Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Since returning home after stabbing Xia Lin and paying a hefty compensation, Wu Yaozu, the Wu family’s son, has been staying indoors, afraid his so-called friends would make fun of him.

Ironically, those friends kept showing up at his house.

Wu Yaozu blew up, and in the end, only two decent friends stuck around, while he cut ties with the rest.

However, he still dislikes going out. His only way to kill time is to read books and newspapers at home every day. Last year, he got hooked on the Hong Kong Daily and subscribed to ten copies at once.

Mrs. Wu almost thought he was spying on Xia Lin through the papers and plotting something.

Worried, she kept an eye on him for a week.

Eventually, she found out he was just hooked on the serialized novel The Swordsman in the paper. When he got the ten copies, he’d keep two or three for himself—one for the living room, one for the study, and one by his pillow. The remaining newspapers were cut up, with the sections containing The Swordsman bound into booklets, which he devoured daily.

Not only that, he dusted off his long-unused paintbrush to create numerous small portraits and grand scenes of the characters from the novel, so lifelike they matched the book’s descriptions to a T.

As long as he wasn’t tracking Xia Lin’s news, she was fine with it!

Xia Lin’s fame outshines many wealthy merchants, and she frequently makes headlines.

Since the public eats up news about her, many newspapers publish her news, from the movies she stars in to the clothes and jewelry she wears. Even the tiniest tidbits send sales soaring.

Mrs. Wu sighed in relief and started reading The Swordsman herself. The more she read, the more captivated she became, eventually falling in love with the female protagonist, Golden Phoenix. She wished her son could be as level-headed as Golden Phoenix.

If he were, he wouldn’t have stabbed Xia Lin and gotten into hot water.

As for the payout, Mrs. Wu didn’t sweat it.

She just hoped her son would learn his lesson.

When it came to the stabbing incident, Mrs. Wu never denied it when faced with snide remarks from the high-society ladies. She always admitted it openly, acknowledging that even if Xia Lin had faults, it didn’t justify her son’s actions. It was indeed her son’s mistake, but as a mother, she couldn’t bear to see him rot in prison, so she got him out.

Sadly, after The Swordsman ended, the author didn’t come out with anything new, and her son got gloomy again, ditching the newspapers. He pulled out his bound booklets to relive the story and churned out dozens of thick comic books based on the novel’s plot.

Suddenly, Mrs. Wu saw the advertisement for The Swordsman’s publication in the newspaper and was overjoyed.

She didn’t tell her son but instead asked the driver to take her to the bookstore.

As soon as she entered, she was surprised.

This was one of Hong Kong’s more famous and larger bookstores, and the crowd was several times larger than usual.

The place was bustling with noise and chatter.

Men and women crowded around several bookshelves, most of them young.

“I want The Swordsman! The Swordsman! Ten sets, here’s 40 dollars.” Someone quick-handed grabbed the books first and then handed over 40 Hong Kong dollars to the shop assistant.

Someone slower still managed to grab a few sets and held them tightly, “One for me, one for my sister, and one each for my parents.”

“Make way, make way, I’m here for The Swordsman, Zhi Wei’s The Swordsman.” Another person, taking advantage of their slim build, nimbly squeezed through the crowd without hesitation.

“Don’t take them all, leave a set for me!” someone shouted before pushing their way in.

Families that subscribe to newspapers are generally well-off, and most literate people come from affluent households. Spending a dime on a newspaper is nothing, so naturally, they don’t mind spending a few dollars on a full set of books.

Everyone flocked to "The Swordsman" after seeing the ad.

Those who've read it can't stop talking about it.

The driver waited in the car outside, and Mrs. Wu, forgetting her status, jumped right in, threw a 50 HKD bill at the shop assistant, and dashed to snag the books.

She picked a less crowded bookshelf.

It looked less crowded, but without counting, who knows how much less.

Mrs. Wu aimed for twelve sets but was shoved out after grabbing just five.

"You've got plenty, save some for the rest of us," said a young boy, not being polite at all.

As Mrs. Wu exited the bookstore with her change and five sets, she caught a girl bragging to her friend: "I bought three sets, one for daily reading, two for collection. I'm obsessed with Golden Phoenix."

