[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of":3,"chapter-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-45":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Dreaming Back to 1997: I Became the Forefather of Web Novels",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2348279,4589,"Chapter 45: Interviews and Signing Events","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-45",45,"\u003Cp>On the way to the dormitory to get the sample books, Lu Xiangwei explained the reason for the matter to Cao Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng was quite surprised and felt a bit like laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought to himself: He might truly have good intentions, but do I need this opportunity to stay at the school? In my previous life, I was able to write full-time for over a decade without starving, and I even used my royalties to buy a house and a car. Could it be that now that I have been reborn, I can no longer support myself by writing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, although he had no interest in staying at the school to work in the future, he was still grateful for the good intentions of his counselor, Lu Xiangwei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when Lu Xiangwei asked him to take the second volume of *I Wish to Become an Immortal* to show the department head for a few days, he did not refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Xiangwei asked him to go meet the department head, he agreed to that as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the sample books and went with Lu Xiangwei to the department's office building, where he met the department head, Wu Chengping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his previous life, he had attended school here until graduation and had only seen Wu Chengping from afar a few times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A face-to-face conversation like today's had never happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most students would likely be very nervous when meeting the stern and humorless Wu Chengping. Even a dog might tuck its tail between its legs upon seeing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Cao Sheng did not care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no desires or demands from the department head, nor did he care about the opportunity to stay at the school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he had already lived to be 40 before his rebirth, so his mental age was not much younger than the Wu Chengping before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Cao Sheng was very composed when speaking with Wu Chengping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping asked him when he started writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said it was just this semester.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping asked him how he thought of writing a novel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said he was bored and just writing for fun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping asked him how he thought of publishing his work directly on a website instead of submitting it to a publishing house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said that at first, he hadn't thought about getting it published; he just wanted to post it online to see if anyone liked it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two chatted for over half an hour before Cao Sheng took the initiative to excuse himself and leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because Wu Chengping's wife had brought chicken soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiangwei and Cao Sheng left the department head's office together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they walked out of the office building, Lu Xiangwei stopped and said to Cao Sheng, \"Cao Sheng! The department head really likes your *I Wish to Become an Immortal*, and he has a good impression of you! You'll be a sophomore next semester, and sophomore year will pass in a flash. By the time you're a junior, you'll need to go for internships; time passes very quickly. So don't think that graduation and work are far away from you. As your counselor, I still suggest that you strive to stay at the school. University work is very relaxed, and many teachers have side jobs. If you stay at the school, it won't affect your writing. In case your writing doesn't go smoothly in the future, a job at the school will at least ensure you have a meal to eat. Why don't you think it over carefully?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng smiled and did not refute him, \"Alright, thank you, teacher. I will consider it carefully.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the department head's office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping's wife asked while serving the soup, \"Is the novel you were reading last night the one written by that student just now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping gave a hum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman chuckled, \"What do you think Lu Xiangwei is thinking? His student is only a freshman, and he's already in such a rush to ask you for a job opportunity for that kid to stay at the school? That student isn't a relative of his, so why is he so concerned? Is there something wrong with his brain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping glanced at her, \"You think Little Lu has something wrong with his brain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman retorted, \"Isn't that the case?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she placed the bowl of chicken soup she had just served in front of Wu Chengping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping picked up a spoon, took a sip, and said calmly, \"Little Lu is much smarter than you imagine!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was surprised, \"How so?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping: \"What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman: \"If I knew, would I be asking you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping: \"Think about it, he has been coming to see me frequently lately under the pretext of his student staying at the school. Hasn't that given him many more opportunities to meet and talk with me in private?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's brows twitched, \"You mean he's using this as an excuse to deliberately show himself off in front of you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping: \"Think about it again, will that student of his be grateful to him now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Chengping smiled, \"He is a counselor. By being so concerned and running back and forth for his student's affairs, regardless of the final outcome, he wins a good reputation for himself. The leadership will think he is good and has a sense of responsibility; his colleagues will feel respect for him; his student will be grateful to him, and other students will respect him because of this. In the future, if this student really stays at the school, he will also become his helper. Yet in your eyes, he actually has something wrong with his brain? If you were Little Lu's colleague and he became your leader in the future, you wouldn't even know how he climbed up. Do you still think he has something wrong with his brain now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was left speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time arrived in July.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Final exams arrived as scheduled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng completed all his exams step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the afternoon when the last exam ended, he went to the internet cafe, prepared to update a chapter of *Days Living with a Flight Attendant*, and then take the train home tomorrow to bring back the clothes and shoes he had bought for his parents a few days ago, and incidentally, bring the funds for rebuilding his family home back to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he logged into his email account, preparing to retrieve a saved chapter from his inbox, he saw an unread email.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clicked it open and saw it was from Wang Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The content was as follows: \"Cao Sheng, I just received a call from the publishing house. Your book is already being printed around the clock, and the release date has been set for July 12th. The initial print run has been increased to 100,000 copies because the number of pre-orders through our Rongshuxia site has already exceeded 40,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, the publishing house has upgraded the promotional plan and needs your cooperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A book signing tour for five cities has been tentatively scheduled: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chongqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our website is prepared to announce the signing tour on the homepage, hoping to attract a group of fans to the signing venues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current promotional plan requires you to arrive in Shanghai on the 10th of this month. Media interviews will be arranged there. Before this book officially goes on sale, we need the media to help you expand your fame. I hope you can cooperate well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, you can arrive in Shanghai on the 10th, right? If your schedule is fine, we will arrange it this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, as a friend, I will tell you a piece of news personally. Given that the pre-order numbers for your book on our site are so outstanding, Huacheng Publishing has high hopes for the final sales of your book. They hope to make this book a bestseller this year and are also preparing to make you a representative figure of new, cutting-edge writers in the country. Therefore, I personally suggest that you try your best when participating in the promotion and signing events this time, and strive to take this opportunity to completely make a name for yourself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>——Wang Jing from Rongshuxia\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading this email, Cao Sheng couldn't describe how he felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Happy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was more pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his rebirth, he was a shut-in writer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no experience being interviewed by the media, nor any experience with book signings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking that in two days he would have to accept media interviews and appear at a signing event, facing all kinds of fans, he felt the pressure rushing toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't sure if he could handle these situations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sentence flashed through his mind: The sword is not yet properly sheathed, but stepping out the door, one is already in the Jianghu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't mentally prepared yet!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But could he shrink back now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he willing to shrink back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn't becoming famous through his work what he had always longed for?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he was about to become famous, how could he be afraid of facing the media and fans?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How is this any different from wanting to fall in love but being afraid of getting laid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes, and after a long while, he slowly opened them. When he opened them again, his gaze had calmed down, and he smiled as he replied with a single word to Wang Jing: \"Okay.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1608,"2026-06-21T01:55:54.452Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","28b275059c99611e6f0e148bb187ac16ac44b0f49f8032eb476c71294f5390fc","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-46","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-44",338,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-cover.jpg"]