I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Starlight Elementary: Lilies in Bloom

 

After a brief explanation by Catnip, I roughly understand what this “offline author exchange meeting” is all about. Next Monday, which is May 20th, Shenzhen City will host a relatively large “Literature and Art Exchange” exhibition. To put it in simpler terms, it’s a “Discount Wholesale Carnival Holiday for Book Novels,” where almost all companies related to novels and comics can set up stalls to promote their companies and websites.

 

To put it more crudely, this is a promotional event for major websites to “snatch authors and readers.” Currently, our country’s comic industry is not very developed, and novels have taken some initial steps. Therefore, there are more novel websites than comic websites in the market, and those attending this kind of literary and artistic exchange are mostly responsible for novel websites.

 

Honeydew Novel Network is currently the largest original novel website in the country. Although it seems powerful at first glance, there are many qualifiers in front of it— “original” and “two-dimensional.” For domestic novel websites, “two-dimensional” is actually just a small category, similar to “urban,” “fantasy,” “magic,” and “martial arts.” “Two-dimensional” does not have any special significance.

 

The term “original” corresponds to “non-original” or “fan-created.” With these two qualifiers, the phrase “largest two-dimensional original novel website” doesn’t sound as intimidating. In fact, Honeydew Novel Network is currently facing a huge crisis.

 

After taking over the mess that is Yae-Do Novel Network, Honeydew’s novels expanded significantly. However, due to Yae-Do’s disappearance, Honeydew took on their editors and some authors, creating a significant financial gap. Despite this, the previous readers mostly left, and the website’s traffic did not increase.

 

The closure of the website not only harmed authors who couldn’t receive their fees but also damaged the rights of readers. Some readers had invested a considerable amount of money to read books, and with the website shutting down, they couldn’t get a refund. This situation led to dissatisfaction among readers who felt cheated.

 

As a result, a large group of readers also left and blacklisted Yae-Do. Even though Honeydew has taken over Yae-Do, there is no clear solution to the problems caused by the previous management. Questions arise, such as whether the accounts of previous readers should be inherited. If so, how should the situation be handled for readers who registered accounts on both Yae-Do and Honeydew? Yae-Do subscriptions had no discounts, while Honeydew VIP levels offer discounts. If using a Honeydew account to subscribe to Yae-Do novels, would there be any discounts? Can the consumption records from Yae-Do Novel Network be transferred to Honeydew?

 

The uncertainty surrounding these issues creates challenges for both the management and the readers, making it difficult to find a satisfactory resolution for everyone involved.

 

It’s not just the website, authors are also facing headaches with the acquisition of closed-down sites. As an author from Yae-Do, my novel subscriptions have plummeted after the merger. Previously, a new chapter would have 100 readers, but now it’s less than ten. Many readers are shouting in the comments to throw lemons and demand refunds. Should I continue writing or just cut ties and register a new account? If I stop writing and abruptly terminate, what about the guaranteed agreement I signed with Yae-Do? Would I be considered in breach of contract?

 

Similarly, readers have become victims in this situation. I topped up money, only to find the website gone halfway through reading. How is this loss calculated? Initially, subscribing to a chapter cost 80 cents, but after merging with Yae-Do, their VIP accounts get a 20% discount. Can I transfer the money I topped up over there? While others unlock VIP3 with a hundred yuan in Honeydew, I’ve spent over two hundred in Yae-Do, yet after the merger, I’m still VIP0. Isn’t this unfair?

 

In short, it’s a complete mess. Unfortunately, this chaos happens just when the cultural and art exhibition opens, and other websites are making moves. Honeydew and Yae-Do have no choice but to figure out how to “fight back” in the midst of this turmoil.

