I'm competing with the male lead for the supporting character. [GL]

Chapter 45: World Two

It must be said that the tall driver displayed impeccable professionalism. He took a shortcut to drop the two off at their hotel and then, just three minutes later, brought them to the central bookstore where the signing event would be held the next day.

Mu Bai's editor was a sharp woman with short shoulder-length hair, who had been waiting at the entrance. When she saw Mu Bai and Sheng Qingyin step out of the car together, she was momentarily stunned.

While Mu Bai and the editor hadn't met in person before, they had had numerous video chats, and they were quite familiar with each other's faces. Even so, it took her a moment to recognize Mu Bai.

"Welcome, Teacher Mu, to the... event." Upon regaining her composure, the editor greeted them.

Mu Bai spoke up, claiming her identity, "Good afternoon, Sister Ye."

"Good afternoon," Editor Ye replied, smiling as she shook Mu Bai's hand. Her gaze couldn't help but shift towards Sheng Qingyin. "And who is this?"

"My girlfriend and the sponsor of free snacks at the signing event," Mu Bai introduced. "This is my editor, Sister Ye, a very talented professional in the industry."

"Hello, Editor Ye," Sheng Qingyin said, handing her business card to the editor. "Here's my card."

"Nice to meet you, Sheng Qingyin. Here's my card." Editor Ye and Sheng Qingyin exchanged business cards.

Editor Ye glanced at the name on Sheng Qingyin's card, her mind silently processing the information. Sheng Qingyin – since they had different last names, they probably weren't related. However, with Mu Bai's background as an orphan, she couldn't help but wonder if there would be a dramatic plot twist that turned lovers into sisters.

As an elite editor who had read countless books, Editor Ye's imagination was boundless, and her face, so serious on the surface, concealed numerous playful thoughts.

----

This time, Mu Bai came over to familiarize herself with the venue. While Sister Ye, the editor, gave them a tour, she also explained the flow of the signing event.

Editor Ye said, "Considering that some fans might bring their own books, we've prepared a thousand copies on-site. Five hundred of the first volume and five hundred of the second. If we run out during the event, we can restock from the warehouse within half an hour."

"The signing event is scheduled to start at 9 AM. We'll distribute 400 queue numbers in the morning, and the event will conclude once they're signed. In the afternoon, we start at 2 PM, distributing queue numbers according to the number of attendees. The latest it will run is until 9 PM, which is the bookstore's closing time."

"If we have a lot of people, Teacher Mu might need to sign for a longer duration," Editor Ye explained.

Mu Bai nodded and replied, "I'll do my best to sign for everyone. Fans have come from far and wide; I don't want to disappoint them."

Sheng Qingyin asked, "What about security personnel? Are they the bookstore's own security or additional staff hired by the publishing house?"

After their discussion with Editor Ye, Sheng Qingyin had put on sunglasses for differentiation.

"The bookstore's security is responsible for access control and security checks. For crowd control, our publishing house will have four staff members on-site, and we'll also have ten college student volunteers," Editor Ye explained. She added, "The volunteers will receive compensation, which includes lunch and a 100 RMB transportation allowance."

College student volunteers? That seemed like inexpensive labor, but they were mainly there for academic credits and volunteer hours.

"No professional security personnel?" Sheng Qingyin asked. She didn't find the arrangements entirely satisfactory.