The provincial writers' association was different from the municipal one. As a provincial-level institution, it was quite large.
After getting out of the taxi, Huang Yifan saw the sign ahead reading Xijiang Provincial Writers Association.
At the same time, the building also had another sign: Xijiang Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
The Federation and the Writers Association seemed similar, but there were significant differences.
Although the Writers Association was a self-organized group, it was directly under the leadership of the Huaguo government and held a relatively high status.
The Federation, on the other hand, was composed of various artistic organizations such as the Writers Association, Artists Association, Musicians Association, and so on. While it included the Writers Association, the Writers Association itself was administratively independent. Because of this, its status was generally higher than that of the Federation. However, since the two were closely connected, they were often located together.
After explaining his purpose to the security guard and asking about the registration process, Huang Yifan headed to the Writers Association service hall.
At that moment, quite a few people were already waiting inside, each seated separately, handling their own matters.
A glance showed around thirty people. There were men and women, elderly, middle-aged, and younger writers. There was even a 13-year-old said to be a child prodigy, whose fairy tale had sold 50,000 copies, drawing quite a bit of attention. Huang Yifan only glanced over and didn't pay much mind. He took a number from the self-service machine and sat down to wait.
"Hey brother, what's your name? Just reached 2-star?"
He had barely sat down when a voice came from beside him.
Turning his head, Huang Yifan saw a stylishly dressed young man about his age.
"My name's Huang Yifan. Yeah, just reached 2-star."
Without explaining further, Huang Yifan nodded.
"Heh, already coming to register right after reaching 2-star?"
The handsome young man smiled. "Let me tell you, coming here right after hitting 2-star doesn't really matter. The minimum requirement for registration at the provincial writers association is 2-star anyway. Even if you register, you probably won't gain much. Most important events and exchanges require above a 2-star to participate."
"Oh? And what star level are you?"
"Not worth mentioning. I'm Feng Yi. Over the summer, I wrote a novel called 'My Thoughts on the College Entrance Exam'. It recently sold 70,000 copies. Together with a few of my earlier works, I've reached a total of 100,000 copies. Got lucky and just made it to 3-star."
"Oh, impressive, impressive. A 3-star author."
Huang Yifan clicked his tongue, putting on an expression of admiration.
"Haha, nothing much. Just playing with words. And with the recent college entrance exam, I got a bit lucky. But even so, the gap between 2-star and 3-star is quite big. I know many authors who've been stuck at 2-star for years. One veteran I know has been at a 2-star for over a decade. But you seem promising, young man. You'll probably reach 3-star soon."
Very pleased with Huang Yifan's reaction, Feng Yi began to sound a bit smug.
"Thanks for the compliment."
"You're welcome, you're welcome. Alright, it's my turn. I'll go register first. There's supposedly an exchange event later, but I think it requires a 3-star to attend. Here's my card. Let's find time to exchange ideas in the future."
"No need. I'm not really interested in those exchange events. I just focus on writing."
Huang Yifan declined casually without taking the card.
"Fine."
Seeing that Huang Yifan didn't accept his card, Feng Yi's expression changed, and he almost got angry. But remembering where he was, he swallowed his irritation and shot Huang Yifan a glare. "We'll talk another time."
With that, Feng Yi turned and left, thinking to himself, "Damn it, another pretentious guy. Just a 2-star author, and I'm talking to you out of courtesy as a 3-star author. Acting like you're something special? Hah, you'll probably stay 2-star your whole life. Whatever, not worth arguing with losers like this. Registration is more important."
…
After waiting another ten minutes, it was finally Huang Yifan's turn.
The earlier encounter was just a minor episode. Although he found Feng Yi a bit ridiculous, he was used to people like that.
There were plenty of people like Feng Yi in the world. He treated it as nothing more than a joke.
With a smile, Huang Yifan organized his documents and entered Registration Office No. 07.
Since star-level writer registration was confidential, outsiders weren't allowed to observe, and the writer's identity would be kept secret. Even if others knew someone's star rating, they usually wouldn't know the real identity unless the writer chose to reveal it.
Huang Yifan appreciated this confidentiality and knocked on the door of Office 07.
"Come in."
Hearing the voice, Huang Yifan pushed the door open.
Inside, seated at the center of the office, was a young woman in her twenties, dressed in professional attire, giving off a calm and composed aura.
However, when she saw Huang Yifan enter, she frowned slightly.
Thinking back to the person she had just registered, she felt a wave of disgust. She couldn't help but think how there were so many lecherous men in Xijiang Province hiding behind the banner of literature, even young ones. But although she thought this, the moment she looked into Huang Yifan's eyes, she was startled.
They had bright and clear eyes.
There was no trace of malice, no hint of frivolity, not even the arrogance one might expect from a young talent.
Strangely, after seeing those eyes, her earlier thoughts completely vanished.
Perhaps there were all kinds of people in this world. She had just happened to encounter an extreme case earlier.
"Hello, please have a seat. My name is Lu Qing. Welcome to the Xijiang Provincial Writers Association."
"Thank you. My name is Huang Yifan. Here are my identification documents. I'd like to apply for real-name registration."
"Alright."
Taking his documents, Lu Qing said, "It seems we're getting more and more young writers in Xijiang. I just processed one earlier, and now another. By the way, what's your representative work?"
"Well… it's written in the materials."
"Haha, feeling shy? Alright, I'll just check. Still, being able to reach 2-star at 18 is already quite impressive. When I was 18, I was only 1-star."
"That's nothing. In writing, talent doesn't mean much. Some achieve fame young but produce nothing later in life. Others are obscure in youth but create masterpieces in middle age. Teacher Yan Bing from Huaguo is a good example."
"I didn't expect that, besides being talented at such a young age, you're also so humble. That's even rarer. Alright, let me review your documents."
As she spoke, Lu Qing opened his file and cross-checked it with the database on her computer.
Name: Huang Yifan. Age: 18. Born in 2000. Pen name: Fanchen.
Hmm… why does this pen name sound familiar?
But she quickly shook her head. Names like Fanchen, Chenshi, and Chenyuan were quite common. It wasn't unusual for it to sound familiar.
However, when she saw the next lines, she froze.
Started writing novels in 2015. Debut work 'A Chinese Ghost Story', with sales of 900,000 copies.
In the same year, he wrote 'The Peony Pavilion Girl', which sold 2 million copies.
'A Chinese Ghost Story'. 'The Peony Pavilion Girl'.
Muttering the titles under her breath, Lu Qing suddenly jolted and stood up abruptly.
"My god… you're the 5-star author Fanchen who wrote 'A Chinese Ghost Story' and 'The Peony Pavilion Girl'?"
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