Dad, Please Try a Little Harder

Chapter 28: How About You Help Me Come Up with a New Book Blurb?

Windsor Town Middle School, basketball court.

Sweat poured off Qian Wenlin as he played basketball with his colleagues, gearing up for next Saturday's match.

He had decent athletic abilities, excelling in defense, rebounding, and passing. However, his ball-handling skills were average, especially when facing tough defense – he usually hesitated to dribble.

But today's game was different; he focused on practicing his shooting and took the opportunity to work on his dribbling skills as well.

By 5:30 in the afternoon, everyone was heading home for dinner.

Once his colleagues had all left, Qian Wenlin spent an extra fifteen minutes practicing his three-point shots.

In the earlier years, when Yao Ming was still playing in the NBA, he had followed the Rockets' games and became familiar with a player named Battier. He was humble, dedicated, and had an impressive ability to shoot corner threes.

Qian Wenlin was now imitating him, aiming to become a so-called "3D player" (skilled in defense, three-point shots, and all-around gameplay).

After finishing his three-point shots practice, Qian Wenlin headed home, holding the basketball.

Lately, he had been practicing Wing Chun and playing basketball, pushing himself to his limits with physical activities. This allowed him to recapture the energetic feeling of his youth, brimming with vitality from head to toe.

Clearly, exercise sometimes has the power to reshape a person's mental state.

On his way back, Qian Wenlin sent a message to his wife. As he opened the social app, he noticed a new email notification and clicked to see. It was a rejection letter from New Story Monthly.

This was the seventh one.

Not too long ago, a colleague published a short story in New Story Monthly

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and received over 5,000 as payment. After the school started, he treated the entire teaching group to a meal and shared the submission process.

"We're all language teachers. Writing something casually can get accepted. This easy extra income is not to be missed." After a few rounds of drinks, that colleague's joke left everyone at the table silent.

If he hadn't paid for that meal, saying something like that would've gotten him into trouble even at the dinner table.

Qian Wenlin muttered to himself, "I'm going to challenge this. I believe I can't make it."

He decided to change the theme, not writing about historical legends or folk tales but instead crafting a medium-length urban romance story.

He had previously resisted urban themes because he was worried that such topics might involve some intimate content, like affairs, one-night stands, female co-workers, first love, etc., leading to misunderstandings with his wife.

For instance, if he were to write about a middle-aged man feeling perplexed about his marriage and tempted by other women, his wife might end up asking, "Is this confusion and temptation about the character or about you, Qian Wenlin? And the female character's prototype is Zhang Meili or Li Aihua?"

Or worse, his wife might just share his article with their son for appreciation and analysis, which would be even more awkward.

Comparing that awkwardness to reciting sad posts he had shared on social media face-to-face, it was hard to say which one was worse.

Hence, before he started writing, he had to prepare a case and lay the groundwork with his wife.

"This story is purely fictional. All characters mentioned in the novel are purely invented. I've entirely adopted a third-person perspective during the creative process and have never projected myself onto the male lead for even a second."

"Moreover, considering some adult elements that may be touched upon in the work, I will keep it hidden from our son for now."

...

As Qian Wenlin contemplated his choice of words, considering how to communicate his literary creation to his wife and how not to influence his son, Qian Quan received his first university confession.

An anonymous female student had left a heartfelt confession for Qian Quan on the Anonymous Confessions Page of Seacoast Normal University.

"Hello, I've been struggling for a while, so I decided to confess here. Otherwise, I can't eat or sleep well. If you can post this, please help me publish it anonymously."

"The guy I want to confess to is Qian Quan from the History Department's freshman class! He's probably become a campus celebrity by now, and if I don't gather the courage to confess my feelings now, I won't dare in the future."

"I first saw him on the first day of freshman registration. At the time, he was asking for directions, wearing a white T-shirt and light blue jeans. I saw him from afar, and suddenly, my whole self went blank. It was as if my brain had suddenly shut down. I don't know if it was love at first sight or simply a crush, but the moment I laid eyes on him, I was completely captivated!"

"He didn't just enter my line of sight; he burst into my eyes, occupying my mind instantly. How can I describe that feeling? It's like waking up on a weekend with great sleep quality, no dreams, and the warm sunlight flooding your entire body through the window."

"At the time, I didn't dare to follow him, but later on, I couldn't help but inquire about his name, class, and dormitory. I started frequenting the paths he might take, hoping for a chance encounter. I've seen him in the cafeteria, at the school gate, and even at the basketball court... But he has no idea that I exist!"

"Of course, that's okay. I didn't plan on pursuing anything with him, to begin with. Just catching glimpses of him from time to time, secretly writing his name in my diary, is enough. I hope he's happy every day. That'd be even better if he could delay falling in love a bit longer. Just kidding, haha."

"Thank you for posting this..."

This confession eventually got posted on the confession page. Furthermore, because this confession led to the boy in the video suddenly becoming popular earlier, it ignited a small but noticeable wave of online attention.

Netizens left comments one after another, saying if the young girl's secret crush, Qian Quan, was indeed the boy in that video, then it was quite understandable. With such a good-looking and humorous guy, which girl wouldn't want to have him?

