Chapter 332: 2019 Yuewen Annual Meeting Special Edition

I had originally planned to write this earlier, but the two days of last year's annual conference were incredibly exhausting. After returning home, I was utterly spent, and then the very next day was a significant memorial ritual for my granduncle. Anyone familiar with funeral customs knows that the period before the burial and the "wūqī" ritual are the two most crucial stages of the funeral process. Our local funeral customs are particularly elaborate, involving many complicated rituals like the "gold and silver bridge," the "nine-table heavenly ladder," burning paper effigies and paper houses, and countless other tasks. It went on until midnight, leaving me extremely tired.

Today, I finally have some free time to write down some interesting personal experiences that I can share.

First, on January 5th, feeling slightly excited, I woke up, packed my things, and set off.

While still on the high-speed train, I had already coordinated with Milk Rider (Legend of the Paladin) and Twelve (Twelve-Winged Dark Seraph), who were arriving at Shanghai Hongqiao around the same time. I had secured a strong ally in advance, so we wouldn't be alone heading to the venue.

At that moment, I realized my luck for this year's annual conference was quite good. First, Milk Rider is a prominent figure, a strong and reliable person. Second, Twelve and I were both attending the annual conference for the first time, so two newbies could alleviate each other's nervousness. Third, I had worked in Shanghai for six years, so I was familiar with the city. It was perfect timing, location, and company!

Oh, and beforehand, I had also met the prominent authors Liuxia Hui and Yu in a small chat group. We were scheduled to participate in a small performance together at the conference, and fortunately, Yu and I were even in the same room.

The three of us—Milk Rider, Twelve, and I—took the subway to the location. We discovered there were two or three Sheratons close to each other. After one wrong turn, we successfully arrived, checked in, picked up our invitations, chose our seats, and collected our complimentary gifts.

This indirectly proved my premonition right. I had completely forgotten my power bank and charging cable, but among the Yuewen gifts, there was exactly a power bank, and it even supported wireless charging! It was a godsend!

When I checked in, the front desk informed me that my roommate had already arrived, but they weren't in the room when I went there. They returned after a while, bringing a film crew with them.

"What on earth is going on?"

It took me a while to realize that my roommate was Yu, with whom I had been anxiously discussing our performance and other conference matters on WeChat. What a coincidence!

The film crew was there to interview him. Since I had arrived, they interviewed me as well. Both of us were so awkward on camera. I'm usually not camera-shy, but that time was truly awkward.

One part of our conversation went like this:

Yu: Feishi, have you read my book, *Nine Star Toxic Milk*?

Me: Oh, not yet!

Yu: Then what are you waiting for? Go read it!

Me: Oh, oh, oh, I definitely will!

Yu: Heheheh...

Me: Heheheh...

Both of our expressions were painfully awkward.

Alright, after arriving, I only had about half an hour to rest. Several authors, including myself, who were participating in the 'My Dream' program, went downstairs to gather. (There were supposed to be 11 of us, but a few hadn't arrived yet due to tight schedules). We were in the hotel lobby. By then, I hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch yet, so I just had a banana from the room.

Downstairs, I met the prominent author Shi Zhangyu. At first, I didn't recognize him, because there's a difference between his real appearance and his author profile picture. I personally think that while the photo looks younger, he has more gravitas in person, definitely giving off the vibe of a seasoned veteran!

Of course, there was also "Nai Yue," an even more senior figure and a highly respected older author. Although he lives in Shanghai, he's actually from my hometown, and we instantly connected.

It was called a rehearsal, but it was more about familiarizing ourselves with our positions and understanding the process. Only four of the prominent authors had lines; the rest of us just touched a star jar and served as background. As authors, we're not good at anything too flashy.

Then I took out my phone and started taking photos and videos. I sent some photos and short videos to my group chat to give my buddies a glimpse of the annual conference. To be honest, it felt like I was the only one constantly snapping pictures with my phone, trying to capture every moment. Perhaps everyone else was more reserved.

But sometimes, one can just ignore such things as "face." Besides, not many people knew me anyway.

