Lovely Novice

By Su Su Yan

Su Yan always wanted to be an author. Being moved by his determination (Well, in fact, she was just an avid reader of his fan-fictions and wanted him to write full time ...) official Shen Lu grants the aspiring author a system: The Lovely Writing System!
Finding a strange app on his beloved notebook, Su Yan is sure he has fallen prey to a hacker. But why is this strange app issuing tasks related to his favorite hobby? Wait ... What? He is supposed to write BL?! And what is this shitty task about experiencing story immersion?! No! He’d rather not become an author if that means he also has to become a shou!

Follow Su Yan on his path to becoming the world’s greatest BL author ... and to reluctantly becoming a beloved shou thanks to a shitty Lovely Writing System!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Su Su Yan
• Release date: Sep 10, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463703953

Su Su Yan

Yan Su Su started out writing High Fantasy Romance before she found her calling in BL web novels and short stories. With her debut series "Oh. My. Fate?!", she stayed true to her background in fantastical literature before she explored her first modern settings with her second series "Lovely Writing System" and several short stories.

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Lovely Novice

A Lovely Writing System Novel

Yan Su Su

Published by Yan Su Su

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2018 Yan Su Su

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Glossary

Please note that the Chinese pronouns 他 (he) and 她 (she) are both pronounced as ta and thus can't be distinguished in dialog.

Baidu: search engine, similar to Google

Bl: boys’ love, genre depicting male/male romance

Fudanshi: male fan of bl stories

Fujoshi: female fan of bl stories

Rotten women: another term for fujoshis

Weibo: microblogging website, similar to Twitter

Applying for a System

In the headquarters of the Heaven Corporation, more precisely in their department of system admission, a certain female official reached into the bag of chips on her desk and froze.

Damn! Fucking Shit!

She took her feet from the desk, lifted the bag and opened it a little wider to peek inside. Nothing. To make sure she hadn’t seen wrongly, she shook the bag but nothing came out. Indeed. There were no more chips!

Damn this! Shen Lu furiously threw the bag aside.

How was she supposed to live through the rest of this day without her chips?! Since the department head had been to that meeting with the big boss he was giving them a lot of pressure.

Just look at the 'working prompt' he had given her as 'motivation' for this week: Find one special person to grant a system to! (Note: No reincarnators!)

What the hell was that supposed to mean? No reincarnators? Every second person their department granted a system to was a reincarnator! No, wait, it was probably even more than that. There was maybe one person in ten thousand people that wasn’t a reincarnator.

Bugged out, she opened her personal terminal and browsed some websites instead. Mn … Speaking of that, she should have a look at the profile of her favorite author. Maybe he had finally started a new project.

Shen Lu navigated to the site but was disappointed: Nothing new. The last update — the last real update at least — had been three months ago. Four weeks ago, he had at least left a short message that he was busy with work due to the vacation period and would only get back to writing when things got less stressful.

Shen Lu shut her terminal down again and spun around on her chair. Ugh, life was hell at the moment. She had no idea how to complete that strange assignment from her boss and she couldn’t even look forward to her quitting time since she had nothing to do. Ah, if just her favorite author could become famous and quit his daytime job so that he could write more!

She rested her arms on her desk and put her head on top. Life was so unfair! Considering that he only wrote fan-fics he would probably never get famous. Well, he might get famous but he wouldn’t earn any money. Damn. Was there no way to help him? She wouldn’t mind paying a bit if that got her some more awesome novels from him. Other readers certainly also thought so.

Mn … Shen Lu tilted her head. That damned working prompt popped up in her field of vision again. She wanted to turn away again when she suddenly blinked and jerked up.

Wait a moment! Granting a system to a special person who was not a reincarnator?!

She opened her terminal again and searched a little. There! Her favorite author wasn’t a reincarnator! So … What spoke against granting him a system? With a little bit of help, he might finally start a story all of his own and then become famous and rich and quit his daytime job to dedicate his life solely to writing! Yes! Mission accomplished!

Shen Lu hastily searched for the application form, madly grinning the whole time. This was like killing two birds with one stone!

She finally found the right file and looked through the blanks. The form required her to fill in some general data about the desired system and the possible host. But some things also needed to be specialized like the system’s name or its more specific task.

