Chapter 171

"... Colleagues, I have already reported on the sales performance of 'April Youth' for the latest week. According to the statistics department's estimates, the other party's future sales will continue to stabilize at a level of around 150,000 copies."

Setagaya Ward, Jingfan Publishing, "Literary Spring" editorial department meeting room.

As the deputy editor-in-chief, Yan Cheng Qingzheng held the report and reported to the editorial staff sitting in the meeting room. In the document in his hand, the curve symbolizing the sales change of "April Youth" tended to be stable.

Someone raised a question: "How are our sales for the latest issue? Please explain, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Yan Cheng."

Yan Cheng Qing smiled, revealing his white teeth.

"In the last week, our sales were 210,000 copies. Although there is a gap between us and 'Tokyo Literature' and 'Tokyo Youth,' it is not something 'April Youth' can compare to."

He paused and emphasized, "And a very important point is the polarization of the reputation of Akiwara Yuto's work among book reviews and readers."

"Polarization, what's going on?" Someone in the audience asked, puzzled.

Yan Cheng Qing nodded and asked his assistant to distribute a report to everyone. After seeing that everyone had received the report, he began to describe it.

"Regarding the 'The Invisible Guest' serialized by Akiwara Yuto, some reviewers have expressed that it is too unconventional and does not conform to traditional detective literary works. Some readers have even expressed online that they have no interest in this work."

Hearing this, the people in the meeting room were slightly surprised and whispered to each other for a while.

After a while, a refined man wearing glasses raised his hand to ask a question.

"... Since the market reaction is average, why can 'April Youth' still sell about 150,000 copies? After all, compared to the previous 70,000 copies, this is almost an increase of nearly double, which is not bad, right?"

The people in the meeting room also looked up, fell silent one after another, and waited for Yan Cheng Qing's answer to this question.

The competition among the four major literary journals was intense, and "Literary Spring" was neither high nor low, sitting in the third position.

Therefore, "Literary Spring" was the most concerned about the sales changes of "April Youth," which was ranked at the bottom.

After all, once they were surpassed by it, the upper management of the publisher would definitely be very dissatisfied.

Yan Cheng Qing nodded and responded, "Akiwara Yuto has made quite a name for himself in the news recently, so the public still has some interest in him. Therefore, after seeing him serialize in 'April Youth,' many people will choose to buy a copy of the corresponding magazine."

He patted the table and raised his voice.

"But I personally believe that these readers attracted by his name will sooner or later give up buying because of the poor reading experience of 'The Invisible Guest'."

He looked around and said in a confident tone, "In other words, wait a while longer, and it is not impossible for the sales of 'April Youth' to fall below 100,000 copies again!"

Regarding this speculation, the people in the audience became restless, and many whispered to each other.

It was not until a while later that the commotion stopped under the "cough" of a middle-aged man sitting in the main seat.

The middle-aged man stopped coughing.

"Regarding the potential threat of 'April Youth,' Yan Cheng and I have already discussed it. Although Akiwara Yuto has been quite famous recently, if his work is not popular in the market, then it is nothing to fear. So, let's temporarily shelve the topic regarding 'April Youth'."

He turned his head and looked at Yan Cheng Qing, "Editor Yan Cheng, regarding the next autograph session scheduled at Yokohama National University, have you completed the preparations?"

Yan Cheng Qing nodded and answered confidently, "I have already reached a cooperation with a relatively large bookstore nearby and scheduled the time for next Thursday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so that most students will have time."

The middle-aged man smiled, "Then thank you for your hard work."

"No problem, I will definitely ensure the success of the autograph session and make Zhutian-sensei satisfied."

Yan Cheng Qing showed a confident smile.

Time passed quickly, and suddenly it was next Thursday.

On the stage of the teaching building at Yokohama National University, Shangshan Yuanzi sat on the ground with her knees bent, holding a copy of "April Youth" in her hands.

The sunlight in late November was not dazzling, but rather somewhat soft, making the book cover look a bit yellow. The breeze that blew from time to time made her beautiful hair flutter with the wind.

If someone looked from afar, they would feel that she was particularly beautiful at this moment, with a feeling of Princess Kaguya returning to the world.

But on the face of this "Princess Kaguya," there was some distress.

What exactly does Akiwara-sensei want to write in this work?

Shangshan Yuanzi frowned, feeling a bit conflicted for a moment.

