I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

"Isn't it just a piece of text that's neither too long nor too short?"

She was just about to use what she did two years ago to fool him, but unexpectedly, Li Qinya saw through her immediately. Although she didn't know what she was basing her judgment on, after being interrupted, Sheji no longer wanted to hide it from her.

"...No, I directed a stage play."

I don't know whether it should be defined as a drama or something else... It's just about showing the plot you have in mind. The scene cannot be perfect due to funding and stage limitations, but the performance requirements are still very strict.

"Oh." "Huh?"

Why was even Xiaoye surprised... Sheji looked at the two people in front of him helplessly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just became interested after hearing you say that." Li Qinya snapped her fingers, looking quite happy. "Okay, it's decided. I must go to your school to watch the performance that day."

".....Okay."

Anyway, I expected things to turn out like this as early as when Li Qinya asked.

"But let me be clear, the ticket price won't be reduced just because we're friends."

"This kind of activity actually costs money, how stingy."

"..."

How could a writer who had already made so much money say such things? Sheji continued to complain that he was actually worthy of being mentioned in this way.

Human Talent and Heaven's Talent

"It seems Teacher Ai Li has already considered you a rival." Xiao Ye couldn't help but sigh as he looked at Li Qinya, who was sitting not far away. The look in her eyes was as if she had been expecting things to develop to this point for a long time.

"However, whether it's popularity, sales, or even literary accomplishment... or understanding the reader's psychology, I'm completely no match for that guy." He shoveled a piece of cake into his mouth as he spoke dejectedly. "Xiaoye, have you ever heard of that old saying?"

"Eh? What an old saying."

When people hear such questions, they will always reflexively ask more questions...

"Don't fight a weasel."

"What's that?" She seemed to not understand what I said at all. She frowned and looked at me with a little dissatisfaction.

"...What it means is, if you are truly strong, then you should ignore opponents weaker than you unless absolutely necessary."

Actually, this seems to be a fable I've read somewhere before. It's actually a conversation between a lion and his child.

"why?"

Even after explaining everything to this extent, he still wants to ask more questions. Could it be that everything in this guy's head is filled with natural ingredients?

"Defeating a weaker opponent brings neither a sense of accomplishment nor any benefit. Instead, it wastes your time. And if you fail, it would be a devastating blow to you. Therefore, not competing with weaker opponents is the most energy-saving behavior."

Yes, the key is to save effort.

"But... Teacher Alia doesn't think you're weak, does she? It seems to me that she rarely displays such high fighting spirit when facing someone." Xiaoye said to me seriously, "She must truly feel that there is something about you that surpasses her, so she keeps challenging you like this."

"...oh..."

So from my perspective, she's not a lion, but a weasel eager to take action against me? But I'm not that powerful, so what is it about her that attracts her... Is it too late for me to change now?

"Besides, if authors are competitive, they'll compete with each other on our platform to determine the winner. That's exactly what we want to see!"

Did you actually tell me all the plans?

"...It's better to keep this kind of thing to yourself and not say it to me. Actually, I really hate competing with others." Of course, this is not the case in the gaming field.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Please forget it~"

"...How could I possibly forget?"

It's a miracle she found a job... Ah, then again, I don't think I've figured out what I want to do next. So, it seems she's actually even better than me... At least she has a decent job.

"Well, if you can't forget it, then so be it." Xiao Ye didn't seem to care. "Well, now that I finally caught you, let's just talk about the future direction of this book."

"..."

I have no problem with discussing this topic, but using the word "catch" is really...

"The direction...it would be better if the protagonist fails to save the world and then the world is destroyed." I put the cake into my mouth again.

"Isn't this just a bad ending?"

"No, I will give each of the protagonists a reasonable sense of despair in the later stages, and then continue to describe their step-by-step process of destruction. In the end, the protagonist who goes out alone to save the world will fail because of his previous experience."

It's a perfect ending.

"...But while the previous story was a bit depressing, it's not completely hopeless. I don't want to have to inform you of the deadline early because the plot collapses later on."

Compared to last year when she directly slammed the table and refuted, she now calmly puts forward her own opinions. She has grown a lot... Although she has not grown much in height.

"But isn't hope something that doesn't exist..."

The more something is publicized, the less it is available.

"Well... well, since you want to do this, let's try writing a story where one of them dies. If the response isn't good or the popularity drops too much, I'll have to discuss the next plot direction with you."

"Yeah, no problem."

Anyway, the plot direction just now was just made up by me. I haven’t actually thought about how to write it next.

Chapter 1: Human Talent and Natural Talent

"Do you want me to take you back?"

Looking at the sky outside the window which was gradually getting dark, I asked out of politeness.

"No need. You know, the person I talked to Teacher Alia is my colleague. I can just go back with her."

“…I see.”

I couldn't help but look at the table next to her. The two people seemed to be almost done with their discussion.

"If you have time, you might as well send Teacher Alia back."

