Peng Guoqing had no idea why Xie Qian insisted on applying for mathematics, but Wen Ying knew.
Being at the same university was already enough. There was no need to study the exact same major. They weren’t even a couple, let alone married. Nobody needed that level of deep binding, not even best friends!
Xie Qian had already given up Tsinghua, Peking University, and even the chance to study abroad. Wen Ying fully supported him choosing whatever subject he truly loved.
Him filling in Aurora University’s mathematics programme looked like a sudden stroke of genius, but in fact he and Wen Ying had reached a quiet agreement long ago.
Had they deceived Zhang Zhijun?
Hard to say.
But they had definitely fooled Xie Jinghu.
Xie Jinghu now believed he had been the clever one who forced Xie Qian to leave the capital.
Wen Ying: …Scumbags are actually pretty easy to trick.
Of course, because scumbags are easy to trick, Xie Qian could fool Xie Jinghu, and so could the mistress.
Time flew. The Writers’ Academy training was coming to an end. Wen Ying had grown very close to the other trainees in her group. Apart from Teacher He Xin still looking down on her, Wen Ying’s training life had been pretty much perfect.
This morning’s final class finished, and in the afternoon they would attend the closing ceremony. With that, Wen Ying’s first Writers’ Academy experience would draw a flawless full stop.
She felt she had gained a huge amount.
The instructors all had real substance. A casual remark from any of them could open a trainee’s mind.
The exchanges and collisions between peers had also enriched her immensely.
By the end of the half-month course, Wen Ying had already sketched out the rough framework for the second book in the Nine Cauldrons series. She only had to wait until she returned to Rongcheng to start writing!
The very first class had been opened by He Xin, so it was only fitting that the very last one should be closed by her too.
He Xin was doing her usual pre-class checks when a teacher from the Academy suddenly called her out.
Nobody knew what the two said in the corridor. When He Xin returned, she gathered her lesson plans, smiled at the class, and explained, “Today’s session will be taught by a different teacher.”
“Who is it, Teacher He? We only want to hear you!”
He Xin had never got along with Wen Ying’s circle, but she was very close to another small clique in the class. Those trainees were her die-hard fans.
It was said that He Xin and these few students often sat together discussing literature late into the night, feeling they had met each other too late in life.
When they heard the final class would have a substitute, several of them immediately protested, refusing to accept anyone else.
He Xin raised her hand several times to quiet them. “Once you see who today’s teacher is, I promise you won’t be disappointed!”
Wen Ying exchanged a glance with Mu Fan. Shui Mingyue whispered, “Another literary heavyweight?”
The three of them immediately thought of the last time He Xin had been publicly slapped down by a big name and couldn’t help smiling at one another.
Yet He Xin herself showed no resistance to being replaced at the last minute, which made Wen Ying uneasy. “…This one might really be here to deal with us. Mainly me.”
As they spoke, a white-haired elder walked into the classroom. He Xin greeted him with a beaming smile. “Teacher Sun! The last time I saw you was three years ago when you gave a lecture at the university. I still keep the manuscript of that speech. I take it out from time to time to review and draw inspiration from it!”
Old Sun looked He Xin over carefully and also smiled. “You’re little He, aren’t you? I remember you. Halfway through my lecture you asked several questions. I thought to myself, this young person really has literary insight!”
Oh, so this was someone He Xin knew.
Wen Ying didn’t recognise him.
Neither did Mu Fan nor Shui Mingyue.
The three looked at one another blankly.
Only when He Xin introduced Old Sun to the whole class did Wen Ying instantly sit up straight.
Holy cow. Wasn’t this the very vanguard of the “anti-fish wave”?
Wen Ying wanted to slap herself. Jinx! She really had summoned whatever she feared!
Mu Fan also remembered the storm of media discussion from back then and looked at Wen Ying with sympathy. She lowered her voice. “I remember Old Sun criticised you by name more than once. When you were a contest judge, he tore into you the hardest!”
Wen Ying rolled her eyes delicately. “No need to remind me. I’m not senile yet.”
Indeed, the Old Sun who had come today was not only an author but also a literary critic. He had once written a review that lambasted Wen Ying from head to toe, pinning the crime of “commercialising literature” squarely on her head.
To outsiders who didn’t know better, it looked as if Wen Ying single-handedly dragged the entire Chinese literary world into the gutter… She felt so wronged! She wasn’t the leader of the literary world. How could she possibly have that kind of influence?
How had the matter been resolved in the end?
Elder Fu.
Elder Fu’s literary achievements and seniority were both higher than Old Sun’s. Elder Fu publicly refuted Old Sun’s arguments!
After that, Old Master Sun was so angry he ended up in hospital. Yuan Fenghui even visited him with a fruit basket and managed to provoke him all over again.
Because of that incident, Old Sun had stayed quiet for a long time.
Wen Ying lifted her eyes. Old Master Sun’s silver hair was combed impeccably. Though he walked slowly, every step was steady. It seemed that during this quiet period he had fully recovered.
Why was Wen Ying was assessing Old Sun’s physical condition was, of course, out of respect for her elders. Absolutely not because she was afraid she might lose control and argue with the old man until he had to be hospitalised again!
