British writer

the next day.

Blair Road.

Lu Shi was still the same as usual, sitting in front of the desk and writing "Lord of the Rings\

,"The first "The Fellowship of the Ring" has already written that Boromir couldn't resist the temptation of the Lord of the Rings and tried to take the Lord of the Rings from Frodo.

After this climax is over, it is the end.

At this time, Lu Shi felt a little fluffy around his feet,

He lowered his head and found me at his feet, so he made a gesture.

My generation is very smart, jumping up,

"Meow~"

The little guy yawned on Lu's lap.

When Lu turned back,

"Natsume, why didn't you play with me today?"

Natsume Soseki rubbed his eyes and said, "I'm a Cat" is finished, and I'm doing the final proofreading."

Yesterday, after listening to Lu Shi's speech, he worked hard all night as if he had been beaten to death.

The result of hard work is the complete book of "I Am a Cat".

Lu Shi asked curiously: "Didn't you always think about how to arrange the ending? Now you have an idea?"

Natsume Soseki said: "There must be an ending..."

His tone was full of nostalgia.

Every work is like a writer's child,

The process of writing is not only nurturing, but also a long farewell.

Before, Mr. Wood from the Royal Publishing Bureau joked that "it has nothing to do with the author after the work is finished". Natsume Soseki has not been particularly impressed.

Now facing the end of "I Am a Cat", he can finally understand.

Lu Shi asked, "How did it end?"

Natsume Soseki said: "Lu, you can take a look for yourself. If you can, I hope you can help polish it. After all, you are far better at English writing than me. Of course, I... I can't pay you to make a sensation in your private race!"

Lu Shi's black line, ￣□￣｜｜

Before the other party knelt down, he stopped him and said, "The relationship between the two of us, what kind of reward is there?!"

Natsume Soseki scratched his head,

"Didn't you say something similar in your speech yesterday? 'Professional matters are left to professional people', but you have to pay for it, and you can't deduct it."

Lu Shi was stunned for a moment, then laughed loudly,

He took the original manuscript of "I Am a Cat" and read it.

In the original work, the "protagonist" cat was drunk, then fell into the water and drowned,

But Natsume Soseki in this timeline did not deal with it in this way, but let the drunk cat disappear that night,

While listening to the chatter of Kushami, Hanyue and others, it walks towards the bright full moon, which has a poetic charm, as if it has constructed a Ukiyo-e painting scroll.

Lu Shi really liked this ending.

He said: "Cats can't actually drink alcohol, because the cat's liver can't break down alcohol, there is no such enzyme, you know? Therefore, alcohol will definitely affect the cat's nerve center and cause poisoning."

Natsume Soseki would never have thought that Lu Shi's first comment would be this, with a dazed expression on his face,

"ah?"

Lu Shi laughed loudly,

"You think I'm talking nonsense."

Natsume Soseki said: "It's not nonsense. In the end, it's just like the cat got drunk and saw hallucinations, isn't it good?"

That's the right explanation.

Lu Shi read the entire ending.

On the whole, "I Am a Cat" is as full of criticism and irony as it was before time travel.

For the rich and unkind, the academic world is impetuous...

There is also a pervasive and lingering sense of depression, and the style of the article is very Japanese.

But the language of "I Am a Cat" is relaxed after all, far more pleasing than "No Longer Human".

Lu Shi said: "You are the main character... the main cat character is designed with a sense of humor. He was so optimistic when he was running towards the moon, and even recited 'Namo Amitabha Buddha'."

Natsume Soseki explained: "It's not because of it."

His eyes fell on our body.

Lu Shi also looked over.

My generation: "Meow?"

The little guy didn't know why the two humans were staring at him suddenly, and he was a little at a loss.

Lu Shi chuckled,

"Indeed, we will always look carefree and optimistic."

Saying so, handed the manuscript back to Natsume Soseki,

"It's a good book."

Natsume Soseki was pleasantly surprised: "Do you like "I Am a Cat"?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"I've always liked your work. It's just that it's useless for me to be optimistic. If you want to publish this book, you still have to contact the publishing house. Or magazines or newspapers are also fine. You can't use love to generate electricity, right?"

Natsume Soseki didn't understand,

"With love...with love for what?"

Lu Shi shook his head, pretending that he hadn't said what he just said.

He touched our brains,

We can't help but make a "snoring~" sound, enjoying Lu Shi's touch very much.

The room was quiet and peaceful.

After half a minute, Lu Shi said, "Have you considered the publication issue carefully?"

