Honkai Impact 3rd: Join Anti-Entropy at the start and dominate the entertainment industry.

He was internally ranting and raving.

The raven was breathing heavily, and I thought another company was trying to steal him away, which terrified me.

He regained his composure: "Isn't Night Owl the manager of a short story magazine? Why would he want to take Thousand Swords from you?"

"Qianjian can write short stories too! You forgot? He even won a short story award before!"

“Oh, I think that’s true.” Gray Snake thought for a moment and said, “Although the company rules state that editors can’t poach each other, your two departments are not in the same field, and short stories and novels don’t conflict, so it’s not a problem for him to write short stories.”

Raven said anxiously, "But an author's energy and time are limited! What if he goes on to write short stories and then doesn't have time to write novels later? Or it's not impossible that he'll go into the short story field and give up on novels!"

"This," Gray Snake was also a little conflicted. Logically speaking, it's the author's own business which field they want to develop in, and they can't interfere. But from a selfish point of view, they still hoped that Qianjian would continue to develop in the field of long novels. After all, long novels have a large audience and a wide range of influence, which can bring more revenue and fame to the company.

Finally, Gray Serpent sighed and said, "This matter still depends on Qianjian's own wishes. We can't force him to only write long novels."

Raven was still unconvinced: "But the owl's behavior is egregious! I deserve an explanation!"

She dared not concern herself with Qianjian, but she was not afraid of Yexiao!

Raven is now the number one female author in the world's Snake Library!

Chapter 250 The Power of Words

Faced with Raven's insistence, Gray Snake had no choice but to agree to call Night Owl over and give him a scolding.

Night Owl didn't go back at that time either; he was busy planning the New Year's special issue of the short story magazine "Spark".

Everything was going smoothly until suddenly an author failed to submit his manuscript on time, even though his work was intended to be on the front page.

This sudden turn of events caught Night Owl off guard, and the magazines that should have been prepared two days ago were forced to be printed late.

Just when he was in a state of extreme anxiety, he suddenly remembered Qianjian, and decided to give it a try and contact him.

However, his little trick was exposed to Raven due to Bai Qianqu's carelessness.

He himself was summoned by the gray snake.

Before the two could say anything, the enraged raven burst in.

When the owl saw the raven, it immediately knew that its plan had been exposed. It felt a sense of foreboding, but it was too late to escape.

Raven stood blocking the doorway, hands on hips, and said menacingly, "Night Owl Editor, isn't this a bit underhanded? How dare you poach my Thousand Swords?!"

Knowing he was in the wrong, the owl chuckled.

"Hey, Raven editor, I was planning to talk to you about this anyway, but I didn't expect you to find out. Don't be so angry. I just had a casual chat with Qianjian, and he didn't even confirm whether he wanted to write it."

"Don't play dumb!" Raven's voice was loud enough for the employees working overtime outside to hear. "Qian Jian is currently searching for inspiration for his next novel! Don't tell me you don't know how successful his novels are! You're asking him to write a manuscript now, aren't you just affecting his creative process?! Besides, he's already finished writing the work and sent it to me, he just sent it to the wrong person!"

Night Owl pouted, somewhat displeased with Raven's aggressive questioning: "Isn't the previous book still unfinished? This period should be considered his downtime, and his next work hasn't been decided yet. He can write whatever he wants. Who says he has to write a long novel? Besides, even if he does write a long novel, it doesn't necessarily have to be about e-sports."

The raven glared angrily!

"He just writes short stories casually; he'll eventually develop his career in novels! Besides, what kind of development can your magazine possibly offer? How much can you pay him for his work? Do you know how much he earned with 'The King's Avatar'? Can your magazine really make him that much money? Even if you pay him 50,000 yuan per thousand words, it won't even amount to a fraction of what he makes with a novel!"

Night Owl retorted, "Does writing a short story mean you can't write a long one? People can write whatever they want, why are you making decisions for Thousand Swords?"

"Fine, so it seems you're really determined to steal her from me?"

