Wen Ying’s words truly struck a chord with most of the students.
No one would turn down the chance to write a bestseller!
Even Mu Fan, who was currently trying to shift towards “deeper” works, began to reflect upon hearing Wen Ying’s remarks.
Why must “depth” and “bestseller” be opposites? Can’t a book possess both depth and massive sales?
Some authors renowned for exploring human nature also enjoy extremely high sales. If the two cannot coexist, ultimately it only means the writer’s skill falls short; it has nothing to do with the readers.
Mu Fan suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Over the past two years he had frequently gone against the publisher’s advice, yet the publisher had still patiently tolerated him!
After class today he would take the initiative to contact the editor, apologise properly, and calmly discuss the concept for his next book.
Mu Fan took the lead in applauding, and the other students quickly followed.
The female author Shui Mingyue, seated in front of Wen Ying, gave a shy smile and took the opportunity to share something that had troubled her for a long time. “Once I attended an event organised by the provincial writers’ association. An elderly writer stopped me and asked what meaning there was in writing romance novels. I told him I could support myself by writing novels. He said that wasn’t the kind of meaning he meant and asked what my novels could contribute to society’s development. That question really stumped me. For a very long time afterwards I kept wondering whether writing romance was the wrong choice. If only I had heard Xiao Yu’s words sooner! My books certainly lack depth, but I have always followed the simple value that good is rewarded and evil punished: good people find beautiful love, bad people come to a miserable end. Doesn’t that count as subtly influencing readers?”
Wen Ying knew Shui Mingyue.
The media called Shui Mingyue the little heavenly queen of Chinese-language romance. Her readership was generally very young, mostly middle-school students. Even in her previous life Wen Ying had been one of her countless student fans!
Like Wen Ying, Shui Mingyue was not favoured by He Xin.
However, the tallest tree catches the most wind. Wen Ying alone had drawn the majority of the firepower, so Teacher He Xin had not yet found time to criticise the others.
Perhaps Shui Mingyue was speaking from the heart, or perhaps she had sensed something in He Xin’s attitude. By standing up now she was not only supporting Wen Ying, she was also speaking for herself!
Sure enough, Teacher He Xin on the platform remained expressionless. Wen Ying secretly rejoiced and replied loudly, “Of course it counts! Sister Shui, you have such a huge readership, even I’m one of your readers. Tell me, do your books have a big influence or not?”
Shui Mingyue was both surprised and delighted. “Xiao Yu, you read my books too?”
“Of course! I bought loads when I was in middle school!”
Wen Ying even rattled off a few titles.
She wasn’t lying. In the three years of middle school before her rebirth she really had been a loyal fan. Afraid to take the novels home, she had hidden them all at her cousin Wen Kai’s place. Those books were still there even now!
Mu Fan joined in the teasing. “You finally meet an author you like, and you don’t ask for an autograph?”
Wen Ying pulled out the notebook and pen she had prepared long ago. “Of course I want an autograph. I’m quite greedy. Not only do I want Sister Shui’s, I want everyone else’s too. Let me make this clear: after class I’m guarding the door. One autograph and you may leave. No autograph, no exit!”
Mu Fan laughingly snatched the notebook. “No need for you to play highway robber. I’ll sign right now. Tonight I’ll brag on my blog that ‘Reverse Flow Fish’ was crying and begging for my signature. You’re more famous than me anyway, so I won’t lose face either way!”
Laughter rang through the classroom.
Everyone had been a little stiff at first, but the laughter instantly brought them closer.
Among all the students in this term, Wen Ying did not have the highest total sales, yet she was undeniably the most talked-about. The others had worried, to varying degrees, that she might be difficult to get along with.
Who would have thought Wen Ying belonged to the comedy faction?
Mu Fan proved an excellent straight man, bantering back and forth with Wen Ying and instantly warming the entire room.
Everyone was laughing, while He Xin on the platform looked livid.
It wasn’t that the students disrespected Teacher He. They simply felt Wen Ying and Shui Mingyue had already said enough.
What else could they do? Deliberately demean themselves and claim their own works were utterly devoid of nutrition?
Don’t be ridiculous.
Most of this group sold decent numbers. Outside they were pampered by publishers and fawned over by readers. Restraining any arrogance was already very modest of them. None had the perverse hobby of actively belittling themselves!
A small minority of students, however, did not pursue commercial success and leant towards serious literature.
This minority genuinely agreed with He Xin. Though they said nothing aloud, in their hearts they looked down on popular authors like Wen Ying who worked hard to please readers.
But they were outnumbered and had to yield to the majority, suppressing their true thoughts!
He Xin was so furious with this bunch of rotten wood led by Wen Ying that her liver ached. She hastily finished the remaining content and left, unwilling to witness Wen Ying’s smug, triumphant face.
Wen Ying kept her word and really blocked the door demanding signatures.
After Shui Mingyue signed, Wen Ying whispered “thank you”. Shui Mingyue winked. “You’re welcome. After all, if the lips are gone, the teeth will feel cold~”
Shui Mingyue was a southern girl, delicate-looking and soft-spoken, seemingly quite shy.
So she was a black-bellied type beneath the surface!
Wen Ying laughed, turned to Mu Fan and said, “I have a feeling I’m going to get along very well with everyone!”
Mu Fan asked seriously, “The same feeling you had about Teacher He liking you?”
Wen Ying glared at him. “Why do you always bring up the sore spots!”
That evening at dinner, Wen Ying and Mu Fan’s table naturally gained an extra Shui Mingyue.
Wen Ying was generous and shared the pastries Mrs Peng had made with her new friends. Shui Mingyue tasted one and smiled until her eyes became slits. “So delicious! Where did you buy them?”
“I didn’t buy them. An elder gave them to me.”
Shui Mingyue let out an “oh” and looked rather embarrassed. “Then… may I have another piece?”
With Shui Mingyue’s income she could afford any pastry she liked. She wasn’t trying to take advantage; she genuinely thought they were delicious.
Before long, other writers joined their table.
They were all young and soon became familiar while chatting.
One male writer who was close to Mu Fan teased him about royalties, calling him a miser.
Thanks to novel royalties, Mu Fan had earned a considerable sum in recent years. When the money first started rolling in he had spent freely for a while. After getting his driving licence he had even rewarded himself with a sports car.
“At first the vroom-vroom was exciting for a few days, but after driving it for a while I realised it was just ordinary. The chassis is so low, I was terrified of scraping it wherever I went. What a hassle!”
Buying a car lost its appeal, so Mu Fan put the money into property.
This fellow had bought houses in nearly every top-tier city in the country, including the capital.
When Mu Fan first became famous through his books, Wen Ying had not yet entered the industry, and property prices were far lower. Using his Beijing flat as an example, he said, “Compared to when I bought it, flats in the same complex have tripled in price. Tell me, isn’t that terrifying?”
