Chapter 484 The June Short Story Contest Begins! Troika Dispatched Together?

It took quite a while before Melvin came back to his senses.

He felt that he was still in a trance. He drank several sips of coffee again, took a piece of paper from the side and wiped the coffee stains on the computer and table. His heart finally calmed down.

Such an incredible ending!

Or.

Such a short story actually subverted his thinking three times in a row.

The first time: He didn’t expect his wife to sell her beautiful long hair to buy a gift for her husband.

The second time, he didn't expect that his husband would buy a set of hair combs to comb his wife's hair, but at this moment, his wife's long hair was no longer there.

The third and last time, she never expected that her husband would also sell his beloved watch.

In other words, this poor couple spontaneously gave up their most precious things to each other in exchange for the gift that the other party most desired.

However, when they were giving each other gifts, they discovered that the other party had lost their precious items, making the gifts meaningless.

This ending is so absurd and shocking to the soul.

Even in Melvin's opinion, it was so cruel to the couple to a certain extent.

But while feeling emotional.

The pure love between the two protagonists is vividly reflected on the page. Although they are poor, they have selfless devotion to love. Although they lost their beloved things, they gained something that is a hundred or a thousand times more precious than gifts in the world, that is, priceless love.

"This novel..."

"This story..."

Melvin took a deep breath and read the novel carefully from beginning to end.

This time, even though he knew the ending, he still felt trembling in his heart when he read the whole story.

"What a reversal of genius."

Melvin knew that what short story writers are best at is an unexpected twist at the end.

But he thought Xilou was not good at this.

Because the example of "A Bowl of Soba Soba" proves that Nishilou is good at taking the emotional route.

He thought that "The Gift of the Magi" was of the same type. In fact, the story was indeed a warm and touching plot, but he did not expect that this time Xilou not only managed to embed emotion in the story, but also added a twist.

This is equivalent to Xilou merging the two essences of the short story together this time.

The psychological impact caused by this is indeed huge enough.

It was so big that he, the editor-in-chief of "Book Pavilion", was almost dull.

Melvin shook his head: "Xilou, what a Xilou..."

He originally thought that he had overestimated Xilou before, but the other party's ability to write short stories was actually higher than his estimate.

Having just made waves in the short story world with "A Bowl of Soba Soba," here comes another one, "The Gift of the Magi."

"Editor-in-Chief, the meeting is about to begin."

An assistant came in to remind Melvin.

Melvin nodded, turned off the screen, and started to hold the meeting.

The meeting was mainly to determine the short stories for the June issue and plan the content of June activities.

This time, the editors-in-chief were all very excited.

Because compared to May, when no famous writers contributed, the short stories in June became more concentrated.

So they don't need to worry about not having a first-place work at all. They are now worried about which work will be the most convincing when placed first.

"I think Mr. Henry's work is the best."

“I maintain that David’s ‘Conditioner’ is best suited for the June top spot.”

"Where did you put Mars? He is a top short story writer who is as famous as Nolan."

"Ha! Who is not a famous person this time?"

"..."

The quarrel was fierce.

No one can convince anyone.

After all, they are all works by famous artists, and the quality is not much different. Therefore, every editor-in-chief will strive to let the celebrities he connects with sit in the first position.

Until one person stood up and said lightly: "I received a short story from Rick."

at once.

A bearded man sneered: "What about Rick? He..."

The bearded voice stopped suddenly, and his pupils showed shock.

But others exclaimed.

"Rick?"

"you sure?"

"Dalton, you can't tell lies!"

"..."

Rick!

One of the Troika!

A master of short stories in today’s literary world!

Many people believe that it is unlikely that the Troika will participate in this short competition, and even if they do, they will only participate in anonymous tracks. But now Dalton says he received Rick's submission.

Of course everyone was surprised.

Even Melvin was shocked: "Dalton, are you serious?"

Dalton smiled slightly: "Mr. Melvin, it is indeed true. It's just that I just received Mr. Rick's submission email fifteen minutes ago, and I received the meeting notice just after reading his work, so I haven’t had time to report it to you yet. Now, I will send his work to everyone.”

Ding dong~~~

Soon, everyone received email reminders on their computers.

It's Rick's new work, called "A Piece of Cake."

The story is about a wife celebrating her birthday at home. The husband ordered a cake at a cake shop, but unexpectedly when he came back and cut the cake, he found a ring inside.

When the wife found out, she thought it was prepared for her and cried with joy.

