vncnus Chapter 16 Free Newspaper Distribution
Chapter 16 Free Newspaper Distribution
The following day, at 9:30 a.m., Lin Zhou drove to the Zhonghua News Agency.
Good morning, Mr. Lin!
The cleaning lady was wiping the front desk when she saw Lin Zhou come in and greeted him with a smile.
"morning"
Lin Zhou nodded in response and headed straight for the office of editor-in-chief Chen Jingzhi. Old Chen was always the first person to arrive at the newspaper office, and he was indeed frowning and thinking about the old newspapers on the table, seemingly still pondering the details of the redesign.
"Old Chen, take a look at this." Lin Zhou gently placed the manuscript in front of Old Chen, his tone revealing a hint of anticipation.
Chen Jingzhi looked up, adjusted his glasses, and his gaze fell on the three powerful characters of "A Step into the Past," a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes: "What is this?"
"I plan to put my novel on the front page of the revamped supplement. Let everyone take a look and evaluate the effect," Lin Zhou explained with a smile, while inwardly feeling apologetic to the original author.
Chen Jingzhi quickly picked up the manuscript and began to read it. The opening scene was about a modern youth, Xiang Shaolong, who accidentally traveled from 21st-century Hong Kong to the wilderness of the late Warring States period. This bizarre setting immediately caught his attention.
He became more and more engrossed in the story, his brows gradually relaxed, his eyes first showing surprise, then turning to admiration, his fingers unconsciously clenching as the plot unfolded.
The newspaper staff, having learned that their boss had brought a new novel, all gathered around the large office out of curiosity. Operations Manager Li Wangcai had just entered the office when Old Chen grabbed him: "Wangcai, come quick! Boss Lin's generosity is simply amazing!"
Soon, the first ten chapters of A Step into the Past were passed around and read by everyone, page by page.
Lucy, carrying a stack of documents, passed by and was drawn in by the crowd's reaction. She glanced at a few lines and was immediately intrigued by Xiang Shaolong's perilous situation. She put down her documents and squeezed into the crowd to read with great interest. Li Juan, the editor in charge of GG layout, was checking the client's GG proofs when she heard everyone's exclamations of praise. She couldn't help but put down her work and join in.
"Travel to ancient times? That's such a brilliant idea!" Li Juan couldn't help but exclaim softly when she saw Xiang Shaolong using modern knowledge to survive in ancient times. Her eyes sparkled with amazement.
"Absolutely! Previous martial arts novels were all about江湖恩怨 (jianghu grievances) and sect conflicts; we were all tired of them. Boss Lin has completely broken the shackles of martial arts!" Old Chen put down the last page of his manuscript, his tone full of admiration. "This is practically a new genre, 'time-travel novels'! Excellent, truly excellent!"
Having worked as a newspaper editor for over a decade and read countless novels, he had never encountered such a novel subject matter. The collision of modern thinking with an ancient background creates both a tense and exciting survival plot and a clever rewriting of the course of history. The imagery between the lines is extremely vivid, as if the reader were witnessing firsthand the Warring States period, a time of war and opportunity.
Lucy finished reading the last word, reluctantly closing the manuscript, and immediately turned to Lin Zhou, demanding, "Boss Lin! What about the next chapters? How is Xiang Shaolong going to find Ying Zheng? Can he establish himself in ancient times?"
"Yes, yes! Boss Lin, quickly show us the rest of the content!" Li Juan echoed, her face full of eagerness, looking exactly like a little fangirl. The other employees also nodded, their eyes full of anticipation.
Seeing the enthusiastic reaction from the crowd, Lin Zhou had already made up his mind. The popularity of "A Step into the Past" in his previous life was beyond question. Both the novel itself and the film and television adaptations were wildly popular and had already passed the rigorous test of the market. Now that it was being published by Zhonghua Daily, it was bound to set off a new wave of enthusiasm.
"Don't worry, everyone, I will update the subsequent chapters as soon as possible," Lin Zhou said with a smile, reassuring everyone.
"I'll leave the work at the newspaper to you all. We've already decided on the format for the revised edition. The first three chapters of 'A Step into the Past' will be the lead story in the supplement, and we'll update three chapters a day from now on! Also, Lao Chen, please keep a close eye on the layout, and Lao Li, you'll be in charge of distribution and promotion."
"No problem, Boss Lin!" Chen Jingzhi and Li Wangcai replied in unison, their eyes full of enthusiasm. With such a hit novel as their foundation, they were full of confidence in the newspaper's redesign.
In the following days, the entire newspaper entered a tense sprint phase. Old Chen led the editorial team to carefully check the manuscript of "A Step into the Past," adjusting the font and layout to ensure that the page was both aesthetically pleasing and easy to read.
Li Wangcai was busy contacting the printing factory to determine the printing quantity, and at the same time communicating with various newsstands to finalize the details of free distribution; Lucy, Li Juan and others also took the initiative to work overtime to help organize materials and proofread text, and the whole newspaper office was filled with a lively atmosphere.
Time slipped away quietly amidst the hustle and bustle, and before we knew it, it was the last day of October. The newspaper office was brightly lit, and everyone was making final preparations. The printing press machines ran all night, and 100,000 brand-new copies of the "Zhonghua Daily," still smelling of fresh ink, were neatly packaged, waiting to be distributed the next morning.
