After the contract was finalized, Xiao Chui quickly gave "Douluo" a brand new cover, even paying for a designer out of her own pocket.
She felt that her promotion to a full-time editor at Zhongdian Novel Network was entirely thanks to this book.
Therefore, she was more than willing to personally fund a cover for it.
Moreover, due to Wang Shu's intense updating schedule, "Douluo" had already reached 150,000 words and was less than 50,000 words away from being put on shelves for paid access.
Consequently, "Douluo" couldn't follow the normal new book recommendation process. By the time the recommendation period ended, "Douluo" would likely be 500,000 to 600,000 words long.
So, Xiao Chui went straight to the chief editor's office to request that "Douluo" be placed on the chief editor's recommendation slot for the current week.
Wen Xi did not oppose Xiao Chui's suggestion. As the chief editor, he naturally understood the implications of doing so.
However, the chief editor's recommendation slot for this week was originally intended for "Mo Huang Tai Yi." "Mo Huang Tai Yi" was a well-known top author, and dealing with him was indeed a bit troublesome.
"You can go back first. I'll give you an answer later," Wen Xi said to Xiao Chui.
After Xiao Chui left, he directly dialed "Mo Huang Tai Yi's" number, as this was a matter he needed to discuss with him.
At this moment, "Mo Huang Tai Yi," who was looking unhappily at "Douluo" on the rankings, saw that it was the chief editor, Wen Xi, calling.
He excitedly pressed the answer button, as he believed Wen Xi calling him must be to deliver good news, likely about the resolution of the "Douluo" book issue.
"Hello, Xi Ge, do you have good news for me?" Mo Huang Tai Yi said happily into the phone.
"Uh, it's not exactly good news. I just wanted to discuss with you if your chief editor's recommendation could be moved to next week." Wen Xi directly stated his intention.
"Next week? It's fine, I update slowly anyway." Upon hearing that his recommendation was being postponed, Mo Huang Tai Yi was a bit displeased, but out of respect, he didn't lash out.
"That's great then, thank you for your understanding!" Seeing that he had agreed, Wen Xi hung up the phone.
He felt no obligation to tell him anything more and directly went to the operations department.
"Xiao Li, change this week's chief editor's recommendation to 'Douluo World,' and 'Mo Huang Tai Yi's' 'Battle of Gods and Demons' will be pushed to next week!"
The staff in the operations department were slightly taken aback, looking at their chief editor with puzzled expressions.
They wondered about the background of "Douluo World" that it could snatch a recommendation slot from a top author.
However, as employees, they simply had to follow instructions.
That afternoon, when the largest recommendation slot on Zhongdian Novel Network, the chief editor's recommendation, was replaced with a large banner featuring "Douluo World," the online literature circle erupted.
They had attacked the book as a cheater in the morning, and by the afternoon, it was directly on the most prominent recommendation slot.
Zhongdian Novel Network's attitude was very clear: they did not believe this book was manipulating data.
Sitting in front of his computer, Mo Huang Tai Yi, whose original recommendation slot was now displaying "Douluo World," had bloodshot eyes.
He couldn't understand why this book would receive the chief editor's recommendation.
Could it be that the chief editor had called him at noon to replace his recommendation with this book?
Mo Huang Tai Yi's anger flared, and he threw the mouse he was holding out the window.
He never imagined that after writing for the website for so many years and never making any unreasonable demands, he would be betrayed like this!
"A nobody kid, thinking he can step over me, what a joke!" Mo Huang Tai Yi sneered, then released all his saved manuscripts.
He also directly issued a challenge to "Douluo" at the end of his chapter.
"Old Mo, just saw your new chapter. Are you planning to teach this newcomer a lesson?" another top author, Mo Huang Tai Yi's friend, tagged him in a WeChat group.
"If I don't show some power, these young whippersnappers will really think I'm a sick cat. From now on, I'll dedicate all my time to writing. When the book goes on shelves, let's see if he dares to compete with me in actual revenue!" Mo Huang Tai Yi stated in the group.
He wanted to see if this guy would dare to compare the number of paid readers with him when the book was officially released.
He had been writing for many years and had accumulated a large fan base. If he rallied them, he was sure he could suppress this newcomer.
...
After returning home from the internet cafe, Wang Shu immediately spent another full day writing. He might be busy with recordings for "Weekly Good Songs" in the coming days, leaving him little time for writing. Therefore, he wanted to use these two free days to get ahead on his updates.
For the next two days, Wang Shu was essentially isolated from the world, spending his time writing, eating, and sleeping.
Within two days, he had accumulated over 100,000 words in his manuscript drafts.
This was, of course, thanks to the "Master Level Writing Skill" he had previously acquired, which had increased his writing speed by several times.
Combined with his deep recollection of "Douluo's" basic plot, he simply had to transcribe the story without needing much conception, thus significantly speeding up his progress.
...
"Hello, is this Mr. Wang Shu? I am Xiao Su, an intern director from 'Weekly Good Songs.' Can you arrive at Xiangnan City Television Station at 6 PM for the audition?"
At five in the morning, Wang Shu received a call from Xiangnan Television. He gritted his teeth, bought a plane ticket to Xiangnan City, packed lightly, and headed there.
He arrived in Xiangnan City around 4 PM. To avoid missing the audition, Wang Shu immediately took a taxi to Xiangnan City Television Station.
By the time he reached the station, the audition had already begun. Wang Shu looked at the long queue and regretted not having a quick meal earlier.
After finding Xiao Su, who had called him, and completing his registration, Wang Shu was left to wait.
Even though it was only the audition stage, the program's three celebrity mentors had already arrived.
"Weekly Good Songs" was a flagship talent show on Xiangnan Satellite TV, and with its fast-paced competition and fair judging mechanism, it had attracted many loyal viewers.
Therefore, the production team was not short of money, and celebrity mentors were invited to the audition stage, with significant appearance fees paid.
Of course, these mentors had high standards for selecting contestants. Most contestants were eliminated after singing just one line.
Only a few contestants managed to sing more than five lines, and these were mostly the ones who passed the assessment.
At the audition site, Wang Shu also spotted a familiar face.
It was Tian Fen, whom he had met at the graduation ceremony a few days prior.