But the husband knew that he was not the one who put the ring in. It was most likely that the cake shop made a mistake. But if he tells the truth, his wife will definitely be depressed and turn the originally happy birthday into a mess. But if you don't explain it clearly, your reputation will be ruined if the cake shop finds out.

After struggling for a long time, the husband secretly told the cake shop the truth and asked the cake shop not to take the cake back. He promised to buy another identical ring and return it tomorrow. The cake shop also thought he had made a mistake. But in the end, they discovered that their son had secretly stuffed the ring into the cake as a surprise for his mother.

So in the end, a piece of cake gained the son's love, the husband's character, and the wife's joy. Everyone is happy.

After reading the story, the conference room was full of exclamations.

"The great God takes action, it's extraordinary!"

"As expected of the Troika, this story is really good."

"Wow, Rick still smells the same as always."

"After reading Mr. Rick's works, I am convinced and willing to give up the first position."

"..."

Everyone raved about it.

And it was unanimously approved: The first work of the June semi-annual issue will be given to "A Piece of Cake". Are you kidding? This is Rick's new work. Who else can snatch his first place?

Dalton also smiled and said: "Editor-in-Chief, no one should have any objections to whose work takes the first place now, right? It is a great honor for our bookstore that Mr. Rick can submit it to us, and this short story is enough Excellent, I think that when the semi-annual issue is released in June, it will definitely cause a big sensation in the short story world. There is a high probability that the winner of this short story competition will be Mr. Rick.”

at the same time.

Melvin also finished reading Rick's new work.

He nodded secretly. There was no doubt about the strength of the Troika. This work was indeed excellent.

The writing and plot are both remarkable.

only……

Melvin's works appeared in front of Melvin's eyes. He looked at the crowd and said: "Everyone, Xilou has also submitted a manuscript to us. How about you take a look at his work first and then discuss it?"

Everyone was stunned subconsciously.

West Building!

This name has already been well-known in Shuge, because Xilou saved the sales of their May issue of Shuge to a certain extent, so when everyone heard the name of Xilou, they all felt good about it.

But, what does editor-in-chief mean?

Why should they make a decision after watching Xilou's new work?

It’s not like the editor-in-chief wants to do a favor to Xilou and give him the top spot in the June issue.

It's really possible!

but!

This will offend Rick!

Everyone became anxious when they thought of this possibility.

"Editor-in-Chief, please think again!"

"Although Xilou helped our library a lot last time, we can just repay him in the future. But we must not offend Mr. Rick!"

"Yes, Mr. Rick is a literary giant with countless readers. If we offend him, the consequences will be disastrous."

"We can put Xilou's works on the second page. I think Xilou will understand. Even if you, the editor-in-chief, put his works in the first position, Xilou probably can't afford it."

"Readers will definitely explode if they see that the West Tower takes the first seat and Rick is below him."

"Although Xilou's last work was very good, compared with Rick, it is still far behind in all aspects."

Everyone was talking about it.

Very excited.

Melvin smiled slightly: "Don't worry, I didn't say that I would give up the first seat to Xilou, right? You should read Xilou's works first and then discuss it."

With that said, he forwarded the email from Wang Mo to everyone.

Now everyone was even more confused.

But no one raised any questions. Instead, they opened the email from Melvin and started reading Xilou’s works.

At first, everyone was still whispering.

But after a while, the conference room fell into silence.

All you can hear is the occasional clicking of the mouse by the editors-in-chief.

A few more minutes passed.

The editor-in-chief, who was quick to read, suddenly let out a low exclamation.

Then, exclamations came one after another, filling the conference room.

Especially Dalton, who was full of confidence at the beginning, now his eyes widened and his face was full of shock.

"Oh my gosh, this is a reversal."

“I didn’t expect that at all!”

"It's incredible."

"I didn't expect that Xilou was so good at writing reversals."

"It's so wonderful. The ending of the story opened my eyes."

"..."

Even when everyone read the work of Rick, one of the Troika, these editors were not so shocked.

Until almost twenty minutes later.

The conference room became calm again.

It's just that at this moment, everyone's eyes are completely different from before.

Melvin did not speak, but looked at everyone with a smile.

Finally... an editor-in-chief stood up: "Is this... really Mr. Xilou's new work?"

Melvin: "Absolutely true."

The editor-in-chief took a deep breath: "If that's the case, let me offend Mr. Rick. I think "The Gift of the Magi" is better than "A Piece of Cake". Of course, this is my own perception."

