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

"Teacher Huang is so happy, it must be because one of us made it to the finals, right?"

Lin Hao went to greet him with great anticipation.

Upon seeing Lin Hao, Huang Haitang suppressed her unrestrained smile. "Ahem, the results of the South China Regional Semi-Finals are in. Compared to previous years, our school has made significant progress!"

They made it to the finals as expected...

In the previous competition, Huaicheng No.1 Middle School didn't even have a single finalist.

"You've all done a great job getting to the semi-finals!" Huang Haitang gave a thumbs up. "Just relax and check the rankings."

Lin Hao understood immediately upon hearing this.

Of the three people, one didn't make it in.

If only one goal is scored, that's fine, but if two goals are scored, it's awkward for whoever didn't score.

He walked nervously and excitedly towards the noisy crowd, stepping over the throng of heads, starting by looking at the top of the list—

The number one ranked name is surprisingly familiar.

"Parasite" scored 92 points. Zhao Yishuang, Huaicheng No.1 Middle School.

Judges' comments: The work fictionalizes a brain parasite that induces social anxiety in infected individuals, but also forces a romantic relationship between two people carrying the same parasite… This story uses science fiction to explore the nature of love and free will, and is heartwarming and healing. (Note 1)

After reading the reviews, Lin Hao really wanted to go to the official website to read the original text—this idea sounded particularly interesting—pure literature can be written like this?

Lin Hao suppressed the feeling of shame and inferiority.

Looking further down, the five selected contestants all came from other schools, and the lowest score was 85.

send!

Lin Hao felt a chill run down his spine... He looked at the other column of the list of those not selected, where he was ranked third.

"An Extraterrestrial Object" - 72 points, Lin Hao, Huaicheng No.1 Middle School

He was thirteen points short of qualifying, but he knew the gap was huge.

"The judges were quite strict this time; only a handful of candidates scored above 80," Huang Haitang said from the side.

"Wow, this is so tough... With such high standards from the judges, Zhao Xuemei still managed to score over 90 points. She's truly amazing." Lin Hao exclaimed. "Congratulations, junior, on making it to the national finals."

Zhao Yishuang frowned: "What about Lu Ran's grades?"

"Lu Ran... should be ranked later, since the ranking is based on grades."

Lin Hao's only consolation was that he had Lu Ran, his junior, to rely on, so his score wasn't too bad.

However, after searching the bulletin board, he couldn't find Lu Ran's name.

"Huh? Where's Junior Lu? There's no ranking for Junior Lu?" Lin Hao was taken aback.

No matter what, Lu Ran was the top scorer in the regional preliminary rounds, so how come he didn't even get any results?

Huang Haitang was also puzzled: "Isn't it there? I'll go ask if it was missed..." He hurriedly went upstairs.

"What happened?"

Lu Ran scratched his head, completely bewildered.

Zhao Yishuang counted the list on the bulletin board from beginning to end, even going around the back: "Fifty-six candidates, only up to fifty-five, and Lu Ran was missed."

"Could it be because Lu Ran handed in his paper early..." Lin Hao didn't finish his sentence—or perhaps his score was too low, and he was eliminated by the judges...

Zhao Yishuang glanced at Lu Ran: "Wouldn't it be better to just hand in the paper obediently?"

Lu Ran said innocently, "The examiner said we could hand in our papers early."

"Junior, what are you writing?" Lin Hao asked curiously.

"Parasites," Lu Ran said.

"The same topic as Junior Zhao? You're on the same wavelength!" Lin Hao joked.

"Uh, the theme of parasitism easily evokes images of parasites, right?" Lu Ran pondered. "Perhaps this image has been used too much."

"It's okay, junior. Making it to the semi-finals is a great experience. It's all about participation," Lin Hao suggested. "When Professor Huang comes down, let's throw a celebration party for Junior Sister Zhao, shall we?"

"Sure." Lu Ran smiled at Zhao Yishuang. "Congratulations."

As the crowd in front of the bulletin board gradually dispersed.

Huang Haitang came down from the second floor, still looking confused: "Strange, the staff said that Lu Ran's article was used to compete against other regions, and the results will be posted on the official website homepage."

I've never heard of different regions having to compete against each other...

Lin Hao took out his phone, puzzled, and logged into the official website. Suddenly, he exclaimed in disbelief, "What's going on?!"

