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

"No." Lu Ran's lips twitched slightly.

Lin Hao said regretfully, "That's such a pity."

"If I received such a touching love letter, I'm afraid I would remember it for a lifetime."

Who asked you!

Lin Hao, looking weary, suddenly turned and asked, "Junior Sister Zhao, if it were you, would you be moved by Junior Brother Lu?"

Lu Ran's heart tightened slightly.

Holding an umbrella, Zhao Yishuang said in a nonchalant tone, "He didn't write it for me."

"What if?"

"There is no such assumption."

...Stop rubbing salt into my wounds.

Lin Hao, a second-year high school student, was unaware of the gossip circulating among first-year students.

Lu Ran quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic: "Senior, did you participate in the last essay competition?"

"I participated," Lin Haojian said casually. "The National Essay Competition has only been held twice. The last one was the first one, and the competition wasn't this fierce. More than a dozen students from our school made it to the preliminary round, but they all failed in the semi-finals... and none of them advanced to the finals."

"Is the semi-final round really that difficult?"

"It's tough! If you want all the judges to be well-known writers, then their standards must be very high." Lin Hao lowered his voice. "I heard that a top-tier writer, Ning Ning, is coming this time."

"The one that was taught in class..." Lu Ran was surprised.

This person is a living legend.

Ning Ning, a pioneering female writer, is as famous as Jia Tu, a leading figure in the literary world. Her essay "The Stream" has been selected as a required textbook in middle schools.

His representative work is the novel "Traveling Frog", which uses the perspective of a giant frog to view the history of the 19th century.

As a leading figure in the literary world, he has been nominated for the Nobel Prize multiple times.

"Every time I read her writing, I am deeply aware of how barren and naive my own thoughts are," Lin Hao sighed. "This time, the questions she set were even more difficult."

"It's okay, I don't feel pressured." Lu Ran was very relaxed.

He kept glancing at Zhao Yishuang out of the corner of his eye, and noticed that the girl's face was deathly pale, and a few beads of sweat appeared on her fair forehead, like melting snow.

This was the first time I'd seen her look so surprised.

"Are you alright?" Lu Ran asked.

Zhao Yishuang shook her head.

A BMW drove up on the road; it was Huang Haitang, who had come to pick them up.

Lu Ran opened the back door for Zhao Yishuang, waited for her to get in, and then got in and closed the door.

Lin Hao quickly got into the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt: "Professor Huang, is there a direction for this year's exam questions?"

Huang Haitang laughed heartily: "We'll only know for sure when we get there, the examiner will set the questions..."

"You three are the only promising students in our class this year. Try your best to make it to the finals and show your face to the people of the whole country."

Making it to the finals isn't enough... Lu Ran thought to himself, only the first prize guarantees a place in the university.

As for next year, there will be another one...

He dared not gamble, as there might not be a guaranteed admission policy next year.

……

Provincial capital library.

The venue for the South China division of the National Essay Competition semi-finals.

Banners and posters were hung in the library lobby, and the area outside the security checkpoint was crowded with people who had come to see the students off to the exam.

Staff members were responsible for maintaining order and creating a solemn and serious atmosphere.

Huang Haitang escorted the three candidates to the security checkpoint without giving them any special instructions, only saying that he would wait for their good news.

At nine o'clock, the contestants entered the venue.

The examination room on the second floor has more than fifty sets of tables and chairs.

One candidate sits at a large square table, with their information posted in the upper right corner. The tables are spaced a meter apart, and each table has blank draft paper and brand-new stationery.

Lu Ran was assigned to the first row, and Zhao Yishuang was sitting next to him.

Three meters in front of him was the judging panel, a total of five seats, and the invited guests were either famous writers or professors from the Chinese departments of various universities.

Lu Ran only recognized Ning Ning among them. It wasn't that the other writers were not famous, but rather that Ning Ning was too outstanding.

Her writing style is known for its sharpness and unconventionality, yet she herself is gentle and approachable.

