Chapter 101: The Aggrieved Gongyang Buyu and Bai Shuren

That afternoon, rumors appeared online that Professor Wang Gongjue had been so angered by the response from Zhongyuan Yidianhui that he had collapsed and been sent to the hospital.

However, this rumor was only circulating in a small circle for the time being and did not stop various media outlets from scrambling to report on Cao Sheng’s responses.

Huizhou Teachers College.

After school that afternoon, Ren Xueyi left the campus alone with a lollipop in her mouth and one hand in her pocket, heading to a newly opened internet cafe near the school.

In the second half of last year, two new internet cafes had opened near the school.

This brought the internet fee down from the original five yuan an hour to three.

The internet cafe she came to today was the one with the best facilities.

Arriving at the cafe, she opened a computer, and once it started up, she skillfully logged into Banyan Tree, finding Cao Sheng’s *Living with a Flight Attendant*.

She scrolled the webpage down to the book review section.

She stared at the posts in the review section.

"I'm dying of laughter! I didn't expect Zhongyuan Yidianhui to be so humorous in reality. Those so-called famous writers and professors must be spitting blood, right? Haha!"

"I hate those so-called famous writers, experts, and professors the most. They always act condescending, critiquing this and that as if they’re the only ones with mouths. How about that? Kicked an iron plate this time, didn't you? Serves you right!"

"Ran Jing actually died! Author, pay me back my Ran Jing!"

"I heard that Professor Wang Gongjue was angered into a faint. I don't know if it's true. Are there any friends here from the university where Wang Gongjue works? If so, can you come out and squeak? Tell us if this rumor is true?"

Seeing this post, Ren Xueyi paid attention to the replies below it.

"Squeak!"

"Sitting and waiting for a reply from a student at that university."

"Waiting!"

"Waiting +1"

"Squeak, I am a student at the school where Wang Gongjue works. The rumor the OP mentioned is true. An ambulance even drove onto our campus. I heard Wang Gongjue might have been angered into a cerebral hemorrhage this time. Don't know if he can be saved."

Seeing this reply, Ren Xueyi’s brows furrowed slightly.

The lollipop in her mouth stopped moving.

Cao Sheng, who did not know that Wang Gongjue had been sent to the hospital because of him, stewed an old hen for dinner that night to calm his nerves.

He also wanted to keep his body and spirit in good shape for a long-term struggle against those so-called famous writers and professors.

He couldn't let those people make him lose his appetite.

After eating his fill, he went to the study on the second floor and turned on the computer.

He habitually logged into Banyan Tree to update *I Wish to Become an Immortal*; he had long since changed this book to one chapter per day.

After finishing the update, he habitually went to the book review section.

He wanted to see the readers' feedback on the recent chapters.

But he saw that in today’s review section, hardly anyone was discussing the plot of the book.

Almost everyone was discussing his act of angrily confronting those writers and professors in front of the media today.

"Famous writer? How famous? As famous as Zhongyuan Yidianhui? Calling yourself a famous writer in front of Zhongyuan Yidianhui? You really have the nerve!"

"To the person above, those writers didn't call themselves famous writers in front of Zhongyuan Yidianhui; it was the reporters who said it in front of Zhongyuan Yidianhui."

"I suddenly realized that many people I’ve never heard of before suddenly popped up calling themselves famous writers, and they even tried to pull rank on Zhongyuan Yidianhui. It’s truly disgusting! The author scolded them well!"

"Came here by reputation. Is this the work of Zhongyuan Yidianhui? I hope his book is as high-level as his scolding. Don't let me down!"

"Is that Professor Wang Gongjue finished? Does he still have the face to be a professor? He won't be writing professionally from now on, right? Hehe, don't come to Banyan Tree! If you really come, we'll scold you to death!"

"Damn! So what if I’ve read *Living with a Flight Attendant*? I actually got scolded by that old geezer Li Mubai for being part of the uncultured masses... He has a high cultural level? So what if he does? I just won't read what that old geezer writes! Jealous old thing!"

After reading these posts for a while, Cao Sheng felt at ease.

As long as his fans didn't turn on him, he had enough confidence to go head-to-head with those old guys.

He only felt a little regret that there were no platforms like Weibo or Douyin yet; otherwise, just with his fans, he could have taken down those old guys' personal accounts tonight.

He wouldn't even have to take action himself.

Feeling at ease, Cao Sheng was able to focus on writing.

He temporarily threw the storms of the outside world to the back of his mind.

He did not know that while he was writing,

Gongyang Buyu in Jingcheng was reacting to the evaluation Zhongyuan Yidianhui had given him after receiving a call from a friend.

"I haven't heard of any Gongyang Buyu, so I don't quite believe you when you say he is some famous writer..."

"Please be realistic and don't just slap the label of 'famous writer' on people..."

The two sentences his friend relayed over the phone lingered in Gongyang Buyu’s mind.

It made him unable to even stand steady in front of the phone.

"It's fine! What's the big deal? Young people don't know the immensity of heaven and earth and bark a few times; can I take that to heart? It's fine! Really, it's fine! I don't care at all, really, you can rest assured! Yeah, yeah, alright, let's leave it at that! I still have to go tutor my granddaughter with her homework! Yeah, alright, hanging up, goodbye!"

Forcing down the anger and discomfort in his heart, he said these words with a smile on his face. After hanging up the phone, his body swayed, and he quickly steadied himself by holding onto the phone table with one hand.

But his pale complexion, trembling lips, and shaking hands could not be hidden.

"Unreasonable! Simply unreasonable! Today's young people... have no manners! Too lacking in manners! I... didn't I just say a few words about you? And you expelled me from the ranks of famous writers? Is it up to you? Huh? Is it up to you?"

Gongyang Buyu was both angry and aggrieved.

The same night.

Hangzhou.

A middle-aged man with the pen name Bai Shuren received a call from a colleague at work. Hearing that the red-hot literary newcomer Zhongyuan Yidianhui had scolded him, Bai Shuren was bewildered and completely confused.

He couldn't figure out why that Zhongyuan Yidianhui would scold him for no reason.

I didn't provoke him or offend him, so why did he scold me? Is being red-hot something to be proud of? Can he scold whoever he wants?

That night, he didn't sleep well at all.

The next morning, on his way to work, he found a newsstand and flipped through a pile of new newspapers. In the *Wenhui Daily*, he saw the news his colleague had mentioned on the phone last night.

"Zhongyuan Yidianhui: The only 'Shuren' in my mind who can be called a famous writer is Zhou Shuren!"

Bai Shuren stood in front of the newsstand, frowning as he finished reading the report.

After finishing it, he wanted to laugh a little, but the smile that appeared was a bitter one.

He finally figured out the truth.

It turned out there was a guy named Huang Shuren who, relying on his seniority, had publicly criticized Zhongyuan Yidianhui’s work in the media, which led to Zhongyuan Yidianhui’s mockery, satirizing that guy for riding on Zhou Shuren’s name and being a fake "Shuren."

But when Zhongyuan Yidianhui was mocking him, he casually expanded the scope of the mockery, saying something like, "As for other Huang Shurens or Bai Shurens, I haven't heard of any of them."

And just like that, he, Bai Shuren, was dragged into it.

He was essentially a victim of collateral damage.

He was speechless.

He thought: That Zhongyuan Yidianhui probably doesn't even know there really is a person named Bai Shuren.

Thinking of this, he felt even more depressed.

Because this meant that he, Bai Shuren, had no fame, and even his peers hadn't heard of his pen name.