Chapter 80: The Star (Subscription Request!)

Zou Ping exclaimed: “Less than a week, and it’s already sold out?”

Other colleagues chimed in: “You’re late—this morning we already got a call from the distribution office.”

They said this issue of ‘Harvest’ sold so wildly that the entire stock was snatched up overnight and an emergency reprint is needed.”

Zou Ping froze, then asked excitedly: “Is this due to the effect of ‘To Live’?”

At that moment, Editor Liao walked out of his office and interjected: “Who else could it be? The Master’s eye for talent is as sharp as ever.”

“But Yan Jiayan’s review in the Youth Daily also played a crucial role, pushing ‘To Live’ to a new height at this critical moment.”

Who is Yan Jiayan?

Anyone who pays even slight attention to the literary scene should have heard his name—he’s the leading figure among China’s second-generation modern literary scholars and the author of ‘The Complete Works of Yan Jiayan.’

His status in literary criticism is unquestionably that of a grandmaster among grandmasters; for such a titan to personally write a several-thousand-word review, his favor toward the book rivals even that shown to Old Ba, and his influence speaks volumes.

Zou Ping cared most about one thing: “Editor Liao, how many copies are we reprinting?”

Editor Liao patted his shoulder and smiled: “Don’t rush—I just spoke with the Master, and he personally approved a reprint of 300,000 copies.”

“Three… heavens! 300,000 copies? That many?” Zou Ping, overjoyed, was stunned.

“Too many?” Editor Liao shook his head dismissively.

After all, ‘Harvest’ is a national literary journal on par with ‘People’s Literature’; in its peak years, it routinely sold over a million copies—what’s 300,000 extra?

In Editor Liao’s eyes, ‘To Live’ boasts extraordinary literary merit, has Old Ba himself vouching for it, the super-hype of ‘royalties,’ and now the literary patriarch Yan Jiayan has entered the fray—it’s as if heaven’s timing, earth’s advantage, and human harmony have all aligned.

Haven’t you seen the media frenzy outside?

Every major newspaper across the country publishes hundreds of reviews daily—the public opinion has been completely ignited.

If ‘To Live’ still doesn’t become a sensation, he couldn’t imagine what could possibly stop it.

Zou Ping’s eyes gleamed; he realized his vision had been too narrow—Old Ba truly had boldness!

Editor Liao instructed Zou Ping: “The editorial office phones have been ringing nonstop these past few days—many readers are asking about December’s personal details; you must keep this confidential.”

Normally, as editor-in-chief, he wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters.

But ‘To Live’ carries enough weight to warrant his attention.

Besides, the Master seems unusually fixated on December—a signal worth pondering.

So Editor Liao lowered his dignity and personally oversaw nearly every aspect of ‘To Live.’

Zou Ping quickly assured him: “Don’t worry—December personally asked me not to speak out, and I won’t.”

Editor Liao nodded: “This morning, we received a flood of reader letters from all over the country—probably more than a sack can hold; go handle them.”

“Also, in response to widespread reader requests, set aside your current work, and quickly head to Shaoshi to interview December about his creative journey while writing ‘To Live’—get it published as soon as possible.”

Zou Ping blushed—he’d been drunk last night after reading all the praise for ‘To Live’ in the papers, and had arrived half an hour late this morning.

Just as Zou Ping turned to leave, Editor Liao called out: “By the way, I have a reader letter here—please deliver it to December for me.”

“Huh?”

Zou Ping was baffled—someone directly mailed a letter to the editor-in-chief, and now the editor-in-chief won’t even open it himself? What kind of legendary reader is this?

Editor Liao seemed to read his mind and chuckled: “Don’t speculate wildly—the sender is just a literature enthusiast, an old acquaintance of mine. Just hand it to December.”

In less than a week, the magazine was reprinting 300,000 copies, reader letters piled up in sacks, the editorial phones rang without pause, and newspapers published hundreds of reviews daily—whether positive or negative, they all proved one thing:

A vast army of seasoned literary figures and enthusiasts was using ‘To Live’ as a vehicle, igniting a furious wave across China’s literary scene!

‘To Live’ had truly exploded—blazingly, wildly popular!

Thinking of it all, Zou Ping felt that same giddy feeling from last night again—he was floating again.

He took the letter from Editor Liao and examined it closely—it was just a plain brown registered letter, nothing unusual on the outside.

As for its contents? Well, that wasn’t his concern.

Of course, he dared not even think about opening it—if he did and got caught, he’d offend December, the editor-in-chief, and the editor-in-chief’s friend, and might even lose his job.

The reader letters were more numerous than he could imagine—thousands of letters crowded the desk; having worked six years, Zou Ping had never seen such a scene, and his scalp prickled with unease—but since he himself had directly benefited from ‘To Live,’ he patiently began sorting through them.