"So what if it is? Everyone relies on their own abilities!"

The two argued and got increasingly agitated, their relationship becoming increasingly tense.

Finally, Gray Snake couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted the two of them.

"Enough! What kind of behavior is this! No matter what Qian Jian writes, he is a member of our World Serpent Library!"

The two of them then simultaneously snorted coldly and turned their heads away from each other.

Gray Snake was also a bit troubled, so he had to change the subject for the time being.

"Um, Raven editor, you said Qianjian has finished writing a short story? Could you show it to me first?"

Raven took a deep breath, turned around and printed out "The Gift of the Magi," handing it to Gray Snake.

The short story wasn't long, so Gray Snake finished reading it quickly.

However, after reading it, the gray snake suddenly fell silent.

The raven and owl, who were still arguing with each other, also noticed something was wrong. They stopped arguing and looked at the gray snake, only to find that he had picked up a piece of paper, put it inside his mask, and blew his nose hard.

The two looked at each other, both feeling somewhat uneasy.

Could it be that their argument hurt Gray Snake's feelings?

Night Owl quickly said, "Editor-in-Chief, it's not that serious. We were just having a little fuss. What conflicts between colleagues can't be resolved?"

“That’s right.” Raven stopped dwelling on it. “It’s just commissioning a manuscript with Qianjian. It’s not a big deal. I don’t plan to pursue it any further. Anyway, Qianjian will definitely be able to handle it himself.”

Gray Snake didn't answer. He booked the next available plane ticket, quickly packed his things, picked up a briefcase, and stood up.

"I'm going home this afternoon. I won't be working overtime this Chinese New Year."

Raven and Night Owl were stunned when they heard Gray Snake say that.

You should know that in the World Snake Library, Gray Snake is undoubtedly the workaholic, with the longest overtime hours. He has even stayed at the company to work overtime during the Spring Festival for several consecutive years. It seemed that this year would be the same, but now he is saying that he wants to go back.

The two couldn't understand what had happened to change his habit that he had maintained for several years.

Gray Snake noticed the confusion in their eyes and said in a low voice, "You can never earn enough money, but you can never have enough time to spend with your family. After working away from home for so long, it's time to go back and spend some time with them."

With that, he grabbed his bag and hurriedly left.

The raven stared at the gray snake as it hurriedly departed, remaining bewildered for a long time. The night owl was also filled with confusion.

While this statement is true, it sounds very unusual coming from Gray Snake.

Both of them had a vague feeling that something was not simple. Their eyes fell on the short story that was still on the desk. It was after reading this story that Gray Snake suddenly became like that.

They were all very curious about what kind of story could have caused such a strong reaction from the gray snake.

The raven and the owl simultaneously reached out and grabbed the paper. After glaring at each other, they each took one side and began to read it together.

The novel is indeed very short, and both editors are seasoned veterans, so it's a quick read.

The story seems simple: a poor couple exchanging gifts. They've seen countless stories like this before, and their hearts are already numb to them.

As the two of them imagined, the story would end with them exchanging gifts, feeling each other's affection, and then embracing tightly, showcasing the beauty of family life.

They didn't understand how this story could possibly elicit a reaction from the gray snake.

They themselves were completely oblivious.

But when they saw the ending, they realized they were completely wrong, terribly wrong.

The two of them gasped simultaneously, and couldn't help but exclaim in unison:

"Fuck!"

The two finally understood why the gray snake had caused such a strong reaction, and they completely understood everything.

Literary works have a strong power to move people, especially when the content described in the text is similar to one's own situation, which can generate great resonance. There is a saying that goes: people are more willing to believe what they believe.

Exclusive publication rights for Chapter 251

Of course, the most important thing is the ending, the unexpected twist that delivers a truly explosive impact.

Generally speaking, plot twists without any foreshadowing are often accompanied by illogicality and inconsistencies. If such a twist occurs, the novel will likely be heavily criticized.

