After the college entrance examination, life began to follow one's heart

Chapter 287 Shang Wanjun's New Book Signing Event

What novel are you planning to write recently?

"The setting is fictional ancient, but I want to explore human nature this time, drawing inspiration from the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties period."

When the topic turned to novels, Shang Wanjun became very enthusiastic, and then she talked to Xu Lin about how she would write the novel and how she would explore human nature.

Because it is based on the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, anyone who knows a little about this period knows that the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties was not a good era.

Xu Lin remembered hearing about the so-called Wei-Jin elegance when he was in high school, saying how romantic this period was, but the darkness of society was glossed over. After all, when learning about ancient poetry appreciation in high school, it was always about the darkness of society or various injustices. Ancient people were always frustrated and wrote all sorts of impassioned words. So Xu Lin was completely immune to the so-called darkness of society.

But after he read some of his history, he realized how turbulent the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties period was, how many bloody and dark things happened, and how the whole society could no longer be described as a collapse of morality and social order.

Although it's only mentioned briefly in history books.

In such a turbulent society, it is actually quite appropriate to explore human nature, because it can be fertile ground for all kinds of darkness to grow. If the world were at peace, everyone would be well-fed and clothed, have wives and children, and have surplus grain at home, much of the darkness would be hidden, and it wouldn't be as bloody and straightforward as in a chaotic world.

Shang Wanjun is quite ambitious in his novel writing; he likes to explore certain topics.

Xu Lin also discovered that Shang Wanjun's book was written more boldly and explicitly, seemingly because after her second novel, the one about teacher-student romance, was approved, Shang Wanjun decided to use even more explicit content.

However, the "scale" here does not refer to anything sexually explicit. In fact, within the censorship standards, sexually explicit content is the lightest. Just like the dark stories in early online novels, some of which depicted human nature as too dark, they were directly banned.

However, unlike low-level online novelists who use gore and violence to depict the darkness of human nature, Shang Wanjun uses more subtle and chilling language to portray it.

Simply put, she has excellent writing skills and knows how to operate.

"At that point, I'm afraid I'll have to make it my main job."

Xu Lin asked, "Do you still need to go out to work?"

"Of course I do. When I work, I come into contact with all sorts of people, which makes it easier for me to understand the diverse aspects of life, to see the world, to see all living beings, and finally to see myself."

"That's a very good idea."

"What about you?"

"I have so many things to do. I'm going to be very famous in the future, and I'll be in the public eye all the time. Writing will probably have little to do with me anymore."

That's a bit of a shame.

"A little bit, I don't know if you can understand. Men and women are two different groups. What men pursue, I mean, goes beyond the basic desires of personal enjoyment, and goes towards grander pursuits, such as family, country, and the world, or practicing medicine to help the world, and so on."

"To be precise, we are men of China."

Shang Wanjun corrected.

"That too."

Xu Lin thought for a moment and then suddenly realized.

Since the advent of Confucianism, especially since Emperor Wu of Han made Confucianism the sole state ideology, the ultimate pursuit of Chinese men has been self-cultivation, family harmony, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. Through generations of influence, many people, even those who have not received much formal education, are still affected by this cultural system. They develop grand ambitions, such as wanting to do something about social injustice when they see it, but being unable to do so, they can only feel indignant. And if the country is destroyed and the family is destroyed, they are willing to sacrifice themselves for righteousness. Such are the various grand spirits they embody.

Other countries may have these qualities, but they don't have people like this everywhere like in China.

The two talked for quite a while tonight.

I didn't go to sleep until 2 a.m.

the next day.

After washing up in the morning, Shang Wanjun started putting on makeup.

Shang Wanjun is quite particular about her makeup.

Just like today, with makeup, her facial features became more defined and aggressive.

Xu Lin couldn't help but say, "Today's makeup is quite aggressive."

Shang Wanjun: "Readers will see me at the book signing event, but I don't want to be a gentle female writer; I want to be a cold and aloof female writer!"

"Aloofness is more captivating than gentleness."

"Then I need to become very charming, at least for today!"

Shang Wanjun: "What clothes do you think I should wear?"

"Anything inside is fine, just wear a trench coat over it, that will make you look more stylish."

"Then I'll do it the same way as yesterday."

Therefore, Shang Wanjun wore a turtleneck sweater, slightly flared jeans, and a black trench coat today, the same outfit as yesterday, but with a different set of clothes.

After getting dressed, Shang Wanjun put on a black octagonal baseball cap.

Today, Shang Wanjun was dressed entirely in black. If she didn't speak, she would appear very aloof, but she was undeniably stunning.

"Oh, and a scarf too."

So the scarf was brown.

"Let's go out for breakfast!"

Shang Wanjun: "My treat!"

"Ok."

They didn't say what to eat in the morning. It was a little after eight o'clock, and many shopping malls hadn't even opened yet.

Xu Lin and his group had a simple breakfast and then headed to the book signing location.

Shang Wanjun's new book signing event was held in a large bookstore in Jiangdu.

This bookstore was previously responsible for selling Shang Wanjun's first book, and was one of the main bookstores selling that book.

