Chapter 9

From the world of science fiction films back to science fiction novels, if this could be considered a return, Lin Han was more than happy to do so. After all, if he were a popular director, he probably wouldn't even know how to make a movie, and now, writing novels was such a wonderful life.

After agreeing to have a drink together next time, the two parted ways at the café. Li Wenyuan had to go to a book signing at the Zhongguancun Book Building, as traffic in Yanjing was notoriously bad.

Carrying two books, Lin Han slowly wandered to the subway entrance, looking forward to the day when he could publish his own science fiction novel and have readers come for a signing. He believed that day wouldn't be too far off.

However, he never expected that a storm was quietly brewing in the editorial department of "Science Fiction World."

...

Intern Wang Yifan, after obtaining Lin Han's ID information, was about to submit it to the finance department. But when he saw the name and photo, he felt uneasy.

He took a few deep breaths and then pulled his mentor, Chen Chuhé, over. "Master, look, the author of 'Rural Teacher' is also named Lin Han. Is he the same Lin Han who turned 'Beyond the Solar System' into a terrible movie?"

Chen Chuhé gasped. He had been so focused on the quality of the science fiction novel that he never thought it could be the notorious "big director" Lin Han's work.

He quickly opened a search engine and typed in Lin Han's name. The search results were all negative news.

"How to ruin a novel, Lin Han shows you how!"

"Shame of the science fiction world, Lin Han, get out of the entertainment industry!"

"List of novels ruined—'Beyond the Solar System' at the top"

"Lin Han exposed for constant drinking, boycotted by science fiction writers!"

"Exclusive interview with China Film Academy, Lin Han's name removed from the directing department!"

"One man brings down a film company, no one but Lin Han"

From the numerous news headlines, Chen Chuhé finally found a photo of Lin Han promoting the movie before its release. He carefully compared the ID photo with the promotional photo and was stunned.

How could such an excellent novel as 'Rural Teacher' be written by the notorious big director? Could it be ghostwritten?

"This is him. Why can't this guy just stay out of trouble? Why did he come to submit a manuscript to us? This is bad, should we publish it or not?"

Wang Yifan, who initially thought he had found a gem, now felt like he had a hot potato. Everything seemed wrong. If they published Lin Han's manuscript, what if readers boycotted "Science Fiction World"?

Chen Chuhé thought for a moment and said to Wang Yifan, "Don't take the information to the finance department for now. I'll talk to the editor-in-chief and see what he thinks. This is no longer something we can decide."

Wang Yifan nodded obediently, feeling that the world was too cruel. He had finally found a good article, only to find out it was written by Lin Han, like smearing feces on a cake.

He was also a fan of 'Beyond the Solar System.' He had been eagerly awaiting the movie's release, but the pre-release screenings, media previews, and limited screenings had all received terrible reviews, scaring him away from buying a ticket. After the movie was available for download online, he watched it for only twenty minutes before angrily deleting it, completely ruining the novel.

The man who had destroyed the science fiction novel was now writing one himself. Could it be any more ironic?

As for Chen Chuhé, he knocked on the editor-in-chief's office door and heard a "Come in." He nervously opened the door, walked in, and sat down opposite the editor-in-chief's desk.

"Boss Tan, we just discovered something very important and need to report it to you."

The busy editor-in-chief, Tan Ming, looked up at Chen Chuhé and asked, "What is it? Tell me."

Chen Chuhé organized his thoughts and then explained the situation in a few words: "The author of 'Rural Teacher' is Lin Han, the one who is hated by the entire science fiction community."

"He can actually write a novel? Are you kidding me? Everyone knows Lin Han is a fraud who butchered the novel. 'Rural Teacher' is clearly a masterpiece. Did he hire someone to write it?"

Tan Ming was also shocked by the news. When he first saw 'Rural Teacher,' he thought it could win the Gold Award at the Galaxy Awards. But now, knowing the author's identity, he wanted to reject the manuscript. This was a truly thorny issue.

"Boss, we don't know if it's ghostwritten, but what should we do now? If we publish it, I think the media will bury us, and the science fiction writers will resent us."

"But we can't just let such a good novel go unpublished, can we? If he publishes it online, it will be a huge blow to our professionalism. This guy has really given us a tough problem!"

...

The editorial department of "Science Fiction World" was in a headache, while Lin Han had just returned home. A message from Li Wenyuan appeared on his QQ: "I've added you to the science fiction novel group. Accept it quickly and say hello to everyone. I did this for you during the book signing."

Lin Han hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to disappoint someone's kindness, so he accepted the invitation and entered the Galaxy Nebula group.

"Everyone, welcome the new member, Lin Han. I'm sure you've all heard of his name. Now Lin Han is also writing science fiction novels. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas in the group to spark some creative discussions!"

As one of the managers, Li Wenyuan posted this message first, introducing Lin Han to everyone.

The Nebula group had over eighty members, all of whom were top figures in the science fiction novel community. The minimum requirement for joining was to have published a novel, and one had to be introduced by a member.

Most of the members were otakus, and there were over thirty people online. A group that had been chatting happily suddenly fell silent. Lin Han had actually joined the stronghold of science fiction novelists?

"Damn, is that really Lin Han? He dares to join the group after causing us so much trouble."

"Mosquito, are you out of your mind? He ruined your novel, and you're still speaking well of him. When will you stop being so magnanimous?"

"Lin Han? The Lin Han we know? He's actually writing a novel? It must be kindergarten-level science fiction."

"Hahahaha, probably. That guy has already ruined the film industry and is now coming to ruin our novel industry."

"Shh, he's already in the group. Don't say such things."

"If he sees it, he sees it. No need to beat around the bush. Lin Han, you turned Mosquito's 'Beyond the Solar System' into a mess. Don't come here to show off. Pretending to be a cultured person, go back and start over."

"Exactly. I just negotiated a novel adaptation with a film company and was about to sign the contract. But because of you, they immediately backed out and refused to buy it! No film production company now dares to invest in a science fiction film. This is all your fault!"