Zhao Youyue had been in a "spirited away" state as of late. She was almost using the "Two Dimensional Gate" as a boundless life simulation game. She spent her days in it, hoping to get more character cards. However, why has her luck been so downright rotten?
This was not entirely true. She had learned much from her experiences. By experiencing the lives of different characters, she had grown substantially. She now gave off a different feeling, as if she was practiced and seasoned.
Perhaps this was why she seemed to be more easy-going and calm in reality now. The charm of her personality was now on a whole new level.
Returning to the state of side-character was her new zone. In fact, it had given her the peace and quiet to constantly learn about the capabilities of her various character cards and strengthen her foundations. The road to heroinedom was just a switch away!
As Zhao Youyue was still in the state of a low profile side-character, she did not ever think that she would suddenly be shoved back to the center of attention. It was all because of the genius writer Han Leng. He had become a skilled trapper of hearts, and was still trapping new prey even today, thanks to one particular juvenile romance novel that he had written a long time ago.
In fact, before Han Leng mentioned Zhao Youyue's name, Ah Yu's popularity had gradually declined on the internet. However, her songs, on the other hand, were being spread more and more widely. It was as if her side-character aura had been completely activated. Many people just enjoyed listening to her songs; but they did not seem like they understood her thoughts well.
Rumors has it that if a public figure who had never been involved in any scandals also did not actively participate in ongoing drama, they would almost always be easily forgotten, unless their achievements have reached an unattainable level.
Obviously, Zhao Youyue had not yet reached such a level. Her previous sense of presence and influence only covered her school. As for her reputation on the internet, she was only known to the young people who were more concerned about live streams, because she was not backed by any companies. Moreover, she was too lazy to stir up trouble or participate in ongoing drama.
Considering how a "salted fish"[1] like her could become so popular at that certain period, it was evident as to how admirable her talents were.
Her polar opposites were creators like Han Leng and Su Li. Han Leng felt great when he casually ridiculed anything that was not pleasing to his eyes. He simply listened to the voice of his heart. At the same time, he could also send his company over to the mess. Being a publicly known intellectual was enjoyable. Whenever he felt like it, he would comment on some state affairs, while writing about the good or the bad, or even write a short paragraph to create some drama and such. He had the freedom of the world.
There wasn't much to say about Su Li, or it simply wasn't necessary. These days each of her spontaneous postings of new illustrations would cause a ripple. This ripple went far beyond her own name; the character in the illustration and the piece of work related to the illustration would instantly soar with popularity. Were there still heretical unbelievers when it came to the mysterious power of Su, the Great Deity?
Many still felt that Su Li had been wronged, and that she was the "Pan of This Generation." Even so, they always reserved a place in their hearts for the time Su, the Great Deity demonstrates the power of her paintbrush once again.
Every little gesture, every little stretch would attract the attention of the entire internet. Public figures just had to keep on creating trouble to maintain their popularity. Of course, Zhao Youyue was also considered to be a public figure. As a result of her deliberate attempts at keeping a low profile, she had gradually fallen from the limelight...
Now that Han Leng had practically blasted her name through a megaphone, many people started to think about the girl who played games really well and had amazing musical talent. Wasn't there also rumors saying that she was an excellent student...
Wait, why is Han Leng standing up for Ah Yu? They were totally unrelated, right?
Moreover, it seemed like Han Leng had once written a short paragraph that ridiculed female live streamers. He expressed the view that the whole community of female live streamers was too messed up. Even so, it seemed like many idiots still supported them just because the female live streamers would call them their "loyal fans" and say that they were "666." Thus, every month, out of the 2,000 RMB they had, the fans would spend 1,500 just to reward the female live streamers with gifts. Then, they would be forced to live off instant noodles for the rest of the month. Life was great!
Han Leng was now a public intellectual and a BigV, and he a voice that many would listen to. Some people felt that his principles were admirable, and that he spoke for the people. Some people felt that everything he said was nonsense and that he only knew how to ridicule and attack others. He had nothing constructive to say. Then, there were his retarded fans, which directly considered him to be the "Lu Xun" of this era. With one juvenile novel, he had been able to gain such influence, which was pretty amazing. At the same time, the retarded fans constantly proved that they were truly retarded.
Perhaps he was specialized in attacking others. Almost every single Weibo post by him was almost an excerpt. Each excerpt contained quite a bit of ridicule and satire, giving off the feeling of an article. Due to this, a 'professional' who specialized in attacking others appeared and said: Why does The Great Scholar Han still bother writing novels? He should just specialize in writing excerpts on Weibo. Wasn't it the perfect job for him?
However, Han Leng never once strayed off his path. The reason was simple but depressing. He simply could not find the same feeling anymore, that magical inspiration that he felt back when he wrote "Beautiful April". His short stories were still being published in a magazine column. Some of them were written for Zhao Youyue to "snack" on. If Zhao Youyue found it delicious, it would probably make the cut, and readers would definitely like it.
Once he has enough short stories piled up together, they could be published as a volume of collection. Judging by how he was having a difficult time kicking off his second novel, this compilation of his short stories might be completed and published first.
Even his Weibo posts could also be compiled and published. They might even sell well. People did not even pay attention to the contents of his posts. They just felt that his flowery, satirical text carried intense cynical, dark humor. At the same time, he was highly talented in writing - and his daily posts showed it, allowing the title of "The Great Scholar Han" to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
Since ancient times, scholars have been known to attract beautiful women all over the place. Many beautiful young ladies wanted to become The Great Scholar Han's woman. Why did The Great Scholar Han have such high standards when it came to women? He even had his "cross-dressed Leng Zi persona" as the ultimate card. The young ladies could only feel sorry for themselves.
When the netizens discovered that Zhao Youyue, or rather, Lady Ah Yu, was actually in the same high school as Han Leng and Huang Zongchao, this certain high school - which was one of the best high schools in the Jiangnan Province immediately went viral. This high school was really something, it produced so much talent!
Now came the question. Did Lady Ah Yu qualify to be directly recommended to the Capital University?
Some netizens directly went up to ask Huang Zongchao about this. This was because Huang Zongchao had always been acting in an "if not me, then who?" manner on Weibo. When it came to his academic performance, he had always been extremely confident!
Such a question naturally put Huang Zongchao in a tough position. If Han Leng had said that he qualified, then Huang Zongchao had a hundred different ways to tell him off. Academically, he was no good at all. He was only an expert in writing. Deep down, he looked down on someone like Han Leng, who was different and went against the norm.
However, this good-for-nothing Han Leng actually brought Zhao Youyue into this. It was a wake-up call. Huang Zongchao had almost forgotten about Zhao Youyue, the girl who had once surpassed him. Moreover, she was the top student, out of all the liberal arts students in the school…
Translation note :
[1] "Salted fish" (咸鱼) is a Chinese internet slang. It refers to someone who is unmotivated, has no ambitions or goals, and is just drifting along in life.