Chapter 228

Human cognition is limited by one's own experiences.

For Li Luo, being insulted is normal.

Whether in his past life or this one, anyone who writes Online Novels has been insulted.

Or rather, among the Online Novel authors here attending this symposium, at least a few hundred people have insulted each of them.

Being belittled and looked down upon is the norm for Online Novel authors.

So when everyone heard Chongran's bold statements from the podium, they all remained calm, showing no reaction.

Some even laughed out loud, patting the shoulder of the person beside them: "Didn't I say so? The speaker today was bound to say something stupid. My bet from last night's wager—did I win? You owe me dinner."

"What the hell is this idiot…" another person said, dumbfounded, "Does he think before he speaks? Did the Writers' Association really invite someone like this to give a speech?"

"My uncle, over forty, only elementary school educated, started a small business, hired someone to write a memoir, got a publication number, boosted sales a bit, and now he's in the Writers' Association with a writer's certificate." The winner of the bet sneered, "We're all amateur troupes—no one gets to judge anyone else."

"Who was this guy again, they introduced him earlier?"

"Didn't pay attention—some new writer, I think."

"It was an annual contest by the Writers' Association, the New Writer Selection, open only to authors under 35. He won first prize, right?"

"Damn! If it were someone who won the Mao Prize coming here to show off, I'd tolerate it—but this guy? How does he even have the nerve?"

The audience below whispered among themselves.

On stage, Sun Jingchun was drenched in sweat, silently cursing Chongran for being brain-dead—even if he had something to say, he shouldn't blurt it out in public.

He put down the microphone, leaned close to Chongran, and whispered, "Mr. Chu, this isn't what we agreed on. If you change your speech content without permission, how will the secretary and chairman below react?"

"Mr. Sun, don't interfere—you just handle your hosting duties. This is my speaking time now." Chongran set down the microphone and smiled amiably, "Besides, weren't you thinking the same thing at dinner?"

"But you still can't…"

"What's wrong with this young writer named Li Luo? Won't he stand up so I can see what he looks like?" Without giving Sun Jingchun another chance to speak, Chongran immediately picked up the microphone and pressed on aggressively.

Some authors in the front rows frowned, disapproving, and were about to rise and say something.

Xu Rongsheng also frowned at Chongran on stage, then turned his head toward Li Luo's direction, his eyes filled with thought.

At that moment, Li Luo in the back stood up.

Hearing the movement behind them, every pair of eyes instantly turned to Li Luo.

"Mr. Chu?" Li Luo sighed helplessly, looking at Chongran at the podium, "The host calls you Mr. Chu, but I feel that 'teacher' is a bit disrespectful—so I'll address you this way instead."

"So are all Online Novel writers like you? You just stood up and couldn't resist cursing?" Chongran laughed.

"At least the good teachers I know wouldn't point at a student and call him trash." Li Luo shook his head, "Hating that a student isn't living up to potential is one thing; personal insults are another."

"If a student is beyond redemption, then as a teacher, I should scold him hard—maybe it'll wake him up." Chongran stared at Li Luo, "You're only sixteen—why are you writing Online Novels? What about your studies?"

"Uh… that's none of your concern." Li Luo said, "I ranked 17th in my school's final exam at Fuyi High. If I maintain this, maybe Tsinghua or Peking University isn't guaranteed, but Qianjiang University should be easy."

At this, Chongran froze—he hadn't expected a Gao Zhongsheng who poured energy into writing Online Novels to have such good grades.

He'd specifically checked: last month, the author of I Am Really Not a Star had published 100,000 characters in one go.

He still updates 5,000 to 6,000 characters daily.

With such a writing intensity, how does he still have energy left for studying?

"Does Chongran study this well?"

"Damn! His sales and monthly votes crush me, and his grades are still this good? Is this even fair?"

"Insane—I feel like I've been living like a dog all this time."

The authors below, watching Li Luo and Chongran clash, were enjoying the show—until Li Luo suddenly delivered a knockout blow.

"If that's the case, then you should abandon Online Novels and focus on your studies." Chongran narrowed his eyes, "Without the distraction of Online Novels, you might easily get into Tsinghua or Peking University, wouldn't you?"

"And then?" Li Luo tilted his head, "After getting into Tsinghua or Peking, what then? Mr. Chu, can you plan my future for me?"

"Graduating from Tsinghua or Peking will get you a better job, improve your future life, your family…" Chongran began.

But Li Luo laughed, "But… last month, my royalty payment was 370,000. I probably don't need a better job to replace Online Novels. If I'm just chasing a better material life, I think I've already satisfied my needs."

The number 370,000 hit Chongran like a hammer—he froze.

He knew some blockbuster Online Novels made money like printing presses.

But this 16-year-old boy, in his mind, even with good grades, shouldn't be this extreme.

