My Years as a Copyist in Taiwan

Chapter 97 Mr. Snail Who Guards His Food

Overnight, numerous Chinese language training classes sprang up across South Korea, but damn it, how many South Koreans actually understand Chinese these days? The training class owners were frantically searching everywhere for Chinese people.

People are learning Chinese, applying for visas, using connections, and some are even trying to smuggle themselves in...

The lyrics go something like, "I once dreamed of traveling the world with a sword..." I just wanted to go to Taiwan to see what the place that gave birth to Mr. Snail was really like.

Applications to study in Taiwan have increased tenfold in just one month. Chinese literature departments at universities, which used to be empty, are now seeing a surge in applications from university students urgently requesting transfers to the Chinese literature department, even though it's only January.

The South Korean government was dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?

In the past, when young people were dissatisfied, they would at most write down some old clichés and just brush it off.

Now what? The young Koreans have stopped causing trouble; they just want to run away. What more do you want?

This is even more terrifying than writing.

If they're going against you, it means they still care about this place; if they run away, it means they're not playing with you anymore.

The Quan Guanqing authorities were furious, but not a single strategist could come up with a solution. You can't just ban people from studying abroad, can you? You can't just arrest everyone who wants to go to Taiwan, can you?

They can only resort to underhanded tactics: restricting visas, limiting quotas, and smearing Taiwan in the media: claiming it's chaotic and...

The "Mr. Snail" phenomenon is a product of the Taiwanese government's marketing strategy...

It's a different story on the island of Taiwan; it's a mix of joy and headaches.

The good thing is, this cultural export is incredibly successful! One author, with just a few books, has attracted young people from across the border. What happened to all our previous propaganda efforts?

The headache is, with so many people coming, how are we going to arrange things? There aren't enough dormitories or enough teachers at the university, and even the dining areas are almost bursting at the seams!

Of course, it wasn't just Koreans who came; young people from Japan, Singapore, Southeast Asia, and even the distant UK also came to the island. Some came to Tainan for "tourism" and to follow their idols, while others genuinely planned to study in Tainan.

When these people arrived in Taiwan, their first stop was Tainan.

At this time, Mr. Snail's alma mater, Jiannan Junior High School, was exposed.

In fact, Jiannan Junior High School started promoting the fact that "Mr. Snail" was a student at our school as early as 82 after learning that his real name was Zhao Wen!

Damn it, he was indeed a student at the school. When Zhao Wen dropped out, he didn't even inform the school. The school was careless and didn't cancel his student status. His name, Zhao Wen, is still on his file.

Zhao Wen didn't care about Jiannan Junior High School's exploitation of him, because it was a fact. Dropping out of school was his own business, and the school had done nothing to wrong him. So he let Jiannan Junior High School take this opportunity to recruit a large number of outstanding students.

As a result, some students who would have been able to complete their first year of university in South Korea opted for a less desirable option, spending considerable sums of money to attend the final year of junior high school at Jiannan Junior High School...

National Cheng Kung University, the top university in southern Taiwan, used to have only a few dozen international students each year, but now it receives over 700 applications. Koreans are the most numerous, followed by over 100 from Japan, Singapore, and the UK.

If National Cheng Kung University can't accept all the students, it can only distribute them to other schools, but those other schools also have students applying to study abroad, you know?

Tainan Teachers College, Tainan Home Economics College, Kun Shan Institute of Technology, and Southern Taiwan Institute of Technology—these schools used to be so popular that even local students weren't necessarily willing to attend. Now, they're overflowing with students!

Even some diploma mills are full...

The most anxious party wasn't the university, but the city government. The mayor of Tainan was so worried that his brows were furrowed. He was also a fan of Mr. Snail's books. After Mr. Snail's true identity was exposed, he went to Snail Literature and Art Publishing House immediately, ostensibly to conduct "research." So he knew that things might go wrong there.

The old wooden houses in the second section of Yongfu Road are all decades old, crooked and narrow, and only one motorcycle can pass through at a time.

Older alleyways have a certain charm, after all, Mr. Snail's book clearly mentions that this is his dreamlike "old home". However, Tainan is located in a low-lying area with poor drainage, so it will inevitably be flooded if the typhoon level is slightly higher.

