A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

October 9th, Sunday, sunny

I went back to school today for make-up classes.

The owner of the newsstand at the school gate actually recognized Lin Shubai. He said, "Your copy of 'Story Collection' is selling well." Lin Shubai nodded but didn't say anything more.

People in the classroom started passing around the magazine. I watched from the side and suddenly realized that it was a remarkable thing that Lin Shubai's writing could make so many people laugh and be moved by so many people.

Not everyone can do that.

To be honest, sometimes I think, "I wish I could write something like that," but it's just a thought. I even struggle to write a diary. Last time I wrote "My Ideal," I spent an entire night struggling to come up with three hundred words, and it was just plain, uncultured stuff like "I want to be a criminal investigator."

Lin Shubai is different. The things in his mind seem to grow out of him on their own, without any effort.

I'm a little envious.

But more than anything, I'm happy for him.

October 15th, Saturday, Sunny

Today, Lin Shubai went to see the editor-in-chief of "October".

Yes, it's that famous "October". My dad told me that it's a very prestigious magazine, and only great writers can publish articles in it.

I waited for him at the door before he left. He was dressed quite smartly. I lent him my Hello Kitty mirror again. Although he said he didn't need it, I saw him put it in his pocket anyway.

He always says "no need, no need," but he always brings the things I give him. After he came back, he sent me a text message explaining the general situation. The editor-in-chief is a nice person, and Lin Shubai said he even commissioned him to write an article.

October 25th, Tuesday, sunny turning cloudy

Today is the day of the Lin Shubai regional finals.

Last night I dreamt that Lin Shubai ran out of ink while writing half of his essay, and I woke up twice in fright.

Before he left in the morning, I gave him that mirror again. He glanced at it, then put it in his pocket, hoping that Hello Kitty would bless him with good fortune this time.

In the afternoon, I was fidgeting in my seat when Liu Yang turned around from the front row and whispered, "Do you think he can win the award?" I said, "Yes."

He said, "How can you be so sure?" I said, "Because he always does it."

Lin Shubai may say "it's alright," but he has everything planned out in his mind.

October 28th, Friday, Sunny

The result came out.

He won first prize in the regional competition and will participate in the national finals.

Sure enough, I knew he wouldn't let me down.

When Lao Chen came to the classroom to call him out today, I don't know why my heart was beating so fast, even though it was for him to participate in a competition.

When Lin Shubai returned, he and I exchanged a glance.

Just one glance.

I saw the corner of his mouth twitch slightly, and then I knew it.

October 30th, Sunday, Sunny

He left today.

Go to the capital.

I waited for him at the door in the morning. My mom asked me to bring him bread and milk, and I always ask him to bring his Hello Kitty too.

For the past few years, we've walked together almost every morning. He's already waiting when I go downstairs, or I'm standing at the entrance of the building when he goes downstairs. We've become so in sync that we don't need to make plans; we just know roughly what time we'll be leaving so we can bump into each other.

It is not impossible.

I'm just not used to it yet.

Lying in bed that night, I wondered if he really won an award in Beijing this time, would he go even further in the future?

Much farther than me.

November 2nd, Wednesday, Sunny

Today is the awards ceremony for the competition.

I don't know what time it starts, but I was distracted in class all day.

My phone vibrated when I got out of school in the afternoon.

I took it out and saw it was a text message from Lin Shubai.

"First prize, come back tomorrow."

On my way home, I was thinking that when he held that trophy in his hand, there must have been a lot of people applauding on the platform.

I didn't see him standing on the stage, but I can imagine it.

November 3rd, Thursday, cloudy

Lin Shubai is back today.

When he came upstairs, I waited for him at the bottom of the stairs. He took a crystal trophy out of his bag and handed it to me. It was transparent and heavy, with the words "First Prize in the National Middle School Students' Innovative Writing Competition" engraved on it.

I heard that his article is going to be published in "People's Literature".

People's Literature.

My dad said it's one of the most prestigious literary magazines in China, and he, a high school freshman, is going to have his article published in it.

But he still maintained that nonchalant, devilish demeanor.

What a show-off.

Sunday, November 6th, Cloudy

A major event happened today.

The Peking University admissions office called Lin Shubai.

I found out when I went up to deliver the dumplings.

Admitted exceptionally.

Peking University.

First year of high school.

Putting these three words together, they just don't sound real to me.

Lin Shubai stood in the living room, holding a plate of dumplings in his hand, his expression calm, as if the matter had little to do with him.

"Aren't you excited?" I asked him.

"good."

It's "not bad" again.

I really want to keep track of how many times he says this catchphrase in a day.

November 9th, Saturday, sunny

Professor Liu from Peking University came to Shanghai, and Lin Shubai's parents went with him.

That night he told me that as long as his college entrance exam score exceeds the first-tier university admission line, he can go to Peking University. His grades have been getting better and better since he entered high school. He is at the top in math, English, and Chinese, and his physics and chemistry are not bad either. The first-tier university admission line is not a difficult thing for him.

I feel like I'm drifting further and further away from him. Even when he's participating in competitions or writing novels, I don't feel this way.

But after what happened at Peking University, things felt different.

Peking University.

That's another world. Not a world I can easily follow.

The places he's going to, I might not be able to go.

I had never thought about this before. We went to school together, came home together, and grew up together. I thought we would always be in the same city, attend the same university, and still see each other often after we started working.

But his path seems to be much longer than I thought.

November 26th, Saturday, Sunny

Charlotte's Web was officially released today.

Lin Shubai gave me a sample copy, but I still went to the bookstore to buy it early. Although I trust him a lot, I wanted to support him by buying one copy at a time, because I was afraid that if the sales were not good, it would hurt him.

When I went to pay, the cashier was a young woman. She saw that I had taken two books and asked, "Is this one very good? Several people have come to buy it today."

I said, "It's beautiful, you'll see when you see it."

I was absolutely certain when I said that.

I'm not saying this just because it's written by Lin Shubai; it's genuinely a good read.

The story of the spider and the pig, the story of friendship and commitment that takes place in the pigpen, is a story that anyone would find enjoyable to read.

Sunday, November 27th, sunny

The first-day sales figures for "Charlotte's Web" are in: over four thousand copies sold.

I'm not a professional, so I don't know what level this number represents, but it sounds impressive.