"Huh, that doesn't sound like something a fan would say."
Seeing the username "Ink", Huang Yifan was a little puzzled. Real fans could be enthusiastic, sure, but they usually didn't care which magazine your work appeared in. And even if they did mention it, it was just in passing. They definitely wouldn't try to lure the author with benefits. Based on what he was seeing, this "Ink" guy didn't seem like a reader at all.
If he wasn't a reader, then he likely wasn't a real fan either.
So who was he?
He felt more like… an editor.
Most likely, an editor.
After all, Fanchen was publishing in a print magazine, not online. Huang Yifan had always communicated with the Midnight Talk editors through direct, one-on-one contact. Usually, when you were serialized in a magazine, readers didn't have a way to reach out to the author directly. So if you ruled out regular readers, the only people who could've gotten his contact info were insiders, editors.
"Mr. Ink, don't tell me you're an editor from Suspense World?"
Adding a thinking emoji, Huang Yifan took a guess.
"Sharp as ever, Mr. Fanchen. I am an editor at Suspense World. Apologies for the deception earlier; I didn't mean to mislead you. Honestly, I'm also one of your readers. Calling myself a fan wouldn't be wrong."
"Haha, Mr. Ink, there's no need for that. You could've just contacted me directly as an editor from Suspense World."
"That was presumptuous of me."
Ink apologized again, then added, "Allow me to formally introduce myself, I'm Zhu Shi, deputy editor-in-chief of Suspense World."
"Nice to meet you."
"I'm very optimistic about your 'Strange Tales' series. I wonder, Mr. Fanchen, would you be interested in serializing with Suspense World instead?"
"Not interested at the moment."
"Please don't turn me down just yet, Mr. Fanchen, at least hear our offer."
"Alright."
Huang Yifan nodded. "Although I'm still not interested, I am very curious to hear what kind of offer you've got."
"That's good. I believe once you hear what Suspense World has to offer, your current not interested might change."
"I look forward to it."
"Then I'll skip the pleasantries. Mr. Fanchen, Suspense World is prepared to offer you a rate of 2.000 yuan per thousand words for your serialized stories. In addition, to protect your interests, we're ready to sign a long-term cooperation contract, guaranteeing a minimum of two accepted submissions per month, each no less than 5.000 words. We'll also provide heavy promotional support and work to make you a leading supernatural author under Suspense World. As for the Writers' Association I mentioned earlier, that wasn't an empty promise. If you join us, we'll recommend you to the Municipal Writers Association, paving the way for future admission to the National Association."
"That's a pretty solid offer."
Huang Yifan replied with a smile.
"I knew it would move you. Honestly, I think all of that is just the icing on the cake. The most important thing is that as deputy editor-in-chief of Suspense World, I understand the value of your 'Strange Tales', and we have the ability and willingness to bring that value to the public. No one else in this field can do what we can."
Unfortunately, even after hearing all those enticing conditions, Huang Yifan still shook his head.
"Mr. Zhu Shi, I admit your offer is far more generous than Midnight Talk, not just in terms of pay, but also in platform and prestige. However, with a platform as strong as yours… It's a little too strong. So strong that I worry that if I, as a small-time author, ever run into a contract dispute, I wouldn't stand a chance."
"...Mr. Fanchen, I hope you'll at least give it some more thought."
"No need. I'm not someone who changes my mind easily."
This current setup was just fine.
With Midnight Talk, there was no binding contract; both sides were equal partners.
The arrangement was simple: write the story, get paid. No payment, no writing.
That way, Huang Yifan didn't need to worry about being taken advantage of. And even if he was taken advantage of, the worst case was just losing one story.
But if he signed a contract with Suspense World, he wasn't so sure anymore.
Anyway, he wasn't relying on magazine writing to make money. Whether it was Midnight Talk or Suspense World, it was all the same to him.
And besides, Huang Yifan wasn't the type to jump ship at the first better offer.
He wasn't going to abandon one publisher just because another came along, waving more money.
So naturally, he turned it down.
…
At the same time, Zhang Yun, the author who had just signed with Suspense World, launched his new story 'When Evil Spirits Rule' in that very magazine.
To support the release, Suspense World held a large-scale launch event for Zhang Yun's new work.
They also coordinated with the media, bringing in several well-known commentators to help promote the book.
Faced with the full-force assault from Suspense World, other supernatural magazines began to panic.
Suspense World was already the industry's top dog. Now, they'd successfully poached supernatural master Zhang Yun.
With his writing skill and personal appeal, this issue of Suspense World was set to dominate the entire supernatural magazine market.
One small publisher even decided to delay their release by a day, hoping to dodge the juggernaut's momentum.
But that kind of move seriously damaged a magazine's credibility, and most other publishers had no choice but to tough it out.
Among them was Midnight Talk, which many viewed as one of the unlucky ones bracing for impact.
What most people didn't know, however, was that Midnight Talk's flagship story for that issue came from a completely unknown newcomer, and that newcomer's work was none other than 'Strange Tales: The Temple Ghost'.
Monday, the standard release day for most weekly magazines.
Suspense World was no exception.
And just as everyone predicted, Monday's sales numbers were devastating.
Apart from Suspense World, every other magazine suffered catastrophic losses.
'Thriller Weekly' dropped 50%.
'Supernatural No.1' hit an all-time low.
Midnight Talk fell nearly 30%.
As for lesser-known publications, some sold only 100 copies total and were effectively declared dead.
Tuesday, Wednesday, the trend continued.
Suspense World stood alone at the top.
It wasn't until Thursday that the market began to stabilize slightly, with some magazines showing minor signs of recovery.
But something strange happened.
A magazine that had shown no signs of life before, Midnight Talk, suddenly broke through the ranks.
Its sales numbers started rising against the trend.
But just as people were noticing Midnight Talk's surprising surge, a much more shocking piece of news broke.
Suspense World's weekly sales had shattered historical records, reaching 270.000 copies.
Previously, their record had been 190.000.
After Zhang Yun joined, that number had increased by 80.000.
In other words, Zhang Yun alone had boosted sales by 80.000 copies.
The world fell silent.
Across the entire supernatural magazine industry, it now felt like there was only one name left: Suspense World.
And within that, only one story anyone cared about, 'When Evil Spirits Rule' by Zhang Yun.
As for everything else?
Sorry, no one was looking.
But beneath the overwhelming dominance of one major player, new life was quietly taking root and beginning to sprout.
There was one story, 'Strange Tales: The Temple Ghost', that had already been discovered by a few of the veteran readers from the old supernatural fandom.
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