Her friend was jealous: "I only have 5 yuan pocket money, so I could only buy one set."

She could faintly hear the shop assistant yelling: "No grabbing, no fighting, no pushing! The ones on the shelf are sold out, but there are more in the warehouse, plenty for everyone!"

Mrs. Wu, smiling, was about to hop in the car when she heard her son's voice from behind: "Mom, what are you doing here?"

Mrs. Wu turned around to see Wu Yaozu, who had just squeezed out of the crowd.

He looked a mess.

His shoes were scuffed, his suit wrinkled, and his glasses crooked.

His hair was a disaster, a sorry sight.

Mrs. Wu saw he was clutching several copies of "The Swordsman" and asked in surprise: "You're here for 'The Swordsman' too? Haven't you been keeping up with the news? How did you know?"

"I heard about it from friends." Because of "The Swordsman," Wu Yaozu had become particularly close with these two friends.

They were also the first and second readers of the comic books he drew.

After buying the published book of "The Swordsman," they gathered again at Wu Yaozu's house, boasting about the number of sets they had bought, all of which were more than what Wu Yaozu had managed to get.

Wu Yaozu had managed to get four sets, his friend Li Ke got six, and Zhang Hui snagged eight.

"My mom also bought me five sets," Wu Yaozu had a brainwave, adding his mom's five sets to his own, totally outdoing his friends, and he burst out laughing.

Zhang Hui opened one set, flipped through a few pages, and said to him: "The drawings in here don't hold a candle to yours."

Li Ke agreed deeply.

"This Golden Phoenix isn't as beautiful as the one you drew," he said.

Only then did Wu Yaozu start looking at the books he had bought, not reading the content but first looking at the illustrations, and couldn't help but say: "They are far worse than mine."

In terms of character portraits, there really aren't many better than him.

When he was studying art, many teachers said he had talent.

Zhang Hui suddenly spoke up: "Yaozu."

"What is it?" Wu Yaozu looked up at him, puzzled.

"I have a good suggestion," he said.

Li Ke was quick-witted and immediately said, "You want Yaozu to illustrate for 'The Swordsman'?"

"Why not?" Zhang Hui retorted, "If Yaozu didn't draw well, I wouldn't mention it. His drawings are clearly better than the illustrations in the published book, so much so that I believe Zhi Wei would like his work. And for the comic series, if we could get Zhi Wei's approval, Yaozu could publish it too, just sharing a portion of the royalties with Zhi Wei as per the rules."

Wu Yaozu was deeply affected by Xia Lin's crime and her subsequent collapse. As a good friend, he felt great sorrow for her. It was a relief to see him rejuvenated by 'The Swordsman', and he hoped he could maintain this momentum.

The absence of new works from Zhi Wei was particularly regrettable for Zhang Hui.

It's better to admire intellectuals than to chase a female celebrity and fail to win her over.

Wu Yaozu's eyes brightened slightly, "Can I really?"

"Of course you can," both Li Ke and Zhang Hui encouraged him, suggesting, "Yaozu, you can write to Zhi Wei, including your character portraits and comic books, and have the newspaper's editor-in-chief forward them to him. When we last visited the newspaper office, the editor said they couldn't contact Zhi Wei, and he didn't reply during the serialization period, but now they must have gotten in touch with him."

"How do you know?" Wu Yaozu and Zhang Hui asked in unison.

Li Ke rolled his eyes, "It's been a long time since the serial ended with no updates. If they say they can't contact him, they really can't. Otherwise, with such a good novel, why wouldn't they continue serializing new works? Now that 'The Swordsman' is published and available, it means they have signed a contract with Zhi Wei to get the copyright, and it was before the New Year because publishing takes time."

Zhang Hui nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes, you're right! Yaozu, give it a try. We'll accompany you to the newspaper office. If we can't get Zhi Wei's contact address, we'll have the editor-in-chief forward it, that Editor Wang."

"Editor Wang is my cousin's uncle. I'll ask my cousin to join us," Li Ke said.

Thus, the trio turned into a quartet.

Joining them was a charming young woman named Zhang Baozhu.

