Chen picked up his writing again.

The success of I'm No Literary Giant came unexpectedly to Chen.

"It surprised many people when it topped the charts on reading platforms, as they never imagined that online literature could be so literary," recalls Chen.

"I am not aiming to convey any particular ideas or values, but would simply like to present the confusion, perseverance, struggles, and other emotions of many ordinary people. The readers will connect the story with themselves," he adds.

Actually, such "surprises" and unexpected popular appeal are seen in many other reality web novels, too.

"Over the past decade, online literature with realistic themes has seen rapid development and grown from a niche genre to a new mainstream category," Hou Xiaonan, chief executive officer and president of Yuewen Group, said at the ceremony.