Chapter 32: This is My Art

Inside the Desert Bicycle Tieba forum.

The photo of the Great God Ge Yumiao receiving his award remained pinned at the top, worshiped by countless people.

In the photograph, Ge Yumiao held thirty thousand yuan in prize money, his smile radiant.

Everyone who frequented the internet cafe knew his history. He was once the most notorious “internet trash” of Xingxing Internet Cafe, the kind of social failure that relatives and friends cited as having no future.

But now…

Someone leaked information in the thread that back at Ge Yumiao’s home, his parents had specially hung his Universe Technology S1 trophy in a very prominent spot.

Right by the entrance.

Though his relatives and friends still didn’t quite approve of such a degenerate lifestyle, they were all incredibly envious of that thirty thousand yuan prize!

He actually made that much money just by playing a game!

Can you really make money playing games?

This skeptical yet hopeful thought began to take root in their minds.

Over in the Beat the Grass Mud Horse Tieba, another post was pinned featuring the “Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix” of Xingxing Internet Cafe—specifically the “Fledgling Phoenix” Qian Cai and a man wearing glasses.

Ten thousand yuan, three thousand yuan, one thousand yuan…

The signs displaying the prize amounts were extremely eye-catching in the photos.

“Each of their scripts was less than seven hundred words…”

“They are all ordinary people…”

“Just like Ge Shen, they were once obscure individuals who didn’t know what the future held…”

“However, gold will always shine. A fine steed will always find its Bole¹!”

“They are now the Dream Architects of Universe Technology!”

“…”

Below these photos was a brief official interview with them.

The interview read more like a piece of “chicken soup for the soul” inspirational writing.

The content described how Qian Cai had faced unemployment immediately upon graduating university. He had once ambitiously started his own business, only for it to end in failure. His parents looked down on him, his girlfriend left him…

A series of blows led him to sink into the world of internet cafes, living like a walking corpse in total darkness. By chance, he saw the success of the Great God Ge Yumiao. With the mindset of just giving it a shot, he entered this creative writing competition…

Later, he succeeded and was even involved in the construction of a new game.

A ray of light appeared in his dim world; the distant future was now filled with anticipation.

The inspirational story was full of ups and downs, packed with the despair and desolation of hard times, the struggle of being misunderstood, and finally, the sight of the dawn…

To Zhang Yang, this kind of “chicken soup” was really nothing special. In 2021, he had seen far too much of it.

However, in this era, such inspirational stories were incredibly stimulating to ordinary people, making their blood boil with excitement!

Once the inspirational article was posted, the entire Tieba became extremely hyper!

Then…

“This is my certificate!”

“I wasn’t as lucky as them, but I also got prize money and a certificate!”

“…”

To be fair, Zhao Feng was exactly that kind of person.

He had entered the competition and made the shortlist.

However, he didn’t win any of the top three prizes.

He wasn’t disappointed; after all, he knew that the lucky ones were a minority.

Moreover, after reading Qian Cai’s story, his nose felt a bit runny. Qian Cai’s life had been truly miserable…

Like everyone else, Zhao Feng sympathized with the underdog. When he saw an inspirational story about someone overcoming hardship, he couldn’t help but cheer and applaud for them.

Of course, when Zhao Feng saw on Q-Dog that Customer Service Xiao Wei was asking for his address—and that after sending him his money, they were preparing to mail him a certificate of honor…

He stared fixedly at the screenshot on Q-Dog, his heart skipping a beat with an indescribable excitement.

“Congratulations to Mr. Zhao Feng for being shortlisted in the top ten of the Universe Technology S1 Scriptwriting and Design Event!”

These words were golden and dazzling. Below them was Zhang Yang’s artistic signature, which seemed to carry immense weight.

The most important thing for a person living in this world is to be recognized.

Even if it was just a piece of paper, it could still bring endless excitement.

Zhao Feng felt that sense of recognition and respect. This was the first award he had won in his entire life.

He opened the Tieba.

Inside the forum…

Some of the people who had drawn maps or created scripts were showing off their certificates.

Some had even received the physical copies already, taking photos and uploading them online.

The physical photos didn’t look cheap; in fact, the quality seemed quite good. When placed under the sunlight, the certificate looked very high-class.

Seeing this, many netizens were envious. Of course, many others were filled with regret.

“I got prize money too, but only fifty bucks. If I’d known, I would have drawn more seriously…”

“Sigh, who could have known? I just drew something randomly. I didn’t expect to be shortlisted. It’s a pity I only got money and no certificate…”

“It seems only the top fifteen get certificates? Anyone below twentieth place only gets prize money…”

“Argh! Why didn’t I draw seriously? I only spent less than half an hour on it!”

“Just be happy with what you got. You made fifty bucks in less than half an hour!”

“…”

“…”

In the Tieba, the heat of the discussion grew higher and higher.

It looked more like a bragging convention.

Those who got certificates were showing them off one after another. Those who didn’t were showing off their prize money. Those with small prizes were saying they would have been more serious if they’d known, or that they didn’t even care about such a small amount…

Most of them were just ordinary people.

They were obscure in school, lived on the fringes of society where no one paid them any attention, and some were even facing the crisis of being fired.

But on the internet, this was an achievement—an achievement they could brag about. They felt like they were in the spotlight…

Were they using a trivial achievement to deceive themselves?

Perhaps.

But at least in this moment, they were excited!

“Why didn’t I know about such a good thing before?”

“You can make money at home? Why didn’t I believe this earlier?”

“Just drawing and writing a bit can earn you internet cafe fees, right? How did I miss this?”

“…”

Seeing so many comments like this in the Tieba made their moods even more excited and inflated.

After being excited for a while, Zhao Feng closed the Tieba and logged onto the official website of Universe Technology…

On the official website of Universe Technology, he saw that the pre-orders for Beat the Grass Mud Horse had already surpassed ten thousand…

In truth, what excited him even more than the certificate was seeing exactly how his drawings and his script would be transformed into a game!

Countless people were sharpening their blades, waiting for the release of the highly debated Beat the Grass Mud Horse…

“Do you often find yourself facing people you loathe, but can’t lay a finger on in real life?”

“Come to me!”

“I’ll give you satisfaction! Absolute satisfaction! Satisfaction that will send you over the moon!”

“…”

On Universe Technology’s official website, this slogan was stretched out across the page…

The countdown…

Twenty-four hours!

……………………….

Zhang Yang paid no attention to the rising and falling tides of the internet.

At this moment…

Dressed like a respectable man in a sharp suit and leather shoes, he was the first to burst into Mendeleev’s art exhibition before it even officially opened, staring intently at a painting of a young girl!

He looked incredibly excited, a deep thrill flickering in his eyes.

“This is the greatest masterpiece of an era!”

“In this painting, I see the shifting of the times, the rise and fall of art, and the sorrow of the creator!”

“…”

While everyone else was still dazed, he suddenly began to pour out his feelings, his voice filled with fanaticism!

Then, he moved to another section, toward the theme titled Spring.

“This is a paradise of dreams, the most exquisite beauty of humanity, and yet, it’s laced with the scent of depression…”

“This painting possesses an unruly soul!”

“…”

“But why do I also feel a sense of failure here?”

“…”

Zhang Yang continued to critique the work. As he sensed a figure approaching, he suddenly knit his brows slightly, shaking his head with an expression as if he had just swallowed a fly.

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes