Chapter 16: The Judges

"Sit, sit!"

Wang Yali seemed to like Fang Xinghe immensely, her expression both kind and enthusiastic, her eyes even revealing an overflowing sense of maternal love.

But in fact, she was born in '70, so she was only thirty years old this year.

She pulled Fang Xinghe to sit by the bed, then sat on a stool opposite him, and immediately launched into a long string of words.

"Ever since I saw your three pieces, I've been thinking day and night about coming to see you, but before the semi-finals were over, Chen Jie and I, as judges, weren't in a position to come find you for a chat. Now that the exam is over, we rushed over immediately. Actually, there's no official business; we just wanted to see you with our own eyes and ask about your future plans..."

She was fiery and straightforward, disregarding the taboo of speaking too deeply to someone she barely knew, and immediately poured out a stream of words.

And Chen Danya was more gentle, smiling as she praised: "Little Fang is truly handsome. All the female comrades on our organizing committee wanted to come see you, but Teacher Yuan Min and the others were busy grading papers, so the two of us took a little break. On the way, we heard from Ye Zhaoyan and Li Qigang that you helped them a great deal."

Teacher Ye interjected cheerfully: "That's right. We were so anxious we didn't even think about the notarization. Renjun is familiar with many judges; if Little Fang hadn't reminded us, and Han Han actually won the award later, our credibility would have been questioned."

Seeing that the three of them could put on a whole show by themselves, Fang Xinghe simply didn't interrupt, smiling faintly as he listened.

Until Wang Yali asked: "Little Fang, at such a young age, why do you seem so familiar with notarization?"

Fang Xinghe realized this was a good opportunity, so he decided to clear his name in advance.

"Before my mother passed away, she left me a small courtyard. My uncle wanted to snatch it away. I almost set his house on fire. When the civil affairs bureau and my uncle came to mediate, they notarized it as a side matter."

His tone was particularly light and faint; after all, it had been a long time, and having died once himself, he could talk about this matter easily.

But to the two ladies, this was ironclad proof that Little Fang's heart was bitter.

Writers are naturally full of emotion, and women are even more so; thus, the two big sisters and aunts had moist eyes, their maternal love overflowing even more.

"Knowing some people live hard lives, and having personally seen many people with bitter fates, but seeing a child as young as you struggling to survive alone still makes my heart ache too much..."

"If that bastard ever picks a fight again, don't fight him yourself; tell Auntie, and Auntie will help you destroy him! What kind of person is that?!"

Fang Xinghe didn't push it too far, lightly touched on the subject, and actively changed the topic.

"I heard this competition is highly valued by all the major universities, is that right?"

"Yes, the teachers are now rushing to review the manuscripts in Group A. Barring any unexpected issues, a few direct admission quotas will be decided today."

"We are determined to hold this competition well and make it influential, so Peking University will definitely select one person. You'll know who it is when the awards are given tomorrow afternoon."

Upon hearing this news, Fang Xinghe felt an immediate sense of relief in his heart.

If Peking University was willing to cooperate, then the foundational popularity was very stable.

And the tireless promotion by these newspapers and publishing houses would maximize the spread effect; it seemed that upon returning, he could focus entirely on preparing his novel.

Just as he thought this, Wang Yali happened to ask: "Little Fang, your level is extremely high. Do you have any thoughts on publishing a book?"

Fang Xinghe pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Actually, I am writing one."

"Really?"

Wang Yali was genuinely happy: "The essay collection might be published around mid-year; by then, the popularity will certainly be very high. If you can successfully finish writing the book, you should be able to ride the east wind."

This sister was too straightforward, and her thinking was advanced; no wonder she was capable of being a director.

But Teacher Ye and Chen Danya both held a cautious attitude.

"In the current book market, young people might not necessarily gain recognition, right?"

"Little Fang should still prioritize his studies now. There's no need to rush to publish a book; wouldn't it be better to participate in two more New Concept competitions?"

"It's fine." Wang Yali was enthusiastic and her confidence did not waver. "Just Little Fang's face alone, printed on the cover, would be worth 5,000 copies!"

Chen and Ye instinctively turned their heads to look at Fang Xinghe, so neither opposed it anymore.

"That's true."

"You know how to sell books; this method is very good."

Wang Yali smiled proudly and asked Fang Xinghe: "When will your book be finished? When the time comes, definitely come find Auntie; I'll help you get the best treatment."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Yali."

Fang Xinghe merely agreed, without answering when he would finish writing.

Then, the single word "Sister" made Director Wang float away.

Haha, hahaha...

She kept giggling endlessly.

And just at this moment, in the office where the judges were located, someone was also laughing and someone was shouting.

Yu Hua stood up waving a test paper: "How can this be scored as 2 points? How can it be only 2 points?"

He took the test paper to the Nankai University Chinese Department teacher who had given the two points and looked steadily at him: "Tell me, why did you give it two points?"

That teacher didn't dare to look Yu Hua in the eyes and replied: "It went off-topic."

Yu Hua said nothing and handed it to Li Qigang to see; the latter also read it and agreed it hadn't gone off-topic, so the teachers argued for a while and decided it should be awarded the third prize.

On the other side, several female authors were also arguing.

"With Liu Lina's level, she truly deserves a first prize!"

"I disagree!"

"How good is she? I still remember her 'Code in the Wind'—'Now I know my heart is a set of codes. On that afternoon of the second year of high school when he and the wind entered the door together, the codes became scrambled. That set of numbers has since become an enigma, mysterious and profound, which even I cannot solve.'"

Fang Fang sighed: "A Gao Zhongsheng who can write his own very secret first love emotions so beautifully and purely. Isn't that a very special talent?"

"Her preliminary round work was outstanding, I agree, but the semi-finals are the semi-finals. Giving awards arbitrarily is unfair to the other children! Wasn't Ding Yan's preliminary round work unremarkable? Her semi-final work also maintained her level!"

Tie Ning, who was nearby, suddenly raised her hand and lifted the manuscript in her hand: "Stop arguing, the first place has emerged!"

Swish!

All gazes converged sharply in that direction.

Li Qigang was puzzled: "We don't have any 'first place' evaluation? And is there really a manuscript more talented than 'Peeking into the Cup'?"

Chen Sihe seemed to think of something, his eyes lighting up: "Fang Xinghe's?"

This name seemed to have some kind of magic; as soon as everyone heard it, they immediately put down their current tasks and gathered around.

"So many people, we can't all see it... Who will read it aloud?"

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Cao Wenxuan, a Chinese literature professor from Peking University, squeezed eagerly to the very front: "I've worked in broadcasting and hosting; my Mandarin is the best. Don't fight me for it!"

So everyone agreed to let him do it.

Then came the strange sight of a group of writers and scholars listening to a professor read a middle school student's essay.

When he read the passage about "civilization contamination," all the tiny noises in the room vanished.

When he reached the line about "the bitten children developing into grotesque shapes," some people unconsciously shifted their posture, as if something had suddenly become awkward.

By the time he read the sentence "the fundamental reason that determines what kind of 'thing' we uncarefully raised wild children ultimately become," everyone furrowed their brows, their expressions serious and heavy.

They were all people extremely skilled at extracting information from text; who wouldn't think of the deeper meaning behind this?

"Wild children" is itself a polarized symbolic generalization, and paired with the four words "what kind of thing," it was not only grating but even heart-piercing.

This article, up to this point, appears plain at first glance, but is in fact as cold and sharp as a surgical knife, dissecting a reality that is most common yet often overlooked.

A heavy atmosphere gradually "contaminated" the entire room.