Wealthy and attractive, she was also a reader of 'The Swordsman'. After its publication, she bought twenty sets at once—one to read and the rest for collection.

On the bus, she nagged Wu Yaozu, "Can you delay sending them? Let me finish reading the comic books first."

After learning about her cousin and his friends' plan and getting their consent, Zhang Baozhu looked at Wu Yaozu's comic books and was immediately captivated. After just a few pages, she almost snatched them to take home.

Wu Yaozu held them firmly, "No."

He wanted to send them to Zhi Wei for his feedback.

Zhi Wei was now his most admired and favorite person, ten Xia Lins couldn't compare.

He truly admired Zhi Wei; his 'The Swordsman' was exceptionally well-crafted.

Seeing the four young people file in, one of whom was his niece, Editor Wang was momentarily taken aback, "Baozhu, tell me, what do you need from me?"

"It's like this," Zhang Baozhu stepped forward confidently, her large round eyes full of sincerity, "Wu Yaozu has drawn many character portraits and classic scenes from 'The Swordsman', and we found them even better than the illustrations in the published book by the neighboring publisher. Also, Wu Yaozu has drawn several comic books based on 'The Swordsman', which are absolutely stunning. So, we wanted to ask for Zhi Wei's contact address to send them to him for his critique. It would be great if they could be published."

With Zhi Wei's address, she could visit him personally!

Hehehe!

"I can help you forward or send them on," Editor Wang, who had always felt sorry for his niece who had been unlucky in love since her divorce, said. But as for their request for Lu Mingzhu's address, he couldn't agree.

Zhang Baozhu dragged out her voice coquettishly, "Uncle!"

Editor Wang still shook his head, "Begging won't help. I won't tell you Zhi Wei's address."

Who would have thought that the author of Zhi Wei was a young woman under twenty!

Perhaps most readers assumed he was a middle-aged scholar, experienced, mature, stable, and erudite, as 'The Swordsman' involved a lot of knowledge and was very detailed.

Zhang Baozhu sighed, feeling let down. "Alright, I guess we’ll have to ask you to pass along our letters."

While Editor Wang inspected the sketchbook and the comic series, she quickly grabbed his paper and pen, writing a letter to Zhi Wei, gushing about how much she liked and admired him and wanted to read his new work. She signed it with her full name, address, and phone number.

She folded it neatly and added it to the three letters from her cousin and his friends.

Wu Yaozu couldn’t write to Zhi Wei without his two close friends who’d been through everything with him.

They were all fans of 'The Swordsman.'

Editor Wang found nothing wrong with the sketches and comics and was completely drawn in by them. His eyes lit up as he told Wu Yaozu, "You draw really well. Whether Zhi Wei agrees or not, I’ll recommend you to the publishing house next door as their illustrator. What do you think? They publish more than just 'The Swordsman.'"

Wu Yaozu shook his head, "I only draw illustrations for Zhi Wei's works."

For anyone else? No chance!

Editor Wang felt a little disappointed. "In that case, let it be."

"Please make sure Zhi Wei gets our letters and drawings!" Zhang Baozhu, feeling unsure, tore off a piece of paper and handed it to Editor Wang along with a fountain pen. In his puzzled gaze, she said firmly, "You’ve got to write a receipt. If Zhi Wei doesn’t get it, we’ll need it back from you."

Editor Wang was annoyed, "Do you think I’d keep something meant for her?"

It’s not like he’s got the guts of a lion.

After meeting Lu Mingzhu, he quietly asked around and found out that she, living on Peak Road, was not simple at all. She owned a film company and held shares in several companies and banks.

If she wanted, she could easily buy out 'Hong Kong Daily' and Hong Kong Press.

She must really love writing, otherwise, she wouldn’t bother with such small earnings.

With the shares she has, she’s practically raking in money every day. Perhaps her daily dividends are more than what their newspaper earns in a year, incomparable.

After agreeing to his niece, her cousin, and their friends’ request, Editor Wang, suppressing his desire to continue reading the comics, delivered it to Lu Mingzhu's house early the next morning.

He’d planned to deliver it yesterday, but caught those troublemakers teaming up with his niece to tail him!

