Chapter 166: Chapter 166: A Clear Conscience Fears No Exposure
"The story is so touching. With environmental pollution so severe nowadays, a story about someone like Grandpa Senluo—living as a hermit deep in the mountains and valleys to protect the wildlife on an entire mountain—is really something for us city dwellers to think about."
"Does this animal kingdom really exist? I want to go see it."
"Am I the only one who thinks the pen name ’Mrs. Quincy’ is funny?"
...
Surprisingly, not a single comment was negative.
Claire Sinclair finally breathed a sigh of relief. She silently reposted the article to her own Weibo feed with the caption: "Molly Sinclair’s debut piece for the Astoria Daily. Senluo, I Don’t Want to Say Goodbye."
After the post went up, she habitually clicked on her profile.
A moment later, Claire Sinclair was taken aback by her follower count.
230,000 followers. ’When did that happen?’
’By posting that, didn’t I just blow my cover?’
’Maybe I should delete it?’
’No. Just as Teacher Hartwell said, reporters at the Astoria Daily have to be transparent, even about their income. My personal Weibo account should be no exception.’
’I haven’t done anything wrong, so I have nothing to fear from my identity being revealed. That’s all there is to it.’
Still, she was curious to see how people would react now that they knew she was the author.
Claire Sinclair refreshed the page and opened the comment section.
"You’re the one who wrote it?!"
"Cool pen name. Sounds a bit cheeky, I like it."
"Who knew Molly Sinclair was such a literary talent! Your writing is amazing. You’ve got a new fan."
"I’m going to save this story and read it to my daughter at bedtime."
"I just finished the story. It was so moving."
’So, people generally like the story, right?’
Claire Sinclair smiled to herself and finally got back to work with her mind at ease.
Before she knew it, it was time for lunch. Claire Sinclair stretched, stood up, and prepared to go grab a bite.
Henry Hartwell suddenly appeared before her, his voice full of excitement. "Claire Sinclair, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you! Someone wants to buy the copyright to your article. I’ve even had a few directors call me, interested in a film or TV adaptation."
"Huh?"
Claire Sinclair was stunned. ’I must be dreaming...’
Henry Hartwell continued, "If you’re willing to sell, I’ll help you pick the best production company."
"This is my very first article! It can’t be good enough for a screen adaptation already, can it?"
"The government is heavily subsidizing the environmental protection industry this year. For investors, eco-friendly creative projects are very attractive. Your article’s theme is a perfect fit, so I think you could get a very good price for it."
Claire Sinclair glanced at Henry Hartwell’s belly, which seemed to have gotten a little bigger. Her heart filled with admiration and respect.
’Teacher Hartwell seems to know and be able to do everything. The way he analyzed the market and government policies was so articulate and insightful. He’s practically a genius!’
"Teacher Hartwell, if the rights really do sell, I have to give you half the money. After all, you’re the one who brought back the source material."
"Haha, we’ll see, we’ll see. I’m going to go get back to them now." After speaking, Henry Hartwell returned to his office.
Her other colleagues immediately broke into cheers.
"Wow, Claire Sinclair, congratulations!"
"That’s incredible! Someone’s buying the rights to your very first article? You’re about to blow up!"
"Haha... Our paper is just brimming with talent! The new generation is truly something else!"
"Keep up the great work, Claire Sinclair!"
Faced with her colleagues’ enthusiastic praise, Claire Sinclair actually felt a little embarrassed. She was just a rookie. This kind of honor felt premature, and she was afraid it would go to her head.
Just as she was wondering how to respond, she caught a glimpse of a pair of jealous eyes staring daggers at her from the corner of her vision, as if trying to burn her to a crisp.
When Phoebe Lockwood realized Claire Sinclair had noticed her, she quickly looked away, stood up, and walked out.
Claire Sinclair frowned. ’Did I offend her again? How strange.’
