Chapter 4 incense sticks

1 The minute hand of the clock on the wall moved slightly, pointing to seven thirty in the evening.Almost at the same time, the phone rang.Atami Keisuke, who had been staring at the clock, looked at the gray telephone and swallowed. Finally the call came—— This time it should be the right call.There were several irrelevant calls today, some selling real estate and some selling insurance, but this time it should be a call from Zhiyingshe, a fateful call. Atami stood up and took a deep breath.The phone was still ringing, and frankly, he was a little scared to answer it.So far, he has heard the words "We deeply regret" notifying him of losing the election countless times. No matter how many times he has experienced it, the moment he heard those words, the sense of despair that surged up was unbearable.

The heartbeat was twice as fast as usual, and the beating amplitude seemed to be twice as violent. The agitation of the blood gushing from the carotid artery was transmitted to the eardrum. But not answering the phone is not okay.If he didn't pick up earlier, the other party might think that no one was home and hang up the phone, and he would only be more irritable than he is now. Atami held the microphone and picked it up slowly.He closed his eyes and held the microphone to his ear. "Hello, I'm Atami..." His voice changed as soon as he opened his mouth, and then became hoarse, without even the time to swallow.

"Hello." A male voice sounded: "I am a staff member of Zhiyingsha. Are you Mr. Atami Keisuke?" "Yes, I am." Sure enough, it was Zhiyingshe's call.pounding.Pounding. The other party paused for a moment, and then said: "Congratulations! The judging session for the Best Newcomer Award for Fiction has just ended, and the award-winning work is your "Poem of Strike the Iron." "Hey?" The hot blood rushed to the top of the head, and then rushed to the whole body within 0.1 second. "Really...really?" "Yes, it is true. Congratulations!"

Atami's body began to tremble.He couldn't pretend to be calm anymore, he paced back and forth with the microphone in his hand, and unconsciously clenched his other empty hand hard, with sweat dripping from his palm.Is this a dream?He had had this dream several times, but this time it was a true reality. Have I won an award, am I finally a writer— "Then, with all due respect, there is nothing wrong with the publication of the award-winning works in "Novel Zhiying" to be published next month, right?" "Yes, there is no problem." Atami was even more blissful.My novels will be published in magazines, and my words will be printed——

"When the award-winning works are published, the author's acceptance speech will also be published at the same time as scheduled. Can you write an article of about 200 words?" "I'll write right away, no problem, I can write as many words as I want." "Then can I trouble you to write it around this Wednesday? It can be mailed or faxed." "OK." There is a job coming so soon.As soon as he won the award, someone immediately asked him to write an article. The editor of Zhiyingshe introduced himself as Xiao Sakai.After Xiao Sakai explained his future plans to Atami in detail, he left his telephone and fax numbers and hung up.

Atami was stunned for a while.The coveted award is difficult to produce a sense of reality when it actually comes, which makes people anxious. Anyway, let's say good news first-- Atami picked up the microphone again.The relatives and friends who need to inform the good news can be counted in less than ten fingers. 2 oops. After hanging up the phone, Xiao Sakai began to smoke, and while exhaling the smoke, he let out a long breath.The selection of the semi-annual Best Newcomer Award for Fiction has finally come to an end. "Did you call the winners?" Chief Editor Qing Tian asked.

"Beat it." "By the way, what's the winner's name?" Qingtian picked up the documents that were placed on Xiao Sakai's desk, which contained the plot summary and the author's resume of the final candidates for the Novel Best Newcomer Award. "Oh, it's Keisuke Atami. He graduated from the Department of Literature at Taihei University and worked for an office equipment manufacturer... Such a dull experience, nothing interesting or special. I'm thirty-three years old. Where's the photo?" "it's here." Seeing the photo Xiao Sakai handed over, Qingtian frowned.

