Chapter 56: The Guest

Chapter 56: The Guest

He Qingxiao had merely been busy with a case. When he finally found the time to visit Qingsong Bookstore, he discovered that the bookstore had undergone a dramatic transformation.

Originally a quiet place where he could read in peace, it was now bustling with people, lively and vibrant.

For a moment, He Qingxiao thought he had taken a wrong turn. He turned around and saw Gu Zhanger, the owner of Yaxin Bookstore, standing alone at its entrance.

He hadn't made a mistake; indeed, business at Qingsong Bookstore had picked up.

He Qingxiao didn't want to join the crowd but, as he turned to leave, he overheard people discussing that the new storybook *Painted Skin* had started selling at Qingsong Bookstore.

He Qingxiao wasn't particularly fond of reading storybooks, but thinking of the girl who remained calm no matter what, he decided to buy one, just to show support.

He Qingxiao joined the queue of people buying the storybook. When it was his turn to pay, the clerk, Liu Zhou, thought he must have been seeing things.

"Sir He, you're buying this book?" Liu Zhou couldn't help but confirm, worried he might have grabbed the wrong one.

"Mm."

"Oh, oh, here you go."

Once He Qingxiao left the bookstore, Liu Zhou rushed to Hu Zhanger. "Boss, today is truly unusual—Sir He bought *Painted Skin*!"

Hu Zhanger glanced at the young clerk, unperturbed. "Calm down. What's so strange about Sir He buying *Painted Skin*?"

Liu Zhou silently looked up at the sky.

There was nothing strange about it, except it was the first time he had seen Sir He pay for a book.

If not for his position as the Chief of Jinlin Guard and a Marquis, Liu Zhou would have suspected Sir He was broke.

At this moment, Hu Zhanger suddenly called out to the young master.

A young man walked in, none other than Shen Ning, the former owner of Qingsong Bookstore.

Shen Ning gently fanned himself, correcting Hu Zhanger. "I'm no longer the young master. Boss, call me Master Shen from now on."

Indeed, from now on, he would be purely a storybook enthusiast.

No more principles or integrity; he would buy storybooks from whichever bookstore he liked.

"Master Shen," Hu Zhanger adjusted to the new title, "are you here to buy *Painted Skin*?"

"I've already sent someone to buy it. Boss, I came today to ask quietly if there's a sequel to *Painted Skin* yet?"

"It's already being engraved."

Shen Ning's eyes lit up. "Boss, you must have read the rest, right? Tell me—"

Hu Zhanger refused without hesitation. "That's confidential."

"Boss, you can't be so heartless!"

At this moment, Shen Ning regretted selling the bookstore for the first time.

If he were still the owner of Qingsong Bookstore, he could read whatever he wanted. Even if Mr. Songling hadn't finished writing, he could lock him in a room until he did!

After listening to the former owner's ramblings, Hu Zhanger delivered a harsh reality check: "Mr. Songling was discovered by the new owner."

Without the new owner's generous investment, how could they have found such a talented writer?

"Indeed, your new owner is extraordinary." Shen Ning left the bookstore with regret.

Hu Zhanger was momentarily confused.

Could Master Shen know that the new owner understood physiognomy?

Even Liu Zhou chimed in, confirming Shen Ning's statement. Hu Zhanger finally grew suspicious. "Tell me, in what way is the new owner extraordinary?"

"Boss, didn't you say the new owner is extraordinary?"

The boss and the clerk exchanged glances.

"Should we both share our thoughts?"

What secrets could the boss and the clerk not share?

Liu Zhou spoke first. "Actually, the new owner only spent ten thousand taels to buy our bookstore."

What? A partnership to make a profit of ten thousand taels?

Hu Zhanger's eyes widened. No wonder the new owner said to print boldly, without worrying about money.

When Hu Zhanger shared his secret, Liu Zhou's eyes also widened.

The new owner actually knew physiognomy!

He also thought of something. "Boss, do you think Mr. Songling was discovered through physiognomy? The new owner must have seen Mr. Songling's face and predicted he would become a great storyteller!"

Hmm—makes sense!

With their secrets exchanged, the boss and the clerk looked at Xin You with even greater enthusiasm.

Following the new owner's lead, the bookstore's future was limitless!

Xin You felt perplexed.

Why did she feel like Hu Zhanger and Liu Zhou were looking at her the same way Xiaolian occasionally did?

Unlike the jubilant atmosphere at Qingsong Bookstore, the mood at Yaxin Bookstore across the street was far from cheerful.

"People have been buying *Painted Skin* nonstop over there. Even Lord He came out holding a copy of *Painted Skin*."

Upon hearing the report from his clerk, Shopkeeper Gu's face darkened.

He wasn't blind; could he not see what was happening across the street?

This couldn't go on.

"Go and put out the additional copies of *Butterfly Fairy*."

Following Shopkeeper Gu's instructions, *Butterfly Fairy*, which was supposed to be restocked after some time, was brought out early. They even mimicked Qingsong Bookstore by posting an announcement on the outer wall.

"*Butterfly Fairy* is back in stock? What a pity. I had saved money for *Butterfly Fairy*, but everyone kept saying how good *Painted Skin* was, so I couldn't resist and bought *Painted Skin* instead."

"Me too."

"Oh, me too."

"Don't feel bad. A friend who bought both told me that *Painted Skin* is much better than *Butterfly Fairy*."

"Really?"

"As frequent buyers of storybooks, would we lie about this?"

"I'll go buy *Painted Skin* right now. I almost couldn't resist before, wanting to save money for *Butterfly Fairy*."

Shopkeeper Gu was secretly pleased to see a crowd gathering around the announcement, but soon noticed that those who read it didn't enter their bookstore; instead, they headed straight for Qingsong Bookstore, emerging with copies of *Painted Skin* in hand.

"Why is this happening?" Shopkeeper Gu murmured, deeply shaken.

He didn't understand, couldn't comprehend, and couldn't make sense of it!

But one thing was clear to him: if Yaxin Bookstore did not come up with a countermeasure, they were finished.

After much deliberation, Shopkeeper Gu still couldn't decide and had to consult the owner.

The owner of Yaxin Bookstore was a young man around the same age as Chen Ning, who seemed much more reliable.

Hearing Shopkeeper Gu's report, the man sneered coldly, "Don't lose your composure, Shopkeeper. Qingsong Bookstore has pulled all sorts of stunts and took advantage of our recent release to sell their new book. People naturally seek novelty; we don't know how the second part of *Painted Skin* will fare. We should spend more money to get Mr. Ping An to write a new book quickly. With Mr. Ping An's reputation, can he be overshadowed by an unknown author?"

"The owner is right." Shopkeeper Gu immediately invited Mr. Ping An and urged him to write a new book.

Mr. Ping An had just finished writing *Butterfly Fairy* and was feeling drained, intending to take a few months off. However, he couldn't resist the high offer from Yaxin Bookstore and began to rack his brains to write again.

Yaxin Bookstore kept their new move under wraps, and for a while, the talk of the capital was all about Qingsong Bookstore's new storybook, with many storytellers in teahouses starting to recount *Painted Skin*.

People continued to flock to Qingsong Bookstore to buy *Painted Skin*, while the dusty shelves of *Peony Chronicles* finally welcomed a customer on this day.