[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-1987-my-era":3,"chapter-1987-my-era-1987-my-era-chapter-50":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","1987: My Era",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2259210,4409,"Chapter 50: The Great Talent","1987-my-era-chapter-50",50,"\u003Cp>The manuscript for the sequel to \"Alive\" is about 95,000 characters, divided into three parts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each part is roughly 30,000 characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Chen Xiaomi hadn’t finished reading the first part yet, Zou Ping could only anxiously wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how bored the other man was, Li Heng initiated conversation with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The topics were unrestricted—astronomy, geography, economics, current affairs, literature—whatever came to mind, and the conversation never stalled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t realize until they talked that Zou Ping felt increasingly uneasy, increasingly awed by Li Heng’s vast knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowledge is either there or it isn’t; you can’t fake or cram it in on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t help wondering: Is this guy really only seventeen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did Li Heng’s demeanor, speech, and foresight make him feel like he was talking to an elderly scholar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did such an ordinary chat fill him with immense pressure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did it make him feel ashamed of himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, Zou Ping finally understood why Li Heng could write a masterpiece like \"Alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Ping, who had always considered himself half a cultured man, felt insignificant at this moment; compared to Li Heng’s effortless erudition, he was like a newborn child—pathetically childish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Ping’s posture grew ever more humble, his confidence in conversation dwindling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaomi, keenly sensing this, glanced at him, then at Li Heng, and fell into deep thought: Could this be the real Li Heng? Had he never had the chance to show it before?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had secretly listened to their conversation, and Li Heng’s eloquence had deeply shaken her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought to herself: So this bastard really is a polymath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides being good at flattery and clever talk, he can even pretend to be refined—no wonder Zijin still thinks of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zou Ping cautiously asked the question that had gotten Chen Xiaomi scolded: “Teacher Li, how many books have you read besides textbooks?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he’s even politely calling you “Teacher”—quite the smooth operator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This question also interested Wang Run and Chen Xiaomi, who both looked up at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng thought for a moment, then replied half-truthfully: “I can’t recall the exact number, but since childhood, I’ve always loved flipping through the hundreds or even thousands of books my father kept.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke the truth: Raised by parents who loved reading, he had indeed read every single volume his father treasured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those were events from his past life; in this life, the books he’d actually read were maybe a hundred at most—all chosen during winter and summer breaks to avoid labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He called it a love of learning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Run’e knew exactly what he was up to, but she held traditional biases favoring sons; her son was her lifeline, so she never called him out on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hundreds or thousands of books?” Zou Ping was startled and couldn’t help asking: “May I ask, sir, what was your father’s profession?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng understood immediately: “My father used to work in education.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, that explains everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike when he was alone with Chen Xiaomi, he now openly recounted the story of his second uncle back home and told them his inspiration came from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaomi was from the same place and knew Li’s second uncle intimately; recalling the details and comparing them to the story in the book, she realized—yes! Many scenes bore his shadow, only refined through artistic embellishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, she believed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was certain this book was truly written by Li Heng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was certain Li Heng possessed extraordinary literary talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she thought about it, a mix of envy, bitterness, and faint regret welled inside her—complex emotions tangled together, indescribable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the first part of Chen Xiaomi’s manuscript was handed to Zou Ping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zou Ping eagerly began reading, Li Heng also got busy, pulling out a Chinese language test paper from his bag and starting to solve problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His action left both editors bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaomi happened to glance at the top of the paper and saw it was labeled “Capital No. 4 High School”—she immediately realized this test must have been slipped to him by Zijin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around 1:30 p.m., Chen Xiaomi and Zou Ping finished reading the remaining manuscript of \"Alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng observed them for a while; seeing both still immersed in the book, he knew what he needed to know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He neatly put away the test paper, sat upright, and asked Zou Ping: “Editor Zou, how do you feel about the sequel?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faced with such a soul-stirring literary masterpiece, the seasoned editor Zou Ping didn’t dodge the question—he looked up sincerely and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent! Beyond ‘excellent,’ I can’t find any other word to describe its greatness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng nodded in satisfaction and cut straight to the point: “Good. Since you’re both satisfied, I won’t beat around the bush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You two came all this way—surely you came prepared. I’d like to hear what kind of royalty offer you’re prepared to make.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here it comes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talking about money again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the English teacher beside them turned her head away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her heart, this student had many admirable qualities, yet he was stubbornly fixated on money—destroying the romantic beauty of literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zou Ping hesitated over how much to offer, Chen Xiaomi glanced at him and spoke first:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The second half of 'Alive' is even more brilliant than the first 40,000 characters and far exceeds my expectations. I can represent People’s Literature and offer the industry’s highest royalty rate: 30 yuan per thousand characters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the state reinstated royalty policies, rates have risen several times over the past decade; currently, the standard for a typical new writer is 12 yuan per thousand characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chen Xiaomi said, 30 yuan per thousand is the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even China’s most top-tier authors cannot exceed this rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xiaomi raised the rate to the maximum because she had no other choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was her last and only option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Li Heng disliked her and held strong resentment toward her; he was only letting her stay now, not kicking her out, because he intended to use her to drive up the price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he wished, she saw through his scheme and immediately capped the offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She left Zou Ping no room to negotiate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to see—if she showed such sincerity, if she blocked every path before the rival could speak—would Li Heng give \"Alive\" to her under the same terms?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was putting him on the spot!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using her niece Chen Zijin to pressure him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can dislike me, you can mock and sneer at me—I’ve endured it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, I once did the same thing; after all, I was in the wrong. As a mature adult, as someone with professional ambitions, I accepted the humiliation as payment for my past mistakes—Chen Xiaomi swallowed her tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But public is public, private is private. Our personal grudges are private; the publishing deal we’re negotiating is public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Li Heng confuses public and private—if he gives \"Alive\" to her under the same 30 yuan per thousand characters rate—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I have nothing to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I’ll pack up and leave!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I’ll use my entire life, mobilize every member of the Chen family, to prevent Zijin from being with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He holds grudges? So do I—as a woman, I’ve always held grudges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, she was gambling—betting that Li Heng hadn’t forgotten Zijin, that he still cared for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was her only remaining chance, her only slim hope of winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Chen Xiaomi’s bold move caught Zou Ping completely off guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d just been hesitating whether to reveal all his cards—and she’d moved faster than him!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Zou Ping, one step behind, filled with frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Heng glanced at Chen Xiaomi, thinking: This woman can bend and endure; to achieve her goal, she endures what others cannot—she’s truly formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1309,"2026-06-19T15:27:33.982Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","461496908938a4bcb85e5cabeb723641c987eb72963b1b53ad0241931399ae1d","1987-my-era-chapter-51","1987-my-era-chapter-49",713,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002F1987-my-era-cover.jpg"]