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

Chapter 122: "Ordinary World" Circulated Frenziedly

The editor-in-chief held the submission without any reaction.

On the other side, the judges and editors who were reviewing other submissions all turned to look at the scene between the editor-in-chief and Su Miao.

Everyone stopped their work reviewing the manuscript and came to watch.

Editor Wang has been with the Writers' Association for almost ten years. What kind of manuscripts hasn't he seen?

How could it possibly make our young editors cry?

He walked over to the editor-in-chief and politely took the manuscript from him.

The yellowed manuscript exudes a literary and artistic vibe.

After reading the beginning, I frowned.

I was having second thoughts.

If he were to review it, this manuscript would not only make him cry, but he wouldn't even bother to read it and would reject it outright.

After all, this kind of opening is too simple.

In this simplicity, it appears utterly bland.

Of all the submissions he's seen so far, which one doesn't start with a huge conflict or suspense to grab attention?

Just like the movie "Infernal Affairs" which was very popular a while ago.

The current version of "Ordinary World" seems too ordinary; how can it be good?

Then, suppressing his respect for literature, he turned two more pages.

Sun Shao-ping was eating black bread at school, looking pitiful.

Upon seeing this, he let go of his worries; they had all experienced hardship.

If he were to review this submission, he wouldn't dare approve it.

"So, Xiao Wang, what's your opinion?" the editor-in-chief asked, looking at Editor Wang, who had a furrowed brow.

"Well, to be honest, editor-in-chief, this one, perhaps because I have more experience with it, I can relate to it more easily, but I can't really empathize with the overall storytelling style. I need to take a look at future submissions."

Editor Wang is a well-known old hand.

Although he didn't think the article was very well written, he knew that Su Miao was handling submissions through special channels.

One or two of the submissions here are from people with connections.

Whatever you say, be careful.

His own response was also quite conventional.

After reading it, Wang Bian passed it on to Zhang Wei, a slightly younger editor.

This editor has worked at the Writers' Association for over five years and has participated in reviewing manuscripts for various essay competitions.

When he received the manuscript and first read the beginning, he felt a sense of unease, just like Editor Wang.

But since the two senior figures mentioned earlier have already taken notice of this call for submissions, it must not be a simple matter.

So he continued scrolling down.

It wasn't until I saw the scene in "Ordinary World" where Sun Shao-ping went to Run-ye's house for dinner that I realized how true it is.

A sense of nostalgia washes over me.

Pork stew with vermicelli, and steamed buns made with wheat flour.

Sun Shao-ping ate four or five in one go, and was too embarrassed to ask for more.

Runye didn't mind and served him another bowl.

Zhang Wei was also once a child from a poor family.

Thinking back to my youth, my parents took me to my aunt's house in the county town for a meal, and my aunt steamed some white steamed buns to treat me.

The intense longing for my well-off aunt's home cooking, coupled with a sudden surge of shame, welled up within me!

It was only here that he was truly drawn in.

So, his furrowed brows relaxed completely, and he began to read on carefully.

The plot of Shao'an going on a blind date, the appearance of the character Xiulian, etc... Zhang Wei couldn't put down the manuscript at all.

As he carefully read it, he was surprised to find himself standing quietly for over an hour, surrounded by onlookers.

"This submission..." Zhang Wei choked up a little.

But as a man, he couldn't shed tears like Su Miao, and he quickly regained his composure.

"How's the submission?" the editor-in-chief asked.

Zhang Wei glanced at Editor-in-Chief Wang, who was frowning and seemed reluctant to give a vote, and then at Su Miao, who was eagerly waiting for him to take her side.

"I think the beginning of this book could be improved; the pacing isn't quite there yet. But it's precisely this subtle sense of realism that should appeal to many readers, especially those who are also ordinary people."

Zhang Wei's assessment is actually quite fair.

The editor-in-chief smiled.

It seems Zhou Shaoyuan really put in the effort, managing to win over the two young editors.

"Alright, our group will tentatively review this paper today. Everyone go and do other things first. We'll have a meeting tomorrow when Groups Two, Three, and Four arrive, and then we'll make a final decision."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the editorial and judging room.

What kind of manuscript could possibly be considered pending?

Zhang Wei took the manuscript and recommended it to his newly promoted colleague.

Everyone in the office was frantically passing it around.

The subsequent storyline lacks flowery language and is full of twists and turns.

It's the realism that makes it so addictive.

Some people felt heartbroken when they saw the part where Sun Shaoan and Runye separated.

Some people are worried about Sun Shao-ping going to Huangyuan to find work.

Some people were even completely convinced after seeing Shao Ping go down into the coal mine and into the coal shaft.

This overwhelming sense of realism makes it stand out from the other essays filled with flowery language.

The next day arrived quickly, and news of the manuscript of "Ordinary World" being circulated among the judges had spread like wildfire throughout the entire judging panel.

The whole day was spent digesting the text from various perspectives.

"After everyone has read them tomorrow, let's rank these manuscripts."

Seeing the enthusiastic discussion, the editors-in-chief of each group realized the importance of disseminating good works as soon as possible.

In their eyes, the purpose of this essay contest is to create better content that aligns with the values ​​of this era!

Su Miao, who was in charge of reviewing the submission, was also very happy.

As a young editor, she has only been in the industry for a short time and does not know as many outstanding authors as some veteran editors.

Right now, she must seize this opportunity.

"Ordinary World" was the first step she took in getting the resources she needed.

"Editor-in-chief, you said that the person who wrote this article came through special channels, and you also looked at the postmark; it's from Wuhan. Is there any explanation for that?" Su Miao probed.

As the only child in her family, her parents provided her with a life that, while not extravagant, was at least comfortable and provided for her every need.

Now that she has made a name for herself, having come from a small county town to a big city, she is determined to make a name for herself.

The editor-in-chief pushed up his reading glasses and looked up at the youthful and energetic Su Miao.

He smiled faintly and said, "You're still young. There are some things you shouldn't ask. Don't worry, even if you're an old friend of mine, since you discovered this article, if it gets shortlisted later, I'll definitely put you in full charge of the rest."

Su Miao felt much more at ease after hearing what the editor-in-chief said. As expected, he knew a lot about people; he could tell what she wanted to say just by looking at her.

So she quietly returned to her workstation and continued to diligently review other manuscripts.

Meanwhile, Xie Lü, unaware of the uproar caused by "Ordinary World" in the judging panel, was still studying French phonetics in the library.

A loud sneeze startled him.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Zhao Wanwan was missing him again.