[{"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-68":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},2348302,4589,"Chapter 68: Learning from Cao Sheng, Imitating Cao Sheng","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>That evening, while many people were being influenced by Cao Sheng on television, Cao Sheng himself was not affected in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the courtyard on Binjiang Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing a bowl of chicken noodle soup, Cao Sheng brewed a cup of Mao Feng tea and went upstairs to turn on his computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled up the draft, outline, and detailed plot of *I Wish to Become an Immortal*, and after a moment of contemplation, he began to type.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his eyes half-closed, he stared at the document on the computer, his gaze profound, his hands tapping on the keyboard with seemingly casual ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind was completely immersed in the story of *I Wish to Become an Immortal*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands typed entirely by instinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the continuous sound of typing, lines of text sprang up in the document.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was in a good state of mind tonight; he could finish a chapter in about an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time he finished a chapter, he would take a short break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this break, he would drink a few sips of tea and, while he was at it, revise the chapter he had just finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the revisions were done, he would think about the plot for the next chapter, conceive the beginning and end in his mind, put down his teacup, and start typing the second chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already a mature web novel writer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though before his rebirth he was just an old hack who could never make it big, after years of typing and writing many works, his skills and mindset had gradually matured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His reflection on his own mindset last night had already allowed him to adjust his state of mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, even though a television station had come to interview him today, he was still able to settle his heart and focus on typing tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ability to adjust one's own mindset is essential for every web novel writer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one cannot adjust their mindset in time, they won't last long in this profession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because every web novel writer encounters things every day that affect their mindset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example: the work you are serializing has dismal popularity, very few people have added it to their library, and hardly anyone speaks in the book review section every day. When someone does speak, they are just calling your writing trash. In this situation, as the author of the book, how do you adjust your mindset to strive to write the following plot well?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example: the work you are serializing has decent popularity, but the book review section is always full of insults, and the posts cursing you are endless every day. If you ignore these posts, they will affect the growth of your book's popularity; if you manage them, you have to delete these posts every day. When deleting them, you inevitably see the content of these posts. Can your mindset remain unaffected every day? Will you also start to feel that what you are writing is trash? Can you still maintain the passion for creation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or for example: the work you are serializing is very popular, and there are many fans in the QQ group every day wanting to discuss the plot with you. Each of them calls you a \"Great God,\" and that feeling of being recognized makes you feel wonderful. Additionally, there are a few female fans in the group who often private message you, saying they like you, and sometimes they ask if you want to hook up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I ask you: can you resist not going into the group to hear everyone praise you? Can you resist not reading the private messages from those female fans? And... can you resist not hooking up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some people are driven to autism by readers' insults and choose to quit the circle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some are cursed into choosing to \"castrate\" their books and start over with a new one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some get lost in the adulation of fans, especially in the flirtations of female fans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng had experienced all these things during the years he was a hack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he always felt he was a hack, there were still some fans who would call him a \"Great God,\" and female fans had also tried to flirt with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he needed to constantly adjust his mindset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, he typed three chapters, totaling over nine thousand words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he finished, it was almost 1:00 AM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned off the computer, stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the night scene outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon was already high in the sky outside the window. Under the hazy moonlight, a gentle breeze stirred the willow branches on the river embankment. Everything was silent, and one could only faintly hear the rustling of the night wind through the leaves and the quiet chirping of insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his hands behind his back, he watched the night scene outside the window quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt very grounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because his state of mind for typing tonight was good, and also because he had typed over nine thousand words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He liked this feeling of silent effort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feeling made him feel that he had not wasted his time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also made him believe that he was on the path of striving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt that what people fear most is self-denial. If you look down on yourself in your heart and feel that you are just muddling through, then you can never be truly confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Cao Sheng arrived at the classroom, he noticed that many classmates were looking at him with strange gazes. He had already adapted to such gazes and went on his own to find an empty seat in the back row to sit down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His roommate Song Chao, who had a relatively good relationship with him, came over with his textbook and sat next to Cao Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he sat down, he whispered, \"Hey! Cao Sheng, do you think I can write novels?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng was a bit surprised and turned his face slightly to look at Song Chao, \"You want to write novels too?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Chao was a bit embarrassed, but he nodded and whispered, \"Yeah! Look at you, writing novels makes you famous and earns you money; who wouldn't be jealous of that? I like reading novels too. I finished your *Days of Living with a Stewardess*, and I read the *I Wish to Become an Immortal* you're writing now every time I go online. I want to try writing one myself to see. Can you teach me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Chao looked at Cao Sheng expectantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng laughed, \"How do you teach this stuff? If you want to write, just try it yourself! You'll naturally learn once you write more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Chao was a bit surprised, \"Can't it be taught? I have to rely on trying it myself?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng nodded, \"Pretty much! Or, if you encounter any problems while writing, you can bring specific questions to ask me, and I can answer you then. But if you haven't started writing yourself and ask me to teach you, I really don't know how to teach.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Chao hesitated and nodded slightly, \"I see, then I'll go back and try writing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Sheng nodded and said, \"Mm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around the same time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the front row of the classroom, Luo Xue and her boyfriend Zheng Chu were sitting together. They started dating last semester and were considered the only couple in their class who were openly together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Chu was the study committee member of their class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Cao Sheng published his novel, Zheng Chu was the recognized talent of their class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this morning during self-study, Luo Xue clearly felt that Zheng Chu was acting abnormally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn't help but nudge Zheng Chu with her elbow. Zheng Chu frowned and looked over without saying a word. Luo Xue frowned and asked, \"What's wrong with you today?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Chu replied in a low voice, \"Nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Xue didn't believe him, \"Still saying it's nothing? You saw me today and haven't said a single word to me on your own initiative, and you still say it's nothing? What is wrong with you? Tell me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Chu remained silent. In his heart, he recalled the interview with Cao Sheng he saw on the television in the cafeteria yesterday evening. A sentence Cao Sheng said in the interview had been echoing in his mind since last night—\"I just want to save the things I want to say and write them into my novel...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sentence from Cao Sheng continued to affect Zheng Chu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Chu, who was usually eloquent, had become reticent since watching this interview with Cao Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he wanted to try saving the things he usually wanted to say... to see if he could really write a good novel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the once-recognized talent and study committee member of their class, Zheng Chu watched as Cao Sheng became more and more famous for writing novels and likely earned a lot in royalties. He was naturally envious and jealous. He felt that if Cao Sheng could write novels, he could too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to learn from Cao Sheng and surpass Cao Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn't want Luo Xue to know he was learning from Cao Sheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, facing Luo Xue's questioning, Zheng Chu just shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, who was the only one learning from Cao Sheng recently besides Zheng Chu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many serialized novels had already appeared on \"Under the Banyan Tree,\" and quite a few were similar in style to *Days of Living with a Stewardess*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more were similar to *I Wish to Become an Immortal*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subtly, \"Under the Banyan Tree\" was no longer just a stronghold for literary youths.\u003C\u002Fp>",1630,"2026-06-21T01:55:54.452Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","3b1c9cebbabff2badd42ea096c0816d04844a29c3524ad153c54bb0846308663","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-69","dreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-chapter-67",338,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdreaming-back-to-1997-i-became-the-forefather-of-cover.jpg"]