NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: The Boy Who Submitted a Romance Novel for Girls
patreon.com/Rayden103
Chapter 4: The Boy Who Submitted a Romance Novel for Girls
As soon as Xia Yan entered, he saw a woman who looked to be in her early twenties, wearing black-rimmed glasses. With an oval face, thin eyebrows like willow leaves, a straight nose bridge, delicate facial features, and long curly hair, she was a perfect beauty.
She was Tang Yin, the editor at Red Maple Literature responsible for on-site review of new manuscripts today. Her face looked a bit tired at the moment.
After all, the number of people who come to Red Maple Literature every day to submit manuscripts varies from thirty to forty to hundreds. It's natural to get tired easily when continuously reviewing manuscripts from newcomers.
Xia Yan entered the room with a curious look on his face. He was observing Tang Yin, and she was also looking at him.
A student?
Tang Yin sighed inwardly.
After all, Xia Yan had delicate features and was just a sixteen-year-old boy. No matter how blind others were, they wouldn't mistake him for a professional writer.
It wasn't that there were no student writers in the world of light novels in the Dragon Kingdom, but students often had to focus on their studies and lacked experience. Ninety-nine percent of the novels they created were difficult to describe—at best, low quality; at worst, outright bad.
It was almost the same as an essay written casually. They didn't consider the market at all, and their writing and story structure were unpolished. They simply wrote whatever came to mind. Very few works created by students were selected for serialization.
Most creators who managed to get their novels serialized by major publishing houses were those who had studied the industry for years and were professionals in the field. These people were basically adults.
After all, they needed time to conceive a plot and find inspiration for their novels.
Of course, there were always a few exceptional geniuses in the industry.
"Hello, Xia Yan, right? I'm the chief editor at Red Maple Literature, Tang Yin," Tang Yin said with a smile while looking at the information sheet Xia Yan had filled out earlier.
"Hello, Miss Tang." Xia Yan sat down.
Even though he was just a student, his father had taken him to many dinners with uncles and family friends, so he wasn't as socially anxious as many students his age when dealing with adults.
"You're a second-year student at Nancheng No. 3 High School, correct?" Tang Yin glanced at Xia Yan.
"That's right."
After a brief pause, Tang Yin didn't ask any more questions. Once she confirmed his name and identity, there was no need to know anything else.
After all, if the quality of the novel manuscript Xia Yan brought wasn't up to par, it would be a waste of time to learn more about him.
"I see that the name of the novel you're submitting on your information sheet is Journey of Youth… hmm, the genre is… a girls' romance novel?"
Tang Yin's tone was slightly strange.
Normally, a high school boy would be expected to write about battles, supernatural powers, romance, and so on, with male protagonists.
A girls' romance novel? As the name suggests, the protagonist would have to be female.
Could a high school boy accurately describe the thoughts and delicate inner world of a young woman?
After all, the inner worlds of boys and girls were very different.
In her two years as an editor, Tang Yin had seen many female authors write youth-themed romance novels that became popular. But she had never seen a male author successfully write a popular girls' romance novel.
"Yes, it's a girls' romance novel. I have great confidence in Journey of Youth!"
Xia Yan deliberately displayed a confident smile on his face and handed the manuscript of Journey of Youth to Tang Yin with both hands, showing his enthusiasm.
It wasn't that he didn't feel nervous—he was worried. Just because a work was popular in the parallel world didn't mean it would be the same in the Dragon Kingdom.
But as a creator, he couldn't show any hesitation at this moment. If the creator didn't have confidence in their own work, it would be difficult for others to have confidence in it.
Tang Yin wasted no time, opened the folder, took out the manuscript, and began reviewing it.
I once had an unforgettable moment!
The opening of Journey of Youth was actually quite simple. When the female protagonist, Futaba, and the male protagonist, Gu, were in elementary school, they met under the eaves while seeking shelter from the rain. After this brief encounter, the two developed a mutual affection for each other.
But later, for various reasons, Gu had to transfer to another school. Before leaving, he wanted to say his final goodbye to Futaba at the temple fair.
However, because Futaba and another boy, Lu, were close, their classmates teased them about their impure relationship.
In desperation, Futaba shouted to everyone, "I hate all boys!"
And this sentence deeply hurt "Gu," who overheard it nearby.
That night at seven o'clock, at the designated meeting place for the temple fair, even though Gu was the one who had invited her, he never showed up. The next day, he transferred to another school and left.
Arrogance has ruined people's lives since ancient times.