“I really do respect the elderly,” Wen Ying muttered, unsure whether she was trying to convince Mu Fan and Shui Mingyue or herself.
“You only respect elders who deserve respect,” Shui Mingyue said seriously to Mu Fan. “We need to stay sharp. The moment Little Fish shows even the slightest sign of wanting to argue, we hold her down together!”
Mu Fan’s expression turned grave as she nodded slowly. “I’m with you.”
Wen Ying: …?!
Shui Mingyue softened her voice and coaxed, “Be good, okay? Just swallow it this time. Don’t clash with Old Sun in public. He’s different from Teacher He. If you put Teacher He in her place, that’s because she was wrong first. If you talk back to Old Sun, even if he’s the one in the wrong, you’ll still be the bad guy.”
No helping it. The man had decades of seniority. If Wen Ying went head-to-head, she would be the one to suffer.
If Shui Mingyue didn’t truly see Wen Ying as a friend, she wouldn’t advise her so earnestly.
Wen Ying sighed. “I was just fantasising. At his age, I’m afraid he might keel over on the spot if I get into it with him.”
Shui Mingyue relaxed. “As long as you know.”
The three were whispering among themselves. Old Sun’s eyes were sharp and his ears keen; from the lectern he took in everything.
Whether he genuinely didn’t recognise her or was pretending, he asked, “Which one is Against the Current Fish?”
Wen Ying started to stand, but Mu Fan and Shui Mingyue both tugged her sleeve at the same time. Wen Ying smiled sweetly. “Teacher Sun, it’s me.”
Old Sun looked Wen Ying up and down. “So you’re Against the Current Fish. Seeing is believing. I hear your new book is doing giveaways and cruise tickets. Sales are pretty good, huh!”
Damn, this old Sun is a master of sarcasm!
《Finding Yong》 sold well because Wen Ying wrote well. The way Old Sun put it, the only reason it sold was the publisher’s lucky-draw gimmicks!
Wen Ying cursed him silently but kept smiling brightly. “I’ve long admired you too, Teacher Sun. Today I finally I get to meet you in person. I heard you were hospitalised recently because of poor health. Seeing you so hale and hearty now truly makes me happy!”
Old Sun huffed.
“Thank you for your concern. I’m perfectly fine!”
The lesson began.
The very first class, He Xin had spoken on “Values in Literary Creation”. For the very last class, Old Sun chose exactly the same topic!
Same theme, different angle. Old Sun went much deeper than He Xin.
He Xin’s face was a picture of radiant delight.
The trainees close to He Xin looked as though they had received divine revelation, faces glowing with fervour and piety.
Halfway through, Old Sun took a sip of water and called Wen Ying out by name. “Against the Current Fish, every one of your novels is a bestseller. I’m sure you have plenty of insights to share with your classmates.”
Wen Ying’s smile froze.
At first she had still hoped it was coincidence that Old Sun was teaching the final session.
Now she was certain: the old man had come specifically to make trouble for her!
Mu Fan and Shui Mingyue gripped her tightly from both sides. Even the gentle Shui Mingyue secretly pinched the back of Wen Ying’s hand, desperate to stop her from acting impulsively.
Reason told Wen Ying to endure.
Old Sun sat behind the lectern, every wrinkle on his aged face screaming malice. He was banking on the fact that Wen Ying wouldn’t dare argue back in public!
Seeing Wen Ying’s little face flush with suppressed anger, Old Sun finally vented half the resentment that had sent him to hospital last time. Just as he prepared to vent the other half, the classroom door was pushed open from outside.
A leader from the Writers’ Academy stood at the entrance with Elder Fu beside him. Nobody knew how long they had been listening.
Elder Fu strode in. “Sun Zanguo, I swear you’re just too idle every day. There are so many serious literary research projects waiting for you, yet you won’t do anything useful?”
Moments ago Wen Ying’s face had been red from holding back. Now it was Old Sun whose old face turned crimson.
At his level of seniority, very few people dared address him by his full name.
Elder Fu happened to be one of them.
Wen Ying was both shocked and overjoyed.
Why had Elder Fu come?
Elder Fu didn’t even glance at Wen Ying. He walked straight up to Sun Zanguo. “You still haven’t answered me. Are you really that idle?”
Old Sun’s face was beet-red. “I was invited to give a lecture. Don’t go too far, Fu!”
Elder Fu chuckled. “Oh, so you were invited to lecture. I thought you came specially to bully a young woman… Very well, carry on. I don’t mind listening in.”
Without waiting for Sun to reply, he plonked himself down in the row behind Wen Ying.
Only then did Elder Fu pat Wen Ying’s shoulder.
“Sit down and listen properly. I’m here.”
I’m here, so Sun won’t dare bully you.
Wen Ying’s eyes almost filled with tears.
Of course she wasn’t afraid of Old Sun.
When you become famous, criticism comes with the territory. Ever since her books took off, doubts and attacks had never stopped.
But not being afraid was one thing. Having someone stand up for her at a moment like this still moved her deeply.
On the platform, Sun Zanguo’s expression couldn’t have been more awkward.
He Xin and her little clique looked utterly lost.
Elder Fu was a titan of the literary world, yet he had come personally to back Wen Ying up. Did that mean Wen Ying’s literary achievement was actually higher than all of theirs?!