The words fell.

There was a lot of discussion immediately.

"I think so."

"Although I am a fan of Mr. Rick, this time it is Xilou's work that is better."

"The Gift of the Magi wins."

"..."

In the end, Dalton shook his head and sighed: "I admit that "The Gift of the Magi" is indeed better. I will not look at the author through colored glasses. If you win, you win. As for Rick now, I will give He explained why.”

This result was within Melvin's expectation.

Compared with the blandness and warmth of "A Bowl of Soba Soba", "Gift of the Magi" has a much stronger impact, and it makes sense that it can capture the hearts of many editors.

He nodded: "Okay! It seems that everyone has unified their thoughts. In this case, the first page of the June semi-annual issue will definitely use Xilou's work. As for Mr. Rick, Mr. Dalton, please communicate with him carefully Just give it a try. I think Mr. Dalton will understand."

"good!"

Dalton nodded.

Although he was very excited that Rick, one of the troika, could submit a manuscript.

But in Shuge, and even in the entire short story literary world, quality is paramount at all times.

If "A Piece of Cake" is forcibly placed in the first position, it will be a disaster after the semi-annual issue of "Bookcase" is released.

End of the meeting.

Dalton immediately contacted Rick.

…

In a manor in Western Europe, Rick, who is in his fifties, is in a happy mood.

As one of the troika of literary giants in the short story world today, Rick has already won all the highest awards in the literary world. He was not originally planning to participate in this short story event, but he just happened to be inspired, so So I submitted it to Shuge.

"Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take this opportunity to get five million dollars to spend."

Rick thought.

Five million US dollars is not a small amount of money even for him.

Moreover, I can also consolidate my reputation during the event.

With a good reputation and a suitable new work, Rick would certainly not miss this opportunity.

As for whether he can get first place?

What a joke!

With his accomplishments in short stories, as long as Louis and Elvis don't participate in the event, who can be his opponent?

And based on his understanding of those two old guys, the other party would not participate at all.

In this way, although "A Piece of Cake" is not his most proud work, it is still easy to win the small June short story event.

As he was humming the song, the bell rang.

It's Dalton!

Connect with the editor-in-chief of Shuge who submits your own articles.

Rick answered the phone and said with a smile: "Hi! Good morning, Mr. Dalton!"

"Good morning, Mr. Rick."

Dalton hesitated for a while before speaking: "Mr. Rick, there is something... I may need to tell you."

Rick raised his eyebrows: "About my work?"

The other party only came to him for this matter.

Otherwise, can we go to the bar with him?

Dalton: "Yes."

Rick: "Tell me, are you encountering any difficulties? I can already hear that something is not right in your voice."

Dalton: "That's right, at our magazine meeting today, your work was not listed first. You..."

What he said was that he was ready for Rick to be furious.

One of the Troika!

The king of short stories!

It is really a great shame that my own works cannot even be ranked first in the "Book Pavilion".

Just, after listening to what he said.

Rick did not get angry, but remained silent for a while before saying, "Did Louis or Elvis also submit the manuscript?"

Dalton: "No."

Rick: "Whose work surpasses mine?"

Dalton: "West Tower."

Rick: "The fairy tale king Xilou? The Xilou who wrote "A Bowl of Clear Soba Soba" last time?"

Dalton: "That's him."

Rick was silent for a while again. He had seen Xilou's "A Bowl of Soba Soba" and knew that this work was extremely excellent.

But a mere work is nothing. I have many short stories of the same level. And Xilou may write such a masterpiece for the rest of his life.

But he didn't expect that just one month had passed, and Xilou would actually come up with a second work and steal his first position.

"Excuse me, can I see his new work?"

After a while, Rick spoke.

Dalton said: "Okay."

With that said, he sent "The Gift of the Magi" to Rick.

Rick walked into the study, opened the mail, and started reading the story.

Half an hour later.

He dialed Dalton's number again: "Mr. Dalton, I've finished reading the story."

"That?"

Dalton's heart tightened.

Rick smiled slightly: "Your decision is right. My works are indeed not as good as Xilou. "The Gift of the Magi" took the first place, and I am convinced. So, let's do it... publish it how you want."

"OK."

Dalton was overjoyed when he heard this.

This result exceeded his expectation.

He originally thought that Rick would withdraw his work and wait until next time to publish it, even if he didn't get angry. After all, it’s really a shame that Troika’s works can’t even be ranked first.