Natsume Soseki was silent.

During this time, he had a detailed understanding of the situation in the industry in London,

If you don't consider freaks like Lu Shi, it is difficult for ordinary people to sell their first works at a good price.

Just like the Sherlock Holmes series,

The first book, A Study in Scarlet, only sold for £25.

It was a novella, with a lot of words, and the price of 25 pounds was simply a beggar.

But even so, Doyle still sold his works in a desperate manner.

For creators, they only want to satisfy their own two desires,

One is the desire to express,

The second is the desire to share.

Therefore, no matter how low the price is, as long as someone reads it, the creator is willing.

But that's usually just an initial thought,

Along with success and fame, everyone is eager to get a reward that matches their work.

Natsume Soseki said: "It's fine if it can be sold."

Lu Shi sighed,

"That's not good."

The Butterfly Effect has its good and its bad.

Because of his intervention, the ending of "I Am a Cat" is less rushed and the integrity is guaranteed, which is undoubtedly a good thing.

But on the other hand, Natsume Soseki probably won't get a matching reward.

According to the original world line, "I am a cat" should be serialized in the magazine "Cuckoo" after Natsume Soseki returned to Japan, and then compiled into three volumes, the first, second, and second, to obtain considerable manuscript fees and royalties.

But now, "I Am a Cat" is written in the UK,

The British don't understand Japan's material sorrow, and they don't understand Japan's oppression. If the sales volume is good, it will be hell.

Lu Shi murmured, "Could it be that we really want to export first and then sell domestically?"

After hearing this, Natsume Soseki said, "You're talking about the idea that Mr. Wood came up with, right? It was first published in England, and then republished in Japanese when I returned to Japan."

"..."

"..."

there was a silence,

Afterwards, the two couldn't help but looked at each other and smiled.

Lu Shi said: "Actually, it's not difficult to get a decent salary. Either like Professor James, who has been famous at Cambridge University for a long time, relying on the name of a professor, he can naturally get a high manuscript fee; or..."

Natsume Soseki asked, "What?"

Lu Shi pointed to himself,

"Either it is recommended by a very popular writer."

Natsume Soseki was silent for a moment, showing a grateful expression, and said, "Lu, you are really a good person."

My generation: "Meow~"

It seemed that he was also saying that Lu Shi was a good person.

Lu Shi was speechless when he was issued a good person card for no reason.

He put us on the table,

We poked our heads to observe the original manuscript of "The Lord of the Rings", and stepped on it with our front paws, leaving a dent.

Cats are so curious.

Lu Shi looked at it and suddenly said, "Natsume, you are studying at University College London, have you ever heard that the school has its own publishing house? Like Oxford and Cambridge?"

Natsume Soseki replied: "Yes. But it can't be compared with Oxbridge."

After speaking, he froze for a while,

"Could it be that you want to..."

Lu Shiqian gave an "um" as an answer.

Natsume Soseki opened his mouth and closed it again, but in the end he couldn't hold back and said, "It's hard. Quite hard. Very hard."

Three "difficulties", step by step.

Of course Lu Shi knew,

The reason why a university can set up a publishing house relies on the excellent resources of the school.

For example, Oxford, because of its linguistics, there is an Oxford dictionary,

This dictionary is a representative of the English language dictionary, with a total of 20 volumes. Its existence itself has a symbolic meaning, symbolizing the infinite pursuit of knowledge by human beings.

With this dictionary, Oxford University Press must survive.

Not to mention Cambridge, those world-renowned periodicals and magazines are not decorations.

The problem with the University of London Alliance is that the authority of the publications is weaker, and the influence generally only radiates to a few universities in London. In other regions, the recognition will drop significantly.

This is one of the reasons why London colleges and universities want to form alliances.

If you can't do the Ox Sword, then stick together,

Group fights are better than heads-up.

Lu Shi murmured: "So, we still have to take the edge of the sword..."

Anyway, the colleges and universities in London are already shameless in gang fights, so it doesn't matter if they are a little bit more shameless.

Natsume Soseki asked, "What do you think?"

Lu Shi said, "Do you know the difference between a broadsheet and a tabloid?"

Broadsheet, big newspaper;

Tabloid, tabloid.

According to the development of the timeline, the world's first tabloid - "Daily Mirror" was founded in 1903,

Natsume Soseki is not a prophet, of course he doesn't know.

