I’m Really a Superstar

At night.

Back at home.

In the villa’s study.

The heat from the summer weather was sweltering hot. He turned the air conditioner down to a very cool temperature and browsed the Internet on the computer alone in the study. He read and updated himself on international news, hoping to find some inspiration.

Russia was in a state of disorder, and it seemed like they would be going to war soon.

A French artist’s oil painting was auctioned for several hundred million US dollars.

America shot a film remake of a famous work and broke box office records.

The countdown to the announcement of the Nobel Prize nominees began.

An Indian writer could clinch the Nobel Prize in Literature this year.

  Changes in the international celebrity rankings again.

And so on.

He went through the world news articles one by one. This was something that Zhang Ye hardly paid attention to in the past. But since he had reached this position, he would probably have to keep an eye on these international developments in the future. In this way, he would be better able to connect with the international audience and grasp the world’s situation so that he knew which direction to head towards in the entertainment industry. He had reached the top of the Chinese entertainment circle, after all. From today onwards, the world stage was going to be his main battlefield, so he definitely had to keep up and be serious about it.

“The Nobel Prize.

“How can I get my hands on it?”

He muttered to himself.

With Fortress Besieged?

With a poem he had composed in the past?

With the prose he had written?

None of them would probably work.

To him, he was fine with winning any of the Nobel Prizes. He only wanted a chance to break into the world stage. But based on his current situation, the Nobel Prize in Literature was his only choice. He didn’t have any knowledge in chemistry, and verifying a mathematical conjecture would take too long, so only a literary piece could be produced the quickest, as Zhang Ye could write it at any time he wanted. There was still a month and a half to go, so he could probably make it before the deadline. But counting the time remaining, he would probably only be able to produce a single work. Therefore, the choice of work was going to be extremely important.

…

On Weibo.

The topicality surrounding the Nobel Prize was growing.

“There’s still a month and a half to go.”

“Yeah, it’s time for the Nobel Prizes to be awarded again.”

“Who will they give it to this year?”

“Will there still be no winners for the Nobel Peace Prize this year?”

“There’s only a few people nominated for the Chemistry Prize.”

“Surely the Literature Prize won’t be won by that Indian writer this year, will it?”

“I don’t like that Indian writer.”

“Yeah, there’s a problem with his character. But I do have to admit, his works are really good.”

“A lot of people are cheering for that Japanese author too.”

“Yup, it was such a pity that neither of them won the Nobel Prize previously.”

“If even India can produce such a masterful writer in the world of literature, when will one of our Chinese citizens come home with a Nobel Prize?”

“Hai, I doubt we have a chance at it.”

“We’ve never won a Nobel Prize before.”

…

At the Chinese Writers’ Association.

“Has the nomination process started yet?”

“The Nobel Committee has already requested for us to submit a list of names.”

“Who will we nominate this year?”

“Let’s keep to the old rules and submit all the names.”

“Yes, let’s just submit all the names of those who have won a domestic literary prize and are still alive.”

“We’ll just be trying our luck if we do that.”

“What do you suggest then? We’ve been trying our luck every year.”

“Actually, everyone knows full well that the Nobel Prize in Literature has almost nothing to do with us.”

“How I wish someone could bring home the prize someday.”

“Is Old Zhou good enough to do it this year?”

“Old Zhou’s books are too limited to love and affection.”

“How about Old Sun?”

“Master Sun is not good enough either. His literary style is too localized.”

“Hai.”

…

India.

“It will definitely be ours this year!”

“Yes, it would be outrageous if they don’t award it to us this year.”

“Does Teacher have another new work out this year?”

‘Yes, it will be going on sale very soon.”

“There’s no one who can compete with us this time.”

…

Japan.

“That Indian writer is our only competitor this year!”

“That master writer from India doesn’t have a good character.”

“We have a very good chance at winning.”

“But the Nobel Prize isn’t awarded based on one’s character. It’s only dependent on the quality of the work.”

“The key still lies in which style of novels the committee is inclined towards.”

…

America.

“The Nobel Prizes will be awarded very soon?”

“I’m quite looking forward to it.”

“Our female writers are just short of a Nobel Prize in Literature.”

“Yeah, that’s the only thing we’re missing.”

…

England.

“The Nobel Prizes will be given out soon.”

“Several of our top writers will be publishing their new books soon?”

“They’ve already started vying for an award nomination.”

“I have a feeling that the competition for this year’s Nobel Prizes will be extremely intense.”

“Let’s see who will emerge victorious at the end.”

…

China was in a heated discussion.

The media was in a heated discussion.

The world was in a heated discussion.

This world’s most prestigious award was gripping the hearts of countless people across the world. Everyone was hoping that their own country’s writers, academics, mathematicians, chemists, or medical professionals could bring home this prize. This wasn’t just going to be a personal honor, but an honor for the entire country.

On an international social media site.

The equivalent of Facebook and Twitter of Zhang Ye’s previous world.

A poll had been started on the site.

Who are your favored nominees to win the Nobel Prize in Literature?

India: 23%

America: 19%

Japan: 9%

England: 8%

Russia: 6%

These were the top five results.

Behind them were several dozen more countries that had been voted for.

Meanwhile, China did not even get into the top 20 countries that were voted for.

It was also about the same results for the Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine prizes. There was basically no one who was optimistic about China’s chances, and many of the votes that were given to China came from the Chinese themselves.

…

Back at home.

Zhang Ye was still hesitating.

His place in the Chinese literary world was still very exceptional, and his influence was very strong. He also had the recognition of the public, although his relationship with the industry insiders was less than cozy. But regarding Zhang Ye’s works and its literary value, even the most nitpicking industry insider would not deny Zhang Ye’s contributions. But it was different on the international scene. If those works of his were brought to the global stage, it wouldn’t be enough. To win a Nobel Prize, the novel would have to cover more of a historical or war theme. It needed an even higher standard of literary value, and a more inclusive language as well.

Using Frog ¹ ?

Going down Mo Yan’s Nobel Prize path?

No, that would be too risky.

Zhang Ye had really wanted to use Mo Yan’s work for a time, but he ended up giving up on that idea because Mo Yan’s path was unsuitable for him. First, he didn’t have Mo Yan’s accumulation of reputation. Although the Nobel Prize was awarded based on a single novel, Mo Yan’s win was actually more of an accumulation of his previous works. By just using Frog alone, it was likely that it wouldn’t be enough. Secondly, this was a different world from his previous one, so who’d know what the committee’s preferences were over here?

What Zhang Ye needed was a very special work.

This work would have to have the following points:

War had to be included.

It needed to have humanity.

It would have to be a full-length novel.

And also something that could astonish the readers without any need for buildup based on the writer’s reputation.

Zhang Ye kept thinking about it until he finally narrowed his eyes. He could only think of one person, a female, American writer!

Margaret Mitchell!

She was from Zhang Ye’s previous world, and the only writer to have secured a place among the world’s literary figures with a single novel. She wrote only one book in her entire lifetime, but that work was considered one of the top ten novels in Zhang Ye’s previous world. The people of this world would of course not have heard of it, but it was an extremely well-known novel in Zhang Ye’s previous world. As long as this novel’s title was mentioned, no one would have not heard of it!

That one and only novel that Margaret Mitchell had written was called—

Gone with the Wind!

Zhang Ye was preparing to bring out this “nuclear weapon” of a novel from his previous world!