Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Kurokawa Akuta forced himself to speak, despite his discomfort.

"good."

Guan Gu Qiu raised his chin even higher, turned his head to look at Guan Gu Feng, and had an undisguised smug look on his face.

Guan Gufeng ignored him and focused his gaze on a poster on the table.

[Call for Submissions for the 1st Japan Fantasy Novel Award]

[Organized by: Yomiuri Shimbun; Supported by: Shimizu Construction, Mitsui Fudosan]

Prize money: 500 million yen

Guan Gufeng's pupils contracted slightly. Through his memories of his past life, he learned that this award had just been established this year. In an era when light novels and fantasy literature had not yet become mainstream, this award was of extraordinary significance.

At the same time, it doesn't care about seniority or genre; it only cares about the most exciting and imaginative stories.

Moreover, the bonus is 500 million yen, which is a sum of money that can change one's destiny in an era where the average monthly salary is around 20 yen.

With this money, he could escape this dysfunctional family and live independently.

He glanced down at his hand; the pen lay quietly in his inventory, its effects ready to be activated at any moment.

With so many works from later generations, whether they are imaginative light novels or award-winning literary works, any one of them would easily win an award.

Kurokawa Akuta's gaze swept over the three people.

He noticed the look in Guan Gufeng's eyes as he stared at the poster. It wasn't a casual glance; it was the look of a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood.

"How about this?" Kurokawa Akuta cleared his throat. "I still have a few intern editor positions available. Sekiya Kaze, you can come too."

Before he could finish speaking, Koji Sekiya interrupted.

"No need, no need! Editor Kurokawa, you're too kind." He smiled broadly. "Guan Gu Feng is not good with words, he can stay at home, no need to trouble you."

Guan Gufeng turned his head to look at his adoptive father, his face showing neither anger nor sadness.

Only confusion.

His past life's memories told him that this man was once a normal father who would take him to the zoo, read picture books to him after the bookstore closed, and, when his mother was still alive, would smile and say, "Little Feng will be a writer when he grows up."

When did things start to change? Was it after his mother passed away? Or after he became addicted to gambling?

Or perhaps, he never changed at all, and his predecessor simply never saw him clearly?

Kurokawa Akuta glanced at Sekiya Kaze, then at Sekiya Koji's fawning face.

After all, it's someone else's family matter; he has already done everything he could.

"Alright." Kurokawa Akuta stood up, straightened the hem of his suit jacket, and said, "Then have this guy... Sekiya Aki, right? Have him come over to report for duty tomorrow."

He walked to the door and suddenly stopped.

"Guan Gufeng, come out with me for a moment."

There were few people in the corridor. Kurokawa Akuta took out a business card from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it to Sekiya Kaze.

"Take it."

Guan Gufeng took it. The business card was on matte paper with contact information printed on it.

"I know your family situation makes it inconvenient to say too much," Kurokawa Akuta said in a low voice.

"But if you need any help, whether you're looking for a job, want to submit an article, or just want to chat with someone, give this call."

He paused, then added, "Your mother helped me back then, and I owe her that."

Guan Gufeng held the business card and nodded.

"Thank you, Mr. Kurokawa."

Kurokawa Akuta patted him on the shoulder, then turned and left.

At dinner time, the food on the long dining table was deliberately divided into two piles.

Guan Gufeng and Guan Guyu had only a bowl of white rice and a few slices of pickled radish in front of them.

In front of the other three people were white rice, miso soup, pan-fried saury, and a small dish of kelp cooked in soy sauce.

Guan Guyu's hand holding the chopsticks was trembling. She had endured it for a long time, for three whole years.

He endured it all from the moment his stepmother entered the family until his university acceptance letter was locked in a drawer, until Matsumoto Yuko took the bookstore's ledger and squandered it, until his father gambled away the day's revenue time and time again.

But today, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Father," her voice was soft, but each word struck the table like a nail, "Why won't you let Xiaofeng go to work?"

Koji Sekiya paused for a moment while picking up food with his chopsticks.

"I'm enough for the bookstore," Guan Guyu continued, her voice beginning to tremble. "Xiaofeng is the smartest person in the family; he should go."

"Xiaoyu," Matsumoto Yuko put down her chopsticks, her tone sharp, "How dare you speak to your father like that?"

She picked up a piece of fish and put it into Guan Guqiu's bowl. "He's incompetent. Going there would only be a disgrace. He should just stay home and save money on food."

"nonsense!"

Guan Guyu suddenly stood up, pushing the chair back with a screeching sound.

"Xiao Feng has always been the top student in the school! I accept your decision to drop out of school; I'm willing to sacrifice for this family! But you took away Xiao Feng's college preparatory fund."

She pointed at Guan Guqiu, her finger trembling, "Give it to him! What did he do with that money? Buy manuscript paper? Or treat those 'editors' to dinner? And what was the result? Seventeen submissions, seventeen rejections!"

