The Akutagawa Prize and a Rising Star’s Reckoning

A few days slipped by swiftly.

At eight o’clock on Saturday evening, during the week’s most-watched prime-time slot, Xijing Television was broadcasting a brand-new live program.

It was a collaboration with ‘Literary Spring and Autumn’ (TL Note: ‘Wenyi Chunqiu’), the nation’s most renowned literary journal.

This program would broadcast live the Akutagawa Prize (TL Note: ‘Jiechuan Shang’), the literary world’s most significant annual award for emerging pure literature authors, which was traditionally published and analyzed within the journal’s pages.

In truth, the ‘small event’ Rinzi had so casually mentioned to Chen Ran was anything but insignificant.

This television program was projected to rank among the top five in national viewership.

Especially after its extensive promotion, it had become one of the most trending topics online recently.

Countless individuals were now glued to their television screens, eagerly awaiting the program’s commencement.

The program’s format, however, was not overly complex.

It simply involved the host introducing several esteemed guests from the literary world who had been invited.

Among them were popular authors like Rinzi, seasoned writers who had won international accolades, authoritative literary critics, veteran editors, university professors, and more.

Unlike conventional novel competitions, which typically only published winning entries in magazines, this program brought all the shortlisted new authors to the live set.

There, they would engage in discussions about their works with the literary veterans serving as both guests and judges.

It was precisely this innovative segment that had piqued the interest of many viewers.

At this very moment, Gao Ruixue was present at the venue.

The young woman had adorned herself exquisitely tonight, poised to achieve instant fame and emerge as a rising star in the literary world!

After all, the Akutagawa Prize stood as the nation’s most prestigious award for new literary talent, bestowed only twice a year to a mere two books.

Countless literary giants before her had entered the literary scene and ultimately forged their reputations by securing the Akutagawa Prize.

Merely being shortlisted as one of the seven nominated books was, in itself, an impressive feat.

Consequently, Gao Ruixue was in high spirits.

Even if she didn’t win the award, it wouldn’t matter; she would simply present herself well when she took the stage, then collaborate with a publisher for a bit of strategic branding.

After that, with a title like ‘The High School Beauty Writer, A Once-in-a-Millennium Prodigy,’ she would instantly become a sensation in the literary world!

Such a prospect had been beyond Gao Ruixue’s wildest dreams until now.

Previously, she had only been capable of penning romance short stories for the school’s literary club!

[Good thing that idiot doesn’t even know how to submit a manuscript.]

Gao Ruixue couldn’t help but think to herself.

If Cold hadn’t been so foolish, submitting handwritten manuscripts via postal mail, those works would never have fallen into her hands, heh heh.

However, a slight complication lingered.

Cold’s previous submissions to the literary club were nearly exhausted; what would she do then?

Gao Ruixue considered, noting Cold’s seemingly modest background, that perhaps she could pay her to be a ghostwriter.

Cold would write, and she would publish!

If Cold proved uncooperative, she would simply find someone else.

The most crucial aspect remained her identity as a talented new author in the literary world.

With such a reputation, who wouldn’t read her work? Heh heh.

Seated in the audience, Gao Ruixue watched the television program unfold in an orderly fashion.

With a nervous heart, she waited for over an hour until, finally, it was her turn to take the stage.

“Alright, let us welcome today’s fifth new author! She is merely seventeen years old, a student of the renowned Saintly Angel Academy (TL Note: ‘Shenghua Tianshi Xueyuan’)—yes, that’s right, the very school attended by the nation’s beloved beauty, Miss Duanmu…”

“Ah, they say that remarkable people emerge from extraordinary places, and it seems this holds true. Saintly Angel Academy is filled with beautiful girls, and it consistently produces geniuses in all fields!”

Following the host’s exaggerated introduction, Gao Ruixue, brimming with excitement, stepped forward, smiling, clad in a magnificent, specially modified gown provided by the school—its origins as a school uniform still subtly apparent.

Evidently, the school placed considerable importance on tonight’s program; Gao Ruixue even knew that school executives were among the audience members.

“Welcome, Student Gao! Hello.”

“Hello, Host, and good evening to all the esteemed seniors.”

She spoke with polite humility.

Gao Ruixue feigned a demure and well-behaved demeanor, standing a little hesitantly to the side, ready to receive the guests’ ‘criticism.’

Indeed.

For a new literary award, the senior judges naturally included both those who would offer praise and those who would deliver harsh critiques.

Most shortlisted new works typically faced some criticism, from which their merits would then be highlighted.

It was exceedingly rare for a piece to be universally lauded.

In fact, the works of the previous few authors who had taken the stage had been critiqued quite severely!

This had even led Gao Ruixue to entertain the delusion that if her work was truly exceptional, she might just win the award after all!

A seventeen-year-old Akutagawa Prize winner.

Her name would be immortalized on the school’s bulletin board, revered by future junior students year after year!

The mere thought of it felt utterly unbelievable.

As the panel of judges began to review ‘her’ novel, and all offered favorable assessments, Gao Ruixue’s heart swelled with even greater excitement.

‘Could it be? Could it really be? Could it possibly be?’

‘Was an unexpected delight truly awaiting her?’

‘It seemed she had underestimated that person; their novel was actually *that* good?!’

The literary veterans, serving as guests, were now holding the novel manuscript she had copied, seemingly unable to part with it, lavishing praise and not even finding a single flaw.

Gao Ruixue was so thrilled she nearly leaped for joy.

She could already envision her future:

After the book’s publication, with millions of copies printed, she would become the nation’s most celebrated young author, traveling to give lectures, hosting book signings, and being hailed as ‘Dada’ (TL Note: A common term of address for a respected author or creator, similar to ‘master’ or ‘big shot’ in online communities) by countless fans.

For now, Gao Ruixue endeavored to quell her inner exhilaration.

She maintained her facade of humble receptiveness, pretending that her writing wasn’t quite as exceptional as they claimed.

Eventually, when the judges had finished their individual remarks, it was time for the final judge to speak.

She was a beautiful woman, clad in a vibrant crimson gown, with skin as fair as jade, a dignified hat, and hair as silver as snow.

Gao Ruixue recognized her as a highly celebrated and popular author.

She was also exceptionally mysterious; in nearly twenty years since her debut, she had never attended any public event, and this was her first appearance before the public.

Indeed, the program’s impressive viewership tonight owed at least a third of its success to this beautiful woman, for she had won the Akutagawa Prize at the tender age of fourteen.

She was the youngest genius author to ever receive the award.

At this realization, Gao Ruixue, feeling a surge of nervousness, watched the beautiful woman intently studying her manuscript; whether it brought criticism or praise, she knew she had to receive it with an air of humility.

Yet, the first words uttered by the beautiful silver-haired woman were…

“This book of yours, it’s plagiarized, isn’t it?”

“???”