A Literary Life Starting from the First Year of High School

When Lin Shubai came out of the office, he was holding the shortlist notification in his hand and was in a good mood.

People were coming and going in the corridor. Several students from other classes passed by him, their eyes sweeping over the paper in his hand before looking away.

No one knows what's written on this piece of paper, nor does anyone know that this seemingly ordinary first-year high school student has just done two things that are considered "out of line" for his age—his manuscript was published in a magazine, and he was asked to write a long fairy tale.

He paused when he reached the classroom door. It was noisy inside; the ten-minute break was always like this—boys were chasing and playing in the aisle, girls were chatting together, and occasionally someone would be pushed and bump into a desk with a "bang."

He pushed the door open and went in.

Su Wan was sitting in her seat reading a magazine when she heard the noise and looked up. She didn't speak, but her expression asked, "How is it?"

Lin Shubai sat back down, took the paper out of his pocket, unfolded it on the table, and pushed it in front of her.

Su Wan glanced down, then looked up, a smile playing on her lips: "Passed?"

"Passed."

"I knew it!" She pushed the paper back, her tone smug, as if she knew all along. "What did Old Chen say?"

"Tell me not to get carried away."

"That's definitely Old Chen's style." Su Wan nodded, then lowered her voice and said, "So, are you considered a 'celebrity' in our class now? You're submitting articles and participating in competitions all the time."

"Don't talk nonsense, the manuscript hasn't been published yet."

"It'll be soon." Su Wan leaned back in her chair, her eyes crinkling. "When the magazine comes out, you can put it on the podium and the whole class will be shocked."

"Why would I put it on the podium? It's not a textbook."

"Showing off? If it were me, I would do the same," Su Wan said confidently.

Lin Shubai smiled but didn't reply. He folded the paper again and tucked it into his textbook.

"You guys are whispering again, is it about the essay competition?" Liu Yang turned around from the front row, holding a bag of spicy strips in his hand, with chili oil still on the corner of his mouth.

Lin Shubai nodded: "The preliminary selection is over."

"Wow, Shubai!" Liu Yang stuffed a spicy snack into his mouth. "When you win an award, remember to mention me in the acknowledgments."

"What should I mention? Should I mention that you drop dumpling filling every day?" This was Su Wan, who seemed to feel uncomfortable if she didn't tease Liu Yang a couple of times a day.

"Mention me as Lin Shu-bai's best friend."

Su Wan clicked her tongue from the side: "When did you become his best friend?"

"I always have been," Liu Yang counted on his fingers. "Look, we eat together, go home from school together, copy homework together—no, we discuss homework together. What else could we be but best friends?"

"You copied his homework," Su Wan corrected.

"Then he's my friend too." Liu Yang chuckled, about to turn back, but suddenly stopped. "By the way, Shubai, about your submission, did the editor say when they'd see it?"

"next month."

"Next month! That'll be soon!"

Liu Yang had already turned around, but after a while he suddenly turned back. "Shubai, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Have you been writing something lately?"

Lin Shubai was taken aback: "How did you know?"

Liu Yang scratched his head. "You've been spacing out a lot in class these past few days, and sometimes you even take out a notebook to write and draw. Last time in English class, I went back to borrow an eraser and saw you writing something in your notebook, and it wasn't even notes."

Su Wan also turned to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Lin Shubai thought about it and felt there was nothing to hide. Although Liu Yang was a big mouth, he could be relied on when it came to keeping secrets.

"I'm writing a novel."

Su Wan and Liu Yang were both stunned for a moment.

"A long story? How long?" Su Wan was the first to react.

"Approximately 50,000 words."

"It takes me all night to write an 800-word self-criticism, and you can write 50,000 words?" Liu Yang's expression was as if he had heard something unbelievable.

Although Su Wan wasn't as exaggerated as Liu Yang, her eyes widened considerably: "When did you start writing? What are you writing about?"

"It just started these past few days. I'm writing a fairy tale, a story about a little pig and a spider."

"Spiders?" Su Wan frowned. "What's so interesting about writing about spiders? They're so scary."

"This spider is different; it can weave words."

"Weaving words? Weaving words on a spider web? Spiders can do that?" Su Wan was even more curious.

"That's why it's a fairy tale; you'll understand once you read it."

"Can I see it? Can you show it to me when you're done writing it?" Liu Yang asked from the side.

"Okay," Lin Shubai said.

Su Wan nodded: "I want to read it too once it's finished."

Liu Yang immediately beamed with joy, and before turning back, he added, "Shu Bai, if you really become a great writer in the future, remember to treat me to a meal."

"Didn't you already ask him to get some spare ribs?" Su Wan reminded her from the side.

"That's from royalties, this is from becoming a great writer, it's different. A meal for the royalties, a meal for winning a competition, a meal for publishing a novel. Three meals, no exceptions."

"You're quite impolite," Su Wan said.

"Why be so polite with him?" Liu Yang patted Lin Shubai on the shoulder and turned back.

The school bell rang. The first class in the afternoon was physics, and the teacher was talking about acceleration. Lin Shubai had transmigrated, and besides the cheat that unlocked the game, his memory had also improved a lot. He basically had all the high school material in his head, so he should have no problem handling the college entrance exam.

I wrote the beginning of "Charlotte's Web" yesterday, about a thousand words. At this pace, I can finish it in a month. But Lü Jia said she should see it first after I finish, so I have to ensure quality and quantity, and not rush it.

He thought about it and decided to write about a thousand words a day, and a little more on weekends. He planned to finish writing in about a month, and once his first article was published in "Story Collection," he would have a solid foundation and be more confident when Lü Jia recommended his longer work.

During the last self-study period in the afternoon, Lin Shubai finished his physics homework, then took out a piece of graph paper and continued writing.

"Divine pig," "amazing," "truly extraordinary." He went over these words in his mind several times, feeling they were more fitting than any flowery language.

He wrote for a while, then stopped to count the words. Including what he wrote yesterday, he already had over two thousand words. Good progress.

He carefully put the manuscript paper away and placed it in his schoolbag.

When school was over, Liu Yang chased after me from behind, slinging his schoolbag over his shoulder: "Shubai, how far have you gotten with that long novel?"

"It's only just begun."

"How many words did you write?"

"More than two thousand."

"Two thousand and you call that just the beginning?" Liu Yang's eyes widened.

Su Wan, walking beside her, couldn't help but ask, "How long do you plan to take to finish writing?"

"About a month."

"So fast?" Su Wan was a little surprised. "Fifty thousand words in a month?"

"I've already outlined the story's framework, and I'm writing about a thousand words a day, which should be about right."

Su Wan glanced at him but didn't say anything more. But there was something in her eyes that probably meant, "When did you become so amazing?"