"Why, is this guy? It's not eye-catching at all. The writing is so cold and hard, but I was expecting to see if he looked cold, but he turned out to have a baby face, a little chubby, and he felt like a Bank employee." "I don't feel like a bank clerk, but like a salesman." "Really? But this way, people are not interested in publishing his coloring pages. Say he looks like a salesman. I'm afraid he can't even sell himself. There is no selling point at all." Qingtian put Atami's photo on Returning to the table, "What's the name of the award-winning work, Hit the Iron..."

"The Poem of Strike the Iron." "Yes, that work has no bright spots at all." "Yes." Sakai agreed.This is his sincere words. "Quite a dark work." "The writing is not flattering either." "There's still a description like 'gulking down a turkey sandwich with straight bourbon'." "Unexpectedly, in these years, there are still people writing this type of tough guy novels. I was shocked. But it's hard to say, maybe the jury members like this kind of cheeky writing." Qing Tian stroked his face. The unshaven beard said, "I originally hoped that the young female writer would win the award. What's her name? Let me think about it."

"It's Nanako Fujiwara. The work is "FLOWER FLOWER"." "That's right, it's Nana. She's awesome, she's pretty, and her figure is hot enough." Qingtian casually picked up a photo from Xiao Sakai's desk, needless to say, it was Nanako Fujiwara's photo.The photo is black and white, only showing the upper body, even so, Qingtian seems to be able to see her figure. "But her work was the first to lose." Most of the judges criticized Nanako Fujiwara's works as useless, thinking that her novels were naive and full of narcissism.Xiao Sakai also remembers that he was defeated as soon as he started studying.In addition to the poor writing, the plot of the novel is also vague.

"I should show the judges Nana's jade photos in advance, so the male judges may think differently." Qingtian still seemed a little unwilling to give up, but when he looked at his watch, his expression immediately changed, "Oh, don't say it, I almost have to go." The editor-in-chief picked up his coat.He is going to Ginza to receive the judges. "I'm going to make a call to Mr. Akao." "Oh, that's right. Then tell him for me, and we will have dinner together some other day. I also mentioned the serialization incident tactfully. If you don't blow the wind often, he will forget it in a blink of an eye." "Okay, I know." After the editor-in-chief left, Xiao Sakai yawned big, smoked another cigarette, and picked up the phone.He wanted to call the best-selling author Zentaro Akao. He had asked Akao to write a short story before, but if he didn't call to confirm, he might be completely forgotten. The clock pointed to nearly eight o'clock in the evening, and the night was uneventful, no different from usual. 3 "cheers!" Several wine glasses collided, and because of the momentum, the beer foam in one glass overflowed. It was Atami's glass.Atami hurriedly drank the beer as if trying to catch the overflowing foam, drank about two-thirds in one gulp, and then put the glass on the dining table. His friends applauded and congratulated him. "Thank you everyone." Atami bowed his head. "It's great to win an award," said Mitsumoto, who has been a good friend since joining the company. "You said before that you wanted to become a novelist. Now that you finally got your wish, I'm also happy for you." Atami also recalled what happened at that time. "In the past, every time I mentioned to people that I wanted to become a novelist, they almost said that being a writer was not easy, and that I was wishful thinking. Only Guangben told me that you will succeed." "I'm not trying to comfort him, but I really think so. Because Atami has had different ideas from the past, and has unique views on things, so I think he will be able to realize his dream." Mitsumoto's tone seems to be explaining to everyone. "Well, I understand, I understand. When Atami told me about his dream of being a writer in the past, I was also taken aback. This is what you said, he thinks differently from us ordinary people, right? So, some People are destined to become writers, because they are born with unique insights." My colleague Matsubara Miyoko emphasized. This is a small bar that Atami and the others frequent after get off work. Several colleagues who joined the company at the same time held a celebration party for him tonight. "Speaking of which, Atami has become a writer. How should I put it, I haven't realized it yet." A colleague named Ise said, "It's a bit bad to say this, but he is really good in the