Bai Sijun had no regrets about falling out with the chief editor.
In the past, work had been incredibly important to him, and even in the face of such unfairness, he probably wouldn’t have made the situation look so bad by quarreling with the chief editor. But now, as he looked at Mei Yuchen beside him, quietly listening to him recount the entire incident, he felt that if given the chance, he would still choose to do the same.
When it came to the part about submitting the manuscript in a month, Bai Sijun didn’t want to pressure Mei Yuchen. Although he believed he could write a new book, one month was just too tight. He said, “Take your time writing; judging by the chief editor’s attitude, he probably doesn’t intend to trouble you in the short term.”
Mei Yuchen frowned, not looking pleased, and reminded Bai Sijun, “He might not trouble me, but he will trouble you.”
Bai Sijun smiled lightly, indifferent, and said, “I can handle it.”
Mei Yuchen’s eyes darkened, indicating he didn’t like Bai Sijun’s attitude of not taking himself seriously. He said, “I can pay the breach of contract fee; it’s not a big deal…”
“No,” Bai Sijun immediately interrupted with a serious tone. “I can find another job if I lose this one, but having a falling out with Hongtu is not in your best interest.”
Mei Yuchen pursed his lips and remained silent. Bai Sijun continued persuading, “Apart from paying a large sum for an unjust cause, the most important thing is that it won’t be easy to find a new job, and even if you do, the payment won’t be as high. Moreover, there might be rumors circulating outside that could affect your writing.”
Mei Yuchen still didn’t look very pleased, but Bai Sijun knew he would eventually yield to him.
Although most of the time, he couldn’t resist Mei Yuchen, but at least when it came to matters he insisted on, it was always Mei Yuchen who couldn’t resist him.
After a while, Mei Yuchen sighed lightly, lowered his eyes, and said, “Understood.”
Bai Sijun felt relieved, pinched his cheek, and said, “take your time; I’ll be with you.”
“Okay.” Mei Yuchen transformed back into Mei Da cat, leaning on Bai Sijun. “I’ll make sure your name appears in my book.”
This meant that Mei Yuchen had to submit the manuscript within a month because after Bai Sijun was dismissed, he was no longer his editor.
Bai Sijun would love to have his name printed in Mei Yuchen’s book, but the time was too tight, and he didn’t hold much hope.
However, Mei Yuchen added, “Don’t worry, I write books quickly.”
“I’m not worried,” Bai Sijun shrugged. “What’s bothering me is how to approach Qi Jun during the meeting on Saturday and extract information from him.”
“You don’t need to do these things,” Mei Yuchen said. “I really don’t care about him.”
Bai Sijun was still upset. “He’s the one who wants to have dinner with me to get information, and I’m just reciprocating.”
Mei Yuchen chuckled softly, saying, “Do you think he invited you to dinner just to get information from you?”
Bai Sijun was puzzled. “Then why else?”
Mei Yuchen sat up straight, asked calmly, “After reading his short story, you immediately invited him to dinner, but he declined. However, now that he knows you resigned from your position as his editor, he immediately wants to chat with you. Why do you think that is?”
Bai Sijun had a feeling and speculated uncertainly, “He wants to recruit me?”
“Partially.” Mei Yuchen nodded. “You are his editor, you know the content of his new book, so…”
Bai Sijun recalled the outline and 30,000 words that Qi Jun had sent him, suddenly enlightened. “He’s afraid I’ll leak his new book to you?!”
“Yes.” Mei Yuchen nodded. “It’s likely.”
With this realization, Bai Sijun also understood that if Qi Jun just wanted to get information from him, he wouldn’t have refused his invitation to dinner previously. Now that he had severed ties with Hongtu and expressed his stance, Qi Jun hadn’t anticipated this, so he panicked.
Bai Sijun asked, “Do you want to know about his new book?”
Mei Yuchen raised an eyebrow. “What would I do with it?”
Bai Sijun chuckled. “Just testing you.”
Mei Yuchen squinted his eyes, circled Bai Sijun’s neck, and pulled him into his lap. He said, “You really underestimate me.”
Bai Sijun lay on Mei Yuchen’s lap, realizing how comfortable this position was. No wonder Mei Yuchen liked it so much.