She turned to Yuko Matsumoto, "And this bookstore! Look what you've done to my mother's life's work!"

"That's enough!"

Koji Sekiya slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, slapping Guan Guyu across the face.

Guan Guyu didn't flinch. She stared straight at her father, her eyes filled with heartbreaking, utter disappointment.

"Smack."

The slap didn't land; it was blocked by another hand.

Guan Gu Feng stood up at some point and firmly grasped Guan Gu Koji's wrist with his left hand.

"You only dare to act tough at home?"

Koji Sekiya was stunned for a moment, and tried to pull his hand back, but found that this taciturn second brother was much stronger than he had imagined.

"You can say whatever you want about me," he said calmly, "but you beat your own daughter for the sake of outsiders."

He paused.

"Do you even deserve to be a father?"

Before this, Guan Gufeng had always viewed the world from the perspective of an outsider.

But now, the gentle older sister in his memory is arguing with him for the first time at home, and this father wants to beat her because of it.

If he doesn't take care of this, is he even a man?

Guan Guqiu slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and pointed at Guan Gufeng: "Who are you calling an outsider?!"

"Whoever feels guilty is an outsider." Guan Gu Feng retorted, then looked at Guan Gu Hao Er.

"I don't know what promises these outsiders made to you that made you treat your own flesh and blood like this." His voice remained calm. "I don't want to know."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm leaving this house."

"From now on, I have nothing to do with you."

A moment of silence fell over the restaurant. Koji Sekiya's face turned from red to pale. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Fine, let's break up! I'll pretend I never had a son like you!"

Guan Gufeng didn't look at him again. He turned and walked towards his room. Guan Guyu was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed him.

At the dining table, only Koji Sekiya's heavy breathing and Yuko Matsumoto's ashen face remained.

Guan Guqiu sat there alone, picked up the saury that his parents hadn't finished, put it into his own bowl, and ate it without a care in the world.

In the evening, Guan Gufeng packed his luggage, some simple clothes, and 5 yen that his predecessor had saved by living frugally.

That's enough, at least enough to last for a while.

He wasn't acting recklessly at the dinner table; on the contrary, he had been thinking about how to escape this family ever since he came into this world.

The original plan was to finish writing the novel at home and leave after receiving the prize money, but plans can't keep up with changes.

Leaving this house, the cheapest capsule hotel is 2,000 yen a night, with a shower and a place to sleep.

Although there's no table and I have to write on my bed, it's still better than staying here.

Many convenience stores are hiring night shift workers. The hourly wage is 800 yen with subsidies. You can write novels during the day and work at night. You can make a living for a month without any problem.

A month is enough time for him to win the award.

"Knock knock".

The knocking was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing him.

Guan Gufeng opened the door, and Guan Guyu stood in the doorway, her eyes red-rimmed, clutching an envelope in her hand.

"sister?"

Guan Guyu entered the room, closed the door, and without saying a word, simply stuffed the envelope into Guan Gufeng's hand.

Guan Gufeng opened the envelope; inside was a stack of banknotes and a bankbook.

He glanced at the numbers on the passbook.

418,232 yen.

His hand paused. "Sister... what's this?"

Guan Guyu took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice calm.

"This is what I've secretly saved up over the years," she said. "Every day when the bookstore closes its books, I hide a little bit in the cabinet."

"Sometimes a few hundred, sometimes a thousand, I've saved up for three years, and that's all I have."

She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I was thinking that if I could go to university in the future... ha, never mind. I don't need it now."

She gazed into Guan Gufeng's eyes.

"Xiaofeng, I know you're upset, and I know you've always wanted to go out and make your own way in the world. Take this money and don't make yourself suffer out there."

Guan Gufeng gripped the envelope, his knuckles turning white.

The price of a book is over a thousand yen, which means that Guan Guyu saved up for three whole years, one book at a time, day by day, from the bookstore's revenue.

She gave up her dream of going to university, and everything that a girl her age should have.

Just to leave him a way out.

"Sister," Guan Gufeng's voice was a little hoarse, even he himself didn't realize, "Why aren't you coming with me?"

Guan Guyu shook her head, and tears finally fell.

"This bookstore is my mother's life's work," she said softly. "I have to protect it; it's the only thing I can protect now."

She reached out and touched Guan Gufeng's face, just like when they were children.

"And if you get tired outside, there's a place here where you can come back and rest."

Guan Gufeng's eyes reddened, and he blinked hard a few times to keep the tears from falling.

"Sister," his voice was firm, "you have to trust me."

"I will definitely succeed within a month."

"Wait for me to come back."

"When the time comes, you can do whatever you want. If you want to go to school, go to school; if you want to open a shop, I'll open an even better one for you."

Guan Guyu smiled through her tears and nodded.

"it is good."

"I'll be waiting for you, sis."