Chapter 34: My Goodness, It’s Already in the Bag

*Tap. Tap.*

"Are you Lin Yi, the top scorer in the college entrance exam?"

Lin Yi stared at the message sent by his editor at Qidian, scratching his head in confusion. How did the editor know he was the top scorer? He hadn't told anyone! He hadn't even posted about it on his social media to show off. How strange. There were so many people with the same name in the world; having the pen name "Lin Yi" was perfectly normal, wasn't it?

Wait! Lin Yi suddenly realized—Qidian authors were required to undergo real-name verification, and he had used his own ID card back then. That explained everything.

"Yes, that's me," Lin Yi replied after a moment's thought.

Soon, the editor replied, "Why do you write novels?"

Why? Lin Yi thought about it seriously and replied, "I was bored at home and had nothing else to do."

The editor, Liuyan, stared at the screen, speechless. So this guy was writing just because he was bored? Damn it, he had actually thought Lin Yi wrote out of a passion for the craft! He felt let down.

"Ask him if he can maintain a steady update schedule and if he can finish this book!" Biscuit, the senior editor, said with a deep breath.

"Understood." Liuyan glanced at Biscuit and quickly typed the message to Lin Yi. "Can you update consistently? Can you finish the story?"

Lin Yi looked at the message, wondering why the editor was asking this. Could he keep a steady schedule? Could he finish it? Lin Yi asked himself the same question. Now that he was in college, he would have plenty of free time; he should be able to finish the novel.

With that in mind, he replied, "I can."

Seeing the answer, Biscuit wore a fox-like grin. That was exactly what he was waiting for.

"Liuyan, is Lin Yi's update history stable?" Biscuit pressed.

"Stable as a rock. Two chapters a day, without fail."

"What are you two yelling about? Lin Yi? Are you talking about that Lin Yi who's been trending lately?" Rubber, another editor, leaned over, curious.

"Nothing, get back to work," Biscuit said with a meaningful look.

"Right." Rubber immediately turned back to his screen to review manuscripts.

Liuyan sighed. *You left, so how am I supposed to reply to him now?* After thinking for a moment, he simply typed out: "OK."

Lin Yi glanced at the editor’s brief, lackluster reply and closed the chat. He checked his social media feed and clicked on a friend's update. The first thing he saw was Niu Junjie’s smug grin, his right arm draped over the shoulders of a girl whose smile was as bright as sunshine in winter. The girl was none other than Shen Jing.

"Good for him, he managed to sweep her off her feet after just one trip," Lin Yi remarked, tapping the "like" button.

Scrolling down, he saw several angsty, emo posts:
"It hurts, I don't want to love anymore. Let it be."
"Family is a river; you are on this side, and I am on that side."
"If we must part, what can I do? I can only watch you drift further and further away from me."

Good grief. If you didn't know better, you'd think these were written by a couple breaking up, but they were actually written by one guy to another. It gave Lin Yi the creeps. Was the friendship between these two a bit... *too* close? He shuddered and quickly closed the app, afraid he might start questioning reality if he kept reading. Also, when did he even add this person as a friend?

After exiting, Lin Yi went on Weibo to read articles and news. He "liked" the posts praising him and clicked "not interested" on the ones that started with insults, moving straight to the next topic.

As he continued browsing, he saw an article by a college girl expressing her confusion, panic, and helplessness regarding the future. He gave it a "like." Thinking it over, he felt a bit uneasy, so he went back and left a comment: "Face the past with the least regret, face the present with the least waste, and face the future with the most dreams. Keep going, you can do it."

A wave of fatigue washed over him. Lin Yi put down his phone, rubbed his eyes, and did some light stretching—twisting left, right, and backward.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Lin Yi stopped and opened the door. "Oh, Brother Li? What brings you here?"

"Hey, good news! Here, put these on and come with me to a banquet." Li Xue piled a stack of clothes into Lin Yi's arms.

"A banquet? Whose banquet?"

"So many questions! Don't be such a fuss-pot, go take a shower and change." Li Xue stepped inside, crossed his legs, and smiled. "I’m taking you to see what high society looks like."

Seeing Li Xue’s enthusiasm, Lin Yi didn't have the heart to refuse. He wasn't good at turning down people who were kind to him, especially those who had helped him. "Fine, I'll just go for the free food and to see the world," he told himself, letting his annoyance fade away.

After showering and dressing in a suit and leather shoes, Lin Yi checked the mirror and felt a bit smug. He actually looked quite handsome!

"Alright, enough admiring yourself, let's go before we're late," Li Xue laughed.

Everyone loves to look their best; it was perfectly natural. Especially for young people. His own daughter had started sneaking into her mother's room in elementary school just to try on her lipstick.

"Coming." Lin Yi flushed slightly, took one last look at the mirror, and hurried to catch up with Li Xue.

Li Xue had driven over with his assistant. On the way, they chatted about various bits of entertainment industry gossip, eventually turning the conversation to Zhang Yibo.

"I really couldn't stand that kid back in the day. He’d always tilt his head while staring at me, and I wanted to snap his neck straight!" Li Xue chuckled. "At a dinner once, I finally saw my chance and started forcing drinks on him. He realized what I was doing, but he didn't say a word—he just kept drinking with me! In the end, I was the one who passed out and ended up in the hospital. I heard he was sitting there sipping his drink and gloating while I was being carried off."

"I only found out later that he tilted his head because he’d injured his neck. That’s how we stumbled into becoming best friends."

"I heard his production team is in trouble lately. The guy cast for the third lead suddenly backed out, leaving him in a lurch. Fortunately, it wasn't the lead actor or actress, or he'd really be having a headache." Li Xue paused. "Lin Yi, I think there’s a good chance he might ask you to play the third lead."

"Me? The third lead?" Lin Yi tilted his head, looking at Li Xue in confusion. Why him?

"No way, I’ve never acted before," Lin Yi said, shaking his head.

"Nothing is set in stone yet. I'll ask him about it at the banquet later, but I really think you’ve got a good shot."