Chapter 31: The Time Has Come

"Forget it, no need to concern myself with their grudge; it has nothing to do with me. Just watching is enough."

"Perhaps in the future, there might be an opportunity to cooperate with *Sing Tao Daily* and take a jab at *Oriental Daily*. I imagine that newspaper queen would be quite interested," Xia Yu thought to himself.

"Unexpectedly, Li Bin, who seems so honest, is so enthusiastic about gossip. You can't judge a book by its cover! He's the kind of person who is honest on the outside but secretly has a lot of passion," Xia Yu mused, observing Li Bin's eagerness as he spoke and his lingering excitement.

Xia Yu then set aside *Sing Tao Daily* and turned his attention to *Ming Pao*.

He quickly found the review by Jin Yong and was immediately energized. Jin Yong was a legendary figure in China, and even many children had heard of him.

For those born after the 1980s and 90s on the mainland, it was rare not to have seen Jin Yong's works or the TV dramas adapted from them. His influence was profound.

In Xia Yu's previous life, he had seen news that in 2016, on Jin Yong's 92nd birthday, even the money-loving Jack Ma personally sent birthday wishes, highlighting Jin Yong's significant impact.

Setting aside his personal character, Jin Yong's works had a tremendous impact.

XiaYu himself was one of those influenced. He vividly remembered reading Jin Yong's martial arts novels at a rental bookstore near his school and was deeply impressed by the classic TV dramas adapted from Jin Yong's works.

Now, he was surprised to see Jin Yong write a review for his book *The Qin Chronicles*, praising it highly.

Jin Yong even sent a message through *Ming Pao*, complimenting Xia Yu as a young talent and expressing a desire to have a proper exchange with him if time permitted.

Seeing Jin Yong's high praise, Xia Yu felt a bit uneasy. After all, *The Qin Chronicles* was not his own creation but a work he adapted. If he ever got a chance to talk with Jin Yong, he might be exposed as just a copyist, which would be awkward.

However, with the memory of internet novel master Ling Yun and the creative ideas from future web literature, Xia Yu felt confident. If he did get a chance to converse with Jin Yong, he would leverage his strengths and make up for any shortcomings. He believed Jin Yong wouldn't be disappointed.

Shaking his head, Xia Yu decided not to dwell on what had yet to happen and focused on how to respond to Jin Yong.

After all, Jin Yong's high praise of *The Qin Chronicles* in *Ming Pao* would undoubtedly create a sensation in Hong Kong. Jin Yong's influence in Hong Kong was unique; anyone praised by him or mentioned in his context would definitely attract attention.

Moreover, *Ming Pao* had developed with the help of Jin Yong's novels, and many loyal readers were fans of his martial arts novels, making them the ideal audience for *The Qin Chronicles*.

With Jin Yong's endorsement, it was foreseeable that readers would flock to find and read *The Qin Chronicles*, and once they read it, Xia Yu was confident they would be captivated by the story.

If *The Qin Chronicles* had only spread sporadically in Hong Kong until now, its popularity was about to surge dramatically, fueled by Jin Yong's endorsement. A major fire was imminent!

"Regardless of Jin Yong's reasons or motivations, he has indeed helped me a lot. I will remember this favor," Xia Yu thought.

"But how should I respond?" Xia Yu pondered.

In this scenario, Xia Yu had to show his respect and appreciation for Jin Yong.

Chinese culture values modesty, and given the age and status difference, Xia Yu, as a younger person, had to display humility.

After considering it carefully, Xia Yu took out pen and paper and began drafting a reply to Jin Yong. The letter was filled with gratitude and humility, praising Jin Yong while expressing his determination to continue improving and not disappoint Jin Yong. Xia Yu put his utmost effort into composing this response.

He wondered if this constituted commercial mutual flattery.

After reviewing the letter and ensuring there were no errors, Xia Yu asked Li Bin to summon Zhao Cheng, handed the letter to him, and instructed him to carefully edit and position it prominently.

After encouraging Li Bin and Zhao Cheng, Xia Yu sent them on their way and folded up *Ming Pao*.

Looking at the newspaper in his hands, Xia Yu smiled and murmured, "It's time to tell my parents. With Jin Yong's endorsement, they'll definitely believe in me. I'll withdraw some money when I go back today and give them a surprise."

Xia Yu had been waiting for an opportunity to tell his parents about his novel. He thought it might take some time, until *The Qin Chronicles* became widely popular in Hong Kong. But now, with Jin Yong's review, there was no need to wait.

Jin Yong's decades of reputation in Hong Kong were well-known, and Xia Yu's parents would surely be aware of it. With his endorsement, Xia Yu could use this to persuade them.

Additionally, Xia Yu planned to withdraw twenty thousand Hong Kong dollars, which, though modest compared to his two hundred thousand assets, would be a significant amount for his parents. It would create a greater impact, and his parents would likely find it difficult to object.

It wasn't that Xia Yu was being stingy by withdrawing only twenty thousand from his two hundred thousand, but rather that his parents were uneducated and had lived at the lower end of the social ladder. For them, twenty thousand Hong Kong dollars would be a substantial amount. He worried that revealing his full wealth might overwhelm them and cause unnecessary stress.

Xia Yu understood the principle of moderation.

To better convince his parents, Xia Yu had put a lot of thought into it.

...

As Xia Yu expected, when many martial arts fans saw Jin Yong's review in *Ming Pao* today, they went wild and started searching for *Jiu Ding Daily*. Once they read it, they were captivated by *The Qin Chronicles* and eagerly sought out earlier issues of the newspaper to catch up on the content they had missed.

Tian Guang, a young editor at *Oriental Daily* who had been with the company for less than two years, had attended the meeting yesterday but had only been sitting in the far corner.

Due to his busy work schedule, he hadn't paid much attention to *Jiu Ding Daily* and had thought little of it, considering it was unlikely to affect him.

However, on his way to work today, he casually bought a copy of *Ming Pao* and *Jiu Ding Daily* to keep up appearances. Coincidentally, he saw Jin Yong's review in *Ming Pao* and was immediately alert. He quickly read through it.

After finishing, he realized *Oriental Daily* was in big trouble. *Jiu Ding Daily* had already been a major threat, and now with Jin Yong's endorsement, it was set to explode in popularity.

But wait, why did *The Qin Chronicles* seem so familiar?

Hold on!

Xiang Shaolong, a modern man who time-traveled—wasn't this the young writer who had his manuscript rejected?

It's *The Qin Chronicles*?!

Tian Guang was the younger editor who had been present when Xia Yu retrieved the manuscript.

His mind was racing as he realized that such an excellent novel, which even Jin Yong praised, had been rejected by *Oriental Daily* as garbage!

Fortunately, he wasn't the one who rejected it; otherwise, he would have faced severe consequences from his boss.

"Hmm? If this *The Qin Chronicles* was rejected by Wu Neng, then maybe…" Tian Guang's eyes narrowed, and a look of resentment appeared on his face.

He recalled how he had been oppressed by the middle-aged editor Wu Neng when he first joined. During that time, he was overworked and exhausted daily, and Wu Neng had shamelessly called it training.

Though Tian Guang had to tolerate it outwardly, he was deeply resentful inside.

"Now you have your day! Hehe…" Tian Guang sneered and quickly made his way to the company to report to the boss, Ma Chengkun.