I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 178
Chapter 178: Weird Children’s Day Gifts
The current literary and art special exhibition gives me a much higher sense of sophistication compared to the comic exhibition held previously at the convention center. The previous comic exhibition I attended didn’t charge an entrance fee, allowing various peculiar individuals to enter. Visitors were buying eccentric items, explicit novels and publications, as well as unconventional pillows. The vendors ranged from legitimate and official ones, such as the “Honeydew” booth, to more unconventional ones, like the adjacent “Little Demon Pillow” special exhibition.
My primary impression of that comic exhibition was akin to an enormous flea market with interspersed stage activities organized by vendors. Beneath the stage, there were many cosplayers wearing peculiar clothing. Some girls had exceptionally short skirts, revealing undergarments, creating an overall chaotic and poorly managed atmosphere.
In contrast, this “Literature and Art” exhibition is much better organized. The entire venue is managed in a very systematic manner, requiring ID card verification and QR code registration upon entry. The vendors inside consist mainly of various novel websites and some individual novel and manga merchants. There are clearly defined aisles and billboards between the storefronts, and upon entering, one can easily identify the websites promoted by these vendors.
For example, the “Yae-Honeydew” booth currently situated to my right. The merger of Yae-Do and Honewdew is reaching its conclusion, and the overall name has been changed to “Yae-Honeydew.” Upon entering the website, visitors can independently choose between two main sections: “Traditional Literature” and “Two-dimensional.” Opting for the latter leads to the Honeydew main site.
As for the Honeydew logo, it has undergone a slight integration with Yae-Do. Previously, Yae-Do’s logo featured an ink painting of bamboo and gardenia flowers, while Honeydew’s logo depicted Honey Girl. The merged logo now portrays a Honey Girl with a somewhat vacant expression, incorporating some ink elements.
From a distance, I observed Pipi sitting with several youths at the Honeydew booth’s display stand. Inside the booth were a short-haired woman and the bald chief editor, known as Big G.
What surprised me somewhat was that the two youths sitting beside Pipi were acquaintances of mine – “Cockroach Bully” and “Poison Fang” whom I had met during offline author gatherings. Both individuals are authors in the fantasy genre, and they used to receive decent monthly royalties before Yae-Do closed down.
“I spotted Honeydew!”
As the couple ascended the stairs and entered the exhibition hall, the young man seemed quite excited, gesturing towards Pipi’s direction, “It’s only been a short while, and there are already so many people!”
There’s no need to shout so loudly…
The couple seemed a bit “noisy,” and I briskly walked towards the Honeydew booth on my own.
“Brother Li.”
When I was about three to four meters away from the Honeydew booth, I addressed Pipi, Cockroach Bully, and others who had their backs turned towards me, “So early?”
Pipi’s full name is Li Jianfu. Those unfamiliar with him would call him “Divine Pet Pipi,” and those a bit closer, like me and Jiang Wei, who often banter with Pipi in games, would simply call him Pipi or Brother Li.
“Oh! Look who’s here?”
The guys in front simultaneously turned their heads. Seeing me, Cockroach Bully blurted out, “You’ve been quite popular online lately. I knew it back at Mingzhu Tower. Once you show your face online, you’re bound to become an internet celebrity.”
“I’m not interested in being an internet celebrity.”
I quickly waved my hand with a smile, “Just living a peaceful life is good.”
If I recall correctly, the term “internet celebrity” has become somewhat derogatory in some places. Anything associated with this term… usually doesn’t end well.
With that, I surveyed the venue, “Feels like there are fewer people here.”
The venue for the art exhibition is divided into three parts: one for painting and manga, one for novels and new media, and the remaining part seems to be for some movie and anime websites.
However, it’s evident that the main attraction here is “novels” because, currently, in our country, neither manga nor animated films have developed much, and there are very few businesses present in these categories.
Moreover, even in the realm of novels, there seems to be a sense of “monopoly” here. The booths for Yae-Do and Honeydew are combined into one, and the occupied space doesn’t appear to be extensive. Next to Honeydew is a website called “Multidimensional,” seemingly focusing on the two-dimensional genre based on its advertisements. Not far away, there’s also “Greenery Light Novels,” as if these few shops have directly dominated the “two-dimensional light novel” category.
However, even if you combine Honeydew with all the surrounding light novel websites, the total area is just a fraction of the space. In contrast, at the entrance on the right-hand side, occupying the number one spot is “Origin Novels Network.” As the leader in current online literature, it not only has the “Origin Novels Network main site” but also features divisions such as “Origin Male Frequency,” “Origin Two-dimensional,” “Origin Female Network,” “Origin Divine Seal,” and more. Each storefront is significantly larger than our small shops over here.
