Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 325 The swan song!

"What are you thinking about? It's our turn soon, so hurry up and warm up." Manager Ye of the Shanghai Volkswagen 666 team patted Han Han's shoulder from behind and urged him.

This is the Shanghai International Circuit, the venue for the 2007 National Circuit Championship. This is the first race of the 1600cc class this year and is of vital importance.

The venue was already bustling with activity. The asphalt track was steaming with twisted heat waves under the scorching sun. In the distance, the sound of a metal wrench falling to the ground could be heard from the maintenance area. Han Han squinted at the main stand, where a huge advertisement for the new "Yaris" was hanging. The red and white banner fluttered in the southeast wind.

The smell of burnt engine oil wafted from the race channel, and the foreign technicians from the team next door were yelling out torque parameters in English.

Han Han was like the only mountain clearly visible in a sea of ​​clouds, standing quietly among the noisy crowd, seeming a little detached.

It was not until he heard Manager Ye's voice that he came back to his senses and said, "Oh? Okay, right away... I just received a call." Then he handed the phone to the staff next to him.

Then turned and headed to the drivers' preparation area.

Manager Ye saw that Han Han was a little dazed and felt uneasy. He quickly walked to his side and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Han Han changed his usual relaxed and humorous attitude, forced a smile, and said perfunctorily: "No. Don't worry!"

Manager Ye couldn't feel at ease at all. You know, racing is a sport that requires extremely high concentration. The driver needs to control the vehicle extremely precisely. When taking extreme turns, the distance between the car body and the guardrail even has to be measured in centimeters.

This year is Han Han's fourth year in racing. The racing team has changed from Yunnan Honghe to Shanghai Volkswagen 666. At the same time, he has also transformed from a "playful sucker" who brings his own food (and his own racing car) to a "star driver" who can compete for the championship.

Han Han, a half-way enthusiast who had never learned to drive a kart and had even rarely touched a steering wheel, was able to grow into a main driver in a professional racing car. His talent in this sport was rare - Manager Ye did not want him to get into any accidents due to distraction.

Seeing that Manager Ye had been following him, with a look of wanting to say something but not being able to, Han Han finally couldn't help it and took the initiative to comfort him: "Don't worry, it's just some small things in the literary circle. It won't affect my driving."

Manager Ye knew nothing about literature, so naturally he didn't know about the recent ups and downs of the "Mao Dun Newcomer Literature Award", but he did know a little about how well Han Han's books sold - without the support of those millions of royalties, Han Han wouldn't be where he is today.

The audience in the stands also saw Han Han appear, and the crowd immediately became agitated. Many girls began to shout slogans, "Han Han! I love you! Come on!" This has become a scene in Han Han's team, and it's nothing to get used to it.

Manager Ye thought for a moment and said to Han Han, "Your level has already reached that point. You are no different from Wang Rui in the team, so just run as hard as you can. There are six races in the race, so don't be afraid!"

Han Han narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, his unyielding character was aroused by Manager Ye's words of comfort. Last year and the year before, he won multiple race championships, and also helped the team win the annual third place - this year's goal is very clear, he wants to win the annual driver championship, and the team must also win the championship!

Now listening to what Manager Ye said, it seemed as if he was certain that his performance at this stop would not be good.

He didn't say anything, but put on a racing helmet, hiding his face behind the black mask, which also hid his murderous eyes.

Until he got on the racing car, his mind kept echoing with the words that man said to him: "No matter how fast you drive, you can't get rid of your obsession - shouldn't true rebellion go against the expectations of most people?"

Thinking of this, he bit the mouthguard unconsciously. The unique bitter taste of rubber spread in his mouth, which lifted his spirits and immediately focused on the track in front of him.

At this time, a reminder sound came from the sky above the stadium, and the game was about to begin...

Also in Shanghai, Xiao Si sat in a large office chair that was wide enough for him to fit in. His eyes, which were covered with colored contact lenses, looked particularly deep under his long eyelashes. With his overly large pupils, delicate white skin, and short golden hair, he looked like a cartoon character.

Whether or not he wins the "Mao Dun Newcomer Literature Award" is not important to him. What is important is how he expresses his stance.

Although today's Xiao Si cannot afford the mansion of Wang Jingwei's fourth concubine, she is definitely in the first tier in terms of wealth among writers.