He planned to carefully select fifty letters to take to Shaoshi, so December could directly feel the current frenzy.

Shaoshi, No. 1 High School.

“A New Figure Emerges in China’s Literary Scene”—this was the headline on the front page of Renxu Daily.

These past days, every major newspaper across the country had rushed to report on ‘To Live’—but Renxu Daily had published nothing substantial, which had annoyed Li Heng.

Yet six days later, Renxu Daily finally arrived—late, but with a definitive, defining tone.

Look! Look! What kind of headline is this? “A New Figure Emerges in China’s Literary Scene!”

Could such lofty praise be deserved by an ordinary person?

Li Heng read the article five or six times—finally, he felt truly satisfied.

His unusual behavior caught the attention of Sun Man in front of him; the wealthy woman turned around and asked:

“Oh! Li Heng, the first mock exam is in two days—everyone in class is studying hard.”

Especially Liu Yejiang—he’s supposedly pulling all-nighters in the bathroom to crush you. Don’t you feel any pressure?”

“And you’re still reading that old newspaper every day?”

“You read it over and over—if someone didn’t know, they’d think you’re the famous author of ‘To Live.’”

Li Heng looked up and smiled: “Oh? Underestimated you—you know ‘To Live’?”

“Pfft!”

Sun Man snorted: “I’m not some bookworm who ignores the outside world—my dad’s been studying ‘To Live’ nonstop these past few days, and even published several reviews in the provincial paper—he earned over thirty yuan in royalties.”

Li Heng gave a thumbs-up: “Thirty yuan’s a lot—that’s half my monthly living expenses. Your dad’s amazing.”

Sun Man pursed her lips and gossiped: “Do you know why my dad’s been obsessed with studying ‘To Live’ day and night?”

Li Heng shook his head, leaning forward: “Why?”

Their conversation caught Song Yu’s attention. The girl, with a faint smile, glanced at the man whose vanity had been fully satisfied, and quietly perked up her ears—she too wondered why the principal was so fixated.

Sun Man asked: “You’ve been reading the paper every day—do you know Wang Shuo?”

Mentioning him, Li Heng grew slightly annoyed.

Last year, he gained fame for publishing ‘Half Fire, Half Water’—he could’ve lived comfortably, even luxuriously—but he just loves stirring up trouble; this week he’s been attacking him daily in the papers.

As Wang Shuo wrote in his article: ‘To Live’ isn’t a great work—he can’t resonate with it.

He claims December hasn’t truly opened his inner world; what he writes is merely superficial imitation, borrowed from others’ works.

He says there are many writers in China better than December—like Yan Lianke, like Liu Zhenyun.

Frankly, Li Heng was frustrated.

I’ve never wronged you, you’re in the north, I’m in the south—we’ve never even crossed paths—why are you relentlessly attacking me in the papers?

What kind of hatred is this?

His short temper was truly provoked—if he weren’t busy preparing for the mock exam, he’d definitely create a pseudonym and hijack Wang Shuo’s most famous work, ‘Wan Zhu.’

It’s only 40,000 words—he could finish it in a week.

He couldn’t help but imagine the dark amusement of seeing how Wang Shuo would react to ‘Wan Zhu.’

Would he condemn it?

Or praise it?

Sun Man lowered her voice: “These past few days, my dad’s been writing articles to argue back at Wang Shuo—he loves ‘To Live’ and can’t stand his mindless attacks, so he got angry and wrote back.”

Li Heng blinked, strangely moved: “Did he win?”

Sun Man tilted her head, then admitted honestly: “He didn’t win—he got crushed. For the past two days, he’s been muttering curses at home.”

My mom, my brother, and I have been too scared to even breathe, afraid of angering him.”

Sigh.

Li Heng sighed inwardly and comforted her: “Losing is normal—he’s a professional at this. Your dad’s a principal, an amateur—how could he beat a pro? Don’t worry, go home and tell your dad to relax.”

Sun Man glanced toward the classroom door and whispered another secret:

“Seeing my dad lose, our homeroom teacher and the discipline director have also joined in—they’re writing articles to attack Wang Shuo too.”

Li Heng said: “Alright then—loyal allies, it’s three heroes versus Lü Bu.”

Sun Man tucked her hair behind her ear: “I’m worried the three won’t beat Lü Bu—my dad says the discipline director’s too soft-spoken; at home, he’s always chased around by the music teacher, and he’s just as timid when writing attacks.”

Li Heng laughed, yet felt a pang of sympathy.

Damn it!

After the exam, he absolutely had to create a pseudonym—this account would do nothing but hijack ‘Wan Zhu,’ then shut down after writing it.

Honestly, it wouldn’t take much time.

After two curses, Li Heng said: “The teacher’s here—class begins.”

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(End of chapter)