company. Not inconspicuous at all." "That's what's great about him. The so-called real people don't show their faces, isn't it?" Mitsumoto retorted, "So he made a big splash in this important field of literature, which is completely different from mediocre people." "That's right. We racked our brains to write two or three pages of reports, but Atami has the ability to write novels. I'm really impressed." Ise raised his glass and toasted Atami. "Where is your novel published?" Mitsumoto asked Atami. "It was published in the magazine "Novel Zhiying"." After hearing Atami's answer, the colleagues around sighed. "It's amazing." "A writer worthy of the name." "I really didn't expect such a person to appear beside us." Everyone was scrambling to pour beer into Atami's glass. "From now on, others should call you master." Miyoko Matsubara's gaze became ecstatic. "Please don't call me that, I'm not qualified to be a master." After finishing speaking, Atami drank his beer, and the "master" just now echoed in his heart.Master—— "What are you going to do with the company?" Ise asked.Upon hearing this question, everyone stopped talking and looked at Atami.It seems like everyone cares about this. "Well, I'm thinking about it over and over again." Atami said carefully, "I think I should balance work and writing for the time being." "Are you going to step on two boats?" "That's right." "That's great!" Ise said loudly enviously, "Many people hold on to one job and are afraid of being laid off. I didn't expect that someone could hold two jobs. Sure enough, those who have the ability are amazing." "But once you get busy with work, will it be difficult to take care of it?" Guangben showed a worried look. "Yeah. I'm working on my second novel right now and feel like I could have more time. I don't want the quality of my work to be compromised because I'm pressed for time. That's not what professional writers do." After hearing this, everyone nodded with longing expressions. "I said, sooner or later you will launch an impact on the Naomoto Award?" Miyoko Matsubara mentioned that this award is the most important literary award in Japan. "It will take a while." Atami admits casually, "But I will not write for the sake of winning awards, I will only write about the subjects I want to write about. In this sense, I must also choose the publishing house. I don't want to be with I want to deal with places where I insist on a certain style label, but I plan to cooperate with Zhiyingshe for the time being, and I will vote for them for the second novel first." "Oh, look forward to it." "Master Atami," Ise handed out a loose-leaf notebook and a ballpoint pen, "Excuse me, can you sign my name here?" "Huh, signature?" "Yes, can I?" "Signature is fine." "Ah, I want it too!" Others also left the table and came over. "Oops, I want an autograph too!" In no time the party turned into an autograph session. 4 The internal phone rang, and it was the front desk who called, asking Xiao Sakai to come out, saying that there was a visitor named Atami. "Atami? Who is it?" Xiao Sakai asked suspiciously, "Did he say he came to see me?" "Yes, he said to find Xiao Sakai, the editor of "Novel Zhiying"..." Xiao Sakai took out the notepad and turned to today's page, where today's work schedule was memorized in a mess, and there was a line of messy handwriting: "Mr. Atami (Rookie Award) around 16 o'clock". Now Sakai remembered.He once asked Atami, the author of the Newcomer Award, to proofread the sample manuscript. Originally, it would be fine to fax it, but Atami said that he would send it to Zhiyingshe. Xiao Sakai told the front desk to come over immediately, then left his seat and walked to the editor-in-chief Qing Tian. "Atami is here, do you want to meet him?" Xiao Sakai asked. Qingtian frowned.His eyebrows are very thick, and the brows are also full of hairs, which seem to be connected into a whole. "Atami? Who is he?" "Winner of the Newcomer Award." "Oh." Qingtian suddenly lost interest, "I won't go." "That's it." "Speaking of which, what's the situation over there at Akao?" "I haven't delivered the manuscript yet. I called him just now, but no one is at home. It's a phone message." "I really lost to him." Qingtian scratched his head, "You must try to catch him tonight." "Understood." After speaking, Xiao Sakai left from the editor's desk. Now Xiao Sakai's mind is full of thoughts about Akao Zentaro's original manuscript.Just as he was worried, the agreed delivery date had already passed, but none of Akao's manuscripts had been delivered.This Akao-san is a super busy best-selling author, and Xiao Sakai never expected to receive his short stories on