Fuming, he went back home.

Editor Wang had dark circles under his eyes after pulling an all-nighter reading the comics.

Lu Mingzhu, just back from a run and still in her workout clothes, was surprised to see him like this. Wiping the sweat off her face with a towel around her neck, she asked, "Editor Wang, are you so busy with work that you have to stay up late?"

"I stayed up late reading the 'The Swordsman' comics," Editor Wang said.

Lu Mingzhu was startled, "Comic series?"

Editor Wang nodded, presenting a package with both hands.

The whole comic series took up a lot of paper—if published, it’d be over a hundred books—so it was wrapped up tight. Inside, on top, were three letters and a folded piece of paper.

Lu Mingzhu placed it on the coffee table and opened it herself, "Who drew the comic series and asked you to deliver it to me?"

"My niece and her cousin, and his cousin's friend," Editor Wang paused here, "As for the author, if Miss Lu has read the news before, you might know him."

Lu Mingzhu responded, "A news figure?"

Editor Wang shook his head, "His name’s Wu Yaozu, the rich kid who stabbed Xia Lin. If his family hadn’t spent a fortune to get Xia Lin’s forgiveness, he might not have been able to get out of the police station."

Lu Mingzhu exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Wu drew it?"

"It seems you know him," Editor Wang said, then continued, "But he really is a skilled artist, with a strong foundation. His illustrations surpass those in the published edition of *The Swordsman*. Have you seen the sample books sent to you? I heard from He Long that ten sets were sent to you."

"I received them," Lu Mingzhu replied. She had noticed the sample books delivered to her home right after reading the newspaper that day.

The content was well-printed: neat, clear, with round and elegant fonts. Yet, the cover and illustrations left her somewhat unimpressed. They were too simple and rough, failing to embody the characters' traits as described in the book.

For any future reprints or new editions, she would insist on reviewing the samples first, approving them before mass printing and release.

When Editor Wang praised Wu Yaozu's artistry, Lu Mingzhu couldn't resist flipping through the illustration book tucked under the envelope.

At first glance, she was utterly captivated.

It wasn’t just skill—it was masterful.

The golden phoenix he portrayed wore red, brandishing a long sword. Her eyes sparkled like water, her black hair flowed like clouds, tied back with the golden floral crown her mother left her, radiating a heroic aura. The slightly curved blade in her hand was stained with the blood of countless ruthless bandits and marauding northern hordes, turning the long sword blood-red and dull.

"Editor Wang, you should recommend to Editor He that we use Mr. Wu’s illustrations. His work is so vivid—it’s exactly how I pictured the golden phoenix," Lu Mingzhu praised without reservation.

Editor Wang smiled, "When I get back, I’ll have He Long reach out to Mr. Wu and have him design the cover too."

*The Swordsman* is selling well, and with the movie's release, a reprint is certain.

Lu Mingzhu nodded in satisfaction, "We owe it to our readers to deliver the best work. Though I feel a bit bad for the previous illustrator, it’s his own fault for not matching Mr. Wu’s talent! Editor Wang, is there a letter from Mr. Wu in here?"

"Yes," Editor Wang replied.

"Once I’ve finished reviewing his work, I’ll write back to him," Lu Mingzhu said. She genuinely admired Wu Yaozu's artwork and had no objections to the publication of the comic, provided she reviewed it first and found no issues.

If it was truly exceptional, she hoped to keep the original manuscript.

When she mentioned this to Editor Wang, he chuckled, "I’ll let He Long know. You can discuss with Mr. Wu, and after publication, the original manuscript can be returned to him, and he can then gift it to you."

"No problem, I’ll ask Mr. Wu in the letter if he is willing," Lu Mingzhu said. If he wasn’t, she wouldn’t insist.

After seeing Editor Wang off, she went back to her room to shower and change.

Once tidied up and after breakfast, she moved the art book and letters to her study to read them.

The first thing she saw was a folded piece of paper. Opening it and reading the contents, Lu Mingzhu couldn’t help but laugh—it was from Zhang Baozhu. Life is full of surprises.

Not rushing to reply, Lu Mingzhu then opened Wu Yaozu's letter.