But he didn't expect that Rick would not be angry, and would openly admit that his work was not as good as the other's, putting his own work behind Xilou's.

"Mr. Rick, you are really generous."

Dalton was filled with emotion.

…

And the other side.

Rick, on the other hand, was covering his heart like Xi Shi holding her heart, his face full of pain.

How generous!

Be generous to your sister!

Damn it, his heart was almost broken at this moment.

One of his majestic troika was stepped on by Xilou, a newcomer to the short story world. Even the plot of the other party's story is so ingenious that even my most proud work may not be able to take advantage of it.

It’s not that Rick never thought about withdrawing his work and not publishing it.

But he couldn't do that.

Because this matter could not be concealed, the entire senior management of the bookstore knew that he had submitted the manuscript. What was going on now that he wanted the work back? Doesn't this confirm the fact that I am afraid of retreating?

He's Rick!

You can lose, you can lose.

But don’t be timid!

So what if you lose?

Even the most outstanding writer in Blue Star dare not say that all his works are number one.

Therefore, losing once is nothing.

But if you shrink back out of fear, your reputation will be really ruined if word gets out.

One of the majestic troika has turned out to be a coward. I am afraid he will be laughed at for the rest of his life.

"But it's really painful."

Rick's face was full of depression, and he even knew that more painful days were yet to come. When the June issue of "Bookstore" was released, the outside world knew that his work had been suppressed by Xilou, and that was when the public opinion became furious.

"No, I can't be allowed to bear such pain alone while those two guys laugh at me."

Rick's dim eyes rolled and he had an idea.

Think about it for a while.

He immediately dialed Louis' phone: "Hey, Louis, what are you doing?"

Louis' calm voice sounded: "Wash your feet."

Rick: "Are you still in the mood to wash your feet at your age? You don't want to support your wife and children anymore? You don't want to prepare a villa for your son to get married and have children? Why don't you make money quickly?..."

Lewis interrupted him: "Tell me, what is it?"

Rick: “I participated in the short story event in June.”

Louis: "What then?"

Rick: "Don't you think it's been a long time since the three of us had an honest battle? Let's do it again?"

Louis: "Oh? You have written a good short story, are you so confident?"

"necessary."

Rick said seriously: "Just asking if you dare, if whoever wins the short story competition in June, in addition to receiving a bonus of five million, the other two bonuses will also go to the first place. "

Lewis was a little lazy at first, but he became energetic after hearing this.

If all three of them participate in the competition in June, there is almost a 99% chance that they can win the top three.

Total prize money for the top three: $9 million!

And Lewis's current annual royalties from his works are less than 10 million US dollars.

This is equivalent to earning royalties for almost a year if he wins first place.

And it can still sit firmly in the first place among the troika.

This is a big gamble!

But it’s exciting enough!

Even he couldn't resist such temptation.

Louis immediately burst out laughing: "Rick, do you really think you are the only one who has a new work? Originally, I was thinking of not participating in the event and giving the opportunity to some little guys. But now that you have spoken, what if we make a bet! Here we go! If you lose at that time, you have to take out the bonus quickly. "

Rick: "Of course! But I have to tell you in advance that you must be first to win the reward."

"nonsense!"

Lewis said disdainfully: "With all three of us taking action, is it possible that the second person can take the first place? If that's the case, we won't have the face to get the bonus."

Rick smiled brightly: "Then it's a deal!"

Louis: "It's a deal!"

Rick: "I have already submitted my manuscript for "Bookstore"."

Louis: "In that case, I will submit my article to "Sea of ​​Ink". You can call Elvis later and ask him to submit his article to "Literary Elegance". The three of us will have a vigorous competition in June!"

Speaking of this, Louis burst out with pride.

Who is afraid of Who?

What's more, he felt that his chance of winning was more than 80%, because he happened to have a wonderful inspiration a while ago, which allowed him to write a very creative short story. He only needed to revise the short story and it could be published.

So in Louis' view, Rick just hit the muzzle of his own gun.

He accepted the $9 million bonus with a smile!

But Rick also smiled brightly.

When he heard that Louis agreed to his proposal, he felt that his painful heart was relieved a lot: "Sure enough, when you are in enough pain, pull someone in with a back support, and you will feel much better."

Um.

One supporter is not enough.

Rick immediately dialed Elvis's phone number.

Half an hour later.

Elvis also readily agreed to the matter.

At this point, the three carriages were dispatched. (End of chapter)