Chapter 358: Commercial Author
“I want to learn Japanese.”
The next day, when she went to the exchange meeting to study, Yu Linna suddenly told Miss Sakurai about her desire to learn Japanese. Miss Sakurai took a few seconds to digest it. What she found strangest was that the clothes Yu Linna was wearing today were actually Hase Yuki’s. Hase Yuki’s clothes were obviously not the right size for Yu Linna. The clothes were awkward and loose on her.
“Why do you suddenly want to learn Japanese? You already know English, right? It’s no problem to communicate with others when you go abroad.”
That’s right, Yu Linna already knew English. This was an international language. It wouldn’t be impossible for her to communicate with others when she went abroad. But why did she suddenly want to learn Japanese? The number of people who used Japanese internationally was not large. There was no need to learn it.
“When I came to this country, I discovered that there are many things I need to learn. I used to think that I was already very amazing, but in fact, that’s not the case. This world is too big. If you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind. So I want to learn more.”
“But this has nothing to do with you learning Japanese…”
“I just purely want to learn this language. I also want to have a good conversation with Sister Hase in Japanese. You know it’s quite troublesome for us to communicate usually.”
Wow, what on earth happened? This little girl is actually calling that bastard Sister Hase? This, what’s going on?
And her original intention for learning Japanese is actually to have a normal conversation with her?
But it seemed to make sense. Every day, they ate together, but it was always Miss Sakurai who acted as the translator. The communication between the two of them was also quite troublesome. If Yu Linna knew Japanese, then it would indeed be very convenient for the three of them to communicate in the future.
“Alright, I’ll teach you. But I also have a request. Can you teach me to speak Chinese well?”
“Miss Sakurai, don’t you know how to speak Chinese?”
“My Chinese is terrible, and it’s not standard. I need to ask a real Chinese person for advice. In return, I will teach you Japanese.”
The two of them hit it off and reached an agreement. And so, after the daily study was over, Yu Linna would go to Miss Sakurai’s house to learn Japanese with her, and then return to the hotel at night. Although it was very troublesome, she wanted to learn it well. At first, she memorized Japanese words, and then she started to learn pronunciation, learning step by step. Yu Linna studied very seriously, and she also had a bit of talent in learning languages, so she made rapid progress.
Miss Sakurai’s daily routine was to attend the exchange meeting, then go home to learn Chinese with the little blonde, and write her manuscript at night. Her days passed just like that. Although with her status and identity, there was no need for her to attend the exchange meeting. That kind of place, to put it bluntly, was just for newcomers or authors who had been flopping for many years to broaden their horizons and understand the gap between themselves and the world.
“Yamada-sensei, I’ve already received this issue’s manuscript. In general, it’s at your usual level, very good. I look forward to your next work.”
The editor would come to collect the manuscript regularly and also chat about work-related topics. As the king of the Japanese novel world, and the number one on the popularity list in recent years, Sakurai Reina’s works were guaranteed, and her fan base was huge.
With her popularity and the quality of her works, it was only natural that this release would be a big hit again.
In the early years, probably when Sakurai Reina had just started university, she was serializing novels online. Later, she was discovered, and she repackaged her novels and submitted them to Jigen Bunko. As soon as they were published, her popularity remained high, and her works were adapted into animation, manga, and games. Her popularity was quite terrifying.
“Yamada-sensei, how did your talk with your parents go this time? Is it still the same as before?”
After talking about work, the editor brought up a private topic. Editor Matsuyama had been Sakurai Reina’s editor for many years and was also a friend in private. He also knew about Sakurai Reina’s affairs.
“Mmm, they’re not very willing to move into the house I bought.”
Miss Sakurai drank her tea, a hint of helplessness in her faint tone.
Sakurai Reina’s family background was not bad, even quite good. But her family had some reservations about her writing novels. Originally, under her family’s arrangement, Sakurai Reina was supposed to go abroad to study for a master’s degree. Who would have thought that she would actually choose to become a novelist? This had made her parents very angry. But she was also very competitive and had achieved quite amazing results. Her parents couldn’t say anything about her, but out of a stubborn temper, they had always refused to acknowledge the profession their daughter had chosen.
Sakurai Reina, such a popular author, was even one of the representatives of the commercial novel world in Japan, the future number one in the novel world. The commercial profits she brought were countless. She was like a walking ATM, with money wherever she went. Everyone was conquered by her talent, but her parents had never said a good word about her. The first manuscript fee Sakurai Reina had earned, she had bought a house and said it was for her parents, but her parents refused to live in it.
It was no wonder. After all, Sakurai Reina’s parents were diplomats. How could they look down on it? They had originally hoped that their daughter would study for a master’s degree and have a good path. Who would have thought that their daughter would actually say she wanted to be a novelist?
Although it wasn’t that they didn’t approve of the profession she had chosen, and she had also made achievements, her parents were just stubborn, especially her father, who had refused to say anything for these past few years. Everyone knew that Yamada Yui-sensei was very amazing, but no one knew that Yamada-sensei’s family background was so terrifying.