She had to seriously ponder that. There could be no mistake!

[Information regarding possible host:

Name: Su Yan

Age: 21 years 3 months 7 days]

[Height: 1.75m

Weight: 66kg

Hair-color: black

Eye-color: caramel]

[Occupation: service staff at a railroad station

Targeted occupation: author]

[Information regarding the desired system:

Type: Special System K81-3FA5-69

Scope of application: work-related

Tasks: Furthering the host’s experiences and skills, helping the host to achieve greatness

Matched skill set: writing]

[Name:]

Shen Lu hesitated. She really hated it when the other officials were lazy and just put in the system’s number. How were the hosts supposed to remember them?

No, she would help Su Yan as good as possible! He’d get a system with a nice-sounding name! Mn … How about … Writing System?

Ugh. That was certainly easy to remember but it had no style whatsoever! No, she should take something that could convey her honest, innermost feelings to her favorite author!

Shen Lu stared at the blank for a full five minutes before a smile slowly crept onto her lips.

[Name: Lovely Writing System]

See! You write lovely stories and this system will help you to write even more lovely stories! This is a name bestowed by one of your avid fans. With love!

Hurhurhur.

Shen Lu clicked the submit button, prepared to be rewarded for her hard work.

[ERROR!]

Some big red words popped up on the screen of her personal terminal. Huh? What had happened?

She clicked the button for further information. Her expression soured upon seeing the explanation: ['Matched skill set: writing' is too broad. Please select a smaller category.]

Shen Lu gnashed her teeth. What was the problem with 'writing'? That was a great skill set to have! Well, at least the tech team had supplied her with some suggestions. Or should she say: They had given her a whole drop-down menu to choose from? Why didn’t they do so in the first place?

Shen Lu shook her head and went through the menu layer after layer.

Mn, fiction was a given. Web novels were good, too. Genre? Mn, he mostly wrote things with cultivation and stuff. That should be somewhere at the bo—

Shen Lu’s eyes went wide all of a sudden. She had seen something in the provided list that instantly caught her attention.

If you asked her if there was something, anything, she didn’t like about that favorite author of hers, she probably had to nod: Su Yan didn’t write her favorite genre. But … it seemed she could change that?

Shen Lu peeked around to make sure nobody was there. Then, a certain fujoshi clicked the button she had spotted.

[APPLICATION FORM SENT!]

Well, if Su Yan ever found out that his change in genres and everything it entailed was thanks to a certain Official at the Heaven Corporation’s headquarters, he’d probably swing by and beat her up with all the books he had written until then.

A Dirty Joke

Some days later, Su Yan returned home from the railroad station and fell face-first onto his bed. He continued to lie there for a moment and mumbled into his pillow. Then, he sighed, turned around and stared up at the ceiling. He wanted nothing more than to sleep but he already had a massive bad conscience. How long had it been since he uploaded one of his stories? It was time he finally went online again to post.

Ah … He sat up and fetched his notebook from the desk. At least one chapter. Even if it’s just five hundred words. You can do that! he motivated himself.

His plan came to a premature stop, though. There was some unknown app on his screen.

Huh? Did he install that accidentally? He frowned at the name. 'Lovely Writing System'? He couldn’t remember having seen something like that but it did sound like something he’d like to try.

He opened the program and was greeted by a seductive voice. Welcome, host~!

Su Yan slammed the notebook shut. That … didn’t sound like a program meant for writing at all! What was with that kind of voice and that manner of addressing someone?! He felt like he had been on his way to a nice family restaurant but accidentally stepped into a strip club!

Ugh, he had probably been hacked and someone thought it funny to install something dirty on his notebook. Hmph. Don’t think I’ll panic just because of that! I’m an author. I have a cheat!

Su Yan took out his phone with a smug expression and clicked one of the numbers he had on speed dial.

The phone just rang once before an equally seductive voice came from the other side. But this time, Su Yan had expected nothing else. Mn … How nice of you to call, Ah Yan! Did you already get off from work?

Yeah. Ah Chang … Su Yan ruffled his hair and adopted the whiny voice that he always used when he wanted something from that friend of his. There’s something wrong with my baby! Come over and help me!

