Chapter 59

【PS: Thanks to the generous donation from Wang Mo of Jiulong Island. There will be a third update tonight. This volume is now complete. I have a bit of OCD, so I like to have ten chapters per volume. It feels good!】

Yangping No.1 High School excelled in exams but had little to show in the field of literature. Students generally couldn't write thought-provoking essays, let alone publish them. However, influenced by the immense popularity of Han Sai and Guo Xiaosi, middle school students of this era were still quite infatuated with literary idols.

For a high school student to publish an article in a newspaper was enough to spark much discussion among peers and earn extra attention from teachers. If he wasn't too ugly, he would definitely receive a lot of love letters from female students.

Before this, people generally believed that if anyone from their school could have an article published in a newspaper, it would definitely be the talented Tong Yan. However, Duan Hou had beaten him to it, which was why Wang Ping was worried about Tong Yan losing his title as the school's top literary talent.

After hearing the rumor from Zheng Jing, Tong Yan calmly said, "Oh." In the past, he would have been envious and jealous, but now he was indifferent. He had already published a short science fiction story in a magazine, so why would he care about Duan Hou's small achievement?

"Aren't you at all concerned?" Wang Ping asked, as if he didn't recognize Tong Yan. "Can't you see that he deliberately told Zheng Jing about this to intimidate you and show everyone that you're not as good as him?"

"My influence only extends to our class. Saying 'everyone' is giving me too much credit," Zheng Jing interjected.

Tong Yan smiled. "I'm not really bothered by this."

Huang Yelou, who was sitting in front, pursed his lips and said without turning his head, "What can you do about it? If you have the ability, publish an article in a magazine too." Although Huang Yelou didn't name anyone, everyone knew he was targeting Tong Yan.

Actually, the two of them didn't have any real grudges. It was just that Song Xiancheng favored Tong Yan more than him, the official class president, which made Huang Yelou feel uncomfortable.

"You..." Wang Ping was about to say something to Huang Yelou.

"Tong Yan, hold on a moment," Dong Mian interrupted their conversation. "I want to ask you, did you write this novel?"

Dong Mian pointed to the article titled "Fated Enemy."

His question caught the attention of Wang Ping, Zheng Jing, Huang Yelou, and Dang Han, who had just been marveling at Duan Hou's publication in "High School Life." How could Tong Yan have published a novel so quickly?

"Little Tong, is it true?" Wang Ping asked.

"Don't admit to something that isn't yours. Be careful not to ruin your reputation," Huang Yelou warned, though he was worried it might be true.

"What novel?" Dang Han had quickly adapted to the atmosphere of Class 2.

"Come, let me see, let me see!" Zheng Jing snatched the magazine. "‘Grand Entertainment · Novels’? It looks very well-made. It's so thick. Is this it, 'Fated Enemy: Cat Planet vs. Dog Planet'?"

Faced with Dong Mian's question, Tong Yan was curious. "Mian'er, how did you figure it out?"

This statement clearly indicated his acknowledgment, and people reacted in various ways.

Dong Mian explained, "I remember seeing you write names like 'Maoqiu' and 'Gousheng' in your textbook. Aren't those the names of the cat and dog in this novel? And I saw that this is the October issue, but you were writing those things in September. Plus, I saw you typing furiously during computer class a few times, so I guessed you were writing a novel."

Tong Yan was impressed. "I didn't expect your smart brain to also have Sherlock Holmes' deductive skills. I'm really impressed."

"So, you really did write it?!" Luo Xiaoxu felt incredulous.

Zheng Jing flipped through the pages. "Wow, four pages, five pages, six pages. That's a lot of words!"

"More than twenty thousand words," Tong Yan answered casually. Compared to the over two hundred thousand words of "A Soldier's Wild History," the word count of this novel wasn't worth mentioning.

Zheng Jing's expression was vivid. "So, Tong Yan, you're the real big writer. Duan Hou is just dog shit. How can a few hundred words compare to you?"

Tong Yan waved his hand. "Literature isn't judged by word count. What you're saying isn't objective."

"Regardless, you're better than him!" Zheng Jing insisted.

"Writing so much, you must have earned some royalties, right?" Wang Ping asked, as if everyone who knew about Tong Yan's novel was concerned about his royalties.

Tong Yan chuckled. "Of course."

"How much?" Wang Ping continued, and not only he but also the others, whose interest had been piqued, looked at him eagerly.

"Um, one..."

Ding ling ling, the class bell rang. Tong Yan smiled. "Class is starting. We'll talk about it later."

Wang Ping wouldn't let it go, even as Mr. Wang stood at the podium. He stretched his neck to ask Tong Yan, who had to secretly tell him. Then Wang Ping secretly told Dong Mian, and Dong Mian secretly told Zheng Jing.

By the time the news reached Zheng Jing, Tong Yan knew that soon the whole school would know about his achievement. He trusted Zheng Jing's gossip network, especially for such big news. Although this might hurt Duan Hou's newly established confidence and pride, he couldn't lie. That wasn't his style.

He had written it, and it wasn't anything shameful. Why should he be afraid to admit it?

Duan Hou's promotion was starting to work. During the break, his new classmates in Class 25 asked when the "High School Life" magazine featuring his work would be available for purchase. They promised to buy it and read his masterpiece.

"It will be on sale starting this Friday. Our school's bookstore will have it. Thanks in advance," Duan Hou said grandly, bowing slightly.

Someone said, "No need to thank us. If you become famous in the future, don't forget us old classmates."

"Exactly, you're the first person from our school to publish a work in a magazine. Don't say you don't know us when you're famous."

Duan Hou enjoyed the feeling of being flattered. However, someone suddenly said, "I don't think Duan Hou is the first. Tong Yan from Class 2 has already published a short story in a magazine. The magazine even sent him a copy, and it was beautifully packaged." This annoying classmate was close to Zheng Jing and liked to spread rumors.

"Did you see it with your own eyes? How do you know it's true?" a supporter of Duan Hou questioned.

"It's not a lie. Now everyone in Class 2 knows. They've passed the magazine around, and they all say Tong Yan's writing is excellent."

"What magazine?"

"‘Grand Entertainment · Novels’"

Duan Hou chuckled. "I've never heard of it. It's probably some obscure magazine."

"Don't be so ignorant. It's a well-known magazine sold in major cities across the country. Do you know Shanda Group? It's the company of the richest man Chen. This magazine is published by his company, and it's not comparable to 'High School Life.'"

Duan Hou's face turned red. While "High School Life" had some recognition in their school, its influence was limited to the province. He had only been able to publish his article through his grandfather's connections. A nationally distributed magazine was beyond even his grandfather's reach.

The classmate continued to attack Duan Hou's fragile self-esteem. "Do you know how much Tong Yan earned from writing that story? Sixteen hundred after tax! Duan Hou, did you get any royalties for your work?"

"Did you get any royalties?"

"Did you get royalties?"

"Did you get any?"

"Did you?"

Duan Hou was almost on the verge of breaking down. He didn't cover his face and run away, but he did leave the classroom at a very fast speed. He needed to find a place to calm down...

[Recommended book: "Faith and Deity" by my friend Shui Zhi Da Di Nian Xiaobai, also related to Qidian.]

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