time, but the time is too tight. If at least half of the manuscripts are not received today, what will happen next? will be quite severe. Xiao Sakai walked to the hall and saw a fat man in a suit waiting there.Although I have seen pictures of Atami before, this is the first time we actually met today.After a brief greeting, the two sat down facing each other. "I won't say polite words, did you bring the proofs?" "Yes, that's it." Atami held a briefcase with great care, and he took out a stack of copy paper from the briefcase. Xiao Sakai quickly browsed through it.The winning works of the Newcomer Award are usually published directly as much as possible at the time of submission, and the proofs are simply proofreading for errors and omissions in the text. "Okay. Thank you for sending me here." After finishing speaking, Xiao Sakai leaned forward and was about to stand up. "Excuse me," Atami said suddenly, "how about the illustrations in the novel?" "Illustration? What do you mean by 'how'?" "I want to know who will draw it." "Oh, that's..." Xiao Sakai opened the notepad, "It was drawn by the painter Daikichi Marukane." After hearing this, Atami twisted his expression in dissatisfaction. "Is this the person who painted it? I don't have much impression of him. He is not a top-notch talent among painters. I think Toji Kageyama's painting style is very suitable for my novel." "Oh, is it?" "Can I invite Mr. Kageyama to draw?" Atami said calmly. Xiao Sakai was taken aback, looked at his expression, it didn't look like he was joking. "Oh, this is a bit..." "It can't be done, can it?" "Mr. Marukin's painting has been submitted." "That's right." Atami pouted her lips in dissatisfaction, "I originally hoped to discuss with me before deciding on the candidate." "very sorry." Xiao Sakai was about to stand up and say goodbye, when Atami suddenly said "ah, there is one more thing", and pulled him back to his seat. "I brought this." Atami took out a large brown paper bag from his briefcase. "what is this?" "The first work written after winning the award." "what?" "So it's a new work." "Is it written so soon?" "The manuscript was written before, and now it has been revised. The protagonist of "The Poem of Strike the Iron" will use Hong Kong as the stage to start the battle this time." "That's right." Xiao Sakai glanced at the kraft paper bag, which contained at least 100 sheets of paper printed out by a word processor. If converted to original paper, it should be no less than 300 sheets. "There are quite a few pages." "If it is difficult to publish at one time, serialization is also possible." Atami leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs. "I see. I'll take it back to the editorial department and study it." "I'm sorry to trouble you. Oh, and I hope Toji Kageyama will do the illustration this time." "Oh, we'll think about it then." As soon as Xiao Sakai returned to his seat in the office, his colleagues greeted him: "Xiao Sakai, Mr. Akao's phone number." "Oh! Here it comes!" He rushed to the phone.The proofs I received from Atami just now were placed on the table, and the kraft paper bag was stuffed into the cardboard box at my feet. The side of the cardboard box was marked "Other Sent Manuscripts (No Publication Plan)" with a marker. 5 Seeing the October issue of "Novel Zhiying" in the bookstore, with the title "Announcement of Novel Zhiying Newcomer Award" on the cover, Atami felt dizzy for a moment.Of course, it's a swoon of joy. Atami thought to himself, ah, finally, I have finally realized my dream of being on the Japanese literary scene.He picked up a copy of "Novel Zhiying" with trembling hands, and wanted to turn to the catalog page, but his fingers hardly obeyed. After finally opening the catalog page, Atami browsed quickly and found—— "Novel Shining British Newcomer Award announced that the winning work is "The Poem of Strike the Iron" by Keisuke Atami" Atami read this line again and again, and almost couldn't help laughing out loud.He suppressed his smile, and took all the "Novel Zhiying" magazines there into his hands. The female clerk in the bookstore cast a surprised look at him, as if wondering why someone would buy five copies of the same novel magazine at once. "Uh, actually," Atami said while opening the catalog page, "This newcomer award winner is me. There are photos here, so you can tell at a glance." The female shop assistant nodded slightly after comparing the photos in the magazine with his appearance. "Indeed." "Yes, there is nothing wrong with it." "It's amazing that I won the Newcomer Award." "Where, you won the prize." Probably because they heard the conversation between