Li Minxu waved his hand impatiently, "Go sit over there first, wait for for two minutes, I’ll be right over."
Seeing the woman dancing with him also showing impatience, Jing Xiaocha hesitated for a mont, then turned and left the dance floor.
She casually found an empty seat and sat down. Jing Xiaocha didn’t order anything but waited there for Li Minxu to co over.
After a dance song ended, Li Minxu walked over with the woman he was dancing with.
Jing Xiaocha followed them to where they had just been sitting. Li Minxu asked the waiter to give Jing Xiaocha a drink and said with a smile, "Xiaocha, have a drink first."
"I don’t drink."
Jing Xiaocha shook her head.
Li Minxu, not believing her, shoved the drink into her hand, "How can you not drink? This glass won’t get you drunk. Drink it, and I’ll listen to you."
Jing Xiaocha resolutely shook her head, "Editor Li, I really don’t drink. I ca to you tonight to say that I’ve finished reading that novel..."
Li Minxu’s face showed a hint of displeasure, but he didn’t persuade Jing Xiaocha further. Instead, he leaned back, crossed his legs, and nonchalantly asked, "Now you know I didn’t lie to you, right?"
Jing Xiaocha’s expression changed slightly, and she said seriously, "I’m very sure that every plot in my novel was thoughtfully created by without borrowing from anyone else’s work. I don’t know why that novel has so many plot points similar to mine."
The woman sitting next to Li Minxu clinked glasses with him, and the two drank together.
Li Minxu was not really listening to Jing Xiaocha, instead, he was getting handsy with the woman beside him, making her giggle.
Jing Xiaocha frowned, "That novel not only has many similar plots to mine but also similar character designs and the entire outline..."
The two of them were already kissing openly.
Jing Xiaocha felt not only sore in her eyes but also angry that Li Minxu was not listening to her at all.
She raised her voice and shouted, "Editor Li, could you please listen to first?"
"Bars are for fun. If you’re not going to have fun, then leave and don’t bother us."
It wasn’t Li Minxu who spoke, but the woman who was interrupted, who seed eager to continue with Li Minxu and looked at Jing Xiaocha with hostility.
"Xiaocha, you see, this isn’t a place to talk. Why don’t we talk another day? You go back and revise the plot, rewrite it, and co to after it’s done. Otherwise, what you’re writing now is a waste."
Li Minxu said perfunctorily, then began getting intimate with the woman again.
The anger was rising within Jing Xiaocha.
She stood up with a whoosh, looking down at the intimate scene between Li Minxu and the woman, and coldly said, "Only you’ve seen my story outline and character designs. Now it’s been scooped and turned into a published novel by soone else, and you expect to just go back and rewrite it? What if the leak ca from your side?"
Jing Xiaocha was a newcor but had heard about the various happenings in the industry.
Her suspicion wasn’t without precedent; there had been real cases before.
"Jing Xiaocha, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Li Minxu’s face turned livid, "I have professional ethics. How could I sell your outline and plots to others?"
"I didn’t say you sold it. I just asked if it could have been accidentally seen by soone else?"
Jing Xiaocha looked at Li Minxu with cold eyes, unafraid.
Li Minxu sneered, looking at Jing Xiaocha with disdain, "Do you think what you wrote is so classic? Others copying you? Look, the author is a famous writer, and you’re just a newcor to the industry. If there’s any copying, it’s you copying them."
Jing Xiaocha’s face turned pale with anger, "I didn’t plagiarize."
"Hmph, who knows if you plagiarized or not. Others submitted earlier than you, published before you. If you still want to publish, go back and honestly redo it. If you don’t want to write, there are plenty of others waiting for this opportunity."
Jing Xiaocha was not only indignant but also unwilling to accept this.
She had worked hard for a long ti, carefully crafting her story, only for it to be prematurely published by soone else.
And she was left with a reputation for plagiarism.
"Are you really sure it wasn’t you who accidentally let soone see that outline?"
"Jing Xiaocha, I’ll say it again, I didn’t leak your outline to anyone, and I won’t cover up for you plagiarizing others. You’ve already breached our initial contract, and if you don’t submit the full manuscript in ti, you’ll have to pay a penalty."
Jing Xiaocha’s eyes widened with anger, "I’m not failing to submit; I’ve finished the manuscript ahead of ti."
Li Minxu scoffed, "Plagiarizing others to finish early. If everyone were like you, I could publish a book a day."
Jing Xiaocha’s body trembled with anger; what he said was a huge insult to her.
"I must get to the bottom of this. The other party submitted earlier and published earlier than ? Then when did they sign the contract, and when was their first submission? I also have docunt records on my computer. I will hire a lawyer..."
"Jing Xiaocha, you’re overestimating yourself. Do you not realize you’re just a newcor in the industry? You’ve been caught plagiarizing but refuse to admit it and continue to argue. If you keep making a fuss like this, you’ll eventually ruin your own reputation."
Threats?
Jing Xiaocha looked at Editor Li with a hint of disdain in his threatening eyes.
Her heart sank heavily.
Her hands at her sides clenched into tight fists. She looked at Li Minxu, who had also stood up, with stubbornness and determination.
"The innocent will prove their innocence. I won’t let myself be wronged like this."
Once her stubbornness was aroused, even the heavens and the earth couldn’t stop her.
Li Minxu’s expression changed. He said in a deep voice, "I advise you not to overestimate yourself, and don’t humiliate yourself. If you want to continue writing, don’t make a big deal out of this. It won’t do you any good."
"Actually, you’re afraid I’ll find out that the other party plagiarized , and not the other way around, aren’t you?"
Jing Xiaocha sneered.
Li Minxu’s eyes flickered with a guilty look. He said harshly, "People like you, I’ve seen many. None of them ca to a good end."
Jing Xiaocha, however, cald down, looked at him calmly, and her voice also steady, "Editor Li, I originally thought it was just accidental that you let soone see my outline. But now, I can be sure you didn’t do it accidentally; you sold my outline to soone else."
Li Minxu’s face indeed turned pale for a mont, but in a place like a bar, Jing Xiaocha didn’t notice.
"Don’t accuse without evidence. You, a newcor, writing naive stuff like that, isn’t worth selling. What a joke. I suggest you go back and finish your manuscript quickly. You’ve got ten days left; if you can’t finish it in ti, you’ll be paying a hefty penalty."
Li Minxu was certain Jing Xiaocha wouldn’t dare truly investigate. Even if she did, she wouldn’t find anything because her story wasn’t serialized online.
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