Writing a novel is a painstaking and laborious task.
After returning home, Yuan Chuan You bought manuscript paper and a pen, and then sat at his desk for a full three hours.
Although he had seen many stories in his past life, he was currently unable to perfectly recreate them. He could only piece the stories together from fragmented memories, and his writing skills were quite limited.
Fortunately, the system's judgment wasn't harsh; as long as he put pen to paper, he could gain some experience.
Having already experienced the effects of the [Newcomer Actor] entry, Yuan Chuan You quickly solidified his plan. For now, he would focus on accumulating experience. Once he officially obtained the [Junior Novelist] entry, he would then prepare to submit his work.
Time slowly ticked by, the only sound in the room being the rustle of the pen tip scratching against the paper.
[Production Queue 1: Writing]
[EXP: 26/100]
[EXP: 27/100]
[EXP: 28/100]
Shaking his tired wrist, Yuan Chuan You looked at the densely packed text in his notebook and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
He didn't have a computer at the moment, so he could only write in a notebook with a pen for the time being.
After all, the Japanese publishing industry had an unwritten rule: they only accepted physical manuscripts.
Authors needed to mail their manuscripts to the editorial department, and only after an editor had reviewed the work would a decision be made on a contract.
Want to send a digital document?
Then you can just wait for the efficiency of a thirty-year-old fax machine.
What Yuan Chuan You was currently trying to recreate were the light novel stories he still remembered. However, if he were to get published, he preferred to write a traditional novel, as it was more in line with the mainstream reading habits of the Japanese public.
Moreover, his current identity was an actor. If he could really write a bestselling novel, he could also use his agent's connections to see if it could be adapted into a movie or TV series. That was the royal road to financial freedom.
At nine in the evening, Yuan Chuan You went out to buy groceries.
At this stage, cooking for himself was the most economical way to live.
"Filming officially starts the day after tomorrow. I heard you can take the crew's bento boxes home. Every extra day of shooting is an extra day of earnings."
Picking up a carton of discounted eggs from the shelf, a hopeful smile graced the corners of Yuan Chuan You's lips.
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On a bright and sunny workday, Yuan Chuan You woke up very early.
Although the director had announced a 9 a.m. start time, he arrived at the filming location—the entrance of a certain private high school—just after seven to make a good impression on the crew.
After all, "49" was a TV series with high school students as protagonists. To facilitate the shoot, the production team had reached an agreement with the school authorities early on, using the school as the main setting for the story.
As he walked through the school gates, a gust of wind blew by, and Yuan Chuan You caught the faint scent of flowers.
Early cherry blossoms cascaded from the branches. He subconsciously reached out and caught a falling petal, feeling its silk-like texture on his fingertip.
After walking for a few minutes, Yuan Chuan You saw staff members in "staff" shirts setting up the venue for the opening ceremony on the athletic field. A man in a light blue jacket stood behind them, directing with a megaphone.
Although he could only see his back, he immediately recognized him as the assistant director, Takikawa, who had run lines with him at the audition.
"Yuan Chuan-san, good morning."
The young man standing under the tree suddenly heard a clear female voice. Turning around, he saw a smiling Kurokawa Akane.
"Oh, good morning, Kurokawa-san."
The blue-haired girl was wearing a loose, black woolen overcoat today. The hem fell to her calves, and its sharp lines made her figure seem even more slender. Beneath the coat, she wore a high-collared beige knit sweater, the soft fabric hugging her neck and hiding her jaw, revealing only a sliver of porcelain-white skin.
"You're here very early, Yuan Chuan-san. I just saw you on the train."
Kurokawa Akane started the small talk in a very polite tone. It was her first time filming a TV series, and she wanted to build a good relationship with everyone on the crew.
"Is that so? What a coincidence."
Yuan Chuan You smiled. The two chatted for a while, waiting for the other actors to arrive.
During this time, Kurokawa Akane also took the initiative to greet the other actors in the cast. Her smiling face and friendly attitude won her a lot of goodwill.
After the opening ceremony, the official filming began.
Director Asano, holding a bound script in his left hand and a megaphone in his right, began directing the camera jib to slowly move into position.
Yuan Chuan You's character wouldn't appear until the third act. When it wasn't their turn, most actors would choose to either rest or stand by and watch others perform.
However, he chose neither of these options, instead finding a corner away from the crowd to sit down.
He took out the manuscript paper he had brought, placed it on his lap, and set about continuing to gain experience for the [Writing] entry.
Time is money.
For Yuan Chuan You, who possessed the Entry System, this phrase had a much clearer meaning. The feeling of accumulating progress step-by-step was highly addictive.
Head down, the tip of his pen continued to rustle across the manuscript.
[Production Queue 1: Writing]
[EXP: 45/100]
[EXP: 46/100]
[EXP: 47/100]
Immersed in his creation, Yuan Chuan You was completely oblivious to his surroundings, failing to notice a certain black-haired girl approaching him.
Sakurajima Mai, who had just been passing by while holding a hot coffee her assistant had handed her, found her attention captured by the young man writing with his head down. She unconsciously walked over.
Because of their previous chance encounter, she had developed a slight interest in Yuan Chuan You. Seeing him now, sitting here away from the rest of the crew, naturally sparked new curiosity.
What was he writing?
A script?
Or a novel?
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the manuscript paper in his hands. The densely packed characters seemed to be telling a youthful school story.
What surprised Sakurajima Mai even more was that Yuan Chuan You would occasionally mutter a few lines to himself, all of which were things she couldn't understand.
For example, "Why are you so skilled at this?!" and "But I was here first!" and so on.
Although she didn't understand, his pure immersion in the creative process seemed out of place with the restless film set, yet it was also inexplicably attractive.
After a little while longer, seeing that Yuan Chuan You still hadn't noticed her, Sakurajima Mai decided to break the silence and greet him.
"Yuan Chuan-san, are you writing a novel?"
At these words, Yuan Chuan You suddenly flinched. But after turning to see the girl's fair, pretty face, his expression quickly returned to calm.
"You could say that."
"Are you also a writer, Yuan Chuan-san?" Sakurajima Mai asked, her gaze carrying a hint of inquiry as she looked at his placid face.
"I just write occasionally. It's only a hobby."
After all, without a published work, he certainly couldn't be called a writer.
Yuan Chuan You thought for a moment and took the initiative to ask, "Sakurajima-san, aren't you the female lead? Why do you have time to be standing here right now?"
As the main actor, she should normally be on set, since there are many scenes and sometimes the director needs to explain things.
"The female lead doesn't appear in the very first act. Right now, it's the male lead's monologue."
The girl pouted. Because Yuan Chuan You had overheard her complaints last time, Sakurajima Mai could now show her true feelings in front of him without pretending to be polite.
"Is that so?"
"More importantly, can I see what you're writing, Yuan Chuan-san?" Sakurajima Mai stared intently at the manuscript in Yuan Chuan You's hands. She had only seen a snippet of the plot from behind and was eager to know what happened next.
"Can you wait until I finish this part?"
Yuan Chuan You had reached a critical plot point and didn't want to stop midway.
"Well... I'll just sit here and wait for you to finish then."
Sakurajima Mai suddenly smoothed her skirt with her hand and promptly sat down on the chair next to Yuan Chuan You.
"?"
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