I Became an All-round Artist

This was the first time Zhu Hui had changed her impression of a writer who specialized in youth fantasy novels. Before this, she had assumed that Chu Kuang was one of those authors who wrote brainless, pandering harem stories. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

The short story "Artificial Beauty" was simply brilliant. In just two or three thousand words, it had left her completely stunned. Based on this, it was clear—Chu Kuang had an exceptional command of language!

Opening the comments section, Zhu Hui realized she wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Many of the comments echoed her own sentiments:

“This story is so interesting!” “Did Chu Kuang really write this?” “Isn’t Chu Kuang a youth fantasy writer?” “I came here expecting an update on Prince of Tennis, but I got hooked by this short story instead. It’s not youth fantasy at all, but it’s incredible.” “I love this style!” “There’s hardly any personal emotion from the author in the writing, it’s just straightforward storytelling. But the ending left me completely floored without needing any emotional buildup.” “That twist at the end!” “Am I reading too much into it, or does this story reflect a lot of societal issues? I remember a news report recently about hyper-realistic robots being created to look just like humans. This story gives me chills when I think about it.” “At first, I was disappointed it wasn’t an extra chapter of Prince of Tennis, but now that I’ve read the short story, I feel like I’m good, haha.” “You’re not alone in that feeling.” “Speak for yourself, you’re definitely not human!” “...”

Aside from the comments, many people also shared and tipped the story. The platform had a tipping feature that allowed readers to reward articles they enjoyed, with the author receiving half of the proceeds. As more and more people shared the story, even those who had never heard of Chu Kuang started to notice Artificial Beauty.

There was no denying it—just the title, "Artificial Beauty," had a certain hook to it. On first glance, readers might think it was a critique of plastic surgery in modern society. The word “beauty” alone had an inherent attraction, especially for male readers.

Soon, even more people had read the story—all thanks to its brevity.

Sure, the content wasn’t what people might have initially expected, but that didn’t seem to affect how well the story was received. Even some popular book bloggers on the platform began to notice Artificial Beauty and shared it with their followers.

"Unbelievable!" One blogger, clearly familiar with clickbait tactics, wrote: "Who would believe this short story was written by the author of Prince of Tennis?"

Shameless though it was, the tactic worked. Chu Kuang already had a significant fanbase thanks to Prince of Tennis, and with all the reader-generated buzz, this small short story managed to gain quite a bit of attention.

Eventually, even the platform’s novel section moderators took notice.

“Boss, this short story is really racking up views quickly,” one of the staff reported to the head of the novels department.

The department head raised an eyebrow. “Chu Kuang? Isn’t he the author of that popular youth fantasy series Prince of Tennis?”

“That’s right.”

The head nodded and took some time to read Artificial Beauty. After finishing, a smile crept onto his face. “The story is excellent. Let’s feature it in the hot recommendations section.”

…

Lin Yuan finished his meal and went for a walk with his family. By the time he logged back into his account, it was already the next day—New Year’s Day.

Every household was bustling with New Year’s celebrations, and Lin Yuan’s home was no different. However, after spending a little time outside, Lin Yuan returned to his room and booted up his computer.

“Huh?”

Lin Yuan was surprised to find that, in just one night, his account had received over a thousand new comments. Almost all of them were about Artificial Beauty. His post from the previous day had now garnered over 4,000 comments and more than 1,000 shares!

On top of that, Chu Kuang’s follower count had jumped from 10,000 to 22,000.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number, so Lin Yuan hung up. A moment later, the phone rang again. He ignored it. When the same number called for a third time, Lin Yuan finally picked up.

“Happy New Year!” a voice on the other end said cheerfully.

“I’m not New Year,” Lin Yuan replied.

The caller paused awkwardly before correcting himself. “I mean, hello, Teacher Chu Kuang.”

So it was a call for Chu Kuang.

Whenever Lin Yuan got these unfamiliar calls, he had to figure out whether they were for Xianyu, Chu Kuang, or just him, Lin Yuan. It was an important distinction.

“What’s this about?” Lin Yuan asked.

The man on the other end chuckled. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m You Rong, the editor-in-chief of Fun Read magazine, published by Silver Blue Publishing. I’m reaching out today to discuss a potential collaboration.”

“What kind of collaboration?” Lin Yuan asked.

“I saw the short story you posted on the platform yesterday. It’s a real gem! A story this good should definitely be serialized in our Fun Read magazine. We specialize in short fiction with a focus on entertaining content, and we don’t limit the genres we publish. Plus, our magazine sells quite well. Unlike the platform, which doesn’t pay for content, we’re willing to offer you a fee!”

“How much?” Lin Yuan asked, suddenly more interested. After all, he needed money—he’d just received his paycheck, but it wasn’t enough to buy a house for his family.

“3,000 per thousand characters!” the editor replied. “That’s 3,000 yuan for every thousand characters. We can work with that rate, as long as your stories pass our review.”

Lin Yuan frowned. “That’s too little.”

He quickly calculated that the tips he had received from Artificial Beauty on the platform already added up to a few thousand yuan, not to mention the immediate reader feedback and the fame boost.

“Well, how much do you want?” the editor asked, tossing the ball back into Lin Yuan’s court.

Lin Yuan hated these kinds of negotiations, but he deflected. “I’ll send you a story. You can offer a price, and if I don’t like it, we’ll forget about the deal.”

“Alright, my email is…”

“I’ve already sent it.”

“Huh? But you don’t even know my email…”

“Aren’t you with Silver Blue Publishing? I sent it to Yang Feng’s email. You’re colleagues, so you can ask him for the manuscript.”

“But… I don’t even work in the same department as…”

The editor was clearly flustered, his voice betraying his confusion.

Lin Yuan cut him off. “I’m hanging up now. Goodbye.”

And with that, Lin Yuan ended the call.

After all, it was New Year’s Day, and today’s feast was even more lavish than usual. If he didn’t hurry, his sister would finish all the good food before he had a chance!

Meanwhile, editor Yang Feng received a short story submission from Chu Kuang titled The Gift of the Magi.

What’s going on? Yang Feng was thoroughly puzzled.

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