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Shen Yuan stared intently at the screen, refreshing the page every few minutes. There was no way any of those people would use the chance they were given right. So really, it was Shen Yuan's duty to secure the meeting with that hack of an author.
The highest bid had not changed. It was still him, leading the auction. Good.
Switching to another tab, Shen Yuan refreshed that page as well. Today's PIDW update should soon go online. Shen Yuan already knew it would be a shit show, another 10k words of papapa in positions, that shouldn't be physically possible, with wife #382. And yet, a small part of him still had hope for something.
The page loaded. Oh, finally! Took that hack long enough.
Shen Yuan grinned and straightened his glasses, before leaning closer and digging into the new chapter.
***
Of course it was the same junk as usual, Shen Yuan fumed. What was that teasing of a flower that could give someone the ability to breath underwater, just to go back to papapa the next sentence and not even mention it again? And the wife suddenly having an extra arm whenever it suited Airplane? Stupid author, can't even keep track of his porn.
Ranting in a comment wasn't enough. Even privately messaging Airplane wasn't enough.
Switching tabs, Shen Yuan refreshed the auction page to see someone had outbidden him. Well, tough luck, luobingheswife69. Shen Yuan would not let this go.
Fueled by the heat of just fury, Shen Yuan entered a bid double the amount luobingheswife69 had pledged. There. Try to outbid him now, loser.
Then, Shen Yuan switched to a new tab and started to make plans.
***
When Shen Yuan got the message that he had won Airplane's stupid auction a few days later, he was prepared.
***
Airplane was late, because of course he was. Shen Yuan was sure the other did it just to annoy him.
Finally, the door to the cafe they had agreed to meet in flew open and the most average looking guy Shen Yuan had ever seen fell in, barely keeping on his feet. The guy scanned over everyone inside.
Shen Yuan didn't know how he knew, this guy was nothing like he had imagined Airplane to be, but there was absolutely no doubt in his mind. He stood and grabbed his carefully prepared bag, abandoning his tea.
Once he stood before the man, he adjusted his glasses. “Airplane, I presume?”
The guy – Airplane – looked up at him and let out a nervous laugh. “Uh, yeah. And you are Mr Cucumber?”
His online ID was perfectly fine, thank you very much. But somehow, Airplane made it sound gross.
Shen Yuan squinted at Airplane, but let it go. He was a man on a mission. “I will say, your ideas are great, Airplane. But your execution is subpar at best. You clearly lack reference material. Well, lucky for you, I will help with that.”
Airplane blinked, clearly thrown. Whatever he had expected of meeting his number one hater, that was not it.
“That is why it was my duty to win that stupid auction of yours,” Shen Yuan continued explaining. “To make sure that you get all the reference material you need.”
Shen Yuan wouldn't lie; he was pretty proud of this plan. Finally a way to actually make a difference and get PIDW back on track to be the actually decent web novel it was always supposed to be!
“What?” Airplane did not seem to understand, at all. He kept looking at Shen Yuan like he was the crazy one. God, what was so hard about this?
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes and pushed his glasses that had once again slid down his nose back up with a finger. “Reference material. You need it, right? Well, I will make sure you get it.”
With that, Shen Yuan pulled the piece of paper he had scribbled his notes on out of his pocket. There was so much to go over, he wouldn't have been able to remember it all otherwise.
Shen Yuan quickly scanned over his notes. “Okay, because someone was late, it's almost dinner time now. That's fine. We can start with Chinese food etiquette.”
Airplane looked like he would either burst out in tears or laughter any second now and as if he couldn't decide which one to go for. “You know what? Sure, dude. You're paying though.”
***
Over the following days, Shen Yuan took Airplane on several more outings to impart on him the intricacies he kept butchering, and Airplane's writing noticeably improved. Even some of the other readers commented on it.
Shen Yuan kept nodding in approval as he spotted the latest wife using the correct cutlery for her protagonist-cooked meal or when Airplane actually decently described a scene in one of the palace's many gardens.
But still, now that PIDW kept improving, Shen Yuan kept thinking how it could be even better. If it was him writing, he would not have spent three paragraphs describing the same two details on wife #93's dress, parts of it repeating word for word. And he would definitely have noticed wife #347's eye colour suddenly changing after it was described as blue as the oceans in excruciating detail. Stuff that anyone who actually cared to put out some decent content would notice when they read over what they had written. Which he pointed out in great detail, every single one of those instances.
Not that Airplane seemed like the editing type. And that was not something he could force Airplane to do.
Hm, food for thought. Shen Yuan was sure he could figure something out and give Luo Binghe the quality of story a protagonist of his caliber actually deserved.
***
Shen Yuan wiped his sweaty hands over his jeans as he waited for Airplane to arrive.
He didn't know why he was nervous. It wasn't like he cared what Airplane thought of him. And the other couldn't do anything more than decline and then things just wouldn't change. There was literally nothing for Shen Yuan to lose.
Airplane fell into the chair opposite Shen Yuan. “Sorry, sorry. My bus was running late, can you believe?” he said, unfolding the menu like he had done every day now and scanning over it.
Shen Yuan was not sure he did, but he didn't comment, just waiting for Airplane to pick a drink and for the server to bring it over.
He took a deep breath. “Airplane, we need to talk. I have something to ask of you.”
On the other side, Airplane froze like a deer in the headlights, his cup of white tea still raised to his mouth.
Shen Yuan took another deep breath. “I want to be the editor of Proud Immortal Demon Way,” he finally let out all at once.
Airplane did not react.
Shen Yuan's heart sank. Had he even heard him? Had Shen Yuan spoken too hastily?
But he was in it now and he wouldn't back down. “I know that I don’t really have experience, but you have seen the effort I put into PIDW so far. If payment is an issue–”
Manic laughter interrupted Shen Yuan. Before he could grow self-conscious, Airplane nodded, still laughing. “Sure, bro, you can help me.” Was he wiping tears away?? Come on, it hadn't been that funny!! “But being my editor means we should continue with our meetings, right? Do stuff together to give me ideas, for reference, right?”
It took Shen Yuan a few moments to parse what Airplane had said. Oh. He was really PIDW's editor now, wasn't he?
Determined, Shen Yuan nodded back. “Yes, of course.” Shen Yuan would give Airplane the best references possible. Everything for Luo Binghe.
Having finally calmed down, Airplane took a sip from his tea and set it down before he smiled at Shen Yuan. “Then how about we go to an amusement park next time?” Airplane's smile widened. “For reference material, of course.”
Shen Yuan squinted at him, but that was indeed still on Shen Yuan's list, so that was fine by him.
He couldn't wait to see the heights PIDW would now be able to reach with the influence he now could put into it.