking at the words in Yan Jingtuoya's suicide note, which were sometimes crazy, sometimes repentant, sometimes desperate, and sometimes happy, the editors felt their whole bodies trembling slightly. An unspeakable sense of distortion and identity slowly rose from their spines, invaded their brains, and spread to their limbs.

Especially at the end of the suicide note, Takuya Yan asked Kitagawa Hide, "Teacher Kitagawa, I tried very hard, but why is the result still like this?" It was like a needle that drilled into the depths of each of their hearts.

Even at the last moment of life.

Yan Jingtuo did not complain about the unfairness of life, but blamed everything on himself, thinking that it was his own character flaws that caused all this, and he was still saying that damn "sorry" to Kitagawa Hide!
Aren't these the ones who are here?

They also love and admire Kitagawa Hide, are equally desperate and helpless about life, and attribute all their misfortunes to their own lack of effort.

How similar, and yet how sad.

This sense of decadence and dejection coming from the depths of their souls did not give them any room to breathe.

And this is just the beginning of the book!

The real story hasn't even begun!

Can a real suicide note suffocate people like this?
After the suicide note, the preface written by Kitagawa Hide is as touching as ever.

He briefly wrote about his acquaintance, friendship, and two not-so-brief negotiations with Takuya Yan.

They were just a few ordinary little things.

But the man in the story, who worked hard to pick up trash and sell old magazines to earn tuition for night school, who was willing to buy the hardcover paperback edition of "Hear the Wind Sing" even though he had no money, and who gave out 300 million yen in cash without thinking twice to save his daughter, has been deeply rooted in people's hearts.

The preface is just a brief description of the three photos of Takuya Yanjing, but at the end of the chapter, a sharp text instantly pulls them into a dark abyss.

"Even the so-called 'death face' is more expressive and impressive than this. In short, this photo will definitely make people who see it feel creepy and uncomfortable, as if they saw a horse's head pressed on a human body. I can only say that I have never seen a man with such a weird appearance."

When a group of editors finished silently reading the last paragraph on the manuscript paper in their hands, they all felt dry mouth and tongue. Although the air conditioning temperature in the conference room was very low, they felt very hot.

It's like something is about to burst out.

"Are these things true?" Someone broke the silence.

"Aum Shinrikyo is so scary. Why can such a fraudulent hospital continue to operate normally?"

"Oh, it's because there are financial groups or high-ranking officials behind them."

After reading No Longer Human, the editors began to discuss it in low voices, and the discussion gradually shifted from the novel's criticism of society and cults to the novel itself.

Kitagawa Hide sat quietly in the corner, watching their reactions like an observer, listening to their words, and then silently took out a pen and paper to record them one by one.

He has always felt that even if one is a famous plagiarist, one cannot copy blindly according to one's own preferences without considering the real social environment and national conditions. A porter is not a dung beetle. If you push a dung ball, no matter how big or good it is, you will not be able to attract readers.

Therefore, he likes to determine what book to copy and what changes should be made to the book to adapt to the current environment based on online reviews, responses from bookstore customers, and real feedback from editors and readers.

After all, only the right medicine can cure the disease!
At present, it seems that only the suicide note and the preface can indeed attract most readers while making people depressed.

The decision to publish the book directly instead of serializing it in a magazine turned out to be a correct strategy.

The originally vibrant editorial department of "Wenyi" was disturbed by "No Longer Human", as if it was covered with a layer of haze, and the air in the large conference room always felt suffocating.

Because the manuscript was not long enough, the discussion about the plot soon stopped. But with just this 10,000-word manuscript, Rena Saito probably got the feedback she wanted from her colleagues.

The book is indeed a good book!

Just confirming this is enough!
"Then let's move on to the next topic." Seeing that everyone had finished talking, Rena Saito stood up and tapped the whiteboard with a marker, pointing to the hardcover book project plan and said, "The company has decided to publish No Longer Human as soon as possible, and Mr. Kitagawa also handed me the full manuscript of the novel today. Regarding the operation and promotion of the physical book, do you have any good suggestions?"

"I think that based on the current themes, the main sales market can be placed in the outer areas of the Tokyo metropolitan area, where a large number of people who have fallen into despair due to the bursting of the bubble gather."

As soon as Saito Rena finished speaking, an editor raised his hand and expressed his personal opinion.

After one or two editors spoke, the conference room, which had been like a stagnant pool, suddenly became lively again.

