Chapter 156: A Startled Bird (Subscription Requested)

Transitioning away from suspense and mystery fiction, Zhang Chu had no intention of biting off more than he could chew. Rather than making a 180-degree turn into a serious literary author, it was far better to make a 90-degree pivot into a genre writer rich in intellectual depth.

Moreover, *Life of Pi* matched his current age quite well. Taking various factors into consideration, Zhang Chu found the writing process relatively smooth. This truly illustrated the old saying that sharpening the axe does not delay the work of woodcutting!

Writing, attending classes, eating, writing, sleeping.

Zhang Chu's days were remarkably simple. By this time, attending classes had unexpectedly become a disguised form of rest for him, as he busied himself from early morning until late into the night.

So far, however, the results looked encouraging. After an abundance of typing, there seemed to be hope for curing his slow-typist affliction, with his typing speed increasing steadily!

In the past, he could manage at most two thousand words an hour; now he could reach three thousand, and occasionally, when his thoughts flowed freely, even four thousand words.

Of course, this still fell far short of the legendary masters rumored to write five or six thousand words an hour, but he had officially broken free from the clumsy-typist category.

Although freshman courses were foundational, they were relatively numerous, and Zhang Chu seized literally every single minute and second to write.

Sometimes he even wondered if his approach was too foolish. If he were to simply copy a poem and hand it in, it would be effortless and simple, not to mention a guaranteed first prize.

Instead, he was torturing himself both physically and mentally. If classic works were so easy to revise, they would not be classics at all!

Whenever Zhang Chu's mind wandered during class, he would catch himself thinking he was a fool. Wouldn't it be much easier to honestly copy existing works? Why bother striving to improve his abilities or make the works perfect?

Of course, these were just passing thoughts in his mind. His hands still moved swiftly across the keyboard; even though the story remained the same, the textual expression was already vastly different from the original translation.

Over the past few days, he had not published anything online, only updating *The Journey to the West Diary* every couple of days, even though that book was already under the operational management of South China Publishing Company.

His presence was missing from his close friends' group chat, and he was untraceable in both the King's Canyon and the Summoner's Rift. He seemed to have vanished entirely, right up until Chu Lan's phone call rang through.

"You little rascal, have you forgotten your own mother the moment you got yourself a girl?"

As soon as Zhang Chu answered the call, he was greeted by his mother's ferocious voice, which suddenly reminded him that he hadn't called home in nearly a week.

When Mom got angry, it was no small matter; even separated by the better part of China, he had no choice but to beg for mercy. "Mom, aren't I just consumed by my studies, fully immersed in the ocean of knowledge, and simply forgot to report in that I was safe?"

Chu Lan let out a huff and said with a tone of exasperated affection, "With your blockhead self, you'd better hurry up and find a girlfriend at university. The gender ratio disparity is so huge these days, and I certainly don't want you ending up a bachelor for the rest of your life."

What kind of logic was that?

Just a second ago she was accusing him of forgetting his mother for a woman, and in the next breath she was urging him to get into a relationship as quickly as possible.

"Your son is handsome, talented, and now wealthy too. How could he possibly end up a bachelor? The people wanting to be your daughter-in-law could form a line from Beijing all the way to Paris."

"Then why haven't you brought one back? Besides, I'm actually quite open-minded. If you happen to prefer young men, I can accept that too." Having probably read too many Sherlock Holmes fan fictions, Chu Lan had started worrying about her son's future as any mother might.

Zhang Chu closed his laptop and explained, "I've been too busy lately, barely keeping up with my classes. How could I possibly have time for romance? Once I have some free time, finding you a daughter-in-law will be as easy as snapping my fingers."

At that moment, Chu Lan's tone shifted. "You're not too busy with classes at all. You're clearly busy getting into shouting matches with others. What's the deal with that Tang Wanli? Why is he refusing to let go of you?"

