1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 96 Public Opinion Regarding Sex (Daily 10,000 words, please add to the list)

Hubei Daily Newspaper.

Yu Ziyue arrived at the editorial department yawning. As soon as she entered the room, she saw that many other people in the newspaper office were also yawning.

As soon as she sat down, the older editor next to her asked, "What happened last night?"

Yu Ziyue shook her head and said slowly, "What else could I be doing? I was reading novels all night!"

"What novel?"

“Lurking? What else could it be?” Yu Ziyue said.

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire editorial department buzzed like mosquitoes, and the other editors all looked up.

"You watched 'Lurking' too?"

"Has everyone seen it? Come out and give your opinion, say a few words? What do you think?" Yu Ziyue nodded and looked at the group of people.

A group of people started discussing it animatedly.

"This novel is so well-written. Last night, when I saw the male and female protagonists separated by the two sides of the strait, I almost cried my eyes out. How could the author arrange it like this?"

"Underground workers have it so tough, I think this is great!"

"When I watched 'The Gunshots of the Secret Service' last time, I felt it wasn't enough to satisfy my appetite. Now, watching 'Lurking' is truly a feast for the eyes!!"

"The stationmaster's saying, 'If a man doesn't look out for himself, he'll be punished by heaven and earth,' is really well said!"

"Good my ass, watch your mouth, what's the wind blowing right now..."

The saying goes, "One stone stirs up a thousand waves, alarming the five continents and four oceans"... Well, that's pretty much the effect. A group of editors were having a heated discussion.

Just then, the editor-in-chief walked in. He pulled up his pants, the baggy waistband barely concealing his flabby frame: "This... that article from a few days ago..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yu Ziyue interrupted, "Boss, you came here to talk about 'Lurking,' right?"

The editor-in-chief glanced at Yu Ziyue and nodded: "You guessed right today... Everyone has seen it, right? Who wants to write something? I think there's still something to write about."

When it comes to writing, people react as if they're being assigned a task...

Writing for oneself and being forced to write are completely different things, so they all silently lowered their heads and did not respond.

Seeing the completely silent editorial office, the editor-in-chief coughed and said, "It was quite intense just now, and now there's no sound at all?"

“I’ll write something! But I need to go out and interview some audience members!” Yu Ziyue volunteered, raising her little hand.

"Alright... that's you!"

Yu Ziyue laughed, looked around, and said, "If that's the case, then everyone, don't try to take it from me! I said I was here to write this report."

"No, I'll write too..."

"I want to write too."

Yu Ziyue paused for a moment; "Okay, everyone wants to write, so let's be fair and let whoever is the best write it?"

In the afternoon, after glancing at the time, Yu Ziyue left the office.

In 79, Wuhan was filled with an industrial atmosphere, and industry dominated the city's economy. At that time, the textile industry was one of the three major industrial pillars of Wuhan.

So, the sky is gray now, a hazy, gray sky.

Sometimes you'll encounter fog.

When it was time to leave work, Yu Ziyue went to Jiefang Road, the place with the highest foot traffic, and held up a microphone.

Then a woman who looked like Liu Yifei walked over, though of course she didn't know Liu Yifei.

"Miss, may I ask you a few questions?"

"What?" Liu Xiaoli tossed her hair, glanced at the camera, and wondered if she was about to appear on camera.

"Have you read the novel 'Lurking'?" Yu Ziyue asked.

"I've seen it!"

Yu Ziyue continued, "Do you have anything to say about 'Lurking'?"

After thinking for a moment, Liu Xiaoli immediately said, "Lurking is an excellent novel... It has both literary beauty and a compelling story... It allowed me to understand... well, the hardships of the underground party... well."

She was about to say something very knowledgeable, but realized she didn't know how, so she stammered out a couple of sentences.

Yu Ziyue wrote it down; "Okay, thank you."

Next, Yu Ziyue went to other places and interviewed some students:
What kind of person do you think Yu Zecheng is?

The students answered:

"My impression of reading the book is that Yu Zecheng is like the ocean. He may seem calm on the surface, but he is always turbulent with emotion for the sake of friendship."

"When I saw Yu Zecheng crying, I felt genuinely sad for this underground worker."

"Our era should not let down these unsung heroes." "If you have any questions, what would you ask the author?" Yu Ziyue continued.

The first student asked, "I'd like to ask Professor Zhou Xu, will there be a sequel to 'Lurking'?"

"Teacher Zhou Xu, I will always support you!! Your previous work, 'Wreath at the Foot of the Mountain,' was also very good."

Regarding the romantic plot, the romantic scenes in the novel "Lurking" did not receive much criticism from readers. On the contrary, in the eyes of readers, these romantic scenes were lovely and acceptable.

Let's talk about why the original version of this TV series became an excellent and classic work. It's because Sun Honglei and Yao Chen both have good acting skills. Neither of them are traffic stars, but rather acting talents.

