Chapter 14

Hanging up the phone, Lin Han took a deep breath. He knew his path would not be smooth sailing. If there were no obstacles, it would indeed be boring.

After some thought, Lin Han realized that the person who leaked his work's title and pen name still had some sense and did not release the content of the novel in advance. He wondered what he might have done to offend this person.

After much deliberation, Lin Han could not figure it out. He decided to call the magazine to ask what should be done. He wondered if his carefully chosen pen name would be rendered useless.

"Hello, is this the 'Science Fiction World' editorial department?" Lin Han asked. He didn't want to keep calling them all day; he felt embarrassed even though the other party wasn't annoyed.

Wang Yifan looked at the caller ID and said, "Yes, Mr. Lin."

Lin Han had no intention of blaming or accusing anyone. "Do you know that the information about 'The Rural Teacher' has been exposed online? Now everyone knows I will use a pen name to publish it, and the protective effect is almost gone."

"Is that so? I didn't know. The November issue has already been sent to the printing factory, and there's no time to make changes. What should we do?" Wang Yifan was flustered, not expecting their plan to be leaked so quickly.

Encountering such an intern editor, Lin Han felt a bit frustrated. He comforted him, saying, "It's fine. Since it's already exposed, let's face it openly. You should believe in the quality of the book. Even the most picky people won't find any issues, unless they don't intend to read it."

"That's true. It must be a leak from our editorial department. I'm very sorry, and we will handle it properly."

"It's no big deal. It might even stimulate more interest in 'Science Fiction World.' Besides, after those people have been criticizing me for a few days, they probably don't have much energy left." Lin Han was quite open-minded. The pent-up resentment of those haters had already been unleashed, and they wouldn't waste more time on him.

Just as he was about to hang up, Lin Han thought of something and asked, "I want to ask when the Galaxy Award submission period ends."

"The Galaxy Award? The submission deadline is almost over. The judges are currently reviewing the entries. The list of semi-finalists will be announced in the next issue, which is the one featuring 'The Rural Teacher.' Don't worry; the magazine has already recommended you. Making it to the semi-finals is not a problem; we just don't know what place you will get. The final results will definitely be published in the December issue, and you should receive the prize by the end of the year."

"That's good, thanks."

Even just making it to the semi-finals of the Galaxy Award comes with a prize, and Lin Han's ambition goes far beyond that. He submitted 'The Rural Teacher,' an excellent novel, with the goal of winning the highest award, not just the basic one.

To say nothing of the fact that 'The Rural Teacher' is one of Liu Cixin's classic short stories. With this novel, Liu Cixin won the Reader's Choice Award at the 2001 Galaxy Award and received praise from many science fiction enthusiasts.

Even the 2015 reissued collection of short stories was still very popular. Not only was the quality of the novel high, but its copyright value was also evident. Pony Ma's film company had already begun investing in 'The Rural Teacher,' with Ning Hao as the director.

Lin Han was a bit regretful that before he traveled through time, he never saw 'The Rural Teacher' on the big screen. Even the production of 'The Three-Body Problem' by Kong Ergou had been disbanded, and China's domestic science fiction films were still in a difficult stage.

But in this world, things were different. If he could bring these novels to the big screen, the sense of achievement would be unparalleled.

With nothing to do, he threw his phone aside and started refreshing Weibo to see what the internet trolls were saying.

He found the Weibo post Chen Jiaxuan mentioned, which was posted by a marketing account with over two million followers called "Entertainment Without Boundaries": "According to reliable sources, a certain science fiction director will publish a novel under the pen name 'Alien' in the next issue of 'Science Fiction World.' The novel is called 'The Rural Teacher.' After destroying a classic science fiction novel, he is now writing one himself. Can you guess who it is?"

This news was stated with certainty, without the usual ambiguity found in reports about other celebrities. Normally, these marketing accounts use terms like Mr. Z or Miss Y or number actors to replace names. Now, they deliberately set up a bit of suspense to attract netizens' discussions.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the entertainment industry knew who this was referring to: a science fiction director + destroying a book. Wasn't this Lin Han's label?

Thus, the comments below were numerous, and many people started to gloat.

"I guess it's Lin Han? He finally extended his toxic hands to science fiction novels. I hope he doesn't write a yaoi novel; that would be too beautiful for me to bear!"

"Damn, what the hell. 'The Rural Teacher' can be linked to science fiction? What a huge imagination!"

"Considering his pen name, I think this rural teacher is an alien. Luckily, I don't read science fiction. I'll mourn for 'Science Fiction World' for two seconds."

"Damn, do I have a masochistic tendency? I'm actually looking forward to this novel. I must be psychologically abnormal."

"Argh, he destroyed 'Beyond the Solar System,' and now he wants to destroy 'Science Fiction World.' What a mess!"

"Damn, it turns out Lin Han is playing a big game. He must be a spy sent by the U.S. to destroy our domestic science fiction. I never thought you would be such a person, Lin Han!"

"I don't think Lin Han's imagination is as big as the one above. Conspiracy theories are already out there. Anyway, I don't like science fiction, so I don't care what he does. By the way, where are those people who hate Lin Han? Did they disband?"

"We're late! Sisters, let's start the topic! #ResistLinHan #ResistScienceFictionWorld #LinHanGetOutOfEntertainment"

"The Rural Teacher, ha-ha, this guy can write a book? It must be a primary school essay. I'm ready to buy the November issue of 'Science Fiction World' on the 20th. Money is ready, don't stop me!"

These comments were quite amusing. They were from true passersby who didn't have strong feelings about Lin Han, mostly just watching the drama. The official Weibo of 'Science Fiction World' confirmed everyone's suspicions, as it was already exposed, there was no need to hide it.

"The November issue has started printing and is expected to be available nationwide by the 20th. Highlights: @Lin Han debuts with his science fiction novel 'The Rural Teacher,' receiving 100% positive reviews from the editorial department. The results of the Galaxy Award preliminary round are out, and the list of semi-finalists is published at the end of the magazine. Congratulations to the semi-finalists."

Below this Weibo post was a picture of the November issue's cover, featuring a mysterious sci-fi-themed starry sky. The words 'The Rural Teacher' were prominently displayed, making it look like the main feature.

Since he was officially mentioned, Lin Han generously forwarded it and said, "Let the work speak for itself. Welcome everyone to review it on the 20th!"

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