I am not a literary giant

Chapter 113 The Count of Monte Cristo

The reasons for Wang Zixu and Zhang Qian's breakup are widely speculated upon, with the official explanation being "personality clashes." However, the two have consistently failed to agree on the more specific reasons, resulting in conflicting accounts.

Zhang Qian's account is that Wang Zixu "lacks ambition," is obsessed with novel writing, and neglects his life, social life, and Zhang Qian. This makes Zhang Qian very anxious. She sees that her limited future will be endlessly dragged down by Wang Zixu, especially since she has already discovered that she can have better options.

Wang Zixu did not agree with her view. However, he remained tight-lipped about why he hadn't tried his best to salvage the relationship. In the end, the only point of agreement between the two was "personality clashes," which became the publicly acknowledged reason for their breakup.

In fact, what Wang Zixu never said was that the real reason they broke up and he was disappointed in Zhang Qian was her narrow-mindedness and shallowness.

Zhang Qian's narrow-mindedness and shallowness are unbelievable.

As a college graduate and a civil servant working in the publicity department, she didn't know that the three sworn brothers in the Peach Garden were Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei; she didn't know that Shakespeare was a person's name; she didn't know that Copenhagen was a place name; she didn't know that the moon's light comes from reflected sunlight; and she didn't know that two iron balls of different weights would fall to the ground at the same time if released simultaneously.

When Wang Zixu discovered how shallow she was, he was quite surprised—Zhang Qian's school may not be very famous, but she still graduated with a bachelor's degree. How could she not even know this kind of knowledge?

As he got to know her better, he realized that Zhang Qian was knowledgeable. However, her knowledge was limited to what she had been taught; she would never actively explore knowledge beyond those boundaries. She was knowledgeable, but uncultured.

In truth, being uneducated doesn't really matter; it's fine if you don't know these things. What Wang Zixu couldn't tolerate was her complete lack of thirst for knowledge. She was utterly devoid of curiosity.

Whenever the prince wanted to talk about the thousand-year-old romance of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, she would change the subject with an annoyed look, talking about handbags and perfume brands. She didn't think that the three people who died two thousand years ago had any impact on her life, nor did she feel ashamed of not knowing them.

After learning of the ultimate fate of the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, she scoffed at them even more, unable to understand why Prince Xu insisted on selling her this story of failure. In her world, being poor and failing were the only shameful things.

Furthermore, she had absolutely no interest in Wang Zixu's hobbies. Or rather, she hated all of Wang Zixu's hobbies that were unrelated to her. When Wang Zixu was writing at his desk, she would endlessly distract him with trivial matters. She wouldn't allow Wang Zixu into her nonexistent inner world.

She had no sense of humor and wouldn't find joy in words. The only things that could make her laugh were things she had gotten for free or things that had happened to others. Her language was surprisingly dull; she tried to put a price tag on everything, even calculating how much money someone else's newborn baby could earn in the future.

Before Prince Xu realized her extremely narrow-minded inner self, her appearance was flawless. Even in the harshest environments, she would dress herself up in a radiant manner. Only by truly living with her could one know her true nature.

What truly led to Wang Zixu's complete break with her was a casual conversation. Wang Zixu suddenly mentioned that the profession of "ghostwriter" exists in this world. Big-name authors make a fortune by recruiting a group of people to write for them, opening studios, and having others write novels for them.

That was the first time Zhang Qian's eyes lit up when the topic of writing was brought up.

"Why don't you do that?" Zhang Qian said. "It's a great idea. Wouldn't you earn much more than writing and submitting articles on your own?"

Upon hearing her words, Prince Xu was immediately shocked: "Don't you think this is immoral?"

Zhang Qian asked, "Where is it immoral?"

"Words should belong to the person who wrote them. Isn't hiring a ghostwriter an insult to literature? You're a civil servant, how could you endorse such an illegitimate business?"

Zhang Qian's face darkened: "Your writing and submitting manuscripts is an improper business! Making money by writing novels in bulk at a company, that's a legitimate business!"

Wang Zixu felt as if he was talking to someone from another world. The two argued fiercely for a long time before he finally understood her point of view.

Zhang Qian believes that hiring ghostwriters to run a studio is the only legitimate way to make a living because it aligns with the most basic operating logic of capital—division of labor, organization, and orderly expansion.

This is undoubtedly the most reliable and easy way to make money through writing, so it's a legitimate way to make a living. At the very least, it allows you to receive social insurance and housing fund benefits through your employer.

On the contrary, making money through writing and submitting articles is not only time-consuming and laborious with unstable returns, but also lacks social security benefits.

