Shang Yechu: "..."
"Which one is it? Tell me!" Ji Juntao was getting impatient.
Shang Yechu murmured, "What's your rush? The main characters in these three books are all male, and I can't act in them..."
"Who told you that the main characters in these three books are all male?" Ji Juntao asked, bewildered. "Cao Dian—Sheng Wenzhi—Master of Vegetarian Dishes. Regardless of his name, all his novels are written in the first person, and the main characters' names are all gender-neutral. There is no mention of the main characters' gender anywhere in the text!"
Shang Yechu felt a jolt: "Why do I remember them all being men?"
"How could that be!" Ji Juntao laughed in anger. "I read them very carefully. The protagonists in these books have very vague gender awareness and cognition, neither male nor female, completely unclear. I don't know if the author did it intentionally or unintentionally, but others also ignore the protagonist's gender. You say he's male, where's the evidence?"
Shang Yechu rolled her tongue: "In 'Celestial Phenomena,' the protagonist is an astrologer in the Imperial Observatory. Except for the dynasties with female emperors, most officials in ancient times were probably men, right?"
"Most, but not all."
"In 'The Voyeur's Diary,' the protagonist is a pervert who loves to spy on and eavesdrop on his neighbors. How could that be a woman?"
"No one says women can't have psychological abnormalities."
Shang Yechu released the final piece of evidence: "Wei Yize, Shen Yunfan, Yingjie, they're all drooling over the plot of 'The Long Night's Firebearer.' If the main character isn't a man, why are they getting involved?"
Ji Juntao sneered: "I also helped you lick the pie in 'The Fire of the Long Night.' If the protagonist wasn't a woman, why would I get involved?"
Facts speak louder than words; Ji Juntao once again refuted Shang Yechu. Shang Yechu suddenly recalled that when she read *The Rules General Store*, she hadn't paid attention to the protagonist's gender. Perhaps this was a writing style of Sheng Wenzhi.
"In short," Ji Juntao concluded, "the main characters in Master Su's novels are all quite well-developed. Although they're a bit narcissistic, it's harmless. Suspense dramas have a solid foundation and a fixed audience. It would be great if you could act in one of them. So, which one did you land?"
Shang Yechu no longer dared to tell Ji Juntao the truth. Sheng Wen had heard of so many best-selling books and lucrative projects, yet Shang Yechu had chosen to devour an abandoned horror novel posted on a niche forum…
Shang Yechu coughed lightly: "This novel... I'll discuss it with him, and if it's possible, I'll let you take a look."
"Could it be that they haven't been published yet?" Ji Juntao's eyes lit up. "Then the hype will be even bigger. The vegetarian master changes his name every time he writes a novel. That's not a good habit; he won't be able to cultivate a pen name. Why don't you talk to him and see if he can publicly admit that he wrote all of these books?"
Shang Yechu added in his mind: It has been published semi-publicly.
"Wait a minute." Shang Yechu noticed the blind spot. "Since he hasn't publicly admitted it, how do you know?"
"I could tell." Ji Juntao had already forgotten the bad luck he had just dealt with Zhuang Sheng. "Although he tried his best to cover it up, the writing style, as well as the protagonist's identical narcissism and blurred gender identity, can't be changed no matter how many layers of skin he wears."
Shang Yechu glanced back at the study door. Sheng Wenzhi was sleeping inside, completely unaware that two people were eyeing his novel and pen name.
"Why are you looking back?" Ji Juntao stood up abruptly. "This can't be explained over the phone. I'll come to your house."
Shang Yechu was taken aback: "No need, I'll go to the company instead—"
"Wait for me at home." Ji Juntao hung up the phone.
With a beep, Shang Yechu was annoyed for two seconds before quickly returning to her study.
We absolutely cannot let Ji Juntao find out that Sheng Wenzhi is still fast asleep at Shang Yechu's house so late!
Shang Yechu walked a few steps to the table and nudged Sheng Wenzhi: "Wake up. Don't sleep here."
Sheng Wenzhi opened his eyes and asked wearily, "How did your discussion with your boss go?"
"We haven't figured it out yet. She's coming to my house later. It's not convenient for you to be here." Shang Yechu handed Sheng Wenzhi his coat. "Why don't you go home first?"
"Is there anything inconvenient for me to do here?" Sheng Wenzhi took the coat. "Wouldn't it be more convenient to talk face to face?"
Shang Yechu had to explain, "I'm a female artist, and you're a male writer. If my boss sees us this late, she might misjudge us—"
"You think there would be any rumors about us?" Sheng Wenzhi interrupted Shang Yechu, his expression one of surprise, as if he had just seen a circus clown tap dancing. "How could that be?"
Shang Yechu: "..."
“It’s not a rumor,” Shang Yechu explained in vain, “but it would misjudge our, uh, how well we know each other. You know, negotiating with acquaintances is the hardest thing to do.”
Shang Yechu didn't know how to describe her relationship with Sheng Wenzhi. To call them friends was an understatement; to call them acquaintances was inaccurate; to call them strangers was a questionable notion, given how many years they had known each other.
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