A few years ago, a torrential rainstorm flooded almost half of the old wooden alley. I heard that Mr. Snail's parents died because of that...

It used to flood, so what? It was just a poor alley! Now you think you can just ignore it? This place has become a treasure trove!

If another typhoon hits this year and floods Mr. Snail's house, it won't just be a matter of losing face; those Japanese devils might even band together and demand an explanation from him.

The mayor has ordered: Repair the old wooden house alley! Start repairing it immediately!

It's January, the typhoon season is still early, which is a good time for construction.

Several engineering teams from different specialties got to work.

The foundation was raised and the flood discharge channel was widened. The drainage system in the Yongfu Road area was not a system before. It was just a ditch that would flood when it rained. Now, the pipeline network has been completely re-laid and the main pipeline has been doubled in diameter.

It's not just about drainage.

The road also needs repairs, the street light wiring needs to be replaced, and the road signs need to be changed. A large sign has been erected at the entrance of the alley that reads "Snail Alley".

The mayor personally applied to the Urban Construction Bureau to rename the old wooden houses in sections one, two, and three of the alleyway as Snail Alley!

So when Zhao Wen saw Olivia off a thousand miles away, he turned around and saw the "Snail Alley" street sign.

This is my first dream in this life, and it has come true...

But he only stayed for ten seconds before getting into a car and heading to Tainan Municipal Baseball Stadium, surrounded by a large group of security personnel and fans.

Even if it's just a fan meeting, there has to be some preparation, right? What's more, at the fan meeting the day after tomorrow, Zhao Wen plans to release several new songs, as well as Qian Baihui, a new artist signed by Snail Literature.

It was 10 p.m., and the temporary stage was still under construction. The emergency sound team that had been brought in was squatting around the steel frame, pulling cables and adjusting the speakers, with the buzzing of the machines going on and on.

Chibako held the song list and quietly recited the lyrics, while Nakamori Akina followed closely behind Zhao Wen, humming "Girl A" repeatedly, which was the song she was going to sing at the fan meeting.

Even Paomian Jun was there. He had come to help on his own initiative. Being caught by Wu Deng so quickly was like Harry Potter arriving at the Great Hall of Hogwarts for him.

Just then, several security guards, looking troubled, quickly walked over and whispered their report to Zhao Wen.

"Mr. Snail, someone outside wants to visit you. It's Golden Horse Award-winning actor Ke Junxiong."

Without hesitation, Zhao Wen ordered, "Don't see them. Let them leave."

But before the security guards could move, several figures had already bypassed the barriers and barged straight in.

Ke Junxiong walked ahead, a friendly smile on his face, dressed in a black suit, exuding an air of importance, followed by a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy.

A boy who looked to be about 18 years old, along with three other young men who didn't seem very serious, quietly followed beside him.

Since the person had already walked right up to him, and one shouldn't hit a smiling face, Zhao Wen couldn't very well drive him away on the spot. He could only suppress his displeasure and say, "Actor Ke, it's been a long time."

Ko Chun-hsiung naturally extended his hand to shake hands.

Zhao Wen raised his hands slightly to avoid the other person's hands: "Sorry, my hands are dusty, so I won't shake hands with Actor Ke."

Ko Chun-hsiung casually withdrew his hand, which was outstretched in mid-air, and continued to smile, seemingly smiling at Zhao Wen, but his eyes were glancing at Nakamori Akina next to Zhao Wen.

"Miss, you look unfamiliar. Hello, I'm Ke Junxiong."

Before coming to Taiwan, Hanami Tsuru specifically instructed Nakamori Akina to be polite and courteous to the Chinese people around Zhao Wen. So when Akina saw Ke Junxiong chatting and laughing with Zhao Wen, she assumed he was Zhao Wen's friend and politely extended her hand.

Just as their hands were about to touch, Zhao Wen reached out and pulled Nakamori Akina away. Without saying a word, he smiled and looked at Ke Junxiong.

This near-turning-against-each-other move made everyone who was quietly watching pause for a moment.

The atmosphere was cold.

Ke Junxiong's smile froze for a moment. Damn it, is he possessive of his food?

But he was a Golden Horse Award-winning actor, so he comforted himself: "He's just a kid after all, his feelings are written all over his face!"

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