1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

Xie Lu didn't participate; he went back to his bed and lay down again.

The sky outside the window was gradually getting dark. The dormitory building was brightly lit, and the sound of a guitar came from the dormitory building across the street. Someone was singing "Grandma's Penghu Bay", but they were terribly off-key.

Kyoto, Contemporary Editorial Department.

10 a.m.

When He Chongshan pushed open the office door, he was an hour later than usual for work today.

He was delayed at home for a while this morning because his daughter, He Jinqiu, insisted on discussing a certain plot of "Infernal Affairs" with him. He Jinqiu's opinion differed from his, and he was also stubborn. Neither of them would give in for a moment, which caused him to be an hour late for work.

He had just put down his briefcase when the door was pushed open.

Assistant editor Xiao Chen rushed in, her face flushed and panting.

"Congratulations, Editor-in-Chief Congratulations!" Xiao Chen leaned against the door frame, his back bent, panting heavily.

Seeing Xiao Chen's flustered appearance, He Chongshan frowned: "What's wrong? Tell me slowly."

"Sold out!"

He Chongshan was taken aback, not understanding what Xiao Chen had just said: "What? Sold out?"

"Newspapers! This issue of 'Contemporary'!" Xiao Chen caught his breath and spoke faster. "This morning we received feedback from all over the country. Kyoto, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan... all these places are sold out!"

Newsstands are all making calls, demanding restocks!

In some places, people even lined up just to buy this issue!

He Chongshan stood there, not reacting for a moment.

The content of this issue of the newspaper is not much different from previous ones.

The only significant difference is that he decided to publish the first half of Infernal Affairs in this issue of the newspaper.

He knew Infernal Affairs would be popular.

Therefore, when He Chongshan decided to publish it in the latest issue, he anticipated that it would receive a good response.

After all, Infernal Affairs was a rare gem of a script for him, with its pacing, characters, and story all being of the highest caliber.

But he didn't expect it to be so popular.

sold out?

Contemporary is a monthly magazine with a relatively small print run per issue. It is distributed nationwide, covering most major cities.

Under normal circumstances, it would take half a month to a month to sell out. It is generally not possible for all products to be sold out across the country. Therefore, when printing, He Chongshan simply asked the factory to print twice the usual quantity, thinking that this should be enough.

Who would have thought that it would sell out on the very first day?

Are you sure?

He Chongshan, somewhat incredulous at Xiao Chen's words, asked again.

Xiao Chen nodded vigorously: "Absolutely true! Our editorial office's landline has been ringing off the hook! It's all calls urging us to finish the assignment, and readers from all over the country are asking for more updates! You can hear it for yourself..."

He pointed outside the door.

He Chongshan then noticed that the noise from the work area outside was much louder than usual.

The landline phone rang incessantly, ringing and ringing, one ring after another, without stopping.

The editors at their workstations were also incredibly busy, taking on this one sister and that one sister.

"Hello, this is the editorial department of Contemporary... Yes, this issue is sold out. A reprint? We're arranging it..."

"Requesting more updates? You mean 'Infernal Affairs'? Author information cannot be disclosed..."

"What? You're from Tianjin? Downstairs at the editorial office? Wait, let me get security..."

He Chongshan walked to the door and pushed it open a crack.

In the workstation area, more than a dozen editors were all busy.

Someone was holding a microphone in one hand and taking notes on paper with the other.

Some people are answering two calls at the same time, one tucked under their shoulder and the other in their hand.

Some people even stood by their workstations and shouted into the phone, "I know you're in a hurry, but please don't rush!"

In the corner, two young editors were dealing with a few readers who appeared to have come directly up from downstairs. They were stopped at the door by security guards, but were still peering inside.

"Comrade, we just want to ask, who is the author of Infernal Affairs? When will the next installment be released?"

"Sorry, author information is confidential. Next issue? At the end of the month! There will definitely be one by the end of the month!"

"Can we move it earlier? Waiting a month is too long!"

"We'll try our best."

The scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment.

He Chongshan closed the door, walked back to his desk, and sat down.

He needs time to process this news.

Infernal Affairs became a hit as expected.

And it wasn't just any fire.

It sold out on the first day, and newsstands everywhere were urging them to reprint it. Local readers even went directly to the editorial department. He hadn't seen such a scene in many years.

He Chongshan lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

The smoke spread through the office.

Xie Lu.

That eighteen-year-old rural boy.

He wrote it.

He Chongshan suddenly remembered the letter Xie Lu had sent him.

The handwriting is strong and powerful, and the tone is neither humble nor arrogant.

The letter reads: "Dear Professor He, I am Xie Lv, a freshman at Wuhan University. I have not yet received my admission notice and I am very anxious. Please help me verify it."

At that time, He Chongshan only thought that the young man was polite and had good manners.

In retrospect, he was not only polite and tactful, but also talented—amazingly talented.

After finishing his cigarette, He Chongshan stubbed it out and stood up.

He pushed open the door and walked into the work area.

The editors all looked over when they saw him.

His eyes held excitement, anticipation, and a hint of nervousness.

After all, they had never experienced such a huge reaction before.

He Chongshan stopped an older editor: "Old Zhang, has the reprint been arranged?"

"It's arranged! I've already called the printing factory and asked them to reprint, but I'm not sure how many more copies would be appropriate."

He Chongshan thought for a moment: "Let's triple it first."

Someone nearby exclaimed, "Three times? Editor-in-Chief He, isn't that too much?"

"Not much. At this rate, three times might not be enough."

Print them first, then prioritize sending them to Beijing, and then to other cities.

"Understood!" Old Zhang quickly went to make a phone call.

He Chongshan then looked at the others: "We will reply to all calls inquiring about the next issue. The author is currently writing and will continue the serialization in the next issue."

Author information is confidential for now and should not be disclosed.

A young editor who had only recently joined the editorial department asked, "But what if some readers insist on asking?"

"Just say that the editorial department has a rule that we hope everyone will focus on the work itself."

With He Chongshan's words, the editors all nodded in agreement.

He Chongshan returned to his office, but did not close the door. He sat there, listening to the busy sounds outside, and pondered in his mind.

The popularity of "Infernal Affairs" far exceeded expectations.

But this is a good thing.

This is definitely a great thing for the present day, and even more so for Xie Lu.

For an 18-year-old to generate such a huge response with his first work is an incredibly high starting point.

But with a high starting point comes great pressure.

The next issue will have even more readers and even higher expectations.

He Chongshan thought about it and felt that there was definitely no problem.