It’s akin to nouveau riche behavior.
“Hey, Little Nuo’er, long time no see!”
The bald chief editor Big G inside Honeydew recognized me. He promptly walked out of the store, then handed me a stool, saying, “How have you been lately? Have you encountered any creative bottlenecks?”
“Thank you.”
I tried to sit on the high stool with a ladylike posture, but soon realized it was a bit too high. After assessing the angle of the chair behind me, I made a light jump –
“Splutter.”
My backpack behind me swayed a few times on my shoulders due to this movement.
“I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time to update or rush my drafts.”
Having settled into the chair, I casually pulled out one of the many “advertising flyers” piled at the entrance of the Honeydew store. Glancing over its contents, I asked the chief editor in front of me, “Is my editor not coming today?”
Currently, there are only the chief editor and a short-haired young lady in the Honeydew store. Although, in my memory, Catnip also has short hair, Catnip’s appearance is very “neutral,” falling into the category where gender is difficult to discern. The young lady in front of me, despite having short hair and adopting a handsome style, shows curves that unmistakably reveal her as a female editor.
Hmm… let me take a look at the contents of this advertising flyer…
?Yae-Honeydew completes restructuring, and the summer essay contest is officially underway. We sincerely invite authors from all walks to join the Honeydew family…?
?Honeydew adopts a flexible full-attendance system, allowing one day of missed updates per month. To achieve full attendance, authors need to update with a minimum of 2000 words daily, with the total word count at the end of the month exceeding the number of days in that month multiplied by 3000. Achieving full attendance while being published earns additional rewards, a monthly word count of 6000 entitles authors to receive a special full attendance bonus!?
?The author and website subscription revenue are split at a ratio of 6:4, with the author receiving 60%. Additionally, for every monthly ticket, authors will earn a pure income of 0.5 yuan. With a substantial number of monthly tickets, authors can even gain more earnings by making it onto the monthly ticket ranking list!?
?In addition, we have established rankings such as the New Book Ranking, Bestseller Ranking, Reward Ranking, and more…?
It seems… the system is quite similar to the previous one at Yae-Do? Wasn’t today’s author conference supposed to discuss changes in author-reader benefits together? Hasn’t everyone arrived yet?
“What about Catnip? She’s over in the warehouse organizing gifts.”
Seeing me engrossed in the “advertisement,” Chief Editor Big G walked over, his bald head gleaming: “Gifts for Children’s Day.”
“Children’s Day…?”
I was stunned for a moment, “Gifts for whom?”
“For the authors, of course. All the invited authors and lucky authors this time.”
“Not…”
I was a bit puzzled, “Can authors also celebrate Children’s Day?”
“Some authors become fathers, so they celebrate with their sons and daughters. Some authors… uh, like you.”
The chief editor stared at me, joking, “Authors like you can celebrate for yourself.”
What do you mean celebrate for myself!
I’m an adult!
I just look young!
I’m not eligible to celebrate Children’s Day!
“Do you have a little sister?”
My conversation with the chief editor caught the attention of the short-haired female editor inside. Upon seeing my appearance, her eyes immediately twinkled, “Oh my goodness! So cute! You… you couldn’t be the one our editorial department has been discussing recently… that… that…”
“Uncle with a Lolita complex.”
The chief editor continued, “The fierce female author who writes male protagonist stories.”
“You call that fierce?!”
The editor inside opened the entrance barrier, walked out, and without a word, lifted me up and spun me around in the air, “You’re so light! Wow! So cute, so cute… like a little kitten!”
Uh…
Please… put me down…
Being lifted around the waist with my feet dangling and unable to grab onto anything for support, I felt a bit panicked and instinctively struggled a few times. Of course, such struggles had almost no effect on the editor who effortlessly lifted me. After all, being of a weight equivalent to less than two cats and possessing very little strength, I’m easily susceptible to being teased by just about anyone.
It wasn’t until then that I noticed this editor was exceptionally tall – over 1.7 meters, even taller than Lan Jiajia. With long legs and a neat, crisp short haircut, she resembled the strong red-haired girl in “Magical Girl Illyasviel.”
“Okay, October, don’t treat the author like this.”
The chief editor on the side chuckled, “Besides, this is Catnip’s author. If she comes back and finds out, you might have to face her wrath.”