He replied: "Broadsheet is a folio printed matter; Tabloid is concise and to the point. It always feels a bit strange to compare these two words together, but it doesn't feel so inconsistent... Um... Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"

Lu Shi said: "I just feel that the current newspaper layout is too big and too serious."

With such an explanation, Natsume Soseki understood.

He scratched his head suspiciously,

"Shouldn't newspapers be serious?"

This idea is in line with the orthodox cognition of most people,

In theory, news should have three elements:

timely,

precise,

reality.

According to this standard, the media must be rigorous and reliable, and newspapers with low reliability will gradually be eliminated by the market.

This is not the case.

Lu Shi said: "Sometimes, chasing wind and shadow can actually catch people's hearts."

Natsume Soseki still didn't understand,

"You mean, you don't guarantee the authenticity of the information, and if there is any trouble, it will be published in the newspaper immediately? This... can this work? Why do I feel that such a newspaper will be eliminated soon."

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"You ignore that people also have needs for speed and gossip. When a newspaper is still verifying the authenticity of the news and studying how to make in-depth comments, another newspaper has already revealed the news. How should this situation be judged? Which one is better?"

With a question mark on his head, Natsume Soseki said, "What? Gossip?"

Lu Shi explained: "Gossip is gossip, gossip. People also need rumors, otherwise who will provide them with gossip?"

After saying this,

My generation: "Meow~"

Arch Lu's arm with his big head.

Lu Shi raised his hand and let me slip into his arms,

Later, he said to Natsume Soseki: "Look, even my generation agrees with my point of view. There is no way, human beings are such boring creatures, otherwise the recent "Manchester Guardian" would not have sold so well."

Natsume Soseki was speechless,

In the past few days, the "Manchester Guardian" has sold very well because of the "gossip" between Lu Shi and Doyle.

Lu Shi continued: "Of course, when a university runs a newspaper, it has to consider the reputation of the media. It's quite embarrassing to be scolded as fake news for making a mistake."

Natsume Soseki nodded,

"Also, if the circulation is large, you still have to pay attention to authenticity."

Lu Shi sighed,

Natsume Soseki is still linking circulation with authenticity, which shows that he still fails to understand what big newspapers and tabloids are.

Big newspapers are not necessarily newspapers with large circulation, large scale and great influence;

A tabloid is not necessarily a newspaper with low circulation, small scale, and low influence.

In modern times, the newspaper with the largest circulation in the UK is "The Sun", the second newspaper is "Daily Mail", and the newspaper with the largest circulation in Europe is "Bild" in Germany.

All three are tabloids.

The difference between tabloids and big newspapers is reflected in news value and information reliability.

No matter how large the circulation of the "Sun", it is still a tabloid, and no matter how small the circulation of the "Financial Times" is, it is still a big newspaper.

Lu Shi wasn't going to correct Natsume Soseki anymore,

After all, there is no real thing, and it may be difficult for ordinary people to understand.

He said: "All in all, if you can talk to Sir Wodehouse and use the publishing house of the University of London Union to set up a subsidiary newspaper, it may be very successful. Your "I Am a Cat" will also be published. The place."

Natsume Soseki asked: "Serialization?"

Land time is uncertain,

"It depends on the follow-up development, it's hard to say."

Hearing this, a trace of regret flashed in Natsume Soseki's eyes.

Lu Shi said: "I know you are in a hurry, but don't be in a hurry. Writing is like being pregnant in October. From conception to publication, it is a very long process. Be patient."

It's reasonable for anyone to say that.

Only Lu Shi said that it looked very Versailles.

Natsume Soseki rolled his eyes at him,

"Are you pregnant in October? I see that your writing is like 'cracking' eggs. Which of those works is more than two months old?"

Lu Shi was embarrassed, but he couldn't refute.

Fortunately, someone knocked on the door at this time, which eased the atmosphere in the house.

Lu Shi walked over to open the door.

There were two Chinese people standing at the door, one of them was Gu Hongming who hadn't seen him for a long time.

Lu Shi was surprised,

"Mr. Gu, are you back from Edinburgh?"

His eyes moved to another person,

"Who is this?"

Gu Hongming recommended for Lu Shi: "Lu Shi, this is Mr. Zheng Guanying, and now he is in charge of the Shipping Merchants Bureau."

Zheng Guanying stepped forward and shook hands with Lu Shi,

"Mr. Lu."

Then, he took out a copy of The Times and said, "Mr. Lu, have you ever read today's newspaper? Cambridge University seems to have invited you. Ah, yes, there is also Oxford University..."