Chapter 20: Mei Wenhua: The Greatest Defender of the World!

Seeing everyone around him stunned by his words, Mei Wenhua couldn’t help feeling proud, almost smug.

He pointed at each one in turn—from Mi Qing, to Xiong the chief editor, even Liu Zhenyun hiding behind Zhang Dening.

“All of you Peking University prodigies, one and all—including Chen Jiangong, who isn’t even here—have you ever published a single article in 《Shouhuo》? And yet you dare look down on this, look down on that? You’re belittling the heroes of the world—I spit!”

He spoke with righteous indignation, his expression one of utter disdain, as if he were Qiao Bangzhu from 《The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber》.

Mei Wenhua expected them to hang their heads in shame, but after a brief silence, they burst out laughing again.

They were all highly cultured people who rarely laughed—unless they simply couldn’t hold it in.

Mi Qing wore his contempt plainly on his face: “You? Publish in 《Shouhuo》? I think you’ve lost your mind.”

Those who had been stifling their laughter now roared openly; some even clutched their stomachs.

Mei Wenhua froze, quickly saying: “I didn’t mean me—I meant my dorm mate. His novel’s already been accepted by 《Shouhuo》, and they even wrote him a letter asking him to go to Shanghai to revise it!”

They still didn’t believe him; the laughter continued.

Seeing their reaction, Mei Wenhua was furious—was my voice really that weak?!

“Stop laughing! Be serious! My buddy’s already been paid for his manuscripts—he’s incredibly talented!”

To save face and prove that even gatekeepers had hidden talents, Mei Wenhua became Wei Ming’s most fervent booster.

“He’s truly that kind of genius—a writer. His first short story was written in one night, no revisions, published straight away. And this time, a novella—done in a week! The 《Shouhuo》 editors gushed over him in their letter!”

They still looked skeptical. Watching their expressions, Mei Wenhua finally felt the crushing barrier of status—none of them believed a single word he said.

At this point, someone even suggested that if this guard kept causing trouble, they’d have to call a guard.

In this situation, Mei Wenhua felt utterly wronged, his eyes reddening.

Just as he was about to leave this place of heartbreak, he suddenly heard someone shout, “Wait!”—twice!

Liu Zhenyun and Zhang Dening exchanged glances, then spoke in unison.

Liu Zhenyun hurriedly said: “You go first.”

“Alright,” Zhang Dening turned to Mei Wenhua. “Your colleague writes that fast—a novella in a week? Does he have any unpublished work now?”

Someone actually believed him! Mei Wenhua was ecstatic—this editor had real taste!

“Yes, yes! He’s currently writing a novel about cows—previously he wrote about donkeys, now he’s switching to cows, and he’s almost finished. Trust me, he’s got serious talent—he’s far more capable than these empty-headed Peking University Chinese Department students!”

Zhang Dening: “Actually, I’m also a graduate of Peking University’s Chinese Department.”

Mei Wenhua: “...”

“Sister, don’t believe him—he talks nonsense.”

“Yeah, yeah, clearly untrustworthy.”

“Sister Ning, I know you’re short on manuscripts, but you can’t grab at straws like this.”

“It’s fine—going to take a look won’t hurt,” Zhang Dening then turned to Liu Zhenyun. “Xiao Liu, do you have anything to say?”

Liu Zhenyun had only one question: “Comrade, is the colleague you’re talking about named Wei Ming?”

Behind his glasses, Mei Wenhua’s eyes widened sharply. He stepped forward quickly and grabbed Liu Zhenyun’s hand: “You’ve heard of his name?”

Liu Zhenyun was slightly embarrassed by the sudden gesture but nodded: “We know each other.”

Hearing that Liu Zhenyun knew this person, everyone was surprised.

A few girls from his class also realized: “Liu Zhenyun—is that the gatekeeper from the South Gate you mentioned?”

“The tall, handsome one, like Takakura Ken?” “No, even better-looking than Takakura Ken!”

“Didn’t Zhenyun say his name was Wei Ming? Seems fitting for 《Weiminghu》.”