 

Before this, Honeydew has always focused on “two-dimensional light novels,” but the term “two-dimensional” is not exclusive to Honeydew. Some major websites in the current market also have a “two-dimensional” category, and this category has a particularly large number of readers. For some websites that started early and have accumulated a large reader base over more than a decade, the rise in popularity of the two-dimensional genre is just an addition of a “two-dimensional” category. They can easily recruit a few new editors familiar with the field. However, for Honeydew, the two-dimensional genre is almost the entire theme of the website.

 

There are many novel websites currently ahead of Honeydew Novel Network, such as the giant “Origin” website, a “superpowerhouse” established twenty years ago. If Honeydew’s traffic is rated at 10, then “Origin” is at 10000. Even within this large website, the popularity of the “two-dimensional” category is over 100, not to mention that the website primarily focuses on “urban” rather than “two-dimensional.”

 

In addition, there are websites like “Tomato Novel Network” and “Feifei Novel Network,” which specialize in fast-food literature, or the female-oriented “Xijiang Novel Network.” These novel websites will also sell and promote their books at the art exhibition in Shenzhen City.

 

According to unreliable sources, it seems that representatives from the Writers Association and local leaders will come to inspect in Shenzhen City during the event. TV stations will also report on the booths of various websites, making it a relatively formal and serious promotional avenue.

 

As for the “Author Conference,” it is an offline communication event organized by Honeydew to address lingering issues from Yae-Do and discuss the future of Honeydew. Those invited to the Author Conference are mostly “veteran authors” or “renowned authors” from within Honeydew and Yae-Do, or authors who wish to continue developing their works on Honeydew.

 

The term “fortunate authors” translates to the latter. If you are an author who hopes to continue writing novels on Honeydew in the future, you may receive an invitation to participate in the construction of Honeydew Novel Network.

 

In this author conference, Catnip mentioned that it primarily focuses on issues related to the future of reader recharges, subscriptions, and various activities. They will discuss what events to organize, what small gifts to offer, how to handle reader levels and account matters for both Baye Tang and Honeydew. In addition, authors need to discuss reasonable “author benefits,” such as how much to reward for consistent updates, how to calculate word count, and the prize money for writing contests. These decisions will be made through discussions between “veteran authors,” “fortunate authors,” and the responsible individuals from the website.

 

“Previously, when we held writing contests, studios took advantage and reaped benefits. They wrote numerous new books, won the gold prize in the contest, received a substantial amount of money, and then deactivated their accounts without continuing to write. They moved on to the next website hosting a writing contest and continued the cycle, making it awkward for our writing contests,” mentioned Catnip with a hint of helplessness in the video.

 

Catnip continued, “So, this time, we want to understand how many of the top-selling authors on the website are genuine, what everyone’s thoughts are, and their opinions about the website. We don’t want this information to be exploited for publicity, and it’s confidential for both the website and the outside world.”

 

“Because it needs to be kept confidential, I chose to have a direct video call with you. In the past, some of our conversations with authors were taken out of context and spread by certain external authors, creating a negative impact for us. If we were to modify video chats, the cost would be higher,” Catnip explained.

 

“Oh… I see,” I responded, understanding the situation. I pondered for a moment before speaking into the phone’s recording hole, “So, being a ‘fortunate author’ means hoping to develop on Honeydew?”

 

Catnip replied, “The Tuzi says that your novel’s ideas and attitude are quite good. You’re aware of current trends, willing to listen to editorial advice, modify the plot, and learn. Have you gone through the materials the Tuzi provided earlier?”

 

“Yes, I’ve gone through them, and it has been very beneficial.”

 

“Actually, those materials are somewhat outdated for today’s society. Take a look at the tricks, but remember that it’s okay to avoid them when writing, and you can also learn from negative examples,” Catnip advised.

 

Speaking, seeming a bit tired, Catnip on the phone screen ran “their” fingers through “their” hair, “The current internet is a field that requires continuous learning and progress. Tuzi says you possess this advantage. She told us that your low subscriptions are just due to insufficient writing experience. With a bit of guidance, you can definitely become a successful author in the future…”

 

At this moment, a somewhat familiar bald man walked past Catnip, “Who are you talking to, Pigeon?”

