Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed

Chapter 636 - 225: The Power of the Writers Association Membership Card

The bespectacled man, Zhang Zhiqiang, was a sophomore. He had always prided himself on becoming a member of the Modu Puyuan District Writers Association while still in college.

Of the 26 members in Daxia University’s Literary Society, only six were members of a district-level Writers Association. The other five were all juniors and seniors.

Because of this "status," Zhang Zhiqiang cultivated an air of being a "man of culture" and completely looked down on those who wrote web novels. It wasn’t just him; the other members of the Literary Society shared the same opinion.

To them, literature was a lofty art form, a reflection of the character of the literati—it was a tool with which one could govern the state. What were mere web novels? They considered them nothing more than trash fabricated from wild fantasies, unworthy of being called literature. They refused to consider web fiction as true literature.

So, when Xia Zhijin—a girl with celestial beauty—came to visit the Literary Society, Zhang Zhiqiang made a point of showing off his talent and status, hoping to capture the attention of the freshman girls. It was a tactic that had never failed him.

Thanks to his outstanding talent and membership in the district Writers Association, he thrived in the Literary Society like a fish in water, easily attracting the admiration of female students. After all, they were all top students from a 985 university. The women there naturally gravitated toward exceptionally talented men, which had allowed him to cycle through several girlfriends in just over a year of college.

Seeing the girl before him, who looked like a fairy stepping out of a painting, intimately hugging Li Yuan’s arm, Zhang Zhiqiang’s jealousy flared. It feels as if my true love is being stolen away...

However, when he saw the little red book Li Yuan tossed onto the table, he froze as if struck by lightning. His body trembled as he stared intently at the booklet. The large characters printed on the cover pierced his heart, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

Just then, another young man and two young women from the Literary Society also turned to look curiously at the red book Li Yuan had tossed on the table. One of the girls had a baby face, stood about 1.6 meters tall, was slightly chubby, and also wore black-framed glasses. She eyed the little red book curiously and read the cover aloud.

"Membership Certificate of the Writers Association?"

As members of the Literary Society, they naturally understood that writers in their country were ranked. At the lowest level were the county or district Writers Associations. Generally, anyone who had published articles in magazines and journals or had their own work published could join, just like Zhang Zhiqiang. But even joining the most basic district-level association was beyond the reach of most college students, especially in an international metropolis like Modu, where it was even more difficult.

Above the district associations were the municipal and provincial ones. Joining a Provincial Writers Association required significant influence in that province’s literary scene. After all, in a province of tens of millions, there were at most only a few hundred to a thousand members.

And above the provincial level was the Writers Association, which in their eyes was one of the pinnacles of the literary world. Even the president of their own Literary Society was, at best, a member of the Provincial Writers Association. Most literary society presidents didn’t even reach that level.

Yet here was this guy, suddenly slapping down a membership certificate for the Writers Association. It made the girls from the Literary Society look at him with suspicion.

"Huh? You’re so young and you’re already a member of the Writers Association? Did you pick this up somewhere, or is it a fake?"

The chubby girl voiced her doubt, and the tall, skinny, short-haired girl beside her couldn’t help but mock him.

"Yeah, do you even know what being a member of the Writers Association means? And you just whip it out like that? If you were really a member, why would you bother joining a literary society? They should just make you the president."

As "people of culture," they understood the weight carried by the Writers Association. It certainly wasn’t an organization a college student could join. The only ones who could join were people like the professors and associate professors from Daxia University’s Chinese Department.

The guy in front of them was handsome and cool, with a muscular physique that made him look more like an athlete. He had no trace of a scholarly air about him. How could he possibly be a member of the Writers Association? It had to be a fake. In this day and age, it was all too easy to spend a few dozen yuan to get a fake certificate made.

The tall, skinny girl with short hair glanced at Li Yuan and couldn’t help but scoff, "Heh, freshman, that has to be a fake you had made. If you’d faked a district-level certificate, we might have actually believed you. But to fake one from the Writers Association... you’re just making a fool of yourself."

Hearing what Julie and Hu Fei said, Zhang Zhiqiang suddenly understood. His composure returned, and a mocking smile touched his lips. He looked at Li Yuan and shook his head.

"Freshman, a person should be down-to-earth and not resort to dishonest tricks. If you, and these young ladies, truly love literature and want to join us, you should study hard and show us your actual talent.

"If you perform well and pass our Literary Society’s review, you can study diligently under my guidance. In the future, it might not be impossible for you to join our Puyuan District Writers Association."

Li Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle as he listened to the condescending mockery from the members of the Literary Society, who were clearly putting on airs.

So these are the legendary "literati"? They’re every bit as pretentious and self-important as I imagined.

He found the whole situation quite amusing and interesting.