Chapter 14

After hanging up the phone, Lin Han took a deep breath. He knew that his path would not be smooth sailing, because it would be boring without any setbacks.

 This person who leaked the title and pen name of his work seemed to have some restraint since he didn't release the content of the novel in advance. Lin Han wondered what he had done to offend him.

 Thinking about it carefully, Lin Han couldn't come up with a reason. He decided to call the magazine to ask what he should do. He didn't want to keep calling them every day, but he also didn't want to bother them.

 "Hello, is this the editorial department of 'Science Fiction World'?" Lin Han asked, not wanting to waste their time.

 Looking at the caller ID, Wang Yifan said hesitantly, "Yes, Mr. Lin."

 Lin Han didn't have any grievances or accusations, so he reassured them, "Do you know that the information about 'Country Teacher' has been leaked online? Now everyone knows that I will be publishing it under a pen name, so the protective effect is almost nonexistent."

 "There was such a thing? I had no idea. The sample of the November issue has already been sent to the printing house. It's too late to make any changes. What should we do now?" Wang Yifan panicked. He didn't expect the result that they had discussed would be leaked so quickly.

 Dealing with such an inexperienced intern editor, Lin Han felt a headache coming on. He could only comfort him, "It's okay. Since it's already been exposed, let's just openly face it. You should have faith in the quality of this book. Even the most nitpicking person won't find any problems with it unless they don't intend to read it."

 "That's true. It must have been leaked from our editorial department. I'm really sorry. We will handle it properly."

 "It's alright. This might even attract more attention to 'Science Fiction World'. Besides, those haters have probably exhausted all their energy after criticizing me for a few days." Lin Han didn't mind at all. The pent-up resentment of those black fans had already erupted, and he didn't want to waste any more time dealing with them.

 Just as he was about to hang up the phone, Lin Han suddenly thought of something and asked, "I wanted to ask when the deadline for the Galaxy Award writing competition is?"

 "The Galaxy Award? The deadline is approaching. The judges are currently reviewing the entries. The list of finalists will be announced in the next issue, which is the issue that includes 'Country Teacher'. But don't worry, we have already recommended you. There won't be any problems with the finalists. We just don't know what place you can get. The final results will definitely be published in the December issue, and you should receive the prize money before the end of the year."

 "That's great, thank you."

 Even if he only made it to the finals of the Galaxy Award, there would still be prize money. But Lin Han's ambition was far beyond that. He submitted the excellent novel 'Country Teacher' with the goal of winning the highest level award, not just the basic one.

 Not to mention anything else, 'Country Teacher' was once one of Liu Cixin's classic short stories. With this novel, Liu Cixin received a reader's nomination for the 2001 Galaxy Award and was praised by many science fiction fans.

 Even the 2015 edition of the novel collection sold very well. Not only was the quality of the novel high, but it also had obvious copyright value. Xiaoma Benteng Film had already started investing in and shooting 'Country Teacher', with Ning Hao being the selected director.

 Lin Han was a little regretful that he didn't get to see 'Country Teacher' on the big screen before he crossed over. Even the crew that Kong Ergou joined for the filming of 'The Three-Body Problem' was disbanded. Chinese domestic science fiction movies were still struggling.

 But things were different now. If he could bring these novels to the big screen, it would be an extraordinary achievement.

 With nothing else to do, Lin Han put his phone aside and refreshed Weibo with his mouse, wanting to see what kind of comments the online trolls would come up with.

 He found the Weibo post mentioned by Chen Jiaxuan, which was posted by an account called "Entertainment Without Boundaries" with over two million followers. The post stated: "According to reliable sources, a certain science fiction director will publish a novel under the pseudonym 'Alien' in the next issue of 'Science Fiction World' magazine. The novel is titled 'Country Teacher'. After ruining a classic science fiction novel, he has decided to write one himself. Can you guess who it is?"

 This piece of news was very confident and did not have the usual disguises used when reporting on other celebrities. Normally, these marketing accounts would use "Mr. Z" or "Miss Y" or even just use numbers for the actors. But this time, they intentionally set up some suspense to attract discussions among netizens.

 Anyone with knowledge of the entertainment industry could easily guess who they were referring to from the tags "science fiction director" and "ruining a book". Wasn't that Lin Han's label?

 As a result, there were numerous replies from netizens, many of whom began to relish the situation.

 "I guess it's Lin Han? He finally set his sights on ruining science fiction novels. I hope he won't start writing BL, those scenes are too beautiful for me to dare to watch!"

 "Oh my god, what is this? How can 'Country Teacher' be related to science fiction? How far can his imagination go?"

 "Linking it to his pen name, I think this 'Country Teacher' is an alien. Luckily, I don't read science fiction. Let's mourn for 'Science Fiction World' for a moment."

 "Damn, do I have masochistic tendencies? I'm actually a little looking forward to this novel. I must be mentally ill."

 "Woof woof woof, he ruined the entire solar system, and now he wants to ruin our 'Science Fiction World'."

 "Damn it, so Lin Han is playing such a big game. He must be a spy sent by the American imperialists to completely obliterate Chinese science fiction. I didn't expect this from you, Lin Han!"

 "I think Lin Han's imagination for writing novels is probably not as big as the person above. Conspiracy theories are coming out. Anyway, I don't like science fiction, so he can do whatever he wants. By the way, where are the people who used to hate on Lin Han? Were they disbanded?"

 "We're late to the party! Sisters, let's make this topic trend! #BoycottLinHan #BoycottScienceFictionWorld #LinHanGetOutoftheEntertainmentIndustry"

 "Country Teacher, this is hilarious. This guy can write a book too? It's probably just a primary school student's composition. I'm looking forward to the release of the November issue on the 20th. I've already prepared the money, don't stop me!"

 These comments were quite interesting. They were all genuine bystanders with no strong opinions about Lin Han. Most of them were just there to watch the show. The official Weibo account of 'Science Fiction World' confirmed everyone's suspicions. Since it had been exposed, there was no need to keep concealing it.

 "The November issue has already started printing and will be distributed nationwide by the 20th. Key highlights of this issue: @LinHan publishes his sci-fi masterpiece 'Country Teacher' in the magazine and receives 100% positive feedback from the editorial department. The results of the Galaxy Award preliminary round have been announced, and the list of finalists will be published in the magazine's back pages. Congratulations to the authors who made it to the next round."

 A November issue cover was also attached to the Weibo post. The starry sky full of science fiction elements looked mysterious, and in the corner of the cover was a recommendation for 'Country Teacher'. It seemed to be the main attraction.

 Since it was tagged by the official Weibo account, Lin Han boldly retweeted and wrote, "Let the work speak for itself. Welcome everyone to read it on the 20th!"

(Note: The novel mentioned in the translation is a fictional work and does not represent the actual novel by Lin Han)