the two, the customers next to him began to look at Atami one after another.He felt embarrassed, but it was a pleasure to be in the limelight. That night, according to the proposal of all the relatives, a celebration party was held for him at Atami's parents' house.The dining table was arranged in a コ shape, Atami sat on the top seat, and the elderly parents sat on both sides.Parents have always disapproved of their son writing novels, but now they seem to be full of joy. "Oh, I never dreamed that Gouzi would become a writer. This man, after living for a long time, he can occasionally meet happy events." The father became a little drunk, and his tone of voice became weird, and his face was full of alcohol and excitement. It's flushed red. "In the past, you always said you were worried about Keisuke, but now you don't have to worry about anything. The writer is amazing." The uncle also had a pleasant expression. Atami took out the "Novel Zhiying" that had just been released, and everyone circulated the page where the news of the newcomer award was published. "It's amazing. The judges are all such famous writers. This award is worth a hundred times." "Keisuke, can your novel be published?" Aunt asked, "For example, there are many types of booklets and library books?" "That's right." Atami nodded to her aunt, "My "The Poem of Strike the Iron" is a short story, and it is impossible to publish this one alone, but I have already written the second novel, and I think it can be published in two." put together a book." "Oh, that's right." "Is the second novel also in this magazine?" my father asked. "Yeah. But the second part is longer and may be serialized in installments. The editorial department said it will consider it." "The publisher should be very happy to write the next work so soon?" "Maybe. Because a lot of writers have a great first novel, and then they're exhausted." "You won't, you have been very good at creating interesting stories since before." Father showed a happy expression of Mr. Haohao. "Since it's a novel that won the Newcomer Award, it should be a big hit when it's published, right?" the cousin lowered his voice slightly, "How many copies will it probably sell?" "I don't know." Atami put on an expression of indifference to this question, and drank a glass of wine in one go. "I don't know the details, but I heard that for the Idogawa Danpo Award for mystery novels, the winning works can sell 100,000 copies." "One hundred thousand copies? The income is probably called royalties. Authors seem to get 10% of the book price. If the book is priced at 2,000 yuan, it is..." The cousin folded his arms and pondered for a moment, His eyes widened involuntarily, and his mouth opened wide. "Twenty million yuan? Is there twenty million yuan in the account?" "Oh!" There was a commotion at the table. "Good guy, isn't this a sudden fortune?" Uncle yelled wildly, "That's great, brother, this way you can retire comfortably." "Where, it would be great if it went so smoothly." As he said, his father narrowed his eyes. The mother was covering the corners of her eyes, crying with joy. "I really didn't expect such a happy event. It is worth my hard work to raise this child." Perhaps infected by her tears, several aunts also took out their handkerchiefs. "You can rest assured, Mom." Atami said to her mother, "I will take care of you from now on, you don't have to worry about anything." His words made everyone weep more and more. After ten o'clock in the evening, the party is over.Uncle was very drunk, so Atami decided to send him to the door.His uncle's house was about 200 meters away from Atami's parents' house. Although his daughter Satomi accompanied him back home, he was so drunk that he was unconscious and could not be supported by a girl. "Keisuke, I have caused you trouble." On the way back, Satomi apologized to Atami. "It's nothing. It's really not easy for you, Satomi." Atami said while supporting his uncle. "No, I'm used to it, and I think it's okay." Satomi is five years younger than Atami, her mother passed away very early, and father and daughter depend on each other for life.It is said that she has not married for a long time because she cannot let go of her father. "Speaking of which, Keisuke, you are so amazing that you have become a writer." "It's just passable." "You have already become a star, and you will definitely become even more remarkable in the future. Your reputation will become more and more famous, and you will also appear on TV, becoming an existence beyond our reach." "There will be no such thing." Atami said firmly, "I am who I am. Even if I become a writer and enjoy a great name, I will never forget everyone." "Really? I always feel a little scared, afraid that Keisuke will become a different person." "I won't change, we've agreed." "real?" "real." Atami stopped.Satomi also stood still, and the two stared at each other. Just then, my uncle woke up. "Huh? Where is this? No more wine?" "Dad, you really..." "Uncle, tonight's party is over." Atami helped his uncle to walk forward again.Satomi looked at him and smiled. 