sinovels Chapter 49 Status Update is Here
Chapter 49 Status Update is Here
After filming wrapped up for "Ice Love Song".
"Come on, I wish all the actors here a bright future, all the staff members success in both their careers and families, and I also wish my film great success."
As soon as he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and downed the drink in one gulp. A round of applause and cheers erupted around him; some whistled, others urged the director to do another take. Director Mo waved his hand, a rare relaxed smile appearing on his face—the tension of the past two months had finally dissipated completely at this moment.
Filming for "Ice Love Song" officially wrapped up, and the banquet ended in early January. With only a few days left until the final exams of elementary school, Luo Jinnian resolutely returned to school.
He didn't mention his time on the film set to anyone. The day he returned to school happened to be a Tuesday during the long break between classes. The classroom was noisy; some people were doing their homework, some were eating spicy snacks, and some were rolling up their textbooks and tapping each other on the head.
"Luo Ge is back!"
Someone shouted something, and the whole classroom suddenly fell silent for half a second, then erupted into chaos.
"Holy crap, Brother Luo, you're finally here!"
"Brother Luo, what have you been up to all this time?"
Long-lost friends swarmed around, bombarding him with questions.
Little Fatty squeezed to the front, clutching half a bag of instant noodles in his hand, his face trembling with excitement.
Yang leaned against the door frame, hands in his pockets, with an expression that said, "I knew you'd come back," but the curve of his lips betrayed him.
Luo Jinnian smiled, not answering the questions directly, but simply putting his schoolbag on the table: "I missed you all, so I came back to visit."
However, Luo Jinnian did not play the game again after returning this time.
He sat comfortably on a chair in the back row of the classroom, his long legs stretched out, his back against the wall. His sister, Chu Qingning, sat quietly beside him, occasionally glancing at him like a well-behaved kitten.
The group of people in the classroom started playing cards again. Same old rules: the loser gets a sticker on their card, and the next loser takes their place. Today's game was especially lively because Brother Yang had joined in, and everyone was determined to take him down.
"This hand is really bad..." Little Fatty muttered, having already dealt several cards.
Luo Jinnian glanced at it from afar and chuckled softly.
"What's wrong?" Chu Qingning asked curiously.
Luo Jinnian leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words analyzing the battle situation.
Chu Qingning blinked. Although she didn't understand what her brother was saying, she found it interesting.
Luo Jinnian laughed. The fat guy was still bad at the game and loved playing the same old thing.
Chu Qingning looked at his profile and suddenly felt that her younger brother seemed different, as if he had experienced something and had calmed down.
"I'm itching to try, let me do it next."
Yang handed the half-eaten ice cream to a younger brother next to him, then stretched his wrists and turned his neck.
"Brother Yang is about to go on!"
"Come on, place your bets! How many rounds has Brother Yang been carried away?"
Everyone started making noise and offering their seats. Brother Yang sat down with an air of authority.
To be honest, Brother Yang's card-playing skills are quite average, but the cards he holds are all cards that have been nurtured by a fierce and aggressive aura. The edges of those cards are worn white, and each one has been won more than ten times. They feel heavy in his hand, as if they are covered with some kind of mystical halo.
Holding these cards, Brother Yang exuded confidence.
"Brother Yang is awesome!"
"Suppress him! Suppress him!"
After losing three games in a row, Brother Yang was eliminated.
He was still somewhat unconvinced when he stood up from his chair. He coughed and looked around, trying to find a way to back down. He immediately spotted Luo Jinnian sitting in the back row watching the show.
He strolled over, hands in his pockets, and sat down next to Luo Jinnian, his tone slightly strained to ease the awkwardness: "You really aren't playing?"
"I'm not playing anymore," Luo Jinnian shook his head, his gaze fixed on the still-intense card game in front of him. "I'll just watch you guys play."
Yang clicked his tongue and didn't try to persuade him further. He could tell that Luo Jinnian's whole demeanor had changed since his return; he seemed less enthusiastic about the excitement.
Actually, he was overthinking it. Luo Jinnian was simply too tired after filming and just wanted to rest quietly.
Science Fiction Vision magazine extended an invitation to Luo Jinnian to attend this summer's National Science Fiction Convention, where he can discuss the future of Chinese science fiction with many young writers. The organizers seem to value this event highly, describing it as a forum for young science fiction writers, and have invited some of the most promising new talents.
