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

Because he had already passed the test for the second half of Infernal Affairs, and the overall quality was even much higher than the first half.

Judging from the manuscript, the second half is better and more mature than the first half. He should be aware of this.

Just then, the phone rang.

It was the landline on the table, and He Chongshan answered it.

"Feed?"

A loud voice came from the other end of the phone, chuckling first: "Old He! It's me, Old Liu. You guys really pulled off some big news this time!"

Old Liu is the editor-in-chief of "October" and has known He Chongshan for over twenty years. The two often keep in touch in private, and the two old men, who are both unwilling to admit defeat, are secretly competing with each other.

He Chongshan rarely got to show off in front of Lao Liu, so he smiled smugly: "You've heard about it too?"

"How could I not have heard? Our editorial department has been discussing Infernal Affairs all day."

Several editors went to buy it, but they couldn't find it.

Who is this author? A newcomer? Or an old user using a pseudonym?

"Newcomer".

Upon hearing He Chongshan say that the author of Infernal Affairs was actually a newcomer, Old Liu was somewhat skeptical: "Really? This level of writing, and you call him a newcomer?"

"Really, why would I lie to you?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Lao Liu sighed: "The younger generation is truly formidable. Lao He, you've really struck gold. Nurture him well and don't let his talent go to waste. If you're unsure, you can introduce him to me."

"screw you."

He Chongshan laughed and retorted a few times, chatted for a while longer, and then hung up the phone.

I had just hung up when the phone rang again.

This time it was a colleague from Shanghai calling to inquire about Infernal Affairs.

Next came Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xi'an...

The phone rang non-stop all morning.

He Chongshan simply stopped answering the call and let Xiao Chen handle it. He needed to calm down and think about what to do next.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

The busyness in the editorial department has eased up a bit.

With fewer phone calls, the editors could finally catch their breath.

Some people went to pour water, some stood up to stretch their backs, and some rested on the table.

He Chongshan walked out of the office and clapped his hands.

"Come over and have a short meeting."

The editors gathered around and stood in the open space in the middle of the workstation area.

The dozen or so people all looked tired, but they were still very excited. After all, the success of Infernal Affairs made them, the editors, feel proud.

"As everyone has seen today, Infernal Affairs has become a hit, a hit beyond expectations."

This is a good thing; it shows that our selection criteria were correct, and it also shows that readers need good works.

He paused, then continued, "But now there's a problem: what about the next episode?"

The editors looked at each other.

"Keep the serialization going!" Xiao Chen was the first to say. "The readers are all urging us to continue. If we don't, they'll tear the editorial office down."

"Yes!" another senior editor said, "We can't let this momentum stop; we need to get the second half on quickly."

One editor pressed further, "Have you contacted the author? Is the manuscript complete?"

He Chongshan answered the question: "It's all there. I've read the whole manuscript. It's 80,000 words. This issue publishes 30,000 words of the first half, and the second half will have 50,000 words. The quality is fine, and it's even better than the first half."

"Then release it! Release it next time! Strike while the iron is hot! Let October and the others be envious."

The other editors nodded in agreement.

He Chongshan looked at everyone, and everyone's opinion was the same: continue the serialization.

That was also his idea.

"Okay, then we'll release the second half next time."

Xiao Zhang, you're in charge of the layout; make sure there's enough space.

Xiao Wang, you're in charge of proofreading. Hurry up.

"clear!"

"no problem!"

With the tasks assigned, the editors got busy again.

He Chongshan returned to his office.

He sat down and took a thick folder out of the drawer.

Inside were Xie Lu's manuscript, the entire "Infernal Affairs" series, along with the contract and royalty receipts.

The payment for the first half of the manuscript, 600 yuan, has already been sent.

Based on the standard of 20 yuan per thousand words, the fee is 30,000 words.

The second half has another 50,000 words, which, according to the same standard, would be worth 1,000 yuan.

In total, Xie Lv could earn 1,600 yuan in royalties for his story "Infernal Affairs".

In 1985, this was a huge sum of money.

An ordinary worker would have to save up for four or five years without eating or drinking.

But He Chongshan felt it was worth it.

For a work like this, the price is even too low.

He picked up a pen, signed the royalty receipt, and then called Xiao Chen over.

"Send this to Wuhan University." He handed the receipt to Xiao Chen. "Express registered mail."

Xiao Chen took the receipt, looked at the amount, and his eyes widened: "One thousand yuan?"

"This is the royalties for the second half of Infernal Affairs."

Xiao Chen nodded and was about to leave when He Chongshan called him back.

"etc."

"Editor-in-Chief He, is there anything else?"

He Chongshan hesitated for a moment, then called Xiao Chen back.

"Don't send the letter yet."

"Huh?" Xiao Chen was taken aback.

"I'll go to Wuhan University in person to give him the royalties and meet him."

"You're going in person? Just to deliver the payment?"

"It's not just about the royalties; I mainly want to meet this young man."

I want to talk to him about writing and the future.

I also want to see what the eighteen-year-old who wrote "Infernal Affairs" looks like.

Xiao Chen understood.

He nodded: "Okay, shall I book your tickets?"

"Okay, it's for tomorrow."

"clear."

Xiao Chen left.

He Chongshan sat at his desk, watching the sky outside the window gradually darken.

He wondered, what is Xie Lu doing right now?

It's September now, they should have already reported to Wuhan University, right?

Did he ever imagine that his work would become a nationwide sensation?

When I personally bring him the 1,000 yuan manuscript fee, will he be shocked?

Thinking of this, He Chongshan smiled.

He picked up the latest issue of "Contemporary" magazine on the table, found the page with the story of Infernal Affairs, and began to read it.

It was completely dark outside the window.

The lights were still on in the editorial office.

The editors are still working overtime to prepare for the reprint and the next issue.

Wuhan University.

Hatch.

Xie Lu sneezed, wondering if someone was talking about him.

It's most likely that little girl, Zhao Wanwan.

Just as Xie Lu was pondering this in his heart.

The impatient voice of the eldest brother, Chen Xiangdong, came from beside him:

"Fourth brother, can you walk faster? You're too slow. If we go any later, all the food in the cafeteria will be gone."

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Hearing Chen Xiangdong urging him on, Xie Lu quickened his pace to catch up with the group.

On their way to the cafeteria, Chen Xiangdong and his two companions continued their discussion of Infernal Affairs.

As the author, Xie Lu felt somewhat embarrassed listening to the people around him discussing his work, especially since Chen Xiangdong and the other two were having such a heated discussion that he didn't get a chance to interject.

When the freshmen who occasionally passed by on the way heard Chen Xiangdong and his two companions discussing something, they first asked, "Are you discussing Infernal Affairs?"

After receiving accurate answers from the three people, he immediately joined in.

Gradually, more and more people started discussing it.