Liu Zhenyun nodded, speaking fairly: “If this comrade is referring to Wei Ming, then yes—he submitted to 《Shouhuo》 with my own eyes. Whether he got accepted, I’m not sure, but he’s already received payment for his work—he’s a truly talented, capable young man.”

“Oh, by the way,” he added, remembering something else, “Comrade Wei Ming’s English is fluent enough to converse naturally with foreign students.” Though he hadn’t heard it himself, he’d boast first.

At this, the entire room fell silent—including Mei Wenhua.

Mei Wenhua: You sneaky Wei Ming—you can speak foreign languages and never told me? Don’t you consider me your brother?!

Watching Liu Zhenyun’s proud expression—basking in the glory of knowing Wei Ming—Mei Wenhua refused to be outdone and rushed to say:

“That’s right! Our Wei Ming is exactly that kind of humble genius—he excels at novels, fairy tales, foreign languages, poetry too, and even writes screenplays and lyrics!”

Boast all you want—novels and screenplays are basically the same, poetry and lyrics aren’t that different—but it sounded impressively all-around, making everyone eager to meet him.

Zhang Dening was now fully energized—she hadn’t expected such a hidden talent among Peking University’s temporary staff!

She grabbed Mei Wenhua’s arm: “Come on, come on—take me to meet this Mr. Wei!”

Xiong, the chief editor of 《Weiminghu》, quickly tapped Liu Zhenyun on the shoulder: “Ask your friend if he’d be willing to submit to 《Weiminghu》.”

!

After the three left, the crowd fell silent for a moment, then someone started talking—and soon, a lively discussion about Wei Ming erupted.

As they spoke, many realized they’d all noticed the tall, handsome gatekeeper at the South Gate—but none imagined that beneath such striking looks lay such a brilliant soul!

But Mei Wenhua’s group couldn’t find Wei Ming at the South Gate—he was said to have left and hadn’t returned yet.

Instead, they met Captain Qiao, whose position as head of the campus security unit confirmed Mei Wenhua’s claims.

“Yeah, he’s already taken leave—he’s leaving for Shanghai any day now.”

Liu Zhenyun had to leave for now, but Zhang Dening learned Wei Ming’s work hours and decided to wait.

About an hour later, Wei Ming returned, carrying several books.

Without needing anyone to point him out, Zhang Dening guessed it was him.

Sure enough—he stood out like a crane among chickens!

“That’s right, I’m Wei Ming. And you are?” Wei Ming had no idea what was going on.

Zhang Dening introduced herself and her background, then briefly explained she’d heard he was writing novels with notable success and had caught 《Shouhuo》’s attention, so she wanted to commission a piece for 《Yanjing Literature》.

Hearing someone had come to commission him, Wei Ming was delighted—face-to-face communication with an editor could greatly increase his chances of acceptance and give him room to negotiate payment.

Although 《Yanjing Literature》 didn’t match 《Shouhuo》 or 《People’s Literature》 in prestige, it had a long history.

The magazine, later renamed 《Yanjing Literature》, had Lao She as its first chief editor and was the birthplace of Cao Yu’s 《Thunderstorm》. At present, its reputation still surpassed newer publications like 《Contemporary》 and 《October》, so it was far from a step down.

“But I’m sorry—I’m about to go on duty, and I don’t let anyone read unfinished work.”

“Then roughly when will you finish?”

Wei Ming thought for a moment: “Tomorrow.”

Zhang Dening smiled: “Good—I’ll come back tomorrow!”

Zhang Dening would come back tomorrow, but Liu Zhenyun came that night—and so did his entire class, men and women alike, eager to meet the literary prodigy certified by 《Shouhuo》, some even wanting to test his English.

Unfortunately, they came at the wrong time—Wei Ming had finished work and wasn’t in his dorm.

At this moment, Wei Ming was at Uncle Anping’s house, directing Auntie as she operated the sewing machine, with Ping’an Xile watching too…

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(PS: End of the month—time to clear inventory! Begging for monthly votes! Next chapter will be a double-length one!)

(End of Chapter)