How can you lavish such praise on my husband? It makes me overthink things. (Please follow the story)

Feng Jiayou quickly exchanged a glance with Zhang Dening, signaling her to keep quiet—this could be dangerous. But it was already too late.

Huang Beijia, sharp-eared and curious, asked, “Dening, you know Jiayou and her husband too?” Chajianying glanced over at Feng Jiayou, but her attention was soon captured by the sample issue of Yanjing Literature that Bailin had handed her, and she eagerly flipped to her own contribution.

“Bailin and Jiayou were sent to the same place as sent-down youths. How could I not know her? I’ve asked Jiayou for a manuscript before, but her mother is a director at October, so I’ve never managed it!” Zhang Dening hadn’t expected Huang Beijia’s hearing to be so keen; she’d only quietly greeted Jiayou, yet it was overheard.

If Jiayou’s husband’s information slipped out, recalling last week’s scene when Editor-in-Chief Liu Xinwu of October made a fuss at Yanjing Literature, she shuddered at the thought. If she blabbed today, their chief editors Li Qingquan and Old Zhou would certainly not let her off easily.

She hurried to explain, tugging at Bailin’s sleeve for help. “Beijia, we brought you a sample issue too. Revise your draft well and aim for publication next issue!” Bailin’s look carried endless grievance—snatching her author and asking her to cover up, truly audacious.

“My article too?!” Huang Beijia was surprised, never expecting Bailin would remember her, since she had no piece in this issue.

“Yes, we brought three copies—one for each of you! Dening, hand your samples to Jiayou and Beijia,” Bailin nodded, adding casually, “On the way here, I thought to catch up with Jiayou. I heard her husband also came from Chengjiawan, so I mentioned it to Dening!”

“We were reminiscing about our time as sent-down youths in Chengjiawan, Dening got curious and asked about your husband as soon as we arrived. I told her not to! What’s wrong with a man from Northern Shaanxi? Jiayou, I think your husband is excellent!”

“I was just curious after hearing you talk about Jiayou and her husband all the way!”

“Here are your sample issues—brought them for you! This issue of Yanjing Literature may have launched a major bombshell; you must read it carefully!” Zhang Dening echoed Bailin, handing two issues to Feng Jiayou.

They’d brought only three copies; originally, the two in Zhang Dening’s hands were meant for Jiayou, since Beijia had no article and wasn’t expected to get one. But to cover her slip and keep Beijia quiet, she gave her one.

As she handed them over, she couldn’t resist teasing, boasting about Yanjing Literature’s “major bombshell.”

“A bombshell? Really?!”

As expected, Huang Beijia and Chajianying’s attention shifted entirely to the sample issues, and they began reading the other articles in Yanjing Literature.

“‘Horseman’? Old Xu? The author is unfamiliar—I haven’t heard of them. Did Yanjing Literature put them on the front page?” Huang Beijia took the issue, and, hearing Zhang Dening, didn’t even check which page Chajianying’s piece was on, but instead opened the front page for the title and author.

The title was nothing special; she simply wanted to know which renowned writer had the lead article this issue.

And since it was a bombshell, it must be the front-page article. But when she saw the author was “Old Xu,” she racked her brain, unable to recall any articles by this writer, and couldn’t help but ask.

She didn’t dwell on it, continuing to read.

“It’s a newcomer!” Zhang Dening nodded in response.

“A newcomer? You put a new author on the front page of Yanjing Literature?!” Huang Beijia, who had asked casually, now looked up in shock at Zhang Dening.

“A newcomer? That’s impressive!” Chajianying was also surprised—having a debut piece published as a lead article in Yanjing Literature was truly extraordinary.

But Huang Beijia wasn’t a pure novice like Chajianying; she was already a seasoned local author, with several published pieces. She knew the industry’s unwritten rules: magazines are extremely cautious about lead articles, sometimes requiring approval from relevant departments before publishing. The lead page represents the editorial stance and is never given to newcomers but to established writers, whose manuscripts are repeatedly reviewed for ideological integrity.

So, in the domestic literary scene, giving a newcomer the lead article is very rare—almost unheard of.

Yet Yanjing Literature did just that, awarding “Old Xu” the front page—a true bombshell, as Zhang Dening had said.

Just this alone was a sensation in the literary world, regardless of the quality or ideological correctness of the piece.

“Read the article first; don’t worry about whether the author is a newcomer. You should learn how to approach the theme of scar literature—this ‘Horseman’ is worth studying!” Bailin reminded them.

Both were her authors, though their writing was still a bit immature and needed guidance. Meanwhile, Feng Jiayou glanced warily at Bailin—wasn’t this praise for her husband a bit excessive, old flame Bailin?

“It’s scar literature too?”

This only deepened Huang Beijia’s curiosity. Scar literature had Liu Xinwu’s pioneering “The Class Teacher” and Lu Xinhua’s “Scar,” both sparking a wave in the literary world, inspiring countless followers.

Yet neither Liu Xinwu’s nor Lu Xinhua’s works had ever been featured as a lead article. Later imitators even less so.

So why did this newcomer “Old Xu,” writing in the same vein, get the lead page in Yanjing Literature?

Chajianying, still a newcomer, didn’t grasp the sharpness of this, but seasoned Huang Beijia certainly did.

This only heightened her curiosity about what kind of literary bomb Yanjing Literature had dropped.

The lead article!

Feng Jiayou saw that Bailin was calm and composed; perhaps she was overthinking. She happily opened her issue to her husband’s “Horseman,” delighted to see it on the front page, her heart soaring.

She wished she could rush to the library and show it to her husband right away.

Flipping through, she was soon absorbed.

“Huh?”

It was only when Zhang Dening quietly tugged her sleeve that Feng Jiayou emerged from her reverie and looked at her.

“Jiayou, here’s your payment slip—I brought it along!” Huang Beijia and Chajianying, engrossed in the article, didn’t notice as Zhang Dening handed the slip to Feng Jiayou.

“Payment slip?” Feng Jiayou’s eyes lit up as she took it, quickly glancing at it before hiding it in her pocket for fear of being seen.

“Where’s your husband, Xueming?” Zhang Dening asked about Cheng Xueming.

“Dening, Xueming is studying at the Yan University library. Will you join us for lunch?” Jiayou whispered, extending an invitation.

“He’s at the library? Perfect, I’ll go see him first. No need for lunch, we have to report back to the office!” Zhang Dening nodded, now knowing where Cheng Xueming was, and without waiting for Huang Beijia and Chajianying, told Bailin, “I’ll head over first, shall we meet at the entrance later?”

“Alright, Dening, go ahead!” Bailin knew Zhang Dening had come on Old Zhou’s mission—to solicit another manuscript from Cheng Xueming personally and make sure he wasn’t poached by other publications. Especially his mother-in-law, who had to be guarded against most vigilantly.

“It’s even better than ‘Scar’—I was moved to tears!”

Nearly forty minutes later, Huang Beijia finished reading first, sighing in wonder, and when she looked up, her eyes were indeed wet with tears.

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