Chapter 456: Chapter 456: 434: The Urge to Sing_1

“Teacher Yuanyuan is here!”

“Indeed, the stories of the ‘Three Little Pigs’ series are part of countless people’s childhoods. But to speak of the strength in long-form categories, Teacher Yuanyuan ranks among the top three, or even the top two, in all of Qin Continent. Silver Blue Books is indeed fortunate to have Chu Kuang dominating the short-form fairy tales and Yuanyuan in charge of the long form…”

“Yuanyuan might be planning something.”

“Ever since Chu Kuang became the ‘King of Short Fairy Tales’, many long-form children’s book authors have dreamt of becoming the ‘King of Long Fairy Tales’. But this is mostly wishful thinking among ordinary people. However, Teacher Yuanyuan, being among the top long-form children’s authors, does have the strength to compete for the title.”

“Who will be the next Chu Kuang?”

“Since Teacher Yuanyuan is making her move, other children’s long-form authors definitely won’t just sit idle. I reckon the Literature and Art Association will soon recommend long-form children’s novels as essential reading for primary school students. By then, it will be a grand showdown among the authors of long-form children’s tales.”

“…”

A heated discussion ensued within the fairy tale circle.

Due to the popularity of Chu Kuang’s ‘Fairytale Town’, and the fact that Teacher Yuanyuan’s new book will also be launched here, the Fairy Tale Department of Silver Blue Books has certainly become a significant department within the company. Consequently, the position of chief editor has become even more important.

In the deputy editor’s office…

Shui Zhourou’s eyes are sparkling: “Chu Kuang is currently the ‘King of Short Fairy Tales’, and compared to Lin Xuan, we stand no chance when it comes to short tales. But since the three deputy editors are competing against each other to take the position based on their performance, it’s not just about the short tales’ performance. The importance of long-form fairy tales is even greater. In the long-form category, we have Teacher Yuanyuan. Chu Kuang can’t even touch her…”

“Naturally.”

The assistant by her side gently nodded. If Chu Kuang is recognized as the best in the short-form category, then Teacher Yuanyuan is undoubtedly one of the titans in the long-form children’s sector. “But Zhang Yang won’t sit back and watch.”

“Mmm.”

Shui Zhourou gave a grave nod: “Lin Xuan is not a threat when it comes to long-form tales. What I am worried about is Zhang Yang’s side. I don’t know who he will ask for help. There aren’t many people in the long-form fairy tale circle who can compete with Teacher Yuanyuan, but it’s not completely impossible.”

The assistant glanced towards the room next door.

In the office of another deputy editor, Zhang Yang next door is also discussing with his assistant, “So they invited Teacher Yuanyuan. It seems we have to get Teacher Hu onboard.”

“Don’t worry.”

The assistant smiled, “Didn’t your family promise Teacher Hu a lot of benefits? I don’t think Teacher Hu will refuse. He has competed with Teacher Yuanyuan early on. Even though he narrowly lost, it doesn’t reflect that he is less competent.”

“Hmm.”

Zhang Yang gave a sigh of relief, “Finally, it’s our turn. On the short-form fairy tale side, we can’t hope for anything. Chu Kuang, the ‘King of Short Fairy Tales’, is so impressive, so much so that Shui Zhourou and I can only watch as Lin Xuan wreaks havoc. Now it’s Lin Xuan’s turn to nervously watch us compete.”

The war is in two stages.

The first involves short tales, and the second, long-form tales. But with the advent of ‘Fairytale Town’, Zhang Yang and Shui Zhourou no longer stand a chance. Regardless of who they invite, they can’t possibly produce a better short-form fairy tale than Chu Kuang.

They can only move on to long-form fairy tales!

Meanwhile, in Lin Xuan’s office, she is quite satisfied with the current situation. She even laughed, telling Zhang Cheng next to her, “Now we alone shine in the short-form fairy tales sector. Let Shui Zhourou and Zhang Yang compete in the long-form sector. In any case, we always have the advantage. Maybe I can continue to commission Chu Kuang, to expand our advantage in short tales.”

Lin Xuan has given up on the long form completely.

All she needs to do is to consolidate her advantage in the short-form sector.

Didn’t her younger brother say that Chu Kuang was going to write a fairy tale about Shuke and Beta next? Lin Xuan has unshakable confidence in Chu Kuang. She believes that it will be very exciting and may even surpass the stories in ‘Fairytale Town’.

Yes.

Lin Xuan subconsciously assumes that Chu Kuang’s next fairy tale would be a short form. This is a natural thought process. The new piece of the ‘King of Short Fairy Tales’ should obviously be a short fairy tale; so she never thought that Chu Kuang’s new work would be a long-form fairy tale.

On the other hand…

Lin Yuan continued to write his new fairy tale leisurely. The preparations for the movie ‘Spiderman’ were also proceeding in an orderly manner. This is Lin Yuan’s most familiar life rhythm, and under normal circumstances, this rhythm would not be disrupted.

As usual, when he arrived at the company…

His third disciple, Li Lizhi, showed up.

As Lin Yuan’s third disciple learning composition, Li Lizhi’s classes were not too structured; they were mostly when Lin Yuan was free. If he wasn’t free, he let her figure things out by herself. As a result of this on-and-off teaching, quite some time has passed. Today just so happened to be a day when Lin Yuan was unoccupied so he could give her a two-hour class.

“Hmm?”

Before the class even began, Lin Yuan suddenly heard a system terminal sound by his ear: “Congratulations on the graduation of your third disciple, Li Lizhi. She has met the standard for graduation.”