“Mei.” Bai Sijun looked up at him. “I’ve noticed that your writing has reasons behind its excellence.”
“Hmm?” Mei Yuchen raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.
“About Qi Jun, I don’t understand him as well as you do.” Bai Sijun slowly said, “You’re like an observer; you can thoroughly understand a person. That’s why the character portrayals in your book are so profound.”
Mei Yuchen curled his lips, teasingly saying, “I’ll have you know I also saw through your love for me early on.”
Bai Sijun blushed. “Nonsense.”
Mei Yuchen laughed. “And I was right. You like me so much that you would give up your job for me.”
Bai Sijun said seriously, “That’s because I can’t stand injustice against anyone.”
Mei Yuchen immediately retorted, “You did it for love, selflessly.”
“You…” Bai Sijun snorted, looking away awkwardly, “You’re a writer; I can’t argue with you.”
Mei Yuchen just laughed, stopping only when he had enough, then said, “Bai, I promise you, I will write the book well.”
Bai Sijun felt warm inside and softly responded, “Hmm.”
Mei Yuchen added, “But I need to be well-fed to have the energy.”
Bai Sijun was surprised, “Are you hungry?”
“I am.” Mei Yuchen pouted, “I need to eat for inspiration.”
Bai Sijun was stunned for a moment, then immediately blushed and said, “You perverted cat!”
After learning about Qi Jun’s true intentions, Bai Sijun’s heart became clearer.
He realized that people were indeed strange; even though they might get extremely angry when at a disadvantage, once they discovered the other person’s weaknesses or vulnerabilities were in their hands, they would completely disregard the previous losses.
He thought about the social books he had read, emphasizing the importance of associating with confident individuals to positively influence oneself. Perhaps, he and Mei Yuchen were like that too, as Mei Yuchen not only boosted his confidence mentally but also provided him with material support.
Bai Sijun sat in the driver’s seat, looking at Mei Yuchen outside the car window, and jokingly said, “I feel like I’m just pretending to be cool.”
Mei Yuchen didn’t respond to this statement. Instead, he frowned and said, “While I’m away, you must pay attention to safety, keep an eye on the rear-view mirror, don’t change lanes casually, and…”
Bai Sijun interrupted him, saying, “Mei, relax. I drive slowly.”
Mei Yuchen grunted unhappily, “I would accompany you, but you won’t let me.”
“No need; I can handle him alone.” Bai Sijun smiled, “You stay at home and write.”
“Okay, be careful on the road,” Mei Yuchen said, then added, “Come back soon.”
“Alright,” Bai Sijun said, “Wait for me at home.”
Bai Sijun didn’t want to have dinner with Qi Jun, so they agreed to meet at a coffee shop near the university. Qi Jun was considerate enough to agree.
Bai Sijun left early, and the feeling of driving gradually returned, so he arrived at the agreed-upon location twenty minutes early. He parked the car in front of the coffee shop, then walked in and found a corner to wait for Qi Jun.
Before Qi Jun arrived, Bai Sijun, feeling bored, scrolled through Weibo. Soon, two message notifications appeared at the top of the screen.
[Mei Rain: What do I do? I’m already starting to miss you.]
[Mei Rain: T_T]
Bai Sijun sighed in helplessness. Despite asking Mei Yuchen to focus on writing, he was still easily distracted. It seemed it would be challenging for him to submit the manuscript within a month.
However, Bai Sijun had long been mentally prepared for being dismissed, so even if Mei Yuchen couldn’t submit the manuscript, he wouldn’t blame him.
Putting work aside, Bai Sijun actually enjoyed Mei Yuchen sticking to him. He used to emphasize to Xiao Ai the importance of having individual space in a relationship, but reality proved that contradiction came unexpectedly.
[Bai: I miss you too.]
Bai Sijun teased Mei Yuchen with a mischievous message, but not far away, Qi Jun’s voice could be heard. He quickly locked his phone and placed it on the table.
Qi Jun walked over with a cup of coffee, behaving as usual, as if there hadn’t been any unpleasantness between them.
Bai Sijun, on the other hand, couldn’t reach the level of composure that Qi Jun had, so his expression still looked somewhat displeased.
