Chapter 5, Are You Truly Yourself

After careful analysis and preparation, Liu Jingting accepted an interview with the Municipal Education Television Station, expressing the following points:

Mi Hu's expression darkened as he said, "You are mocking me"

Being called a "child" by a girl younger than himself, Liu Jingting frowned and said: "My name is Liu Jingting. What do you need from me?"

Liu Jingteng suddenly realized that he was fourteen years old this year. It was truly difficult to change this bad habit of showing off in front of beautiful girls, which he couldn't help but indulge in. Liu Jingteng hurriedly smiled and said, "Hello, sister, I was just joking with you. I, I was reciting a model essay."

Liu Jingting said with a smile: "It's common; I have had similar experiences. Sometimes when I look at things I wrote in the past, I get goosebumps. So why did I stop writing?"

The day after Liu Jingteng's interview, the leaders of the municipal education bureau personally showed their concern, and the principal of the First Middle School of the city visited in person to invite Liu Jingteng to attend their school free of charge

Liu Jingting shook his head and said, "In fact, the two are not mutually exclusive; they can be unified. Confucius stated that poetry should evoke emotions, observe, gather, and express grievances, where 'gather' refers to the attention of readers. The theory of storytelling is too profound, inevitably leading to a disconnect with the audience. Without an audience, what is the use of reasoning? If it can be made accessible and easy to understand, wouldn't that be better?"

It is difficult. Mi Hu is known for her sharpness and incisiveness; she mostly agrees with Liu Jingting's words. However, to elicit more from Liu Jingting, she needs to express this contrary attitude.

The cobra with 1000 degrees of nearsightedness hissed long and loudly at Mang Mang and Ti Ti, shouting, "I will ensure that you can never rise again..."

As for Director Wang, the prototype of the cobra from Liu Jingting's original school, he was criticized by the education office and suspended from his position. The principal and class teacher, Teacher Zheng, also received corresponding penalties. The incident regarding Liu Jingting's withdrawal from school has thus been satisfactorily resolved

The girl widened her eyes, completely bewildered, but she understood the last sentence clearly; he actually called her "little friend." She retorted angrily, "You call me little friend, you are the little brat."

Despite having the wisdom of an adult, Liu Jingting was still stumped by this philosophical question. He reached up to touch his chin, pondered for a moment, and said: "In the vast universe, filled with countless unsolved mysteries, where do humans come from, and where are they going? What is the ultimate concept of humanity? What is the relationship and reason among the id, ego, and superego? I am still exploring these questions. Why would a young child suddenly ask about this?"

Mi Hu looked at Liu Jingting, her expression slightly changing. Including Chief Editor Zhou Daoran, she had never encountered anyone who could completely suppress her in a debate on literary theory. This middle school student before her, whether in terms of eloquence or existing works, displayed a vigorous ambition that left her at a loss for rebuttal

I have long admired your reputation. I have read your work "Walking Birds" and found it truly excellent. I am preparing to write a piece titled "Walking Dogs" in imitation. Liu Jingting's detestable sense of humor has once again spiraled out of control

The girl took off her headphones, glanced at Liu Jingting, paused for a moment, and said: "Are you the little boy who wrote about the cobra?"

Seventeen, how old are you, thirteen or fourteen

I am Mi Hu, the editor of "The Great River and Lake"

After hearing these words, Mi Hu indeed had no more doubts about Liu Jingteng. He looked at the seemingly youthful boy in front of him with some astonishment and asked, "How do you intend to innovate?"

The situation has developed to this point, which Liu Jingting did not anticipate. However, the overall trend is still under control, and the results are even better than expected. As a university student who has experienced the internet age, Liu Jingting is acutely aware of the power represented by the media in an era of information explosion; it is a glaring double-edged sword.

"It's a long story; let's go to that pavilion over there to talk." Liu Jingting intended to write those stories down, and first, he needed to establish a good cooperative relationship with a publishing house. Of course, once his stories were published, publishers would naturally reach out to him. However, not every publishing house has an editor as beautiful and charming as Mi Hu.

"If it's a fake, then it's a genuine imitation, you are the editor of 'The Great Jianghu', right?"

"I don't blame you, just be honest, who is Gu Yongsheng?" The girl had an expression that seemed to say, "Nothing can be hidden from me."

"Your perspective is that of popular literature, it is too commercial," said Mi Hu.

Liu Jingting swallowed hard and suddenly recalled that in this world, there were no Four Great Classical Novels. However, the Twenty-Four Histories did exist. They studied the Records of the Three Kingdoms but were unaware of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. They knew about the Tang Monk's journey to the West and had heard the story of Sun Wukong wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, yet they had never read Journey to the West. Aside from Dream of the Red Chamber, the other three of the Four Great Classical Novels were all cumulative works, representing a sort of sorting and interpretation of legends and scattered stories from earlier generations. Clearly, no one in this world had undertaken this task.

Liu Jingting felt a bit regretful upon seeing Mi Hu's expression, and hurriedly tried to make amends: "All the other birds have flown away, but there is one kind of bird that has been waiting. I really like this saying, Mi Hu, please don't be angry. I am someone who often jokes around, and I mean no harm." Liu Jingting had indeed read "The Migratory Bird"; at that time, he had been extensively reading literary works to explore the literature of this world.

