A Novel with no Protagonists
Zhao Youyue did not care about the contents of Lin s.h.i.+ya’s bag. Zhang Wanjun and Lin s.h.i.+ya were roommates. Zhang Wanjun could simply return the bag to Lin s.h.i.+ya when she heads back to campus.
However, Zhang Wanjun was an agonizingly curious person. She brought Lin s.h.i.+ya’s bag into the hotel room. She even dragged Zhao Youyue over to look the contents together, as if she wanted her to be an accomplice.
“This isn’t really nice,” Zhao Youyue said hesitantly.
A moment ago she was still enjoying the night view of the most prosperous city in the world, Shanghai. It was brilliant, bright colored. It was truly an enjoyment to enjoy such beautiful scenery in the suite of The Peninsula Hotels.
“It’s nothing. Lin s.h.i.+ya will never know it anyway,” Zhang Wanjun said incitingly.
Perhaps everyone was a closet voyeurism. Initially Zhao Youyue did not intend to join in. After listening to what Zhang Wanjun said, Zhao Youyue felt that it truly would not harm the owner of those contents. She barely knew Lin s.h.i.+ya. Even if she learned of Lin s.h.i.+ya’s secrets, she would never be in danger of disclosing it.
Zhang Wanjun started violating Lin s.h.i.+ya’s bag. She found quite a few masterpieces, as expected of the president of Literary Society and a famous, talented girl throughout campus.
Among all those masterpieces, there was no doubt that the notebook attracted Zhang Wanjun the most. She started delving into it.
Zhao Youyue simply read through the masterpieces, more likely due to the fact that famous writers wrote these masterpieces in this world. These great writers did not exist in the other world.
Zhao Youyue was more focused on these unfamiliar masterpieces by famous writers. Unfortunately, her taste was lacking. She did not have the patience to finish the masterpieces. Masterpieces rarely provided any entertainment.
Zhao Youyue noticed that Lin s.h.i.+ya had taken every masterpiece seriously. She had even left notes in the books. All of them were her personal reviews. Some of the sentences were profound and deep. Her writing was masterful and well-done as well.
“The world is a bundle of great dream. How many times has life experienced cool autumn?”
“To forget, in itself is a form of remembrance.”
“The greatest love never dies, while the greatest friends.h.i.+p raises itself from the dead.”
“Loneliness comes from n.o.ble bones, and the unwillingness to appear inferior.”
…
Lin s.h.i.+ya could already publish an entire series of “Lin s.h.i.+ya’s Quotations.” She was so talented!
Zhao Youyue seemed to have gotten to know the talented girl Lin s.h.i.+ya once again. She had truly been low-key during the dinner party, as if only s.h.i.+ Jingnian was in her eyes. She truly loved that guy dearly.
“What? I’ve wasted so much time reading, and it was just some novel ma.n.u.scripts. Speaking of which, who writes novels with pens nowadays…?” Zhang Wanjun read a few pages, and put them aside. It was not like the writings were boring. She had expected to read a few private dairies. Now that she had figured out that it was just a novel, such a disparity between her expectations and reality quickly killed her interest.
Zhao Youyue felt at ease instead the moment she heard that it was a novel. She would no longer be party to the violation of one’s privacy, but simply appreciating a piece of work.
Coincidentally, Zhao Youyue just happened to be short of books. She was still searching for a suitable literary world. She went ahead and searched for “Ya Jing” with her phone. Apparently, Lin s.h.i.+ya was a prominent figure within various literary circles. Her works were not just bestsellers, but had also received several weighty newcomer awards. Thanks to her ladylike figure, she was categorized as a beautiful female writer. Several of her fans were in active pursuit of her. They considered her to be a genius writer. No one at her same age could be compared to her.
“Ya Jing’s” works were indeed beautiful and popular. The commercial and artistic quality seemed to be in perfect unity. The shaping of novel characters, and plot development were all impeccable. In addition to those golden quotes that appeared from time to time, the great sales of her works seemed to be absolute.
Most of all, her books demonstrated her wide range of knowledge as well. For example, when came to foreign settings, she was able to portray the details in a very realistic form. Whenever she wrote about some celebrities who existed in reality, she would write them, it was as if she had met them in person
Many readers benefited from her works. Not only did they gain happiness, they had also gained knowledge. It also improved their reading tastes. High school students could even take a few leaves out of her writings and quote them in their essays.
“Ya Jing’s” writings were not gorgeously convoluted. On the contrary, they were clear and concise. It was as if she intended to convey deep meaning through simple sentences. However it also gave the impression that she was a little lazy, as if she couldn’t wait to hurry to the next arc.
If there was a great writer Hai Mingwei in this world, her writing style would definitely be a nod to Hai Mingwei.
Her works always gave people a compact sense of completion. They were full of ‘dry goods"[1]. People considered her books worth buying. One of her books would be the equivalent as several books of other authors. All in all, it was rather easy to read her books.
In this era, even literature has also been commercialized, all in the name of putting food on the table. Business writers had to try their best to publish content without actual quality
“Ya Jing” was like not lack of money at all. She despised adding such contents. Her works transcended everything else, which only made them sell better.
Those trash business writers who wrote only to market themselves should learn from “Ya Jing.” It would truly help them sell their books. After all, the eyes of readers’ were bright. They had a pretty good idea of which books were worthy to purchase and which were not. Only the most generous and n.o.ble readers would purchase them all.
Zhao Youyue was such a reader. But shamefully, she had never heard about “Ya Jing,” as her writings were heavy literature. Zhao Youyue s.h.i.+ed from such books because of her mother, w.a.n.g Hua.
These books were like the method of playing the violin that she used for her performances during the compet.i.tion. They were all specialized at pleasing the judges, not general readers. Obviously, “Ya Jing’s” books were not like that. She put the general readers into consideration as well.
Just like how there would be “cool writings”[2] within masterpieces, “Ya Jing’s” books undoubtedly belonged to this genre. The protagonists within her books were all strong and bold, as if they could see through everything, and take any form of problem with resolute calmness. Readers who read her books felt a strong sense of familiarity with her protagonists. Disasters only befell the others, as the protagonists surveyed the scene with steady hearts. A protagonist who does not have to struggle one bit had its own form of appeal, as long as the supporting roles were well written. Obviously, “Ya Jing” had pulled this off.
Recently, “Ya Jing” had declared that she wanted to write a grand work without any protagonists. There would be no protagonist, yet anyone could become the protagonist. This was the so-called “Point of View Writing Method.”
“A Song of Ice and Fire” had been written in this “POV Writing Method.” Often when you considered someone the protagonist, that character would drop dead at the very next moment
Translation Note:
[1] Dry goods – It refers to contents that are more practical, without chit-chats, no fake ingredients.
[2] Cool writings – It refers to a type of novel where the protagonist moves smoothly from the beginning of the novel to the end of the story. His level increases at G.o.dspeed. Only he can hurt others; others cannot hurt him. Anyway, wherever he goes, the people there will be unlucky.