Chapter 310: Renewal
Regarding Xiao Yanhan’s gift-giving behavior, Yu Linna couldn’t understand it. What on earth was this girl possessed by, to be giving her gifts for no reason? And these gifts were too expensive, far beyond what would normally be given. She was no one special to her, so why was she giving her these things?
“My dear Shion-sensei, please just accept it. This is a token of my heartfelt appreciation.”
“It’s too expensive, Yanhan. Snacks are one thing, but for you to give me a disc for no reason, what are you planning?”
“No, no, I definitely have no bad intentions!”
Too fake. Anyone with eyes could see that Xiao Yanhan had bad intentions, and they were directed at Yu Linna. To give someone a gift for no reason, wasn’t that just a clear indication of, “I want to do something bad”?
Lan Ranyan silently watched a TV series, pretending not to see. This Xiao Yanhan, was she an idiot, or had she been swept off her feet by love? This was not how you pursued someone. You would scare her away.
“Stop, Yanhan. I can accept this disc, but I’ll transfer the money to you. You have to accept it, or I won’t take your gift.”
“But this is a gift from me to you…”
“Then take it back.”
“No, no, no, alright, alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Under Yu Linna’s firm attitude, Xiao Yanhan had no choice but to compromise. It wouldn’t be good if she got upset.
Xiao Yanhan had also wanted to give the gift properly, but reality was not as she wished. Yu Linna was determined not to accept such an expensive thing. If she had to accept it, she could only buy it.
Lan Ranyan pretended not to see and continued to be a transparent person…
…
Busy with work, busy with studying, Yu Linna gradually went out less and less. She spent more and more time at school, no longer asking for leave or skipping class. Her professional grades were getting higher and higher, with a trend of becoming the top in her year. Similarly, her popularity as the author Shion was also slowly declining. Weibo rarely discussed her anymore. In just half a year, her heat had been completely consumed, and she had become an ordinary author.
This weekend, Chen Xi asked her out for coffee and also talked about work. Recently, Yu Linna’s novel sales were not very good, but she was still a first-tier author of Wenqing, a great god who could still compete with Qidian’s authors. There was no reason for Wenqing to give up on her just because her popularity had declined. Although her popularity had now been completely snatched away by Air-sensei, she had been glorious before, and was even seen as someone who could become the first supreme god author of Wenqing.
“Shion-sensei, although your recent sales are not good, you don’t have to be sad about it. You know, we still see you as a pillar.”
“It’s been a year. I never thought it would pass so quickly myself.”
“Indeed. Staying in this position, time passes in a flash.”
“My contract is still in effect, right?”
“Of course.”
At the beginning, Yu Linna had signed a three-year contract with Wenqing, which stipulated that she had to publish five works within three years, including long and short novels, but not all short stories. There had to be at least three long novels. According to the contract, Yu Linna had already written three long novels: Ballad of the Enchantress, Zixuan and the Paper Airplane, and Demon Child, as well as a short story, Promise. If according to the contract, she only needed to write one more short story, then the contract would be considered complete. Plus, Demon Child was about to be cut short, and a new work was in the making. What awaited her in the future was definitely not the constraints of Wenqing. Her right to choose freely would become greater and greater.
Think about it. The Shion-sensei who had to hand over the film and television rights of Ballad of the Enchantress to Wenqing in the beginning was quite firm when she wrote Demon Child, not giving the film and television rights to Wenqing. This was also because her status had risen, and her tone of voice had become firm. But she had signed a long-term contract after all. Among the five works, she couldn’t have complete control over a single one. Even with film and television adaptations, she was still quite passive.
If Wenqing were to renew the contract, then she would absolutely not hand over the film and television rights and the manga rights. This, Chen Xi was very clear about.
“Shion-sensei, are you already thinking about renewing your contract? You know the contract is for three years. How long has it been now? A year and a half, exactly half.”
Chen Xi handed her a piece of cake, the fawning meaning a little obvious. She was also afraid that Yu Linna would make a choice that Wenqing least wanted to see.
“My work is about to be cut short. I won’t be writing short stories next. I will still write long novels. But…”
Chen Xi’s hands were tightly clasped, a little uneasy in her heart.
“The next work will not be within the scope of the contract. So, we can talk about renewing the contract. This time it’s not you looking for me, but me looking for you.”
As expected.
She knew she would say that. The situation that Chen Xi least wanted to see had still happened.
It was rare for Yu Linna to take the initiative to ask for a contract renewal, but it was also reasonable. Ballad of the Enchantress had brought her slander and curses, and had failed to let her most precious work shine on the screen. At that time, she was indeed young and had given the copyright to Caibi. But Wenqing couldn’t shirk its responsibility either. After all, their copyrights were tied together.
But this time, Yu Linna didn’t want to hand over the film and television rights and the manga rights. These two copyrights she could handle completely on her own. To be able to adapt them to the greatest extent according to her wishes was a good thing.
Having learned a lesson from the Caibi incident, she had decided to take the initiative into her own hands. Only then could she have the confidence to speak with her head held high.
