Since 'A Chinese Ghost Story' was based on the TV version, Huang Yifan had to write while recalling the plot from the show. His progress was slower than when he wrote 'How a Bad Guy Is Made', but even so, he still maintained a pace of 20.000 words a day. In less than ten days, he finished writing the first volume, 200.000 words in total.
"Hongdou, I've finished the first volume. Accept the file when you can."
Without delay, Huang Yifan sent the completed manuscript of Volume 1 to Hongdou.
"That was fast. You said you'd only written 20.000 words earlier, and now, less than ten days later, you've hit 200.000."
"Heh, it's nothing. I used to write web novels, so I'm a bit faster."
"Web novels, huh? No wonder you can hit 20.000 words a day. But I've heard that web novels are all about quantity over quality. Writing that much daily, don't tell me the later parts are just rushed filler?"
"How could they be? Just take a look at the second half, and you'll see."
"Alright, I'll check it out."
A few hours later, that afternoon, Hongdou messaged Huang Yifan again.
"Impressive."
The first thing Hongdou said was just two words, "Impressive."
Then he added, "The opening of 'A Chinese Ghost Story' was already stunning, but I didn't expect it to keep getting better. This book has serious potential. If all goes well, we might even be able to sell the film rights once it's published."
"You flatter me, Hongdou. I hope you'll continue to support me in the future."
"You're too polite. It's your writing that stands out. I'm not giving you any special treatment. Okay, the manuscript's good to go, but we still have to follow procedure. It'll probably be about a month and a half before it's published. Oh, right, we're also planning to include a few illustrations in the book. Do you have any preferences for how the main characters should look?"
"Illustrations?"
Hearing Hongdou mention illustrations took Huang Yifan by surprise, he hadn't thought about that at all.
His first instinct was to just let them handle it and let the artists draw whatever they wanted. But in that moment, the image of Leslie Cheung as Ning Caichen came to his mind.
A scholar. Clad in white. Carrying a calligraphy box.
Leslie Cheung had fully brought Ning Caichen to life. Ever since, this image had become the definitive version of the character. In later TV and film adaptations, Ning Caichen always appeared as a scholar in white, carrying a box for brushes and ink.
"I think Ning Caichen should appear as a scholar, preferably in white or blue robes, with a traditional calligraphy box slung over his back. His entire aura should give off a Confucian vibe, dignified and upright. Basically, he should embody the phrase 'righteous energy under heaven,' the kind of presence that radiates scholarly integrity."
After thinking it through, Huang Yifan told Hongdou.
"'Righteous energy under heaven', I've always admired that line of poetry. You've perfectly captured the essence of righteousness. I didn't expect you to have such a detailed understanding of character design. Even though the illustrator hasn't started drawing yet, I already have a vivid image of Ning Caichen in my mind."
Hongdou was genuinely impressed and quickly followed up, "Right, what about Nie Xiaoqian? What's her look?"
"Nie Xiaoqian's a bit more complicated."
In his past life, there were several different portrayals of Nie Xiaoqian.
The first was a 1960s version produced by Shaw Brothers, starring Le Di. Back then, film technology was still in its infancy, and directors didn't have many creative tools. That version of Nie Xiaoqian came across as overly old-fashioned.
Then there was the 2003 version played by Barbie Hsu. She looked the part, undeniably beautiful, but the character was portrayed as too innocent, even a little silly. I mean, how can a ghost be naive? How could she be that gullible?
The most iconic portrayal was still the one played by Joey Wong alongside Leslie Cheung. Her Nie Xiaoqian had a fairy-like elegance, yet carried a faint trace of worldly weariness. Especially her eyes, they seemed to hold countless stories. Every glance, every movement lingered in the viewer's heart.
