1978 Synthetic Writers

Chapter 581 Who is the King of Fairy Tales?

"Old Zheng, you're here so early."

"Ah."

Inside the Federation of Literary and Art Circles building, in the editorial office of *People's Digest*.

Zheng Yuanjie was hunched over his desk, his pen moving incessantly across the manuscript paper, completely immersed in the world of writing. When his colleagues greeted him, he only gave a perfunctory reply.

His colleagues at People's Digest didn't take his perfunctory attitude to heart. They were already used to Zheng Yuanjie's attitude and had long since reached a consensus that he was a workaholic.

Zheng Yuanjie is the editor in charge of the children's literature section of People's Digest. At the same time, he also runs his own magazine, King of Fairy Tales.

All the works in this magazine, "King of Fairy Tales," were written by him alone. From writing to serialization, he completed everything by himself without the participation of anyone else. He handled all the content himself and presented it to readers in a continuous serialization.

He wrote and edited his own articles, acting as both a contributor and editor, handling all the minutiae of the publication. It's a miracle that he single-handedly started a magazine.

Zheng Yuanjie has been doing this continuously for several years.

This is even more of a miracle.

A miracle of diligence.

Of course, what they didn't know was that Zheng Yuanjie was holding a grudge.

Some time ago, he suffered a great blow. The job of editing a children's literature series, which was originally assigned to him, was given to another female writer who graduated from university because of his low education level and his broken promise.

That wasn't all. This group seemed to think that humiliating him wasn't enough. At a discussion among the book editors, a university professor, completely looking down on Zheng Yuanjie who only had an elementary school education, bluntly uttered a harsh remark:
"If this monthly magazine can continue for two years, I'll write my name backwards!"

It's bad enough that I was humiliated, but the publication that I nurtured with my blood and sweat was also insulted in this way, and people openly expressed their contempt for it.

Zheng Yuanjie will never be able to swallow this insult.

When he returned, he carved that person's name on the table.

He set a goal for himself: to write every day and night, with a daily output of at least 6000 words.

I kept writing and writing, and a year passed in that way.

Of course, Zheng Yuanjie also has times when he wants to relax, but whenever he feels like relaxing, he looks at that person's name and is filled with energy again.

There's nothing we can do; he's just that simple, stubborn, and vengeful.

When he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, Zheng Yuanjie moved with his parents to a school for children of employees because his father's job was transferred.

This school for children of military officers in Henan was founded by them, and Zheng Yuanjie began his studies there.

Not long after starting school, the teacher assigned a composition with the title "The early bird catches the worm".

The teacher set this question in the hope that the children could take the early birds as role models and learn from their diligence.

However, when Zheng Yuanjie saw this topic, he had a different perspective:
If you were a bird, you would have to get up early to ensure you have enough to eat and wear. But if you were an insect, wouldn't you get eaten by a bird if you got up early? Therefore, if you found out you were an insect, you would have to sleep in to avoid that deadly disaster.

And so, he resolutely changed the title of his essay to "The Early Bird Gets Eaten by the Bird".

Just as he was feeling smug about his "feat," he never expected that the teacher's criticism would come crashing down on him like a storm.

The teacher firmly believed that Zheng Yuanjie's unauthorized alteration of the title was a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him, so he punished him by making him stand on the podium and loudly read out the following sentence: "Zheng Yuanjie is the most worthless person!"

When Zheng Yuanjie was publicly humiliated by his teacher, he felt extremely wronged.

So the next day, after arriving at his seat, he silently counted to three in his mind, and then set off the firecrackers that he had prepared in advance and had put in his pocket.

Thick smoke billowed from the classroom, and along with it, his student days, like the lights shrouded in smoke, gradually "went out," bidding farewell to that time that belonged to him as a student.

Because he was deemed to have disrupted classroom discipline, Zheng Yuanjie was expelled from school. The day after his expulsion, Zheng Yuanjie's father came to the school and helped him complete the withdrawal procedures.

Therefore, Zheng Yuanjie's "vengeful spirit" was already evident from a young age.