It's a real shame about Sun Honglei. Instead of honing his acting skills, he went and filmed "Go Fighting!" which has resulted in no directors seeking him out for serious dramas now. Otherwise, he would have left behind many more excellent TV series and movies.

As for Yao Chen... well, she's had quite a few negative news stories too...

It's a pity about the actors.

After collecting these interviews, Yu Ziyue prepared to go back and publish them.

……

"In the past two years, with the increasingly fast pace of life and complex emotional context, many people seem to have gradually become estranged from the word 'love', and even subconsciously avoid talking about it, as if these two words have become a topic that needs to be touched with caution."

But even in such an atmosphere, Zhou Xu's creation in "Lurking" is particularly moving - he did not shy away from love, but instead portrayed the love story of Yu Zecheng and Cuiping, two underground party members, in a positive light.

This love story, without grand declarations or elaborate romantic ceremonies, is hidden in the shared struggles of war-torn years, becoming a rare "model of love" amidst the hustle and bustle, and providing us with correct guidance on "what constitutes good love".

It teaches us that judging a person or a relationship should never be based solely on appearance or outward appearance: just like Cuiping, who initially appears somewhat rough and straightforward, but beneath that exterior lies a firm belief in her faith, trust in her partner, and an unreserved and sincere heart.

This portrayal of "inner and outer contrast" precisely addresses the confusion many people feel about relationships today—it turns out that good love is never about settling for "good looks," but rather about the harmony of souls and true feelings.

Perhaps this is the new trend that Mr. Zhou Xu is conveying through his works.

This creative freedom is also inseparable from the implementation of relevant policies in recent years: when we can explore the diverse forms of love more freely and express genuine emotions and values ​​in our works more autonomously, we can see more warm and profound content like "Lurking" emerge, allowing everyone to rediscover their thoughts and expectations about love through these stories.
............"

The reason why "The Novice Monk" was so highly praised back then may also be related to the social upheavals it caused.

"The Novice" tells a love story.

It tells the love story of a monk and a little girl!
"Bong" was like a bomb, igniting public opinion across the country.

At the same time, "Lurking" is now causing a huge stir in society because it depicts love.

Zhou Xu put down the newspaper, sighing inwardly: He had to admire the associative abilities of these reporters and commentators; he had simply seen the spy theme and wanted to write a spy novel...

When he first started writing the novel, he never imagined that he would break the "love" curse.
It was a lucky accident, I guess!

He was quite happy.

Li Ziqiang, who had just entered the office, raised his hand and said, "Hello, Teacher Zhou!"

"Hello, Xiao Li." Zhou Xu took a sip of tea.

"Where should I put this letter?" Li Ziqiang asked Zhou Xu, holding a pile of letters.

Zhou Xu originally intended to pack it himself, but his apprentice, who was supposed to be teaching him about love, was quite proactive, so Zhou Xu handed the task over to him: "Oh! Bring me some letters."

Please pack the rest and put them outside my room. I'll go check on them later.

Li Ziqiang nodded and placed a stack of letters at Zhou Xu's feet.

Zhou Xu opened the letters, most of which were about questions related to the TV series "Lurking," such as whether the two people separated by the two sides of the strait could meet, and love stories like those of Yu Zecheng and Cui Ping...

Zhou Xu didn't need to go into detail about all that stuff.

Of course, he suddenly opened it and found a letter:
"The novel *Lurking* is too bold in its depiction of sex and love, which does not conform to social moral standards! It even describes in the novel how the female protagonist sleeps next to Yu Zecheng in order to seduce the male protagonist..."

This article is emotionally charged and sharply worded, filled with angry denunciations of 'moral deviance'.

Zhou Xu also frowned slightly.

Today, Bai Hua was even planning to ask Zhou Xu to go see a play for her... Pshaw! Bai Hua just simply likes to take care of her juniors.

He glanced at Zhou Xu's reader's letter and said slowly, "Hey! Xiao Xu, I also saw a similar comment."

Zhou Xu looked up, and Bai Hua then took out the article from today's publication, "Literary Gazette."

It just came out today, so it's normal that Zhou Xu didn't see it—"Criticizing 'Lurking' for being immoral and corrupt."

"Tsk? Such sharp writing, who is it?" Zhou Xu glanced at the literary review, but didn't recognize the person.

Bai Hua asked, "Should you respond? Writing about love and sex is indeed quite sensitive these days..."

"It's not good to give a direct answer, is it? Zhou Xu is the author of the novel..." Lei Yuansheng also said.

Zhou Xu thought for a moment: "Hmm... well, let's see in a few days? I'll think about it some more!"

Fortunately, positive reviews currently outweigh negative ones. After all, public opinion isn't all positive... it's the debate between opposing sides that makes public opinion what it is.

(End of this chapter)