Walking the Path of a Workaholic in Cliché Novels (QT) Chapter 122

The next day, the news that “a senior comic artist had a narrow mind and lost both in comics and cultivation, and was hospitalized due to fainting due to a joke” once again made the tabloid headlines.

The first thing the ‘big boss’ saw when he woke up was this. He blushed and said, “This bitch! She is roasting me on the fire.”

However, neither ‘Yinong’ nor ‘Gu Pan’ used excessive words to ‘insult’ him, and Zhen Weilong couldn’t find a good reason to fight back. He was ashamed and annoyed, and stayed at home for the next two days, refusing to show up or answer calls from others.

In the outside world, the fainted Zhen Weilong had become a laughing stock in the comics circle, and being sharp-tongued and not easy to mess with also become a label for the two new cartoonists of “Huayou”. Of course, what they were most concerned about was this war of words that started off well but ended badly.

“So praising someone can be more infuriating than scolding them?”

Readers instantly understood this powerful weapon to deal with those with a “superiority complex” and “daddy style”: I am not scolding you, I am praising you, but is your status worthy of these words?

Young people who were free and rebellious by nature liked this reply very much, and it had become fashionable to imitate it everywhere. Following this favorable trend, the sales of “Huayou” magazine increased again, and the author “Gu Pan” became famous. Zhen Weilong, who had fainted from anger before, was killed.

“This scolding actually helped ‘her’?” This was really a case of losing the rice while trying to gain the chicken.

After thinking about it, he couldn’t just give up like that, so Zhen Weilong, who had been squatting at home for several days, shouted, “Bring me a pen!” Another thousand words were published in the newspaper the next day.

Zhen Weilong was so angry that he had given up his dignity as a “literary man” and directly attacked Gu Pan’s identity as a “female author”.

Of course, he was not blaming women for working in public, he was not so demented. He was blaming Gu Pan for erasing the masculine and powerful part of the male characters in the manga “Imperial Spirit Girl” because of her own feminine and soft characteristics, and portraying the female characters as brave and strong. This gender reversal setting would have a negative impact on society.

Hmm… An Yinong covered his cheek with his hands. He just let the heroine be responsible for fighting monsters and let the hero be responsible for assisting. Was that ‘gender inversion’? If this “big boss” knew that the heroine would be the ceiling of combat power in the future, he would definitely faint, right?

This question also attracted the attention of some non-comic fans, because there were many working women nowadays and the social atmosphere was open, which was the time when traditional ideas and modern ideas collided.

An Yinong didn’t want to say which one was absolutely correct, because different models were suitable for different people. However, wasn’t it too overbearing to directly overthrow another model just because you don’t like it or don’t accept it? This was no longer a problem within the comics community, but rather a problem with this person who was trying to make rules based on his own gender concepts.

An Yinong was still looking forward to the emergence of female cartoonists in the future to support half of the female-themed comics. If they were all killed now, what was the point of playing?

“Being positive, thoughtful and gentle are both very beautiful parts of human nature. This is not a choice between the two. Our lovely boys and girls can be both positive and thoughtful.

“As for Mr. Zhen’s accusation that men are too gentle, the same trait is considerate in women and gentlemanly in men. The men in our Hong Kong city are like steel to the outside world and like chests to their families. Iron men are tender-hearted and tigers sniff roses. That’s probably it, right?”

This time An Yinong responded in the name of “Yinong”. His tone was very gentle and polite, and one seemed to have the vague shadow of an elegant man, which was very similar to the feeling he gave in “The Legend of the Desert Heroes”. As a result, many people developed a good impression of “Yinong”.

They wrote letters to newspapers in support.

“Mr. Yinong is right. Gentleness is not exclusive to women, and strength is not exclusive to men.”

“I believe that even the most gentle woman can become strong for the one she loves, and even the most reckless and tough man can become soft and gentle for the one he loves.”

The mainstream aesthetic in Hong Kong at this time was still strong men and gentle women, but the extremely tolerant Hong Kong people also accepted cool handsome girls and gentle shy boys.

When Zhen Weilong saw that it was Yinong who was talking, he made some sarcastic remarks, suspecting that Yinong and Gu Pan had some kind of relationship beyond friendship, otherwise why did he look for Gu Pan, but Yinong came out to take the blame?

