I am not a literary giant

Chapter 112 A Traveler on a Cold Winter Night

When Diao Yiwen and the others chased after him, Wang Zixu had already walked over a hundred meters toward the Plaza Hotel.

He had a book tucked under his arm, his shoulders were hunched, his chest was slightly rounded, his head was down, and he strode forward as if no one else was around. In the sweltering summer heat, he exuded the air of a traveler on a cold winter night.

Guo Ranran asked, "Did he really go to the Plaza Hotel?"

Song Yinglian said, "It seems so."

Guo Ranran said, "Who cares whether we go or not? If the boss asks, we'll just say we don't know."

Diao Yiwen turned to look at her friend, remaining silent.

If Wang Zixu truly cared about his superiors' opinions, he could have simply made a phone call himself and explained the situation. Asking them to relay the message was tantamount to leaving it to fate and seemed like a perfunctory response.

He seemed certain that even if the leader lost his temper, he couldn't do anything to him, so he maintained a nonchalant attitude. Therefore, even if they didn't pass on the message, Wang Zixu certainly wouldn't care.

Of course, Guo Ranran didn't care. What she cared about was whether Wang Zixu was really going to the Plaza Hotel.

Her gaze remained fixed on Wang Zixu's retreating figure, and under her watchful eye, he did not deviate from his course from the start. This result left her somewhat disheartened.

The main venue for the literary gathering was People's Square, next to which was the Plaza Hotel. Originally the earliest guesthouse in Xihe, it was later privately contracted out, renovated, expanded, and renamed into a near-five-star hotel. It was invariably used to receive important out-of-town dignitaries during important events.

This cultural event invited a large number of celebrities from all walks of life, all of whom were accommodated at the Plaza Hotel. Multiple departments, including the Publicity Department, the Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, mobilized to receive them, and the security department maintained 24-hour surveillance to prevent any unforeseen events.

Under such intense surveillance, the wild behavior that might have been fueled by the curiosity of the people of Xihe about the privacy of celebrities was nipped in the bud.

In that place, even a receptionist or escort could be a deputy division-level cadre. Guo Ranran had been eager to get an autograph, but after seeing the sharp gaze of the receptionist at the hotel entrance, she gave up the idea.

Without an invitation, a lowly clerk like Wang Zixu wouldn't be qualified to enter. His entry meant that something had indeed "happened," even if it was just one of a series of discordant notes from the day.

In any case, if Wang Zixu goes in, it will make Guo Ranran even more unhappy.

She ultimately couldn't tell whether Wang Zixu had gone inside. There were too many obstructions between her location and the Plaza Hotel, and Wang Zixu, like a cunning wildcat, quickly disappeared from sight.

Guo Ranran waved her hand anxiously, seemingly wanting to imitate Liu Bei pointing with his whip at Xu Shu when he sent him off, saying, "I want to cut down all the trees here." Unfortunately, she wasn't that cultured and didn't know the idiom "cutting down trees to see Xu Shu," so she didn't have a simultaneous experience of this allusion.

Prince Xu was unaware that he was being treated with the same fervor as a lone sail disappearing into the vast blue sky. As he walked along the road, he only felt the intense sunlight and the sweltering heat.

He wasn't a political animal and knew nothing about the reception standards at the Plaza Hotel. He only vaguely knew that if Professor Zhong came, he would definitely stay there. This was common knowledge among the people of Xihe. Wang Zixu was a true Xihe native, so he went straight here.

Upon reaching the entrance, he saw two long red lines forming an arc, guarding the entrance like two mechanical arms. A man in a suit stood under a parasol outside the red lines, his gaze fixed on Wang Zixu as he approached.

Prince Xu walked over, and the man reached out to stop him: "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for someone."

Who are you looking for?

"I'm looking for Professor Zhong from Nanjing University."

"Professor Zhong from Nanjing University?"

The man seemed to have a question, but showed no intention of consulting Wang Zixu. He continued to reach out to stop him, saying, "Wait a moment."

He spoke into the walkie-talkie in a heavy local accent, which Wang Zixu could only vaguely understand. It sounded like he was talking about Professor Zhong of Nanjing University, but it didn't seem so.

After a while, he turned to Wang Zixu and asked, "Could you please let me see your invitation?"

Wang Zixu asked, "What invitation?"

"It's just an invitation!"

The man looked somewhat angry, as if Wang Zixu should have produced the invitation long ago, and that it was entirely Wang Zixu's fault for not knowing what an invitation was. However, Wang Zixu genuinely had no idea what an invitation was.

Wang Zixu could only say, "Professor Zhong invited me to see him. Please ask if Professor Zhong is here."

Just as Wang Zixu was entangled with the man, two women walked out of the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. One was wearing a red long dress, and the other was wearing a black suit skirt. Upon seeing the woman in red, Wang Zixu hesitated for a moment whether to greet her, because that woman was Zhang Qian.

He then chose to continue debating the invitation.

"I don't have a room phone here, you need to contact the front desk."

"Could you please let me in for a moment?"

Please show me your invitation.

"I don't have an invitation; Professor Zhong asked me to come. Could you please ask Professor Zhong?"

"I don't have a room phone here, you need to contact the front desk."

"..."

Zhang Qian also saw Wang Zixu and turned to her best friend, saying, "Let's walk to the side."

Her best friend keenly noticed the change in her attitude and asked, "What's wrong? Do you know him?"

Zhang Qian didn't answer, she just pursed her lips and led the way down from the side.

She was annoyed.

This unexpected encounter wasn't as tender and moving as Eason Chan's song; she just felt annoyed.

She was annoyed by Wang Zixu's persistent entanglement with the security guards, annoyed by his stubbornness and obstinacy, and annoyed by his worn-out sneakers.

In short, she had absolutely no idea why she had been so bewitched back then and had talked to the prince for so long.

She pulled her best friend and walked about thirty meters away. After a while, she turned around and saw Wang Zixu walking into the hall.

She then pulled her best friend along, saying, "Come on, let's go take a look."

Her best friend slightly opened her mouth: "You really know him?"

"He is Prince Xu."

"Is he Prince Xu?"

Zhang Qian pursed her lips. Her best friend covered her mouth with the tip of her small hand.

She understood why Zhang Qian had complained to her so intensely. She could also completely understand why Zhang Qian could say "no one cares about him more than me" while resolutely breaking up with him and never considering getting back together, even though she was crying her eyes out at the time.

The man in the sun, carrying two magazines and wearing a cheap shirt and work pants, his shirt tanned and clinging to his chest from the sun's heat and sweat, his hair disheveled and unkempt, was clearly a complete stranger to Zhang Qian. She couldn't understand how these two had ever been together. They had actually been together.

Simply incredible.

As the two entered, they saw Wang Zixu standing at the front desk. Zhang Qian raised her voice and said, "Wang Zixu! What are you doing here?"

Zhang Qian glared at him, her expression unyielding.

Looking back at this person now, it's as if just moments ago, she was standing on the high steps of the Plaza Hotel, looking down, while Wang Zixu was below, arguing vehemently with a security guard, desperately trying to get in. This person wasn't worth her concern.

Wang Zixu turned around and stretched out his hand in an apologetic gesture: "Sorry, I have something to attend to."

After saying that, he turned to the receptionist and said, "Just say I am Wang Zixu."

The receptionist nodded and continued answering the phone. Zhang Qian stormed over angrily.

"You're still not giving up? I've told you, stop wasting your time on this. Whether you know Ning or Chen, it won't change your fate. Why are you so... fond of scheming?"

(End of this chapter)