 

“Uncle Loves Loli.”

 

“Oh, the one with a creepy name but a cute little girl?”

 

As they spoke, the bald man took Catnip’s phone, “Hey, little girl, remember me?”

 

In an instant, the brightness of the entire phone screen increased significantly. It seemed that the editorial department had a bright light on, and when the bald man approached the phone screen, the glaring reflection of his shiny head made the overhead light dazzle me a bit.

 

Uh… “Are you… the chief editor?” I cautiously asked. If I remember correctly, I met this chief editor at a comic exhibition before. At that time, he was walking with Lu Xinjian, tall and big. I recall him introducing himself as Big G, presumably another nickname like “Catnip” and “Tuzi” in the editorial department. What I didn’t expect was that this time he shaved his head so cleanly. A tall, muscular man, bald, wearing sunglasses… Is this appearance really appropriate for Honeydew’s chief editor?

 

“Not bad, you have a good memory,” the chief editor on the other end said confidently, returning the phone to Catnip. “Indeed, you’re the undisputed king of consistent updates, as mentioned by Ai Luodi. Come and check out the Author Conference. If you don’t want to come secretly, that’s fine too. There will be many bestselling authors, and besides official business, everyone will also discuss some writing techniques privately, which will be very helpful for you.”

 

“Ah…” I hesitated for a moment. “Well, okay.”

 

On the café side, I could arrange my days off with Yin Xiamo as I pleased. It was still mid-May, and I had half a month of vacation left. I needed to reserve one day for Jiang Wei’s wedding on either Saturday or Sunday, and then I could allocate another day for the author’s meeting. It didn’t pose much pressure for me.

 

As someone who “won’t die,” jobs like being a maid in the café seemed unsustainable, especially jobs that required showing one’s face. Yin Xiamo mentioned that my body developed very slowly due to inheriting the genes of the elf race. There were cases online where people stopped growing in their adolescence, maintaining a childlike appearance even in their thirties or forties. However, it’s not practical to remain a child even at sixty or seventy years old.

 

Working as a maid in the café, Yin Xiamo and I welcomed customers every day. Our stated age to the public was around eighteen. After working for ten years, we were approaching thirty. It was understandable if our appearance didn’t change, but if we continued for twenty years, looking like children in our forties or fifties would be considered an “anomaly” or even “terrifying.”

 

If, by that time, we were still engaging in various jobs that required us to show our faces, getting recognized could become troublesome.

 

The best-case scenario is that Yin Xiamo and I live a normal life like ordinary people during these ten years. After the ten years, we slowly fade away from this world. For example, we could live in the island villa mentioned by Su Yunjin or go into seclusion with Yin Xiamo in some remote mountainous area, enjoying our own world every day.

 

As for our future jobs at that time, I could directly make writing novels my main profession, dedicating full time to writing books. Unlike being a maid, writing novels doesn’t require showing one’s face. As long as your writing is excellent and the plot is captivating, no one will care whether the author is an old man or an immortal beauty. I can write at the age of twenty now, and I can continue writing at thirty, forty, and even seventy or eighty without any issues. At most, some readers might comment, “This author is clearly an old person, but can still be as trendy as young people.”

 

In other words, I need to roughly plan my future life now. Currently working as a maid in the café falls into the category of “youthful endeavors.” Although I can continue with this “youthful endeavor” indefinitely, to prevent unnecessary trouble, I must, at the same time, acquire another skill that can serve as a “retirement plan,” which is writing books.

 

The skill that comes to my mind as a potential “retirement plan” is writing novels. The best scenario would be to utilize these ten years to build my popularity, improve my writing skills, and when the day comes to “retire,” rely on novels to support myself.

 

There’s a saying… with the progress and development of technology, many professions might be replaced, but anything related to “literary arts” is something machines cannot replace.

