The “N Fraction” press conference arrived as scheduled.
In the short half-month leading up to the event, the Yue Si official Weibo account went all out promoting it. What was originally just a promotional event was hyped up to the level of a high-end business conference, with attendees chosen through a reservation lottery system. Only the lucky ones got in, making them feel like they were truly special. With the pre-heating live streams from Yue Si’s five legendary authors, the press conference, although ultimately a niche celebration, managed to garner considerable attention, ensuring Yue Si’s money was well spent.
The press conference was set to start at 3 PM, and in the morning, Xue Song gathered the five members of Liu Xing Hua Yuan to go over the process. When they heard the main focus of the press conference was to launch Yue Si’s charity IP “N Project” Tian Gai was shocked. “What? The main focus isn’t our debut?”
Xue Song sneered, “You can’t sing or dance. Are you planning to debut and then live stream gossip every day?”
Tian Gai asked, “Then what’s this charity IP ‘N Project’ thing?”
Xue Song explained, “I expanded on the ‘N Fraction’ project and plan to turn it into a charity IP. The first step will be releasing a commemorative set for Villain Strategy Guide, including the book, an art collection, and so on, with all the proceeds going to charity. Later on, any book that joins the N Project will be prioritized for IP development. If, for example, its rights are sold for animation or something, a portion of the proceeds will be used for charity.”
Shi Ye Luan considered this and added, “Yue Si authors can choose freely whether to include a book in the ‘N Project.’ If they do, a portion of the book’s revenue will be donated.”
Xue Song nodded, “This plan is still in its infancy, and there’s a lot to perfect. With time being tight, this is as far as we could get.”
Tian Gai was wide-eyed, “You can actually pull something like this off?”
Xue Song chuckled, “Why else would I spend money to debut you all?”
Qin Hai chimed in, “This is a debut at the peak, retiring right after.”
Tian Gai clicked his tongue, “Impressive. The legend of Yan Hua Liao Luan’s one-hit wonder will live on forever in the BL circle.”
At 2 PM, the venue was finally fully set up. Xue Song had really put thought into it: a long red carpet was laid out from the entrance all the way to the stage, where the five would walk and interact with the audience, just like at a film festival. As Tian Gai scrolled through fan photos on Weibo, he marveled, “This is so over-the-top!”
Qin Hai agreed, “I officially request that Superstar in Troubled Times be the background music for our entrance.”
Shi Shui Hu Li added, “I thought this was going to be a small event. Now I’m actually nervous.”
Zhao Yi Jia said, “I saw someone holding a notebook. Are they expecting us to sign autographs?”
Tian Gai hesitated, “Maybe we should sign some postcards to hand out as we walk?”
Xue Song was speechless, “This is a red carpet walk, not a flyer distribution.”
Tian Gai clutched his chest dramatically, “No way, the more I look, the more pretentious this feels. I’m going to faint.”
Shi Shui Hu Li teased, “I think you’ll faint from excitement, not nerves.”
Tian Gai suddenly remembered something, “Quick, check if the suits Xue Song got us are from some big brand’s autumn-winter collection.”
Xue Song coolly replied, “Cheap goods from Taobao, D&D.”
As 3 PM approached, everyone was ready. As the first to go on stage, Tian Gai couldn’t stop fidgeting, clearly anxious. Xue Song noticed the lack of his usual humor and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know why, but I’m nervous.”
Xue Song glanced at the packed venue and softly said, “Relax, you’re the star today.”
Tian Gai corrected him, “I’m one-fifth of the star.”
Xue Song said nothing more. He saw the stage manager signal to him, and soon after, the lights dimmed.
After the host’s long introduction, it was time for Yan Hua Liao Luan to make their entrance. The audience erupted in applause, and Tian Gai took a deep breath. “Here I go.”
“Ruo Xia——”
Tian Gai paused, “Hmm?”
Xue Song smiled, “Carry the whole show.”
As the five of them walked the red carpet, the cheers in the venue reached their peak. They walked while waving and interacting with the audience. Zhao Yi Jia, walking beside Shi Ye Luan, couldn’t help but smile, “It feels like a grand ceremony after beating a game.”
Shi Shui Hu Li, walking ahead, overheard and turned back to tease, “Is it your love game?” The whole place was filled with screams, so he wasn’t worried about anyone overhearing.
Shi Ye Luan also chuckled, “It’s missing one ceremony, though.”
Zhao Yi Jia asked, “What ceremony?”
Shi Ye Luan winked, “Not telling you.”