Of course, besides being humiliated by that university professor, another thing was breaking up with his girlfriend.

His girlfriend's parents didn't want their future son-in-law to be just an ordinary worker for the rest of his life, so they were hoping that Zheng Yuanjie would take the college entrance examination. They thought it would be best if he could become a cadre through the exam, so that their daughter could live a comfortable life in the future.

So his girlfriend tried to persuade Zheng Yuanjie to take the college entrance examination, but he refused every time. No matter how his daughter tried to persuade him, Zheng Yuanjie insisted on his own idea and refused to take the exam.

In the end, in order to make the two break up as soon as possible, the girlfriend's parents specially arranged for their son to handle the matter. The location was chosen to be the south gate of the Normal University, where he confronted Zheng Yuanjie and ended the relationship.

Under pressure from his parents, his girlfriend had no choice but to break up with him.

Although many years have passed since this incident, Zheng Yuanjie is now married and a parent.

But deep down, he harbored a thought that also fueled his writing: a determination he made when he was mired in the pain of heartbreak, a determination that he would make his ex-girlfriend's parents regret their decision.

"The model airplane competition has begun. One after another, small planes roared into the air and began to perform various flight maneuvers, constantly winning cheers."

Shuk, get ready! Shuk, get ready!
Pipilu secretly pressed the tank in his backpack and used the radio on it to contact Shuke.

Shuke and Beta were in the helicopter at that moment. The helicopter was parked on Pipilu's balcony, waiting for them.

clear!

Shuk answered.

take off!

Pipilu gave the order.

A beige helicopter appeared in the sky above the stadium, immediately attracting the attention of the entire audience.

The referee was stunned; there were no helicopters among the planes participating in the competition!

The helicopter hovered in the air, descended vertically, and circled, moving with such agility as if it were piloted. Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

The referee had no choice but to nod repeatedly.

It flew past the audience's heads!
Pipilu gives the order.

clear!

Shuke pressed the control stick, and the helicopter circled the arena, barely missing the heads of the audience.

The audience was initially taken aback, then erupted in applause.

At this point, Zheng Yuanjie stopped writing, read it through once, and felt quite satisfied.

This new work, "The Adventures of Shuke and Beta," is his first published novel this year, and it has been well-received by many young readers.

Hmm. I have to say, I didn't notice it when I was a kid, but looking at it now, the plot does have the basic template of later online novels: showing off and getting slapped in the face, pretending to be weak to take advantage of others.

Pipilu was first ridiculed, then he pulled out his cheat code "Shuke and Beta" and instantly slapped everyone in the face, which was really satisfying to watch.

"Finished writing, Lao Zheng?" His colleague took a sip of water and smiled at him.

Zheng Yuanjie smiled, but unfortunately, because of a scar on his face, the smile didn't look so kind. "Finished writing, 6000 words a day."

"Hehe, young people are so ambitious, we old folks can't keep up. But I have to say, Xiao Zheng, your little publication is really well done. I heard from someone recently that the circulation is over 100,000. That's really impressive."

"Harmful."

Zheng Yuanjie felt a little embarrassed and said modestly, "It's nothing, nothing at all."

"How can this be considered insignificant?"

The other person shook their head. "A circulation of over 100,000? That's higher than the circulation of many proper literary journals. Uh, Xiao Zheng, I'm not saying your journal is improper."

"Oh, I know what you mean, don't be so polite."

"Really, I'm not saying your publication is unreliable, Xiao Zheng. I even bought your 'King of Fairy Tales' for my daughter to read. When she asked me who wrote these stories, I told her it was 'King of Fairy Tales.' You really are the King of Fairy Tales!"

This was a highly respected senior editor in the industry. When Zheng Yuanjie heard the person praising him like that, he trembled and his face flushed red.

"Please, please don't say that. I'm not worthy of such titles, like 'King of Fairy Tales' or 'Little King of Fairy Tales.' I'm just an ordinary writer and editor."

He was modest, but he was actually quite happy inside.

The King of Fairy Tales!

