Hearing Yuan Meng publicly admit that she was outmatched, Gu Mingchi was surprised. Was this the same San Yuan he knew?
The fans of San Yuan were also in disbelief. Had all their arguments with Shang Xingcheng's fans been for nothing?
Shang Xingcheng was a bit confused by Yuan Meng's move, but he answered graciously, "You're being too modest, Teacher San Yuan. Your strength is also not to be underestimated. I was just lucky."
"You're being humble. I really don't deserve such praise."
Everyone in the audience was utterly puzzled by Yuan Meng's actions.
Then, Yuan Meng casually brought up, "Is Teacher Shang's next book quite similar to this topic?"
The people in front of the screens were all shrewd. They immediately caught on.
[I knew it! It turns out they had the same topic! I remember he said he'd spend a whole year thinking before starting a new book. No wonder he did better than others!]
On the surface, Shang Xingcheng remained calm, but inside, he felt a surge of disgust towards this smiling round - faced woman. Was she deliberately against him?
He had just been a bit too proud and forgotten to be cautious. He never thought this woman would catch him!
Now he had no choice but to admit it.
Although it didn't sound good, it was better than being accused of having a ghostwriter!
Shang Xingcheng composed himself and smiled at the camera. "It's indeed as Teacher San Yuan said. My next book is quite similar to this topic. I was quite fortunate when I got the topic."
The audience burst into a lively discussion, with all kinds of opinions!
[I was really blind. If it weren't for Teacher San Yuan pointing it out, I would have thought he was really that good!]
[Exactly. It was just dumb luck!]
[Where are Shang Xingcheng's fans? Does it hurt to be slapped in the face by your idol?]
[Luck is also a part of strength! It wasn't Chengcheng who set the questions. Why are you blaming him?]
[Oh, still being stubborn? Given a year, others could definitely write better than him!]
[Others? They've been eliminated! No one reads their works. Even if you give them two years, they still can't match Chengcheng!]
[Eliminated? You don't know how brilliant they were at Shang Xingcheng's age! Shang Xingcheng isn't even worthy to carry their shoes!]
[You said it was in the past. Now they're no match for Chengcheng!]
...
Shang Xingcheng's fans were really good at causing trouble. In just a few words, they had angered the fans of other writers, and the live - stream chat was in an uproar.
The host, seeing the chaotic scene, had to step in to smooth things over.
"Alright, everyone, please be quiet. Since there was a conflict in the topic of the last round, for the fairness of the competition, we've decided to hold a third round. Please be patient."
The host picked up the card in hand and read out the next rule. "This is a web novel about eunuchs selected by our staff. This round is simple. You just need to write an ending for this novel."
Looking at this soft and cute girl who seemed so calm, Shang Xingcheng couldn't help clenching his fists. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be in such a passive situation.
As if he had thought of something, he sneered at Yuan Meng. "So it was selected from the web. Then, if it weren't for your serious procrastination, Teacher Yuan, your book might have been selected!"
No one expected that the cute and soft - spoken San Yuan in public would have such a serious procrastination problem that her manuscript didn't make the cut.
Yuan Meng squinted her round eyes and suddenly burst into laughter looking at Shang Xingcheng. "How did you know about this, Teacher Shang?"
"It's just hearsay!"
Shang Xingcheng looked at Yuan Meng and felt that her smile was a bit malicious.
Sure enough, he heard Yuan Meng ask crisply, "Does Teacher Shang have a good relationship with the staff? Otherwise, how would you know that my book wasn't selected?"
Facing the audience, Yuan Meng pretended to be innocent. "Isn't this something only the staff can know? Does Teacher Shang know someone special?"
Shang Xingcheng was shocked. This Yuan Meng really dared to say anything!
Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he quickly tried to defend himself, looking anxious. "No, Teacher Yuan, you misunderstood! I already said it was hearsay. And during the show, I did notice that you're a bit laid - back, which confirmed the online rumors."
He lowered his head and pretended to be innocent as he self - deprecatingly said, "I'm just a writer, insignificant. How could I know someone special? I only know my lovely readers who've always supported me!"
What a sly old fox.
Although his words were well - said, the seed of doubt had been planted in people's hearts.
Yuan Meng smiled as if relieved. "I see. I really misunderstood then."
You couldn't push a sly old fox too hard. It was enough to plant the seed for now.
...
Next, the five writers each drew a novel to write an ending for.
Yuan Meng looked at the book in her hand. It was a slightly spooky novel with some comical elements.
Slightly spooky?
Yuan Meng didn't care. She wrote it entirely in her usual style.
She gave a malicious smile, which made the fans in the live - stream think she was about to drop a bombshell.
[Non - combatants, please evacuate quickly! San Yuan is about to unleash her big move! It'll scare people to death!]
[Her last book scared me so much that I still can't sleep well. I get startled at the slightest sound, always feeling like there's someone in the room! Her book before that scared me so much that I don't even dare to climb mountains! And the one before that...]
Sure enough, when the revised book was released, the faces of the audience and the people in the live - stream turned pale.
She had made the book extremely scary!
The comical elements that were originally in the book were completely changed by Yuan Meng.
It was either a terrifying atmosphere or a description of how to kill someone.
The people in the live - stream let out a chorus of groans.
[Please spare us, Great San Yuan!]
[Exactly. Fortunately, it's daytime, and there are so many people in the live - stream with us!]
[I support you, the one in front. I don't even dare to go to the toilet now!]
[Dear friends who don't know the truth, remember this cute face. Don't be deceived!]
[So, can we say that Great San Yuan forgot that this novel was originally slightly spooky?]
[+1]
The people in the live - stream somehow united in this opinion.
This time, Shang Xingcheng was the last one to finish. It was obvious that his work was not as amazing as before. He even seemed a bit hesitant, sometimes taking a long time to write a sentence.
Yuan Meng wasn't sure if he was just putting on an act for the audience because of the last round.
Shang Xingcheng pretended to be relaxed. "I was really lucky last time. This time, I'm just performing normally."
The judges were carefully reading what he had written, and Yuan Meng wasn't idle either. She read the article carefully.
Yuan Meng propped her chin up. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She found that some of the writing techniques in Shang Xingcheng's article this time were quite different from both his books and the original novel!