If we follow Wang Zixu's words, every act of writing is like "emptying one's soul"—there's not much left to empty from a person's soul, and once it's gone, it's gone—and it's not sustainable.

With such high input, such low output, and such an unsustainable nature, the idea of ​​"making money through writing" is the most absurd and ridiculous delusion in the world. If this isn't the most illegitimate way to make a living, what is?

Wang Zixu was speechless after Zhang Qian's words. Even if he was unwilling, he had to admit that there was some truth to what Zhang Qian said.

Because there was a person in history who made a fortune by hiring ghostwriters and opening a studio, and also gained fame before and after his death.

This person is Alexandre Dumas.

Alexandre Dumas made his money by hiring ghostwriters to publish novels under his own name. He had thousands of novels credited to him, the vast majority of which were ghostwritten. Therefore, he was known as the "manager of the novel factory."

During his lifetime, he styled himself as the "Count of Monte Cristo" and spent a fortune building a "Castle of Monte Cristo" for himself, which was always filled with distinguished guests. He had countless mistresses who bore him numerous illegitimate children, one of whom was Alexandre Dumas fils. In 2002, his remains were moved to the Pantheon in France, a privilege reserved for prominent figures who have made significant contributions to French history.

As a male, he possesses fame, status, power, women, glory... he has everything that other males envy and are jealous of.

However, Wang Zixu believes that what truly makes Alexandre Dumas shine brightly in history are only the few works he wrote himself, and definitely not the "products" produced by others.

Wang Zixu was only in his early twenties then, and unlike now, he still had a certain arrogance. The fundamental reason he disdained the studio was that he believed he would shine one day.

He believes that there are some stories in this world that only he can tell, and some special solace deep in the soul that only he can provide. How could a ghostwriter possibly replace him?

Moreover, from a reader's perspective, ghostwriting is a despicable form of fraud. Before becoming an author, he was a loyal and enthusiastic reader. He looked down on anyone who used a ghostwriter, including Alexandre Dumas.

But Zhang Qian didn't think so. The world could keep turning without Wang Zixu's works, but Wang Zixu would be nothing without money. She didn't think ghostwriting was a serious crime.

Her view of literature is no different from her view of a piece of clothing or a bag—ghostwriting is just outsourcing, as long as they don't sell me counterfeit goods.

This was the core disagreement between the two. Ultimately, they parted ways.

After parting ways, the two each achieved what they had initially believed in—Zhang Qian was obsessed with money, and so she became rich; Wang Zixu believed that some things could not be changed by poverty or lowliness, so he remained poor.

But immediately after the breakup, Wang Zixu felt as if he had been drowning for a long time and had regained his breath, feeling quite at ease for a while. During this time, Zhang Qian contacted him several times, but once he regained his freedom, he no longer longed for the days he had been kidnapped, and therefore did not show Zhang Qian any kindness.

This has ruined things.

Years later, after being tempered by society, Wang Zixu's personality became much more well-rounded.

He often reminisces about the past. He feels that he could have handled many things better back then, such as breaking up with Zhang Qian.

He didn't think they shouldn't have broken up in the first place; it was just that he was the one who initiated the breakup, and he hadn't thought about the consequences or underestimated how destructive a jealous woman could be.

Although the official explanation was that they broke up amicably, it was no different from him dumping Zhang Qian—Zhang Qian gave him a chance to win her back, but he didn't try, which meant he didn't respect Zhang Qian's feelings. Zhang Qian was furious and held a grudge.

Later, Zhang Qian emphasized her superior qualities on various occasions; she had her new boyfriend arrange a romantic confession scene that shocked the entire Xihe community, humiliating Wang Zixu with 999 roses and a luxury car... All of this was actually revenge for the humiliation she had felt back then.

At first, Wang Zixu would try to explain to others that Zhang Qian hadn't actually dumped him, and that they had broken up amicably. But once this reached Zhang Qian's ears, she would retaliate even more severely, making him suffer terribly.

Later, Wang Zixu became wiser and learned to keep quiet. Through his tacit agreement, everyone gradually came to believe that Zhang Qian had dumped him. He also remained silent about the public's misunderstanding.

After his submissive compromise, Zhang Qian finally quieted down, except for the last time when she kicked his manuscript out. Of course, she insisted that it was for Wang Zi's sake.

In short, Zhang Qian is someone Wang Zixu can't afford to offend but can avoid. Just like now, in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel, Wang Zixu looked at Zhang Qian and could only offer an awkward yet polite and gentle smile, not daring to offend her in the slightest.

