I am not a literary giant

Chapter 106 Meeting an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land

On the sleek, black Steinway piano, a magnificent crystal chandelier reflects like water, its warm yellow light illuminating a dark champagne bottle, causing the liquid inside to ripple and dance. On the wall hangs a landscape painting by a Russian oil artist; the green countryside bursts forth with boundless vitality, breaking free of the frame and spreading across the intricately patterned green wallpaper.

Zhang Qian lay on a chaise lounge, surrounded by crumpled white papers on the mirror-like marble floor. Inside were her dried tears. Behind her was a large aquarium, inside which several painted flame shrimp leisurely swayed their tails and legs. These shrimp were quite ordinary; they wouldn't become talking lobster doctors. She stood between the lobsters and the toilet paper, like a dividing line.

The composition is quite interesting from her best friend's perspective.

Zhang Qian had been sobbing for half an hour, repeating the same old stories about her ex-boyfriend, and mostly complaining about Ning Chunyan. Even her best friend had yawned five times by now, averaging once every six minutes.

"How can he be so disgusting? Somehow, after being flattered by a talented woman, he became incredibly confident. I feel nauseous just looking at him!"

My best friend yawned again, and finally couldn't help but say, "If you know it'll make you sick, why don't you just not go? Going will not only ruin your mood, but it will also give people something to talk about."

Zhang Qian said, "But I'm really curious whether he's really hooking up with Ning Chunyan."

"That's settled then, isn't it? You brought this on yourself."

Zhang Qian said indignantly, "I don't understand. How did he manage to hook up with Ning Chunyan? And how did he manage to get someone to back him up?"

My best friend sat up straight: "These two are having an affair."

Zhang Qian took another tissue and blew her nose: "Besides adultery, I can't think of any other reason."

"Yes. This whole 'talented woman and literary talent' nonsense is just mutual flattery. But it's quite impressive that she managed to hook up with your ex-boyfriend, Ning Chunyan."

"Isn't Ning Chunyan despicable?" Zhang Qian asked, turning her head.

My best friend said rationally, "If there really was an affair, it can only be considered a romantic relationship, which is neither morally wrong nor shameful."

Zhang Qian glared at her: "Whose best friend are you anyway?"

Her best friend quickly comforted her, saying, "I'm on your side."

Zhang Qian lowered her head: "Anyone who talks about dating Wang Zixu is despicable."

My best friend didn't want to be sarcastic, but she couldn't help asking, "Didn't you date him too?"

Zhang Qian said, "That didn't really count as dating; it was more like a blind date where we got to know each other for a while. If I were truly emotionally invested, would I have been able to meet him so calmly?"

My best friend sincerely said, "You're right."

After saying that, her best friend asked again, "But is that person's manuscript really that good? Even Ning Chunyan was willing to endorse it, so it should at least make it to the second round, right?"

Zhang Qian shook her head: "How high can his level be? Don't I know what level he's at? He was eliminated immediately after making it to the second round. Besides, Ning Chunyan's level isn't good either."

My best friend gasped, "Has Ning Chunyan's cooking become so bad?"

"I heard from someone that her level isn't good enough, not as good as Chen Qingluo," Zhang Qian said. "Next time at the literary gathering, I'll have to say something. We can't let her be a judge again."

"Change to Chen Qingluo!" her best friend shouted.

"Okay. Let's switch to Chen Qingluo."

……

Chen Qingluo sat in the passenger seat of Ning Chunyan's car, looking at Ning Chunyan in the driver's seat with a mixture of doubt, curiosity, and joy, like a child trembling because it was their first time going to kindergarten.

"Your driving skills are a bit lacking. Your hands are shaking," Chen Qingluo said.

Ning Chunyan lost control of the steering wheel: "Then you come."

Chen Qingluo said, "I haven't gotten my driver's license yet."

"How dare you say that to me!"

I failed my driving test (Part 3) three times.

"The third stage of the driving test? With more practice, it's easy to pass, isn't it?"

"I'm disheartened. I don't want to train anymore."

"You're hopeless."

Ning Chunyan parked her car at the school gate. The lush greenery couldn't be contained; vitality stretched out from between the iron fences of the schoolyard. The streets were bustling with traffic and birdsong, just like the old days.

Of course, it wasn't that long for Ning Chunyan; she had only been away from school for less than a week.

"How long has it been since you last went back to your alma mater?" Ning Chunyan asked.

Chen Qingluo thought for a moment and said, "It's been a long time, I don't keep track of that kind of time."

Ning Chunyan asked, "Why aren't you nervous?"

Chen Qingluo said, "You don't need a reason to not be nervous; you need a reason to be nervous. So, why are you so nervous?"

"What if I get rejected!?"

Chen Qingluo shrugged: "Then it's Prince Xu who's more embarrassed."

The two got out of the car and lingered at the school gate for a while. Soon, an unfamiliar student jogged over, wearing a clean white shirt and smiling brightly.

"Is that Senior Ning?"

"Ah, uh..."

"I'm a fan! Can you give me your autograph?"

"Excuse me, I didn't bring a pen..."