"... Ugh, I guess I'll just forget it." I know the author's habits well. Even if it's something as simple as walking her home, she'll definitely come up with enough words in her head to fill two pages of a physical book, and then use them in a work. And I don't want to accidentally see it sometime and cause embarrassment.

"There's no need to be shy about this kind of thing, right? Escorting a girl is what a boy should do."

“…”

Aren't you a lady? Although I couldn't say something as misleading as "I'd rather escort you than her," I could still ask this question rhetorically.

"Teacher Shaji, could you please take our fellow author, Teacher Alia, back to her residence?"

"..."

Is it her editor who came to persuade me this time? She seems to be a steady and reliable big sister.

"I just heard from Teacher Alia that you two have a good relationship, so you can be trusted. As it's getting late, please don't refuse, Teacher Sheji."

"Um... okay... since you've asked me that." If I continue to refuse, I would be an unkind person.

"Great, thank you."

"...You're welcome."

I'm not someone who deserves to be thanked.

..........

"You were the one who asked me to take you home... right?" I asked her while waiting for the bus to arrive.

"...What makes you think so? You're not basing your inference on the plot of some boys' or girls' comics?" She asked with a playful smile.

"Oh..." I don't know what to say.

"Why are you sighing?"

"I'm lamenting how someone so young has amnesia." After a brief pause, "If you're from a family like mine and still need someone to take you home, and you took the bus with me instead of a taxi... then was my memory of someone taking a private car home the last time just a figment of my imagination?"

"Hmm." She was stunned for a moment after hearing what I said, then burst into laughter. "Ahahaha, I actually forgot about that. Even with such a big flaw exposed, you still have the nerve to challenge me... Isn't he like those guys in detective dramas who resist desperately despite having irrefutable evidence?"

“…”

I think he's more like an idiot who never succeeded in any crime.

"Huhu, that's right. I haven't talked to you enough yet, so I'm going back with you. This way we can talk as much as possible."

"..." This guy really is.

"Oh, yeah, I don't have your contact information yet... Please tell me everything, including your phone number, address, and WeChat."

"You're really welcome."

Although I said this, I still exchanged numbers with her, and of course, we added each other as friends.

"This way I can chat with you for a while."

"I'm very busy, so please ignore me."

"...Come to think of it, you don't even know where my home is, right?" Li Qinya seemed to suddenly remember something.

"Yeah, so what." I responded by keeping my face hidden in the scarf to avoid the cold wind.

"So...how on earth did you find me when I left home last time and had no contact information? I've been wanting to ask this for a long time."

"There's no reason... I just follow my intuition, feeling where you might be, and then I run to look for you. If I don't find you, then I definitely won't look elsewhere, but will go home and rest."

Actually, not necessarily... Anyway, there are still many places I guess, and there is a possibility that I will go back to rest after searching them one by one.

"...Intuition... Well, just call it intuition." She didn't seem dissatisfied with this explanation. "A keen intuition is a gift. I don't have such a gift."

"..."

Then you really underestimate yourself... You choked me down twice when we just met today, and said that you were not sensitive enough.

"Come to think of it, I heard that you don't have a detailed outline for your writing."

"If an outline is too detailed, it wouldn't be called an outline... If it helps to clarify your thoughts, then keeping it in your head for fear of trouble isn't a bad idea."

Actually, I am just too lazy to write.

"...I've never met anyone who dares to look down on creation so much." Although he didn't seem angry, his tone was clearly different from before. "You make it sound like creation is simple...like it comes naturally."

"...That's just how you feel. Actually, I was in a lot of pain when I was creating, too."

This is the truth. After all, it takes a lot of effort to put the thoughts in my head into words.

"...So, what do you think genius is?"

"...You..." I almost said "You are a genius," but suddenly stopped myself. I don't know why, but as I was about to respond like that, I felt a wave of unease. So I changed the subject to, "You...how do you understand it?" and successfully pushed the question back.

"Of course, it's the ability to do something easily. Someone who can do anything easily is a genius."

Wow, isn't that you? I couldn't help but retort in my heart.

"I think... anyone who's number one in a certain field can be called a genius." This statement was already a clear hint. The guy in front of you is a genius, please admit it quickly.

"There are many people like that. By constantly accumulating experience and honing themselves, they eventually achieve success in just one field. This is just talent. Even if you are a fool, if you give him a lifetime to do something, he will eventually do it well."

"..."

"I'm just honing myself in areas that others can't see. It might look like I'm a genius, but that's just a misjudgment from others." She stretched out her slender fingers in front of me. "Even if you don't realize it yourself, and others may not acknowledge it, I see you as someone gifted by God."

"..."

Has this guy's brain finally been frozen?

Excessive self-confidence and temporary restraint

"My IQ isn't that high."

"I'm just saying you're creative in many ways," she responded with a wink.

...Does that mean you don't deny things related to intelligence?

"I haven't really noticed anything in that regard. I haven't created anything myself."

"Well, a lot of geniuses are like this. They have no awareness of their own talents." Her tone sounded quite helpless. "The reason they seem unremarkable is simply because they haven't found what they want to do."