Chapter 426: Fighting for the Right to Write the Preface

Chapter 426: Fighting for the Right to Write the Preface

Chapter 426: Fighting for the Right to Write the Preface

As they chatted, the topic of the conversation among the three of them naturally transitioned to their love life.

"How many people have you dated in college?" Chen Xue asked, "When are you planning to get married?"

King Gollum paused, thinking about how to respond tactfully.

Zhou Lin responded helpfully, "I'm busy participating in club activities, and Guru is busy writing novels, so we don't have much time."

"I know about writing novels. I told others that I was a classmate of Gu Lu from the textbook, and that you came to my house for dinner when we were young, but they didn't believe it." Chen Xue seemed to suddenly remember something, "Old classmate, can we take a photo together?"

Before Gu Lu could respond, Chen Xue denied it for him, "It's a bit troublesome to take a photo. I'll buy a book to support my old classmate. Is it okay to sign the book?"

There was no problem both in public and in private, so Gu Lu would definitely agree. In fact, there was no problem taking a photo together, but Chen Xue herself refused too quickly.

Maybe, as long as I reject myself fast enough, others won't be able to reject me?
"There aren't many bookstores around here. I just happened to buy a copy of 'Hyouka' yesterday." Zhou Lin took out a special edition of 'Planetary Kingdom' from his bag.

There are generally two types of special edition books. The first is the common cooperation between publishing houses and bookstores, such as Sisyphus Bookstore and Sanlian Bookstore, where you can see a lot of them. Compared with ordinary versions, the binding is more exquisite.

The second is the co-branding of another unusual publishing house with certain specific institutions. The book Zhou Lin bought was a co-branded edition of Shanghai People's Publishing House (a reprint, the first edition was for children) and the Fog City Tourism Department.

The cover page can be expanded into a map 4 times larger. This version is only sold in Fog City and some places in Sichuan Province.

"It's so timely. I haven't even opened the plastic wrap yet." Chen Xue gladly accepted it and immediately looked at the barcode of the novel. "85, right? I'll transfer it to you right away."

"That's not necessary." Zhou Lin said.

"Yes, yes, the code is the code." Chen Xue quickly added the friend and transferred the money. They were just QQ friends before, but WeChat had just come out in 2011 and 2012, and it was not yet a must-have for everyone.

My junior high school class group is also on the Penguin account. I can’t remember when was the last time I opened QQ.

There is an old saying on the Internet that one can largely tell whether a person has entered society by his or her usage trends of WeChat and Penguin.

"Scan it." Gu Lu took out his mobile phone without thinking.

Chen Xue's hand movements paused for a moment, then became much lighter.

After adding each friend, Chen Xue tore open the plastic cover and unfolded the map on the cover page.

【Guide to the Holy Land of Hyōga】

There are five guides to the scenic spots, and even the convenience of taking the light rail and bus is clearly stated. It is very complete.

Let me tell you about an incident in which Gu Lu influenced the municipal administration, which resulted in the addition of a new route starting from the West Station to Baihua Village.

"This Fanlu Cobblestone Road is just above the steel flower and below the steel flower theater. We went to this theater in elementary school to watch the movie "Escape from the Amazon." Chen Xue was a little amused. "This alley has not been demolished yet, but it has become a check-in place for tourists from other places. It's really strange."

"This, this, this - and our No. 37 Middle School. Could it be that these places became tourist attractions because of Guru?" Chen Xue suddenly understood, and then the look in her eyes when she looked at her former classmates changed.

Chen Xue lives in the Sha District now, and she has also brought her grandmother back home, so she hasn't been to the Dukou District for a long time. To put it more bluntly, not everyone knows about local attractions. For example, how many people in the Fog City know that there is a very famous film and television base in the Fog City for filming Republican dramas?
Chen Xue is a typical example of someone who doesn't pay attention to this matter.

“It’s good to be able to bring some benefits to my hometown.”

Taking the ballpoint pen from the other party, Gu Lu signed [May Chen Xue be as constant as the moon and as rising as the sun; may grandma live as long as the Nanshan Mountain, never collapsing. May the family be as flourishing as the pines and cypresses, and all of them will be passed down to you. —Gu Lu]. The signature was rather sloppy, but the words at the beginning could be clearly seen.

In the casual chat of the three people just now, Gu Lu roughly learned that Grandma Chen was still in good health. Even if he had only met this elder once, he would be happy to know that the old man was in good health, and Zhou Lin showed this very clearly.

"That's awesome, you're very cultured," said Chen Xue.

Gu Lu waved his hand and explained that this passage came from the Book of Songs, Xiaoya.

"It's amazing. For example, when I give people blessings, I would say: good health, happiness every day, but the most common blessing I say is getting rich in the New Year." Chen Xue said.

Getting rich quickly is definitely people’s simple and true vision.

With the process of exchanging contact information, the conversation atmosphere became a little better.

