Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 328 A pleasant surprise for fellow travelers; the editor is extremely worried.

Huang Qingya was speechless for a moment, but she still obediently turned her face to let him slap his lips.

Just as Cao Sheng and Huang Qingya were arguing, Guo Xiaosi from Sichuan saw online that Cao Sheng had only published one volume of his new book this month.

In the book review section of "The Legend of the Primordial Era", I also saw many posts questioning whether Cao Sheng had lost his motivation to continue and that he might only publish one episode per month for a long time.

These posts made Guo Jingming's eyes light up.

As a fellow professional, Cao Sheng was always the target he imitated and tried to catch up with, but he also had the mentality of hoping that his fellow professional would die.

Of course, if Cao Sheng loses his fighting spirit and starts to enjoy life, that would be something he would be happy to see.

This means that Cao Sheng's peak period is coming to an end.

From now on, Cao Sheng's works will likely continue to decline in popularity and reputation.

And this is the opportunity for other authors, including Guo Jingming.

"That's right! You've already made over a hundred million, why aren't you enjoying life? What's the point of writing novels? Aren't the beautiful scenery in different places interesting enough? Or aren't the beautiful women fun enough? Go enjoy life! Leave the hard work of writing novels to us losers!"

In front of the computer.

Guo Xiaosi chuckled and muttered to himself. These were words he was saying to Cao Sheng, even if Cao Sheng couldn't hear them.

Just like a lyric says: Even if a flower is picked, it should grow back.

……

Jin Hezai and Cao Sheng had a good relationship.

They would occasionally talk on the phone, and whenever Cao Sheng had a new book published, he would send Cao Sheng a congratulatory message.

Occasionally, I would discuss writing techniques with Cao Sheng over the phone.

Logically speaking, he was already Cao Sheng's friend.

However, he was pleasantly surprised to learn that Cao Sheng was suspected of being blinded by money and had lost the motivation to write, having only published one volume this month.

The corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile time and time again.

I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "When a whale falls, everything is born. Your downfall is our chance to rise! The key is that you've already made so much money, it's time for us to get a share. As a friend, I feel sorry for you. As a fellow professional, I want to say... hehe, for everyone's sake, you should just stop writing! What's the point of writing anymore?"

……

Beijing.

The author, San Shao, follows Cao Sheng's "The Legend of the Primordial Era" every day and saw those posts in the book review section today.

As he looked at it, his eyes lit up.

A thought flashed through my mind: The world has suffered under Cao Sheng for too long!

He acknowledged that Cao Sheng pioneered online literature, and also recognized Cao Sheng's talent and contributions to the industry, but...

As the pioneer, Cao Sheng has earned an enormous amount of money in the past two years! All the other online writers combined probably don't even earn a fraction of what Cao Sheng has made.

Is he an excellent pioneer?

Perhaps this is good news for the readers.

But he didn't think this was a good thing for his colleagues.

Cao Sheng pocketed almost all the glory and money in the entire industry.

The ruthlessness of the winner-takes-all principle was vividly demonstrated in Cao Sheng's case.

Therefore, he was very happy when he saw that so many people in the book review section thought that Cao Sheng had lost his motivation to strive.

In terms of hand speed, he is now no less than Cao Sheng.

But hand speed alone is not enough.

You also need talent... and opportunity!
He wasn't sure if he had talent.

But opportunities? He felt that as long as Cao Sheng really lost his motivation to write, he and other authors would have plenty of opportunities.

For example, when readers can no longer find Cao Sheng's works, they will experience a reading slump. In this state of reading slump, they will be desperate and will naturally turn to other authors' works, even if the quality of those other works is much lower. If readers have no better options, they will endure their discomfort and continue reading.

Just like in recent years, many viewers clearly don't like watching Qing Dynasty dramas, but because many places in China can only receive signals from a limited number of TV stations, and these stations keep broadcasting one Qing Dynasty drama after another, many viewers have no choice but to patiently watch them.

Otherwise, I'll have to give up the habit of watching TV.

Thinking about all this, a confident smile appeared on the Third Young Master's lips.

I thought to myself: As long as Cao Sheng has no interest in writing novels, with my current writing speed, as long as there are readers who want to read my book, I can keep them entertained.

Of all martial arts techniques, none are invincible except speed...