“Catnip? I can take on ten “Catnip”.”
Although she said so, the editor named October still placed me back on the chair and turned to Chief Editor Big G, “Boss, let’s discuss something.”
“What’s the matter? Let me make it clear first, I don’t approve of snatching authors.”
“Don’t be like that. Catnip took over so many authors from Tuzi. Giving one to me won’t hurt, and she can’t handle so many authors alone. It’s better to give me one. I’m usually more free…”
“What do you want? Isn’t it the same for you? For this little sister, you get a new book with a trial of 50,000 words, promote it heavily with 100,000 words, give it a massive recommendation with 200,000 words on the homepage, and then put it on sale? The rest depends on fate? Are you trying to pursue personal gains… getting more recommendations for others?”
The chief editor gave a disdainful look to this editor, “If you have so much free time, go help out in the manga department. Recently, there are many books from Yae-Do to be adapted into manga, and they are swamped.”
“Wuwuwu…”
“My little turtle.”
At this moment, the couple who came with me also arrived at the Honeydew booth. The guy looked at the row of “Origin Novels Network” stores not far away, marveling, “Is this the power of monopoly? All the stores as we come in are theirs. Is this an art exhibition or a promotional event for Origin Novels Network?”
Then, the guy’s gaze shifted to the short-haired editor beside me, “Uh… are you Editor October?”
“Hmm?”
The female editor, originally focused on me, looked up, “You are…”
“So soon you forgot? I… I’m Mo Ranfeng from the group. I showed you the new book setting yesterday and said I would come here today.”
“Oh, it’s you.”
October nodded, “You came so quickly. Do you live around here?”
“Yeah, I mentioned it to you a long time ago.”
The guy’s expression turned even more gloomy, “My girlfriend and I live in Shenzhen.”
“Haha, sorry, sorry.”
The editor felt a bit embarrassed, “There’s been so much going on lately, I can’t remember a lot of things. You came here today to find me… for what?”
“Oh, nothing, I didn’t have an invitation. I just came as an author to see if I could take a photo with our editor and then go boast to the readers.”
“A photo? Is there a fee?”
“Seriously? Editor, with our relationship, do you… need a fee?”
“Of course. Ten yuan each time or you can choose to update an extra twenty thousand words next month.”
“Ten yuan for twenty thousand words? That exchange rate is too terrifying!”
“Then take the ten yuan.”
“……”
While watching the banter between the author and the editor named “October,” I inexplicably burst into laughter. Soon after, I felt that as a girl, laughing like that might be a bit impolite, so I quickly covered my mouth with my hand.
“Lately, I’ve noticed you’ve been laughing a lot more this month.”
Beside me, Pipi put down the book he was reading, “Back when we played games at night, even though you often argued with Jiang Wei, I could sense that during those times, you… had a kind of listless feeling.”
I tilted my head, “Listless?”
“It’s not exactly listless… hmm, how should I describe it?”
Pipi pondered, “It’s like the protagonist in anime before they transmigrate, working day in and day out, living numbly and mechanically… oh, right, numb. I should use the word numb.”
“When did I give you the impression of being numb?”
I was somewhat surprised, “Didn’t I laugh when we played games at night before?”
“No, don’t you know?”
Pipi was quite astonished, “Whether it was when we played PUBG together or won difficult games, your attitude always seemed somewhat indifferent to me. Besides, I rarely remember you laughing.”
“I use a voice changer. That’s probably what makes it seem strange to you.”
“No, no, no. You may not realize it yourself, but I understand.”
Pipi shook his head, “Let me guess… Did you meet someone in May? Are you in love? Yin Xiamo?”
I stiffened, “Why are you suddenly saying this?”
“Ask Poison Fang and the others.”
Pipi gestured to the several young men behind him, “During our first offline meeting, is she different from now?”
“Yeah.”
Poison Fang, who had always given me the impression of being rather reserved, nodded, “At that time, my first impression of her was that, although she looked cute, there seemed to be something missing, as Pipi said, a bit numb. But now, it’s clearly different.”
“Exactly.”
Cockroach Bully chimed in, “Back then, I even asked her if she had a boyfriend. If she was an energetic girl, she would probably give me a disdainful look, laugh, and scold me a few times. I was ready to be scolded at that time. But Nuo’er just responded very calmly.”
Is this for real? Are you guys teaming up to tease me?
Among the authors in front of me, aside from Pipi, the only ones I remember are Cockroach Bully and Poison Fang. Cockroach Bully didn’t leave a great first impression, immediately asking if I had a boyfriend. Poison Fang, on the other hand, seemed a bit more reserved, giving off a somewhat melancholic vibe.
