Chapter 10

"Xiaoyu, your mother invited me to your house?" Su Shichen was completely baffled, "Do I know your mother?"

"Of course not," Tang Lingyu replied.

"If I don't know your mother, why did she invite me to your house?"

"Although you don't know my mother, you must know her."

"Know her?"

"Yangcheng Daily," Tang Lingyu hinted.

"Yangcheng Daily, could it be that the deputy editor of Yangcheng Daily is your mother?" Tang Lingyu nodded in acknowledgment.

There had always been rumors in the class that Tang Lingyu was the editor of a publishing house, but it turned out that the rumor was slightly off. The truth was that she was the deputy editor of a newspaper. Being able to build a good relationship with a deputy editor of a newspaper, especially the Yangcheng Daily, would naturally be great. Just as Su Shichen was about to agree, he suddenly held back, as if he had thought of something important. After a long hesitation, he said, "I have something urgent today, I can't go to your house as a guest. Please tell your aunt I'm sorry."

"Okay," Tang Lingyu responded, not asking for the reason. Ninety-eight percent of women like to gossip, but Tang Lingyu was part of the remaining two percent. She never pried into other people's affairs, a trait of her personality.

He called his mother, Wei Xin, "Mom?"

"Yes, it's me. I might come home a bit late tonight."

"Tomorrow my novel will be published, so I need to go to Aunt Wang's house to discuss it."

"That's Aunt Wang."

"Okay, no problem. I'll be careful." Su Shichen noticed a problem. He had always called Wang Ni "Aunt Wang," but after that call, he called her "Aunt." Although it was just a one-character difference, it felt more intimate.

Su Shichen had a good memory. He remembered the way to Aunt Wang's house, which he had visited once before. He arrived at Aunt Wang's house with ease.

"Knock, knock."

"Who is it?" Aunt Wang's voice was softer than usual, with a hint of weakness and a slight hoarseness.

"Xiaochen, why are you here?" Wang Ni opened the door and looked him over.

Naturally, he also looked at Wang Ni. She was wearing a light yellow pajama, her hair was disheveled, and her face looked a bit tired. Compared to the strong Aunt Wang, the current Aunt Wang had a touch of gentleness, which instantly triggered Su Shichen's protective instincts.

"Come in and sit down." Su Shichen followed Wang Ni into the house.

"Xiaochen, why are you here?" Wang Ni was surprised that Su Shichen would come, as she had clearly heard a female classmate inviting him on the phone earlier.

"Aunt, you're sick, so I came to check on you."

"Hmm," Wang Ni responded with a nasal sound, her expression unreadable.

"Help yourself, Aunt still has manuscripts to review." Su Shichen noticed a pile of manuscripts on the table, which would take at least until midnight to finish.

"Cough, cough." Wang Ni frowned, looking very uncomfortable.

"Aunt, have you taken your medicine?"

"No, taking medicine makes me very sleepy. I can't sleep now; I still have a lot of work to do, and I need to review the publicity plan for your novel later."

"Aunt, work will never be finished. Take your medicine first, and we can do other things tomorrow."

"No, tomorrow has its own tasks. Today's work must be done today." Wang Ni was fully focused on revising the manuscript in her hand.

"Aunt, where do you keep your medicine?"

"Aunt said, no medicine!" Wang Ni seemed a bit impatient with Su Shichen's interruptions, and her tone became slightly harsh.

Su Shichen sighed. There was a saying that strong women are workaholics. He had always been a bit skeptical, but now he believed it. Wang Ni, who was under thirty-five, had become the editor of a publishing house, which definitely put her on the list of strong women. However, her attitude towards work, fearing that taking medicine would make her sleepy and thus preferring to work while sick, was seriously concerning.

Su Shichen got up and ran downstairs, while Wang Ni was completely absorbed in her work and didn't notice.

He went downstairs to buy medicine. Since Wang Ni refused to tell him where the medicine was kept, he couldn't just rummage through the house, so he had to go to the pharmacy.

After buying the medicine, he returned to Wang Ni's house. Opening the fridge, he found enough ingredients to make a bowl of congee.

In his previous life, unlike other otakus who usually relied on instant noodles, frozen food, or takeout, Su Shichen knew how to cook many dishes and was quite skilled at it.

The congee with century eggs and lean meat was ready, and he sprinkled some green onions on top to finish it.

"Aunt, here's the congee with century eggs and lean meat. Aunt, try my cooking." He placed the bowl in front of Wang Ni.

Perhaps because she was hungry, the aroma of the congee made her put down her pen and pick up a spoon. In no time, the bowl of congee was finished.

She put the bowl aside and picked up her pen again.

Su Shichen washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, which took about twenty minutes, just right.

He boiled some water in the water dispenser, prepared a cup of hot water with two pills, and it was the best time to take medicine about thirty minutes after a meal.

"Aunt, take your medicine first before working."