This was the beginning of the story between Futaba, the heroine of Journey of Youth, and Gu, the male protagonist.
In Xia Yan's adapted novel version of Journey of Youth, a lot of detail was used at the beginning to portray Futaba's clumsy, arrogant, and dishonest personality in elementary school.
The plot easily drew Tang Yin into the story.
She had assumed that a girls' romance novel written by a high school boy would be mediocre.
But after reading the opening plot…
That relationship was surprisingly clumsy and ambiguous. Although I seemed to be fumbling through it, I really liked him back then.
Even now, he is still in my heart. I really want to go back to that time.
→
The heroine's inner monologue described her hidden emotions.
As a girls' romance novel, this opening truly captured Tang Yin's attention.
The main story takes place three years later, during Futaba's high school years.
To avoid being isolated by other girls due to her cute and weak image that boys liked in elementary school, Futaba deliberately acted carefree in front of her classmates and hid her cuteness in high school.
She deliberately ate in big bites, spoke loudly, and avoided being gentle and considerate so that boys wouldn't think she was ladylike. This way, the girls in her class felt at ease around her.
At the beginning, about 30–40% of the text focused on Futaba's inner world.
This was a significant difference between girls' and boys' romance novels.
In most boys' romance novels, especially harem stories, readers focus on the various female characters, while the male protagonist is often just a self-insert.
But in girls' romance novels, the story revolves around the heroine.
The emotional journey of the heroine—from ignorance to love, to heartache and sweetness—is the highlight of the story.
And the boy in front of her…
Tang Yin looked at Xia Yan.
"Your novel… the way you describe a girl's secret love is truly delicate! It's more captivating than many female authors."
She continued reading.
As Futaba and Gu reunited under the eaves, she unconsciously searched for him, and their conversation resumed from where it had left off three years ago.
Even though his height and voice had changed, the boy who appeared before me was the one I first loved.
Tang Yin was completely immersed.
As she reached the final lines, her hands trembled slightly.
She looked at the clock.
Eleven minutes.
She had been so absorbed that she lost track of time.
Could Xia Yan's work actually be worthy of serialization?
Tang Yin took a deep breath and restrained her excitement.
She lowered her head and continued reading.
Although she had read many romance novels before, this was the first time she had felt so emotionally engaged with the protagonist's perspective in a long time.
As an editor, she had read numerous romance novels for girls, but most of them were formulaic and uninspiring.
However, Xia Yan's Journey of Youth had a completely different charm.
He had delicately captured the essence of youthful romance—the kind of innocent yet bittersweet emotions that resonate deeply with the audience.
She continued reading, page after page, unable to stop.
Finally, she reached the last page of the manuscript.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she put it down.
She looked up at Xia Yan, who was calmly waiting for her evaluation.
This boy…
She had completely underestimated him.
Even though he was just a high school student, his ability to depict emotions was astonishing.
Tang Yin remained silent for a few seconds, organizing her thoughts.
Then she spoke:
"Xia Yan, your Journey of Youth is very well-written. The narrative is smooth, the emotions are real, and the character development is outstanding."
She paused for a moment before continuing:
"I have read many girls' romance novels, but very few of them can evoke such strong emotions in me."
Xia Yan smiled slightly.
"So, does that mean my novel has potential?"
Tang Yin nodded.
"Not just potential. If we polish it a bit and give it a strong marketing push, I believe Journey of Youth can become a hit!"
Her words were filled with confidence.
She had initially doubted that a sixteen-year-old boy could write a convincing girls' romance novel.
But now, she was completely convinced.
Xia Yan's writing talent was real.
Tang Yin quickly made her decision.
"I will recommend Journey of Youth for serialization."
Hearing this, Xia Yan's heart skipped a beat.
He had succeeded!
His first step toward becoming a professional writer had been taken.
Tang Yin smiled.
"But before we proceed, we will need to sign a contract and discuss the publishing details. Do you have a guardian or a legal representative who can assist you with this?"
Xia Yan nodded.
"I can have my father handle it."
Tang Yin was pleased with his professionalism.
"Very well. I'll draft the contract, and once it's ready, we can move forward."
She looked at him again, this time with admiration.
A sixteen-year-old high school student writing a romance novel for girls and doing it so well…
Xia Yan was definitely someone to watch in the literary world.
And so, Journey of Youth was set to begin its journey toward serialization—marking the first step in Xia Yan's career as a novelist
patreon.com/Rayden103