"the extraordinary adventures of Benjamin Button (Please give me a stones)
Lionel requested a week's leave, citing 'emotional trauma,' which Mr. Duen, the dean, readily approved.
The dean, known for his strictness, even asked with concern, "Is one week enough? If you're not feeling well, you can rest as long as you need. You can submit the leave request when you return..."
If students who had been disciplined by his cane had heard this, they would probably have thought they were hallucinating.
Lionel didn't not want to attend classes at Sorbonne; it was just that too many controversies surrounded him, not only attracting attention at school but also drawing a crowd of reporters outside Sorbonne.
Lionel taking leave not only allowed him to escape the commotion but also gave the school a breather.
President Henri Patin also didn't want Lionel to appear at Sorbonne anytime soon. Baroness Alekseyevna's envoy had delivered a message: Sorbonne either had to return 300,000 francs or hand over Lionel.
President Henri Patin's stance was naturally: the donation has already been deposited into Sorbonne's foundation, and it's impossible to return it even if His Majesty the Emperor were to be resurrected; as for Lionel, he's not even at school, so how can I hand him over?
So Lionel, who had just finished the Easter Holiday, had only attended less than a week of classes before starting another vacation, the duration of which was unknown.
Unable to find Lionel, the reporters began interrogating Sorbonne's faculty and students.
For example, young master Albert de Rohan.
As soon as he stepped out of his carriage, he proactively approached the reporters: "Hey, are you looking for Lionel? He's my good brother and a friend of the Rohan Family! From the first moment I saw him at Sorbonne, I knew he was a talented fellow!
He exudes the pure and natural scent of the Alps, and his mind holds an endless wealth of ideas!
Alright, I have to go to class now... What, you want an exclusive interview? Ha, you'll have to wait until after class at noon.
Today, I can tell you the story of Lionel and me bravely venturing into the underworld!"
The most eager person to find Lionel was Paul Pigout, the editor-in-chief of Le Petit Parisien.
The tremendous success of the reports about Lionel and the widespread praise for 'my uncle jules' allowed Le Petit Parisien's single-issue sales to exceed 700,000 copies, setting a new record.
Paul Pigout naturally wanted to continue this success. Since Lionel had proven to be the key that could unlock sales limits, he certainly didn't want Lionel to be inserted into the keyholes of other newspapers.
After relentless efforts, Lionel finally agreed to meet him at Charpentier Bookstore.
Charpentier Bookstore is on the first floor of Charpentiers Bookshelf and primarily sells books published by their own house, functioning more like a showroom.
Literary figures like Zola would often come here to chat.
Because Mr. Charpentier not only prepared fine cigars, cigarettes, coffee, tea, and pastries for them, but he would even invite them to dine at nearby restaurants.
When Paul Pigout arrived, Lionel was chatting with Maupassant, Huysmans, Paul Assailly, and a few other young men in the reception area.
The bookstore owner, Mr. Georges Charpentier, and his wife, Marguerite Charpentier, watched these young people with smiles from the side.
"Is 'my uncle jules' really a story you came up with on the spot after seeing that old oyster shucker on the boat?" Huysmans asked with an incredulous expression.
"I don't believe it!" Paul Assailly exclaimed with an almost lamenting skepticism.
"I can testify, I was standing right next to Lionel at the time. He first threw 10 sous to that old sailor, and then called him 'Uncle Jules'..." Maupassant said smugly, his mustache twitching.
Paul Pigout didn't interrupt them. After greeting Mr. Charpentier, he found a single sofa in the corner and sat down.
After Maupassant finished recounting the legendary scene of Lionel's impromptu creation of 'my uncle jules' on the boat, he was so proud it was as if he himself were the author of the novel.
Paul Assailly, just like Maupassant on the boat that day, covered his forehead in a somewhat 'desperate' manner: "Oh my god, we have Lionel among us, who will remember anyone else after this?"
Huysmans' focus, however, was on the novel itself: "Lionel, you've chosen a 'child's perspective' again this time, just like 'the old guard'—you seem to really enjoy observing the world through the eyes of a child?"
Lionel nodded: "Things that are perfectly normal in an adult's eyes can have completely different meanings in a child's eyes. Therefore, looking at the adult world through a child's eyes always brings a sense of absurdity.
I like the conflict these absurdities create with the reader's common sense."
Maupassant held his pipe in one hand and propped his chin with the other, lost in thought: "Actually, 'letter from an unknown woman' also has a child's perspective—when the 'unknown woman' recounts seeing 'L' for the first time, those psychological descriptions..."
Their discussion lasted nearly twenty minutes before coming to an end.
Paul Pigout seized the opportunity to step forward and shake Lionel's hand: "Hello, Mr. Sorel, I am Paul Pigout from Le Petit Parisien."
This one sentence made Maupassant, Huysmans, and the others' eyes light up with envy.
Although Le Petit Parisien was only founded in 1876, in just three short years, it had become a major newspaper with over 300,000 daily sales. Publishing works in it was a dream for many writers.
As the editor-in-chief of Le Petit Parisien, Paul Pigout personally coming meant he was surely going to discuss a 'big deal' with Lionel.
Indeed, he quickly revealed his intention: "Mr. Sorel, on behalf of Le Petit Parisien, I cordially invite you to become a 'columnist' for our newspaper. Whether it's short stories, essays, poetry, or reviews, they can all be given priority for publication in our paper."
This statement made fire practically shoot from the eyes of the young writers!
Having a regular column in a newspaper was generally a privilege reserved for great writers and scholars, and it was a shortcut to financial freedom in that era.
Alexandre Dumas, the king of serials, built the 'Château de Monte Cristo' and reveled in it night after night for 20 years, all while leaving a large inheritance, thanks to this very method.
But Paul Pigout hadn't finished speaking; he immediately added: "However, if you have a novel that can be serialized in Le Petit Parisien, the manuscript fees can be preferential..."
Maupassant: "..."
Huysmans: "..."
Paul Assailly: "..."
Even Georges Charpentier sat up straight, looking at Lionel.
Long-form serialization is different from short stories, essays, poetry, and reviews; it is a true cash cow, even a panacea that can save a newspaper's sales.
When 'The Three Musketeers' began serialization in Le Siècle in Paris in 1844, it directly doubled the newspaper's sales.
Georges Charpentier had the weekly 'Modern Life,' which also needed a boost in sales; and his publishing house, Charpentiers Bookshelf, needed a bestseller even more.
However, his composure made him suppress the urge to speak out and 'contend,' wanting to hear Lionel's reaction first.
Lionel pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Your invitation is a great honor, and it would be too impolite to refuse—I still prefer to write novels, long ones."
Charpentier was somewhat disappointed, while Paul Pigout was overjoyed: "Oh, can you tell me what you plan to write?" He then cautiously offered a suggestion: "I know you're good at writing from a child's perspective...
But a novel is different from a short story; our readers might be more interested in the adventurous lives of adults..."
Lionel frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed: "I apologize, this novel will still be told from a child's perspective... Its protagonist is a child."
Paul Pigout was a bit awkward but still tried his best to persuade: "Mr. Sorel, I know your pursuit of art, but..."
Lionel ignored him and continued to speak to himself: "This child is named Benjamin Button, born during the Great Revolution.
As soon as he was born, he had the appearance of an eighty-year-old man, with white hair and a wrinkled face..."