Despite the event being somewhat rushed, everything went smoothly, proceeding as planned. For the newly debuted author team “Yan Hua Liao Luan” everything felt surreal. None of them had imagined that the story they wrote for fun would appear before everyone in this way just a few months later. It was truly a case of “truth is stranger than fiction.” They had discussed this before, and Qin Hai had said, “This is the magic of words.”
Words, but not just words—they are also sound, images, emotions, joy, sorrow, love, and heartbreak. They bring to life countless people’s experiences and dreams.
Shi Shui Hu Li said, “When you’ve written a lot, sometimes it feels like the world in the books really exists. The characters I create live there. In my three fantasy novels, each set in the same universe, the protagonists might one day pass each other in Fengxi City.”
Zhao Yi Jia thought: What a romantic idea.
Near the end of the press conference, Xue Song, as expected, arranged a game segment. The reason for “as expected” was that during the morning’s run-through, Xue Song had mentioned they might add some interactive games to thank the fans present. Though he was vague about it, Tian Gai could tell, “What interactive games? It’s clearly to mess with us.”
This kind of fun segment drew laughter as soon as the rules were explained. The game was simple, even familiar—one word: read.
Read what? Read the fan confessions collected during the pre-event, a.k.a. compliments.
Can’t bring yourself to read them? Then read a passage you wrote in Villain Strategy Guide!
This was the ultimate showdown of embarrassing lines!
Following the draw order, Shi Shui Hu Li was up first. With his thin skin, he was already blushing before he even saw what he had to read. Tian Gai cheered him on, “You’ve read hardcore BL before, nothing to fear!”
The host handed him three envelopes to choose from. Shi Shui Hu Li picked the one in the middle, read through it, and then collapsed, covering his face.
After some mental preparation, he finally started stammering, “Hu Li, your pure and moving writing is like the last…ahem…like the last pure white in the world…in my…in my heart…I give up! I’ll read my own work!”
The audience was laughing hysterically.
Shi Shui Hu Li drew another envelope, this time containing a sweet moment between Shen An and Duan Ru Xing. Although the content was still a bit embarrassing, he managed to read it through.
Next was Qin Hai, who walked up with a battle-hardened expression, “No need to draw, I’ll read all three.”
He confidently opened the first envelope, “Hai Ge, you’ve gained weight, time to slim down.”
Second envelope, “Hai Ge, why do I think your head looks even bigger?”
Third envelope, “Hai Ge, you’re the best! Always supporting you on your weight-loss journey!”
Qin Hai couldn’t help but comment, “Is this a confession or an ad for a gym?”
The host, laughing along, suggested, “Since Hai Ge is so willing, how about reading a passage from your work too?”
Before Qin Hai could respond, the fans below shouted in unison, “No—way—hahahaha…”
Qin Hai muttered, “Can I disown you guys as fans?”
Finally, it was Tian Gai’s turn. Before drawing an envelope, he sincerely stated, “I can handle any praise from my fans. Bring it on.”
He opened the envelope, “I’m worried that with so many New Year’s greetings on New Year’s Eve, you might miss my message. I’m worried that the fireworks on the first day might be too loud, and you won’t hear my wishes. I’m worried that on the second day, the dishes might smell too good, and you won’t see my text. So I’m sending you my New Year’s blessings now. Gai Gai, I wish you a Happy New Year!”
Tian Gai sighed dramatically, “Why does the tone change when it’s me? Couldn’t it have been some cheesy pick-up lines?”
The laughter hadn’t died down when it was Shi Ye Luan’s turn to pick an envelope. Given his popularity, the host couldn’t resist teasing him, “Let’s change it up. We’ll give Shi Ye Ye the option to choose between reading fan confessions or his work.”
Shi Ye Luan smiled, “Love confessions should be reserved for the one you truly love. I’ll read my work.” He then picked one of the three envelopes containing passages.
After reading it, he didn’t start reading immediately. Instead, he took the microphone and shared something—
“A while back, I offered a 5,000-word fanfic in exchange for an answer to a math problem on Weibo. I got in touch with the reader whose answer I used, and she said I could write whatever I wanted without specifying the characters.”
“Since she left it to me, I decided to write a Shen An and Duan Ru Xing fanfic. Although I’m not sure if it’s technically fanfiction, maybe it’s more of a spin-off.”
“Because Shen An and Duan Ru Xing’s story is set in ancient times, I wrote a modern AU of these two. The idea is: what kind of story would unfold between Shen An and Duan Ru Xing if they lived in the modern world, in our very own city?”