6 "Atami, come here." The section chief has been looking at a certain document with a straight face since just now, and now he seems to have made up his mind to call Atami over. Atami was deliberating on the idea of ​​the novel in his seat, and after answering "yes" coldly, he stood in front of the head of the class's desk. "What's up?" "I said you, the recent performance is very bad. Don't be in a daze at the company, how about going to the field?" "I have a report to sort out today." "Report? You don't look like you're busy with this." "I'm synthesizing ideas." "If you're just thinking about it, you can think about it while visiting customers. You have to improve your work efficiency and work efficiently. Don't forget that even when you are absent-minded, the company still pays you. ——You are What eyes, do you have any dissatisfaction?" The section chief looked up at Atami through gold-rimmed glasses. "No." Atami shook his head.He changed his mind and felt that there was no point in talking to such a person here. "If you know, go quickly. Your dawdling time here is enough for you to visit a client." The section chief waved his hands again and again, as if chasing flies. Colleagues seemed to be spying on what was going on here, and Atami left the office amidst these gazes.He got into the pickup truck he usually used for business, started the engine, and drove off roughly. Atami thought, why do I have to be bossed around by that person?Why do I have to be scolded like that?Me, I'm a professional writer who won the Newcomer Award. He was jealous - Atami concluded.The subordinate who had always looked down on him suddenly won a lofty position that he could not dream of. He was anxious and confused, and he didn't know what to do.Yes, it must be so.If you say incompetent, that person is. The road was more congested than usual, Atami smacked his lips impatiently, and inadvertently looked to the side of the road, where there was a small bookstore, and a young woman was standing in front of the literature and art bookshelf to browse. He couldn't help but imagine his book on the shelf, and imagined the scene of everyone reaching out to pick up the book in his heart.That was an exciting and trembling scene. He had dreamed about it countless times before, but now it was no longer an illusory dream, but it was close at hand and within reach. As long as the novel sells well, you can get 20 million, 30 million—— He remembered his current salary.Being scolded by that stupid boss, nodding and bowing to the client, I only get so little money.From this point of view, perhaps it is better to quit my job and focus on creation. It's something he's been thinking about lately.The idea of ​​resigning to create is very tempting, and he can't get rid of it. Atami arrived at the client's company by car. As soon as he entered the office, the president suddenly changed color and stood up. "Hey, let me tell you, that machine isn't working, it's broken again. What happened?" "Huh? Is that so?" "What's that? I bought the machine because you said it was the latest model, but at a critical moment, I lost the chain and couldn't do the work. I just asked your company, and it is said that the machine is not just my family. , and other customers also complained." The president blushed and spat. Atami wanted to say if it was my fault, but she held back and apologized, "I'm really sorry." "This is what you sold to us. You have to be responsible for finding a solution. It must be resolved today." Atami agreed and contacted the company. Unexpectedly, the reply was that all the after-sales service personnel had been dispatched and could not go to repair it today. Atami told the president of the negotiation results, and the president became even more furious. "That means we have to sit in the back row? Don't you take us seriously? In short, it's just because you're an idiot that you end up like this. Find a way out!" "You say idiot..." "Since you are an idiot, of course I will call you an idiot. Ever since you were in charge of our company, nothing good has happened to you. I heard that your performance in the sales office is also the bottom, isn't it? You can't be like you." "...Anyway, I'll contact