Chapter 13

Lin Han sat in front of the computer, his eyes seemingly unfocused, staring blankly ahead, his thoughts racing in his mind. He had just finished writing his first short story, but the meager fee of eight thousand yuan was not enough to put him at ease. He had to continue writing.

He needed to write a long novel next, submit it to a magazine for serialization to accumulate popularity, and then consider the route of publishing. This steady and methodical approach would lay a solid foundation.

He had read thousands of science fiction novels, and it was a problem to decide which one to use as a reference. The choices were vast and each book was excellent, making it difficult to decide.

"Is this considered a happy dilemma?" Lin Han laughed at himself. He right-clicked on the desktop and created a new folder, but still couldn't make up his mind on what to write.

"Forget it, I'll talk to someone later and ask for their opinion."

In reality, Lin Han was still in a period of confusion. If he threw out all his classic novels at once, it seemed like a waste, without fully exerting their effects.

He opened the chat app, found his friend list, and clicked on the name Li Wenyuan. He wanted to ask this sci-fi veteran about his thoughts on his next book.

But just as he was about to type his question, the phone on his desk rang, the same phone that had earlier notified him to submit his manuscript.

"Hello, is this Mr. Lin Han?" Wang Yifan lowered his voice, not wanting everyone in the office to hear.

"Yes, it's me."

Wang Yifan knew that his words might offend someone, but in order to have "Rural Teacher" published, he had to ask: "We have discussed it in our editorial department and think that your book has excellent quality, but in order to avoid malicious criticism from certain individuals, we hope that you can use a pen name when publishing this short story."

Upon hearing this, Lin Han immediately understood. It turned out that the people in the editorial department of "Science Fiction World" were afraid of his identity being exposed and causing suspicion in various aspects.

Since they wanted to avoid trouble, he might as well solve it at its source. Using an unknown pen name to publish the book was indeed a good choice. He could consider revealing his true identity later.

So Lin Han replied, "No problem, I understand your concerns, I will cooperate."

"Do you have a pen name in mind? We need to submit the sample manuscript to the graphic design department soon, so please be quick."

"Let's go with "Alien."

"Alien? Alright, thank you for your understanding. The payment is being processed and should be in your account within two hours. Goodbye."

Wang Yifan didn't know the meaning behind the pen name "Alien," but for Lin Han, it was a commemoration of himself. He wasn't from this place, but from another parallel dimension.

After receiving Lin Han's pen name, Wang Yifan quickly forwarded the information. The people in the graphic design department were waiting, and as soon as the information was added, they took it to Tan Lin for review.

This issue of the magazine had a significantly larger layout because Lin Han's "Rural Teacher" was a lengthy 20,000-word piece. Initially, they had considered splitting the story into two parts, but realized that it would lose its charm if separated. The first half of the story was about the final class of a rural teacher, resembling a realistic novel. The second half was about an interstellar war and the students' mission to save the Earth, closely related to the previous part.

Usually, only renowned authors could enjoy this privilege of directly publishing a 20-30,000-word piece. The pages of a magazine were limited, and after Lin Han's story took up so much space, they had to cancel another piece. It was inevitable.

"That's settled then. Send this file to the printing house for printing and binding. Let's see if the sales will change next month." Tan Lin had no doubts about the final version and quickly approved it.

...

Lin Han was not in the mood to think about his new book at the moment. His nostalgia had been stirred up, making him feel restless.

At this time, he couldn't let himself think too much. He decided to break a sweat and tire himself out, using physical exhaustion to cover up his negative emotions.

The dumbbells that had been neglected for a long time finally came into play again. His body, which had been emptied by alcohol, soon began to sweat profusely. Every muscle in his body started to ache, but Lin Han didn't stop. He wanted to push his limits.

Collapsing onto the ground, Lin Han didn't feel like moving his fingers at all. The damp clothes stuck to his body, making him feel uncomfortable. In order to avoid catching a cold, he struggled to stand up and took a hot shower.

The scalding hot water flowed from the showerhead, hitting his hair and shoulders, dispelling the coldness and exhaustion. Steam filled the bathroom, drowning out the ringing of his phone.

After leisurely drying his hair and changing into clean clothes, Lin Han walked to the sofa with a cup of hot water. He felt that the negative emotions inside his body had flowed out along with the sweat and that he was now clear-minded and filled with energy.

Taking out his phone to check the time, he was met with several missed calls from Chen Jiaxuan, which gave him a headache. He didn't know what urgent matter this woman had to find him for.

After dialing back, Lin Han familiarly asked, "Jiaxuan, I was exercising just now and didn't hear the phone. What's the matter?"

"I thought you were drinking again. You really should exercise more and get your six-pack abs back sooner." Chen Jiaxuan teased. She was worried that Lin Han would return to his usual state after recovering. Now she realized that her worry was unnecessary.

"Alright, let's get to the point." Lin Han had a headache. How did she know if he had abs or not? This thought was terrifying!

Chen Jiaxuan detected Lin Han's evasiveness in his words, but she didn't mind. Someday this person would realize that she had been standing by his side all along. "It's also about you, and it's bad news. An informant revealed that you wrote a sci-fi short story under the pen name "Alien," which is scheduled to be published next month. The title is "Rural Teacher"?"

"It's called "Rural Teacher." The content hasn't been leaked, right?" Lin Han anxiously asked. He had only finalized the pen name with the editorial department over an hour ago, and now it had been exposed. If there wasn't a mole in the editorial department, he wouldn't believe it.

"The content hasn't been leaked, but it has attracted some attention. After all, you're just a washed-up director, and even your anti-fans don't pay much attention to this. I'm afraid in their eyes, as long as you don't go back and harm their male and female idols, they don't care about your novel."

Chen Jiaxuan's tone was relaxed and carefree, as if it was not worth mentioning.

But Lin Han knew things wouldn't be that simple. Otherwise, Chen Jiaxuan, who was busy with work, wouldn't have called several times. He didn't inquire further, he would know when he saw it later.

He spoke, "I've never been famous. Unfortunately, I became a stain in your career as a manager. The only person not popular under your management, and was forced to quit the entertainment industry."

"I never thought of it that way. I'm glad to have met you."

This was practically a naked statement. Lin Han didn't know how to respond to this silly girl. He opened his mouth, thought about Chen Jiaxuan rushing to his house with concern, and thought about her using various methods to motivate him. Would it be too cruel to refuse?

After a few seconds of silence, he finally said, "I'm also lucky to have met you."