Reborn in 79, the educated youth wife regretted her divorce.

Chapter 56: The manuscript must be retrieved.

He made a gesture as if to pull the manuscript back.

Meng Yan then realized her rudeness and quickly let go of his hand, returning the manuscript to Jiang Yang with a face full of apology: "Jiang Yang, I'm so sorry, I was impolite just now. Your novel is... really good! I didn't expect that there would still be young people who can write such wonderful stories."

Jiang Yang took the manuscript and smiled faintly: "Director Meng, you flatter me."

Meng Yan greeted him warmly, "Jiang Yang, come, come, let's go to the office and have a good talk."

She then turned to Li Yunying, "Li Yunying, come in too."

Pan Dehai watched in stunned silence.

He never expected that Meng Yan would be so polite to a mere young man.

He felt his face burning, as if he had been slapped hard.

"Director Meng, what do you mean by this? You're actually trying to embarrass me for the sake of some greenhorn?" Pan Dehai asked angrily.

Meng Yan's face darkened, and she said sternly, "Pan Dehai, watch your attitude! Your behavior just now has seriously damaged the newspaper's image, and I haven't even settled accounts with you yet!"

Pan Dehai, his neck stiff with resentment, said, "I've been with this newspaper for a long time, you can't treat me like this!"

Jiang Yang watched the two arguing from the side, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

He calmly said, "Director Meng, if he doesn't apologize, I'll consider submitting my article to another newspaper."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yan became furious and pointed at Pan Dehai's nose, yelling, "Pan Dehai, if you don't apologize, I'll transfer you to a rural newspaper office and you can forget about ever coming back!"

Pan Dehai's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Being transferred to the countryside would have completely ruined his future.

He was filled with resentment, yet dared not disobey Meng Yan's orders.

He glared at Jiang Yang fiercely, but finally lowered his head reluctantly: "I'm sorry, it was my fault."

However, my heart was screaming wildly.

That wretched brat made him lose face; he'll definitely get his revenge!

Jiang Yang heard his apology but remained silent, only nodding indifferently.

He then followed Meng Yan and Li Yunying into the office.

Meng Yan gestured for the two to sit down, personally poured Jiang Yang a glass of water, and her attitude underwent a complete 180-degree turn.

"Jiang Yang, your novel has truly broadened my horizons! In all my years working at the newspaper, this is the first time I've encountered such a wonderful story."

Jiang Yang took the water glass and politely said thank you.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Meng Yan continued, "Jiang Yang, let's get straight to the point. What's your plan for this novel?"

"Director Meng, I don't want to sell the copyright, I just want a share of the profits," Jiang Yang said calmly.

Meng Yan was taken aback for a moment, then scoffed, "Revenue? A newspaper only costs eight cents a copy these days. How much of a share do you want?"

Jiang Yang took a sip of water unhurriedly, put down the cup, and looked directly at Meng Yan: "It's a 40/60 split, I get 60%, and the newspaper gets 40%. I'll provide a serialized story every week."

Meng Yan burst into laughter, "Jiang Yang, are you kidding me? What gives you the right to make such an unreasonable request?"

"Because only I can write a story like this."

Jiang Yang paused, then said with even greater confidence, "Moreover, I guarantee it will be a huge hit."

Meng Yan's laughter stopped abruptly.

Of course she knew this.

The newspaper, Yanjing Evening News, is now selling less than a thousand copies a week, and it's almost lost its pages. If it were really as Jiang Yang said, she would be willing to sell 46% or even 73%.

She was quickly calculating in her mind, her eyes flickering uncertainly.

Jiang Yang knew she was hesitating, so he didn't urge her. He just sat quietly, looking confident of victory.

Then, Meng Yan's gaze fell on Li Yunying beside her, and she had an idea in mind.

“Well then, Jiang Yang,” Meng Yan adopted a businesslike tone, “your novel is indeed good, but whether it will be a bestseller is anyone’s guess. How about we take a gamble with you?”

Jiang Yang raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.

“If your novel can help our newspaper reach a circulation of 2,000 copies per week, we will agree to a 40/60 split. But if it doesn’t reach that, then Li Yunying will bear the loss.”

Li Yunying's expression changed, and she quickly waved her hand, "Director Meng, I... I can't take that responsibility!"

Jiang Yang glanced at Li Yunying and said in a deep voice, "No destruction, no construction."

Li Yunying bit her lip, and after a moment she finally made up her mind: "Okay! I'll bet! But if I win, I want to be promoted to editor-in-chief!"

Meng Yan slammed her hand on the table: "Deal! It's settled! To avoid any backing out, let's sign the contract now!"

A simple agreement was quickly drafted and signed by all three parties.

Jiang Yang picked up his pen, pondered for a moment, and wrote "Jiang An" as his pen name.

The riverbank, the bank of the river, symbolizes a new beginning.

As Li Yu walked out of the newspaper office, he was still excited, chattering on and on: "Jiang Yang, you're amazing! I'm going to be a friend of a great writer now! I'm so excited just thinking about it!"

Jiang Yang smiled and said, "Being a great writer is not my ambition. I plan to earn some start-up capital and then get you guys involved in business."

Li Yu was taken aback: "Doing business? What kind of business?"

Jiang Yang smiled mysteriously: "I'll keep it a secret for now, we'll talk about it after I've earned my first pot of gold. Writing this novel is just a way to quickly accumulate initial capital."

Upon hearing this, Li Yu admired Jiang Yang even more.

That vision, that boldness—he's a born business genius!

Back in the dormitory, Liu Ming was lying on his bed reading a comic book.

Seeing the two return, he immediately sat up: "Where did you two go? Why are you being so secretive?"

Li Yu recounted the events of the day with great enthusiasm, his tone filled with pride: "Knowing Jiang Yang is truly a blessing I've earned!"

After hearing this, Liu Ming's eyes widened, and he grabbed Jiang Yang's hand: "Brother, you're amazing! Don't forget me when you become successful!"

Jiang Yang was infected by his enthusiasm and patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "Don't worry, I won't forget you! And Cao Long too, we'll do it together!"

Liu Ming became even more excited and pulled Jiang Yang to become sworn brothers: "Brother, let's become sworn brothers! We'll share the good times and the bad!"

A warm feeling welled up in Jiang Yang's heart.

This is exactly the kind of brotherhood he wanted!

He readily agreed: "Alright! Let's become sworn brothers!"

When Cao Long returned and heard about this, he immediately joined in as well.

The four are ranked by age: Cao Long is the oldest, Li Yu is the second oldest, Jiang Yang is the third oldest, and Liu Ming is the youngest, ranking fourth.

They found a few bottles of soda, and under the dim light of the dormitory, solemnly raised their glasses to swear brotherhood.

“From today onwards, we are brothers!” Cao Long said first.

"We'll share the good times and the bad!" Li Yu, Liu Ming, and Jiang Yang echoed in unison.

The dormitory was filled with laughter and joy, and four young hearts were closely connected.