“So Mr. Zhen missed me so much that he got mad when he saw I wasn’t in the newspaper? Because I am busy reading readers’ letters and continuing to draw every day, I have never found time to pay attention to Mr. Zhen. I am so envious that Mr. Zhen has so much free time every day, unlike me.” From Gu Pan.

Was this irony? Irony that Zhen Weilong’s sales have hit rock bottom, so he has nothing to do all day long and was looking for trouble in the newspaper?

As expected of ‘Gu Pan’. She has a sarcastic aura that makes people who don’t know her think she was a very gentle person. Even when she was scolded, she just said this gently.

What? The meaning was already very sharp, so it was not gentle? Sorry, our eyes are selectively blind.

“How hateful.” Zhen Weilong glared at the newspaper, wishing he could tear it to pieces. However, the current situation was that he could not defeat four people with his own fists, so he had to find help. He thought of a person, no, a gang.

“Boss Hu, are you planning to make a movie? I know a script…”

Zhen Weilong was looking for people everywhere to get back at the situation, but the other party involved, An Yinong, was still working hard at home to finish his homework – he was so happy drawing comics that he didn’t start his summer homework. It was really embarrassing to talk about it. Just as he was racing against time, the parrot came to his window with a letter from Mr. X next door.

“You’re here?” An Yinong reached out and took off the small bottle from the bird’s leg.

The note slowly unfolded: “Is your toothache better? If the wisdom tooth causes repeated inflammation, it is better to remove it.”

An Yinong reflexively shook his head. No! He rubbed his face and continued reading.

“Summer vacation is almost over. Are you sure you don’t want to go out and relax, great cartoonist? -X”

Looking at the small note in his hand, he couldn’t help laughing, and wrote down: “In fact, I am rushing to finish my homework now. It would be great if there was a machine in the world that could turn words into sounds and read them to me by just taking a picture of them. – H”

In the evening, the parrot came back after eating and drinking, and brought a letter from his lovely neighbor. Mr. Xie was alone in his study, laughing. After he finished laughing, he thought, was it really impossible to have such a machine? Even if it cannot be made now, will it definitely not be made in the future?

“Maybe in a few years there will be a machine you want. If not, maybe I can try it for you. -X”

An Yinong, who got up early and received the letter, didn’t even bother to brush his teeth, and replied: “How can you help me? Do you want to read all the high school textbooks and exercise books first, record them and then send them to me? – H”

He was just joking, but Mr. Xie began to think about the possibility of this matter. Of course, he was not talking about recording the sound of reading the text.

At that time, cassettes were already a popular technology product in Hong Kong. People used cassettes to learn English, listen to music and various stories, so what An Yinong asked for was completely achievable. But he didn’t do it, which showed that the cassettes on the market today could not meet his requirements.

“What he needs is a more detailed and in-depth explanation.”

Mr. Xie said to himself: “Then why can’t we invite professional and excellent teachers to record and explain the text from the textbook, including the solution ideas, processes, and results of some math problems, as well as the understanding and answering skills of language subjects, etc.?”

He seemed to be born to know how to do business better than others, and he found profitable opportunities with just one sentence: Yes, why not?

Maybe his dear cartoonist has a tutor and doesn’t need this so urgently. But don’t the children of ordinary families who cannot get high-quality educational resources need this kind of excellent teacher’s in-depth and easy-to-understand explanation?

Mr. X did not write again, and An Yinong had no time to take care of him. In addition to finishing his homework, he also had to work on Yinong’s second comic book.

To be honest, there were too many people in Hong Kong who drew martial arts, and there were many outstanding cartoonists among them. So if Yinong wanted to become famous with martial arts, it would be more difficult, and he has to think of new themes. But now he was tied up with homework every day, where would he find the time to find new topics?

An Yinong sighed, lowered his head and continued to work on his homework.

Just when he thought his summer vacation would end with him rushing to finish his homework, Editor Qian called and said that someone wanted to buy the film rights to “Heroes of The Desert”.

“Can the copyright be sold after just one movie?” An Yinong was a little surprised.

Good things come too easily, which made people suspicious, so he called his eldest cousin, who was in charge of the family’s film and television company, and asked: “Brother, you want to buy the copyright of comics to make a movie. What is the general process and how much does it cost?”

