Chapter 5

With the snake with 1000-degree myopia hissing and spitting out a long tongue, it raved at Mangmang and Titi, “I will make sure you never rise again...”

The despicable cobra described in "Mangmang and Titi" quickly resonated with middle and primary school students across the country. The cobra became a metaphor for the vice-principals, and the author Liu Jingtong, who created this metaphor, became a hot topic among students.

"That guy is a genius. The cobra rummaging through the trash to find dirt on Mangmang and Titi is just like our vice-principal, isn't it?"

At that time, to prevent early romance among middle and primary school students, the vice-principals would often secretly search through the trash to find any signs of early romance or offensive remarks.

Liu Jingtong's fairy tale sparked a wave of discussion, immediately catching the attention of experts and the media, which was dubbed the "Cobra Phenomenon." This led to a new wave of discussions about primary and secondary school education.

Liu Jingtong did not expect things to develop to this extent, but the overall trend was still under control and the effect was even better. As a college student who had experienced the internet era, Liu Jingtong was well aware of the power of the media in an information explosion era, a double-edged sword.

After careful analysis and preparation, Liu Jingtong accepted an interview with the city's educational television station, expressing the following points:

1. He was eager to return to school and continue his studies.

2. He thanked everyone for liking his story but, with the high school entrance exam approaching, he wanted to focus on his studies and hoped people would only pay attention to the story, not him.

3. He called for a better learning environment in schools across the country and urged teachers to care for their students.

In front of the camera, the young, nervous, yet sincere Liu Jingtong left a deep impression on the audience. His subtle yet vivid portrayal of an excellent student forced to drop out by the school's dark forces was particularly moving, especially his panicked yet earnest eyes, which strongly condemned the cruel and inhumane teachers.

The day after Liu Jingtong's interview, the city's education bureau leadership personally showed concern, and the principal of the city's No. 1 Middle School personally visited to invite Liu Jingtong to study at their school for free.

As for the cobra's real-life counterpart, Mr. Wang, the vice-principal of Liu Jingtong's original school, he was reprimanded and suspended. The principal and homeroom teacher, Mr. Zheng, also received corresponding punishments. The incident of Liu Jingtong's forced withdrawal was thus resolved satisfactorily.

Liu Jingtong, the author of "The Treasure Book of High School Entrance Exam" and "Mangmang and Titi," caused quite a stir when he started studying at No. 1 Middle School. However, due to his deliberate low profile and the school's protection, Liu Jingtong quickly returned to a normal middle school life. This normalcy lasted for less than three days when a strange girl suddenly found him.

Wearing a dark blue long coat, loose skinny pants, blue canvas shoes, a black shoulder bag, and white headphones, with fair skin and a nearly mature figure... When Liu Jingtong saw the girl, he inwardly praised her, but as someone with a college student's soul, he wasn't about to drool like a middle school boy.

"Hey, hello, are you looking for me?" Liu Jingtong pointed to his ear and asked.

The girl took off her headphones, looked at Liu Jingtong, and after a moment of hesitation, said, "Are you the boy who wrote about the cobra?"

Being called a boy by a younger girl, Liu Jingtong frowned and said, "My name is Liu Jingtong. What do you need from me?"

"Yes, you're Liu Jingtong, so you must be Gu Yongsheng, right?"

"Ah, oh, that's a pen name, a pen name."

The girl stared at Liu Jingtong for a few seconds and said, "I need you to honestly answer me, are you Gu Yongsheng?"

"I am called Liu Jingtong, and Gu Yongsheng is my pen name."

"Are you sure you are you?" the girl pressed.

Despite his adult wisdom, Liu Jingtong was stumped by this philosophical question. He stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "The vast universe is full of countless unsolved mysteries. Where do humans come from, where are they going, what is the ultimate concept of a person, and what is the relationship and reason between the self, the ego, and the super-ego? I am still exploring these questions. How did you suddenly ask this, little girl?"

The girl's eyes widened, completely lost in his words, but she understood the last part. He called her a little girl, and she angrily retorted, "You call me a little girl, you're the little brat."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen. How old are you, thirteen or fourteen?"

Liu Jingtong suddenly realized he was fourteen this year. The bad habit of showing off in front of pretty girls was hard to break. He quickly smiled and said, "Sister, I was just joking. I, I was reciting a model essay."

"Sister doesn't blame you. Be honest, who is Gu Yongsheng?" The girl had a look that said, "Nothing can be hidden from me."

Liu Jingtong pointed to himself and said, "It's me. If you don't believe me, I can recite 'The Dragon and Tiger Battle in Jinghua' for you." Liu Jingtong had a good guess about her identity and decided to play it right.