Then, Zhou and Gu learned something that surprised them: Chen Xue was married.

All people remember is that she didn't graduate from technical secondary school and went to Guangdong Province to work in a factory.

Around 2013, the rules were not so strict and minors were allowed to work in small factories. Now it is difficult... unless you are willing to get only half the salary of an adult.

A rule is that the earlier you enter the factory, the earlier you get married. Chen Xue is no exception. She talked about marriage with her boyfriend when she was 17 years old, and now her child is over two years old.

The surprising thing is that the child is over two years old!
Gu Lu is a senior in college, Zhou Lin is a first-year graduate student, and Chen Xue is a mother of a child. It feels like the style of the painting has suddenly become two different levels.

It's almost done. The main thing is that Chen Xue hasn't finished her work today. She is checking the lines of the teaching building. She is currently wearing a dark brown work suit and carrying a tool bag. Her hair is a relatively convenient short hair.

Gu Lu noticed an action: when Chen Xue put the special edition ice cream into her bag, she deliberately put it in a bag.

"Xiao Chen." Director Shang was elusive and no one knew when he was behind her.

She was startled, and Chen Xue responded, "Director Shang, I will go check it out right away, and it won't delay the work."

"Well..." Director Shang said, "Xiao Chen, you and Xiao Er are working very well. There haven't been any circuit problems this semester."

Xiao Er is the nickname of Chen Xue’s husband.

"Our school is expanding, and we're going to have an extra teaching building," Director Shang said. "We're definitely going to have to hire one more plumber. Xiao Chen, are you interested in becoming a full-time employee?"

Chen Xue’s husband is a formal plumber at No. 8 Middle School, but she is an outsourced worker.

"Thank you, Director Shang. Thank you." Chen Xue thanked him immediately after hearing that. "I'm very interested."

The salary of the school plumbers is very low, only more than 2,000 yuan in this foggy city, and just over 3,000 yuan with benefits.

It's very low, but it's easy! I only need to walk around during work. I only go to repair the classroom when there is a problem.

Moreover, during the school holidays, plumbers only need to do general inspections and then they can rest. They can take on some work during normal times, which is great. Xiaoer is like this. During holidays and after get off work at 5 o'clock, he will take private work, and he can make 6,000 to 7,000 yuan a month.

"Then you can start work next month. I will discuss the specific matters with Director Gu." Director Shang said.

It is in compliance with regulations for a high school with a junior high department to have two or three plumbers.

"Xiao Chen, you and Teacher Gu were classmates in junior high school. Do you get together often?" Director Shang suddenly asked.

Chen Xue is not stupid. She didn't understand it just now, but now she understands that it is the chain reaction brought about by her old classmate.

"We get together occasionally, but mostly chat on WeChat. After all, he's studying in the old city, and he rarely goes back to the foggy city." Chen Xue's brain was madly declaring war, but in the end she decided to take advantage of the power of the other side.

"That's right, that's right. Teacher Gu must be busy." Director Shang nodded, not knowing what to say, and finally blurted out, "Teacher Gu Lu really brings honor to our Fog City, hahahaha."

It was an awkward laugh because Chen Xue was just laughing along with her leader.

For some reason, a vague sentence came to her mind: "I just think that good people who do good things should be rewarded."

On the other side, Zhou and Gu continued to chat as they strolled around No. 8 Middle School.

"I feel like Chen Xue's personality has changed a lot. She used to be very strong." Gu Lu still remembers the oranges all over the floor. "I don't think she's changed much either," Zhou Lin said.

"Oh?" Gu Lu waited for the follow-up.

"She has a strong sense of self-esteem and is very family-oriented," Zhou Lin said. "I remember when she was in junior high school, she seemed to have lost her money and couldn't pay the bill. I happened to meet her, so she lent it to her. When she graduated, she even invited me to dinner. Weren't you there at the time?"

That’s right, that was a synthesized “Mr. Holmes”, Gu Lu nodded.

"Chen Xue used to have a strong personality, and she's still strong now. She just now insisted on giving me money to buy books." Zhou Lin said.

"Life has worn away her edges, but her core hasn't changed at all? She's really Chen Xue. I thought she was pretty amazing before," said Gu Lu.

Beep, beep - while I was speaking, the alarm on my cell phone rang.

It's almost time.

Gu Lu asked Director Shang for a favor and then went back to his room. It was time to have a video conference and the other party was in the hall, so he had to follow the other party's time.

But Zhou Lin also wanted to see the high school, so she stayed behind to take a look.

There are two flowers in bloom, and the other one is on the other side of the planet.

London, England.

“Sometimes having too many procedures can be a hassle.”

In Yao Xiaoju's mailbox, there are five prefaces written by him, of varying quality, but without exception, they are all eager to be selected.

They were sent by Kane, George and others.

"When the Cthulhu series is published, I will definitely write the preface. Don't worry about George and the others, they are not qualified." Kane said this when he came to the company to send the email in person.