“Yamada-sensei, that blonde girl, is she a relative of yours?”
Editor Matsuyama saw Yu Linna at home and couldn’t help but ask.
“Her? She’s a writer from China, here in Japan to study. We get along quite well, so I let her stay at my house.”
Speaking of Yu Linna, Miss Sakurai’s smile was very gentle. Only in front of this child could she show a relaxed smile.
“You were always very serious before, giving people a ‘stay away’ look. But seeing you now, I’m relieved. I’ll take the manuscript back and immediately arrange for its publication. Yamada-sensei, since it’s a rare opportunity, how about you take a vacation? Next month, a foreign investor wants to buy the overseas copyright of your work. It will be very busy then. Take this opportunity to rest.”
Next month…
Once she got busy, she wouldn’t have time to teach her Japanese. Thinking of this, Miss Sakurai also became troubled. She had to make arrangements in advance.
“Miss Sakurai, how do you read this word?”
Only after Editor Matsuyama had left did Yu Linna come over with her textbook to ask her a question.
Miss Sakurai taught her very patiently, teaching her wherever she didn’t know. Even if she was really stuck on a problem for a long time, she was very patient and not annoyed at all.
“Linna, what are your thoughts on your future career? Do you still want to continue writing?”
For some reason, Miss Sakurai suddenly asked this question.
Yu Linna just hesitated for a moment and quickly answered her.
“I don’t know if I can continue to write in the future, but I don’t want to give up. I want to walk on, because this is a path I have worked hard to find.”
Yu Linna was a person who had experienced many failures. She had tried to do many different jobs and had also tried to be in the entertainment industry, but in the end, it was not suitable. Only when she was writing could she relax and find the meaning of life. So she would always persevere.
Sakurai Reina smiled.
“You’re a lot like me before. I have high hopes for you. You’re still young. You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. Don’t worry. As long as you learn something, you’ll be successful.”
She said with a smile.
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed, and the exchange meeting was over. Just as Miss Sakurai had said, Yu Linna hadn’t learned much at this exchange meeting. Coming here was more about broadening her horizons and understanding the gap between herself and the world. It was not of much use in improving her own abilities.
The lecturer had said a lot on the stage, but Yu Linna had no heart to listen. She was mainly thinking that a month had already passed, and Chen Xi was also rushing her to return to her home country, but she felt that she hadn’t learned much. She didn’t want to go back so soon either.
“What, you’re reluctant to go back?”
When they were on their way back, Miss Sakurai said with a tease.
“It’s still too early to go back now. I still want to learn a little more Japanese. I don’t plan to go back for now.”
Yu Linna had also gotten used to this month in Japan. Besides not being used to the Japanese food and language, everything else was fine. As long as she continued to stay, she believed she could get more things.
“Ah Xue, this little girl said she doesn’t plan to go back yet. We can continue to accompany her.”
Sakurai Reina said with a smile, speaking to Hase Yuki in Japanese.
Yu Linna had learned Japanese for a month. Although she was still not fluent, she more or less knew what she was saying. She nudged Miss Sakurai with her elbow, telling her not to say unnecessary things.
“Honto ni? (Really?) So moved! Little Linna, I knew you couldn’t bear to leave me. Come, into my embrace. By the way, I’ll cook you a delicious meal tonight. I’ll be at home. You must come!”
Yu Linna had a cold expression on her face.
Although Hase Yuki was not a bad person, she was too much of a pervert, making it unbearable.
Most importantly, this person was a lolicon.
At this time, a black luxury car drove up to the three of them. The car door opened, and a man in a suit got out, blocking their way.
And Miss Sakurai sighed silently in her heart, taking the initiative to protect the two of them behind her.
“They are both my friends,” she said.
The man in the suit nodded to show that he understood, and then handed her a letter.
“What is this?”
“It’s from Mr. Sakurai. He asks you to attend a banquet tonight.”
Sakurai Reina opened the envelope and looked at it. The content of the letter was very simple. It just asked her to go home for a bit and attend a banquet. The Sakurai family was very rich, with a deep foundation. Her old dad was also an official. Banquets and such were not like this.
“I know. I’ll go. And please tell him for me that next time, just call. There’s no need to be so troublesome as to write a letter.”
“Alright then, miss. Please get in the car.”
“…Is that his order?”
“No, this is my job.”
Helpless, Miss Sakurai had no choice but to raise her hands in surrender. She turned her head and said sorry to the two of them.
“I’m sorry. I won’t be going to the dinner tonight. You two go ahead and eat. I have to go home for a bit. We’ll meet again next time.”
Sakurai Reina put her hands together and said apologetically, then she got in the car and left.
And it was only just now that Yu Linna knew that Miss Sakurai’s family was so rich. For a moment, she was a little stunned.
“You knew all along that she was a young miss?”
Yu Linna asked Hase Yuki in a terrible and non-standard Japanese. Hase Yuki took a long time to understand what she was saying.
“Mmm, I’ve always known. It’s fine. She’s gone, but I’m still here. Let’s go, let’s go get something to eat.”