Now that Shang Wanjun's second book has been published, this bookstore has directly secured the exclusive sales rights for this book in Jiangdu.

In other words, if you want to buy Shang Wanjun's second book in Jiangdu, you can only do so at this bookstore or other branches in Jiangdu.

The book signing event officially started at 9:30 a.m.

These autograph sessions are basically just the organizers setting up a stage, during which a group of very loyal fans will come, and of course, there will also be people just there for the fun of it.

Overall, there won't be too many people.

Moreover, Shang Wanjun is still relatively new, so naturally he doesn't have many fans yet.

Most people don't pay attention to book signings; I'm just reading a book, not chasing after celebrities.

However, Shang Wanjun is about to become famous, extremely famous.

She is very special.

She is tall and beautiful. In any industry, field, or country, she would receive preferential treatment and naturally attract a lot of attention.

"Beauty is justice" is not just an empty phrase.

Who is that stunningly beautiful woman?

"Doesn't it say on the sign? A writer named Shang Wanjun!"

"Wow, she's so beautiful? Can a writer be this beautiful? And she doesn't even need to wear glasses?"

"Maybe she was wearing contact lenses, but she's really amazing, she's so beautiful."

Writers, or rather, most professionals in various industries, are really not good-looking. There are very few who are even slightly good-looking, and they can only be slightly good-looking. It is rare to find someone who is exceptionally handsome or even stunningly beautiful.

Truly beautiful women rarely work in industries that don't pay well.

After all, it's not like actors or financial professionals, where money and capital are concentrated in large quantities and beautiful women are everywhere, and they are real beauties. Women follow money, especially beautiful women. This is one link in the social triangular closed loop.

But now, Shang Wanjun sits in the middle of the signing table as a writer.

She had a smile on her face, but her makeup was very aggressive. She was extremely beautiful and looked to be in her early twenties.

It stunned her fans, as well as everyone browsing in the bookstore.

What book is being released?

"This book is called 'Misplaced,' and it seems to be about a teacher-student relationship."

"Teacher-student relationship, is it really that explicit?"

"And it was a female teacher and a male student."

"Then I'll have to observe carefully!"

"Let's go buy a copy and get an autograph while we're at it!"

Seeing how beautiful Shang Wanjun is, many passersby were attracted to her.

As for Shang Wanjun's fans, needless to say.

Most of them were young people, and everyone knew that Shang Wanjun was a woman, but no one had ever imagined that Shang Wanjun could be so beautiful.

"Are you really Professor Shang Wanjun?"

One female fan excitedly said that she is still a freshman in college, and the immature high school vibe has not yet faded. She is still carrying a high school backpack, wearing glasses, and does not wear makeup.

"Of course!"

Shang Wanjun smiled and said, "Let me sign your autograph. Thank you for supporting my work!"

"Oh, thank you teacher!"

"You're still a student, right? Where do you go to school?"

"Teacher, I'm at the University of Finance and Economics!"

"What a coincidence, I was a freshman counselor at the School of Economics and Trade of the University of Finance and Economics in the first half of the year, but now I'm pursuing my doctorate."

"Oh! What a coincidence! Where are you doing your doctoral studies, Professor?" "I'm studying theoretical physics at Fudan University."

"Wow! Teacher, you're studying physics? And at Fudan University?"

The girl gasped in surprise. Actually, she didn't need to gasp; her conversation with Shang Wanjun could be heard by everyone nearby.

Shang Wanjun, this beautiful writer, is actually pursuing her doctorate at a top-tier university.

?

What kind of deity?
The key point is that she studied physics, yet she's also a writer?
That's quite a leap!

People instinctively feel that these writers are mostly from the humanities, such as Chinese literature or Chinese language and literature. When you think about it that way, how reasonable is that? It's the so-called specialization of one's profession.

But no one expected that Shang Wanjun would be pursuing a doctorate in theoretical physics at Fudan University.

Moreover, theoretical physics at Fudan University is a national second-level key discipline.

Suddenly, people felt that Shang Wanjun had become a sacred figure.

You can't help but admire people who work in subjects like math and physics. If you're in the humanities, you can be carefree, but in STEM fields, even if you're a dragon, you have to be humble and respectful.

Seeing the people's exclamations.

Xu Lin glanced at Shang Wanjun, who seemed to sense something and also looked at him.

Xu Lin was seen reading a book in the distance.

Shang Wanjun's book signing event is going to last three hours, which is quite a long time, so Xu Lin might as well just read some books here instead.

Moreover, three hours is enough for him to read many books.

After his brain was enhanced, he could read faster. His initial 'superior memory' had evolved into photographic memory. Combined with his rapid thinking, he could tell what a page was about with just a glance.

Furthermore, there's the ability to multitask, which is something only Xu Lin lacks – otherwise, he could flip through four books at once.

Now, it's about quickly flipping through two books at once.

Moreover, he can flip through two books at the same time in thirty or forty seconds.

So, after three hours, I had already flipped through eighty books.

In theory, he could flip through six or seven hundred books in three hours. Subtracting the time spent searching for books and other wasted time, Xu Lin could flip through at least four or five hundred books in three hours.

But that seems pointless.