She had always been a loyal reader of Akiwara Yuto, from the "Zoo" series to the recently released "Manslaughter," she hadn't missed a single one.

Even before this, she had specifically traveled from Yokohama to Setagaya Ward in Tokyo to attend the autograph session for Akiwara Yuto's new book.

But to her surprise, this "The Invisible Guest" released by Akiwara Yuto had a completely different style from his previous works, looking as if it wasn't written by the same person at all.

When she first started reading, she thought it was a lawyer helping an innocent client clear their name, but as she read on, it revealed the client's past crimes...

But shouldn't this kind of plot usually appear after the detective reveals the real culprit?

Akiwara-sensei, could he have made a creative mistake this time?

Shangshan Yuanzi couldn't help but feel worried for a moment. After all, she had always regarded Akiwara Yuto as her idol and strived and worked hard with him as her goal.

She hoped that one day, she could also debut in the literary world just like him!

Just then, footsteps came, and Shangshan Yuanzi looked up to find it was her good friend Qianjian Youji.

Qianjian Youji quickly walked to Shangshan Yuanzi's side, patted her shoulder, and joked, "Reading your idol's work again?"

"Not an idol, a teacher." Shangshan Yuanzi rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction and retorted, "To me, he is the signpost for me to move forward on the literary path."

"Okay, okay," Qianjian Youji said, shaking her head, and then added, "Big sister, can you please put down this signpost teacher first? Aren't we going to Shandian Bookstore?"

"Shandian Bookstore?" Shangshan Yuanzi was a bit puzzled.

Qianjian Youji made a speechless gesture, "Did you forget? A notice was posted on the bulletin board earlier. Jingfan Publishing's 'Literary Spring' will arrange an autograph session at Shandian Bookstore. It is said that Zhutian Meizhi-sensei will be there to sign books."

Hearing this name, Shangshan Yuanzi immediately recalled it.

Zhutian Meizhi was a backbone writer of "Literary Spring" in recent years. It is said that before publishing the standalone volume, she had also won the Gold Award of the Jingfan Publishing Literary Prize.

However, in Shangshan Yuanzi's view, although the other party debuted earlier, there was still a significant gap between her works and those of Akiwara Yuto, whom she had always liked.

Never mind, just accompany her good friend, and consider it a way to relax.

Shangshan Yuanzi stood up, patted the dust off her skirt, and smiled, "Okay, let's go now."

Qianjian Youji grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "Let's go."

Then she pulled Shangshan Yuanzi along and walked towards the stairs.

After a journey of about 15 minutes, the two walked to the school gate of Yokohama National University. But just as they were about to walk out, a girl suddenly stopped them.

"Two students, Kejia Hall's 'April Youth' is holding an autograph session at the gymnasium. If you are interested, why not go take a look?"

After saying this, she handed two flyers to Shangshan Yuanzi and Qianjian Youji respectively.

Why is there an autograph session at the gymnasium too?

And it's "April Youth"?

Shangshan Yuanzi looked down in confusion and read the flyer handed to her, which said: "'April Youth', Akiwara Yuto live autograph session, location: Gymnasium."

Seeing this name, Shangshan Yuanzi couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't heard any news about this.

She hesitated for a moment, then turned to her friend who was still looking at the flyer on the other side, and said in an apologetic voice.

"Sorry, Youji-chan, I plan to go to the gymnasium first."

Qianjian Youji was also a bit speechless, but she thought about it; she was only going to the autograph session to join the fun anyway.

Since that was the case, rather than running to the farther Lightning Bookstore, it was better to go to the gymnasium first.

After all, she also held quite a bit of curiosity about Akiwara Yuto, who had been "famous" for some time.

"It's okay, let's go. If there is still enough time, we can go to Lightning Bookstore later."

Qianjian Youji smiled and pulled her friend towards the gymnasium.

On the other side, Lightning Bookstore.

Yan Cheng Qing stood at the entrance of the bookstore, looked at the banner hanging above the entrance with the words "'Literary Spring' Zhutian Meizhi Autograph Session," and nodded with satisfaction.

The venue for the autograph session had been set up, and the promotional work had been ordered.

All that remained was to wait for the group of student readers who wanted autographs to come!

He showed a satisfied smile and clenched his fist.

Today's autograph session will definitely be a complete success!