Is this how you write a novel?
If I'm fast enough, I should be able to crush most of my competitors.

He has a strong sense of self-control.

With confidence in his heart, he immediately opened the document and started typing. His typing speed was indeed very fast. In this era, most authors are not fast enough. Many people write on paper first and then search for and type one key at a time on the computer keyboard.

But he can already type without looking at the keyboard, and his typing speed far exceeds his handwriting speed.

Moreover, he uses the Wubi input method.

In this era, the Wubi typing method is known for its speed.

……

Late that night.

After finishing the last chapter of the night, Lao Zhu saw that it was already past midnight, but having developed a habit of staying up late, he still didn't want to go to sleep.

He started browsing various novel websites.

As I was wandering around, I ended up at Cao Sheng's "The Legend of the Primordial Era".

After reading today's update of "The Legend of the Primordial Era", he habitually came to the book's review section.

He always felt that Cao Sheng's book review section was the place with the most book fans on the entire internet.

By reading more posts here, you can learn a lot about readers' tastes and some major events in the online literature circle.

Tonight, he saw a lot of discussion about Cao Sheng here.

—Bought two more buildings recently? Trying to become a landlord? Only published one volume of a new book this month? Earning too much, perhaps losing the motivation to write?

Old Pig was surprised by these messages.

He was surprised, but also delighted, and at the same time a little regretful.

As a fellow writer, seeing that the industry's top writer, Zhongyuan Yidianhui, may have lost the motivation to write, he must be happy.

But as one of many writers, he also felt that if Cao Sheng didn't continue writing novels properly, it would be a loss for the entire industry.

He felt that if Cao Sheng could write for a few more years, he would definitely be able to lead the online literature industry to grow many times over, and Cao Sheng's works could attract many people to become online literature readers.

Therefore, he felt it was a great pity if Cao Sheng gradually faded out of the online literature circle.

I also regret that I will not be able to see more of Cao Sheng's works in the future.

He personally really likes Cao Sheng's works.

He always comes up with new ideas and various writing techniques, and his writing is far more mature than others.

After browsing the reviews of "The Legend of the Primordial Era" for a while, he came to the review section of his own work, "Nine Sons".

Seeing the noticeably quieter atmosphere in the review section of his work, he felt more and more that if Cao Sheng didn't write well in the future, it would truly be a loss for everyone.

He didn't think Cao Sheng could reach the top of the industry if he didn't write well. Although his book "Nine Sons" had done well and sold reasonably well, and the plot was getting better and better, and the word-of-mouth was getting better and better.

But he still doesn't think he has any hope of reaching the top of the industry, at least not in the next two or three years.

……

Cao Sheng naturally saw those posts in the book review section as well.

But he did not respond this time.

Just smiled.

That's it.

For him, writing is a lifelong pursuit, and there's no need to argue about short-term gains or losses.

Readers now suspect he has lost the motivation to write, which he understands, given that he has only published one episode this month.

But he didn't think it was something that needed to be clarified.

A verbal promise, if it cannot be kept in the end, will only make you a laughing stock.

He prefers to respond to people's doubts with his actions.

He thought that as long as he continued to write diligently and update regularly for the next six months, one year, three years, or five years, such doubts would naturally disappear.

However, his editor, Kim Hwa-eun, thought differently.

Jin Qiaoyin took over Cao Sheng's business from Wang Jing.

After Wang Jing left, Cao Sheng was assigned to Jin Qiaoyin.

Jin Qiaoyin had only been with the company for a short time, so she was eager to prove her abilities and especially wanted to build a good relationship with Cao Sheng.

Because Cao Sheng is not only the most popular writer in the industry right now, but also one of the shareholders of their website.

Since taking over Cao Sheng's job, she has been looking for opportunities to talk to him.

Sometimes, if there's any trouble in Cao Sheng's book review section, she'll call Cao Sheng to remind him to handle it or respond.

Sometimes, she would call Cao Sheng when there were any news or events within the website. For example, last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the company was distributing Mid-Autumn Festival gifts, she called Cao Sheng to tell him that she had secured a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake for him and had already sent it to him, reminding him to check for it.

and many more.

Recently, she also noticed the discussions in Cao Sheng's book review section.

She has been thinking about this for two days.

That evening, she sat by the window of her apartment and dialed Cao Sheng's number, intending to try and persuade him.