Kitagawa Hide didn't know how the editorial departments of other publishing houses operated, but judging from the editorial department of "Wenyi", their leaderless group discussion model was quite consistent with the operating model of later companies. It was simple and efficient, and could quickly absorb a large number of useful and interesting ideas.

Of course, this kind of discussion requires a prestigious and capable leader to control the whole situation, otherwise the situation will quickly get out of control with everyone talking at the same time.

Obviously, Rena Saito, who has worked diligently at Kodansha for a year and a half and has strong professional abilities, is this kind of leader. She can control the situation while quickly absorbing suggestions and host the entire meeting in an orderly manner, which makes Kitagawa Hide admire her very much.

In just half an hour, all the details of the hardcover paperback publishing plan were turned into sketches and posted all over the whiteboard.

After brainstorming, Rena Saito only needs to summarize and organize these ideas, write them into a simple and clear new plan, and then go to consult and communicate with colleagues in the distribution department.

Looking at these scenes, Kitagawa Hide couldn't help but sigh at the horrific efficiency of large Japanese companies. No wonder it is said that although Japanese companies do not really encourage overtime work, there are always employees dying from overwork.

These people are so hardworking and brave when it comes to getting things done!
If it were an official publishing organization that is guaranteed to make a profit and has the state's financial backing no matter what happens, I'm afraid a publishing plan would take several months to actually come to fruition.

After the discussion, Kitagawa Hide collected the sheets of written draft paper and walked out of the meeting room with satisfaction following Saito Rena.

"How is it? Is there anything in the publishing plan that you are not satisfied with?" Saito Reina walked in front and asked him with a smile, "The president said that the publication of No Longer Human is based on your wishes and ideas. You can always raise any requests."

Kitagawa Hide suddenly realized that there was another reason why she invited him to sit in on the discussion.

President Kawaide really doesn't consider himself an outsider. It's not just that his opinion will be the main one when there is a conflict with the editorial department. It's clear that he is also placed in a middle and senior position in the editorial department!

"It's all good. I think professional matters should be left to professionals." Beichuan Xiu smiled and waved his hand, "If I have to say, maybe cooperating with a bank can be effective?"

He told Rena Saito what happened at the Industrial Central Bank this morning.

"I see. It's true that banks now have a lot of bad loans and customers who can't repay their debts. The audience of No Longer Human may overlap with these people." Saito Reina nodded continuously, thinking that Kitagawa Hide might be a marketing genius. "I'll go discuss this with the publicity department and tell you when I have confirmation. How do you think?"

"Okay. I just mentioned it casually. You can decide whether to use it or not. I have no objection." Kitagawa Hide was still very confident in Saito Rena. With her as the person in charge of the entire publishing plan, she would definitely not do anything disgusting like what happened in Kodansha.

"Beichuan, how about we have lunch together outside?"

The two walked to the elevator, and Saito Rena took the opportunity to invite him to dinner.

Kitagawa Hide waved his hand casually: "No, I plan to go back to the cafe to clean the bedroom. Mengzi and I will move there in a few days. There are still many daily necessities and furniture that have not been purchased."

"Oh, by the way, the cafe will officially open next week, remember to come and support us." Kitagawa Hiderin turned around and said to her before getting into the elevator.

"Okay, I will definitely be there then." Saito Rena nodded with a smile, and she had already started thinking about what kind of wreath she should send to Kitagawa Hide.

Maybe it would be better to set the release date of "No Longer Human" a few days before the opening of the cafe, so that he can experience the pleasure of double happiness?
To be honest, after reading "No Longer Human", Rena Saito was more worried about Hide Kitagawa's mental state than whether the physical book would sell well.

The novel was indeed written based on Takuya Iwao's novel, but the words between the lines and the first-person "I" with a strong sense of immersion make people suspect that the story is also mixed with Kitagawa Hide's personal experiences and psychological feelings.

If she remembered correctly, Kitagawa Hide seemed to be a former rich second-generation whose family fell into poverty and almost went to extremes, right?

"I have to go to the cafe more often to talk to Kitagawa and Yumeko in the future. I can't let Kitagawa follow the old path of Oba Yozo."

Although this possibility is not high, Saito Rena feels that she should still be prepared for the worst. She is his editor and close friend, and one of the people who has the most contact with him. Once a similar spark arises, she has the obligation and ability to extinguish it!

(End of this chapter)