Chapter 174

Shi Tingyu noticed Lu Weiguo’s hesitation and thought for a moment before saying, “Then let’s wait until the end of the year to decide.”

She had already planned it out. By the end of the year, the movement would be over, and her parents would likely be exonerated. Even if Lu Weiguo went on missions during weekdays, she wouldn’t be alone. Moreover, by then she planned to quit her teaching job and focus on painting. With everything aligning perfectly, it would be a good time to have a child.

However, Lu Weiguo currently doesn’t know when exactly the movement will end, hence his concern.

With this idea in mind, both of them felt excited.

Lu Weiguo, who hadn’t been particularly focused on promotion before, now became interested. Promotion meant they could start a family, and just thinking about it warmed his heart.

Two days later, Editor Luo returned to the family courtyard.

He was nervous inside, unsure if Shi Tingyu would continue creating or give up completely.

He had sensed from their previous conversation that “Loyal Dog” might be the only work she would ever release.

Initially, he had hoped to discuss possibly acquiring other comic manuscripts, but now he realized that securing “Loyal Dog” Part Three would be good enough.

Last time he promised to bring some treats for Lijian, and this time he fulfilled that promise for real.

He brought two large marrow bones with meat on them.

He handed the big bones to Shi Tingyu. “Teacher Shi, these are the treats I promised for Lijian. Could you please prepare them for him later?”

Shi Tingyu hadn’t expected him to actually bring them. “Editor Luo, how can I accept this? You shouldn’t have spent money on this.”

Editor Luo waved it off nonchalantly. “It didn’t cost much.”

Lijian listened nearby, wagging his tail happily towards Editor Luo.

Thinking to himself, Shi Tingyu thought, “He’s truly a good person.”

It was rare to see someone who liked Lijian so much. Lijian even brought out his food bowl as if to show off to Editor Luo.

When Editor Luo saw the bowl, he was surprised and asked Shi Tingyu, “Teacher Shi, did Lijian really accomplish something?”

He had originally thought Lijian’s story was fictional, merely a tale attached to the dog.

Shi Tingyu smiled and nodded. “Yes, when I went home last time, he helped the police solve a case.”

Now Editor Luo appreciates Lijian even more.

Seeing Lijian pushing the bowl towards him, Editor Luo reached out and petted Lijian’s head. “I brought these big bones, but Teacher Shi will have to prepare them. He can’t eat them now.”

Shi Tingyu looked at Lijian with a smile.

Editor Luo still didn’t quite understand. Lijian wasn’t asking for food; he was clearly showing off his food bowl.

However, Shi Tingyu didn’t expose Lijian’s intentions.

After enjoying some time with Lijian, Editor Luo followed Shi Tingyu to the main room to discuss business.

“Teacher Shi, how have you been considering our previous discussion?” Editor Luo asked. “We really hope you’ll continue creating. The readers are eagerly anticipating your new works.”

Shi Tingyu didn’t make things difficult for Editor Luo. She replied, “I can release the third part, but there won’t be anything after that.”

Editor Luo’s face lit up when he heard that she could release the third part. But when he heard the second half of her sentence, his heart sank.

Knowing there wouldn’t be anything after the third part was disappointing for him.

That would mean missing out on a lot of money.

Shi Tingyu, however, was quite content.

Once the movement ends, the authors of various comic series will appear like mushrooms after the rain, and comic royalties will subsequently decrease.

Rather than having her “Loyal Dog” series end in the most explosive moment.

Editor Luo advised her one last time, “Teacher Shi, you are still young, and it is an excellent time to save money. Instead of having a child that would delay your financial gain, you should accumulate more wealth to give your child a richer future.”

Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but laugh at Editor Luo’s words. This Editor Luo was really pulling out all the stops to persuade her to continue creating comics, even bringing up having children.

If she were just an ordinary teacher, she might have been swayed by him.

After all, his sincerity was palpable, as if every word he spoke came straight from the heart.

“Thank you, Editor Luo. I know you’re speaking truthfully and for my own good, but I have my own life plans. I’m sorry. However, I will polish ‘Loyal Dog’ Part Three diligently, so your trip here won’t be in vain.”

Editor Luo didn’t have much else to say. He sighed and reluctantly agreed.

He could tell that Teacher Shi was quite decisive, unlike many people nowadays who only chase after money blindly. She had her own hobbies, ideals, and plans for the future.

Many people today just stumbled through life, whether they were farmers or workers, content with their fixed wages and work points, thinking mostly about gaining experience to get promoted or earning more points to get more food at the end of the year.

Teacher Shi’s thoughts were truly forward-thinking.

To prevent her from changing her mind later, Editor Luo immediately drafted a publishing contract.

“Loyal Dog” Part Three would have an initial print run of 300,000 copies, with royalties set at 12%.

When he reached the section about the unit price, Shi Tingyu interrupted him, “Editor Luo, for this Part Three, I want to increase the content by about 50%. So, I think we should raise the unit price.”

Editor Luo felt a surge of happiness. Increasing the content was great news. He had thought this would be the final installment, feeling regretful, but now, if she wanted to add more content, he couldn’t be happier.

“If you can increase the content by 50% from the previous parts, we can raise the unit price to 80 cents per copy,” Editor Luo said without hesitation, offering a fair price.

Shi Tingyu agreed without any objections.

In the end, “Loyal Dog” Part Three was contracted for an initial print run of 300,000 copies at 80 cents per copy, with royalties set at 12%.

Shi Tingyu calculated that the advance payment for the first print run of “Loyal Dog” Part Three would amount to 28,800 yuan.

With everything settled, Editor Luo bid farewell.

Although he hadn’t succeeded in dispelling Shi Tingyu’s thoughts of not creating new works anymore, at least “Loyal Dog” Part Three was confirmed. He could return to the publishing house with an explanation.

The publication of “Loyal Dog” Part Three would likely have to wait until after October.

However, there was no way around it. As Shi Tingyu had said, she still had her teaching job to attend to during the week, her husband was still recovering from his injury at home, and increasing the content by 50% for this third part would indeed take a few months.

Once Editor Luo left, Shi Tingyu relaxed.

She went to the city to buy painting materials in preparation.

Summer vacation was coming in about a month’s time, giving her plenty of time to plan out “Loyal Dog” Part Three without rushing.

However, just before the start of summer vacation, Shi Tingyu was taken aback when Lu Weiguo received notice for a medical examination.

Being from a military family, she understood exactly what a medical examination meant.

Her husband Lu Weiguo was about to be promoted!