I asked you to write a light novel, but you wrote about living?

Studio.

After Yu Wen refuted the exposé post with a single sentence, the sentiment in the comments section visibly shifted.

Those arrogant "plagiarists" who were just moments ago have all fallen silent, replaced by endless "hahaha" and cheers of support.

But at that moment, a few comments with an odd style were pushed up by someone with high privileges and firmly pinned to the most conspicuous place.

The speakers were several influential figures with verified credentials such as "senior literary critic," "narratologist," and "PhD in comparative literature."

Not a single word was mentioned about plagiarism; they were as polite as if they were coming to ask someone to be their apprentice.

I've truly witnessed Professor Yu's eloquence today; I admire him. However, someone who can write "To Live" must possess much more than just words.

[You just mentioned that you came tonight to discuss this book with the person accompanying you. That's very frank, so we'll also dare to talk to you about "To Live."]

[If I may ask, the entire novel *To Live* is about suffering—the loss of father, mother, son, daughter, and wife, culminating in the elderly burying their children. In our time, we often say, "Suffering is a treasure," and "Suffering can temper a person." Then I would like to ask you, did Fugui's suffering, in itself, have any meaning?]

The moment the question was asked, the atmosphere in the live stream, which had been filled with laughter, subtly changed.

The questions were so sincere and professional that there wasn't a single flaw to be found, yet they subtly elevated Yu Wen from a "storyteller" to a "thinker."

Immediately afterwards, the second and third verified influencers followed suit, each more earnest and delving deeper than the last.

[@Yu Huashi, I'd also like to add something. Fugui's life was stripped bare by fate, piece by piece, yet he never complained or cursed his destiny. How could someone so cruelly exploited not hate or go mad?]

Honestly, I almost couldn't finish reading the chapters about Jia Zhen's and Ku Gen's deaths. Fu Gui was in excruciating pain every time, yet he always got back up. What did all that suffering ultimately lead him to?

These few polite "inquiries" somehow managed to entice neutral netizens and fans who originally just wanted to see a comeback or watch the excitement to join in.

They had come to see a play, but after being asked this question, they found themselves lost in thought.

[…Holy crap, these big-name influencers are really something. They used the pretext of discussing books to ask really insightful questions.]

Although I hate to admit it... this is a really good question. If a person has lost everything, what makes them still alive? I can't answer that.

[I'm a huge fan of Teacher Yu, but even I got stuck... What exactly did Fugui rely on to survive?]

[It's not just Fugui; I myself, during my most difficult time, I can't even explain how I got back up.]

[+1 to the comment above. I would never normally think about this kind of question, but after being poked in the shoulder like this today, I'm completely dumbfounded.]

More and more people, regardless of their political affiliation, are pondering this question.

The speed of the comments actually slowed down, and many people actually stopped and started to seriously think about this question that no one could answer.

As Yu Wen listened to the screen filled with phrases like "the meaning of suffering" and "what has been achieved through hardship," he almost subconsciously thought of someone:

Mr. Yu Hua!

Someone once asked him the same question: Is suffering a kind of wealth?

Yu Wen always felt that his answer at the time was very well said:

Suffering is suffering; it doesn't bring success. Suffering tempers the will because it's unavoidable. Since you're already in hardship, try to think of it optimistically and treat it as a form of self-improvement.

It neither glorifies suffering nor contradicts its own beliefs, but also reveals the truth about the so-called "tempering" process: people simply cannot escape it and can only grit their teeth and think positively.

Without much thought, Yu Wen followed suit, looked up at the camera, and spoke.

"Suffering itself has no meaning."

He even felt that his answer was quite prudent, both honest and avoiding the cliché of "suffering makes a person."

But as soon as he finished speaking, those influential figures on social media, almost simultaneously, pounced on him.

[Oh? Teacher Yu admitted it herself, suffering is meaningless?]

[You said those yourself, so I'm even more confused. The entire novel "To Live" is about suffering, but suffering itself, according to you, is meaningless. So what gives Fugui's "living" a meaning?]

Seemingly afraid that Yu Wen would have a ready-made answer to deflect the attack, the influential blogger paused, as if he had already anticipated Yu Wen's response, and then added insult to injury.

[Let me make this clear first, Professor Yu, don't try to fob us off with that saying, "People live for the sake of living itself, not for anything beyond living."]

Upon hearing this, the viewers in the live chat, who had been deep in thought, suddenly paused.

Immediately afterwards, several other verified influencers, as if they had planned it in advance, followed suit, repeating the same sentence over and over again, and placing it in the most prominent position.

Yes, "living for the sake of living itself" sounds beautiful and Zen-like.

Forgive my bluntness, but this statement is nothing more than empty words that say nothing at all.

"Living simply to live" is a dead end. It's like asking "Why do people eat?" and someone answers "Because they need to eat"—it's a roundabout way of using a fancy phrase to cover up the fact that there's no real answer.

What we want to hear isn't this kind of cryptic, repetitive talk. What we want to hear is, after stripping away all the meaning, what's left that truly sustains Fugui's life?

With just a few words, each one logically connected to the last, they effectively shut down Yu Wen's most likely and most compelling answer.

In the live stream, the viewers who had just been hoping Yu Wen would turn the tide with a single sentence now panicked.

Holy crap... all our escape routes are blocked.

[He himself admitted that suffering is meaningless, and that classic line, "to live for the sake of living," has been prematurely rendered meaningless... How do we respond to this?]

These people were truly well-prepared; they even anticipated how the other person would answer. It's terrifying.

Oh no, I'm so worried for Teacher Yu, my palms are sweating!

Seeing that the time was right, the influential blogger slowly uttered that final, piercing remark.

[Teacher Yu, let me be frank. Someone capable of writing a book like *To Live* must possess a profound understanding of the meaning of "living" that is beyond the reach of ordinary people; otherwise, they could never have captured the suffering of Fugui so deeply, nor resonated with so many readers.]

So tonight, what we want to hear is not eloquence, but this understanding.

[But what about you? You yourself admitted that suffering is meaningless. That classic line, "Living for the sake of living," is just another empty platitude. In the end, you never told us what the meaning of Fugui's life truly was.]

[If someone can't even explain why their characters live, then I can only dare to ask: do you truly possess the understanding required to write "To Live"?]

Or is it that the ideas in this book didn't originate from your mind from the very beginning, but rather from someone else?

The live stream went silent again.

Countless gazes returned to the cold light emanating from the young man sitting in the rusty wheelchair.

The higher you praise someone, the more people will be waiting to see them fall.

This time, even those who genuinely cared for him couldn't help but feel anxious for him.