In the 2006 list of richest writers, he ranked sixth with 850 million in royalties, second only to Han Han's 950 million and Zhang Chao's... 4300 million among the new generation of writers.

Moreover, this only counts the royalties from personal works. For example, he also owns magazines and books such as the "Best" series and the "Island" series, with sales of each issue exceeding 30 copies. At the same time, although some of his youth literature writers have gone to Zhang Chao, Qi Jinnian, Luo Luo and others are also very strong in sales.

So in his heart, in terms of material possessions, he was only inferior to the monstrous Zhang Chao. Others, including Han Han, were not worth his attention.

He had no psychological burden about getting closer to the Writers Association. After all, he did not have the "cynical" rebellious label like Han Han - but if Zhang Chao was also standing on the opposite side, he would be a little hesitant.

Xiao Si wasn't sure if he would be seen as admitting defeat to Zhang Chao if he expressed in a soft manner that he was happy about being shortlisted for the preliminary round.

At this time, there was a knock on the office door, and Luo Luo, who had long ladylike hair, walked in and said to him, "Dian is here, do you want to see her now?"

Hearing this, Xiao Si quickly put down his hand that was supporting his chin and said, "Let her in quickly!"

Dian is the writer he has always wanted to sign. Not only does her writing style fit in very well with his magazine, but most importantly, she is also very youthful and pretty, making her particularly suitable for being packaged as a beautiful girl writer and selling peripheral products.

Since "Youth Pie", almost all youth literature magazines have focused on creating the signature of idol writers, and various dolls and stickers are selling like hot cakes.

The most restrained is the original instigator, Youth Party. The mechanism of forcing idol writers to "go offline" at the age of 22 means that the "shelf life" of their retired idol writers is only 3 to 5 years.

After the "deadline" of 22, everyone will try to transform themselves into an "adult writer" by working for "Youth·Grand View" or other literary magazines, but not everyone can succeed.

Those who fail to transform or are unwilling to transform will basically be snatched up by magazines such as the "Zui" series or "Huahuo".

But the strange thing is that these "former "Youth" idol writers" who were "snatched away" can no longer continue their previous glory, and almost no readers are willing to follow them and become readers of the "Best" series or "Fireworks".

The idea that Zhang Chao originally proposed, "writers should grow together with readers," seems to have really changed the reading habits of young readers.

So in the past year or two, everyone has been trying to introduce their own idol writers to break the vicious circle of young writers being popular for no more than three to five years.

Di An just returned to China from studying in the UK last year. In January this year, she published the novella "Lily" in "Zhongshan". The "Zui" series of magazines soon obtained authorization to reprint it, establishing a good foundation for cooperation.

This led to Dian's visit.

However, the first words that Di An said after she came in and exchanged greetings made Xiao Si a little upset: "Congratulations, you have been shortlisted for the Mao Dun Newcomer Literature Award!" Xiao Si stared at Di An's eyes for a few seconds before confirming that she was not being sarcastic, but was really blessing him sincerely. He couldn't help but feel a little confused: "Don't you think... my being shortlisted for this award is a little... a little ridiculous?"

Dian was stunned and said, "Ridiculous? Why is it ridiculous? This is an honor! It means that our youth is not considered a nonsense! Whether it is you, Han Han, or others, even me, we are all part of this 'youth carnival'."

Then she knew what Xiao Si was worried about and said comfortingly, "Your concern... is about him?"

Xiao Si didn't say anything.

Di An said: "In fact, his "Tide Culture" has also contacted me before."

Xiao Si suddenly became nervous when he heard this, and his eyes turned sharper when he looked at Di An. The scene of going to Northeast China to sign Shuang Xuetao appeared in his mind again, and his voice couldn't help but tremble again: "You agreed?"

Dean shook his head: "No. If I promised them, why would I come to you?"

Xiao Si felt relieved, but asked doubtfully: "Why didn't you agree? Wasn't Tide Culture your first choice?" At this point, Xiao Si's tone sounded a little bitter.

Di An laughed, a little proudly, and said: "Why can't I write 'youth literature' just because I've 'grown up'? Is his word an imperial decree? I don't accept it.

Youth is the eternal theme of literature! He doesn't want to write, which only means that his heart has aged early! He also wants to stop others from writing, which is too overbearing - in fact, he is not sincere, and he even published a "children's literature" this year!

