The waiting time was long. Harry waited left and right, but there was no reply from Editor. Feeling bored, he idly opened the internal contracted authors' chat group on YouHaborry.
This group held many memories for Harry. From the beginning when he first joined as a newbie, trying to please the veteran authors and making many friends, to offending people and being humiliated, then having his work become hugely popular and being flattered and praised, only to later have his book unjustly banned, causing him to fall from grace and be mocked and ridiculed by others.
The ups and downs brought him happiness, sorrow, anger, and helplessness.
As the saying goes, returning home in glory is like wearing fine clothes at night.
Now, with a work that could become a massive hit and allow him to hold his head high again, the first thing Harry thought of was to go back to the group and strike back hard at those who had humiliated him!
To show off properly in the group!
The more he thought about it, the more eager he became!!
Opening the group chat, Harry didn't know how to start the conversation at first, so he skimmed through the previous messages.
He roughly flipped through the long string of unread messages, most of which were meaningless small talk, flattery, or authors boosting each other and joking around. The latest messages, however, seemed quite interesting.
Little Rookie Who Loves to Struggle: Daia, the great god, is mighty! Another recommendation! And it's a graphic one! Daia's royalties are gonna explode again this time!
Daia: Thanks to Editor! Following Editor is the best! Recommendations never stop!
Coffin: I never thought my book would get a recommendation too, I'm so excited! Thank you, Editor!
Born Extraordinary (Kneeling and Waiting for Trial Recommendation): Sigh, still no trial recommendation… I'm almost at 100k words… Looks like this one's gonna flop too…
Little Rookie's Little Rookie: So jealous of those who got recommendations! I still didn't get a trial rec this week… I'm already over 100k words…
…
It seemed to be recommendation rotation time, and the group had suddenly become lively.
Seeing some authors happily sharing red packets after getting recommendations, while others lamented not getting a trial rec even after 100k words, Harry felt like he was back in his early days.
From successfully signing a contract, to getting a trial recommendation, to advancing through each round of trials, and then finally going live…
Failing again and again, idolizing others, then gradually becoming more skilled and familiar with style, advancing step by step, landing better recommendations…
My Heart Won't Die: @Coffee Congrats on another recommendation! How's your recent performance?
Harry was closest to Coffee in the group. Coffee was the most righteous person, so Harry decided to talk to him first.
The group had changed a lot in the month or so he hadn't been active. Many new faces had joined, and Harry didn't recognize a lot of them.
Coffee: Old Harry, you're finally back! How've you been? Started a new book yet?
Daia: Oh! If it isn't the great Harry! Disappeared for so long, planning a comeback?
Harry's initial pen name was Duan, but he had always been a flop. Later, he changed it a few times, but those who knew him early on were used to calling him Old Harry.
Dancing Lightly: I heard from Editor that Old Harry's recent opening got rejected. Is that true?
Seeing Daia and Dancing Lightly, two old acquaintances, mocking him, Harry's expression darkened instantly.
These two were friends he'd known since he first started. He was even the one who introduced them here.
Now that they'd written a couple of decently performing books, they'd become arrogant, talking to him in a condescending, sarcastic tone. This made Harry extremely pissed!!
My Heart Won't Die: Yeah, I wrote a new opening and sent it to Editor. This time, I think it should get signed. I put a lot of effort into this book.
Coffee: Welcome back, Old Harry! I believe this book of yours will definitely blow up! Go for it!
Daia: Pfft!
~~Writing isn't about how much effort you put in. Readers won't care unless you have talent. Old Harry, you're just not flexible enough. You don't know how to learn from popular books, insisting on doing your own original stuff. I suggest you quit early and go work on an assembly line.
Dancing Lightly: Old Harry, I don't think you're cut out for this either… hehe…
My Heart Won't Die: Oh really? Hehe, let's wait and see how this book of mine performs first.
Harry was holding back his anger. He had high hopes for this book and couldn't wait to publish it, binge update, and land a trial rec just to show these assholes his results and slap them in the face hard!
The editor of Group 4 said without even looking, "Harry, I've already seen your opening. What kind of garbage is this? Do you think you're some platinum-level author? Trying to create your own style? Someone with your kind of pretentious literary disease isn't cut out for writing at all! I'm sorry to tell you, but your book isn't even qualified to be signed."
At that moment, Editor 4 suddenly appeared in the group chat and, in front of over two thousand people, outright rejected Harry's new book, humiliating him in the process!