She doesn't look over forty at all; her hair is styled in an updo, and she has a classic, elegant oval face, exuding grace and nobility.

A dignified black dress, still exuding charm.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the judges took their seats.

Ning Ning said gently, "Hello, students. I am Ning Ning. You are all outstanding candidates who stood out from the preliminary selection. I have read each of your essays, and they are all remarkable."

"I hope you will continue your efforts in today's on-site essay writing, let your thoughts flow freely, and create freely."

She repeated the rules: a total of six hours for creation, no word limit, no restrictions on subject matter except poetry, and early submission allowed.

The papers will be graded and the results announced on the spot within one hour of submission.

"Six hours..." Lu Ran thought to himself, this time was very subtle, taking into account the time required for the conception process.

"Is everything ready?" Ning Ning asked. "Now I'll announce the topic—"

All the candidates held their breath and focused intently.

Lu Ran was slightly nervous. He removed the cap from his black pen and wrote his name, exam number, and school outside the seam of the manuscript paper.

Despite his instant fame and fortune in the online literature field through popular novels.

But pure literature uses a different evaluation system.

"The theme of this semi-final is... parasitism."

Ning Ning said, "Parasitism is not only a biological concept, but can also be used as a literary metaphor. Please write an essay on the theme of parasitism, and create your own title."

The question is as follows.

The candidates looked at each other in bewilderment.

This topic has a lot of freedom in its conception, and there are many ideas to explore.

Dependence and independence, taking and giving, devouring and symbiosis...

However, upon closer examination, it is a difficult topic to grasp and easy to write about off-topic.

parasitic?

Lu Ran was amused.

Isn't this the core theme of "Journey Under the Midnight Sun"? The male and female protagonists of "Journey Under the Midnight Sun" are like pistol shrimp and goby, mutually beneficial and symbiotic.

However, White Night is a long mystery novel that has already been published, so it cannot be copied directly.

He glanced at Zhao Yishuang sitting next to him.

Like most test takers, Zhao Yishuang was also thinking about her theme, her delicate brows furrowed.

Lin Hao, sitting in the back row, seemed confident. After a moment's thought, he began to write.

A moment later, the more than fifty candidates split into two groups.

One group was deep in thought; the other group was writing furiously, their pens moving as if guided by divine inspiration.

Lu Ran stopped observing the people around him.

After a brief moment of thought, a very fitting work from his dream came to mind.

"Parasite".

This is a typical South Korean film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture, which fits the topic perfectly.

Lu Ran plans to adapt the film into a theatrical production.

This is extremely challenging and tests one's writing ability.

Fortunately, he was deeply influenced by the culture of Shakespeare, Beckett, Guan Hanqing, etc., so adapting a movie was no problem for him.

In the blink of an eye.

Two and a half hours later.

It was nearly noon, and the midday sun shone through the glass curtain wall onto the standing bookshelves.

The judges observed and chatted at the same time.

Professor Fu Jun of the Chinese Department at Tsinghua and Peking Universities glanced at his watch and said, "The organizing committee has prepared a sumptuous lunch for the students next door. You can have lunch before returning to the examination room to answer the questions."

With that, Fu Jun called to the judges, "Teachers, let's go eat first, and then come back to proctor the exam."

"Yes," the judges echoed.

With so many staff members watching, there's no need to worry about any examinees cheating.

Although Fu Jun said he had prepared lunch.

But the candidates did not move at all.

They all ignored him, engrossed in their writing.

After all, creation is a marathon of energy and spirit; one cannot afford to lose a breath.

Almost all the test takers were writing nervously...

Ning Ning, who was walking at the back, saw this situation and turned to a staff member, saying, "Go buy some bread and biscuits for the children to have something to eat."

"Thank you, but I won't need it."

Lu Ran stood up with a grin. "Dry rice isn't being enthusiastic; there's something wrong with his thinking..."

He strode quickly and handed the exam paper to the judges.

"I'm handing in my paper."