2. I appreciate everyone enjoying the story of hetushucom.com, but with the high school entrance examination approaching, I just want to focus on my studies. I hope everyone will concentrate on the story and not on the person himself

Game development has many areas that are still immature, as you probably have noticed. Liu Jingting is very humble

Liu Jingting's words, in a previous era, would naturally be considered clichéd and unworthy of mention. However, in this age of severe literary scarcity, they appear quite original. Of course, the main reason is that he cannot reveal to Mi Hu that he has traveled through time or that he has awakened from a dream; instead, he must obfuscate the truth in a vague manner.

Ah? Oh, that, stage name, stage name

In front of the camera, the youthful, nervous yet sincere Liu Jingting delivers his narrative and expressions in a manner that leaves a profound impression on the audience. He subtly yet vividly portrays an excellent student who is forced to drop out due to the dark forces within the school. Particularly striking are his panic-stricken yet fervent eyes, which powerfully convey a middle school student's strong denunciation of the cruel and heartless teachers at the school.

Have you come up with any ideas for your next work? Mi Hu revealed the true purpose of this visit, which was to establish a long-term collaborative relationship with this author

That guy is simply a genius, rummaging through the trash cans like a cobra, attempting to find dirt on Mang Mang and Ti Ti. Isn't he just a replica of our guidance counselor

Liu Jingteng pointed to himself and said, "It is I. If you do not believe me, I will recite 'The Dragon and Tiger in the Capital' for you right now." Liu Jingteng roughly guessed the identity of the other party and tailored his response accordingly.

Since childhood, I have listened to my grandfather recount the stories of the Seven Heroes and Five Righteousness, and I have longed to create great heroes and figures myself. However, I have also noticed that the martial arts stories popular today are generally somewhat clichéd, with narrative methods and techniques that remain stuck in the Republican era. Just think about it, we are now in a new century, a new era, where everything is being renewed; why can't martial arts stories keep pace with the times

"Are you sure you are yourself?" the girl pressed on.

Hello, are you looking for me? Liu Jingting pointed to his ear and asked

Liu Jingting smiled slightly and said, "I believe it is about interest. A dull novel, regardless of how much sentiment or literary skill it possesses, will not attract readers. If there are no readers to appreciate it, what significance do your sentiment and literary skill hold?"

eager to return to campus for study

The fairy tale by Liu Jingteng has sparked a wave of discussion, immediately attracting the attention of experts and the media, and has been referred to as the "Cobra Phenomenon." Consequently, another wave of discussion regarding education in primary and secondary schools has quietly emerged.

Ah, um, is "The Dragon and the Tiger" really written by you

The despicable cobra described in "Mang Mang and Ti Ti" quickly resonated with middle and primary school students nationwide, leading to the cobra becoming synonymous with the director of education. The author who created this term, Liu Jingting, also became a popular topic of conversation among students

My name is Liu Jingting, and Gu Yongsheng is my pen name

How old are you this year

Hearing Liu Jingteng recite his proud lines, Mi Hu's anger dissipated like smoke, and he somewhat shyly said: "That was something I wrote two years ago; now I feel embarrassed to look at it myself."

"The Four Great Classical Novels?" Mi Hu asked in confusion

Yes, you are Liu Jingting, so Gu Yongsheng is also you, right

"Indeed, it is the story of the Seven Swords," Liu Jingting said with a slight smile, "The flying snow of Tianshan, the Seven Swords come from the West"

Two people sat down in the pavilion, and Liu Jingting continued to promote his literary ideas, starting with the question: "What do you think is the most important aspect of a novel and its books?"

3. Call upon all primary and secondary schools nationwide to create a conducive learning environment for students, and hope that teachers care for their students

The girl stared at Liu Jingting for a few seconds and said: "I need you to answer me honestly, are you Gu Yongsheng himself"

The navy blue long coat, loose-fitting tapered pants, blue cloth shoes, black shoulder bag, white large headphones, fair skin, and a figure approaching maturity... When Liu Jingting saw the girl before him, he couldn't help but silently praise her. However, as someone with the soul of a university student, he was not so juvenile as to drool like a middle school boy.

In fact, it is not difficult; the Four Great Classical Novels of China have essentially achieved this, especially "Dream of the Red Chamber"

Liu Jingting, the editor of "The Top Scorer's Handbook for the High School Entrance Examination" and the author of "Mang Mang and Ti Ti," arrived at Yizhong, causing quite a stir. However, due to Liu Jingting's deliberate low profile and the school's protective measures, he quickly returned to a normal high school life. Yet, this lifestyle lasted for less than three days before a stranger girl suddenly approached him

At that time, in order to prevent primary and secondary school students from engaging in early romantic relationships, the head of the teaching department would often secretly rummage through the trash bins, searching for clues of students' early romances or any signs of aggressive remarks.

Indeed, in a few years, you will understand. In summary, what I want to express is that artistic works detached from the masses are not necessarily good works. The story I want to write should encompass both highbrow and lowbrow elements, suitable for all ages, and bring joy to everyone.

You are so young, why are you thinking about writing such a story

Because I have found that I am better at commenting on and discovering new books, such as your book "The Dragon and the Tiger in the Capital"

Mi Hu, resembling a student, pondered for a moment and said: "Sentiment, writing style"