sovbooks 5: Do you want to be a boss?
5: Do you want to be a boss?
"Beijingers in New York" was Cao Guilin's first novel. After being published in a magazine, it became a nationwide hit and sold millions of copies after being published by a publishing house.
The popularity of the TV series, in particular, sparked a frenzy of people going abroad in China, and its influence in this era is terrifying.
Therefore, if a talented person happens to be born in a good era, they will truly achieve great success, be invincible, gain both fame and fortune, and rise to prominence.
As Han Wen typeset and typed the manuscript, he recalled his miserable past life, which made him feel inexplicably sad and almost to the point of despair.
Fortunately, he was reborn. It's so rare to have a second chance at life, so naturally, one must seize every precious opportunity.
He hoped to gain Cao Guilin's appreciation through the printing, revision, and proofreading of the manuscript in front of him, and also hoped to get to know some people in the publishing industry through him.
It would be even better if Cao Guilin could introduce him to a great director like Zheng Xiaolong and a remarkable figure like Jiang Wen.
That's how you build relationships and make connections; that's how you build a network of contacts.
In this life, we toil and struggle in the mortal world. We must be realistic and try our best to increase our strength and influence. It is never a mistake.
Han Wen is currently penniless and has no foundation. If he wants to gain a foothold, he will naturally have to use some cunning and tactics.
Children talk about ideals, adults only talk about interests. As long as it's within the bounds of law and morality, and as long as he doesn't cross Han Wen's bottom line, he does it without any pressure.
Typing is a very hard and tiring task. You have to concentrate and be single-minded, and you can't make the slightest mistake.
Moreover, proofreading and revising the Korean text took even more time and effort. Once he got busy, he completely forgot about food and sleep, losing track of time altogether.
When he was hungry, he would eat a steamed bun; when he was thirsty, he would drink a few sips of water. After working all night, he almost ascended to heaven on the spot.
"I can't take it anymore, I can't take it anymore." As dawn broke, Han Wen finally couldn't hold on any longer.
He put down his work, staggered upstairs, and without even taking off his clothes, lay flat on the bamboo bed and fell asleep immediately.
Han Wen slept so soundly that he couldn't wake up at all.
He didn't open his eyes until there was a loud knocking on the door downstairs. The sun was already shining into the room through the window.
"Han Wen, where are you? Are you in the store? Open the door now..." Zhou Ning shouted while knocking on the door, "If you don't open the door, I'm going to kick it down!"
This girl from Beijing is beautiful, tall, and has a great figure—a true beauty. But she's too direct and lacks any reserve or subtlety. Girls should be gentle and considerate, you know?
Han Wen reluctantly got up, walked to the window, and called out to the crowd below, "Sister Ning, wait a minute, I'm coming."
After he finished speaking, he put on his slippers and started to go downstairs.
Han Wen came downstairs, opened the shop door, and saw Zhou Ning staring at him with a somewhat unhappy expression.
"What's wrong with you? Why did it take you so long to open the door? Do you know what time it is? It's almost midnight!" she shouted. "If you don't open the door, I'm going to kick it, you know that?"
"I stayed up late last night and ended up oversleeping," Han Wen explained simply.
Actually, he didn't just stay up all night, he stayed up all night. But he didn't say it.
Otherwise, Zhou Ning would probably scold him again as the older sister.
But he was the older man, and she was just a young girl.
Although the other party was expressing concern and had good intentions, he still felt somewhat awkward.
Han Wen doesn't feel this way when he's with his mother.
However, when he was with Zhou Ning, he couldn't accept this change in mindset and identity for the time being.
"Staying up all night? What did you do last night?" Zhou Ning asked with a suspicious and curious expression.
"Uh, I got an order last night that was urgent, so I worked overtime." Han Wen pointed to the counter: "You'll understand when you see it. I'm going to wash my face."
After saying that, he walked out the door to the tap by the wall. He turned on the tap and began to scoop water with both hands to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
He only arrived in Jinghua City yesterday and hasn't had time to buy toiletries yet.
Although the upstairs room has a bamboo bed for sleeping and a stove for cooking and boiling water, it still lacks many necessities for daily life.
He planned to acquire these items after finishing typing Cao Guilin's manuscript, but he was simply too busy right now. The important matter was paramount, and other things would have to wait.
After washing his face, Hanwen simply wiped it with his sleeve and returned to the store.
"I didn't expect you to actually be working overtime. There are so many manuscripts, how can you manage? When will you finish typing them?" Zhou Ning asked, flipping through the printed manuscript in his hand.
"If we get too busy, we'll work overtime. It should take about three days to finish," Han Wen replied. "I've already written a letter of commitment to Teacher Cao, and he'll come to pick up the manuscript later."
"Han Wen, are you crazy? Three days? How can you possibly finish fighting in three days?"
"Don't even mention that there's only one person in the shop, even two people couldn't finish the fight." Zhou Ning was stunned: "Besides, even if there were two people, it still wouldn't work."
Because there is only one machine in the store that can type Chinese characters.
So why don't you discuss your decisions with me first?
What if Teacher Cao comes to collect the manuscript and you haven't finished typing it yet?
"Sister Ning, why are you so anxious and worried? Now that I've taken on the manuscript, I'm confident in my abilities." Han Wen smiled, "Don't worry, it's fine."
"I'm worried." Zhou Ning shook his head and snorted, "There's just too much manuscript. I'm afraid you won't be able to finish typing it."
"Everything is under my control." Han Wen pointed to the stool, gesturing for Zhou Ning to sit down, and explained to her, "Sister Ning, let me tell you, I type very fast."
The problem is that this machine is no good. If I had used an electronic version, I could have increased the speed by more than double.
So last night, while revising and correcting, I also typed and formatted the text, and I still managed to type out nearly 40,000 words.
So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I should be able to print the manuscript on time.
"Typing for such a long time at such a high intensity, wouldn't that kill you?" Zhou Ning sighed, feeling a little sorry for him.
"I'm young and healthy, I'll be fine. It's only three days, I can manage, you don't need to worry." Han Wen said nonchalantly, "Besides, if I really can't type anymore, I can send some of the manuscript to other typing shops, the only difference is whether I earn a little more or a little less."
"Yes, Hanwen, that's a great idea. So why don't you do it?" Zhou Ning was surprised, feeling that Hanwen was too smart: "You can split the manuscript in half right now, and I'll take it to another typing shop to type it up."
This way, although we earn less, your job will be easier. And we can guarantee 100% task completion.
"Sister Ning, I appreciate your kindness. However, I'm not prepared to do that." Han Wen shook his head: "I want to print this manuscript myself, and I believe I can do it."
"Why?" Zhou Ning asked, puzzled.
"First of all, I want to earn more for the store, and I also want to earn more for myself."
Secondly, I really like this manuscript and want to revise and proofread it myself from beginning to end, without anyone else interfering.” Han Wen replied, “I promised Professor Cao that I wouldn’t let the manuscript have any mistakes. It’s best to check it myself.”
After hearing Han Wen's words, Zhou Ning fell silent for a moment. Since that was the case, she really had no reason to continue trying to persuade him.
"Okay, I'll let you off this time." She nodded.
"Sister Ning, thank you for your support." Han Wen smiled and casually asked about his own situation: "By the way, would your mother be willing to hire me?"
"Han Wen, don't worry about that right now," Zhou Ning interrupted him, asking, "Tell me, do you want to be a boss?"