"Say something!" Zhang Qian said, arms crossed.

Prince Xu stretched out his hands and said, "Excuse me, I have something to attend to."

Zhang Qian said, "You've come to see Ning Chunyan, right?"

Prince Xu said, "No. I have important business to attend to."

Zhang Qian asked, "You didn't seek out Ning Chunyan for any serious business?"

Prince Xu said, "I have something important to correct now."

The receptionist put down the phone: "Professor Zhong said it's possible."

Wang Zixu asked, "Which room is he in?"

The receptionist said, "Room 608."

Prince Xu said, "Thank you."

Zhang Qian called out from behind, "Wait a minute," but Wang Zixu ignored her and ran away.

My best friend murmured from the side, "Your ex-boyfriend, hmm, he's got quite a personality."

Zhang Qian was already annoyed and ignored her, venting all her anger on the receptionist:

"Who told you to give him the room number? This person didn't have an invitation; how could you just let him in?"

The receptionist innocently replied, "But Professor Zhong did say he was a guest."

"Which Professor Zhong?"

"Professor Zhong Junmin from Nanjing University."

"Nanjing University?"

Zhang Qian frowned. She didn't understand how Wang Zixu had gotten involved with Nanjing University again. As far as she knew, Wang Zixu should have absolutely no connection with Nanjing University.

She turned to her best friend and asked, "How does Wang Zixu know Professor Zhong? Do you have any clue?"

Her best friend twirled her hair behind her ear with her finger: "I'm not even close to Professor Zhong, how would I know?"

"But you're from the Education Department!"

My best friend rolled her eyes: "You think the Education Department is all-powerful. There are so many universities in Donghai, do you think I know every professor at every one of them? Besides, with the prestige of Nanjing University, they wouldn't even bother with me."

After saying that, she added, "You don't need to be surprised. You're making progress, and your ex-boyfriend is making progress too. He's probably hooked up with someone and gotten involved."

Zhang Qian frowned: "Given his family's circumstances, it's impossible for him to have any connections, right?"

She knew everything about Wang Zixu's family. The Wang family had been poor for three generations; even digging back to Wang Zixu's generation, all the way to their ancestral graves, they couldn't find a single prominent figure.

If he had any advantages, would he have been trampled on and remained silent for so many years? He lived to be 30 and did nothing; it's impossible for him to suddenly have a relationship. This doesn't make sense.

Just as Wang Zixu ran upstairs from one end, Li Tingfang, dressed in Hanfu, and Guo Jingzong, the head of the propaganda department, came out from the elevator at the other end, chatting as they walked:

"...Then we need to check on the guests present. Have they all checked in?"

Minister Guo said, "Only a few people did not check in due to special circumstances. For example, Chen Qingluo said that she had a house in Xihe and did not want to stay in a hotel, so we did not ask her to check in, but only informed her of the time."

Li Tingfang's expression turned serious: "You need to keep a close eye on Chen Qingluo, in particular. Her personality is the most unpredictable. It would be best to assign a specialist to keep a close eye on her and make sure she attends the meeting on time."

Guo Jingzong said, "I'll make the arrangements later."

Li Tingfang laughed and said, "These literati are sometimes very cute, but sometimes very hateful. You could say they're used to being disorganized and undisciplined, and each one of them is more individualistic than the last."

Guo Jingzong thought to himself, "You're the most unique one here. Who would erect such a 'murder and arson' banner in the square?" But he still said aloud:

"Understood, Teacher Li. We will make proper arrangements for this awards ceremony."

The two walked out of the hall, and Guo Jingzong saw Zhang Qian, waved and said, "Xiao Zhang, are you busy? There's something I need to arrange."

Zhang Qian composed herself and jogged over, saying, "Please speak."

"The special issue of Xihe Literature and Art, which has entered the first three rounds of this literary conference, has been printed and some will be delivered to the hotel soon. Please arrange for someone to deliver the special issue to the guests and teachers we have invited, one-to-one."

Zhang Qian nodded respectfully: "Okay."

Manuscripts that make it into the top ten in the third round are eligible to be published in the annual special issue of "Xihe Literature and Art". This special issue is compiled for each literary gathering.

This special issue usually sells very well. Not only do each organization receive a copy, but guests attending the conference are also given a copy, and many are given away for free to the public or tourists, all so that more people can appreciate the talents of the outstanding young writers at this literary gathering.