Zhao Yi Jia looked curiously at Shi Ye Luan. He genuinely didn’t know that Shi Ye Luan had written a modern AU for Shen An and Duan Ru Xing. Shi Ye Luan hadn’t breathed a word about it. However, he had noticed Shi Ye Luan frequently communicating with Xue Song in recent days. Could it be that Xue Song had asked him to keep it a secret for this surprise spin-off reveal at the event?
“I haven’t released this short story yet, but when the event organizers asked me about it earlier, I did include an excerpt from the new spin-off. And today, coincidentally, I’ve drawn the part where Shen An speaks to Duan Ru Xing.”
The audience was already cheering.
Shi Ye Luan looked behind him, “Now, I need our N Fraction member Zhao Yi Jia to come up and help me out. Just stand here and play along with this game.”
Being suddenly called out, Zhao Yi Jia was caught off guard, freezing on stage. Seeing this, Shi Ye Luan chuckled and added, “You really just have to stand there. I just think reciting lines alone is kind of weird.”
The audience erupted into applause.
Zhao Yi Jia slowly walked to the center of the stage. The two of them stood face to face, not too close nor too far apart. Zhao Yi Jia focused all his attention on Shi Ye Luan:
Shi Ye Luan just smiled at him, eyes filled with love.
Suddenly, Zhao Yi Jia remembered the first time they played the game in the hotel when Shi Ye Luan smiled at him the same way. At that time, he had never imagined that this person would end up playing such a significant role in his life. In fact, this story had begun long, long before.
Zhao Yi Jia’s heart started pounding faster.
The host signaled for quiet, and the room fell silent as Shi Ye Luan began:
“I’ve collected the music from weddings;
I’ve collected the photos of us in our wedding attire;
I’ve collected the warmth of our kiss,
And the stars in your eyes;
I’ve collected the day we met,
Like a deer crossing a stream;
I’ve collected many pens, using them to write different stories;
Every story has you in it,
Writing you, sitting by my side,
Together,
We watch the sunrise,
And wait for the moon to show its face.”
It was a poem.
Shi Ye Luan, in front of everyone, slowly and deeply recited a love poem.
Only Zhao Yi Jia knew this poem was a gift meant for him.
The room was dead silent.
Zhao Yi Jia’s hands trembled slightly as he fought the urge to run over to him.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!” Whether they were fans of the story or the CP, this was a massive sugar rush. Given that most of the audience were female readers, as soon as they realized what had just happened, their screams drowned out the venue. Even the host couldn’t help but comment, “That was truly an amazing confession. Now, doesn’t everyone want to read the spin-off?”
“Yes——!!!!!!”
“But the game isn’t over yet!”
“Hahahahaha…”
As the game finally drew to a close, Zhao Yi Jia slowly exhaled, forcing himself to calm down. He could barely hear what the host was saying, so he directly asked, “Can I read the passage I wrote?”
The host nodded, bringing out a stack of envelopes. Before he could say anything, Zhao Yi Jia had already picked one.
“No, Zhao Zhao, this is——”
Zhao Yi Jia unfolded the paper, glanced at it quickly, and then closed it again. “I’ll read this one.”
The host hesitated, then nodded and signaled for him to start. But Zhao Yi Jia suddenly seemed distracted—
There were many people in this venue.
Xue Song was behind the scenes, coordinating everything. The host stood beside him, smiling with a microphone in hand. Hundreds of fans were eagerly watching the stage. Zhao Yi Jia couldn’t help but glance at Tian Gai, Shi Shui Hu Li, and Qin Hai standing behind him. Tian Gai was grinning and gave him an “OK” sign, just like he did during the wedding.
Shi Ye Luan stood quietly to the side. When Zhao Yi Jia looked over, Shi Ye Luan’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
Suddenly, Zhao Yi Jia thought of the ending of Villain Strategy Guide where Qu Shuang Ning returns to the real world, everything settled, and Shen An, as if remembering something, suddenly asked, “Duan Qing, do you like this world?”
Duan Ru Xing understood what he meant.
The bright moon, mountains, rivers, breezes, and fleeting moments, the noisy mortals, the terrifying monsters, paradisiacal lands, grudges, joys and sorrows, love and hate—everything in this world, all stemming from the pen of an ordinary person, a mix of truth and fiction, like a dream.
How did Duan Ru Xing respond at that moment?
Duan Ru Xing smiled brightly, holding Shen An’s hand tightly, and said:
“I love this world because you’re in it.”
“I love this world because you’re in it.”
—The End—
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