Low laughter came from the other side. Alright, alright. I couldn’t take responsibility if something happened to your 'baby', huh? How serious is it?

Dunno! I didn’t dare to get curious. Just come over already, okay?

Mn. There was some fabric rustling on the other side. Give me half an hour.

Alright! Su Yan hung up with a big smile and went into the kitchen. Mn, he should eat something and maybe draft his next story on paper. Half an hour was long. And who knew how long his friend would need to fix that thing? Maybe he’d be there for some hours.

Despite what Su Yan thought, the bell already rang twenty minutes later when he had just managed to cook a simple meal. Su Yan leaped to his feet, hurried over and pulled the door open. He grabbed the man outside by the collar and dragged him inside.

Ah Chang, you’re finally here! Come on, come on, sit down. Please, diagnose my baby! I’m afraid it’s dying! He pushed him over to the couch and fetched his notebook again, sitting down next to him.

At the headquarters of the Heaven Corporation, Official Shen Lu started hooting. Yes, with the approval of the Lovely Writing System she had gained permission to peep at … uh, no, to observe Su Yan’s progress! And seeing such a hot guy coming by on the first day of his life with a system she was sure that this would become excellent material!

Ah Chang, or rather Nie Chang, just looked at his friend before pulling the notebook over. He couldn’t see anything unusual at first glance. So, what exactly happened?

I also don’t know. I just started it and then there was some strange app.

Hm … Nie Chang browsed through the list of programs and did some background checks Su Yan couldn’t understand but he turned up empty-handed. I can’t find anything dangerous.

Well, maybe dangerous is the wrong word.

Oh? Nie Chang looked over but Su Yan only pursed his lips. Well, if you don’t wanna say it … I’m afraid your baby will have to die.

You’re mean! Su Yan boxed his arm and turned to the screen. Somehow, the app seemed to have vanished? Hm, that’s strange. It was still there when I closed it.

Then someone was probably pranking you. Don’t think about it. Everything’s alright with your baby.

Mn. Alright. If you say that. Nie Chang was his go-to person whenever something related to computers came up. He certainly wouldn’t doubt him, especially when he himself couldn’t see that app anymore. Then you better go home now. It’s late already.

Heh! Nie Chang grabbed his arm when he wanted to hurry back to the kitchen. What kind of friend are you? It’s late already and I came especially over because you called me. And now it was all for nothing. Do you really want me to go home now?

Su Yan blinked innocently. What else?

Ask me to stay over!

Okay. If you want to. Su Yan wriggled out of his grip, took the notebook and went back to the kitchen.

Nie Chang grinned. Of course, he wanted to! After all, who knew when he would get such a great opportunity again! He rubbed his hands and followed Su Yan over. He had high expectations for this evening!

And he wasn’t the only one: At the Heaven Corporation’s headquarters, a certain female official was practically glued to her personal terminal. She totally wouldn’t mind watching her favorite author’s private life instead of reading one of his stories as long as it included such a hot guy! Mn, of course, it was only because of research! A successful author would need inspiration, after all.

So, go for it, Nie Chang! Supply my favorite author with enough inspiration to write a great bl novel! I can’t wait to watch — er, to read how you two will be rolling around in the sheets!

An Enticing Offer

When Nie Chang came over Su Yan was already sitting at the table, spooning some soup up with one hand while taking notes with another.

Nie Chang just smiled, went to the cupboard and got himself a bowl and a spoon, too, before he sat down next to Su Yan. What are you doing?

Plotting.

A crime? Tell me who you’re going to kill. I’ll help you dispose of the body.

Su Yan looked up, sighed and pushed his notepad to the side. I haven’t written even one word in three months. He looked extremely pitiful.

Ah, don’t worry. You’ll have more time, soon!

It’s easy saying that. Three of my co-workers are ill and one is pregnant and getting off work in some weeks. It’ll only get worse by then.

Well, you could always come and work at the repair shop.

Su Yan laughed. I don’t know the first thing about computers and such stuff. Aren’t you afraid I’d break more than I’d repair?

Nie Chang leaned forward. Of course, you would! I wouldn’t mind compensating for the damage, though. The question is … How would you compensate me? He smiled teasingly.

