I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 64 Preemptive Strike
Probably because he had been reading novels to others in recent months, Mikhail felt that his recitation skills had improved a lot. He knew how to grasp the thread of the article and to strengthen or suppress emotions at appropriate points.

Honestly, if he continued to improve like this, Mikhail thought he might be able to try public speaking.
This time, as Mikhail read the novel "The Chameleon" vividly, the scene was not as heavy and silent as before. On the contrary, the small living room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, and bursts of laughter broke out as Mikhail's novel went through twists and turns.

In fact, regarding tragedy and comedy, since ancient times, tragedy has often been regarded as a more elegant art, while comedy has always been in a relatively humble position.

However, there is a phenomenon that is very common in history, that is, ordinary people tend to prefer comedy endings with a happy ending, and prefer works that can bring people laughter and temporarily forget the troubles of reality.

This is certainly not difficult to understand. For ordinary people, the pressure of reality is enough to make them unbearable. Why should they continue to experience pain in the virtual world?

Even those so-called tragedies may not be that important when compared with their lives.

Of course, it is also worth noting that when the sound of laughter is too loud, it is bound to become vulgar, and a vulgar society and masses are often what some people want to see.

Therefore, true comedy is never a vulgar joke, but a seemingly funny story with many harsh laughs, mocking vulgar social habits while also lashing out at the system and human nature.

Back to Mikhail's recitation, it was obvious that the novel "The Chameleon" made the audience present in a particularly high spirits. For them, although the previous stories were good, they always felt upset after listening to them. But this time, the novel sounded much happier.

So when Mikhail finished reading the novel, the audience cheered enthusiastically and then started talking to the people around them:

"It's strange. He's clearly just a character in a novel, but I always feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

"I love this novel so much, I even want to read it to someone!"

"It's so funny! Even God would laugh out loud if he read this story!"

Some people were discussing the novel, but Mikhail's mother, Pulcheria, looked at Mikhail surrounded by people with tears in her eyes and said to her daughter beside her:

"Look, Dounia! People are flocking around him! Everyone loves Misha's novels! How could he not make something of himself? Perhaps soon Misha's name will be heard all over our place!"
This novel is really good, and the previous ones were good too, but listening to them was just breathtaking! Tell me, will Misha be successful soon? Will he be able to live a good life soon?

Faced with her mother's question, the slightly thin girl was silent for a moment. If it were before, she would have nodded without hesitation, and would have been as excited as her mother.

But in the days since she came to St. Petersburg, she has found time to read all of Mikhail's current works. In addition, she has indeed received a good education and has been exposed to some cutting-edge books.

Therefore, in this case, the girl vaguely felt that her brother seemed to be writing something unconventional.
Let's not talk about making a name for ourselves, I just hope it won't affect my brother's career.
Although she thought so, facing her mother's question, the girl was silent for a moment, and finally nodded. Then she took her mother's hand and said, "Mom, Misha will definitely be an amazing writer."

Some people burst into laughter, some felt a little worried, but some felt a little uncomfortable, like our old friend the small businessman Versilov. He laughed so hard at first, but when he came to his senses, his eyes suddenly became wandering.

Why does it feel like it's written about me?
No, no, my name is Versilov, and the character in the novel is called Ochumelov, so how could this person be me?!
Oh my god, I'm so hard on myself!

Although he had convinced himself in his heart, Versilov was, after all, a small businessman. In a profession like his, he really couldn't survive without the ability to read people's minds.

But when he thought about how ridiculous he could be at times, Versilov still felt a little embarrassed.

And more importantly, he did have a mortal enemy in this apartment, and they often criticized each other. Although he was still smiling at the moment, he would probably use this story to laugh at himself when he realized what was happening.

Thinking of this, Versilov couldn't help but look at the young civil servant Smirnov. Before the other party showed his damn smile, Versilov simply took the initiative and shouted, "Oh my God, Smirnov, isn't this writing about you? Some of your behavior is exactly like the gentleman in the novel!"

Junior civil servant Smirnov: “?”

"Are you drunk in broad daylight? Otherwise, how could you say such nonsense!" Smirnov, who was originally laughing, felt insulted when he heard this and quickly retorted: "Who in the whole apartment doesn't know my reputation? But you, Versilov, I just wanted you to listen carefully! You really are a bit like the gentleman in the novel!"

"Come on, you"

Although he had taken the initiative, the small businessman Versilov still had some sense of reasoning in his heart. While he had saved his reputation in this way, he also made a certain resolution in his heart: he would never let himself really reach such a situation in the future, otherwise, everyone who heard about him would laugh.
Mikhail was completely unaware of Versilov's mental journey. He just smiled and chatted with everyone after he finished reading. When he was free for a while, Tusenbach, a small landowner who was temporarily living in the apartment, came to Mikhail's side.

As soon as he sat down, Tusenbach could not help but warmly hold the hand of the young man who was always willing to listen to him. He first praised Mikhail's novel, and then the old man said something he had been thinking about for a long time.
(End of this chapter)