Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

The five people looked at each other in silence.

Finally, Xu Wenting, a long-time employee, mustered her courage and asked, "President, you weren't here last week, what were you doing?"

"I went fishing with a group of fishing buddies out of town," Liu Xingmo said, revealing an excuse he had prepared long ago. Although it was absurd, it felt very real.

"Really?" another young woman, Liu Huimin, couldn't help but ask anxiously, "There are rumors everywhere that you're going to rise to great heights, boss! Are you abandoning us?"

"Haha, where can someone like me fly to?" Liu Xingmo revealed a warm smile. "I built this newspaper from scratch, and every issue reflects my hard work. How could I abandon it and leave you all behind?"

"That's great! I knew you'd say that, President." Liu Huimin sobbed as she rushed over and hugged the man who was her leader.

"President, you don't know, these past two weeks have been full of rumors. When we go out to interview people, half of the information we get is about you!" Liu Zhili, a male employee, explained helplessly.

Liu Xingmo initially wanted to inquire about the rumors surrounding him, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. He felt that doing so would only make things more complicated.

Liu Huimin, however, refused to give up: "President! You really caught a rare innate beast? And it was even taken in as a disciple by one of our elders?"

"These are all rumors, please don't take them seriously. If I had that kind of ability, I really wouldn't be coming to the newspaper, right?" Liu Xingmo said calmly.

"What? Your words are so unclear..." Liu Huimin pouted. "I heard you were flirting with two women. How do you explain that?"

"There are two women? That's utter nonsense," Liu Xingmo said.

"Okay, okay, we believe you!" Liu Huimin said shyly.

"Alright, that's enough for now!" Liu Xingmo clapped his hands, gesturing for everyone to sit down. "Let's get to work quickly. This week's newspaper needs to be polished carefully. Although the 'Heilong Weekly' is just a small newspaper in a remote town, we can't lose to the top newspapers of those major countries."

"Boss! To be honest, you've already won! What 'Da Yin Evening News'? It's all just a bunch of meaningless, repetitive drivel; you wouldn't even want to use it to wipe your ass." Jiang Youcai declared confidently, "We are the world's number one newspaper! 'Heilong Weekly' is the world's number one publication!"

"Thank you for your kind words, keep up the good work!" Liu Xingmo said with a smile.

Everyone sat down at their desks, picked up pens and paper, and began writing furiously.

Spring sunlight streams through the stained glass windows, leaving beautiful marks on the wood grain of the desk and floor.

The warm spring breeze swept through the house, adding a touch of sweet floral fragrance to the scent of ink and paper.

Liu Xingmo twisted his neck and stretched. He was in a good mood.

No matter how I change, doing solid work always brings peace of mind, especially in this familiar room, surrounded by familiar colleagues.

I truly hope that peace and tranquility will last forever.

In reality, in an era of change, the tide of fate is always unstoppable.

Am I really different from others? What should I do in the future?

I have many ideas, but achieving them is difficult. Let's be down-to-earth and focus on doing the things in front of us well first.

The gleaming pen tip danced across the yellow manuscript paper, the rustling sound of the pen adding to the tranquility of the room.

At this moment, Xu Wenting put down her pen, somewhat troubled by her report. She looked up and asked, "By the way, editor-in-chief! The capture of the strange beast should be true, right?" She explained her reasoning, "If we don't write this clearly, it will also affect our reputation."

Liu Xingmo said without looking up, "I know about this. Third Sister Liu caught one second-tier Ice Path Gray Wolf and two first-tier ones."

"Huh? Why do you know so much about this, President?" Liu Huimin put down her pen and stared intently at the desk by the window. "Was it really you, President, who took two women out sightseeing and luckily caught a strange beast?"

"What the hell? Enjoying the scenery and sightseeing, I almost lost my life!" Liu Xingmo cleared his throat. "Ahem! Anyway, I accidentally ran into Liu San Niang while I was out fishing and witnessed the whole thing. As for catching the strange beast, that has nothing to do with me. That's all I wrote."

"Just write it like that? Then what is the truth?" Liu Huimin pressed on relentlessly.

"There's no truth to it. I'm just stating the facts." Liu Xingmo was engrossed in writing, completely ignoring the questioning gazes.

"Ughhhhh!" Liu Huimin gritted her teeth, her resentment barely contained.

……

Two busy days, as usual.

This week's newspaper was successfully published.

The number of pages has increased by half a page, and the four full sheets of paper record the major and minor events that have occurred in Heilongzhai over the past week.

The most appealing core part is still the long-running serialized novel, but the food exploration section is also worth mentioning, and the emotional counseling and popular science sections have received widespread praise.

Overall, it's a newspaper that you'd want to read from beginning to end.

I've heard that caravans would also buy newspapers from ordinary households for an entire year and then resell them elsewhere. Perhaps, as Jiang Youcai said, the Heilong Weekly is indeed a very good newspaper.

……

After selling the newspapers, the six of them went to a restaurant as usual, sat down in a corner, and ordered a table full of delicious dishes.

The canteen was bustling in the evening, the aroma of food filling the hall, and the candlelight illuminating the rosy, smiling faces of the diners.

It's quite common to see someone holding up a newspaper and reading aloud, attracting a group of onlookers.

The guests at several tables began to discuss the matter.

"Incredible! Liu San Niang has captured three rare, acquired beasts!"

"Who is this Liu San Niang? My third aunt also has this name."

"It seems to be Liu San Niang from Luo Hua Lane, a woman who has connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world, and is extremely influential."

"That's right! I heard she was in trouble during the previous major incident, but then she was released."

"That's not all! I heard that she's a hidden genius who, through her own efforts, advanced to the third rank without needing any help from other experts."

"That's really impressive! I've heard about a beautiful female shopkeeper in Falling Flower Lane since I was a child, but I didn't expect she wasn't just a pretty face."

"Hehe, I have some inside information! Guess who that Liu San Niang has hooked up with? It's none other than the head of the newspaper, the story writer."

"How come he always seems to have all the good things happen to him!"

……

Liu Xingmo leaned back in his chair, looking up as he counted the rings of time on the ceiling.

Five pairs of eyes cast suspicious glances at them from time to time, communicating silently with their eyes.

In fact, Liu Xingmo also wanted to make it clear that he was already married and his current relationship status was stable.

But this matter wasn't publicized back then, and now that they want to bring it up, they can't find a suitable opportunity. For a company president to hide such a major life event from employees does seem rather heartless.

Oh well, let it be.

Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, and cultivate yourself when you're ready.