Chapter 065: Additional Printing

“Thirty thousand?” The secretary exclaimed, “Chief Editor, you must be joking!”
These days, print magazines barely sell—at best, even the top-selling monthlies move only about four hundred thousand copies per year.
That’s the annual sales figure.
And thirty thousand was already seven percent of a year’s total sales.
In other words, even before the new issue of “Feminine Allure” had officially launched, the chief editor was confident that this issue, with Song Wan’s photo shoot on the cover, would surpass seven percent of last year’s sales.
For the entire year.
The secretary said nothing more, but her expression made her thoughts perfectly clear—
“Chief Editor, are you really not pulling my leg?”
But the chief editor was firm in his decision. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving!”
Tomorrow, the new issue of “Feminine Allure” would be released. If they didn’t print more now and demand exceeded supply, what then?
He was not one to be short-sighted—he could clearly see the immense potential in Song Wan.
She had only just exploded in popularity, yet already possessed such incredible fan appeal. If her status and resources grew, wouldn’t her fanbase only increase?
Though this was the penultimate issue of the year, that hardly meant it couldn’t continue selling into next year.
The calculations in his mind clacked away, but he had no idea that the “immense potential” he saw in Song Wan was, at that very moment, preparing for a heart-to-heart with her friend Gao Xiang.
“Alright, out with it—what’s really going on?” Gao Xiang crossed her arms, chin lifted, eyes sharp with scrutiny.
Song Wan could only give a wry smile. “Sister Gao, I really haven’t lied to you. I’ve already told you everything I could.”
“I checked—Director Jin did come to G City for business, but the deal was concluded the day before yesterday,” Gao Xiang said, searching Song Wan’s eyes for any hint of emotion. “Even if he couldn’t get a flight that evening, he should have left yesterday.”
But in reality, Director Jin and his party had only departed today—on the same flight as them.
With Gao Xiang’s years of experience, it was hard not to overthink—
It was so obviously a contrived “coincidence.” The objective? Clearly, the beautiful woman standing before her.
Only now did Gao Xiang take a closer, serious look at her own artist’s face.
Well, she really was in a league above the other actresses in the industry. If she were a man, she’d try to win her over too—
Or perhaps seduce her.
Song Wan sighed. “Sister Gao, didn’t I tell you before? I once tried to... well, strike a mutually beneficial deal with Director Jin.”
Gao Xiang’s gaze was steady.
Song Wan smiled. “I was already undressed, but Director Jin still turned me down—without the slightest hesitation.”
Gao Xiang blinked, then stood up and began pacing in agitation. “If it’s not for you, then what on earth was Director Jin after this time?”
Frankly, aside from Song Wan’s stunning looks, what else could Director Jin possibly want?
“My figure isn’t bad either,” Song Wan muttered in protest.
Gao Xiang shot her a look.
But even that didn’t explain Director Jin’s unusual behavior.
Song Wan hesitated. “Sister Gao, are you sure Director Jin deliberately took the same flight as us? Couldn’t it have been a coincidence?”
She found it hard to imagine Jin Youqian going out of his way to orchestrate a chance encounter. It just didn’t fit his image.
“Maybe something else held him up yesterday?”
The look Gao Xiang gave her was as if she were a fool.
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Unable to untangle the matter, Gao Xiang waved it off. “Never mind, let’s talk about something else.”
Song Wan sobered. “Tomorrow is the official release of ‘Feminine Allure,’ right? Will it launch everywhere at once in the morning, or is there a fixed release time?”
“Noon, exactly twelve o’clock,” Gao Xiang replied, picking up her phone. “‘Feminine Allure’s’ official Weibo has already posted a teaser—you should share it.”