Ning Chunyan was in an awkward situation, while Chen Qingluo watched with schadenfreude. After Ning Chunyan finally finished signing her name on the boy's clothes, Chen Qingluo muttered to herself:

"Tell me, could I get rich by reselling your autographs, Ning, you talented woman?"

Ning Chunyan glared at her resentfully, but before she could speak, a voice suddenly sounded behind her:

"Excuse me, are you senior Chen Qingluo? I'm a fan of yours, could you please sign your autograph?"

Chen Qingluo turned around like a puppet on a string, stammering, "I...I didn't...I didn't bring a pen."

"I have."

Ning Chunyan leaned close to Chen Qingluo's ear and said, "Why don't you resell your own first?"

Both of them were dressed rather casually today. Ning Chunyan wore a sleeveless jacket and denim shorts, while Chen Qingluo wore a preppy short-sleeved shirt and a knee-length skirt. Because of their figures, they stood out from the crowd, which explains why they attracted more attention.

Ning Chunyan said, "I suddenly remembered that we haven't told Prince Xu about this yet."

Chen Qingluo said, "He doesn't need to know. If he knew we were helping him, it would seem a bit strange."

"But shouldn't we at least give him some mental preparation?"

Chen Qingluo agreed to let her call Wang Zixu. After the call was connected, Wang Zixu just listened to Ning Chunyan in silence without expressing any opinion.

Finally, Wang Zixu said, "Thank you so much for doing so much for me."

Ning Chunyan said casually, "Great kindness needs no thanks. Just keep it in mind. I don't expect you to repay it. I just hope you can maintain this purity of heart towards literature in the future."

Wang Zixu said, "If it doesn't succeed in the end, then you should withdraw as soon as possible, stop caring about it, and pretend nothing happened, so as not to affect yourself."

Ning Chunyan said, "Thank you, but you should still consider your own situation at that time."

"It's just a change of environment for writing."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Qingluo pouted and said, "What's with the cool act?"

Ning Chunyan looked at her defiantly: "You mean I'm cool, right?"

I'm talking about him.

……

Wang Zixu hung up the phone, and Ye Lan asked from the passenger seat, "Is Ning Cai Nu at Nanjing University? That means she's in Donghai right now?"

"Yes."

Ye Lan said, "Then why didn't you tell her we were also in the East China Sea? We might have bumped into each other!"

Wang Zixu turned the steering wheel: "Even though we're in the same city, we're at least ten kilometers apart. The East China Sea is vast, so vast that it feels like a foreign land, and even familiar places can become lost in it."

Ye Lan was confused: "Although I don't know what you're talking about, we're taking the poet back to Nanjing University to get his things later, and we might actually run into him on the way. How about we get together for a meal?"

Wang Zixu said, "No, although people I know say it's a coincidence that a lot of people from Nanjing University are here, I don't really like the two circles of my family intersecting."

The poet, chewing gum in the back of the car, said, "Did you ask your two circles for their opinions? Maybe they'd like to cross paths?"

"No, you don't want to."

The four people in the car—Wang Zixu, Ye Lan, Cheng Xing, and the innocent poet—were on their way to the East China Sea. They were going to take care of something that had been postponed for a long time—discussing the publication of a physical copy of "The Little Prince's Love Letters."

Wang Zixu was driving Ye Lan's car. Originally, Wang Zixu didn't want to attend in person, as that would increase the probability of the little prince's identity being exposed. However, if he didn't attend in person and had Cheng Xing relay the message, many things would be difficult to discuss. Therefore, he came in person this time.

Ye Lan and Cheng Xing woke up to prove that he was indeed the Little Prince himself—after all, there are very few people on this planet who can prove who the Little Prince really is.

The poet was just incidentally involved. She's still a freshman in college, and it shouldn't be vacation time yet, but she plans to go back to school to say hello and take care of some things.

Cheng Xing said, "Nanjing University does indeed have some literary genes. The talented woman Ning is also a graduate of Nanjing University, as are poets and myself. We all embarked on the path of literature without prior arrangement."

The poet asked, "Which university did the Little Prince graduate from?"

Prince Xu was driving and pretended not to hear.

Actually, when he heard Cheng Xing's words, his thoughts immediately drifted to someone else. That person was also a graduate of Nanjing University, had also embarked on a literary path, and had gone further than anyone else. He was glad that Cheng Xing hadn't mentioned that person's name directly.

The tire tracks crisscrossed the road, leaving faint, almost imperceptible traces, like threads secretly tethered by fate, whose subtle paths could not be discerned by anyone but those with great wisdom.

……

Ning Chunyan and Chen Qingluo were sitting in the faculty office in the blink of an eye. It's more accurate to say it's a faculty office than a faculty office. The professors are always busy, arriving at class on time and leaving as soon as get out of class is over. They rarely stay here, unlike high school teachers who are busy preparing lessons and grading assignments. At most, they come here during breaks to enjoy the air conditioning.

For the sake of the "Twin Jewels of Xihe," Professor Zhong Junmin easily managed to get them to come out. He sat opposite the two women, drinking a full cup of buckwheat tea, with a young man who looked like one of his students standing behind him, his hands behind his back, staring at them.

(End of this chapter)