Chapter 32: Informing on the Snitch

Inside the building of the **Oriental Daily**, Tian Guang was standing respectfully in Ma Chengkun's office, recounting in detail the 'facts' that had occurred before him a few days ago. 

Ma Chengkun was lowering his head, focused on the **Ming Pao** on his desk, where Jin Yong's review was prominently displayed. 

Beside him were several issues of the **Jiu Ding Daily**, each one opened to the novel section featuring *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*.

At this moment, Ma Chengkun's expression was blank, but Tian Guang felt that the temperature in the office seemed to have dropped a little.

"...At that time, I heard Wu Neng say a few words and felt that *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* might be good. I wanted to ask more, but since Wu Neng had already rejected it, I hadn't seen it and couldn't recover the situation. I missed the opportunity. Boss, it was my mistake."

"Moreover, I also checked and found that the owner of the **Jiu Ding Daily** and the author of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* are the same person. I heard that he couldn't publish the novel, so he bought a newspaper to publish it himself." Tian Guang said respectfully. After speaking, he fell silent and stood still, trying to make his breathing as light as possible.

After listening to Tian Guang's account, Ma Chengkun remained silent, his head still lowered as he continued to flip through the pages of the newspaper featuring *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*.

The only sounds in the office were the rustling of the newspaper and the rhythmic tapping of Ma Chengkun's fingers on the desk.

As time passed, Ma Chengkun's face grew darker, and the tapping of his fingers on the desk became more rapid.

Then, Ma Chengkun looked up at Tian Guang with a gaze that made Tian Guang feel as if he were being seen through.

"Has the boss discovered my small scheme?" 

Tian Guang couldn't help but gulp, his heart racing with anxiety. Sweat began to form on his forehead as he lowered his gaze to the floor, afraid to meet Ma Chengkun's eyes, fearing the boss's wrath.

He hadn't forgotten what kind of person his boss was.

It could be said that Tian Guang took a considerable risk to frame Wu Neng. If it weren't for his deep resentment towards Wu Neng, Tian Guang wouldn't have had the courage to report the 'facts' and add a touch of exaggeration.

Fortunately, he did not incur the boss's wrath.

"Good. Report any issues in a timely manner. Not keeping *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* was not your fault. Just pay more attention in the future. You may leave now and call Wu Neng in," Ma Chengkun said淡淡地.

"Yes, Boss!" Tian Guang immediately responded, then carefully exited the office and gently closed the door behind him.

Once outside, Tian Guang let out a sigh of relief, wiped his forehead, and muttered, "That scared me. Thankfully, the boss didn't get angry."

"But Wu Neng, since the boss didn't get angry at me, you're going to have a hard time. Hehe!" Tian Guang's mouth curled into a cold smile, secretly thinking.

After Tian Guang left, Ma Chengkun's face grew grim and menacing.

If Tian Guang could see through the situation, how could Ma Chengkun, an old hand in the business, not see it?

Moreover, Ma Chengkun understood that *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* posed a far greater threat to the **Oriental Daily**.

With Jin Yong's retirement, **Ming Pao** was moving more into the realm of high intellectuals, thus neglecting the grassroots level. **Oriental Daily** seized the opportunity to attract grassroots readers.

Given their lower cultural level, they preferred entertaining news and novels, which was why Ma Chengkun was willing to pay high prices for submissions.

However, despite spending the money, he received no good books, and instead, he had rejected *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, a book praised by even Jin Yong.

If it were merely a good book that was missed and *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* went unnoticed, Ma Chengkun might not be so upset.

But the fact that the book he had rejected became a hit in the **Jiu Ding Daily** and that **Jiu Ding Daily**'s sales had surged, causing **Oriental Daily**'s sales to plummet, was infuriating. Yesterday, the total sales had dropped significantly to 158,000, more than a 10,000 drop from the peak. Ma Chengkun's father had even commented on this, which greatly soured Ma Chengkun's mood.

Today, the situation worsened further with Jin Yong's recommendation of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, making it clear that **Jiu Ding Daily**'s sales would soar again.

Originally, the third factor mentioned by Li Nan in yesterday's analysis was the weakest, as *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* had only been serialized for a few days with just a few thousand words. Its impact on **Jiu Ding Daily**'s sales would be limited.

But with Jin Yong's endorsement, the situation was bound to change dramatically.

Of course, what angered Ma Chengkun the most was Tian Guang's final remark. 

That *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* was published in the **Jiu Ding Daily** because it was rejected by his own newspaper, which led to the creation of the **Jiu Ding Daily**.

Though Ma Chengkun wasn't sure of the truth of Tian Guang's words, he had come to believe most of it, as reason told him this scenario was highly plausible.

The thought of having an unexpected competitor and the repeated blows to **Oriental Daily** filled Ma Chengkun with rage, almost to the point of wishing to lash out violently.

And the root cause of all this was Wu Neng's lack of insight!

---

At this moment, in the office where Wu Neng, the middle-aged editor who had rejected the manuscript, had once worked, Wu Neng was sitting listlessly on a chair, staring blankly at the **Ming Pao** and **Jiu Ding Daily** on his desk.

It was clear that he had seen Jin Yong's review and recognized *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. Despite the numerous manuscripts he reviewed daily, he still remembered the bad impression that *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* had left on him.

He had realized yesterday that *The Legend of the Condor Heroes* was the manuscript he had rejected, which had frightened him deeply. He understood the significance of this realization.

During yesterday's meeting, he had been terrified when Li Nan discussed the four factors affecting sales. Wu Neng had not dared to breathe a word and had been on edge.

Last night, he had recalled that Tian Guang was the only person present when he rejected the manuscript, and he hadn't said anything about *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. Tian Guang, who had not seen the manuscript, should not have known what was rejected.

Yet, Wu Neng felt a deep unease, as if his wrongdoing was about to be exposed, and he could only pray that the boss would not find out.

However, when he saw Jin Yong's review in the **Ming Pao**, he was stunned, and his mind became a chaotic mess.

Now, after sitting in his chair for half an hour, he had done nothing, overwhelmed by regret, anxiety, and fear.

Just then, Tian Guang walked in, casually saying, "Brother Wu, the boss wants to see you."

Seeing Wu Neng still in a daze, Tian Guang raised his eyebrows and glanced at Wu Neng's desk. Seeing the **Ming Pao**, he couldn't help but smirk, but quickly hid it, raising his voice to call out again.

"Brother Wu, Brother Wu, the boss wants you in his office."

"Ah?" Wu Neng, startled, turned pale and shouted anxiously.

"Hurry up, don't keep the boss waiting." Tian Guang said again.

"Could it be that the boss has found out?" Wu Neng thought, his anxiety rising.

Those who have done something wrong always fear the truth being revealed!

Wu Neng swallowed nervously and forced a smile, asking Tian Guang, "Tian, do you know why the boss is looking for me?"

"I don't know. I was just passing by the boss's office, and he asked me to call you. Go quickly, don't make the boss wait." Tian Guang said with a puzzled look.

"Okay." Wu Neng forced a smile and, with heavy steps, headed towards the boss's office.

Watching Wu Neng's heavy back, Tian Guang's lips curved into a cold smile, a sense of revenge bubbling within him.