Song Wan nodded, and as she finished editing her post, Gao Xiang added, “Oh, and don’t forget to post several more of your photo shoots.”
But hadn’t the original post from the official account already included photos?
After a moment’s thought, Song Wan deleted her first draft and wrote a new post.
Song Wan V: Tomorrow @FeminineAllure goes on sale. I hope for everyone’s support, mwah~ [heart]
[Photo][Photo]...[Photo]
After editing, she handed her phone to Gao Xiang for review. Satisfied, she sent it out.
-
When you’re anxious and expectant, time always drags unbearably.
The next day, as soon as the lunch bell rang, Qiqi, who was waiting by the door, grabbed her wallet and dashed out of school. She didn’t care if she was caught by a teacher for skipping out—
The photos of Song Wan she’d seen the night before were simply breathtaking.
Even as a woman, she could sense the innate sensuality that radiated from Song Wan’s very bones—one glance, and her heart just melted.
If her heart hadn’t still pounded wildly at the sight of the school heartthrob that morning, she’d have wondered if a few photos really could turn her gay.
She’d thought that since Song Wan had only just become famous, she couldn’t possibly have many fans.
But the moment she left the school gates, she saw countless fellow students rushing toward the nearby newsstand.
A wave of panic washed over Qiqi, and she broke into a full sprint—she hadn’t even run this hard during her PE exams.
But she had no choice—there were only so many magazines. What if they sold out?
She had to buy three—
One for admiring, one for flipping through, and one to keep as a collectible.
Perfect!
“My god, why are there so many people?”
Staring at the crowd, layer upon layer deep, Qiqi was stunned.
A girl who’d managed to grab a magazine squeezed out and, seeing Qiqi still dazed, kindly shouted, “Aren’t you going to buy one? There aren’t many left!”
Jolted into action, Qiqi dove into the throng.
Thanks to her small stature, she soon wriggled her way to the front. “Boss, boss, three copies of the latest ‘Feminine Allure,’ please!”
Though more girls than usual were buying “Feminine Allure” today, the newsstand owner couldn’t help but stare.
Wasn’t the magazine’s main readership men? Why were there even more women today?
Unbelievable!
Still, he quickly handed over three copies. “Here you go—three magazines, xx yuan.”
Qiqi had the money ready and simply tossed it onto the counter, grabbing her magazines and squeezing her way out.
She was barely out when she heard frantic shouts—
“Ah, my legs are too short, I can’t run fast—heroes, please save a copy for this baby!”
“Damn! Why are there so many people? I thought no one would compete with me!”
“Hey, you up front, please buy one more. I’ll pay double—please, I beg you!”
…
“Oh my god, I almost missed out. That was terrifying.”
By the time Qiqi escaped the crowd, she was soaked through despite the winter chill, her neat bangs plastered to her forehead.
“I have to post this on Weibo and show off, hahaha…”
-
“Are all the newsstands and bookstores fully stocked?”
“All set,” the secretary replied, handing over the latest sales report. “But several stores are already calling to request more copies.”
The chief editor looked up. “How many stores have asked? How much more do they need?”

“We printed a total of four hundred fifty thousand copies this issue, plus the thirty thousand you requested yesterday, making four hundred eighty thousand in all.” He double-checked his data, careful not to make a single error. “We’ve set aside around one hundred fifty thousand for inventory, and the remaining three hundred eighty thousand have been distributed.”
“But in less than half an hour since the official release, many stores have called to say they’ve sold out, and there are still more readers clamoring to buy. So far, twelve stores and newsstands have called for more, and they’re asking for…”
The chief editor looked up. “How many?”
“As much as possible, they said. If that’s not feasible, at least five thousand per store. At a minimum, we’d need to send out sixty thousand more to meet their requests.”
“And this is just the start—later on…”
“Chief Editor, Chief Editor…”
His staff burst into the office without even knocking, cutting off the secretary’s report.
“Chief Editor, another six stores have called requesting more, at least eight thousand each!”
“Three more stores just called—they want at least ten thousand each!”
“Another eight newsstands have called asking for restocks…”
…
The chief editor and secretary exchanged glances, excitement breaking across both their faces.
They looked almost manic.
After the initial joy subsided, disbelief crept in—
The chief editor’s expression stiffened. “Could it be Song Wan’s own team bought up copies to make the numbers look good?”
The secretary’s excitement faded a little. “Impossible, right? Song Wan is still a newcomer. No need to inflate numbers on her first magazine appearance—if she did, future sales on other magazines would look bad and offend the industry.”
“I’ll call Gao Xiang to double-check.” After a long hesitation, the chief editor made the call.
Two minutes later, he hung up, his eyes wide as saucers.
“Gao Xiang says they didn’t buy a single copy.”
His voice even wavered as he spoke.
The secretary swallowed. “Chief Editor, I was wrong.” Yesterday, he’d doubted the wisdom of printing thirty thousand extra copies.
The chief editor, too, swallowed. “So was I.”
He’d thought that no matter how popular Song Wan was, she was just a newcomer; her fanbase couldn’t possibly impact sales this much…
Who would have thought that even printing seven percent more than last issue still wasn’t enough?
The secretary looked at him. “So now…?”
“What do you mean, now?” The chief editor finally snapped out of it. “Call the printer—order another run!”
“How many this time?”
“Another one hundred thousand!”
-
Song Wan’s Weibo exploded.
Staring at the numbers under her latest post, Song Wan was dazed. She turned to Gao Xiang, bewildered. “Sister Gao, did you buy me fake followers?”
Gao Xiang nearly choked. “My friend suspects I bought magazines to fake sales, and now you think I bought bots to boost you online? Do I seem that stupid? Why would I draw attention to us before results are even in, just to give others something to use against you?”
With fans this passionate, who needed bots?
“But…”
Song Wan couldn’t find the words, so she simply handed her phone to Gao Xiang, letting the numbers speak for themselves—
95,632 comments, 42,156 shares, 39,562 likes, 94,658 favorites.
Gao Xiang’s eyes widened—these figures rivaled even the most popular A-list stars.
She couldn’t help but look at Song Wan. “…Are you really just a rookie?”