He is not a child, so why is he writing "children's literature"? "

Xiao Si's heart was lifted when he heard this, and he carefully looked at the young woman in front of him. The light in her eyes was much brighter and more energetic than his own.

Xiao Si thought of what the person on the phone just said: "Are you really scared?" and immediately had the answer.

Then he showed a long-lost smile and said to Di An: "Let's talk about your future development..."

In addition to Han Han and Xiao Si, the person they were most concerned about also quietly came to Shanghai and held a meeting with a group of editors in the office of "New Sprout" magazine not far from them.

The annual "New Concept Essay Contest" is about to hold its semi-finals.

If it weren't for a call from Zhao Changtian, he would have almost forgotten about this matter. This matter was started by him. Last year, he vowed to reporters that he would come up with a particularly "cheap" topic for the semi-finals this year...

So it's impossible to just walk away like this.

Zhao Changtian actually retired from the position of editor-in-chief of "New Sprout" magazine last year, but because of his rich experience in event organization and manuscript review, he is now a special consultant for the competition.

In 2007, the "New Concept Essay Contest" finally got rid of the slump and returned to its peak - before the deadline for the preliminary round, a total of 33 manuscripts were received from all over the country.

After a lengthy cross-review process to ensure that each manuscript received scores from at least two preliminary judges, 2 contestants were ultimately selected for the semi-finals, nearly 342 more than last year.

The increase in the number of contestants in the semi-finals not only means the expansion of the scale of the competition, but also puts a difficult problem in front of everyone: how to evaluate the awards?
Should we keep the original number or expand it in proportion? This was not a problem before, but after Zhang Chao got involved, everyone had to consult him before making a decision.

Zhang Chao was surprised when he heard this: "Why is there only 342?"

Editors: “……?” This sentence is really confusing.

Zhang Chao then asked, "The list hasn't been announced yet, right?"

Hu Weishi said: "Not yet, we are still discussing it internally. We are not sure whether some manuscripts meet the criteria for the finalists. But the number will not be too different, probably around 300 people."

Zhang Chao frowned and asked, "How many manuscripts are there in the preliminary round this year?"

胡伟时道：“33万多……比去年多了20多万。不过一稿多投的现象也多了，最多的一个学生投了快20篇稿子……不过普遍都在2到3篇之间。

So the number of contestants participating in the preliminary round is about 7.”

Zhang Chao nodded and asked, "Last year, there were more than 4 preliminary submissions and more than 2 contestants, and we screened out more than 200. This year, there were more than 7, and we only screened out more than 300 - are there so many unqualified people?"

The editors looked at each other and fell silent. Finally, Zhao Changtian explained: "With more participants, the average level has definitely dropped - but there are also many more good writers.

Under fierce competition, many players who reached the semi-finals last year were unfortunately eliminated this year. This is the natural law of the development of the competition. "

Zhang Chao put down the list and manuscripts and fell into deep thought. After a long while, he looked up and said to everyone in the editor's office: "Dear teachers, what is the original intention of holding such a competition?"

A young editor answered subconsciously: "For "new thinking, new expression, and true experience"..."

Zhang Chao was not satisfied and continued to ask: "This is the competition slogan, not the original intention!"

Li Qigang is an old man who has followed the competition all the way. He recalled the days when the first competition was held in 1999, when several editors were crowded in the simple and narrow office of "New Sprout" magazine, smoking and thinking hard about the future of the magazine.

Then he said, “In the beginning, our original intention was to discover a group of young authors through the competition to break the dull situation - at least, to find some fresh blood for our magazine.

At that time, many of the authors of New Sprouts magazine were over 40 years old. They were not ‘newcomers’ at all, but ‘old hands’.”

Everyone at the scene burst into laughter after hearing these words.

Zhang Chao laughed and asked, "Now, there are so many young authors. You can't review all the new submissions every month. What is the goal of the "New Concept Essay Contest"? "

After listening to the essay, everyone was confused - when the halo of university admission is no longer there and young writers hardly need to be inspired and discovered through this competition, then what is the meaning of the "New Concept Essay Contest".

Zhang Chao walked to the whiteboard in the conference room and wrote two words with a marker: The swan song!
(End of this chapter)