As for their claim that I was somewhat “numb” before I met Yin Xiamo, I genuinely have no idea.
“Little sister, are these friends you mentioned just now?”
While talking, the couple, having finished their chat with their Editor October, also joined us, asking, “Are they new authors?”
Huh?
I turned around, “Don’t you… don’t you know him?”
Could it be that someone who claimed to be Pipi’s fan, expressing how they had been reading Pipi’s books for so many years and wanting his autograph, is now faced with Pipi and acts as if they don’t recognize him at all?
“Do I… should I know him?”
The guy looked at Pipi, then at me, “Or is he also an editor?”
At this point, Pipi also gave me a look as if to say, “Who is he?”
“I ran into him on the way here. We were living in the same apartment building before, took the same bus over, and found out we’re both authors for Honeydew. We chatted a bit on the way.”
I said to Pipi, “We’re not very familiar, but he claims to be your super fanatic fan and wants your autograph.”
I deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of “Pipi.”
“Girl, don’t be like this.”
The guy seemed a bit awkward as he looked at Pipi, “Bro, you’re also a writer, right? Join a group?”
Pipi paused, “What group?”
“A group for new authors to exchange ideas.”
“No, no, I’m not a new author.”
Pipi waved his hand repeatedly, “I’ve been writing for several years.”
“Still considered an old author, huh? How many subscriptions does your highest-rated book have? Around 1,000 per chapter?”
The guy, still with a cheerful and familiar demeanor, continued, “My current books have an average subscription of almost 800. Our group leader’s books have an average subscription of over 2,000. There are many new authors in the group with similar numbers. We can help each other.”
Seeing that the guy seemed genuinely unaware of Pipi, I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. However, considering that laughing too exuberantly as a girl might affect my aesthetic appeal, I sat on the small chair imitating the posture of the two police officers in “The Mermaid,” using my hand to cover my mouth and prevent myself from laughing out loud.
“Sigh…”
Seeing this, the editor, October, seemed to intend to go over and remind the guy. However, the chief editor, Big G, gave her a look that said, “Don’t say anything, let’s watch the show.” This left October in a bit of a dilemma, unsure whether to advise or not.
“Are you really Pipi’s fan?”
Under the guy’s gaze, Pipi chuckled, “I find it a bit hard to believe.”
“Really, my boyfriend is always bragging about how amazing Pipi’s novels are in our room. He drew inspiration from that author’s settings in many places while writing.”
The girl next to the guy seemed unaware of the current situation and helped explain, “Our bookshelf at home is filled with Pipi’s novels.”
“So, you’re…”
The corners of Pipi’s mouth twitched, “Haven’t you ever seen Pipi?”
“Uh…”
Even the guys behind Pipi, Cockroach Bully, and Poison Fang, couldn’t hold back and covered their mouths, suppressing laughter.
“What’s so funny? Why are you all laughing?”
The guy still couldn’t figure out what was wrong, “Is there something wrong with Pipi? What’s wrong with liking his novels? Don’t be so mysterious…”
“Nothing, nothing. I just think you might be a fake fan.”
In the end, Roach Bully couldn’t bear it any longer and stepped forward, “Since you claim to be Pipi’s fan, can’t you recognize him standing right here?”
“Standing right here?!”
The guy widened his eyes, looking at Pipi with an expression of disbelief, “You… you, uh, are Pipi himself?”
“If the Pipi you’re talking about is the one from the Yae-Do Novel Network, the Divine Pet Pipi… then indeed, that’s me.”
Pipi cleared his throat, “My bad, I don’t often show up offline, so it’s normal for fans not to recognize me in person.”
“Uh…”
The guy was thoroughly shocked.
He looked at Pipi, then at me, lowered his voice, and mouthed, “The friend you mentioned is actually Pipi? What kind of status do you have to know such a big shot…”
“I’m just an ordinary person. Pipi is, in fact, an ordinary person too. I used to write at the Yae-Do, and we were under the same editor.”
I gestured towards Pipi, indicating, “There you go, your idol is right here. Go get his autograph.”
“……”
……
In the end, Pipi signed the novel the guy had recently purchased. Following the editor-in-chief’s instructions, I successfully located Catnip, the editor, in the warehouse on the third floor, counting inventory.
“Arrived so early?”
Seeing me, Catnip set down the packing box in “their” hands and casually took a lollipop from the nearby shelf. “Here, an early Children’s Day gift for you.”