However, in this novel, the two did not feel anything unreasonable. It seemed that everything was developing naturally, and even the reversals were just human nature. It was natural and reasonable, and there was absolutely no fault in it.

Unexpectedly, it made sense.

Night Owl is also a senior editor who has worked in the short story industry for many years. He has read countless wonderful works and has studied all the works of the three most famous short story writers of our time. But there has never been a work that has touched the depths of his heart like "The Gift of the Magi".

It can be said with certainty that the plot twist used in the ending of this novel is a completely new technique that he had never seen before. This is not something that can be written by simply copying others; rather, it requires a very deep literary foundation to achieve. It surprises the reader but is not unexpected. It sounds easy, but it is not simple to do.

The author must skillfully develop the characters' personalities, and then, in conjunction with the environment and time, ensure that the characters' final actions are reasonable.

Raven was also shocked. Although she was not the editor in charge of short stories, her literary skills were equally high, and she naturally saw the writing techniques involved.

Night Owl glanced at her and couldn't help but give a wry smile.

Sure enough, every reader who sees "The Gift of the Magi" for the first time is shocked.

This ending is excellent in its character portrayal, and it breathes new life into what was originally a very old-fashioned story, making it much richer.

Night Owl gave a wry smile and muttered to himself, "Teacher Qianjian said he'd let me see this work first before paying him. How am I supposed to offer a price now?"

Night Owl was caught in a deep dilemma. As the company's editor, he should stand on the company's side and try to lower the price as much as possible. However, he felt that if he went against his conscience and tried to lower the price for Mian Du Qian Jian's work, he would be insulting it.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see its value at a glance. Once published, this novel will surely cause a major upheaval in the literary world!

Night Owl understood perfectly well that he had to win over this novel!

If you let it get away, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!

He steadied himself and immediately took out his phone to send a message to Qian Jian.

[Night Owl: Mr. Qianjian, I have read your work, "The Gift of the Magi," and I am honored to have read such a wonderful piece. Although I know that setting a price for this work is very impolite, I am sorry, but I must have it. I feel that pricing based on word count is no longer appropriate. I have decided to offer one million for the exclusive publication rights to this short story. Of course, I personally believe that one million is not enough for this story, but it is the highest price I can offer. If you are not satisfied, I can help you apply to the higher authorities again.]

Bai Qianqu was quite surprised when she saw the message sent by Night Owl.

He originally thought that he could earn about 100,000 yuan for a short story, since it was only a few thousand words long. But he didn't expect that after reading it, Night Owl would give him a million yuan!

Although Bai Qianqu didn't understand, there was another very important reason why Ye Xiao was willing to pay this price, besides the fact that the work was indeed good.

Although "The Gift of the Magi" is just a short story, its added value is much greater than the story itself. Putting everything else aside, the O. Henry-style ending alone is enough to drive countless people crazy.

If this short story becomes famous, it might even leave a significant mark on literary history. With its influence, the World Snake Library will undoubtedly gain considerable fame and benefit from its success.

Buying a chance to go down in history for a million dollars is not only a good deal, but a huge profit.

After all, even if they went out to run an advertisement now, the advertising fee would probably be more than a million.

"The Gift of the Magi" was priceless in the eyes of the Night Owl; he even worried that a million dollars wouldn't be enough.

However, Bai Qianqu obviously didn't think that much about it. Compared to money, he wanted the work to be seen by the world and let everyone experience the charm of O. Henry's ending.

As for money, it's impossible to earn it all at once. First, let's build up Qianjian's reputation, and there will be plenty of opportunities to make money later.

Moreover, selling a million copies of a few thousand words was already quite satisfactory for Bai Qianqu. Besides, World Snake had bought the exclusive publishing rights, and the copyright of the novel was still in his hands, so he could accept it completely.

So Bai Qianqu didn't haggle and immediately agreed to Night Owl's request.

At this moment, Bai Qianqu also arrived outside the shopping mall [Qianzhiwu]. As soon as she put down her phone, she saw a very familiar and beautiful figure.

"Kamisato Ayaka?"