Watching Gene's eyes grow brighter, Wang Jian felt a headache coming on.
He had already told three stories; how could this child be getting more energetic?
"Brother, are your mom and dad still together?" Gene asked.
Uh, the body's original owner seemed to have never met his parents.
And Gene didn't seem to wait for Wang Jian to respond: "My mom and dad got divorced because my dad had another little brother outside."
"Mom used to watch me at home every day, but now she goes out to work."
"Actually, I don't like my dad either. He always comes home late. But still, I wish they were together."
As Gene spoke, his voice grew softer and he slowly fell asleep.
Sigh, life isn't easy for anyone.
While Wang Jian sighed, he quietly moved his steps and walked out of the room.
Looking at the time, there was still half an hour until 10 o'clock.
He leaned on the sofa, wondering if he should agree to Scholastic Publishers' terms.
If it came down to it, just accept it.
Although, he might only earn 400 US Dollars in the end.
But, having something is better than nothing.
Not accepting would mean a total loss.
Thinking this way, he felt his eyelids growing heavier.
Whether because of overthinking or tending to the child being too draining, Wang Jian thus fell asleep on the sofa.
...
"That damn artist? He is a nutcase!"
"Making moves in the cab, at least get a room."
"Forget it, I don't blame you. I was all ready to have a blast today. Oh well."
"Am I only capable of attracting these old perverts?"
In his sleep, Wang Jian was woken by a talking speed that could rival a machine gun.
He looked up.
Damn.
Check-in officer Lily was with her back to him, talking on the phone while taking off her dress.
Now, she was only in her underwear and stockings.
This...
Would he get beaten up if he showed his face?
Even if he weren't beaten, he would probably miss a few check-ins out of spite.
Wang Jian dared not even breathe; he slid from the couch to the floor, planning to sneak to the door.
Then, slip out.
He quietly walked to the shoe rack, picked up his sneakers, and slowly moved towards the front door.
At that moment, Lily, growing more angry as she spoke, kicked her high heels forcefully.
And the high heel, coinciding with fate, flew in Wang Jian's direction.
"Bang."
"Ah."
Wang Jian let out a low cry, then quickly covered his mouth.
But it was too late.
Lily turned her head and looked over with wide eyes.
Seeing her fair face flushed with a few red patches, Wang Jian was reminded that she had been drinking.
"You, you haven't left yet?" Lily stared blankly at Wang Jian.
"You said you'd stay for two hours." Wang Jian glanced at Lily and hurriedly shifted his gaze.
Lily noticed Wang Jian's action of diverting his gaze; for some reason, she felt suddenly angry.
She walked up to Wang Jian and loudly demanded, "Why won't you look at me? Am I really that hideous now? Is my face not pretty enough?"
With your current attire, how can I even think about looking at your face?
While Wang Jian was muttering to himself in his mind, he replied, "No, you are very beautiful, absolutely enchanting."
A woman dominated by anger and jealousy, who knew what she might do.
Anyway, placating her was the right move for now.
"Is that so? Then why do you keep moving towards the door?" Lily raised her voice again.
Wang Jian stopped moving, looking somewhat helplessly at her.
"You went crazy with the booze, why did you come to me?"
"I just stepped in as a babysitter for a couple of days off, that's all."
At this point, Lily seemed a bit sobered up.
She slowly walked up to Wang Jian and stared blankly at him.
And Wang Jian dared not speak.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Lily reached forward...
Yep, she still had her charm.
At this moment, a bold idea popped into her head.
She glanced at Wang Jian, he looked pretty good, and he had a nice body.
So, she straightened her hair.
Then, she gave Wang Jian a sidelong glance.
...
The next day.
Wang Jian was sound asleep when suddenly he heard a child's voice.
He opened his eyes.
He saw Lily looking at him with a face full of panic.
And the voice outside kept coming.
"Mom, it's time to take me to school."
Sweat instantly formed on Wang Jian's forehead.
He didn't even bother to put on his underwear, flipping over and hiding under the bed.
Lily quickly put on her underwear and called out, "Gene, have some milk yourself, Mommy's getting up now."
Then, she threw Wang Jian's clothes over, "Hurry up and get dressed, when I take Gene to school, sneak out."
Wang Jian quickly nodded.
Lily, slapping her forehead while looking at Wang Jian, said, "What have I done!"
Wang Jian hid in chaos in Lily's bedroom until he sneaked out of the room half an hour later.
Walking on the road, occasionally some women with obvious hangovers and embarrassed expressions passed by.
Wang Jian scratched his head.
Did he end up on the losing side?
Just like that, he groggily took the bus back to his apartment.
El, unusually, hadn't gone out.
He looked at Wang Jian, who hadn't returned all night, and sniffed him like a dog.
"Ha, you lad, with whom?"
Wang Jian's forehead twitched, changing the subject, "Why are you back? Weren't you busy helping your boss release a new single?"
El, indeed distracted, said, "I'm resting at home for a few days, the boss went to the studio, and in a few days, we'll be promoting across the United States in an RV."
"Right, you've got a few letters."
Saying so, he handed over the letters.
Wang Jian took the envelopes, which were the publishing houses' responses to his submissions.
He took the envelopes to his bedroom and placed them on the table.
Then, he took a deep breath and carefully opened the envelopes.
The first one.
"Very sorry, but your manuscript does not meet our publishing standards. Please revise and resubmit. Thank you for your trust."
Signed by: Disney Publishers.
Wang Jian shook his head helplessly, putting the letter and envelope aside before opening the second one.
The second one, from Penguin Publishing, rejected.
The third one, from Simon & Schuster, rejected.
The fourth one, the fifth one, the sixth one, all rejected.
Wang Jian, feeling like all his strength had been drained, collapsed onto the bed.
Out of seven publishers, only Scholastic Publishers agreed to publish.
But the conditions were very harsh.
As expected, is brainless entertaining web fiction not suitable for the current United States?
Should he agree to Scholastic Publishers?