“……”
“I…”
Looking at the lollipop in Catnip’s hand, which had a colorful pattern, I didn’t know what expression to make for a moment. “I’m an adult, Editor.”
“No worries, adults can eat this too. There’s no rule against adults enjoying it.”
Catnip walked over directly, stuffing the lollipop into my shirt pocket. “How was the art exhibition?”
“It felt like mostly people from the Origin Network, and Honeydew seemed like they were just accompanying them.”
I spoke honestly, “There were also a lot of comics, but the atmosphere was quite good.”
“The Author’s Conference won’t start until the afternoon. You came a bit early.”
Catnip was dressed in a sky-blue shirt with the Honeydew logo, and “they” wore pants below. “Their” hairstyle was still the short-haired tomboy look from our previous video chat. This ensemble made it impossible for me to determine “their” gender even though we were so close.
“Is there a place around here to have lunch?”
I glanced at my phone and said, “Feeling a bit hungry.”
Originally, I had planned to discuss with the manager at the Wujia House apartment, and if the hygiene there was not up to par, I would take some time to tidy up a bit. However, when the landlord, Yang Kun, heard about my brother “Yin Shiren,” he immediately said there was no need to clean and refunded my rent. Therefore, I had to come over here earlier.
“The cafeteria is on the first floor. If you don’t like it, there’s a food street across the street from the main entrance with plenty of options.”
Catnip, the editor, patted the dust off her clothes and suggested, “Or should I take you there?”
“No need, I can go by myself.”
As I was about to leave the warehouse, the peculiar smell in the air made me pause. I sniffed curiously and asked, “Editor, do you have any spices here?”
“Spices?”
The editor in front of me was initially puzzled, but then she seemed to realize something. “Oh, you mean that. Yes, indeed.”
Following that, she brought out a large bag of finely ground, greenish herb debris from a big box behind her. “These, I’ll manually make into sachets later and distribute them to authors along with the Children’s Day gifts.”
I walked over somewhat puzzled, only to be overwhelmed by the airborne herb debris, making me step back repeatedly. “These… *cough, cough, cough*, what are these?”
This scent seemed to be some kind of perfume. The editor mentioned sachets, so it should involve sprinkling perfume on certain herbs to allow it to slowly evaporate and provide a fragrance. But this herb… why did the scent feel somewhat familiar?
“These herbs? It should be vanilla, catnip, and such. I’m not entirely sure.”
I was astonished, “Catnip?”
“Yeah, aren’t the contents of sachets usually a mix of various spices?” The editor looked nonchalant, “What’s the matter? Is there a problem with the Editor Catnip giving catnip sachets to her authors?”
At this moment, perhaps due to the effects of the herbs, I felt a bit dizzy. The once clear world gradually became somewhat ambiguous and blurry. Oh no, it seems like I… inhaled a good amount of those herb particles just now.
“Uh… nothing, well… Editor, is there a place here that usually has few people, and no cameras, even a small corner?”
“Fourth floor and above.”
Catnip seemed oblivious to any issue I might have, “Many rooms on the fifth and sixth floors are unoccupied, and some are even unfinished… What do you want?”
“I want to find a quiet place to write… *cough, cough* Editor, I’ll take my leave.”
As my breathing gradually intensified, I bid farewell to the editor, walked out of this small warehouse, and immediately dialed a call to Yin Xiamo, “Xiao… um, Xiao Mo.”
“Uh?”
Yin Xiamo on the other end of the phone was also panting, probably practicing driving: “What’s up, Nuo’er? Your voice is so charming.”
“I… Can you come over for a moment?”
For some reason, the thought of Yin Xiamo’s appearance, the feeling of being embraced by her in bed, made my heart beat faster, my cheeks flush, and even my tone of speech became much lower than usual.
“I’ve encountered a bit of… difficulty.”
As I spoke, I quickly ran up to the fifth floor of this super-large building.
Indeed, as Editor Catnip mentioned, everywhere seemed deserted, as if it hadn’t been developed yet, with no one in sight.
“Your voice? Hehe, I think I understand what’s going on.”
My panting seemed to give Yin Xiamo the wrong idea. In no time, a spatial rift opened beside me.
“Does the little kitty miss its owner?”
Just as she emerged from the crack, Yin Xiamo cast a gaze at me with an expression like a big wolf seeing a little lamb.
Following that, she licked her lips and walked towards me.
“Well then, I won’t be polite, okay?”
“……”
……