492: Chapter 492 Watching from the Sidelines, the Clever Craftsman

The last annotation on the screen was still glowing, like a cold blade, firmly nailed before everyone's eyes.

"Good!"

Professor Liu Zuoqing looked at the final concluding remark and slapped his thigh hard, his face flushed with excitement.

"Too accurate!"

"It cuts too accurately! This strike is simply a stroke of genius!"

Professor Liu Zuoqing pointed at the screen, his voice filled with irrepressible excitement.

"Lin Que, this kid, has too much talent and his brain works too fast.

Relying on his cleverness, he can play with all techniques to perfection.

But precisely because he is too clever, he has become accustomed to writing with his brain instead of writing with his heart.

Jian Shen's four words, 'Watching the Fire from the Other Side', directly point out his current bottleneck.

What he needs most right now is to have this shell of cleverness shattered!"

Dai Shengzong let out a long breath, picked up the now lukewarm tea and took a large gulp, calming the shock in his heart.

"How can this be considered ordinary homework grading."

Dai Shengzong looked at the annotations on the screen that cut to the bone, his voice full of emotion.

"This is an elder personally performing Bone Dismantling to straighten out this genius."

He turned to look at the others, laying out his inner deductions completely.

"Did you notice? Jian Shen's understanding of Lin Que far exceeds our imagination.

Those descriptions of suffering on the Loess Plateau in 'ordinary world', that sense of reality that pierces through the paper, were definitely personally experienced by Jian Shen.

Lin Que was able to write a work like 'the steps' that carried the scent of soil, and I dare to conclude now,

that was likely Jian Shen dismantling its own life experience, pointing out the direction for him, and also giving him the real soil."

The more Dai Shengzong spoke, the more logical he felt it was, and his tone became increasingly certain:

"Now Jian Shen feels it is time for him to be weaned.

The old man is forcing him to be independent, forcing him to step on the soil himself and look for the suffering material that belongs to him.

What great expectations are hidden behind this severity."

Elder Cui Wen leaned back on the sofa and burst into hearty laughter.

"Satisfying!"

Elder Cui Wen rudely wiped the stubble on his chin, his eyes flashing with fanaticism.

"I have long been sick of the stinking habit of mutual flattery in the current literary scene.

Only such a ruthless person who leaves no room for sentiment deserves the title of a literary giant.

If he can be so ruthless even to the younger generation he values most, I doubt anyone else will get through the remaining twenty-nine pieces with their dignity intact."

Xu Zhengqing listened quietly to the analysis of these old friends, picking up his tea cup to cover his face.

...

Meanwhile.

On the third floor of the Qingbei School of Literature dormitory building, in the room where Lin Que resided, the air seemed to have solidified into substance.

Chen Jiahao held his phone with both hands, staring intently at 'Ether' ranked first on the screen,

and the full four hundred words of annotations below it, his shoulders stiffening in place, even his breathing becoming shallow.

After a full ten seconds, he suddenly gasped, a dry, harsh sound emitting from his throat.

"Master Que..."

Chen Jiahao turned his head with difficulty to look at Lin Que sitting by the bed, his eyes full of terror.

"Teacher Jian Shen... isn't this too ruthless?"

He swallowed, his voice trembling:

"He's using you as the first target? And scolding you so harshly?

'Watching the Fire from the Other Side', 'Clever Artisan'... these words are too heavy.

You are the national champion, he is doing this in front of thirty people, knocking your bones out one by one for everyone to see!"

Xu Changge sat at the desk, his gaze moving away from the computer screen and landing on Lin Que, who was leaning against the quilt over there.

He had finished reading the entire annotation.

With his literary cultivation, he could naturally see the value of Jian Shen's criticism.

Every sentence accurately struck at the lack of emotional depth in 'Ether'.

But even so, this kind of public, merciless skinning and Bone Dismantling,

for a genius accustomed to flowers and applause, was also a devastating blow.

After reading the annotation, Xu Changge thought to himself:

If it were himself receiving such a merciless skinning and Bone Dismantling,

he would likely find it hard to remain this calm, and might even fall into severe self-doubt.

But Lin Que did not.

The seventeen-year-old boy still maintained the same relaxed posture as before, holding his phone,

his gaze calmly sweeping over the text on the screen, as if he were truly seeing this blade falling toward him for the first time.

There was no anger on his face, no shame, not even a trace of fluctuation could be found.

He just read it once, then nodded gently.

"The scolding is right."

Lin Que spoke, his voice steady without a single ripple.

"This piece of mine indeed took a shortcut. The bones were pieced together, the flesh was filled in, and the soul hasn't sunk to the bottom yet."

Chen Jiahao's eyes widened, his expression as if his worldview had been twisted on the spot.

"No, Master Que, you've been scolded as a 'Clever Artisan', and you're still nodding?"

Chen Jiahao was about to go crazy.

"What is your mentality made of? An iron inkstone?"

Dan Yi, sitting by the window, did not speak.

He lowered his eyelids, complex light flickering in his gray-green eyes.

Lin Que's words, "The scolding is right", landed, actually making his heart, which had been hanging, feel a little lighter.

So it turns out being seen through doesn't necessarily mean the whole person will shatter.

Being able to calmly accept criticism of this level and instantly admit one's own shortcomings, such a person is too terrifying.

"The first piece is already... so ruthless."

Xu Changge withdrew his gaze, his voice becoming unusually grave.

"It seems Teacher Jian Shen is determined this time to pick out the weakest points of each of us. Jiahao, be prepared."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiahao's legs went soft immediately, he plopped back onto the floor, and hugged his head with both hands.

"Stop, stop talking, I've already started choosing an epitaph for my manuscript."

Lin Que leaned against the head of the bed, watching Chen Jiahao's devastated appearance, the curve of his lips rising imperceptibly by a fraction.

He cast his gaze back to the phone screen.

The annotations for the first piece, 'Ether', had finished displaying, and immediately below it was the title of the second piece.

It was a work titled 'Patch Algorithm'.

Author: Xu Changge.

Lin Que tilted his head slightly, looking at Xu Changge, who was sitting at the desk with his back straight.

The blade he had prepared for Xu Changge was no less heavy than the one that had fallen on 'Ether'.

"Old Xu."

Lin Que said calmly.

Xu Changge turned his head.

Lin Que lifted his chin toward the direction of the screen.

"It's your turn."