On November 1st, just as dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight appeared.
Newsstands were already set up on the street, and unlike before, each one displayed a prominent sign: "Zhonghua Daily News is being distributed free today! The blockbuster time-travel novel 'A Step into the Past' is now available for its grand premiere!"
Li Wenqiang is a white-collar worker at a foreign trade company. Buying a newspaper every day before work is a habit he has maintained for many years. This morning, as usual, he walked to the newsstand on the street corner, took out some coins to buy his usual copy of Ming Pao, and the newsstand owner smiled and asked, "Young man, how about trying this Zhonghua Daily today? It's free, and the novels in it are really good!"
The newsstand owner handed Li Wenqiang a brand-new copy of the "Zhonghua Daily." Li Wenqiang paused for a moment, took the newspaper, and glanced at it. Skipping over the news and gossip, he went straight to the supplement, where the three prominent characters "A Step into the Past" were printed. Next to it was an illustration of Xiang Shaolong holding a long sword and standing on an ancient battlefield, with a very striking style.
"Free?" Li Wenqiang was a little surprised. He had never heard of the "Zhonghua Daily" before. Could it be a new newspaper that was being distributed for free?
"Yes, it's free today, you'll see when you see it, this novel is amazing!" the boss said with a smile.
Li Wenqiang put away the coins with some skepticism. Why would anyone pay for a free newspaper when there was one available? He took the newspaper and headed to the bus stop. Once on the bus, he found a corner to stand in and subconsciously flipped open the supplement. Once he started reading, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
Li Wenqiang was jolted awake when the bus announcement sounded, realizing he had missed two stops. He hurriedly got off the bus and ran to the company, clutching the copy of the "Zhonghua Daily" tightly in his hand, his mind filled with worry: What will Xiang Shaolong encounter next? Will he be able to escape the wilderness safely?
Meanwhile, at the school gate, high school student Wang Dajun, carrying his schoolbag, was playfully walking into the campus with his classmates. He usually enjoyed reading novels, especially martial arts novels. He had read almost every martial arts magazine on the market and found them all the same and lacking in originality. In the morning, when he passed by the newsstand, he was attracted by the words "free newspaper" and "time-travel novel" and picked up a copy of the "Zhonghua Daily".
During morning reading time, before the teacher arrived, Wang Dajun secretly opened the newspaper and started reading "A Step into the Past." Within minutes, he was completely captivated by the novel subject matter and the gripping plot. He had never imagined that novels could be written like this! It was far more exciting than those martial arts novels.
"Dajun, what are you looking at so intently?" His deskmate couldn't help but lean over and ask when he saw him staring at the screen.
"Check this out! 'A Step into the Past,' it's amazing!" Wang Dajun whispered. "The protagonist travels back to the Warring States period, so cool!"
My deskmate started reading with some skepticism, but soon he was also drawn in by the plot and couldn't help but whisper in admiration, "Wow, this is really good!"
Exclamations of surprise echoed throughout the classroom as more and more students gathered around, taking turns flipping through the copy of the "Zhonghua Daily." Suppressed gasps of astonishment could be heard from time to time throughout the classroom.
"That Xiang Shaolong is amazing! He scared off the natives with a lighter!"
"The Warring States period was really like this! It's much more interesting than history books!"
"Is there more? Quickly check if there's a next chapter!"
Seeing his classmates' enthusiastic discussion, Wang Dajun felt a great sense of accomplishment. He stood by the desk and loudly promoted the news: "If you like it, you can get it from the newsstand after school. It's free today! But I heard there are only 100,000 copies available, so go late or they'll be gone!"
The whole class was in an uproar, and everyone made plans to go get the newspapers together after school.
Such scenes are constantly playing out in every corner of Hong Kong.
In the vegetable market, a woman buying vegetables took a newspaper from the newsstand owner, intending to check the price information, but she was attracted by the supplement "A Step into the Past". She stood in front of the stall and became so engrossed in reading it that she forgot to take the vegetables that the vendor had weighed.
In the park, an elderly man doing his morning exercise sat on a bench, wearing reading glasses, reading "A Step into the Past" word by word, sometimes frowning, sometimes smiling, completely immersed in the plot;
In the office building, white-collar workers taking their lunch break passed around copies of the "Zhonghua Daily" and discussed Xiang Shaolong's fate, turning the originally quiet tea room into a bustling hub of activity.
On this day, whether you're an office worker, a student, or a retiree, you can find enjoyment in it. Some are amazed by the wonder of the time-travel setting, some are fascinated by the turbulent changes of the Warring States period, and some admire Xiang Shaolong's wit and courage. Everyone has different focuses, but all are equally captivated by this novel.
By noon, the Zhonghua Daily newspaper was almost sold out at the street newsstand. Many latecomers who hadn't received a newspaper asked the newsstand owner for more.
"Is it still free tomorrow?"
When will I be able to buy this newspaper again?
When will the later chapters of "A Step into the Past" be updated?
The newsstand owners were busy as bees, patiently answering questions while secretly marveling at how popular the "Zhonghua Daily" was, especially the "A Step into the Past" story, which was simply brilliant!