"Ah, that, 'The Dragon and Tiger Battle in Jinghua' is really written by you?"

"Absolutely, are you the editor of 'The Great Wulin'?"

"I am the editor of 'The Great Wulin,' Mi Hu."

"Long admired your name. I've read your 'Bird Walking,' it's really good. I plan to write a similar piece called 'Dog Walking.'" Liu Jingtong's annoying sense of humor took over again.

Mi Hu's face turned displeased, and she said, "You're mocking me."

Liu Jingtong regretted it as soon as he saw Mi Hu's expression. He quickly added, "I like the line, 'All the other birds fly away, but one bird stays.' I really like that, Mi Hu, don't be angry. I have a habit of joking, but I mean no harm." Liu Jingtong had indeed read "The Stay Bird" and had read extensively to find literary works in this world.

Hearing Liu Jingtong recite his favorite line, Mi Hu's anger dissipated, and she said a bit embarrassedly, "That was written two years ago. I'm embarrassed to read it now."

Liu Jingtong smiled and said, "It's common. I have similar experiences. Sometimes when I read my old work, I get goosebumps. Why did you stop writing?"

"Because I found I was better at reviewing and discovering new books, like your 'The Dragon and Tiger Battle in Jinghua.'"

"The game development is still immature, I'm sure you noticed." Liu Jingtong was very humble.

"At your age, why did you think of writing such a story?"

"Since I was young, I've listened to my grandfather's stories of the Seven Heroes and Five Gallants. I admired them and hoped to create my own heroes and martial artists. But I also noticed that the popular martial arts stories today are somewhat cliché, and the storytelling methods and techniques are still from the Republican era. Think about it, it's already a new century, a new era, everything is changing. Why can't martial arts stories keep up with the times?"

Liu Jingtong's words would be cliché in his previous life, but in this era of literary scarcity, they were innovative. Of course, he couldn't tell Mi Hu that he was from another world or that he had a sudden enlightenment. He just had to bluff.

After hearing this, Mi Hu no longer doubted Liu Jingtong. She looked at the still young boy with surprise and asked, "How do you plan to innovate?"

"It's a long story. Let's go to that pavilion and talk." Liu Jingtong needed to establish a good relationship with a publisher, and of course, he wanted a beautiful editor like Mi Hu.

They sat down in the pavilion, and Liu Jingtong continued to sell his literary ideas, starting with a question: "What do you think is the most important thing in a novel?"

Mi Hu thought for a moment, like a student, and said, "Emotion, writing style."

Liu Jingtong smiled and said, "I think it's interest. A boring novel, no matter how emotional or well-written, won't attract readers. If no one reads it, what's the point of your emotion and writing style?"

"That's a view of popular literature, too commercial," Mi Hu said.

Liu Jingtong shook his head and said, "Actually, the two are not mutually exclusive. They can be unified. Confucius said poetry should inspire, observe, unite, and criticize. The 'unite' part means having readers. If a story is too profound, it can be too highbrow and lack an audience. What's the point of that? If it can be accessible, isn't that better?"

"It's hard," Mi Hu, known for her sharp and insightful views, mostly agreed with Liu Jingtong but wanted to draw out more of his thoughts by expressing a contrary opinion.

"It's not hard. The Four Great Classical Novels of China basically achieved this, especially 'Dream of the Red Chamber'..."

"The Four Great Classical Novels?" Mi Hu asked in confusion.

Liu Jingtong swallowed and suddenly remembered that this world had no such concept. They studied "Records of the Three Kingdoms" but not "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." They knew about Tang Sanzang's journey to the West and the story of Sun Wukong's havoc in heaven, but they hadn't read "Journey to the West." The Four Great Classical Novels, except for "Dream of the Red Chamber," were cumulative works, a compilation and interpretation of earlier legends and scattered stories, which clearly hadn't been done in this world.

"Yes, in a few years, you'll know. In short, I believe that literary works detached from the masses are not necessarily good. The stories I want to write will be both highbrow and lowbrow, suitable for all ages, and enjoyed by everyone."

Mi Hu looked at Liu Jingtong, her expression changing. Including the chief editor Zhou Daoran, she had never met anyone who could completely dominate her in a literary theory debate. This middle school student, with his sharp words and existing works, showed great ambition, leaving her speechless.

"Do you have any ideas for your next work?" Mi Hu asked, revealing her true purpose of establishing a long-term relationship with this author.

"Yes, it's a story about seven swords," Liu Jingtong smiled and said, "Snowflakes flying on Tian Shan, seven swords coming from the west."