1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes, and after his fatigue subsided slightly, he opened his eyes and his gaze fell on a corner of his desk.

There was a dark blue hard-covered notebook there.

It was the manuscript of the prequel to "Infernal Affairs" that Xie Lu had delivered that afternoon.

Upon seeing the notebook, Zhou Shaoyuan's spirits lifted, and his fatigue seemed to dissipate considerably.

He only glanced at a portion of it in the afternoon before being interrupted by various other matters.

The gripping plot and the vivid interactions between the characters that followed kept replaying in his mind.

He gently opened the book, and the neat and powerful penmanship came into view. He had seen Ni Yongxiao use the conflicts between the bosses to stabilize the Ni family's situation without bloodshed that afternoon. His composure, ruthlessness and wisdom impressed him greatly.

I can't keep watching this in the office; if I do, my wife at home won't let me in the door.

Zhou Shaoyuan decided to take the notebook home, brew a cup of hot tea, and sit under the desk lamp in his study to read it carefully.

He got up, took a dark gray Zhongshan suit jacket from the coat rack, put it on, and carefully buttoned it up.

Then, as if handling some fragile treasure, he carefully placed the dark blue notebook into his black leather briefcase and zipped it up.

After thinking for a moment, he also put the latest issue of "Contemporary" on the table in there, so he could compare them.

Zhou Shaoyuan walked along the familiar road towards the family quarters. As he passed a grove of trees, the wind rustled through the dry branches and leaves. It was very quiet around him, with only the sound of his own footsteps and the wind.

Just then, he suddenly felt an unbearable tingling and itching sensation in his nose.

"Achoo!"

A loud sneeze shattered the tranquility of the night, startling even himself.

Zhou Shaoyuan quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his nose, muttering under his breath, "Who's been talking about me for no reason..."

That was just something I said offhand.

Zhou Shaoyuan rubbed his nose, thinking to himself that he might have caught a chill from the cool night breeze and needed to hurry home to drink some warm water.

When I got home, my wife was already asleep.

Zhou Shaoyuan quietly changed his shoes and went into the study.

Turn on the desk lamp, and a warm yellow glow immediately envelops a corner of the desk.

Zhou Shaoyuan boiled a kettle of water and brewed himself a strong cup of tea. The tea leaves unfurled in the boiling water, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Then, he solemnly took out the dark blue notebook and opened it under the lamp.

Once they started looking, they couldn't stop.

Xie Lü's writing seems to possess a kind of magic—concise, precise, and highly evocative.

Even with just a few strokes, the characters he creates immediately come to life.

The plot unfolds in a tightly woven manner, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats in tense moments and prompting sighs of profound reflection.

Zhou Shaoyuan was completely engrossed in the story, sometimes applauding Ni Yongxiao's methods, sometimes feeling exhausted by Ni Yongxiao's efforts to maintain the Ni family's overall situation, and sometimes lamenting the fate of those ordinary people in the torrent of the times.

He forgot the time, forgot his fatigue, and even forgot to drink tea.

When his wife got up to use the restroom and saw the light still on, she pushed open the door and urged, "Old Zhou, what time is it? Aren't you going to work tomorrow?"

Zhou Shaoyuan was suddenly jolted out of the story. He looked up at the clock on the wall and saw that the hour hand had already passed two in the morning.

Only then did he realize that his eyes were sore and dry, and his neck was stiff.

"I'll go to sleep now, I'll go to sleep now." Zhou Shaoyuan quickly agreed, carefully closing the notebook, his mind still preoccupied with the story of the prequel to Infernal Affairs.

Lying in bed, my mind was still filled with those scenes and characters. I tossed and turned until dawn broke before I finally drifted off to sleep.

the next morning.

Zhou Shaoyuan was woken up by his wife.

I slept for less than four hours and have a terrible headache.

He struggled to get up, and when he looked in the mirror while washing up, he was shocked.

The person in the mirror had bloodshot eyes and two dark circles under their eyes.

"What were you doing last night? Why are you cooking like this?" His wife scolded as she served the porridge.

Zhou Shaoyuan gave a mumbled reply, hurriedly drank a bowl of porridge, ate half a steamed bun, and then picked up his briefcase and left.

As he walked to the School of Humanities, he encountered several early-rising teachers and students who couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"Dean Zhou, good morning! What brings you here?" a familiar teacher asked with concern.

"It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well last night." Zhou Shaoyuan waved his hand and forced a smile.

Enter the office building and go up to the third floor.

Colleagues he encountered in the corridor also cast surprised glances at him. Zhou Shaoyuan usually paid great attention to his appearance, with his hair neatly combed and his clothes ironed. He rarely looked so obviously tired and haggard.

He pretended not to see those stares, strode into his office, closed the door, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As I sat down, I could still feel a throbbing pain in my temples.

He rubbed his temples, still thinking about the manuscript he had read last night.

Xie Lu is truly an extraordinary child.

The scope and depth of this prequel are in no way inferior to the first film, and it even demonstrates greater skill in character development.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in." Zhou Shaoyuan sat up straight, trying his best to look more energetic.

His assistant, Xiao Zhang, a young teacher in his twenties, entered, carrying a folder.

"Good morning, Dean Zhou. Here is a document that was just issued from above, which you would like to review." Xiao Zhang placed the folder on Zhou Shaoyuan's desk.

Zhou Shaoyuan nodded and opened the folder.

Inside was an official document with an official red header, titled "Notice on Holding the First 'Local Sentiments and Praises of Reform' National College Student Essay Competition".

He quickly glanced at the contents. It was an essay contest jointly launched by the Ministry of Education, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, and several cultural organizations, open to college students nationwide, with the theme of reflecting the changes in rural life in recent years and praising the spirit of farmers in the new era.

The works should be close to life, express genuine feelings, and be mainly in the form of essays, reportage, and short stories.

The competition will award three first prizes, ten second prizes, and several third prizes. The winning entries will be compiled and published, and selected for publication in major newspapers and periodicals.

Detailed entry requirements and deadlines are attached to the document.

There are more or less of these kinds of activities every year, mostly tasks assigned from above.

In the past, the School of Literature at Wuhan University would organize students to participate and submit some manuscripts. Occasionally, they could win a third prize or an excellence award, which was considered as completing the task, but it never attracted much attention.

After reading it, Zhou Shaoyuan rubbed his throbbing temples and said to his assistant, "Okay, I understand. As usual, send the notice to all grades and encourage students to participate actively, especially those who perform well in writing class."

After the manuscripts are collected, the department organizes teachers to conduct a preliminary review, and selects a few decent ones to submit.

Xiao Zhang nodded in agreement and was about to leave.

Zhou Shaoyuan suddenly had an idea and raised his hand to stop him: "Wait a moment."

Xiao Zhang stopped and turned around.

Zhou Shaoyuan's gaze returned to the official document.