Even though it was just him and Lin Yuan having a meal, Sun Yaohuo still ordered a table full of dishes, which even Lin Yuan couldn’t help but comment on:

“Stop ordering, we can’t finish it.”

Sun Yaohuo laughed, “Junior, don’t be so polite with me. Want some wine?”

Lin Yuan shook his head.

Sun Yaohuo said, “Then we won’t drink.”

Lin Yuan nodded, “Waiter, two servings of rice, please.”

Sun Yaohuo waved his hand, “I’m on a diet recently, no rice for me.”

Lin Yuan gave him a curious look, “I ordered it for myself.”

Sun Yaohuo: “…”

As soon as the rice arrived, Lin Yuan started eating heartily, determined not to waste this feast.

Sun Yaohuo chuckled, “Nutrition experts say that people who eat less rice age slower. Junior, you should eat more vegetables.”

Lin Yuan looked at Sun Yaohuo seriously, “I have a friend who didn’t eat for ten days, and now he’s forever eighteen.”

Sun Yaohuo: “…”

Lin Yuan frowned, “Wasn’t that joke funny?”

He thought he was being humorous.

Sun Yaohuo was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter, “It’s hilarious, absolutely hilarious, I’m dying of laughter, hahaha!”

How humble can one be?

The waiter gave Sun Yaohuo a strange look, understanding the meaning of forced laughter for the first time.

“Ahem.”

After laughing for a while, Sun Yaohuo quietly lowered his head to eat.

Actually, he was just thinking about how to comfort Lin Yuan.

Because he couldn’t tell that Lin Yuan was joking, seeing Lin Yuan’s serious expression, he thought the other really had a friend who got into trouble from not eating for too long…

“Those who eat are wise.”

After a few seconds, Lin Yuan asked, “Was this one funny?”

Sun Yaohuo raised his head in confusion, then laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, “Hahahahahahaha.”

Right.

Lin Yuan suddenly remembered, this world doesn’t have the Three Kingdoms, so naturally, it doesn’t have the saying “those who recognize the times are wise.”

So what exactly was Sun Yaohuo laughing at?

Lin Yuan looked at him sympathetically.

It seems the senior has a low threshold for humor.

Thus, for the first time, the two reached a tacit understanding and each focused on their meal.

Halfway through eating, Sun Yaohuo tried to liven up the atmosphere again, “I’ve listened to your two recent songs, Junior, and I really like them!”

Although he was trying to lighten the mood, Sun Yaohuo was sincere in his words.

When “Life Like Summer Flowers” became a hit, while the company was discussing Xian Yu, some people said Xian Yu might have just been lucky to write that song.

Influenced by this opinion, Sun Yaohuo also once thought Lin Yuan might be in that situation.

But he didn’t expect Lin Yuan to write two more songs afterward, both of which became very popular. This junior is simply a genius; meeting him back then was definitely a stroke of luck!

Lin Yuan politely said, “Thank you.”

Sun Yaohuo smiled, somewhat yearning, “I guess in the future, only the company’s top singers will be able to collaborate with you, Junior. The minimum standard for collaborating with you now is someone like Zhao Yingge.”

Lin Yuan shook his head, “Too expensive.”

Sun Yaohuo was taken aback, “What’s too expensive?”

Lin Yuan said, “Don’t you know? The revenue share for big names is very high.”

Sun Yaohuo laughed, thinking Lin Yuan was joking again, “Could it be that you want to keep collaborating with newcomers? That would be too fortunate for the company’s newcomers. If I could collaborate with you, Junior, I wouldn’t even ask for a share. I, Yaohuo, don’t want a share!”

Want to be popular, don’t want a share?

This is the self-cultivation of a tool person.

Lin Yuan’s eyes lit up, “Really?”

Sun Yaohuo increasingly appreciated Lin Yuan’s sense of humor, “Of course it’s true. Junior, don’t make fun of me. At your level, you wouldn’t consider me anymore, but that’s okay. I’m already grateful you helped me debut. Thanks to you, I’m doing quite well now. Although I’m not hugely popular, I can still occasionally get some gigs.”

“Senior.”

Lin Yuan re-evaluated Sun Yaohuo in front of him, “Do you have a vocal range of three octaves?”

“Huh?”

Sun Yaohuo said, “My comfort zone is between D2 and A4, my mixed voice range is C2 to C5, and my falsetto highest note is currently A5.”

Lin Yuan pondered, “That’s enough.”

Sun Yaohuo was puzzled, “What’s enough?”

“Nothing, let’s eat.” Lin Yuan said.

It’s not time yet; he needs to wait a bit before releasing a new song.

However, Senior Sun Yaohuo could become the tool person for “Red Rose.” His vocal tone and range meet Lin Yuan’s requirements, and his emotional expression in singing is also spot on.

Of course, that’s not the decisive factor.

…

A few days later, at Silver Blue Library.

The Chief Editor looked at Yang Feng, “I read the ‘Prince of Tennis’ you submitted. To be honest, it’s very well-written. The character development and writing style are so mature, it’s almost unlike a newcomer. The only issue is that the audience for this genre is too narrow!”

“But it wins by being fresh.”

Yang Feng argued, “Judging from the 100,000-word plot and the outline sent by the author, it seems like a good story. Maybe readers want to try something new recently. After all, the market’s themes are becoming very homogeneous, and readers inevitably experience aesthetic fatigue.”

“Old Shen, what do you think?”

The Chief Editor looked at the Deputy Chief Editor on the right.

The Deputy Chief Editor pondered, “Because the genre is too niche, I also don’t have high hopes for ‘Prince of Tennis,’ but from the story’s perspective, it would be a pity to give it up. How about we compromise?”

“What do you mean?”

“After reviewing all the submissions, we could consider placing it fifth in this Supernova Awards. Additionally, be conservative with its publication, initially printing 100,000 copies. The top four will follow the usual rule, starting with 500,000 copies.”

The Supernova Awards only select five books.

Normally, the initial print run for all five books would start at 500,000 copies, but given the uncertain prospects for ‘Prince of Tennis,’ the Deputy Chief Editor wanted to be cautious and test the market with an initial print of 100,000 copies.

“I agree.”

The Chief Editor thought for a moment, then nodded, and immediately smiled wryly, “Let’s use this as a trial. I also want to diversify the market’s themes. After all, the consequence of thematic homogeneity is borne by the entire publishing industry. For this reason, haven’t several other major publishers in Qinzhou recently launched some new themes? As a market giant, Silver Blue Library can’t fall behind, even though most of these new theme attempts have failed. I believe that’s what you mean, Yang Feng.”

Yang Feng nodded.

He acknowledged that the sales of ‘Prince of Tennis’ might not match the top four of the Supernova Awards, but the market needs new themes to emerge, and the emergence of new themes must be guided by publishers. Only when the market sends the signal that “publishers are willing to accept new themes” will newcomers not all rush to write about otherworldly adventures.

From this perspective, Chu Kuang benefited from a wave of dividends.

Because if only considering sales, with such a narrow audience for ‘Prince of Tennis,’ it would likely not get a publishing opportunity. Therefore, an initial print of 100,000 copies is already a good result for this work.

“Alright then.”

The Chief Editor decided, “Yang Feng, first get in touch with Chu Kuang and have him send over another 100,000 words or so. We’ll announce the top five of the Supernova Awards at the end of January, and the five books will be officially published in February.”

“Understood.”

Yang Feng nodded.