I am not a literary giant

"My assessment is that it's somewhere in between, neither quite erotic nor quite serious. I don't know why so many people are praising it, or who would actually enjoy reading it. I see everyone praising the writing style, but I didn't feel anything special after reading it. As for literary merit, everyone has their own opinion, so there's not much to discuss."

Cheng Xing typed on the keyboard: "People who don't understand literature will indeed have a thousand different opinions. It's like people who don't understand science can give a thousand different explanations for the sunset. As for why you don't feel the writing is good, that's normal too, because you don't understand literature. You don't really need to chime in on every topic you don't understand. I don't care, but you'll just make a fool of yourself."

When Ning Chunyan messaged Cheng Xing, Cheng Xing was engaged in a heated online debate on the Red Pepper Forum. His typing speed was 4500 characters per hour.

Red Pepper is a comprehensive internet community with a user base mainly consisting of college students and white-collar workers. It has a strong literary and artistic atmosphere and often produces amazing posts that catch people's attention and become famous.

The past has shaped the cultural foundation of this community. Many bestselling authors and aspiring young writers have emerged from here, including Cheng Xing. This forum is Cheng Xing's main battleground, where he has 120,000 followers.

After obtaining all the scripts of The Little Prince uprooting the bread tree from Ye Lan, he carefully organized and structured them, placing them on Red Pepper in the form of a collection of short stories. He named it "40 Love Letters the Little Prince Dedicated to the World" and specifically marked it "Published on behalf of the Little Prince".

After its release, it became a minor hit for a short time, and then hovered around the 50th position on the trending list for the next two days.

This aligns with the general trend of dissemination: first, it becomes popular on a small scale to build a reputation, and then it expands its reach to the world.

But Cheng Xing wasn't satisfied. Cheng Xing got anxious.

Cheng Xing was going all out, doing this with the mindset of Prometheus. He didn't want a slow and steady approach; he wanted to seize every moment.

So he invited the senior members and experts in the group, asking them to take a look and offer their critiques, hoping to get some friendly promotion from them.

Who would have thought that a brick falling into the lake would cause such a huge uproar? That wasn't a brick at all! It was a neutron star the size of a brick! The whole area was practically torn apart by the noise.

But Cheng Xing wasn't ashamed; on the contrary, he was proud—if even these big shots could argue like this over the Little Prince, didn't that prove the Little Prince's strength? Didn't that indirectly prove his own judgment?

Ning Chunyan knocked on his phone, and he sent Ning Chunyan a link to a red pepper app, omitting the app part and briefly explaining the story of the Little Prince uprooting the bread tree. Then he went to the forum to argue.

"The Little Prince?" Ning Chunyan asked, puzzled. But she received no explanation from Cheng Xing.

It's late at night, and the sound of water droplets falling on the awning can be heard outside the window. It's April now, and some people are already luxuriously turning on their air conditioners.

Ning Chunyan yawned, glanced at the time—9:30 PM. She'd been gossiping for half an hour, not having touched her thesis at all. She remained completely unperturbed.

The old guys in the group were still arguing. She greatly admired their perseverance. Those who work in literature all have a stubborn streak; otherwise, they couldn't write a million-word work.

She simply lacks that drive, so at most she writes short stories, remaining a minor figure in the literary world. As for novels… she's not resilient enough, can't stand the solitude, and politely declines!

Ning Chunyan stood up and stretched, then poured herself a glass of water. As she passed the master bedroom door, she heard a TV drama playing on the television. Her mother and father were having a lively discussion, the sound coming through the door like the moon veiled in a thin cloud, hazy and indistinct.

Sitting back down at her computer, she continued browsing the webpage that Cheng Xing had just sent her.

Right from the start, she saw a lengthy statement:

After two years of writing, I was fortunate enough to publish a small book and gain some readers. I've earned a little bit of recognition.

I don't want this little bit of fame anymore. I want to do something that transcends fame, fortune, honor, and disgrace.

That day, I saw the light of literature. I want to share that light with the world, not just to illuminate myself, but to illuminate many more people.

Ning Chunyan started to feel sleepy as she watched.

While such an introduction may seem novel, it's a technique from European novels that was popular a hundred years ago. Even the most traditional writers today don't add these mystical "prologues" or "introductions" at the beginning. It would ruin the reader's anticipation.

She wasn't in a rush with her paper; changing even a single word before midnight would be a breakthrough for her. So she didn't skip any parts and continued reading:

[Note that this is not a literary device, nor is it me trying to be mysterious.]

The author of this collection, Mr. The Little Prince Who Uprooted the Bread Tree, did not wish to reveal his identity and, for some reason, could not publish his work.

But having seen these works, I feel it is my duty to let the world see them and to help people understand them.

I don't want Kafka's tragedy to be repeated on Earth. Even if Kafka himself didn't want it, I want him to be famous throughout the world while he's still alive.

Did the Little Prince uproot the baobab tree?

Kafka?

Ning Chunyan squinted, swiped to the first chapter, and began reading casually.

She had only read one sentence when her body stiffened and she suddenly stood up.

Ning Chunyan took out her phone, turned on the screen, and it remained on the screen from before she exited the app—the app's homepage. This was exactly what she was looking for.

She opened a page and scrolled frantically. After a few minutes, she finally found the scene she was looking for. The conversation where her finger hovered was exactly the same as what she was seeing now.

"You know yourself. You know you possess the most perfect body a 23-year-old woman can have. You know no man can resist it. Not even me. Li Bai's moon is three parts sword energy, three parts prosperous times, and three parts homesickness. You don't know, the moon in my world has long been composed only of you."

Ning Chunyan looked up, feeling slightly suffocated. A very unpleasant thought surfaced in her mind. She felt like crying and utterly helpless.

She knew that others might find this unremarkable, but to her, it felt like falling into a boundless abyss. Because she was finally experiencing an emotion she had never felt before in her life. This made her feel like she had lost control of her own destiny.

She realized she might be in a relationship. And she'd fallen into this sweet trap months before she even realized it. Not entirely sure. She'd have to wait and see.

She typed into Cheng Xing's input box: 【What is your relationship with the app?】

But she didn't send it. After thinking for a long time, she silently deleted the line.

Given her status, she couldn't let others know, "So you play too."

She opened the app and selected a session that had just ended. The speech therapist quickly came online.

Sakura-chan: [You miss me so soon, little beauty?]

Ning Chunyan ignored him and forwarded the link that Cheng Xing had just sent her.

Ning Chunyan: [Explain what happened?]

She was met with a long silence. The speech therapist could cancel the session without penalty if there was no response within three minutes. This silence told her that the other person was completely out of control.

Ning Chunyan said, "If I can't explain it, I'll order ten dishes and ask each one of them one by one."

They finally replied.

[Sister, we can explain, please add our operations contact information. Please spare me! I'm just a typist!]