It was just a love letter; I'm really no great writer!

Can online novels achieve the depth of literature?

Li Xingping smiled as well, her gaze on Lu Ran concealing a hidden malice:

"I might never read online novels in my life. Will that have any impact on my life?"

...Zheng Yue's clenched fist loosened weakly.

Lu Ran was slightly surprised.

I never expected that Li Xingping, who seems so quiet and gentle, could be so ruthless when she's criticizing people.

Faced with this pointed question, he picked out a piece of ginger and said calmly, "Literature is the imprint of the times, and writers are always the pride of a nation, but not everyone can become a writer."

"Online literature is the most accessible form of popular literature to the general public."

"Even if it doesn't have much depth, as long as it gives people a bit of comfort in adversity, brings a smile to their face in distress, and provides them with a little spiritual nourishment, it has its own meaning and value."

Li Xingping smiled slightly: "Oh~ I've learned something."

Looking at Li Xingping's smiling face, Lu Ran's heart skipped a beat. Damn it! He'd fallen for her trap!

She did it on purpose!

By exploiting the conflict between traditional literature and online novels, he deliberately provoked Zheng Yue.

The purpose, of course, is to sever ties with Zheng Yue.

Zheng Yue, completely oblivious to Li Xingping's intentions, was still grinning foolishly—

Seeing that Li Xingping was convinced, Zheng Yue felt as comfortable as if she had eaten a ginseng fruit.

Well, we're not in the same league.

Lu Ran shook his head slightly. Staying away from green tea is also a good thing for Zheng Yue.

"White Night Walk... How strange," Xia Liang frowned as she read, already engrossed in the story. "It doesn't read like a web novel at all; it's more like a serious novel, but once you start reading, you can't put it down..."

"What is this?!"

Xia Liang was shocked. This kind of shell-based online novel format was like stinky tofu—it smelled bad, but tasted delicious.

"Heh, isn't my brother awesome?" Zheng Yue said smugly.

"Xingping, take a look too." Xia Liang handed the phone to Li Xingping, and the two of them huddled together to examine it, both with strange expressions on their faces.

This feeling...

I wanted to resist, but my body's instincts were calling out...

Clearly, the colloquial writing style had a significant impact on them.

In the past, pure literature was considered the highest form of refined art, while online literature was considered lowbrow and unworthy of serious attention.

The two are clearly distinct and have never intersected.

Lu Ran's creative work, "White Night Journey," directly challenged this seemingly unshakeable concept, no less significant than Copernicus proposing the heliocentric theory or Columbus discovering the New World.

The novel *White Night* itself is not important.

Importantly, it revolutionized the field by incorporating social realism, injecting vibrant vitality into online literature and elevating it to the pinnacle of popular literature.

On Earth, this niche is The Count of Monte Cristo.

……

Even after they finished eating, neither woman took her eyes off the screen for more than three seconds.

Lu Ran chuckled inwardly. So she's already smitten?

If I were to unleash "Battle Through the Heavens," wouldn't that be a dimensional attack? No, "Battle Through the Heavens" won't work. The lighthearted, wish-fulfillment novels of this world have long since spawned the leveling-up genre; what they truly lack is literary merit...

Suddenly, a famous work flashed through my mind—

That's right, it's "Novoland: Eagle Flag"!

Lu Ran forcibly suppressed his impulse.

No, it's not ready yet.

With my current skill level, I am not capable of resolving the unfinished issue of "The Legend of Misty Mountains". I need to take a long-term view.

Once he finishes writing Jin Yong and Gu Long's classic martial arts novels, he should be able to grasp the essence of it... The process of Lu Ran writing a book is actually a process of internalization.

During the lunch break, Xia Liang called Lu Ran over and asked him to go to the activity room for a short meeting.

Seeing this, Zheng Yue had no choice but to go back to the classroom alone.

***

***

The activity room is located on the first floor of the teaching building.

The midday sun was blazing, but the ivy climbing the window seemed even more vibrant.

Pushing open the slightly ajar door, Lu Ran froze for a moment.

A girl was already standing in front of the whiteboard, turning her head at a 45-degree angle.

Beneath his neat and stylish short hair was a striking and handsome face, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, and a clear and sharp jawline.

Wearing a refreshing blue tracksuit, she had long, slender limbs, tanned skin, and smooth, toned muscles in her thighs and calves.