Li Lizhi has graduated?

Lin Yuan was somewhat surprised. He subconsciously checked Li Lizhi’s composition ability and found that she was just about to meet the graduation standard. That meant Lin Yuan had successfully gained a third disciple at the level of ‘card composer’.

“Ding dong.”

The system went on to inform him about the reward he had preset: “Congratulations to the Guide for successfully completing the ‘mentoring task’ and obtaining permanent right to use the character card of Yang Zhongming!”

A smile crept onto Lin Yuan’s face.

Being used to Lin Yuan’s strictness, Li Lizhi rarely saw her master smile. This smile made her dazed, and she immediately became nervous: “Master, have I done something wrong?”

“No.”

Lin Yuan confirmed, “I think today’s lesson is not necessary anymore. In the future, you don’t need to come if you don’t receive any contact from me, because you and your two senior brothers have reached the graduation standard.”

“Graduation?”

Li Lizhi was stunned.

This should have been a happy occasion — she finally earned Master’s approval. Still, Li Lizhi couldn’t bring herself to feel happy because both of her senior brothers had mentioned that once she graduated from his tutelage, the Master would no longer continue to teach her.

“Congratulations.”

Lin Yuan said, smiling.

Not having to teach was one less chore for him. So, he continued to type on his computer, writing the story of “Shuke and Beta”. However, while drinking water, he noticed that Li Lizhi hadn’t left: “Is there something else you need?”

“No…”

Li Lizhi bit her lip: “I intended to tell you after class, but since there’s no class, I’ll say it now. My father mentioned that a new show wants to invite you as a guest. He asked if you’re interested. If you still don’t want to show your face, then forget it.”

Lin Yuan casually said: “I won’t go.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He didn’t even ask what kind of show it was. Due to Xian Yu’s identity, he had received countless invitations, even including some exclusive ambassadors for stars. Moreover, “Bloom” had invited Xian Yu as a judge. This was the hottest music show in Old Qin Continent. Lin Yuan simply refused all. Why would he accept any new show?

“Alright.”

Li Lizhi nodded.

Truth be told, she just didn’t want to leave and was looking for a topic to continue the conversation: “Because of the merger of Qin, Qi, Chu, and Yan, this show may be the most expensive music variety show in history, even surpassing ‘Bloom’. That’s why my father asked me to inquire. Some other maestros have accepted the invitation to be judges. Could you tell me why you don’t want to show your face?”

Why?

Lin Yuan didn’t know himself. He just had a strong aversion to showing his face. The camera made him instinctively fearful. But the young Lin Yuan didn’t show such a problem. Could this be classified as a psychological issue?

“I don’t know.”

“Such a pity.”

Li Lizhi didn’t dare to ask further and just sighed: “If only the judges could wear masks on stage like the singers. But judges definitely can’t wear masks…”

“Hmm.”

Lin Yuan responded casually.

Suddenly, he realized something. He raised his head in surprise, his expression somewhat peculiar: “What kind of singer can sing wearing a mask? Does the new show you mentioned have such a rule?”

“Huh?”

Li Lizhi was surprised: “Master, don’t you know? This new show is co-hosted by the Literature and Art Association and top production company in Qin Continent. There are discussions all over the internet. Singers can wear masks to sing…”

“What’s the name of the show?”

“I think it’s called ‘The Masked Singer.'”

Lin Yuan was slightly taken aback. He vaguely remembered a show with a similar concept on Earth. He couldn’t help but call the System in his mind: “Are there any other transmigrators in this world? I vaguely remember a similar show concept on Earth.”

“Ding Dong.”

The System explained: “The host is the only transmigrator on Blue Star. However, there is indeed a similar show on Earth. It’s just a coincidence that the same ideas collide in different times and spaces.”

Lin Yuan: “…”

No wonder it felt familiar.

Seeing Lin Yuan suddenly ignoring her, Li Lizhi thought he was trying to hint that she should leave. She pouted in grievance: “Then I’ll leave first. If you need anything, Master, remember to find me!”

“Hmm.”

Li Lizhi left.

Lin Yuan was filled with curiosity.

Instead of continuing to write his novel, he opened his web browser and searched for “The Masked Singer.” It turned out to be an upcoming music variety show with unprecedented investment. It was rumored that the show would invite countless powerhouses from the music industry of Qin, Qi, Chu, and Yan to perform, including some of the Kings and Queens of Music. Hence, online discussions about the show were incredibly high, making it the hottest topic in the entertainment industry.

“The singers wear masks while singing.”

“Each episode will feature six singers performing. The losing singer will have to reveal their face, and the winning singer can continue to perform with their mask.”

“The Masked Singer…”

If he could sing wearing a mask, should he consider participating? Although he had an inexplicable repulsion towards the camera, if he wore a mask, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Thinking of this.

Lin Yuan called the System again, asking a crucial question: “After the health mission is completed, will my health include healing my voice?”

“Yes.”

The System had given the answer.

Lin Yuan immediately fell into deep thought.

Due to the original owner’s desires, Lin Yuan’s passion for singing could not be suppressed. It was a deep-rooted love from the heart. But previously, Lin Yuan was troubled by his vocal issues, so he always suppressed this impulse. However, what should he do once his voice healed…

Should he continue suppressing his desire?

On the one hand, there’s his innate fear of the camera; on the other, his longing to perform on stage. These contradicting desires seemed to be locked in a stalemate, but the opportunity to sing in a mask seemed to unlock this deadlock!

“I’ll think about it.”

Lin Yuan was somewhat torn. His consistent life rhythm might change due to his recovery…