After a few pleasantries, Qi Jun seemed to struggle to continue the conversation, and he asked Bai Sijun, “Editor Bai, don’t you want to check your messages? It might be something urgent.”
Bai Sijun finally leisurely picked up his phone. Mei Yuchen had sent him quite a few messages by now, all stacked together. Bai Sijun glanced at them, muted his phone, and put it down, saying, “It’s nothing. My cat is just hungry.”
Qi Jun looked visibly surprised, but he quickly recovered and continued, “Editor Bai, isn’t it a bit too much to lose your job for Mei Yuchen?”
Bai Sijun countered, “How do you know for sure that I will lose my job?”
Although Bai Sijun himself thought he might lose his job, he couldn’t afford to lose face.
Qi Jun asked without changing his expression, “So, Mei Yuchen’s revisions are going smoothly?”
Bai Sijun sneered inwardly. He knew Qi Jun was trying to trap him with his words, so he deliberately spoke in a roundabout way, “Who said he’s revising? Maybe he’s writing a short story.”
Bai Sijun implied that Mei Yuchen could turn Qi Jun’s new book into a short story and publish it first. Indeed, Qi Jun’s expression changed when he heard this. He forced a smile and said, “If he doesn’t revise quickly, won’t it harm your job?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Bai Sijun laughed indifferently, “I’m what people commonly call a ‘brain-dead fan’ for Mei Yuchen. Losing a job for the sake of a favorite author is nothing.”
Qi Jun’s smile became somewhat ugly. He seemed a bit anxious and said straightforwardly, “Editor Bai, I sent you the outline of the new book before, and there’s a record of the email. I hope you won’t…”
Bai Sijun chuckled, imitating Mei Yuchen’s shameless manner, “I think you might not understand what ‘brain-dead fan’ means.”
Qi Jun was momentarily speechless, and Bai Sijun, enjoying the sight of him losing ground, felt quite satisfied.
Casually sipping his coffee, Bai Sijun said, “Let’s end it here today, I need to go back and feed my cat.”
Qi Jun realized he had lost control of the situation. With the demeanor of an elder, he said, “You are still young, being impulsive is normal. I just hope you think carefully before doing anything and don’t play with your own future.”
“Teacher Qi,” Bai Sijun said with emphasis, “if you have time, teach me about life. For now, hurry back to revise your manuscript, so you won’t be caught off guard one day when you see a short story similar to your new book somewhere. What do you think?”
“You!”
It was the first time Bai Sijun saw Qi Jun’s frustrated expression. He felt immensely pleased. He said, “Let’s call it a day, I won’t take up more of your time.”
Qi Jun, after adjusting his breathing, said expressionlessly, “Fine, maybe we won’t have a chance to meet again. I wish you a bright future.”
Bai Sijun’s eye twitched. He was on the verge of unemployment, and Qi Jun wished him a bright future, clearly a sarcastic remark. The old fox was indeed cunning, and it wasn’t easy to outwit him completely.
However, Bai Sijun thought again. The outcome today was not bad. Qi Jun would probably be troubled for quite a while. There was no need for him to continue the confrontation.
Qi Jun walked ahead hurriedly, leaving the café. Bai Sijun followed behind, and the two of them left the coffee shop, Qi Jun not bothering to say goodbye. Bai Sijun, in turn, took out his car keys, unintentionally, he swiped the remote to unlock the car, just as Qi Jun happened to walk by Mei Yuchen’s car.
In the next moment, Bai Sijun clearly saw Qi Jun startle at the sound of the car unlocking, glancing at the black BMW SUV parked by the roadside, then looking around.
Their eyes met quickly. Bai Sijun, holding the car keys, politely smiled at him, “Goodbye, Teacher Qi.”
Qi Jun’s face turned dark. He quickened his pace towards the direction of the school, while Bai Sijun, feeling relieved, sat in the driver’s seat and took out his phone to reply to Mei Yuchen’s messages. Only now did he realize Mei Yuchen’s texts could practically be compiled into an explicit story.
Another naked apron, another artistic nudity. Bai Sijun suddenly felt that this great writer probably had only 10% literary talent in his head, and the remaining 90% was adult content.
But he was in a good mood that day. Should he indulge Mei Yuchen a little when he gets back?
Hmm… he would consider it.