She had always kept herself updated on news concerning her son. After all, Zhang Chu was so famous that any slight commotion involving him could easily be found online, making it much more convenient than keeping tabs on nobodies.

"Oh, come on! Do mad dogs need a reason to bite people?"

Zhang Chu felt deeply aggrieved. He was attending classes dutifully and conducting himself honestly at Peking University—why did these people insist on treating him like a stepping stone?

...

On the other side of the Peking University campus, Tang Wanli sat in front of his dorm room computer, carefully checking his work word by word. This was a piece he had been crafting since summer vacation, repeatedly revised after completion, and even submitted to several teachers for their suggestions. It was undoubtedly the crowning masterpiece of his creative career.

"I've worked this hard for so long, yet nobody calls me a Peking University genius. Zhang Chu only writes some trashy mystery stories and online comedic skits—what right does he have to enjoy such a title? He's just selling dog meat under a sheep's head sign."

Muttering to himself, he copied his work *Eastern Wind* and uploaded it to the submission link on the China Writers Network. This 180,000-word novel was the source of his confidence in challenging Zhang Chu!

After confirming that the upload was successful, Tang Wanli checked his phone and saw a previously received text message. It turned out that a SF Express package was waiting for him at the courier pickup point downstairs in his dorm building.

"Who on earth is sending me a package? Could it be a wrong delivery?"

Puzzled, Tang Wanli realized he hadn't done any online shopping recently. However, having nothing better to do, he grabbed his keys and walked down the stairs to the parcel lockers. After entering the password, he retrieved a SF Express document envelope.

Back in the dorm room, Tang Wanli curiously opened the envelope and found only a single, lightweight sheet of paper inside—except that this paper was stamped with the red seal of the Beijing Taihe Law Firm!

"Notice to Mr. Tang Wanli:

Having been legally retained by Mr. Zhang Chu (hereinafter referred to as the Client), this law firm, upon investigation, has found that without the Client's permission, you impersonated the Client to register and participate in events such as the China Good Literature Essay Contest. This has severely damaged the Client's reputation and privacy rights.

Pursuant to the Client's instructions, this firm hereby solemnly notifies you regarding the aforementioned acts of infringement. Please cease all infringing activities immediately, eliminate the negative impact, restore the Client's reputation, and issue a formal apology.

Should you refuse to delete the submission or continue the infringement, the Client will pursue legal remedies through litigation and other lawful channels. We hope you will treat this notice with utmost seriousness to avoid the burden of litigation!"

It was only a couple of hundred words long, yet Tang Wanli felt as though the paper in his hand weighed thousands of pounds.

What does it feel like to receive a lawyer's letter for the very first time in one's life?

Tang Wanli only knew that it was thoroughly unpleasant. He even grew somewhat anxious; when he had secretly photographed Zhang Chu's personal information from the club member list and signed him up for the competition behind his back, he had assumed it was no big deal.

And now, a formal lawyer's letter had actually materialized!

Ultimately, Tang Wanli was still just a student. He had never encountered anything like this before, and he was thrown into a panic, trembling like a frightened bird.

"What on earth should I do?"

"Making such a big fuss over a tiny matter and issuing a lawyer's letter—talk about making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Do I really have to apologize? But the results haven't even come out yet."

Tang Wanli paced back and forth inside the dorm room, his palms slightly trembling. He had no doubt that this was an empty bluff; Zhang Chu actually had the guts to pull something like this off!

After all, Zhang Chu had even fought an international lawsuit; this ordinary infringement case would be a walk in the park for him.

Just a few minutes earlier, he had been daydreaming about defeating Zhang Chu, winning the grand prize of the essay contest, and successfully publishing his work. Now, his mood had plummeted to the abyss, and he had no idea what to do.

He had already helped register him for the contest—could he possibly go and cancel it now?

At last, regret washed over Tang Wanli. Knowing full well that the guy was utterly audacious, why on earth had he insisted on provoking him?