Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

While everyone was still in a daze, Kume Hiroshi was the first to react.

Relying on his professional instincts, he quickly cut off Sakamoto Toru's microphone and then signaled the cameraman to quickly adjust the camera so that only he and Sekiya Kaze were in the frame.

Facing the camera, he put on a polite smile again, his tone as calm as if nothing had happened.

"It seems that tonight's debate was too intense. Sakamoto-sensei needs to take a break."

He gave a wink to the audience, and several staff members silently stepped forward, lifted Sakamoto Tetsu off the ground, and carried him off the stage from the side.

The farce is over.

Kume Hiroshi regained control of the situation, and with a polite smile on his face, changed the subject.

"Through this debate, it is not difficult to see that the power of literature is enough to move people's hearts." His gaze fell on Guan Gufeng.

"Mr. Guan Gu, would you like to talk about your creative process and your insights into literature?"

Guan Gufeng pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

"I believe that the most important thing about literature is that it has no hierarchy or social status."

"Literature has never been something that is kept on a high shelf and judged only by people in an ivory tower; that is inanimate."

"Literature belongs to everyone, and only literature recognized by the people has vitality."

Some staff members in the audience stopped what they were doing and listened attentively.

"As for the creative process..." Guan Gufeng smiled, "Actually, it doesn't have any profound meaning."

He paused.

"When I applied for a night shift job at a convenience store, I saw the store manager's child playing a Nintendo game console, and an idea for a game world suddenly popped into my head, so I wrote it down."

"Perhaps without that child, Sword Art Online wouldn't have appeared so quickly." He looked at the camera, his tone relaxed.

"When Nintendo releases the Game Boy next month, I'm going to buy one for him as a thank you gift."

Kume Hiroshi didn't change his expression because of this obvious "GG" (disappointment); compared to ratings, this was a trivial matter. On the contrary...

"Professor Guan Gu's words are truly insightful." His tone was sincere and unpretentious. "Then let's look forward to your new book, 'The Twelve Kingdoms,' which will once again bring us a whole new world."

After saying that, he turned to the camera, his voice steady and powerful.

"Thank you for watching tonight's News Station. See you tomorrow."

The red light is off.

Before the door to the control room even opened, cheers had already penetrated the soundproof walls.

The director rushed into the studio like a gust of wind, clutching a stack of freshly printed ratings data sheets.

He threw them into the air with a thud, and the papers scattered like snowflakes.

"Record broken!"

The staff members hurriedly caught the flying papers and huddled together to look at the numbers on them.

Average viewership rating: 31.2%.

The peak viewership rating reached 40.3% shortly after Guan Gu Feng said, "I am Guan Gu Shenqi".

Some people gasped, some jumped up, and the entire studio descended into chaos, filled with laughter, shouts, and clapping.

TV Asahi broke its long-standing record tonight.

Amid the commotion, Kume Hiroshi pulled Sekiya Kaze to the rest area, laughing as he put his arm around Sekiya Kaze's shoulder with a strength far beyond his years.

"Sekiya-sensei, you're amazing!" He laughed so hard he could barely breathe. "You saw Sakamoto Toru's expression, didn't you? Hahahaha..."

Guan Gufeng was also amused by him.

"Mr. Kume's ability to control the situation was the main reason."

Kume Hiroshi waved his hand, took out a business card from his suit pocket, and handed it over. "This is my business card. Let's keep in touch."

He looked at Guan Gufeng with admiration in his eyes. The young man was talented and knew how to conduct himself. It was worth it for him to promote Guan Gufeng's new book at the end of the program.

"Tonight is a good night." Kume Hiroshi patted Sekiya Kaze's arm.

"I've already reserved the best spot at 'Tendan' in Ginza. A5 Wagyu beef, I've asked them to reserve the finest cut. Want to grab a drink, bro?"

"It would be my great honor."

A private room at a high-end yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant in Ginza.

The charcoal crackled softly on the grill, and the air was filled with the aroma of roasting meat and the smoky scent of cigars.

The core members of News Station sat together, laughing and chatting.

Kaze Sekiya and Hiroshi Kume sat in the very center.

Kume Hiroshi had a pot of fine sake in front of him, while Sekiya Kaze had a glass of beer in front of him. They were a bit too raw, but no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

"Teacher Guan Gu." Kume Hiroshi picked up a piece of grilled beef tongue, put it in his mouth, and chewed it a couple of times.

"Give me a heads-up, bro. What are your plans for the future? Would you be interested in coming on my show again?"