Lu Ran remembered that this was the girl who played badminton with Zhao Yishuang after school yesterday.

"Little Di~" Li Xingping called out affectionately, introducing, "Di Lingyan, our literary society's reporter, in charge of the news section."

"This is Lu Ran..."

"I know." Di Lingyan raised an eyebrow. "It's that guy who wrote the love letters, the one who used to pursue Zhao Yishuang."

"...It's me." Lu Ran said, feeling embarrassed.

Xia Liang couldn't help but laugh: "Don't take offense, that's just Xiao Di's style, straightforward."

"Hmph, let me make this clear from the start." Di Lingyan didn't care about Lu Ran's embarrassment at all. "Now that you've joined our literary society, don't cause trouble and get entangled with this and that! Don't make a mess of things! No matter who you like, don't corrupt the atmosphere of the literary society. There is only sacred literature here!"

"Heh, if you have ulterior motives, I advise you to leave as soon as possible."

Di Lingyan was quite tall, almost at eye level with Lu Ran, who was over 1.8 meters tall, and his aura completely overwhelmed him.

His words were also quite blunt.

Lu Ran touched his nose: "It seems you have quite a misunderstanding about me, so I'll just lay it all out."

hiss!

Xia Liang and Li Xingping were also stunned!

Di Lingyan's sudden attack caught them completely off guard.

If we anger Lu Ran and he leaves, who will write the final novel for the magazine?

However, they could understand Xiao Di's feelings very well.

—The previous disintegration of the literary society was also a pain for Di Lingyan.

As for the rumors surrounding Lu Ran at No. 1 High School, they were naturally not very positive...

From Zhao Yishuang's sycophant to the decadent and depraved Jueshen;

Even the "love letter prince" who was recently criticized by the entire school is still seen by most students as a sensationalist and a figure of genius.

Lu Ran calmly looked at Di Lingyan's aggressive gaze.

Reviving the "Huaizhong Pictorial" was Mr. Tian's request, and of course he wouldn't abandon it.

Moreover, he never intended to mess around.

"I don't care what happened in your literary club before."

"This literary society was founded by Xia Liang and me. We have only one goal: to run the school magazine well."

"If you agree, you can stay and help."

"As for my personal feelings, I can promise that I will not bring them into the literary society."

Lu Ran said frankly.

His own personality is cold on the outside but aloof on the inside, so he doesn't really like lively and outgoing types—none of the three girls in the literary society suit his taste.

The two women he liked, Zhao Yishuang and Zuo Hanzhi, were both aloof and cold-tempered, like ice sculpture beauties.

It's really not like I'd go so far as to flirt with other women in the literary society.

Seeing that Lu Ran made a solemn promise.

Di Lingyan's expression softened: "That's good."

Xia Liang avoided this sensitive topic and tried to smooth things over: "Okay, everyone just wants to make the magazine a success. Let's talk things out."

"Don't bottle it up, it'll make everyone uncomfortable."

"Xiao Di, if you take a look at Lu Ran's 'To Live,' you'll know he puts a lot of effort into it."

"Wait, I'll add you to the group."

Di Lingyan gave a soft "hmm" and said in a low voice, "I know, the magazine is the result of our joint efforts..."

Xia Liang pulled her into the group chat: Liangran Literature Club (4)

Di Lingyan found the group document sent by Lu Ran and sat down to read it quietly.

A potential conflict was averted, and Xia Liang breathed a sigh of relief, saying to Lu Ran:

"Lu Ran, could you please take a look at the comic about me and Xing Ping and give me some suggestions?"

Lu Ran walked over and looked at Xia Liang's laptop screen—beautiful characters and elaborate costumes; it was clearly a shoujo manga.

A large double-page spread on the title page.

The lines are delicate and the panel layout is smooth.

As expected of an art student with a background in painting, Xia Liang's brushstrokes are quite skillful, clearly showing that she has put in a lot of hard work in painting.

But the content itself is basically devoid of information.

A purely technically impressive work.

"How should I put it, this is more like an illustration than a comic," he said bluntly.

This time it was Li Xingping's turn to be dissatisfied: "Then tell me, what would make it look like a comic book?"

Do I really have to do this...? Lu Ran pondered for a moment.

He casually picked up a piece of chalk and with a few strokes drew a round-faced, bald man in a red cape on the blackboard.

He answered calmly:

"What makes a comic interesting is its humor."