Huang Haitang peeked over and was also surprised: "Huh?"

The official website even had a banner on its homepage—

Parasite, 100 points, Lu Ran, Huaicheng No.1 Middle School

All five judges gave it a perfect score!

Each judge then provided a detailed evaluation.

Ning Ning said: "In just three hours, the author used an extremely well-structured three-act structure to create vivid characters and construct a class archetype that contrasts the rich and poor. His critique of human nature is restrained yet sharp."

The writing is precise, the imagery is fitting, the structure is neat, the theme is profound, and the characters are well-developed.

A perfect score, well-deserved.

"Hiss—!" Lin Hao looked at him like he was looking at a monster. "Junior Lu, what exactly did you write?"

Lu Ran was also surprised.

No, this is a perfect score?

Upon closer examination, the excellence of "Parasite" itself is merely icing on the cake; what is more important is its use of the theatrical form.

In a world where pure literature reigns supreme.

Tragic drama is the crown jewel of literature.

Playwrights hold a far higher status than novelists who write stories.

Then there's poetry. As the pinnacle of linguistic art, poetry is considered more sophisticated than novels.

Then comes the full-length literary novel.

Of course, writing plays is not enough to get full marks.

The real reason Ning Ning considered giving a more reasonable score was that Lu Ran was only sixteen years old. If judged according to the competition rules, the students should naturally be the standard.

It's unfair to compare him solely with other famous works.

The three of them took out their phones and started looking at Lu Ran's original manuscript on the official website.

He then fell silent for a long time.

Lin Hao really wanted to say, "Are you even human? Writing something this awesome, are you even human...?"

Before watching, he had some doubts about the judges giving full marks, but after watching, he was filled with admiration.

Zhao Yishuang looked at her phone and bit her lip.

At this moment, she could no longer distinguish her own feelings.

It was a mix of jealousy, admiration, relief, and despair... In short, it was a complete mess.

It's all in Chinese, but my writing is mediocre and unremarkable.

His arrangement and combination, however, resembled a magnificent and surging symphony, deeply moving the listener.

"Great! Great! Your teacher knew I was right about you!" Huang Haitang beamed, patting Lu Ran's shoulder vigorously. "Come on, come on, your teacher has to take you all to celebrate today!"

If the previous "Feed - Come Out" was just a small test, then...

Now, this novel, "Parasite," has completely exposed Lu Ran's extraordinary talent!

……

After a lavish victory celebration banquet.

Lin Hao helped Lao Huang, who hadn't been able to resist drinking a few more glasses, into the designated car.

As night deepened, Lu Ran and Zhao Yishuang walked along Sheng'an Street, where the shops along the street were brightly lit.

"Congratulations," Zhao Yishuang said softly.

"It's just luck," Lu Ran said modestly.

"What does this have to do with luck?"

"I actually dreamed about this story, and I feel like I'm dreaming right now..."

Lu Ran gazed at the inky black night sky, devoid of stars and moon.

He originally just wanted to make some money and live a comfortable life, but...

This long-silent world desperately needs a story of someone who achieves fame at a young age and possesses extraordinary talent.

Why can't I be the protagonist of this story?

"Lu Ran." Zhao Yishuang suddenly stopped under a tree entwined with lanterns, her expression cold and aloof. She said in a low voice, "Do you know why I ignored you last semester?"

"Because you're aloof?"

"It makes me seem snobbish to explain now, but I genuinely thought before... we were from two different worlds."

The girl twirled a strand of hair between her fingers, lowered her head slightly, and asked, "Do you... understand?"

"Oh, I get it, I get it." Lu Ran's eyes lit up. "So we're from the same world now?"

"We can't date so young, I... I'm going back," Zhao Yishuang said, startled and embarrassed. She ran a few steps forward before turning back. "Good luck!"

Lu Ran watched her departing figure, his heart trembling.

Even her escape is so graceful; that's the destructive power of the ultimate ideal woman coming to life...

Suddenly he realized what it meant.

Oh my god, did I get some kind of temptation?

She sent me a gas card again, completely baffled? Haven't I learned my lesson after being rejected so many times?

Absolutely! I must never fall into a woman's trap again!

-

Note 1: "Love Parasite" is based on the light novel by Mitsuaki Shizuka.