Netizens were working hard to push Yan Xiao's essay higher up the rankings.
Meanwhile, at the editorial office of The Speaker magazine, Wang Yiying was preparing to ask the editor-in-chief to swap out a submission.
The piece she wanted to use
was Yan Xiao's essay.
Although plenty of people had read it online,
it was still an exam essay from Ji City. However outstanding it was, its reach could only extend so far.
The Speaker, however, was a national magazine, with readers all across the country.
In Wang Yiying's professional opinion, the quality of Yan Xiao's short story held its own against anything The Speaker had previously published.
In fact, aside from its very best pieces, this could count as one of the finest.
Holding a printed copy, Wang Yiying knocked on the door of editor-in-chief Li Mu's office.
"What is it? What can I do for you?" Li Mu asked, setting down the manuscript in his hands when he saw Wang Yiying.
"Chief, I'd like to withdraw my submission and replace it with this one. Would that be all right?" As she spoke, Wang Yiying handed him the pages.
Li Mu took them, glanced at them, and smiled without saying a word.
Wang Yiying grew anxious. "What's wrong, Chief? Please give me an answer. If you agree, I'll get the layout editor to redo it right away. We're still a long way from sending it to the printer, so there's plenty of time."
After a pause, she added, "As for the author, I'll go to his school and get his permission. Don't worry. I'm sure I can get it."
Wang Yiying's confidence came from The Speaker's standing in literary circles.
On Azure Star,
its status was equivalent to that of a core journal among scientific and technical publications on