Journey to the West was at least 100,000 characters long. Even if Su Shichen had read it seven or eight times in his previous life, there was no way he could have rewritten it word for word from memory.
Yet, he managed to do it—not because he had an exceptional or photographic memory, but because of the search engine in his mind.
The most crucial point was that this search engine seemed to be connected to Earth, allowing Su Shichen to search for anything he wanted just by thinking about it. That was how he could instantly recall Journey to the West—and even answer Li Dongfang's questions earlier.
Although this world had extremely strict anti-piracy laws, online content was still flourishing. Manual transcriptions and screenshots still existed, but overall, the concept of genuine, copyrighted work was deeply ingrained. As a result, authors here lived far better lives than those on Earth—many of them even earned annual salaries in the millions.
In such a world where online literature was more developed than Earth's, countless new masterpieces had appeared. Still, many of Earth's great classics were missing. Su Shichen decided to take advantage of that—to write online novels and make a name for himself.
But to do that, he needed one essential thing first: a personal computer.
There was a computer at home, but it was in his parents' room, and his father used it for work, storing important documents on it. Borrowing it wasn't convenient, so Su Shichen had to earn money to buy one for himself.
That was why he decided to submit a manuscript to a publishing house. A good computer cost only a few thousand yuan, and a novella of about 100,000 characters could easily cover that.
After searching through his mental database, he settled on Journey to the West by Jin Hezai. Though only about 100,000 characters long, it was hailed as the greatest online novel of its time—even adapted into a game.
A book with such a legacy was bound to succeed, even in this world of advanced online literature. And indeed, Su Shichen's submission to Deyun Publishing House was soon accepted.
He planned to use the knowledge of Earth to conquer this world—to build a cultural empire spanning novels, animation, music, and scripts.
Novels and scripts were easy; he could copy them directly from his mind. But animation was another matter. Without any artistic training, he couldn't just sketch out a manga and expect people to understand it.
Music was the same. Though he could find lyrics and sheet music online, no one would believe a boy who couldn't even read a musical staff could suddenly compose classics like Forget Love Water, Kiss Goodbye, or Dangerous.
So, drawing and music were skills he'd have to learn from scratch in this new life.
Fortunately, he had transmigrated early—at just fourteen. There was plenty of time.
---
On the way home from school, Li Dongfang was still bubbling with excitement.
"Xiao Si, your book's going to be published! This time, you'll definitely get first place in the essay competition—and finally beat Xiao Xiaoyu!"
The "Xiao Xiaoyu" she mentioned was Tang Lingyu, a classmate whose mother happened to be an editor-in-chief at a publishing house. Her essay grades always topped the class, and Li Dongfang had long seen her as her academic rival.
"Did Teacher Zhou give us any new essay topics today?" Su Shichen asked, still distracted by his plans for new novels.
"Oh my goodness, you weren't listening again! The teacher assigned an essay about environmental protection. The genre's open—could be a story, a poem, anything, as long as it's over 600 characters."
"Environmental protection, huh?"
"Yeah. We've written that theme a million times already. It's hard to come up with something fresh. Xiao Si, got any ideas?"
"It's actually pretty simple to make it stand out—and to beat Xiao Xiaoyu," he said with a knowing smile.
"What idea?" she asked eagerly, her eyes wide.
"Try writing a poem. A powerful one on the theme of nature and the environment. It'll stand out right away."
"Hmph, easy for you to say!" She pouted, pretending to be annoyed. "Remember our bet, Great Writer."
"Hmph hmph! Since when did the Great Writer turn into a little pig, hmph hmph!"
"Xiao Si, you're bullying me again. I'm not talking to you anymore!" she said, stomping off toward home.
Su Shichen smiled faintly under the setting sun.
"An essay on environmental protection, any genre allowed… Maybe I should do something new myself."
Then it hit him—a flash of inspiration.
"I'll write science fiction. A short sci-fi story that connects technology and the environment."
He remembered a brilliant micro-novel written by a Japanese author—one that had even been included in textbooks on Earth. But since that author didn't exist in this world, neither did the story. It was perfect.
---
When he got home, he heard the neighbor chatting with his mother.
"Shichen's mom, my Xiao Nan got his essay published in a magazine! They even paid him two hundred yuan in royalties. The issue comes out next week—you should buy a copy!"
"Wow, your Xiao Nan is really amazing," said Wei Xin, Su Shichen's mother. "Our Xiao Chen can't compare."
"Don't say that—your boy's smart too."
Just then, the door opened. "Mom, I'm home."
"Look at you, and then look at Aunt Zhang's Xiao Nan—he already earned money with his writing!"
"Oh? What a coincidence. I also wrote a novel and submitted it to Deyun Publishing House. The editor-in-chief approved it. Here's the contract—it just needs a guardian's signature."
"Don't joke around," said Aunt Zhang. "Publishing a book isn't that easy."
But Wei Xin took the contract from him anyway, half-doubtful—until she saw the official seal.
"It really is from Deyun Publishing House…"
"Be careful, though," said Aunt Zhang. "There are scams everywhere these days. I have a friend at Deyun Publishing House. I'll call and ask."
She dialed. "Old Liu, hey, long time! Say, a neighbor's kid wrote a book called Journey to the West—claims Editor-in-chief Wang Ni approved it. Could you check if that's real?"
A moment later, Aunt Zhang gasped. "It's true! Journey to the West really is on Deyun's upcoming release list!"
Wei Xin's face lit up with pure joy.
"Your Xiao Chen is way more amazing than our Xiao Nan," Aunt Zhang said with a laugh.
"Oh no, not really," Wei Xin said, but her smile was radiant. Soon, neighbors gathered, offering congratulations and praise.
Standing beside his beaming mother, Su Shichen felt warmth flood his chest. He hadn't seen her that happy in a long time.
In his past life, he'd been a thirty-something nobody with no girlfriend and no accomplishments—causing his parents endless worry.
But this time, he silently vowed:
"I'll make them proud."
After the neighbors left, his mother still looked elated. "A Chen, do we need to pay any publishing fees?"
"Of course not. They'll pay me manuscript fees instead."
"How much?"
"Five thousand."
"Five thousand yuan! A Chen, that's incredible! I'm going to the market right now to buy fish—we'll celebrate tonight!"
She hurried out, smiling ear to ear.
Su Shichen returned to his room. His father wasn't home yet, so he finished the essay for Teacher Zhou. He recalled the micro-sci-fi story from his mind and transcribed it effortlessly, finishing in under ten minutes. After checking for typos, he set down his pen.
Then he took out a blank sheet of paper and began listing ideas:
> "After I buy the computer… which novel should I write next?"
"Jade Dynasty? It's brilliant—hailed as the post-Jin Yong martial-arts bible. But with this world's market full of light, easy-read stories, it might not fit."
He crossed it out.
"Battle Through the Heavens? Tudou's debut hit—perfect for a newcomer, though a bit shallow in theme." He drew a triangle beside it.
"Infinite Terror… hmm…"
He leaned back, deep in thought, already plotting his next step toward becoming the king of culture in this new world.