 

Since even the chief editor of Honeydew has mentioned that the upcoming offline author exchange will be greatly beneficial for me, there’s no harm in scheduling my day off to attend.

 

“You’ve decided to attend the event, right?” After receiving my affirmative response, Catnip on the phone seemed to exhale with relief. “I was originally planning to spend some time persuading you… So, let me confirm your address and phone number. Your contact address is in the Central District of Shenzhen City, Wujia Apartment Building 3, is that correct?”

 

“No, I’ve moved.” I glanced at the sunlight outside. “Changed to Building 3, Starry Garden Community, Starry Road, Nanqi District.”

 

“Alright,” Catnip didn’t delve further. “What about the phone? Do you need to update that too?”

 

“Yes, that needs to be updated as well. The number on the contract is my brother’s old one.” I recited the new number I had registered under the identity of “Yin Nuo’er” with a new ID.

 

“This is the new one,” I added.

 

“Alright, let me repeat it.” Catnip repeated my address and phone number.

 

“The invitation letter will be sent here, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Okay, the invitation for the local authors should arrive by tomorrow. Be sure to check it then.”

 

“Yeah.” I hesitated for a moment. “Can I ask which authors will be attending?”

 

“Some bestselling authors, the top fifty on Honeydew’s total sales ranking, and a few well-known authors from Yae-Do… Do you know any of the bestselling authors?”

 

“Pipi, Marisa’s Iron, and Jituto, are they going?”

 

“You know them? Pipi will be there. Marisa’s Iron declined our invitation, saying he’s too busy these days and can’t make it. As for Pipi… his identity is quite special, and he hasn’t been writing much lately, so we didn’t send him an invitation.”

 

“Understood.”

 

“That’s it for now. If you have any questions, contact me on QQ.”

 

“Alright.”

 

After putting down the phone, I searched through my contacts for a while, clicked on the avatar of “Li Jianfu (Pipi),” and then pressed the play button.

 

“Hey? Wait a moment, Dad is making a call with a friend. Can you go play by yourself for a while?”

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

“Hello?”

 

The call was connected in no time, and Pipi’s father-like voice came through, “Nuo’er, what’s the matter?”

 

“Our editor said there’s an offline author conference, and you’re also participating.”

 

For some reason, an image of Pipi’s daughter mischievously playing on the side popped into my mind. “Can you tell me what this event is about?”

 

“Oh, the author conference. If I remember correctly, it’s a kind of offline gathering to prevent pigeons and bring together valuable authors for mutual assistance and communication… Sweetie, be careful, you might fall if you get on that ball…”

 

While Pipi was talking to me, he was also giving advice to his daughter. “What’s up? Did you also receive an invitation?”

 

“Yeah, I agreed to go.”

 

“Well, that’s great. They actually invited you. I’m quite surprised.”

 

“Hey.”

 

I instantly felt a bit aggrieved. “Come on, I’ve been writing novels at Yae-Do for several years.”

 

“This conference looks at the author’s income. Only authors who have been on the bestseller list are eligible.”

 

Pipi fell silent for a moment. “Nuo’er, are you going as a lucky author?” I instantly felt like an arrow had pierced through my heart. “Yes.”

 

Pipi chuckled, “So, what do you want to ask me? Is it worth attending this author conference?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

Having spent so much time with Pipi and Marisa, I naturally understood this guy’s personality. “I feel like you are quite keen on this industry. Do you have any suggestions or advice?”

 

“What advice could there be? Yae-Do had organized similar author gatherings before. In simple terms, it’s about gathering high-end authors and fostering a sense of unity.”

