My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

After seeing off the group leaders, a very tired Yi'an arrived at Mr. Wicker Chair's table:

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Wicker Chair, for keeping you waiting."

"It's alright, Miss Yi'an. Is there really no way to find Mr. Snail?" The rattan chair has been obsessed these past few days. It knows exactly where Mr. Snail is, but it's always a step too late, and it never answers a single phone call.

"Yes!" Yi'an nodded emphatically, then added after a moment's thought, "Sir has cancelled tonight's banquet and tomorrow's 'Novelist Award,' and the hotel rooms are all empty..."

Yi'an knew where the master was, of course, but the master said that one had to be tough on little Neon. What was that saying... "Little Neon fears power but doesn't appreciate kindness!" I won't say it!

"Oh dear, what should we do! I've already obtained the highest level of authorization in America for Mr. Snail's next book, 'Harry Potter,' to be published in overseas translations..."

"The gentleman said that the book is still being revised, and given the excellent working relationship you've had with Mr. Tengyi, it should be handed over to you for overseas distribution, right?"

When Tengyi heard Yi'an say, "We've always worked together very well," she couldn't help but shed tears. Sure enough, Mr. Snail approves of me! But what needs to be changed? It's perfect!

"Then may I have my translation team join Snail Literature, Ms. Yi'an? Simultaneous translation in both English and Japanese."

"Sure, let's translate the beginning first. Mr. Snail just agreed on the phone... I don't know where he called from..." Yi'an almost let it slip, so she quickly added.

Overjoyed, the rattan chair paid no attention to such a trivial matter. In his mind, he was already planning how to translate "Harry Potter," a fantasy novel destined to amaze the world, in the shortest possible time.

...

Yi-an ultimately failed to return to Tainan the next day because although she had persuaded "Sister Zhi-zhi," she couldn't persuade the other group leaders. As a result, seven or eight girls were chattering away in the hotel lobby early in the morning.

There were too many people around, so Yi'an asked the lobby manager to open a small meeting room for her. Then she took out Zhao Wen's "secret" – something she had written down the night before.

"...You should know that Mr. Li Ao has engaged in countless debates and claims to be able to criticize three thousand people. What's even more impressive is that he never attacks without reason. He can easily find our weaknesses and then use historical facts and allusions to trap us in his literary snares..."

"Mr. Snail has always been indifferent to praise or criticism from the outside world. If we rashly start a war of words, it would go against his low-key and composed nature."

"And the most crucial point is that Li Ao loves to litigate and is extremely vengeful. In the past, almost every intellectual who wrote articles refuting or insulting him has received a court summons."

"We are the leaders of Snail House, and our every action represents the entire group. If we accidentally use overly harsh language and he uses it against us, the entire Snail House will be affected, and it might even impact the approval of future autograph sessions and support activities. That would cause Mr. Snail so much trouble!"

The group leaders looked at each other, which made a lot of sense. If they couldn't hold autograph sessions anymore, or even the annual Snail House gathering, that would be terrible!

Yi'an pressed its advantage:

"Furthermore, Mr. Li Ao was merely commenting on the work, offering both praise and criticism; he wasn't maliciously spreading rumors, and it doesn't constitute smearing Mr. Snail. I believe that the true way to defend Mr. Snail isn't to rush into an argument, but to remain calm..."

Yi'an should be thankful that the "fans" of this era still have a relatively clear sense of distance and are emotionally stable. Their respect for Zhao Wen outweighs their intimacy, and they only regard Mr. Snail as a spiritual idol. They have not developed the extreme mindset of "I spend money, I make my own decisions".

Decades from now, those fans will have evolved from idol worship to a complete personal bond, with idols becoming symbols of emotional companionship. After spending money on them, they'll develop an extremely strong investor mentality, controlling every little thing about the artists. If they don't meet their expectations, they'll immediately unfollow, turn against them, and boycott them...

She even blindly stormed into Zhengping's house and murdered her own husband...

After Zhao Wen transmigrated, one of his favorite breakfasts was Yonghe Soy Milk with fried dough sticks and sesame flatbread. He thought that the Yonghe Soy Milk shop he ate in Tainan was the same one as the one in Taipei and Yonghe. But when he woke up in the morning and ate the soy milk and fried dough sticks that Wu Deng had bought for him, he realized that he had been fooled.

At that time, no one had registered the trademark "Yonghe Soy Milk". Hongqi Foods was a small company that had just been registered. So stores using the "Yonghe Soy Milk" brand were all over the island. The taste of the one in Tainan was far inferior to the authentic one!

If it weren't for the fact that the money came in too slowly, Zhao Wen would have wanted to snatch the trademark ahead of time. After all, it's an asset with tens of thousands of franchise stores.

There were two people, Rong Ge and Chen Erfeng, who hadn't even had breakfast yet, already gesturing in the yard.

Chen Erfeng stood tall and straight like a pine tree, pointing and gesturing next to Rong Ge. The cold-faced killer, Shen Jing Liu, was panting heavily according to the breathing method he had just memorized, his shoulders relaxed and elbows dropped, his hands cupped in a round shape, and he actually had a bit of a Tai Chi posture.

"Aunt Feng, come and have breakfast!" Zhao Wen called out.

Aunt Feng sat down next to Brother Deng with a carefree attitude, picked up the soy milk with one hand and gulped it down. Drinking soy milk before eating fried dough sticks was her usual practice.

As we all know, the scent of sandalwood is much stronger in the morning than at night, because it has just been sprayed on.

Brother Deng immediately caught the scent of the high-class fragrance emanating from Auntie Sha, and took a deep, intoxicating breath. Why is it that only Auntie Feng has such a high-class perfume? I wonder if she's finished the bottle she gave me last time?

"Now that you've finished eating, it's a good time to stretch your muscles. You can spar with Xiao Liu later," Chen Erfeng instructed.

Zhao Wen nodded. Perhaps Rong Ge's practice of Tai Chi with Aunt Sha will have some influence on the course of his life.

Rong Ge's past life was very tragic, just like Chen Guilin's final fate. Friends who have read "Zhou Chu Eliminates the Three Evils" should all feel uneasy about it.

Rong Ge's lingering resentment is even more "unsettling" because it stems from his kindness—in a desperate situation, he let two children go out of compassion, which ultimately led to his capture...

A person who can uphold their principles even in the face of life and death is someone Chen Erfeng should wholeheartedly teach.

At noon, Ding Qing from Xiaohuanglong called:

"Master speaks highly of Mr. Snail, oh no, Ah Wen. He says his writing is about life and death, while yours hides a captivating blend of romance and humanity! Come over after dinner, okay, Ah Wen?"