For someone else, this might be seen as a rare opportunity to gain exposure.

But Guan Gufeng knew that appearing in the public eye too frequently would diminish his mystique and lower his status.

Besides the competitive nature of the show itself, there is another important reason for today's "record-breaking" achievement.

These days, no weekly magazine has been able to find a photo of him, readers know nothing about what he looks like, and their curiosity has been piqued to its peak.

Then, he suddenly appeared on television.

This card has already been played; it cannot be played again.

"Mainly writing books," Guan Gufeng said, taking a sip of beer. "Maybe I'll draw some comics?"

He said it half-jokingly.

"I've been too busy lately and want to take a break. I want to travel around and have some good food."

Kume Hiroshi nodded, not insisting. It's only natural for someone who was struggling to make ends meet a month ago to want to take a break now that they suddenly have money.

"Remember to send a copy to your brother after the new book is published."

"Of course."

After chatting for a while, Guan Gufeng got up and went to the corridor for some fresh air.

The corridors in Ginza were quiet, and the thick carpets absorbed most of the footsteps.

The wall lamp cast a dim, yellowish light that shone on the dark wallpaper, giving it a sophisticated feel reminiscent of the Showa era.

He had only taken a few steps when he heard a familiar voice.

Not far away, a middle-aged couple with a young man were bowing and scraping to another middle-aged man, their posture so humble that it seemed as if they had done something terribly wrong.

The voices were getting closer.

"Koji Sekiya," the middle-aged man who had been bowed to said impatiently, his voice loud, "I've already given you enough face."

"You good-for-nothing son, you can't even do menial tasks properly. It's already pretty good that you have an internship spot where you can run errands on set. Not everyone can get a spot like that."

Koji Sekiya forced a smile, his voice trembling with ingratiation: "Please forgive me... Sekiya Aki isn't in good health, could you arrange something easier for him?"

"You think you're qualified to negotiate with me?" The middle-aged man exhaled a puff of smoke. "That's it. If you're not going to do it, get out."

He turned to go back to the private room, but his peripheral vision caught sight of Guan Gufeng standing not far away. He paused for a moment, rubbed his eyes, and dropped the cigarette in his hand.

"Guan...Guan Gu-sensei?! It really is you!"

The middle-aged man jogged over, stretched out his hands, and his expression changed from impatience to ecstasy.

"I'm a huge fan of your books! Your performance on the show tonight was amazing! Could I get your autograph?"

Guan Gufeng recognized him; he was a sponsor representative he had just met in the studio.

"Of course." Guan Gu Feng took the notebook and pen handed to him and signed the four characters "Guan Gu Shenqi".

Thank you for your support.

The middle-aged man happily tucked the notebook into his pocket. "Keep it up, Mr. Guan Gu! I'll definitely buy your new book when it comes out!"

After saying that, he left, beaming with satisfaction.

The corridor fell silent.

Koji Sekiya and his family of three stood a few steps away, frozen in place.

They looked at Guan Gufeng, the second son they had once looked down upon, the "good-for-nothing" they had kicked out of their home.

They bowed down to hand over their business cards and called him "teacher" when they were being fawned over by someone they could never have in their entire lives.

Yuko Matsumoto was the first to react, and quickly put on her best-known ingratiating smile.

She pulled Koji Sekiya and Aki Sekiya along quickly.

"Xiao Feng, long time no see!" Her voice was nauseating. "You're feeling much better, aren't you? You look great."

"When I first came to your home, I could tell you were very talented."

She tugged at Koji Sekiya's sleeve, and Koji Sekiya immediately bent down, even lower than he had been to the middle-aged man.

"Xiao Feng," he said, his voice forced from the depths of his throat, "for...for my sake, help your brother find a job."

"We'd be willing to go back to being editors."

Guan Gufeng looked at them and laughed in anger at their shameless words.

Just then, the door to the private room behind them was pushed open, and Kume Hiroshi leaned out, holding a glass of sake in his hand.

"Teacher Guan Gu, don't let the wind in!" His voice was still warm from the alcohol.

"We haven't finished talking about music yet! I saved you a really good piece of beef tongue, bro, or those quick-fingered guys will snatch it up!"

He saw the three people beside Guan Gufeng, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

"Who are these people?"

Guan Gufeng glanced at the humble, pleading expressions on the three faces.

He didn't look at it a second time and turned to walk towards the private room.

"It's nothing, just a passerby."

"Irrelevant."