In today's society, it is very impolite to come to someone privately at any time. If you have something to say, why not send a message first? If you don't get a reply after sending a message, call them.

"I have to admit that Kane's preface is the best written." Yao Xiaoju stared at the screen. "The reason why he has become the most popular suspense and horror novelist in the English cultural circle is not only because he was the first to try something new, but also because of his good writing skills."

"From now on, the popularity of Cthulhu will depend on him!" said Yao Xiaoju.

This year, six novels were serialized again in the Daily Express, and the author's elaboration of the story of Cthulhu ends here.

Yao Xiaoju thought it was okay because the published articles were long enough to be compiled into a collection. The tentative title is "The Haze of Weymouth". As a person, the most important thing is to have a beginning and an end.

A total of thirteen main texts and one extra chapter are included.

The extra chapter is the family tree. The creator god of the Cthulhu world is Azathoth, the blind and stupid god.

To be precise, there is still one piece of "Whisper in the Dark Night" left in King Gollum's arsenal.

Given Gu Lu's current status as the father of Cthulhu, publishing one more article will not allow the Cthulhu series to become part of literature, and there is no room for improvement in his own status.

Therefore, it is better to keep "Whisper in the Dark", one of the five classic short stories of Master Aishou, as a backup.

In case there is an occasion that requires him to write an article, he won't be at a loss.

This is one of the changes that Gu Lu has made in the past five years. In the past, all of them would have to be published, such as New Meaning of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, Chairs in the World, and Yesterday's Park.

This year, the Pu Songling Literature Award invited him to write another "New Meaning" as a legacy article for the 380th anniversary of Pu Songling's birth next year.

I had no choice but to refuse.

Continuing with Yao Xiaoju's affairs, while we were busy, the secretary knocked on the door to report something.

"Mr. Yao, Durant outside wants to visit you."

Why is he here?

Durant is another one of the three giants of Cthulhu. More than two months ago, he was dissatisfied with the setting of "Call of Cthulhu", that someone could face the ancient gods without losing his mind, and he cursed at Kane in the newspaper.

At the same time, the two of them wrote each other's hometowns into Cthulhu, and seven or eight articles were published.

Swear at the other person's hometown city, scold the friendly city of the other person's hometown city, and pay special attention to the village where the other person grew up.

The battle between the two gave birth to two or three masterpieces of Cthulhu that are sure to be very exciting...that's cool.

"Mr. Durant, may I ask you?" Yao Xiaoju asked straight to the point.

"Mr. Tom, I heard that Mr. Gu Lu's work is going to be published, and I think I should be the only one to write the preface," said Durant.

Are you here to sign up as well? You attacked Gu Lu's new work as unreasonable before, how come you forgot it right away? Yao Xiaoju looked a little strange.

"I love my teacher, but I love the truth more." Durant seemed to see the other party's confusion and responded proactively.

"I have great respect for Mr. Gu Lu because he pioneered the great horror series Cthulhu. My current creations are all in this direction." Durant further explained, "That's why I think such a setting should not appear. I still think so now."

Okay, Yao Xiaoju understood, and he didn’t hate this foreigner either, because the quarrel between the two added fuel to the heat of the return of the father of Cthulhu.

Why use you who opposes it when Kane, who supports it, is not used?
"Excuse me Mr. Durant, we..."

Yao Xiaoju was interrupted by Durant before he could finish his words. Since the other party dared to say that, he must be well prepared.

"Mr. Tom, I have a very good proposal." Durant stated his conditions.

The three giants have been introduced before. Gu Lu created Cthulhu, Kane organized the framework, and Durant is a writer and screenwriter, and he made great contributions to the adaptation of Cthulhu style into film and television.

Durant's condition of being his preface writer made Yao Xiaoju's expression moved.

To put it more bluntly, the other party offered Yao Xiaoju a price that he could not refuse.

So Yao Xiaoju agreed!
"Mr. Tom has indeed made the best choice. I will not disturb Mr. Tom from his work." Durant left a message before leaving, "Mr. Tom, the tea in your company is really delicious."

Yao Xiaoju, who couldn't stand the test, frowned when he was the only one left in the office.

It’s not his fault. Even Brother Gu himself couldn’t withstand such a test.

This is a little problem. What should Kane do? He is doing his best, but the most important thing is that Kane is a little neurotic. Yao Xiaoju doesn't dare to face him. It's a headache.

The secretary knocked on the door and reminded, "It's time for Mr. Kane's video conference."

Then let’s ask Brother Gu about these issues and see if he has any ideas.

There were also major events in China regarding Gu Lu. The headline of Wenhui Daily was: "Why does Gu Lu have the right to open a 'column' in People's Literature?"

The October issue was released, and "Walking Through Walls" and "Multiple Turtles" are also recommended works by People's Literature.

While this article may seem like an attack, it is actually a compliment from literary critic Yu Xinyao…

(End of this chapter)