Luo Jinnian was certainly happy to have such an opportunity to enjoy a proper meal. As a high-ranking official in Shandong, the idea of attending banquets was ingrained in his very being.
However, after considering his age and family situation, he regretfully declined.
Given his age and the situation involving a middle-aged woman, exposing this now would bring far more trouble than honor.
He's still regretting it.
He doesn't know how many more of these dinner invitations he'll have to decline in the future, which means he'll have to eat so much less.
"Sister," Luo Jinnian suddenly spoke, her voice soft, "you said it would be great if I could grow up overnight."
Chu Qingning paused for a moment, then tilted her head to look at him: "But didn't you just say this morning that you didn't want to grow up?"
Luo Jinnian choked.
It seems like I did say that.
In the morning, he stayed in bed, not wanting to get up. When Chu Qingning came to wake him, he buried his head under the covers and mumbled, "I don't want to grow up. When I grow up, I have to get up and go to school by myself." Chu Qingning laughed for a long time, saying he sounded like a three-year-old.
Only half a day later, he said he wanted to grow up again.
Luo Jinnian himself found it a little funny.
Chu Qingning couldn't quite figure out why the boy in front of her was so sentimental. She thought about it for a while, but couldn't come up with anything, so she stopped thinking about it. She reached out and patted her younger brother's shoulder, mimicking an adult's gesture, light but earnest.
"It's okay, with an older sister, you'll always be the younger brother."
Meanwhile, the impact of Mr. Beast on "The Road to Dawn" in China continues to unfold and is far from over.
Mainstream media outlets published related reports one after another. The People's Daily published a commentary titled "When Science Meets Literature—Starting with 'The Road to Dawn'", discussing the novel in the context of the overall development of Chinese science fiction. Guangming Daily, Wenhui Daily, and Southern Weekly also followed up with reports, each from a different perspective, but all giving high praise to the work itself.
The internet platforms are even more lively.
The topic "The Road to Dawn" on Weibo has garnered over 300 million views, and there are thousands of answers to the question "How would you rate the science fiction short story 'The Road to Dawn'" on Zhihu.
Some are analyzing the scientific settings in the novel, some are discussing the philosophical implications of the risk-taker, and some are debating whether it is worth sacrificing one's life for the truth. Various viewpoints are clashing and arguing fiercely, but one thing everyone agrees on is that Chinese science fiction has produced a truly significant work, and it was first recognized overseas before returning to China to ignite public opinion.
A CCTV cultural program even dedicated a special episode to this story, inviting several science fiction writers and physicists to sit down and discuss it. The host began by saying, "An anonymous author, a short story of less than 20,000 words, has stirred up the entire Chinese science fiction community."
Just at this critical juncture, the Ministry of Education's official Weibo account posted a message.
[@EarlySpringTea, thank you for your work "Take Her Eyes," the first Chinese science fiction story to be included in a textbook.]
No, you—
You did such a great job!
Weibo exploded instantly.
"What??? A textbook???"
"Holy crap, 'Take Her Eyes' is in a textbook? Which grade level?"
"Are 'Early Spring Tea' and 'Mr. Beast' the same person? The timeline is too coincidental!"
"Wait a minute, so the current situation is: one science fiction story won an award abroad, and another was included in a domestic textbook? What genius did this?"
The whole internet is speculating, the whole internet is digging.
Some have compared the writing styles of "Take Her Eyes" and "The Road to Dawn" and are certain they were written by the same person. Others disagree, saying the two novels have completely different qualities—one is gentle and delicate, the other is cold and grand—and don't seem to be the work of the same person.
Regardless, the popularity of the account "Early Spring Tea" has reached unprecedented heights.
In the comments section of the Ministry of Education's official Weibo post, someone asked a particularly interesting question: "Doesn't this author have both international readership and domestic education sector recognition?"
This comment was pushed to the top and received over 100,000 likes.
When Luo Jinnian later saw this comment, she was curled up on the sofa drinking yogurt and almost choked.
Luo Jinnian finished the cup of yogurt, then opened his phone to look at the comments under the official Weibo post, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.
Then he exited Weibo, opened another app, searched for the keyword "wedding banquet," and started reading with great interest.
Even if I can't eat it, I can at least look at it.
Thinking of this, Luo Jinnian's mood improved again.