the after-sales service department to have a look." "Then you call quickly. Don't plan to go back if you don't want to find a way." Atami dialed the phone to the company, while repeating what the president said just now in his heart.fool?I?Me, the award-winning novelist of the Sun Ying Ying Newcomer Award? The phone call from the company's after-sales service department was connected, and Atami negotiated again, but things didn't turn around.The person in charge who answered the phone was probably very busy, so his tone became impolite. "It should be your job to appease customers, right? You should figure out how to solve this problem yourself. If the customer says what they say, it will be what they say. Even a puppet can do this kind of work." puppet? ——Atami was about to retort, but the other party had already closed the line. "How?" asked the president behind him, "Is there any way?" "This..." "Is it still not working?" "yes." "Bastard!" The president kicked the table next to him away.The ashtray on the table fell in response, hitting Atami's feet, the pain made him burst into tears. Even so, the president was not relieved, and cursed people endlessly.What is incompetent, useless, useless. A small hole opened in Atami's heart, which quickly expanded, and hot things poured in. "It's a mistake to let someone like you run the business. No, it should be said that there is a company willing to hire you, which is strange enough in itself. People like you, people like you...Hey, where are you going? ?” Ignoring the president's scolding, Atami left the client's office and got into the car again. A few minutes later, the phone rang, and it was the head of the class. "Hey, you left the client alone, where did you go?" the section chief's voice was angry. "I'm in the car." Atami replied. "In the car? What do you want to do?" "nothing." "What did you say..." The head of the section was speechless for a while at the unexpected reaction of his subordinates. "Let's not talk about this, section chief, I have something else to say." Atami said lightly, "It's very important." 7 Including Xiao Sakai, the editors of "Fiction Zhiying" are all big heads.The next month's issue of the magazine is about to be published, but because a famous writer has deserted, there are not enough manuscripts to fill the magazine's space. "It's really a surrender. If it's only twenty or thirty pages short, it's fine, but now it's nearly a hundred pages short!" Qingtian murmured. "Xiao Sakai, do you have any original manuscripts? The manuscripts delivered to your door, the manuscripts for newcomers, do you have any such?" "Yes, there are." Xiao Sakai looked down at the cardboard box at his feet. "Oh, how about this one? It seems that the number of pages is enough. If it exceeds a hundred pages, it can be serialized in two or three times. The name is "The Journey of the Lone Wolf"? It's really cold. Whose work is this?" "Atami's, Atami Keisuke." "Atami? Who is this?" Hearing Xiao Sakai's reply that he was the winner of the Newcomer Award, Qingtian nodded. "It's the novel written by the lackluster man. I didn't expect to have written the second one. How do you feel?" "No." Xiao Sakai said bluntly, "The plot is unremarkable, the characters have no personality, and the writing style is also the same, which is not flattering. To put it bluntly, it is an amateur-level novel." "That's true. I also think that person is not good, and he doesn't have the talent of a writer at all." Xiao Sakai threw the original manuscript of "The Journey of the Lone Wolf" directly into the trash can next to it. "The publishing department doesn't seem to plan to publish his award-winning works." At this time, the phone rang.Qing Tian, ​​who was closest to the phone, picked up the phone: "Hi, this is "The Novel Zhiying"." The other party seemed to have announced his name, and Qingtian showed a surprised expression after hearing this. "Mr. Atami? Uh, I don't know where you are, Mr. Atami?" Xiao Sakai pointed at the trash can, Qingtian couldn't help opening his mouth wide, and nodded knowingly. "Oh, oh, it's that Mr. Atami. Hello, hello, I was taken care of at that time. I am the editor-in-chief Qingtian. How is your situation after that..." Qingtian kept talking with a smile on his face, but the next moment , his expression froze. "Hey, what did you say?" he called out loudly. The editors all looked at him. "That's not appropriate. Atami-san, you'd better reconsider...Huh? Have you handed in your resignation letter? How could it be...it's nothing, it's just that..." Qingtian's face turned pale. The editors sensed what was going on, and one by one they tiptoed away.