A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

Chapter 118 Allen's Phone Call

Thursday, April 25th.

When Lin Shubai arrived at the activity room, there were still five minutes before the agreed time. Yu Xingzhi was already there. She always did things this way, always arriving earlier than others and always preparing the materials perfectly. Sometimes Lin Shubai felt that if Yu Xingzhi were ever late, it would be the end of the world.

"You're here so early?"

"I'm used to it." Yu Xingzhi didn't even look up, flipping through her folder. "The draft for 'Second Phase' is ready. I've compiled the final review results; we'll discuss it once everyone's here."

As people gradually arrived, Zhao Lei came in holding a half-read copy of "Science Fiction World." Zhao Lei always brought a magazine with him whenever we met; sometimes it was "Science Fiction World," and sometimes it was something else.

Lin Shubai initially thought he was holding the book so he could easily look at it, but later realized that wasn't the case. He was just holding something in his hand to make himself less awkward while waiting for others. Zhao Lei wasn't good at small talk, so having a book in his hand would prevent others from talking to him.

Strangely enough, Zhao Lei can write very long feedback when reviewing manuscripts in the Hoshino group, and can fill a page analyzing the plot holes of a science fiction novel, but in social situations, he doesn't even know where to put his hands.

Shen Yue followed Zhao Lin in, a charcoal pencil hanging from the strap of her schoolbag, the tip of which had rubbed a black mark on her school uniform.

She wasn't like this before. Last semester, she would still care about these details—her hair had to be tied up neatly, her clothes had to be clean, and her pens wouldn't be stuffed around carelessly. But ever since she took on the illustration for "Hugo in the Clock Tower," she has changed completely and has become less concerned about those things that "girls should care about."

Zhou Yutong arrived last, carrying a brown paper notebook. She walked almost silently, like a cat.

"Everyone's here," Lin Shubai glanced at the clock on the wall. "Each group, please report on the final review results."

Yu Xingzhi was the first to speak. "The Campus Story Group received 27 submissions. 14 passed the initial review and 8 were accepted in the final review. That's two more than the inaugural issue. The rejection rate has dropped from 50% to about 40%."

She attached a "Summary of Rejection Feedback" page at the end of the form, with each item clearly written. Lin Shubai noticed that one of the rejection feedback items was written to a first-year high school boy. Yu Xingzhi wrote nearly two hundred words on this matter, spending more time on it than on her own homework.

Yu Xingzhi turned to the second page of the table. "Eight final drafts, I divided them into three categories according to theme—three on 'Leaving Home,' three on 'Traveling Far Away,' and two on 'Farewell.' Among them, one article in the 'Farewell' category is rather special; it's about the death of a pet. I feel that it's a bit of a stretch to fit the theme, but the article itself is very well written, so I marked it in red and wanted everyone to discuss it."

Zhao Lei was the first to speak: "Does a pet's death count as a departure?" I think so. Departure doesn't necessarily mean you're the one leaving; it can also mean someone else leaving, and you standing there watching them go.

Zhao Lin immediately retorted, "Then where is the boundary between 'farewell' and 'departure'? If the death of a pet counts, then does the death of a loved one count? If everything counts, then the theme of 'departure' has no boundary."

At the heart of this debate is a classic question about "theme": should the theme of a publication be a "filter" or a "catalyst"?

If the theme is used as a filter, rejecting anything that doesn't fit the topic, the publication's direction will be very clear, but it might miss out on good articles. If the theme is used as a catalyst, inspiring authors to write something different, then the standard for "relevance to the topic" needs to be relaxed. Zhao Lei supports the latter, while Zhao Lin supports the former.

Yu Xingzhi glanced at Lin Shubai, her eyes conveying the message, "You decide."

Lin Shubai thought for a moment, "Keep this one. There are already quite a few manuscripts available. Although it barely touches on the topic, it still gives readers a perspective for understanding."

Yu Xingzhi made a note on the form without asking any further questions; she trusted Lin Shubai's judgment.

Zhao Lei then reported, "The Hoshino Group received fourteen submissions. Nine passed the initial review, and five were adopted in the final review. One of them was a submission from another school, and the author is Lu Zhixing, the same person who submitted before."

"The other four are from our school." Zhao Lei turned to the second page of the table. "The quality has improved significantly compared to last semester, especially in terms of setting logic. Last semester, many drafts couldn't explain the setting clearly, but this semester most people have learned to explain the world view clearly in one or two paragraphs at the beginning."

Zhao Lin and Zhou Yutong's reports were similar to before. Zhao Lin was still concise, finishing in three sentences; Zhou Yutong was still soft-spoken, but she seemed more confident than last semester. Lin Shubai noticed that Zhou Yutong's gaze intentionally or unintentionally swept over Zhao Lei, and he wondered what had happened between the two of them.

After the meeting ended, everyone else left one by one, leaving only Lin Shubai and Shen Yue in the activity room.

Shen Yue didn't rush to leave. She put the second issue's cover draft into her sketchbook, then pulled out a stack of papers from the bottom of the sketchbook and placed them on the table. Lin Shubai recognized them as illustrations for "Hugo in the Clock Tower".

"I've painted twelve so far, see if they're okay."

Lin Shubai picked up the drawing paper and flipped through it one by one. The first one was an exterior view of the old North Railway Station. The white smoke from the steam locomotive and the outline of the clock tower were intertwined. The picture was grayish, but it had a strong sense of the "1930s".

The second painting depicts Hugo hiding in a crevices in the clock tower wall. The handling of the shadows is good, but Hugo's expression is not quite right. He should be both alert and lonely, but Shen Yue's painting makes him look more like he's in a daze.

"The expression on this one is wrong." Lin Shubai pulled the picture out and put it aside.

He continued flipping through the pages, and the fourth picture was Old Mei's first appearance, standing behind the toy store counter, holding a gear in her hand.

When he turned to the seventh picture, he paused. It depicted Hugo and Mei repairing a mechanical doll. The two were squatting in front of an old wooden table, with gears and springs scattered on it. The lighting in the picture was very well done. The light shining in from the window only illuminated the table and their faces, while the surroundings were dark.

The twelfth and last picture is of Old Mei standing at the entrance of the toy store, watching Hugo and Little Mei leave. Shen Yue used warm colors in this picture, and the light of the setting sun shines in from the left side of the picture, making the shadows of the three people very long.

"It's pretty good, but I'm not entirely satisfied with these few pieces I mentioned. You can revise them."

"Okay, I should be able to finish all the drawings before the second issue of Hope is released."

After chatting with Shen Yue about the remaining illustrations, Lin Shubai noticed it was almost time for school to end, so he went to find Su Wan first.

That evening, after Lin Shubai finished dinner and returned to his room, his phone rang as soon as he sat down at his desk. The area code was 00.

44 — United Kingdom.

"Lin Shubai?" Alan Carter's voice came through the receiver. "Is it convenient for you to talk?"

""