Chapter 128: The Tsundere Author Wants to Reach the Heavens

"The China Book Fair has concluded successfully, with four overseas television networks making a surprise appearance."

"An unexpected disruptor at the film and television copyright trading conference: newcomer author Zhang Chu's two works are highly sought after!"

"Sherlock Holmes has caught the attention of the BBC; the head of Menglong Culture states that negotiations are actively underway."

"Psychological Crimes has been a bestseller for two consecutive days, and actual sales of Sherlock Holmes are approaching 500,000 copies. The title of Newcomer of the Year is now all but certain."

"Zhang Chu's unfinished work, Journey to the West Diary, has sparked a frenzy, with film companies potentially looking to lock in the rights early."

"The greatest newcomer in history is born! His debut full-length work is about to be sold overseas!"

Media outlets from all corners were snapping photos where possible, or reporting with one-sentence news flashes where they couldn't. These were not just any outlets from Serbia or some underdeveloped nation; these were television stations from the world's two top powers, the United Kingdom and the United States.

For a time, the internet and television were flooded with competing reports on the matter. Although the final outcome had yet to be announced, everyone felt it was a done deal, waiting only for a press conference to confirm it.

Most of the time, it was British and American dramas being exported to China. Now, the prospect of foreigners filming a show based on a Chinese author's novel—even if it were fan fiction of Sherlock Holmes—filled people with immense excitement.

On the internet, the response to these news items was overwhelmingly positive. Netizens had even mentally prepared themselves to watch these Western dramas and subscribe to streaming platforms.

"Amazing! It's the first time I've seen so many television stations fighting over copyrights. Truly a pride for our nation's writers!"

"He's going to make a fortune, isn't he? Selling to the BBC or CBS would be great. HBO produces high-quality content, but they definitely don't have as large an audience as the first two."

"Other people are becoming millionaires at 18, and here you are, still doing what..."

"Incredible. By next year, I should be able to find Sherlock Holmes in the American drama category. That feels so cool."

"Is this for real? Have they run out of good scripts abroad? To come all the way to our country to find a newcomer's work... I've read Sherlock, and I just don't get the hype."

"Maybe it's a cultural difference. I don't really like reading this type of novel, but I prefer watching this type of TV series."

"Congratulations to Zhang Chu! His debut work is about to be adapted, and Psychological Crimes is being adapted too. How intense!"

"Sherlock fans are fainting with joy in the bathrooms!"

"Cheering for Zhang Chu with all my might; looking forward to the second installment of Sherlock!"

Beneath these reports, the mood was one of joy and celebration. For once, no discordant voices emerged from the netizens; after all, this was quite a significant honor.

Other authors could only look on with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Why weren't their works the ones being adapted? Why was a newcomer so successful?

Perhaps this was just fate.

However, the tone on Zhang Chu's Weibo was completely different.

On the car ride back to his residential complex from the book fair, Zhang Chu figured that since he had nothing better to do, he might as well play a game. Even though he was now a "deserter" of League of Legends, having been absorbed by PUBG, there wasn't much else to play on his phone, so he settled for a round of Honor of Kings.

As it turned out, he chose Jing Ke. Despite having the most impressive stats on the team, his teammates were useless. When he shared a screenshot of the game results on Weibo, he was immediately mocked by the masses.

"You're not even the 'Strongest King' rank and you have the nerve to share? Reveal your username, I'll carry you to greatness!"

"So this is why you're not writing your new book and not being productive!"

"Your stats look so amateur. Zhang Chu, you're hopeless—stick to writing novels."

"I really want to bully you in the game."

"Internet addict! Go write your novel, I want to see the new book."

"Journey to the West Diary only updates a little bit every day. Did school start for you?"

"Sorry, I thought these stats belonged to a primary schooler!"

...

Zhang Chu was back on his sofa by now. Seeing these comments, he burst into laughter. These little rascals were mocking him? He, the man who had achieved 'God-like' status many times and had carried his entire team in the past.

Now, he was being dismissed as a primary schooler. An uncle could endure it, but an aunt wouldn't!

"I've played over a thousand games of League of Legends, thrown a full thousand matches, mastered every way to verbally abuse teammates, and sold out over thirty thousand teammates—if you lined them up, they'd circle the Earth. I've mastered the timing of kill-stealing. My corpses have decorated every corner of Summoner's Rift and the King's Canyon. I've perfected over a thousand ways to feed the enemy, and I possess over eight hundred reasons to go AFK. Can you compare to me?"

"I can go AFK and flame teammates in text; I can dive the tower and feed the enemy in action. I can take on five alone when pushing, and wait for the twenty-minute surrender when defending. I can fly-kick to save a dying enemy, or drop a wall to block my teammates. Silent as a ghost for a hundred years, then suddenly delivering a 'God-like' streak to the enemy from thousands of miles away. Heroic flashes to give away first blood, and I never look back when selling out my team. I play recklessly when winning, and surrender when losing. How many sorrows can one man have? Just like four teammates feeding in a five-man game, waiting for the twenty-minute surrender!"

After writing this long post, Zhang Chu reposted his pathetic screenshot, proudly flaunting his terrible record.

He felt no shame; rather, he took pride in it!

It was the same familiar flavor and the same familiar formula. His long-time Weibo followers felt their spirits lift—this guy was starting his nonsense again.

"My God, he's basically a giant pit on the side of the road!"

"You are the most shameless author I've ever seen. To describe being a burden so elegantly—I'm kneeling."

"I'm so annoyed, yet you're the most absurd teammate I've ever matched with."

"No wonder I occasionally win without doing anything; maybe the enemy team had a burden like you."

"Good heavens, a top student from Yenching University actually plays games, and is this bad? My psychological state is instantly balanced."

"Zhang Chu must definitely be among my most bizarre teammates."

"Wow, a newbie who just followed Zhang Chu is shocked. This author is a bit of a tsundere."

"Zhang Chu, do you still remember the new book by the Great Ming Lake?"

"Where is the new book? Where is the new book? The new book is in that distant fantasy!"

"I'm just wondering, if you spent half the time you spend gaming on writing, you'd have several more books by now."

Netizens held high expectations for Zhang Chu. With one Sherlock Holmes, one Psychological Crimes, and an unfinished Journey to the West Diary, it seemed these two books hadn't even fully tapped into his literary potential.

As Zhang Chu's fame grew, the expectations for this top scholar increased bit by bit. It wasn't that he couldn't write suspense and mystery works, but there was no need to spend all his time on them.

Recently, there had been too much going on. The film and television rights for his two works hadn't been finalized, and school at Yenching University was about to start. With so many things piling up, it was inevitable that he would be distracted.

Even though his books were essentially sourced through his "Savior System," he still had to edit them carefully and couldn't afford to be lazy or take shortcuts.

"Once school starts, I'll focus on writing. I can't keep messing around like this," Zhang Chu silently resolved to himself, then opened his computer and logged on right on time to play a round of PUBG with his buddies.