 

Pipi sighed, “Nowadays, most novel websites sign books, not authors, which gives them little control over the authors. There are also many studios. Some authors gain fame on a website, get nurtured by editors, and then suddenly, without a word, take a group of readers to another site. This harms the original website. So, occasionally, some more formal websites invite high-end authors for offline gatherings. It allows them to provide suggestions to the website, have a meal together, get to know each other, and become familiar with editors and website operations. Although it can’t completely eliminate phenomena like job-hopping, it helps build connections and makes things smoother in the future.”

 

“Recently, things have been tough for everyone in the novel industry. Traffic is being snatched away by short videos and anime. The higher-ups keep suppressing us. Honeydew also took over the mess from Yae-Do. I can understand their situation. In my opinion, it’s certain that Honeydew and Yae-Do will hold this event after the merger. I just didn’t expect them to add this ‘lucky author’ element.”

 

As he spoke, it seemed to make sense. Thinking back to the tone of Chief Editor when speaking to me earlier, I relaxed a bit. Maybe their mood was similar to that of the principal at Starlight Elementary School.

 

Speaking of which, I’ll write another chapter later and take the opportunity to meet with the principal to resolve the matter.

 

“Thanks, my friend.” I stretched lazily. “How’s everything on your end lately? Is your daughter doing well?”

 

“Doing well? She’s like a four-legged gold-devouring beast, so annoying… Sweetie, don’t stand on that ball again, you’ll really fall off!”

 

Seeing that I had finished asking questions, Pipi seemed to indicate that he was about to hang up. “Well then, I’m going to play with my daughter, she’s been mischievous these past few days.”

 

“Alright, goodbye.”

 

“Goodbye.”

 

After hanging up the phone, I stepped out of the room and walked to the balcony. I took a deep breath and then gazed into the distance.

 

Five minutes later, I returned to the room, sat down on the computer chair, and continued typing.

 

Let me see… Since the beginning and the title of this novel are fine, what I need to do next is make the plot more and more exciting. Combining the ideas I gained from “scanning the charts” these past few days and the material files the editor sent me before… Nuo’er, you can do this.

 

The time spent typing was tedious yet fulfilling. Back when I was still in the Wujia Apartment, I experienced typing under various unfavorable conditions. Starving, forcing my eyes open with a dizzy head to meet the attendance, enduring the cold without turning on the air conditioning because I didn’t want to let go of the blanket, shivering while thinking about the plot, or sitting in front of the computer, sweating profusely, while drinking water in the scorching heat.

 

Compared to those times, now, being able to sit in this cozy room is already quite luxurious.

 

Today’s word count is 5,800, and it took 3 hours and 18 minutes, with an effective typing time of 2 hours and 31 minutes. It’s almost 11:30, and I estimate that the school at Starlight Elementary will be dismissing soon. I saved the completed manuscript, stood up, and said, “Xiao Mo, what do you want for lunch…”

 

As I stepped out of the room, I instinctively shouted towards Xiamo’s room across the hall, only to instantly realize—Miss Grim Reaper seems to have been absent the entire day today.

 

Oh, right.

 

Realizing this, I felt a bit embarrassed as I scratched my head outside the door. Suddenly, not having that chattering companion who would either stick to me or shout, “I want to eat Nuo’er,” every day felt a bit unusual.

 

What could be the mysterious thing she didn’t want me to get involved with and preferred to handle on her own? I won’t guess, it’s mysterious.

 

Exiting the door, I took the elevator down and jogged towards Starlight Elementary School. Well, everyone has their own privacy, and it’s understandable that Xiamo wants to have a day to deal with personal matters during the two-day holiday.

 

As long as she comes home on time tonight, it’s fine. No, even if she doesn’t come back on time, what does it matter? I… I’m happy to have a leisurely evening without being a pillow.

 

Thinking about random things, I dialed the phone number of the Starlight Elementary School principal, “He Yuanyi,” which I had saved before, and pressed the dial button.

 

“Hello?”

 

After the call was answered, I straightforwardly stated my purpose, “Principal He, did you contact the number I sent you yesterday?”