Daia: "Hahaha~~ So-called 'God of Cuts'... You really think you're some big shot just because people call you that? And now you want us to wait and see how this book turns out... Hahaha~~ This is killing me!"
~~ Light Dance Fluttering: "Old Cut, you still can't shake off that arrogant attitude of yours. As a friend, I feel I have to advise you—stop being so stubborn. Daia is right. You should learn from him properly."
Old Forget: "Hahaha... Are you trying to kill me with laughter? Editor 4 , you're being too ruthless. This slap in the face came way too fast... Hahaha... How does some rookie dare to brag in this group?"
Loser No. 3 (Preparing New Book): "This 'My Heart Won't Die' guy is an old author, right? How embarrassing to still be acting like this after all this time?"
Born Extraordinary (Kneeling and Waiting for ...): "I thought I had it bad, but there's someone worse off than me... An old author who can't even get signed? Hurry up and go work on an assembly line!"
...
Watching the authors in the group relentlessly mock him under Editor 4 lead, Harry was so furious he could barely contain himself. He truly wanted to smash his computer with a single punch!
This Editor 4—Harry had no idea where he had offended him, but the editor seemed to target him at every turn!
What made it worse was that Website didn't allow authors to switch editors unless both editors agreed and the author was willing. So, without Editor 4 approval, if Harry wanted to keep writing at this Website, he had no choice but to stay under Editor 4 supervision!
This filled Harry with unbearable frustration.
Among all the online literature platforms, the biggest and strongest was undoubtedly Webnovel. If he wanted his work to have a larger stage and greater opportunities, Webnovel was the only viable option. As for platforms like Royalroad, while they weren't weak, their ceilings were much lower compared to Webnovel.
"Damn it!! That bastard! No wonder none of my previous openings ever got signed—it was because of that piece of trash Editor 4 ! I bet that asshole didn't even read my drafts! That scumbag!!"
Harry cursed Editor 4 furiously, his heart filled with hatred.
"I, Harry, never forget a grudge! Editor 4, the humiliation you dealt me today, I swear I'll pay you back a hundred, a thousand times over! And all you dogs who joined in!"
After viciously swearing his revenge, Harry was about to close the chat to avoid further frustration when he noticed someone actually speaking up for him in the group.
Mung Bean, the chief editor of Web newly established Group 9, said, "Alright, that's enough. Everyone has their failures. Even the author of 'A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality' was unknown and only getting basic pay before hitting a million words. Everyone should leave some room for decency."
It was Mung Bean, the editor of newly formed Group 9!
Harry immediately felt a surge of goodwill toward Group 9.
Unfortunately, without Editor 4 approval and unless Mung Bean actively reached out, there was no way for Harry to switch groups.
"If this place won't take me, there are others that will! If I'm truly gold, I'll shine eventually!"
Suppressing his anger and resentment, Harry thanked Mung Bean in the group before closing the chat.
Coffee: "Old Cut, ignore them! I believe in you! I feel like Editor 4 is targeting you. If it doesn't work out, try another site! Don't lose heart!"
Just as Harry closed the group chat, Coffee sent him a private message, lifting his spirits a little. At least, after all these years in this circle, he still had a few genuine friends.
Jiren: "Old, screw those bastards. Daia is an ungrateful piece of trash. Back then, you helped him so much, and even now, his current success owes a lot to you. Who would've thought he'd turn out like this? Don't be discouraged. Keep going!"
Kaiden: "Old, don't bother with the group. They're all idiots. Don't take it to heart. Editor 4 is a terrible person—don't stick with him. I'll talk to our Group 1 chief editor and see if I can get you transferred over."
...
Before long, several old friends sent him private messages. Many veteran authors stayed silent in the group but still read the chats. Editor 4 and Daia's behavior had clearly crossed a line for many of them.
This gave Harry some comfort, and his earlier rage finally subsided.
After replying with thanks to each of them, Harry made sure to remember every one of them in his heart.
Since Webnovel seemed like a dead end now, Harry decided to try another instead. Among all the major platforms, only Royal road ecosystem could compete with this one.
After searching through his contacts for a while, Harry finally found a Royal road chief editor he had added before.
My Heart Won't Die: "Hello, Chief Editor. I have a manuscript I'd like to submit. Are you currently accepting submissions?"
As soon as Harry sent the message, the other party replied immediately.