Chapter 38: Supporting Role

"Starting with a side-by-side portrayal to build anticipation for the protagonist's strength, then directly showcasing the protagonist's abilities in a thrilling tennis match that fulfills the readers' expectations. During the match, the protagonist faces retaliation but chooses to respond with tennis, showcasing the character's personality to some extent..."

Yang Feng summarized the plot.

After summarizing the plot, he reviewed the remaining content.

After reading the hundred thousand words of the submission, Yang Feng was pleasantly surprised to discover that this novel was actually an ensemble cast!

Members of the Qingxiu Tennis Team each had their own personalities and abilities, while the main storyline focused on depicting the growth of these characters through various matches.

In the realm of youth fantasy novels, not only did it feature themes like conquering harems or venturing into other worlds, but there was also a theme called chasing dreams!

However, there weren't many people writing such novels now.

And this novel titled "The Prince of Tennis" told the story of young people pursuing their dreams and striving to become professional tennis players.

Yang Feng liked it!

However, immediately after, Yang Feng hesitated a bit.

Although "Tennis Prince" fit his taste and was quite novel, the chosen theme and direction of the story were somewhat niche.

And the tastes of editors can vary.

A story that Yang Feng finds fantastic might just be average in the eyes of other editors.

Should he recommend it?

After about a minute of indecision, Yang Feng decided to stick to his judgment—

Recommend!

Editors have the right to recommend works after reviewing them.

Works recommended by editors would be further examined by the chief editor and deputy chief editor of the publishing house.

If they also find the novel promising, it means the novel can be scheduled for publication.

On the other hand.

If it can't pass through their evaluation, it means Yang Feng's performance would take a hit, as only successful recommendations count as editorial achievements.

Of course.

Even if he wants to recommend it, Yang Feng has to finish reviewing the other manuscripts in his hands. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to other contributors.

But Yang Feng has a hunch.

Among the remaining manuscripts, there probably won't be a work that satisfies him more than "Tennis Prince."

Thinking of this, Yang Feng flipped through the submission information for "Tennis Prince."

This novel has a smooth pace. I wonder if it's a resubmission from someone who has polished their work? This is quite normal.

In the industry, some established novelists, not doing well in their current path, might participate in newcomer competitions under a pseudonym.

However, these people usually don't hide their identities.

Because they have familiar editors, they would directly send their manuscripts to the editors they know when the newcomer competition started.

After all, it's an industry-accepted rule for veterans to participate.

Considering that this novel didn't target Yang Feng or other editors for direct submission, the probability of "Tennis Prince" being created by an established author in disguise is not high.

Sure enough.

The information about the contributor shows that this is a work by a newcomer, and the pen name of the newcomer is quite unfamiliar:

"Chu Kuang"

Novelists have all sorts of pen names, so in Yang Feng's eyes, Chu Kuang is quite ordinary.

"The only point that surprised him was that the data showed this Chu Kuang was actually a college student. Are today's college students so knowledgeable about tennis?

...

Just like using 'envy the fish at the edge of the abyss rather than making a net' in a similar way.

The pen name Lin Yuan chose for his novelist identity is actually taken from Li Bai's poem, the two characters 'Chu Kuang' from 'I am the Chu Kuang person, the phoenix sings and Kong Qiu laughs.'

The only regret is that there is no Li Bai in this world, so no one understands the meaning of Chu Kuang.

After choosing this pen name, Lin Yuan actually had some expectations for the submission results of 'Tennis Prince.' After all, this novel is related to the rewards for his three treasure chests!

He also analyzed.

This novel is quite faithful to the plot of the anime and has even patched up many things.

If we talk about the original work of the anime, the early stage is okay. The tennis moves are basically ones that can be played in real life.

For example, Ryoma's opening move, the outward spin serve, and also the snake shot, crouching kill, and swan turn flash are things some powerful professional players can do.

Of course, the effect is definitely not as cool and exaggerated as the anime presents, and the practicality is generally just so-so.

After all, the original author has a foundation in tennis and compared to the average person, knows much more about this sport.

Unfortunately.

In the middle and later stages, in order to continue drawing, the author let the art style of this anime become more and more mysterious, directly turning it into the widely criticized 'killer tennis.'

I'm afraid even big shots like Nadal and Federer might not be able to handle entering the world of 'Tennis Prince.'

The system also understands this.

So, to avoid the story turning into fantasy, 'Tennis Prince' put on the emergency brakes at just one million words. Moreover, all the moves in this one-million-word novel are based on reality—at least moves that humans theoretically can execute.

In terms of plot integrity, the system is better than the original author.

Similar situations also exist in the sports-themed 'Captain Tsubasa.'

Although the story becomes more exaggerated as it goes on, early on, moves like Kojiro Hyuga's powerful shot are nothing more than real-life Cristiano Ronaldo's elevator shot.

Shaking his head.

Lin Yuan decided to patiently wait for the results.

Today, he has to go out because Sun Yaohuo, the senior from the Vocal Department, wants to treat him to a meal.

For Lin Yuan, refusing when someone treats you to a meal is a foolish thing unless you really dislike the person."

Lin Yuan didn't dislike Sun Yaohuo.

So, he readily agreed to the invitation.

Sun Yaohuo had invited Lin Yuan with the mindset of giving it a try. He didn't expect Lin Yuan to agree so readily, which both surprised and delighted him!

Junior Lin Yuan is really easygoing! Even now, with his rising popularity, he wouldn't just agree to a meal for the sake of it. Agreeing is definitely giving face, so Sun Yaohuo attaches great importance to this meal.

The restaurant for the meal was chosen outside the school.

Sun Yaohuo specifically drove his new car to pick up Lin Yuan.

This new car was earned by Sun Yaohuo through his share of "Life Like Summer Flowers" and recent commercial performances.

When he went to record "Life Like Summer Flowers," he was a bit late due to taking a taxi and got stuck on the way. He almost missed his debut opportunity. That's why he readily spent money to buy a car, learning from past mistakes.

As for the reason for inviting Lin Yuan to dinner—

It's because Sun Yaohuo only heard from a colleague today that Lin Yuan had gone to the vocal department to look for him last time.

At that time, Sun Yaohuo happened to be out, so he missed it.

This matter had been bothering Sun Yaohuo for a long time.

He was worried that Lin Yuan might be angry about it, and recently, he had been troubled about how to apologize to Lin Yuan.

Of course.

Sun Yaohuo also hoped that his junior's mood would improve, and maybe they could fly together again. But this was just a beautiful wish.

He knew it wasn't realistic.

As Xianyu becomes more and more popular, the artists he collaborates with will only become more and more prominent. A supporting role like himself probably doesn't hold much weight in his junior's eyes anymore.