Some netizens even said that even if all the female students at Seacoast Normal University had a crush on Qian Quan, he wouldn't be scared.

The first one in the dormitory to discover this confession was Shen Fei. He intentionally forwarded the link to their dormitory's group chat and tagged Qian Quan.

Qian Quan only replied with, "What ability do I have to receive this..."

Guo Hongyi said, "I don't know who this girl is, but if she looks decent, she can consider me as a backup option. Although I might fall slightly short of Qian Quan in looks, I'm better at basketball... right?"

The topic was also discussed in Qian Quan's class in the following two days, even though he had already been trying his best to keep a low profile about it.

The most absurd thing was that their class's arts committee member, who was also the class beauty according to Guo Hongyi's unofficial selection, Zhou Xiaoxiao, sent him a message. She explained that she wasn't the one who made the confession and that it was just a rumor. She asked Qian Quan not to misunderstand.

The problem was Qian Quan never misunderstood in the first place. So, he quickly replied, "Don't worry. I won't misunderstand. I have a clear sense of self-awareness, and you shouldn't pay attention to those rumors either."

Thus, a week passed, uneventful yet not entirely peaceful.

Finally, it was Saturday again. Qian Quan went to Fudan University as planned to meet Ding Linlang.

Her ongoing book was in its final stages, and her new book had started its pre-collection phase. The title was Returning Immortal, and according to her introduction, it was a classic fantasy in the style of ancient legends.

Qian Quan gathered all this information from reading the reader's group and her author's notes.

She had only revealed to Qian Quan that she was wrapping up her ongoing book.

After having lunch at the Fudan cafeteria, the two strolled around the campus.

"It's only been two weeks since school started, and you've already gained popularity twice. Do you really want to debut?" Ding Linlang somehow spotted the news about the confession as well.

"It's not related to me. I'm just being passive. By the way, haven't you received any confession?" Qian Quan replied with a touch of irony, suddenly noticing something, "Hey, your hair seems to have grown a bit."

Ding Linlang's current hairstyle was a straight-cut bob with side-swept bangs, adding feminine softness while reducing some of the androgynous coolness.

"Been busy with classes and writing, not much time for grooming," Ding Linlang casually remarked.

"It looks good this way," Qian Quan complimented, "Speaking of which, when will you finish your ongoing book, and do you have any ideas for the new one?"

"Probably wrapping up the current book in about two weeks. I have the title and the beginning of the new book sorted out, but I'm stuck on the synopsis. It needs a compelling blurb."

Speaking of this, Ding Linlang looked at Qian Quan, "How about you help me come up with a new book blurb?"

"Sure, tell me what you plan to write and the style of the blurb you want."

As they walked and talked, they coincidentally arrived at the basketball court and took a seat on the steps nearby.

Ding Linlang briefly outlined her new book idea.

In simple terms, the female lead worships in a martial sect similar to Shu Shan since childhood. She has a childhood friend who learns and cultivates together and goes through trials and tribulations together...

Later, their sect's leader is critically injured and dies in a battle with the demon lord of the demon realm. The most talented and powerful senior disciple takes over as the new leader.

From there, they train and fight against the demon lord, seeking vengeance and protecting the world.

During her cultivation, the female lead's previously awakened "golden finger" begins to play a significant role, enabling her rapid progress. In the process of venturing outside the sect with her friend, she meets the son of the celestial emperor, who has descended to the mortal realm due to a mission.

Subsequently, as various plotlines unfold, the senior disciple falls in love with the female lead, the celestial emperor's son also falls for her, and even the demon lord starts to experience unusual emotions in response to her repeated challenges - a sentiment akin to "You've successfully captured my attention."

Of course, the female lead's childhood friend secretly loves and quietly protects her all along.

When Qian Quan heard this, he immediately interrupted, hesitating, "Your setup..."

Ding Linlang hurriedly explained, "I inevitably used some common character settings from female-oriented novels, but my main storyline goes against the grain. My female lead doesn't develop feelings for the senior disciple, the celestial emperor's son, or the demon lord."

"He chooses the childhood friend?"

"Don't worry about that," Ding Linlang said, "The part I need your help with is after the female lead defeats the demon lord with the help of the senior disciple and her childhood friend. Faced with the pursuit of the celestial emperor's son, she decisively rejects him. She's also dissatisfied with how celestial beings frequently descend to the mortal realm, believing that those celestial beings disrupting the order of the mortal world by descending for their trials are causing trouble without consequence. So, she decides to sever the celestial bridge connecting the heavens and the mortal world."

"Severing the connection?" Qian Quan reacted immediately.

"Close enough. The main theme of my book is that, but I need a sentence for this part - when the female lead severs the celestial bridge, she has to say something to the celestial emperor's son and the celestial beings. I want to include this sentence in the blurb, but I haven't come up with the right one."

Qian Quan understood the meaning behind her book's title, Returning Immortal, which was quite fitting.

"Is a bit of teenage zeal okay?" Qian Quan asked.

"It's fine. I need a bit of that fiery passion."

As Qian Quan watched the game on the court, his mind raced, and suddenly, an idea struck him. However, just as the thought crystallized, a notification sound from his brain interrupted his train of thought.