On a side note, Liuxia Hui is genuinely handsome, the tall and attractive type.

Heheheh, after several rounds of rehearsals, we went to the lounge. There, I ran into a group of prominent authors, including Old Demon, Zhiniaocun, Zhouzi, Tianrui Shuofu, and others.

Back then, Old Demon was like an octopus, writing incredibly fast. Now his pace has slowed, but fortunately, the quality of his work has consistently improved.

Oh my goodness, what else was there to do? I immediately set aside my reservations and went over to introduce myself. It was a full package deal: handshake, flattery, and WeChat contact exchange. Of course, since we weren't close yet, I couldn't be too unrestrained.

Regarding this, I must mention the prominent author Tianrui Shuofu. At first, I mistakenly thought he was Laoying. His voice was very soft. When I asked for his pen name, I heard a string of four characters but only caught the first one, 'Tian.' Other prominent authors I added on WeChat either had names related to their pen names or had notes in the group chat.

But only Tianrui Shuofu's WeChat account was different. His WeChat name was a string of '0's, with no profile picture, no personal info, no notes, and no Moments updates.

Oh my, I broke out in a cold sweat. Who did I just add? Would I get in trouble if I asked again?

Finally, I painstakingly deduced through elimination that it might be Tianrui Shuofu. Then I went and confirmed with Yu to be sure I hadn't made a mistake.

Anyway, in the lounge, the prominent authors were chatting among themselves. My heart was stirring, but my face remained calm.

Finally, I saw my chance!

On the sofa next to Old Demon, one of the prominent authors had left for a performance. I immediately sprang into action and sat down directly to his right and slightly behind him.

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

I'm usually quite rational and never follow celebrities. However, when it comes to the web novel community, Old Demon is one of the authors I admire most. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him an idol.

Thinking back, one reason I got into writing, aside from a small part (shouting) "Money! Money! Money!", was, ahem, a video Old Demon recommended back then, called 'Quantum Peak Showdown'. It was said to be the inspiration for his work, *Throne of Magical Arcana*. That short film deeply impressed me and ignited a strong desire to express myself.

Ahem, moving on, moving on.

At that moment, I took the opportunity to chat with Old Demon for a few moments. Then I thought to myself, how can I not take a photo?

So, I blurted out, "Big shot, let's take a photo!"

Old Demon probably hadn't fully processed it yet. He turned around and saw my extended peace sign. Then, *click*.

Perfect! Time to show off in the group chat!

The first day of rehearsals was intense and exciting, but at least it finally ended by evening. Tired and hungry, we went for the buffet. Unfortunately, to be honest, the buffet at this five-star hotel wasn't very good. Or perhaps I was too hungry to appreciate it, but either way, I didn't have much of an appetite.

But was food the key at that moment? Of course not!

I began to concoct my devious plan!

Before coming here, I had already planned it out: I wanted to find a particular author. I had to first confirm his identity with other prominent authors. Then, I would approach him as if I didn't know him, and politely ask, "Prominent figure, what's your author name? Let's get acquainted!"

Heh, the person I was looking for was Gun Da, also known as "Get Lost."

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

Imagine the scene: I politely ask, and he has to struggle to say "Get Lost." It would be hilarious!

So I started looking for Gun Da!

Alas, what a shame, things didn't go as planned. Gun Da comes every year, but this year he had to prepare a new book, so he didn't come. Of course, I didn't know this at the time.

Sigh, I just had to obediently go back to my room, write, and catch up on updates. I finally posted the day's update around 2 AM.

The next morning, Yu mentioned he might have caught a cold and was feeling tired. He asked if he had snored last night and if it had disturbed my sleep.

Heh, are you kidding? At home, my wife doesn't snore, but she grinds her teeth!

Your barely audible snoring, compared to my wife's teeth grinding? It had absolutely no effect on me!

The original plan was to go to the venue at around 4 or 5 PM on the second day. However, for those of us with performances, the schedule was changed again, and again, mid-day.