“Shion-sensei, it’s too early to talk about this.”
“I think it’s already late enough.”
“Alright then, let’s talk.”
Chen Xi also resigned herself to her fate, putting aside those unrealistic thoughts and properly discussing the contract with her. As for where this great author of Wenqing would develop in the future, it was all still an unknown.
Because the contract involved a lot of content, a single weekend was not enough to discuss it. Chen Xi and Yu Linna both agreed to find a time to continue the discussion. They also planned to spend a long time on it. After all, this was a matter involving interests, and no one wanted to suffer a loss. It was normal for the negotiation to take a long time.
…
It was very late when she returned to the dorm. It was already 10 o’clock when Yu Linna opened the door. At this time, Xiao Yanhan was drawing her manga. As soon as she saw her return, she quickly grabbed her hand and had her sit in her own seat.
“Linna, Linna, I drew a new manga! Quick, come and see! The Charm of the Villain. It’s an online game manga about a protagonist who is a villain in a VR game!”
Yu Linna took her manuscript and looked at it carefully. The setting was quite interesting, but the screenwriting ability was not good. The story was also decent enough, but there was no climax. Overall, it was alright, but it just didn’t leave a deep impression. Perhaps this manga would be most suitable for publication as a short story. After all, such a story was not suitable for a long-form serialization. It wasn’t the story’s problem, but mainly that Xiao Yanhan had too many areas she hadn’t done well, making it impossible for the subsequent story to be lengthened.
And later, it was indeed as Yu Linna had thought. The Charm of the Villain was only published in a short manga column and could not achieve a long-term serialization. Xiao Yanhan’s dream of debuting as a long-form manga artist was once again shattered.
But the current Yu Linna was tired and didn’t want to talk too much. After a few simple sentences, she wanted to go and take a shower. Xiao Yanhan grabbed her and wouldn’t let her go.
“Linna, don’t go. Let’s talk about my manga together. Give me some advice.”
“What’s there to talk about? I’ve already taught you what I should. Go and figure it out yourself. I’m going to take a shower.”
“I haven’t washed either. Together?”
“If you want to fall from the third floor, I’ll help you.”
“Anyway, we’ve already seen each other’s naked bodies. What’s there to be shy about!”
“…”
Yu Linna really wanted to strangle her. She didn’t know why, but she just felt that she was very deserving of a beating.
Although it was not wrong to say so, Yu Linna was still unhappy and wanted to kill her.
Xiao Yanhan had been very clingy recently. As soon as she found an opening, she would stick to her, always fawning over her and giving her snacks and gifts. She didn’t even know what she was doing. Yu Linna, of course, had also noticed, but she just didn’t want to admit it. After all, in this era, doing this kind of thing was not allowed.
Besides, one Huo Ningning was enough to annoy her. For another Xiao Yanhan to pop up, it was a real headache…
After taking a shower, Yu Linna dried her hair. Coincidentally, Huo Ningning also came to chat with her and asked if it was convenient to have a phone call. Yu Linna thought about it and decided to agree to her voice call request. It had been a long time since she had seen her. Huo Ningning seemed to have become more unrestrained.
“Little Linna! Let me tell you, the scenery in Li Nan is super awesome! I’ve booked a plane ticket for a trip for two. Let’s go together during the summer vacation!”
Hearing the other party’s excited voice, Yu Linna immediately wanted to cover her ears.
“Why did you think of going on a trip to Li Nan?”
“Because I want to go with you!”
“Didn’t we go to Hong Kong last year? You’re coming again this year?”
“Of course! Little Linna, I still have many, many places I want to take you to.”
“To be honest, you don’t have to do this.”
“…That won’t do. Since I’ve taken the initiative, I don’t want to do nothing either.”
Yu Linna stood on the balcony and talked on the phone, putting a lollipop in her mouth.
Huo Ningning liked her. She knew this, had known it for a long time. After Huo Ningning had revealed her feelings, although she didn’t say it, Yu Linna knew what she meant. Yu Linna just didn’t want to accept this feeling.
To her, Huo Ningning was someone who had almost become her family. Her feelings for her were at most that of a family member, and could not be more. What Huo Ningning had done to her in the past, she had also apologized for. Yu Linna didn’t hold a grudge. She just didn’t expect that Huo Ningning would still hold onto that unrealistic thought.
Yes, Yu Linna didn’t like her, at least in terms of dating. It was impossible for her to have a result with her.
Her heart could not accommodate Huo Ningning.
“Ningning, you just haven’t had a boyfriend before. Trust me, after you have a boyfriend, you’ll think your idea is very childish. You just don’t understand what love is.”
“It’s precisely because of you that I’m not looking for a boyfriend. Little Linna, why don’t you understand my feelings for you? I’ve been so obvious. Do you want me to say it to your face?”
“…Ningning, I’ve always known. I just didn’t want to say it.”
To be liked by someone and not be able to respond to them was a very painful thing. Yu Linna wanted to persuade her to give up, but Huo Ningning refused, unless Yu Linna found a partner. Otherwise, Huo Ningning would never give up.