 

“Contacted, contacted. I’m really grateful. The city is now paying attention to the enrollment issue on this side. The deputy mayor personally contacted me, and we talked for almost the entire morning.”

 

Principal He on the other side seemed quite thankful, “Originally, I was planning to ask you… to use publicity…”

 

“I’ll be at the school in about five minutes.”

 

I interrupted the principal and said, “Since there’s a direction for resolving the issue, I won’t need the card you gave me. I’ll bring it over to you now.”

 

“Oh, no need, no need. Anyway, the card has already been issued, you can keep it…”

 

The principal on the other side hesitated for a moment, “Forget it, forget it. Let’s talk about it when you arrive. Have you had lunch? Why not come to our school cafeteria for a meal? My treat, consider it a thank you for your help.”

 

“Well… okay.”

 

Thinking that having lunch once wouldn’t hurt, I, who had already reached the entrance of Starlight Elementary School, took out that special card and swiped it on the card reader.

 

“Beep, teacher’s card, permission granted.”

 

The security guard seemed to recognize me by now and only glanced at me before returning to his phone.

 

“Principal He, where are you?”

 

“On the third floor of the teaching building, in the classroom for Grade 6 Class 3.”

 

“You still teach?”

 

“I am also their math teacher… Let’s do it this way. Right now, we’re short of teachers over here. We have ten more minutes before class ends. You can wait downstairs near the teaching building, and I’ll come down when the bell rings.”

 

“Alright.”

 

……

 

Because I had visited this place many times before, I easily found the teaching building of Starlight Elementary School. At this moment, on the first floor, the classroom labeled “Grade 1 Class 1” was occupied by less than half of the students, while the adjacent “Grade 1 Class 2” and “Grade 1 Class 3” were empty with no one inside.

 

Perhaps due to the sufficient daylight, the campus that had given me a lively feeling at night now appeared quite deserted.

 

“Ding-ling-ling-ling…”

 

As per the principal’s suggestion, I waited near the teaching building for a while. When the bell for the end of classes rang:

 

“Hurry, hurry, hurry, it’s time for lunch!”

 

“How about a game of King’s Glory first?”

 

“Forget it, you play Li Bai every day and drag the team down. I want to eat!”

 

The anticipated “class extension” from teachers didn’t happen. The moment the bell rang, I saw teachers from almost all grades, not just the first grade, promptly standing up and announcing the end of the class.

 

Then, a large group of students rushed out of this U-shaped teaching building.

 

“Sister Nuo’er?!”

 

To my surprise, amidst the crowd, Li Denghua and Zhou Xiaofei actually recognized me playing on my phone near the exercise equipment under the teaching building. Wearing elementary school uniforms, they held hands and ran towards me with small steps.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“What’s going on with you two…”

 

I glanced at Li Denghua and Zhou Xiaofei, who were naturally holding hands, “You’ve only known each other for three days, and your relationship is already this good?”

 

“Ah…”

 

At this moment, Li Denghua seemed to realize that she and Zhou Xiaofei were indeed a bit too intimate. She quickly let go of her hand, blushing.

 

“No… nothing.”

 

On the other hand, Zhou Xiaofei, the little girl, didn’t seem to mind much. She took the initiative to reach out and grab Li Denghua’s hand back, holding it in her palm. “Sister Nuo’er, are you coming to school today too?”

 

“No, I’m waiting for your principal… There he is.”

 

As I spoke, I saw the aforementioned principal walking out of the teaching building with a large group of students.

 

“Sorry, it’s a bit difficult to go downstairs.”

 

Today, the principal was wearing a very ordinary checkered shirt, giving the impression of being more like a regular teacher than a school leader.

 

“My two students are here too? That works out nicely.”

 

Seeing me, the principal, holding his teaching materials, hurriedly walked over, “Three of you, let’s go for lunch.”

 

“Today, the principal is treating, so feel free to order!”

 

“……”

 

……