At Rongcheng Literature and Art Publishing House, Nie Yuan's colleagues all looked at him with a mix of disbelief.
Because, ever since this guy got a small black notebook, he had fallen into a strange state.
Sometimes he clapped his hands and laughed, sometimes he frowned, sometimes he smiled while stroking his chin, and sometimes he looked regretful. Sometimes he would stand up from his chair, and sometimes he would even slam the table!
When he slammed the table, it attracted everyone's attention, and they all looked at Nie Yuan with disapproving and strange glances.
But this guy was completely oblivious to everyone's gazes. He held the black notebook in his left hand, leaned back slightly, and was completely unaware of his surroundings, still staring at the small black notebook with a particularly strange expression on his face.
"Hey, hey, hey!" His colleague, Xiao Li, pushed his shoulder: "Nie, what's wrong with you? Are you crazy?"
Nie Yuan, pushed, was pulled out of the story, looking unhappy. Seeing Xiao Li's dissatisfaction, he suddenly remembered that he had just slammed the table and said apologetically: "Sorry, sorry, I just got absorbed in this manuscript."
It's not unusual for someone to be so engrossed in a book that they don't react much to the outside world, but Nie Yuan was usually very rational. How could this happen to him?
"What book is it?" Xiao Li asked.
Nie Yuan said "Oh," and then said in a very impressed tone: "A new historical novel... 'Heroes Emerge in Youth'! I was actually thinking that the author who submitted the manuscript was a bit too young, but now, this book has really broadened my horizons! I never thought history could be written like this!" Nie Yuan was indeed filled with surprise and shock. "Ming Dynasty: Those Years" initially seemed like a humorous novel, but upon closer inspection, it was far from that...
This book, whether it was a novel or some other genre, from the beginning to now, had a humorous tone, but upon closer inspection, almost every word was a gem. In just a few words, it explained things very clearly, especially in describing battle scenes. The concise language, the stirring tone, and the logical consistency were all impressive! The writing was powerful and incisive, and although it was about history, the dramatic conflicts made you eager to see the outcome and the development of the story. It was a book that you couldn't put down once you started reading.
Nie Yuan really didn't expect that history could be written like this.
This book was different from the usual history books, which were always serious. "Ming Dynasty: Those Years" was written with a smile!
And you couldn't say that this book was too humorous and not serious, because that wasn't a flaw, but rather an advantage!
This book was like a magnet, firmly attracting Nie Yuan's attention. When he finally came to his senses, he realized that an hour and a half had quietly passed, and he was almost finished with the small notebook.
"Give it to me, I want to see what kind of book it is." Hearing others talk about it was not the same as seeing it for yourself, so Xiao Li snatched the book and, at first, wanted to say it was nonsense, but he held back... Soon, he was also engrossed in the book.
"Hey, give it back!" Nie Yuan, who hadn't finished reading, came over to snatch the small notebook. Xiao Li was furious: "Will you die if I look at it? You were reading it for a long time just now!"
Nie Yuan angrily said: "Do you have any sense? This is the manuscript I got!" They struggled for a bit, and then suddenly remembered the magic of photocopying, so they quickly made two copies to read... The curious people around them also took the manuscript to read, and soon, the entire editorial room was engrossed in "Ming Dynasty: Those Years."
"History can actually be written like this!"
"Written so vividly!"
"This history is so captivating."
Many people sighed: "Writing history like this is really good."
"Hey, don't just say the book is humorous. Look closely, the author is really good at writing about battles."
"Nie Yuan, who gave you this manuscript?" someone asked Nie Yuan.
At this, Nie Yuan remembered the author of the book and was even more astonished—yes, this book was actually written by a teenager in his late teens?!!!
Seeing Nie Yuan's dazed expression, Xiao Li became impatient: "Who wrote it? Oh... Li Chenchan... But we've never heard of a historian named Li Chenchan, right?"
"Maybe it's an amateur enthusiast?" someone said.
"An amateur enthusiast... If he had this ability, he should have appeared long ago..."
"Maybe he's using this book to make his debut!" Amidst the discussions, Nie Yuan directly said: "This Li Chenchan... everyone is wrong. When I first got the manuscript, I saw him. He's a teenager in his late teens, and I think he's still in high school."
"What, still in high school?" Everyone was stunned by Nie Yuan's guess!
"Are you kidding? Can a high school student have this level of historical knowledge? Aren't they all preparing for the college entrance exam?"
"Nie Yuan, don't talk nonsense."
Nie Yuan quickly clarified: "It's true... If you don't believe me... Oh, he left me his phone number, I'll call him now." He took out his phone to call Li Chenchan.
Everyone started to believe him, but they were all amazed—really, a high school student wrote this? Isn't that incredible? This powerful writing, this humorous yet incisive style, is from a high school student? His knowledge of Ming Dynasty history is from a high school student?
Everyone couldn't believe it, and just as Nie Yuan was about to make the call, someone suddenly shouted loudly: "Everyone, shut up! It's working hours, not a market!"
Hearing this voice, the previously excited crowd immediately fell silent and hurriedly returned to their seats.
The person who walked in from the door was their chief editor, Zhao Zhongyang, a veteran literary worker and a member of the Writers' Association, who also had considerable knowledge of history.
"Nie Yuan, come over and tell me what happened just now," Zhao Zhongyang didn't let the matter slide just because everyone had fallen silent. He sternly asked Nie Yuan to explain.
Nie Yuan handed the black notebook to Zhao Zhongyang: "We were just discussing this manuscript... It's written by a high school student, but it's very interesting."
"What book is it?" Zhao Zhongyang glanced at the title "Ming Dynasty: Those Years" and frowned: "A high school student writing a historical novel? Isn't that absurd?" As he spoke, he started reading, but after two chapters, Zhao Zhongyang himself was also engrossed, becoming a bit slow to react to the outside world.