“Little one, are you hungry?”
After holding it in for ages, Wang Jun, the big-shot boss, finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.
Under the sun, Wang Shuang’s cheeks were flushed, either from the heat or from excitement.
He was definitely hungry; two hours of testing had drained a lot of mental energy.
But hunger didn’t dampen Wang Shuang’s spirit. Though physically tired, he was in high spirits.
“A bit hungry, but I think I did pretty well.”
Wang Shuang’s tone carried a hint of joy. “This year’s questions didn’t feel too hard!”
Chinese wasn’t Wang Shuang’s strong suit.
To be honest, a slacker like him didn’t have any strong subjects. Xie Qian never demanded he excel in any particular area, only that he build a solid foundation across all subjects without any major weaknesses. Given Chengdu’s key high school’s track record for university admissions, Wang Shuang getting into university was no issue—but Xie Qian hadn’t expected Wang Xuezha to be so cocky, declaring the exam questions easy after the first Chinese test.
Wang Jun, a boss with only a middle school education, had no clue about the difficulty of the exams. When Wang Shuang said the questions were easy and he did well, Wang Jun believed him instantly, overjoyed.
“Come on, let’s head back to the hotel to eat. You’ve got another exam this afternoon, so grab a quick nap after lunch!”
The exam centre was far from home, and Wang Jun thought commuting would waste time. Once the centre was confirmed, he booked a hotel room nearby, personally staying two nights to ensure it was quiet before letting Wang Shuang stay there.
He didn’t dare eat at restaurants, having meals cooked at home and delivered to the hotel, fearing outside food might upset Wang Shuang’s stomach.
For Wang Shuang’s exams, Wang Jun had considered every detail, more meticulous than when signing major business deals.
In their social circle, no one mocked Wang Jun for overreacting. Qin Xianming, who had raised two outstanding children, thought Wang Jun’s approach was spot-on.
When Qin Yi and Qin Jiao took their exams, Qin Xianming took it seriously too, even though their grades never gave him cause for worry. For a reformed slacker like Wang Shuang, who only started working hard halfway through, Wang Jun’s caution was entirely justified.
Whether Wang Shuang did well depended on his own ability. All parents could do was ensure a supportive environment during the exams, sparing him from trivial worries.
Could a comfortable environment add a few points to Wang Shuang’s score?
No one knew.
An uncomfortable environment or a bad family atmosphere would definitely hinder a candidate’s performance!
Wang Shuang’s comment about the exam being easy soon reached Xie Qian’s ears.
Since the exams took over Chengdu’s key high school as a testing centre, students like Xie Qian and Wen Ying were naturally on holiday. Geng Xiao and Tang Yifeng were also taking the exams this year. Their grades were better than Wang Shuang’s, but they stayed low-key after the Chinese test, saying only that they did their best and would wait for the results.
Li Mengjiao was secretly anxious: Wang Shuang, that silly kid, had worked so hard for the exams—don’t mess up at the critical moment!
She remembered Xie Qian saying not to treat the exams like a life-or-death battle or underestimate them. A calm mindset leads to steady performance.
Xie Qian didn’t comment on Wang Shuang’s attitude.
It was too late to lecture the slacker now—let Wang Xuezha do his thing.
During Wang Shuang’s two exam days, Wen Ying wasn’t idle either. She finalised the manuscript for the *Galaxy and You* novel.
She handed it to Zou Weijun, and the rest was out of her hands. The publisher’s editors would proofread and format it, designing a cover and inserts for the *Galaxy and You* novel.
To better tie in with the drama, Wen Ying suggested using photos of Li Mengjiao, Yun Chen, and Zhang Yangning, the main cast, as inserts.
For this novel, Wen Ying didn’t care about boosting her own profile. Everything was for the drama’s promotion. If it boosted sales, she’d even agree to using a solo shot of Yun Chen for the cover!
Compared to how many copies the *Galaxy and You* novel sold, Wen Ying was more concerned about whether her Jiuding series, set to be serialised in the June issue of *Spark*, would win readers’ approval.
The June 2006 issue of *Spark* was a big deal.
It would announce the final results of the first writing contest.
Wen Ying’s second full-length novel after *Teen Idol* would also debut in this issue.
When Wen Ying announced this on her blog, her readers were thrilled, like it was an early New Year.
“Little Fish is finally writing a full-length novel again!”
“So excited for the new book. Wonder what genre it’ll be.”
“Ahh, Little Fish’s short stories in *Spark* are great too. Can they be compiled into a collection?”
“I’m more excited for her full-length work. I’ve reread *Teen Idol* countless times, and each read feels different. Little Fish’s talent shines best in long stories!”
“Anyone see those forum posts? Some people are so sure Little Fish’s new book will just copy *Teen Idol*’s path, saying she won’t try new genres. They act like they’ve spied on her writing process in her study…”
“They know nothing. Even if Little Fish writes another youth campus story, I’d love to read it! Tons of writers tackle the same genre—why can others do it, but not Little Fish? They’re just targeting her!”
Wen Ying was amused by this comment.
The reader was right—she was indeed being targeted.
It was normal for some to fixate on her. The tallest tree catches the wind.
Lawsuits, blogging, judging writing contests, screenwriting, and *Teen Idol*’s bestseller status—everything about Wen Ying drew attention.
Fame and fortune brought drawbacks. For every praise she received, there was equal criticism. Haters would scrutinise her with a magnifying glass.
But Wen Ying could handle it.
Lawyer Wen’s heart, forged through countless trials, was diamond-tough, not fragile glass.
She’d accepted being reborn—why fear a few harsh words?
On a whim, Wen Ying posted a new blog entry.
“I got too excited earlier and forgot to mention: not only will my new book be serialised in *Spark*, but the drama I wrote for will air next month. I hope everyone will support it!”
Readers debating the genre of her new book were ecstatic, nearly fainting.
A new book *and* a new drama?
It was like New Year came early with two pieces of great news—they didn’t know which to celebrate first!
Wen Ying’s blog wasn’t just watched by readers; her rivals were also fishing for intel. As soon as her latest post went up, Liang Dan in Hunan got the news.
Tianjiao was finally promoting *Galaxy and You*!
Yu Tianlin’s drama trailer had been airing on Hunan Satellite TV for a week, and Yuan Fenghui couldn’t hold back any longer.
It seemed Yuan Fenghui was going for online promotion?
Hmph, no surprise there!
Liang Dan wouldn’t let *Galaxy and You* outshine Yu Tianlin’s drama. To counter its promotional push, she had a big move prepared.
