I’m Really a Superstar

Several days later.

America.

A novel quietly went on sale.

There were no promotions.

There was no publicity.

There was no hype.

The English edition of Gone with the Wind was launched in America.

At a bookstore.

Several Americans walked up to a shelf.

“Eh, what’s this?”

“A new novel?”

“Gone with the Wind?”

“What author wrote this?”

“Ye Zhang?”

“I’ve never heard this name before.”

“I think it’s an Asian name.”

“Ah, there’s a bio on the back of the first page!”

“What? A Chinese guy?”

“Why is a Chinese person’s book on sale in America?”

“A world-class mathematician? The number one hacker in the world? Fuck, I remember now! It’s him! The Panda Burning Incense and CIH viruses were created by him!”

“CIH?”

“Have you guys forgotten? That’s the virus that raised a global alert as the most dangerous virus in the world. That was created by him!”

“It was that fearsome?”

“He even knows how to write a novel?”

“Could this be a professional guide to hacking?”

Behind them.

The store’s door opened.

Two Chinese international students had just walked in. When they heard the name that those people were talking about, they thought it sounded a little familiar. They were startled. When those Americans walked away from the shelf, they quickly went over to have a look. When they saw what was on the shelf, the two of them were dumbfounded. A lot of foreigners would probably find this name unfamiliar. Perhaps some people knew who it was, but the majority of them would not know. But in China, and as a Chinese person, how could they not know the name Zhang Ye? He was the number one celebrity in China!

Zhang Ye?

It was Zhang Ye?

What the heck!

What was his new novel doing here?

Could the rumors be true?

The English edition of Zhang Ye’s novel had really been released worldwide?

…

In China.

On Weibo.

At the same time, quite a few international students or Chinese people who were in America posted pictures.

“Everyone, come and see this quickly. Look what I found in America!”

“Heavens, so that rumor is true!”

“Damn, that’s got to be photoshopped, right?”

“It’s not! I took this picture at the scene. It’s really Zhang Ye’s book. The author bio was also about him!”

“I guarantee that it’s real. I also saw it just now and even bought the book as well. Flipping through it, it’s all in English. There are even some words that I could not fucking understand! Goodness, I’ve lived in America for 20 years. How could Zhang Ye’s English be this good?”

“Could it be a translation?”

“No, there isn’t a translator’s name credited. He’s the one who wrote it!”

“*faints* Face-smacking Zhang is soaring to the Heavens!”

“Has he been learning English these past few years?”

“That might be it. He must know that if he didn’t learn a foreign language, it would impede his future in the international entertainment industry. He probably learned it in the few years that he was in jail.”

“B-But what is he trying to do?”

“I don’t know. Why did he choose to release it first in America?”

“And he even based it on life during the American Civil War?”

“Ah! I know!”

“What do you know?”

“H-He’s making a push for the Nobel Prize in Literature!”

“What the heck! You’re right!”

“An international theme that touches on people’s life during wartime. This is the most favored novel to win a Nobel Prize in Literature!”

“So that’s his motive! Can he make it? There’s only a month left!”

“Zhang Ye must be crazy!”

“He still hasn’t stabilized his position in China yet, right?”

“He’s going too fast!”

“I have a feeling that something big is gonna happen!”

…

At the Chinese Writers’ Association.

“Quickly check the Internet!”

“What? Zhang Ye has his eyes on the Nobel Prize?”

“How bold of him. Even he’s thinking of vying for it?”

“I thought he would be consolidating his position in China first!”

“Damn! He intends to force his way up!”

“And how would he do that?”

“Have you all forgotten? An international award gives an additional percentage to the popularity scores. Furthermore, this is the Nobel Prize we’re talking about. A Nobel Prize in any field is still the most prestigious award in the world, so the additional percentage it gives is also the highest. It should be enough for him to jump from the first place of the domestic rankings into the international C-list celebrity rankings! An international C-lister is a very well-respected star in the international entertainment circle. He’s trying to make use of this method to break the curse that has prevented Chinese celebrities from gaining a foothold on the international stage! He means to take the title of an international celebrity with this method!”

…

At a television station.

“Will it really work?”

“Who knows!”

“He actually dares to try to force his way into the international celebrity rankings?”

“Damn, only Zhang Ye would dare to think of something like that!”

“Moreover, he’s the only one who has a chance of succeeding. For the other domestic stars, it would be more practical to qualify for the international celebrity rankings than to win an internationally acclaimed prize!”

“Does Zhang Ye really intend to do it this way?”

“Yeah, why else would he have a global release for his new novel?”

“He’s too bold!”

…

In the Chinese entertainment industry.

“This is who Zhang Ye is.”

“He’s really trying to go international!”

“Well, whether he succeeds or not, he will still have my admiration.”

“Yeah, just look at the state of our country’s male idols. None of them have their eyes on the international arena. All they want is to get famous in China, then take on commercial performances and make a money grab. Which of them have any intention of competing on the international stage? None at all! So Zhang Ye is really something different. He dares to do things that no one even dares to think about! It was poetic that Zhang Ye took over the position of the number one person of the Chinese entertainment circle. It’s a good thing to let him have a go at the international entertainment circle.”

“But there’s only a small chance that he will succeed.”

“That will have to depend on how his novel performs.”

“Even if he gets defeated, it will still be a glorious attempt.”

…

At a male idol’s studio.

“Zhang Ye is too rash.”

“Yeah, he’s as good as arrogant.”

“For something that no one in our entertainment circle has succeeded at in so many years, he’s actually thinking of breaking into the international stage so soon after taking over the number one position of Chinese show business? Is that even possible!”

“He’s too naive.”

“I’m not optimistic of Zhang Ye’s chances either.”

“Hur hur, does he think it’s that easy to win the Nobel Prize?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Even though Zhang Yuanqi didn’t gain a foothold on the international stage, she still managed to break into it once. But the Nobel Prize? There hasn’t been a Chinese person who has won since our country had a history. Chemistry? Mathematics? Physiology or Medicine? Literature? Not one person has won it before! So what makes him think that he can do it?”

…

Among Zhang Ye’s friends.

Ning Lan.

Yao Jiancai.

Xiaodong.

Amy.

Chen Guang.

Dong Shanshan.

When they heard the news, all of them were left kneeling!

“Does he really intend to do that?”

“I’m fucking kneeling!”

“I was still thinking about how Zhang Ye would make a rush for the international scene in the future!”

“I’ve also thought about it before, but I never could have expected him to use such a method.”

“So he wants to force his way in!”

“He’s really trying to stir up something big!”

…

The media blew up as well.

“Zhang Ye’s new novel debuts in America!”

“Zhang Ye makes a rush for the international entertainment circle!”

“Who will win the Nobel Prize?”

“Can Zhang Ye create a miracle?”

“Blind faith? Or self-confidence?”

“Breaking into the international entertainment circle—a path that no one could ever think of!”

…

On this day.

The entire country was bombarded by this news!