"No," she replied coldly without looking up.

This wouldn't do. Seizing the opportunity, Su Shichen grabbed the pen from Wang Ni's hand.

"Xiaochen, what are you doing? Don't you know Aunt is working? Stop playing and give the pen back!" Wang Ni's tone became icy, and her cold expression and strong aura almost made Su Shichen apologize and return the pen.

Her cold face couldn't hide her fatigue. He hadn't done anything wrong; he just wanted Wang Ni to take her medicine. With this thought, Su Shichen mustered his courage, "Take your medicine, or you can't work."

Wang Ni didn't respond, just stared at Su Shichen with icy eyes. Their eyes met, and Su Shichen saw a hint of anger in her eyes. Honestly, facing this strong and beautiful editor, he was a bit afraid.

What's there to be afraid of? She won't eat you! Mustering his courage, he held her gaze without backing down.

Seeing that being tough wouldn't work, she softened her tone, "Xiaochen, Aunt must finish these documents today, or the publishing house will be in chaos tomorrow."

Wang Ni's soft and weak voice almost made Su Shichen feel relieved. At the publishing house, Aunt Wang was an icy editor, and at home, although she was gentler when talking to him, she still maintained a dominant position. When had she ever pleaded so softly? Su Shichen's sense of masculinity swelled a bit.

"No, no negotiation. No medicine, no pen."

"Hmph," she coldly snorted and got up, "No pen, no problem. Aunt has plenty of pens."

Su Shichen panicked. Indeed, there were plenty of pens, and he couldn't possibly take them all. In a moment of desperation, he did something bold. He suddenly hugged Wang Ni.

"Xiaochen, what are you doing? Stop it, let go of Aunt!" Only then did he notice that his action was somewhat inappropriate. Hugging her, feeling her softness and the pressure of her chest through her clothes.

So soft, so big!

But Su Shichen didn't let go; instead, he held her tighter. Men are naturally stronger than women, and with Wang Ni being sick and weak, she couldn't break free.

"No, I won't let go until you take your medicine." He was determined to make Wang Ni take her medicine. They stood there for a while, and eventually, Wang Ni gave in, "Let go of Aunt."

"Will you take your medicine?" Su Shichen asked hopefully.

"Hmm," she responded with a soft nasal sound. Afraid that Wang Ni would change her mind, Su Shichen quickly took out two pills. Wang Ni tilted her head and put the small pills in her mouth.

"Okay, that's it." Wang Ni's voice sounded a bit strange.

Su Shichen suddenly remembered something, "Aunt, open your mouth, let me see."

"That's enough, Xiaochen. If you keep this up, Aunt will really get angry."

"Quick, open your mouth." As soon as he said it, Su Shichen regretted it. His voice was loud, almost like he was shouting at Aunt Wang. What if she really got angry?

To his surprise, the usually strong Wang Ni obediently opened her mouth.

"Okay, you've seen, right?"

"Wait," he held her cheeks with both hands, trying to pry her mouth open, naturally touching her lips. They were moist!

"Dirty, put your fingers in Aunt's mouth."

"Then open your mouth." Wang Ni opened her mouth, and Su Shichen quickly noticed the small pills stuck to the inside, not swallowed.

Children don't like taking medicine because it's bitter, so Su Shichen had used this trick when he was young. He had just mentioned it casually because Wang Ni's voice sounded strange, but he didn't expect her to use this childish trick to deceive him. Actually, Aunt Wang could be quite cute sometimes!

"Swallow the medicine quickly." Her throat moved, as if she had swallowed the pills.

"Drink some water."

He picked up the cup and drank.

"Is that it?" Wang Ni opened her mouth wide, as if to let Su Shichen check.

Although Wang Ni's tone was cold, this action was exactly the same as when Su Shichen was a child and opened his mouth to prove to his mother that he had really taken the medicine.

"Xiaochen, it's getting late. Do you want to stay overnight at Aunt's house?" Wang Ni suddenly asked.

"Ah, no, Aunt, I'll go home first. Call me if you need anything, and remember not to work too late."

"Hmm," she responded with a nasal sound. Given Aunt Wang's workaholic nature, she probably wouldn't listen to him.

Back home, the next day, a novel called "Journey to the West: A New Tale" appeared in bookstores and bookstands. News about "Journey to the West: A New Tale" also appeared on local TV and newspapers. De Yun Publishing House was one of the top publishing houses in Yangcheng, and its connections were undeniable.

To promote the new book, the promotion involved both soft and hard recommendations. Soft recommendations involved getting famous novelists and critics to review and recommend the book, building a good reputation.

Hard recommendations were simpler. If soft recommendations relied on the publishing house's connections, hard recommendations relied on the publishing house's resources, which meant advertising. Even if only one person out of a hundred who saw the ad bought the book, if the ad reached ten million people, there would still be a hundred thousand sales. Therefore, advertising was an essential part of the promotion.