Su Yan only stared blankly, though. Why would I? I’d rather not work there and continue at the railroad station.

Nie Chang’s lips twitched. Was it so hard to respond to his flirting a little? In the end, he could only sigh. It wasn’t like he didn’t know how Su Yan was.

Forget what I said about the compensation. I was just joking about that. But I was serious about the job offer. I’m actually in need of someone who sits at the counter and deals with the customers. That would give me more time for the actual work. And you would be free to do your own thing as long as no one’s around.

Eh? Really? Su Yan couldn’t believe what he just heard. Wouldn’t that be … inappropriate? I mean, it’s your shop. If your customers aren’t satisfied, you’d lose a lot of money.

Nie Chang laughed and patted his hand. Don’t you worry about that. If they are satisfied or not, will depend mostly on how good I am. And haven’t you worked in service all these years since school? It shouldn’t be a problem for you to greet some people and see what they want.

Su Yan pursed his lips. It sounded too good to be true. There had to be some kind of catch somewhere. I might not understand what they want.

Most of the time they don’t even know what they want. And in the worst case, you can just call me. I’m in the back room anyway.

That’s true … Su Yan propped his head up on his hands. He could imagine working at Nie Chang’s shop surprisingly well. Not just because he would have more time to write. He and Nie Chang knew each other since their childhood. Working together in the same place would be great!

Since they had both started working at different places they had had less and less time together. Now, if he really took him up on the offer they could spend nearly every day together. Working at the shop, going out to eat during their lunch break or calling delivery, then driving part of their way home together … That didn’t sound bad at all.

Of course, that was exactly what Nie Chang had in mind. Just wait until they spend more time together! He didn’t believe that Su Yan would always be able to resist him.

Eh, just go do your things for now. We’ll talk about it after you had some time to think it through. Nie Chang waved at the notebook. He didn’t want to appear too eager or Su Yan would think even more that there was a catch with the offer. Ah, he just knew him too well.

Mn, you’re right. What about you? You’ve got to do something?

Yeah, don’t worry about me.

The two of them both opened their respective notebooks. Su Yan took out his headphones, too, so as to not disturb Nie Chang. He just needed some music as inspiration. Just when he finished scrolling through his playlist and had chosen one of the songs from Jay Chou’s latest album a notification sound rang out.

Welcome back, host! This time, the voice was less seductive and sounded more like a bored office lady. After the initial mishap, Official Shen Lu had, of course, taken some countermeasures. She couldn’t risk that her favorite author rejected the Lovely Writing System just because of a badly chosen voice, right?

Su Yan had no problems recognizing this adjusted voice as the one from the strange app, though. He frowned, reached over and pulled at Nie Chang’s arm. Heh, Ah Chang, it’s back again.

Nie Chang leaned over just in time to see some window flash and disappear. He frowned just like Su Yan but his thoughts were already churning. An app that came up when Su Yan was alone but couldn’t be found as soon as he got somebody to help? Something he didn’t find when he just casually looked over it but that turned up again as soon as he seemed to have left it alone? That didn’t seem like a small joke someone was playing!

Nie Chang examined Su Yan’s pouting face again. His friend couldn’t have attracted some stalker that was coincidentally an amazing hacker, could he?

Hm … Were there some other strange things in the last few days?

Su Yan shook his head. None.

Alright. I’ll look at it tonight again. Take the notepad for now. He took the notebook from him and narrowed his eyes at the screen. It seemed it was time to bring out his true skills.

At the headquarters of the Heaven Corporation, Official Shen Lu face-palmed. Damn! Having a male lead that was not only hot but had a godly skill, too, was always nice. But why did that Nie Chang guy have to be so distrustful? She had only sent over a system! Though, in fact, he wasn’t wrong with Su Yan having a stalker. After all, she was peeping at them since the system had been delivered. Ah, don’t fault her! It was all just to make sure the system worked properly!

What a Lovely Novice!

While Nie Chang worked away at the notebook Su Yan started thinking about his next story again.

He had never written an original story since he feared that he might not be good enough. Writing an original would require him to craft everything on his own: The world, the characters, the storyline … He didn’t feel up to this task even now, although