Thinking of this, Huang Yifan couldn't help but sigh. To capture Joey Wong's Nie Xiaoqian in just a few sentences or illustrations was no easy task. Still, he said, "Nie Xiaoqian is, first and foremost, a ghost. But she's a ghost with emotions, and a beautiful one at that. You could think of her as a mix between a celestial maiden and a ghost."
"A celestial maiden and a ghost, perfect! That's a very vivid description."
Then Hongdou asked about other characters, Yan Chixia, Sima Sanniang, and so on. Huang Yifan gave his suggestions for each one.
…
With the first 200.000 words of 'A Chinese Ghost Story' complete, Huang Yifan finally had some free time.
That's when he remembered Sun Zaian's invitation from Youth Daily.
Now that his schedule had opened up, he figured it was a good time to write a few pieces for Youth Daily.
Still, Huang Yifan wasn't going to write just anything.
He went online to learn more about Youth Daily first.
After about half an hour of research, he had a general understanding of it.
Turns out, Youth Daily was a newspaper under the Youth Literature organization, with a strong influence in China's youth circles. Besides publishing standout works from students, they also featured pieces by already-established authors. Their mission was clear: if it was about teenagers, education, or growth, Youth Daily wanted it.
Reading this, Huang Yifan felt intrigued.
Youth Daily might not wield much direct power, but Youth Literature was a major force in the literary world. Even if some of their content didn't hold the highest literary value, their cultural influence was unmatched. Being recognized in Youth Literature meant national recognition. Thanks to its prestige, any writer who made a name there was automatically a cut above the rest.
Because of that, it was the mainstream.
In his previous life, Huang Yifan wrote web novels. In this life, he was doing the same. While web fiction was wildly popular in both lifetimes, it had never been considered "mainstream." Within the community, writers referred to themselves as "scribblers." Why? Because web fiction authors weren't called writers, only traditional authors were. To Huang Yifan, there was no difference between a scribbler and a writer.
Sadly, since web fiction wasn't mainstream, that line between "scribbler" and "writer" remained stark.
Web fiction authors and traditional authors had become two entirely separate camps.
Especially after the controversy that Lingdian experienced, the divide between the web and traditional literary worlds became even sharper.
Faced with web fiction's stricter-than-traditional publishing standards, many web authors were defiant: "Who cares about traditional writers or their standards? Web fiction has its own criteria, we don't need to conform to theirs." Some editors even commented: "maybe web fiction isn't mainstream now, but give it a few decades, and it will be."
This generation's web authors mirrored those of Huang Yifan's previous life. But no matter how hard they worked, web fiction remained an outsider, not accepted by mainstream society. At most, it was tolerated, never embraced. It hadn't entered the halls of literature.
Huang Yifan believed that, yes, maybe in a few decades, web fiction would be absorbed into the literary mainstream, just as wuxia novels had been. But that timeline was far too long. Long enough that he might die before it happened.
So what is mainstream?
Mainstream is state recognition. Mainstream is universal acceptance. It dominates every market. It holds the highest status.
Whether for fame or fortune, Huang Yifan understood: only when web fiction becomes part of the mainstream can its authors earn proper recognition. Only then will they enjoy greater benefits. Only then will web fiction truly flourish across Huaguo.
So how do you make that happen?
One way is through government action. And yes, there have been signals, but those are just ideas. Turning an idea into reality could take a year… or a century.
Another way is for web fiction to evolve until it reaches a critical peak. But again, that's a long road.
Actually, there's a third way, through advocates.
People with vision. Ideally, they'd be respected figures in mainstream literature, famous authors, scholars, or literary authorities. If someone with real influence publicly supported web fiction, or even started writing it themselves, the timeline would speed up dramatically.
But Huang Yifan didn't know any of them. He didn't even know if they cared about web fiction.
That's when he made up his mind.
Creating an alternate pen name wouldn't just let him engage in a few feuds when necessary; it could also help push web fiction forward someday.
Fine. If no one else will do it, then I'll become one of those literary authorities myself.
And it all starts… with Youth Daily.
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