Initially, Brandon Su's editor was not "fafa". When Brandon first joined ScribeSphere, the website arranged for him to work under the editorial head, Victor Hale. However, only a few days passed before Brandon chose to switch to fafa's team.At that time, Brandon visited the company to hand in his copyright documents. Upon seeing the lady editor known as the face of ScribeSphere, he did not hesitate to leave Victor, the rugged man, and immediately joined fafa's side.Due to a shortage of staff, Victor Hale, also doubling up as the Chief of Operations, was about to switch roles. He planned to distribute his authors to other editors soon, including Brandon. Technically, Lulu, having seniority next to Victor in the editing department, should have been chosen for Brandon. Yet, Brandon proactively picked fafa.An editor's commission is tied to the subscription numbers of the articles written by their authors. Brandon, being a pillar of ScribeSphere, naturally had impressive subscription nu
Michelle Xia stared at the text displayed in the small browser window and silently closed it.She had already given Lulu, her editor, a heads up, but Lulu neither replied to her messages nor accepted her application. Instead, she outright rejected it.Michelle Xia sighed internally, wondering aloud, "Is this person out of their mind?"Michelle didn't need to share the news of the rejected application because Alyssa had already heard about it from Damien and Cola. If Alyssa had initially helped Michelle out of a genuine desire not to let Michelle's talent go to waste, now it was more out of disdain for Lulu. Alyssa was prepared to confront Lulu head-on. When Brandon Su disappeared without updating his work, Lulu had ridiculed Alyssa, even resorting to personal attacks. All the inside stories about Brandon Su were well-known within the editorial department. When Brandon dated a few internet celebrities, the nasty comments Lulu made about him had been hard to stomach.Alyssa had never h
At ScribeSphere, resources allocated to editors were relatively balanced. The best authors and prime resources wouldn’t all be concentrated under one editor. After all, editors need to earn their keep too.Each editor had a limited number of advertising slots, leaderboard spots, and so on. Thus, authors under the same editor could be considered competitors. The strategy was simple: allocate the best resources to the best-performing authors for maximum benefit.This very consideration was why Alex Ye didn’t want both Michelle Xia and Brandon Su under the same editor. Michelle's journey to make her mark amongst the myriad of established and emerging authors at ScribeSphere was challenging enough. There was no need to add a formidable obstacle in the form of Brandon at the end of her path.Of course, while authors under the same editor competed with one another, they also formed supportive groups. Taking this into consideration, Alex decided to assign Michelle to a different editor, not
Apart from Alyssa closely monitoring Michelle Xia's new work, Eleanor Ye and Alex Ye were also paying attention. However, their reasons varied. Eleanor would casually read it to pass the time, while Alex, always busy with important matters, would mostly focus on the superficial stats of Michelle's work.The data irregularities in Michelle's work were noticed not just by Alyssa but also by Eleanor and Alex. And, of course, Michelle herself, as an author, was no rookie. Even though she was publishing in a different world for a different audience, she could still discern whether the growth trend in the data was normal. She recalled that when she first published on a website, the statistics were excellent. At that time, even without being on any recommendation lists, her growth was better than some listed works. But back then, the data grew bit by bit, unlike now where it surged in bulk, in a very organized manner.It was only after Alyssa approached her that Michelle became aware of the
Ever since Michelle Xia debuted her work on ScribeSphere, Eleanor Ye was hooked, checking for updates religiously every single day. Eleanor, a novel enthusiast, couldn't get enough of Michelle's writing. Every chapter ended on such a cliffhanger, making readers eagerly anticipate what would come next. She wished she could delve straight into Michelle's backlog of drafts and quench her insatiable hunger for the story.Alex Ye didn't share Eleanor's luxury of immersing himself in novels daily, but he did keep a watchful eye on Michelle's rising stardom. Unlike Eleanor, who was engrossed in the plot, Alex was quick to notice something amiss with the data surrounding Michelle's work. His memory was sharp, and he recalled data trends of previously popular articles on ScribeSphere. Hence, when he saw Michelle's numbers, he couldn't help but furrow his brows.Using such underhanded tactics was a common practice, but for Michelle? She should be more concerned about her reputation. Alex had al
Confronted by the accusing glares from both Alex Ye and Lizzy Xia, Michelle Xia couldn't help but wonder if the two had conspired together, their reactions were eerily in sync. Michelle sat beside her daughter, the weight of her laptop pressing down on her thighs. The moment Lizzy saw her mom emerge with the laptop, her lips puckered up in unmistakable displeasure. Recalling something Sophie Ye had told her earlier, Lizzy promptly put on an exaggeratedly sad face, eyes moistening and blinking up at Michelle. She patiently waited for Michelle to ask, "What's wrong, Lizzy?" so she could playfully respond. Michelle fell silent, looking at Lizzy's theatrics. She wondered, *What's gotten into her today? Pretending to be upset just to act cute?* There was an amused helplessness in Michelle's thoughts. Yet, as she gazed at the young face before her, so reminiscent of her own, all Michelle could do was sigh internally. In a playful imitation of her daughter's wounded demeanor, Michelle pl
Confronted with Lizzy's question, Sophie's proud expression froze as she pondered. If her mother acted that way with her, what would she do? But, her mother had never acted that way with her! Sophie was momentarily flustered, but seeing Lizzy's big, expectant eyes, she couldn't admit to not knowing. She mustered her thoughts, "Hmm, hold on a sec, Lizzy. Let me think." Lizzy nodded eagerly, having absolute trust in Sophie's wisdom. Sophie tried hard to recall if her mother had ever acted that way with her. When she realized she hadn't, she remembered how her father had acted playfully with her mother. Her young mind made a quick connection: Mother = Adult, Father = Adult. Father acting cute = Adult acting cute = Mother acting cute. So, how did her father act when being playful with her mother? With a mature tone far beyond her years, Sophie advised Lizzy, "There's nothing you can do but to pamper them." Lizzy, confused: "????" Lizzy Xia's small head was full of questions,
When Alex Ye made such a gesture, Michelle Xia couldn't decline any further. She took the cake he offered, murmuring a polite, "Thank you."Hearing her words, Alex lifted his gaze to meet hers, an evident displeasure at her formal courtesy. "Stop always saying 'thank you'," he hinted.Understanding dawned on Michelle. "Alright, next time I'll bring you something tasty in return," she replied. Instead of verbal gratitude, she grasped the idea of expressing appreciation through actions. "I get it," she said, nodding her understanding.Alex merely pressed his lips together, observing her without response. For a moment, he wondered whether Michelle was genuinely naive or just pretending. Maybe his gaze was too intense, a little piercing. Michelle hesitated, asking, "Is something wrong, Mr. Ye?"Alex responded, "...Nothing." Then, he turned away, deciding to get some fresh air on the balcony.Watching his retreating figure, Michelle pondered, *Mr. Ye seems a bit off lately.*Although cons