It's absolutely impossible to say that Zheng Yuanjie had no ambition when he founded this publication and gave it such a name.

He did indeed fantasize at the time that one day his publication would be a bestseller across the country, and he would become the true king of fairy tales in the hearts of the people.

Now that this fantasy is gradually becoming a reality, how could Zheng Yuanjie possibly be unhappy?
"Hey, have you guys seen it?"

As the two were chatting, another colleague came over and excitedly asked them questions as soon as he saw them.

"You saw it? What did you see?"

Zheng Yuanjie and the editor he was just chatting with both looked completely bewildered.

"Children's Literature!"

The other person looked excited. "So you guys didn't know? You're so out of touch! Our boss, Editor-in-Chief Jiang, published a new novel in Children's Literature!"

"A new novel? Children's Literature?" Zheng Yuanjie frowned. He really didn't know about this. He was already busy enough managing two publications, Fairy Tale King and People's Digest, so his contact with the outside world was naturally reduced.

"How did it get published in Children's Literature?" another editor asked.

This is precisely what surprised Zheng Yuanjie.

In his memory, Jiang Xian and the publication "Children's Literature" were completely out of place.

Jiang Xian's works are filled with the most avant-garde and pioneering ideas, prompting reflection and full of irony.

Such works should be published in journals that emphasize literary quality and thought, such as People's Literature or Contemporary Literature. Other journals like October or Flower City are also acceptable.

In any case, it shouldn't be "Children's Literature".

Not a good match!

"What a pointless question."

The editor who came later rolled his eyes and explained, "It was published in Children's Literature because what he wrote was children's literature."

"Wrote children's literature?"

Zheng Yuanjie and another editor were both surprised.

"Oh dear, why is the editor-in-chief writing about children's literature?"

"How's the writing going?"

"Excellent! Absolutely excellent!"

"Stop flattering me. Do you have this publication? Bring it over for Xiao Zheng to see; he's an expert in this field."

"Me? How could I possibly be considered an expert?"

Zheng Yuanjie quickly waved his hand, but deep down he also wanted to read Jiang Xian's novel.

He recalled that a few years ago, when he had just started writing and had only written a few works in the field of children's literature, he read Jiang Xian's "The Grass House".

The impact of this novel on him still leaves a deep impression on Zheng Yuanjie to this day.

Now he has become a well-known figure in the field of children's literature. I wonder how Jiang Xian's current writing compares to his?
He quickly obtained a copy of the latest issue of "Children's Literature" and, taking advantage of his free time today, read the entire article.

It doesn't take long to read The Little Prince.

When Zheng Yuanjie finished reading the last line of "The Little Prince," his eyes became clear.

He closed the book and pondered for a long time, unable to detach himself from the desert, the planets, and the incredibly strange world that Jiang Xian had constructed.

"Old Zheng, Old Zheng."

"Ok?"

When his colleagues, who were free, came over and called out to him a couple of times, Zheng Yuanjie finally snapped out of his daze.

"Old Zheng, how's it going?" The colleague was obviously asking about Jiang Xian's novel.

"Sure, of course!"

Zheng Yuanjie uttered this sentence in a daze, and after a long while, he added:
"I never imagined that he could write all the principles of being a person in his life into a children's book, and write it so vividly."

"Is it really that good?"

“Really, you’ll see once you read it.” Zheng Yuanjie handed the book of “Children’s Literature” to the other person, while inwardly reminiscing about “The Little Prince”.

When Zheng Yuanjie is writing, he also has this idea: to write a vivid and interesting story that is suitable for children, and to make it meaningful.

He understood this principle:
A story without substance is fleeting and easily blown away by the wind; therefore, a story must have substance.

The same applies to children's literature.

It must have substance.

Jiang Xian's writing style in "The Little Prince" imbues the story with philosophical depth, which, in the eyes of children's literature creator Zheng Yuanjie, is simply the ideal work he himself had ever written!

Very good!
This is so well written!
It was so good that he felt ashamed.

This only requires a slight movement, which is the limit he is trying to reach.

This is the true king of fairy tales!

(End of this chapter)