When assigning tasks, Zhang Qian's best friend deliberately kept her distance to avoid suspicion. No sooner had the boss left than the special edition was delivered to the hotel front desk, and the best friend also approached, took a copy, and said:

"These are the top ten from this palindrome competition? They're quite a thick stack."

As Zhang Qian counted them, she said, "Yeah, they're all pretty good at rambling. Each one writes tens of thousands of words, and ten of them together would be a hundred thousand words. It's bound to be thick."

After counting the magazines, she called someone to come and distribute the special edition. She naturally didn't need to do this herself. As she sat on the sofa waiting, her best friend suddenly tugged at her sleeve and handed her the magazine.

"Look, look, this author."

That was the last shortlisted novel in the third round of the special issue. The words "Invited by Nanjing University" were printed on the top of the page. When Zhang Qian saw the author's name on the right side of the title, her pupils dilated and her blood seemed to freeze.

She paused for a moment, her breath catching in her throat. After repeatedly confirming that she hadn't misread it, she snatched the manuscript from her best friend's hand, gave a dry laugh, and turned back to say in a tone of utter disbelief:

"Prince Xu?"

She turned to see her best friend's opinion, but her friend laughed and said, "It's the same name as your ex-boyfriend!"

Zhang Qian's expression, however, showed no sign of a smile. Soon after, the smile on her best friend's face also vanished.

"Did your ex-boyfriend write this?" her best friend asked. "Didn't you say you were eliminated in the qualifying rounds?"

Zhang Qian shook her head blankly; she didn't know what had happened.

In the most optimistic way, perhaps it really is just a coincidence, as my best friend said. But is such a coincidence even possible? Besides, Wang Zixu just said that he was going to see Zhong Junmin from Nanjing University.

My best friend frowned and asked, "Your ex-boyfriend was from Nanjing University?"

Zhang Qian shook her head: "No. He's from Beijing Institute of Technology."

My best friend breathed a sigh of relief: "Then it can't be him. It says here that it's a specially invited article from Nanjing University."

Zhang Qian's brows remained furrowed: "But then he said he wanted to go find Professor Zhong. Professor Zhong is the person in charge of this invited manuscript."

My best friend asked, "So, is he really connected to Professor Chung?"

"There's no way they could be related!"

My best friend covered her face with a magazine: "Or maybe, it's a relationship?"

Zhang Qian had a sudden inspiration: "That's right, he's related to Ning Chunyan! Ning Chunyan is from Nanjing University!"

My best friend clapped her hands and said, "See? We've found the crux of the problem!"

Zhang Qian frowned: "His relationship with Ning Chunyan is that good? It doesn't seem like it."

Her best friend chuckled, "If that's really the case, then I can only say that Ning Chunyan has terrible taste in men."

Zhang Qian felt a pang of jealousy. She hadn't originally thought about it that way, but what her best friend said was indeed a possibility.

It wasn't that she cared that Prince Xu had a new love; their relationship was something that had been going on for ages, and she felt nothing for him anymore. The bitterness in her heart was simply jealousy.

She used to think her boyfriend was richer and had a higher social status than Prince Charming, which gave her a psychological advantage. But she always knew she couldn't compare to Ning Chunyan. After that advantage disappeared, she realized for the first time how suffocating that feeling could be. No ex could possibly accept that their new love was better than them.

Zhang Qian shook her head: "No, Wang Zixu has absolutely no connection with Nanjing University. There's no way he could be included in the invited article. Besides, even if he were, it would only be in this special issue once, and he wouldn't get anything out of it."

Her best friend stared at her suspiciously: "You rejected him as soon as he was shortlisted, but now that he's in the top ten, won't they use that against you for rejecting his manuscript?"

Zhang Qian scoffed: "You're overthinking it. So what if you're in the top ten? Do you remember who was in the top ten at last year's literary competition? Except for the champion, nobody remembers."

"He went to such lengths, using every connection he had, just to get a spot in the top ten. That shows how short-sighted he is. Even if he gets published in the special issue, so what? It just satisfies his boring literary dream and lets him indulge in his writer's fantasies."

Her best friend clicked her tongue twice: "Thinking about it that way, Ning Chunyan is quite pitiful."

She turned to him and asked, "But if he makes it into the top ten, he'll have a chance to be nominated. What if he actually wins an award?"

Zhang Qian pursed her lips and said, "Do you think those judges are just for show? The final review of this palindrome competition is a cross-review, with total scores used to rank the papers, and the highest and lowest scores are removed."

"He might use one or two connections to get into the third round, which is fine for his own amusement, or to show off back at his small workplace. Does he think he can build connections that reach the heavens?"

(End of this chapter)