Xu Lin slowed down afterwards.

He felt he had lost the joy of reading, so Xu Lin eventually read eighty books.

I read all sorts of books, including those on economics and finance, philosophy, traditional Chinese culture, psychology, and so on.

Three hours passed.

There were still quite a few people queuing up for Shang Wanjun's book signing event.

She was so beautiful and unique that she attracted the attention of passersby.

Even children browsing in bookstores would say to their parents, "Mom and Dad, I want that pretty lady's autograph too, I want to buy her book!"

When the parents saw this, the father was naturally very happy.

But my mom wasn't happy. This woman is so beautiful, how could that be allowed?
Some mothers who are raising children don't have this problem, but when they see that Shang Wanjun's book today is about a teacher-student relationship with a very explicit theme, they are even more shocked.

Unable to bear the child's nagging any longer, I bought Shang Wanjun's previous book, which is much more normal.

Because of the large number of people, the organizers had to extend the event by another half hour after consulting with Shangwanjun.

It took Shang Wanjun thirty-five minutes before he was finally able to leave.

"Let's go!"

Shang Wanjun came over and patted Xu Lin on the shoulder, "Let's go get some food. I have to thank you for spending so much time with me!"

"how do you feel?"

Xu Lin asked her.

"It was great. It was the first time I experienced what it's like to be a celebrity. But I probably won't attend these autograph sessions anymore. I feel like it's annoying when there are too many people, and it's also quite tiring."

Shang Wanjun loosened her right wrist; she was tired of signing autographs all day and had to repeatedly write her own name.

Xu Lin: "Overall, the experience should be pretty good, right?"

"Yeah, it's pretty good, and the fans are quite enthusiastic."

Shang Wanjun added, "The organizers just asked me if I wanted to join the Jiangdu Writers Association. I said no. What do you think?"

Do you want to be in that circle?

"Do not want to."

"If you don't want to, then you don't have to pay attention to it."

Where scholars gather, there is no tranquil place. History has proven time and again that among scholars there are a group of true gentlemen, as well as a group of scoundrels.

Moreover, bureaucracy is rampant within it.

"Let's ignore them and go eat. What do you want to eat? It's on me."

"Let's just grab something to eat, a few hundred yuan will do. We don't need anything too expensive this time."

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Where would you like to go now that you're full?"

Shang Wanjun shook his head.

"Then I'll take you home, or back to school?"

"Go back to school."

After thinking about it, Shang Wanjun realized she had nowhere to go and no friends, so she decided to go back to school.

After the two finished their meal, Xu Lin took Shang Wanjun back to school.

Xu Lin then drove home to get his laptop, and then drove to Hengdian to visit the film set.

Recently, Xu Lin planned to have Xie Ting and the others sing his songs, specifically the remaining dozen or so songs from "The Great Jing Dynasty." Once that was settled, Xu Lin could finally complete his task.

He has a total of thirty soundtracks, each worth one million, so he'll make thirty million in total.

That evening, Xu Lin checked into a large hotel in Hengdian.

He also saw Rong Xiyan's message when he opened his phone.

"Xu Lin, guess what I saw? I saw that the teacher is trending on social media!"

"Which teacher?"

Rong Xiyan replied quickly.

"Of course it's Professor Shang Wanjun! She's become a well-known writer, a beautiful one at that!"

"There's such a thing?"

Xu Lin pretended not to know.

"Really, look at this!"

Rong Xiyan sent over a screenshot, which was a screenshot of Shang Wanjun's trending topics. Currently, the trending topics were around the thirties, neither high nor low.

Trending topic: So this is what a beautiful female writer looks like.

Rong Xiyan also posted a screenshot of the trending topic, which was about Shang Wanjun's autograph session today.

She did become famous; for the sensationalist media, they'd be there for any gimmick.

The phrase "beautiful female writer" is inherently impactful.

People instinctively think that the beautiful writer is just another clickbait headline from the media, but when they click in, they find that it's not true at all. This woman is a real beauty, a stunning woman over 1.7 meters tall, and a bestselling author.

Meanwhile, according to comments, what's even more outrageous is that he's currently pursuing a PhD at Fudan University, studying theoretical physics.

Then there were comments saying that her real name is Shang Wanjun, that she is her senior, and that she is indeed currently pursuing a doctorate at Fudan University.

Shang Wanjun has indeed become famous, though not a household name, but still quite well-known.

"Xu Lin, teacher, you are so excellent!"

Rong Xiyan couldn't help but say, "I never expected that she could write, and become a bestselling author. I saw in the news that she sold the copyright of her first book for 20 million!"

The total price is 20 million, which will be split equally between Shangwanjun and the publisher Zhuyue Publishing House, where the manuscript was submitted. In addition, 20% tax will be paid.

"She's already pursuing her PhD at Fudan University, how could she not be outstanding? Besides, she reads every day, it would be strange if she wasn't excellent. Can you keep up the habit of reading every day?"

"That's true! Xu Lin, what are you doing?"

"I'm in Hengdian, spending the last two days on set."

Is it cold over there?

"It's still a bit cold."

"Take care to keep warm!"

"Ok."

(End of this chapter)