It was changed to leaving right after lunch. For most of us, that meant basically waking up and heading straight out.

During lunch in the banquet hall, I found myself with another group of colossal figures. Giants like Zhouzi, Tianya, and Wuhen were discussing various things. As a little newbie, I could only smile.

I barely ate anything. After all, I had just woken up and had some breakfast. I couldn't eat lunch, so I just drank some "happy water."

As a result, when we arrived at the venue, the back entrance was still inaccessible. We had been stuck here for a while the day before too, but then we managed to get some staff passes. Today, however, we were blocked for a long time.

Several male authors were squatting in a line by the door. It took all my willpower to resist the urge to take a photo; I was afraid they'd kill me!

We finally got in. After a few rounds of rehearsal, we waited in the lounge. More and more authors arrived during this time.

Then I saw Qi Peijia and Laoying. These two were also quite flamboyant, wandering around and goofing off. Peipeijia was particularly flamboyant in a white suit with a large red shirt.

I also became restless again.

Taking photos, circling around to shoot videos—most people didn't know me anyway!

Wait! I miscalculated something! The list of the Twelve Heavenly Kings had just been released, and some people already recognized me!

For instance, the prominent author Xun Qingteng walked directly up to me while I was looking somewhat dumbfounded and asked if I was really Zhen Feishi. I was flattered at the time, but also realized I probably couldn't be so cheeky anymore!

But I couldn't stop!

Seeing the prominent author Maoni come in and go to pour water, I subtly called out from a hidden corner, "Grandpa Mao, turn around!" and got my phone camera ready.

But he, being shrewd and well-prepared, immediately threw up a peace sign, even faster than mine. This made me lower my raised peace sign, and I only managed to capture his.

At one point, Sanshao also came in. He stayed for a very short time and kept chatting on that side. There were too many people then; even I didn't dare be too aggressive. I couldn't get a suitable photo, which was a shame.

As the actors entered and the main event began, other authors gradually left. But those of us with performances had to stay. We didn't walk the red carpet and couldn't go watch; we could only wait until our own performance was over.

However, there were also advantages. As we were walking, some actors passed by us backstage, very close indeed.

At that moment, I thought to myself, if I were to mischievously reach out and tap someone on the head, I probably could!

By the way, Zhao Liying herself is much thinner in person than on TV. She was escorted by two burly men, one in front and one behind. I didn't realize who she was at first; it was only when a female author next to me exclaimed, "Zhao Liying!" that I understood.

Our segment was called 'My Dream.' The four prominent authors at the front had lines. The seven of us behind them would appear with Jane Zhang, holding glass star jars as a backdrop.

Although it was simple, we almost had to re-record it. If we had, it would have been past midnight. Thankfully, we didn't.

Afterward, we changed out of our stage T-shirts into our warm clothes to watch the show. There, we were subjected to an onslaught of enthusiastic decibels from Xiao Zhan and Zhu Yilong's fans.

The fans of these two really go overboard. With so many senior celebrities present, were they trying to bring negativity upon their own idols?

During the gala, prominent author Shi Zhangyu and I even found a lost phone and successfully returned it to its owner.

There's not much to say about taking photos of celebrities. Many authors went for an extra meal after the gala. But those of us who had rehearsed for two days were truly exhausted, so we went back. Yu and I ordered some BBQ takeout.

The next morning was all about returning home. I also took the opportunity to get Milk Rider's and Yu's autographs.

Yu's autograph was for my wife's colleague. As for Milk Rider, Wudun asked for my help to get one because her grand-aunt is a huge fan of Milk Rider. So I had her "block" Milk Rider to get it.

I had always been worried about my ugly handwriting. After seeing the autographs of these two prominent authors, I felt much better about mine!

Even then, I hadn't given up on my plan to find Gun Da. However, I eventually learned that he truly hadn't come. Alas, what a pity!

So, I switched to another group and added Gun Da on WeChat. I told him about my plan. His reply was—"That's too devious!"

There were actually many other miscellaneous things that happened in between, and I met many, many other authors, but I won't go into detail about each one.