Although Cao Sheng is a top writer in the industry and also a shareholder of the company.

But in terms of age, she felt that she was two years older than him, had more experience, and should be qualified to do some ideological work with him.

How could he lose the motivation to strive?
If he stops striving, my professional standing as his editor will continue to decline!

Moreover, he is the company's star asset.

If he stops striving, it will affect the company's overall performance and its influence in the industry.

The call was put through.

Cao Sheng answered the phone.

"Hey? Why aren't you asleep so late?"

On the other end of the phone, Cao Sheng, who had just finished writing the second chapter of the night, yawned as soon as he finished speaking.

Magic City.

In a single apartment.

Jin Qiaoyin knew that Cao Sheng had a habit of silencing his phone when he was writing, so she deliberately waited until midnight tonight before dialing his number.

Hearing him yawn, she frowned and thought: He's sleepy, I need to get to the point, otherwise he might say goodbye or goodnight at any moment.

With that in mind, she quickly said, "Mr. Cao! I'm so sorry to call so late and disturb your rest, but I have something very important I'd like to discuss with you. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Sheng chuckled softly.

He casually picked up the teacup next to the computer, took a sip of tea, and hummed in agreement, "Sure! Go ahead! I'm all ears."

Jin Qiaoyin: "President Cao! Have you read those posts in your book review section these past two days? I bet you haven't, have you? I..."

Cao Sheng smiled and interrupted her, "No! You guessed wrong, I've read most of those posts."

Kim Hyun-eun: "Uh..."

After a moment's hesitation, she spoke again: "Oh, I see! Well... I wanted to ask, is it really true, as everyone suspects, that you've recently lost your motivation to work hard?"

Cao Sheng wanted to retort: ​​What's it to you?

But his good manners allowed him to maintain basic politeness. "What do you think?"

Jin Qiaoyin: "Well, Mr. Cao, to be honest, these past two days I've put myself in your shoes and thought about it from your perspective. I think if I earned more than 100 million, I would probably lose my passion for writing and my motivation to work hard. I can really understand that."

Cao Sheng wanted to laugh. "So, what did you want to say when you called me?"

Kim Hwa-eun: "I wanted to give you some advice. I think you're still young, only 21 years old, right? You're so young, do you think it's okay to start enjoying life now without working hard or striving?"

Cao Sheng suddenly felt like teasing her.

He smiled and said, "That's great! Don't you want to enjoy life?"

Jin Qiaoyin: "???"

After a moment of silence, Jin Qiaoyin said, "No! President Cao, are you really planning to just enjoy life and stop striving? You can't do this! I think with your talent and current popularity, you can achieve even greater success and become a legend in the industry. Don't you want to become a legend?"

Cao Sheng's smile widened, and he continued teasingly, "Look at what you're saying. From what you're saying, if I stop writing now, won't I be a legend in this industry? Do you think any author will ever surpass my achievements of the past two years?"

Kim Hyun-eun: "Huh?"

Sitting by the window, her small mouth was slightly open, as if a long spear had been pierced into it.

His entire expression was one of utter astonishment.

She didn't expect Cao Sheng to ask that question.

She couldn't answer.

She suddenly realized that with Cao Sheng's current achievements, even if he stopped writing now, he would become a legend in the entire industry.

He was the first to write online novels, the first to write fantasy and primordial themes, and the first to sell his script for a sky-high fee in Hollywood, among other things.

What is this if not a legend?
She was stunned for a while before she thought of another angle, "Then...then how can you face your fans who support you? Are you willing to disappoint them?"

Cao Sheng had no intention of disappointing his fans, so when he heard the question, he remained relaxed and continued to contradict her, "They're supporting my previous works, right? And I've written my previous works very seriously; they should be worthy of their support, right? What do you think?"

Jin Qiaoyin: "???"

This angle was something she hadn't expected.

Are his fans supporting his previous works?
That makes sense!

But that's not the answer I wanted to hear!

She frowned and thought for a while before speaking again: "President Cao! Do you think there are no higher pursuits in life besides money? Also, do you think that as long as you have money, you can live a happy life after you turn 21? Do you really not care about the industry's evaluation of you? Don't you care if people say you are content with your small fortune? That you have no ambition? That you have wasted the talent that God gave you?"

(End of this chapter)