Pursuing Her Best Friend after Confession Failed

Chapter 638 - 225: The Power of the Writers Association Membership Card_3

All those self-righteous things I just said... looking back now, it’s actually hilarious...

Li Yuan took Xia Zhijin’s hand, looked at the others, and said with a faint smile, "Zhijin, Liu Jia... let’s go. No sense wasting any more time here."

Gao Xin couldn’t resist mocking them as he left, "It really is a waste of time. If this is the level and understanding of Daxia University’s literature society, then it’s not worthy of my time. It’s meaningless."

Seeing that Li Yuan’s group was about to leave, the slightly plump girl from the literature society couldn’t help but speak up.

"Um, Xia Hua, could you wait a moment?"

Li Yuan turned to face the slightly plump girl, his expression unreadable.

"Is there something?"

The slightly plump girl looked at Li Yuan, mustered her courage, and explained with trepidation, "Xia Hua, I’m sorry. We didn’t realize it was you."

"Xia Hua, if you want to join our literature society, all of us would definitely welcome you."

Zhang Zhiqiang, standing beside the slightly plump girl, Julie, furrowed his brow as he heard her apologize and invite Li Yuan to join. He wanted to say something, but ultimately kept his mouth shut.

With Li Yuan’s status, his joining would make the Daxia University Literature Society’s reputation skyrocket. As for me, leveraging his membership in the Writers Association would be extremely beneficial for my own future development as the society’s vice president.

Li Yuan gave a wry smile and shook his head. Seeing the girl’s sincere apology, he offered a piece of meaningful advice.

"In the future, online literature will play a pivotal role in the cultural sphere. It will be an era where a hundred flowers bloom. I hope you remember one thing: literature is always for the masses. The literature that the masses enjoy is the literature that truly needs to be developed.

"That’s all I have to say. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, so let time be the witness."

He then turned. "Let’s go!"

***

Watching Li Yuan and his group leave, Julie was struck by a profound sense of loss.

I have a feeling that everything he said might actually come true. In the future, online literature is going to develop rapidly—it’s already showing early signs. Take income, for example. The top online authors are already starting to earn far more than traditional authors... And the traditional literature we value so much will only be appreciated within our own small circles.

Julie looked at her companions, a wave of emotion washing over her as she murmured dejectedly, "Do you get the feeling we just personally shut the door on our literature society’s chance to take off?"

The slender, short-haired girl thought about the legends surrounding Li Yuan, her expression growing odd. She couldn’t help but sigh self-deprecatingly. "Actually, Xia Hua and his friends are right. We really do think too highly of ourselves just because we’re in the literature society. We’re nothing but a bunch of frogs at the bottom of a well..."

Seeing the two girls begin to doubt themselves after listening to Li Yuan, Zhang Zhiqiang frowned and retorted, "I still stand by my convictions. Web novels might make some money, but they lack any real literary value or spiritual significance."

"Even if ’Battle Starry Sky’ is incredibly popular, it’s meaningless in the face of traditional literature. It’s impossible for it to provide readers with any kind of spiritual strength..."

Hearing Zhang Zhiqiang’s words, Julie and Hu Fei exchanged a look, both secretly shaking their heads.

"Just wait and see," one of them murmured. "Time will be the judge of everything."

***

As Li Yuan and his friends headed toward the cafeteria, they relentlessly ridiculed the literature society.

Gao Xin said, exasperated, "You know, when I heard about club recruitment today, I actually had high expectations for our school’s literature society. Who knew they’d be such a letdown? My hopes were completely wasted."

Li Lanrong glanced at Liu Jia, her heart pounding. She teased him with a giggle, "I never imagined you were so sharp-tongued, Liu Jia. You left all four of them speechless. How come I never noticed you were such a good talker before?"

Liu Jia glanced at Li Lanrong and chuckled. "That’s because you didn’t know me well enough. Besides, with Yuan backing me up, I felt confident."

"By the way, Yuan, when did you join the Writers Association?"

Li Yuan replied with a faint smile, "I joined a while ago and just got the certificate yesterday. I didn’t expect to use it so soon. It’s a shame someone thought it was a fake."

"That’s a membership certificate for the Writers Association! If it weren’t you, I wouldn’t have believed it either," Liu Jia said with a chuckle, eagerly extending his hand. "Yuan, let me see your certificate! It’s my first time seeing one from a national-level organization."

Li Yuan took the certificate from his pocket and casually tossed it to Liu Jia.

"It’s just a certificate. Other than the prestigious title, it’s not good for much. I even have to pay annual dues."

"Just listen to him!" Liu Jia exclaimed. "The master of the humblebrag!"

Liu Jia carefully caught the certificate and scrutinized its contents, then shouted, "Yuan, you’re incredible! You’re really a member of the Writers Association! It’s from a national-level organization! Is this like being a national civil servant?"

Li Yuan almost choked with laughter. He explained, exasperated, "Liu Jia, the Writers Association is an organization led by the Federation of Literary and Art Circles. A membership doesn’t mean squat when it comes to being a civil servant."

Liu Jia scratched his head and grinned. "Oh, I thought a Writers Association membership was equivalent to being a national civil servant. But that doesn’t matter. With your net worth, Yuan, who cares about being a civil servant, right?"

Li Yuan just shook his head with a smile, saying nothing. If it were an ordinary civil servant like in my past life, it really wouldn’t amount to anything—just a relatively stable, ordinary job.