Yet who could have imagined…

"This guy is hilarious." Someone below stifled a laugh, "Last month, everyone was crushed by Chongran's sales rankings—his channel data was insane. How could you dare plan a job for him?"

Meanwhile, Xu Rongsheng, listening to their exchange, stood frozen, thinking he'd misheard.

"370,000?" Xu Rongsheng whispered to the vice secretary beside him, "Did I hear that right?"

"If the author himself says it, he's not lying." Secretary Cao chuckled, "Online Novels still make serious money—his earnings aren't even among the highest."

"This…" Xu Rongsheng was stunned.

He'd been invited to this symposium and received only 15,000 in allowance.

That was already generous from the Online Novel Writers' Association.

Normally, even at commercial meetings, Xu Rongsheng had earned at most 2,000 to 3,000 per day.

And yet here, this kid Li Luo made 370,000 in a month? That's downright insane.

And if Li Luo can earn this much, what about his daughter's novel?

Still, he asked, "Shouldn't we stop Mr. Chu from speaking like this?"

"Let him talk." Secretary Cao glanced at Li Yuhang, chairman of the Yuhang City Writers' Association, then smiled, "That little guy Li Luo is handling himself well, isn't he?"

While Xu Rongsheng and Secretary Cao whispered privately, Chongran on stage regained his composure and frowned.

"All this talk still doesn't hide the problem of low quality in Online Novels." Chongran shifted the topic away from the stubborn Li Luo, "Shoddy content will destroy our literary soil and cause irreversible damage."

"Countless individuals, once literate and with a good story in mind, can freely express themselves in the Online Novel field, cultivate entirely new literary soil, and bring about another flourishing of literary forms." Li Luo snorted.

"Anyone can spout fancy words, Mr. Chu—stop with these empty, abstract conclusions and give us real examples instead."

"Since you've read my novels, you might as well use them as examples and point out my shortcomings—I'm happy to hear opinions and suggestions from new talents in the Writers Association."

Hearing this, Chu Sheng sneered and didn't bother with politeness: "You seem to have an overly high opinion of yourself. From the very beginning, your novel is filled with problems that are unbearable to look at."

"What's this nonsense about being transported to a parallel world and awakening some system, copying works from the real world into your own book, and flirting with female celebrities?"

"Can this even be called a fine work? It's merely vulgar, a crude piece designed purely to stir desire."

Hearing Chu Sheng say this, Li Luo smiled and snapped his fingers: "Exactly! That's right—Mr. Chu put it quite well."

"But the flaws you cited? To me, they're precisely the strengths of Online Novels."

"In life, no one can escape the seven emotions and six desires; the more direct and naked the desire, the more it strikes at the essence of human nature."

"Yet today's traditional writers seem to prefer describing such things in overly indirect and obscure ways, veiling and concealing them, leaving readers confused and afraid to confront these desires head-on."

"Of course, this can be one way to pursue beauty—but it doesn't mean it's the only correct way."

"Online Novels are literature for the majority; they seek simplicity and clarity, directness and brutality, using the plainest language to depict plots closest to desire, striking emotions straight on."

"I don't think this is anything to be ashamed of."

"Hmph." Chu Sheng scoffed. "After all that, you've merely proven that Online Novels can never rise to the level of high art—you've just masked it with another set of arguments."

"I must say, your eloquence is impressive—but the more eloquent you are, the more it pains me."

"Had you not taken this misguided path of Online Novels, you could have been far more outstanding, wouldn't you?"

Hearing Chu Sheng say this, Li Luo was speechless, thinking: Do I have to thank you for this?

But just as he was about to retort, Xu Rongsheng in the front row suddenly raised his hand and signaled to Sun Jingchun on stage: "May I say a few words?"

Sun Jingchun looked at Xu Rongsheng, then at the two leaders beside him; seeing they showed no reaction and Chu Sheng made no objection, he nodded and said: "Professor Xu, please speak."

A staff member beside him immediately handed over a microphone.

Xu Rongsheng took the microphone, turned to survey the audience, locked eyes with Li Luo, and smiled at him.

Then he sat up straight, picked up the microphone, and spoke slowly: "When I first received the invitation from the Writers Association, it happened to be the day of my daughter's parent-teacher meeting—my wife attended it."

"When she returned, my daughter invited several close classmates over for dinner."

"At that time, my view of Online Novels wasn't good—I agreed with Teacher Chu up there, though not as extreme."

"But after seeing my daughter and these young people, a thought came to me: What do Online Novels mean to today's youth?"

"So I asked one of the students. He gave me an answer that opened my eyes."

"Here, I'd like to share it with everyone present, offering a fresh perspective."

It must be said, professors from Qianjiang University truly carry themselves differently.

His calm, flowing delivery effortlessly captured the attention of nearly everyone, drawing them gently along with his words.

After a brief pause, Xu Rongsheng continued: "We all know our nation's cultural history stretches far back, even to the distant oracle bone script."

"In literature, the Book of Songs is often called the origin of our literary development—or at least the earliest work with written records."

"Everyone who's been to school knows the Book of Songs is divided into three parts: Feng, Ya, and Song."

"Feng represents the daily life, customs, emotions, and social conditions of the common people at the time."

"Ya consists mainly of poems composed by the aristocratic class."

"Song are hymns sung during rituals."

"When I thought of Online Novels, it occurred to me: perhaps today's Online Novels are today's Feng."

"Once, those folk songs passed mouth to mouth might have seemed to the aristocracy nothing but crude utterances of the lower classes."

"Even the common folk singing them probably never imagined their songs would become timeless classics for future generations, even the most precious treasure for studying that era."

"If this is true of the Book of Songs, isn't it true of later poetry, lyrics, and verse as well?"

"When Ci poetry first emerged, some literati criticized it for overemphasizing musicality while neglecting the solemnity and elegance of poetry, claiming it lacked the philosophical depth of Tang poetry."

"When Yuanqu first appeared, it was criticized for being too close to ordinary people's lives, too vulgar, far removed from the refined tone of Tang poetry and Ci poetry."

"By the Ming and Qing dynasties, chaptered novels like Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms were condemned for containing excessive fiction and exaggeration, violating traditional literature's emphasis on historical authenticity and moral instruction."

"These chaptered novels were also deemed to have lowered literary taste and elegance due to their popular appeal."

"Yet who could have imagined that works like Journey to the West and Dream of the Red Chamber would become the Four Great Classical Novels revered in the modern era?"

? ￠O

"Even martial arts novels, once dismissed as popular literature in the last century, now have more and more people defending them—Jin Yong is even called a master of martial arts fiction."

"All this proves one thing."

"The form of literature must evolve with the times."

"And people today are always blinded by past glories."

"They fail to realize that what we're creating now might be the very classics future generations will praise."

"All of this will be proven by history."

Here, Xu Rongsheng looked at Chu Sheng and smiled: "Online Novels may have their flaws, but if we face them with a more open and inclusive mindset, we might better guide their development."

Then Xu Rongsheng turned to Li Luo and chuckled: "Li Luo, Uncle is borrowing your earlier theory—hope you don't mind?"

Everyone in the room had been absorbed in Xu Rongsheng's calm, powerful exposition, growing more convinced with each word, feeling their thinking suddenly unblocked.

Then Xu Rongsheng dropped this final line—and left everyone stunned.

"Uncle Xu explained it far better than I did," Li Luo smiled wryly, humbly saying, "I merely spoke from feeling; you laid it out far more completely and logically—I gained a lot from listening."

…

After Chu Sheng finished speaking, he walked offstage with a grim expression and returned to his seat.

Next, the editor Xia Lie took the stage to speak.

As Xu Rongsheng watched Li Luo return to his seat, Cao Secretary beside him glanced at Qianjiang University's Writers Association Chair Li Yuhang and said calmly: "What do you think?"

"What are you getting at, Secretary Cao?"

"Online Novel authors aren't as impulsive as you think, are they?" Cao Secretary sipped his tea and added, "I've heard about your big argument with one author before—but such isolated cases shouldn't become obstacles to progress."

Regarding the city writers' association, let's properly advance the efforts to help organize the Yuhang City Online Writers Association.

What do you think?

Li Yuhang glanced at Secretary Cao, then at Xu Rongsheng, and even turned to look at Li Luo, who had just sat down in a distant corner.

I never intended to block it.

Good, then I must have worried unnecessarily.

……

At eleven-thirty a. m., the morning symposium, after a series of twists, still concluded smoothly and successfully.

Sun Jingchun let out a long breath, stepped down from the stage, and was about to find Xu Rongsheng to vent when he saw Xu Rongsheng quickly walking toward the conference hall's entrance.

Seeing this, Sun Jingchun was startled and hurried after him, until Xu Rongsheng stopped at the hall's entrance, when he asked in confusion, "Why did you suddenly walk so fast?"

"I was going to call them over for lunch and chat a bit," Xu Rongsheng laughed. "But they ran faster than rabbits."

"Your daughter doesn't know you're here, does she?" Sun Jingchun chuckled too. "That's why she's afraid to face you."

"I wouldn't do anything to her," Xu Rongsheng sighed, shaking his head. "This girl doesn't trust me at all."

As he spoke, Xu Rongsheng recalled last night, when Sun Jingchun obtained the list from the online writers' association, allowing him to learn about his daughter's situation.

Go to bed early to grow taller.

Literary Era.

Hmm… after returning, I should carefully read and appreciate it.

Oh, by the way, also read I Am Really Not a Star together.