Cousin He Tianheng was a little confused, but still answered truthfully: “I would ask someone to contact the cartoonist or publisher that owns the copyright. As for how much it costs… around 50,000. Famous ones will definitely be more expensive, and less famous ones can be bought for less than 10,000 or 20,000. So, does your publisher have the copyright to sell?”

“Yes, the first part of The Heroes of the Desert, someone asked.”

“Is this the name of the book that’s been very popular recently? Is it going on sale now? If it becomes more famous, maybe my company will contact you.”

“I’ll go take a look first. I haven’t decided whether to sign or not.”

The eldest cousin listened to An Yinong’s joyful voice and couldn’t help but remind him: “Before agreeing, you must check clearly what company it is. Don’t sign without transferring the money first. Nowadays, many gangsters use movies to launder money. They run shell companies. If you sign, you can’t get it back. It’s very troublesome.”

“Okay, thank you, brother.”

“You’re welcome. By the way, Atong, when are you coming to Big Brother’s house to play? Your sister-in-law has a cousin who just came back from abroad. Do you want me to introduce you to her?”

An Yinong was full of black lines: “Brother, I’m still young.”

“You’re not young anymore, let’s get to know each other first and get along with each other.”

After declining his cousin’s kindness, An Yinong called Editor Qian, agreed to the invitation, and set the time and place.

He did not care about the money from selling copyrights, but he cared a lot about the popularity that would be raised after the movie was made. Comics were a niche entertainment in Hong Kong, and if they could be made into movies, the benefits to the original work and the cartoonist would far outweigh the money.

“It would be better if we just sold the filming rights, and then we can wait until the technology gets better and the golden age of film and television arrives before we can start filming properly.”

On the appointed day, he went there in his usual clothes, and Editor Qian came earlier than him. Although the copyright was in An Yinong’s hands, Editor Qian, as the representative of the publishing house, also had to attend.

“Boss…” Editor Qian stood up. She looked nervous. “Am I okay like this? Do I look professional?”

An Yinong then noticed that she was wearing makeup, had her hair permed, and was wearing a very fashionable navy blue hip skirt suit.

“Not bad.” Editor Qian’s face really had nothing to do with the word ‘momentum’, and An Yinong didn’t understand why one had to be imposing when selling copyrights.

“That’s good. I was so nervous. Boss, aren’t you nervous?” Editor Qian noticed that An Yinong looked calm.

“What’s there to be nervous about? If we can’t come to an agreement and the copyright isn’t sold, I’ll just shoot the film with my cousin’s company. It won’t be a loss.” An Yinong said as a matter of fact.

“That’s right.” Editor Qian suddenly calmed down. She almost forgot that the young boss was a member of the He family, and they had their own film company. So whether the copyright was sold or not had no effect on the young boss at all. Maybe this money was not even as much as the money he received on his birthday.

There were only two of them in the box. After Editor Qian calmed down, she once again thought of the time she called him. The young boss gave her a feeling of being too mature and reliable, one could even say that he made her feel safe. That was when she subconsciously called him, right?

She turned her head and found An Yinong leaning on the chair, looking down and playing with something that looked like a small puzzle. His slightly long bangs fell, half covering his peach blossom eyes with teardrop moles.

His profile was extremely handsome, and every line was the result of careful carving by the Creator. A young man of sixteen.

“Knock, knock.” The sound from the door interrupted Editor Qian’s thoughts. She straightened her clothes and looked at the four people who came in. These four people…why didn’t they look like they were filming a movie? They were a group of a middle-aged man and three young people, with ordinary looks.

The middle-aged man had a buzz cut and wore a black suit, with two small scars on his face. The other three also wore suits, but they walked in a wiggly manner as if they had fleas on their bodies. They didn’t have the temperament of professional filmmakers at all, but more like… gangsters?

Editor Qian had heard a lot of rumors, and her heart was pounding. She stared at the two of them in a daze. An Yinong stood up and extended his hand: “Hello, ‘Glorious’ Entertainment?”

“Yeah.” The middle-aged man with a buzz cut held a toothpick in his mouth and looked An Yinong and Editor Qian up and down, “Which one of you is the one drawing?”