I am not a literary giant

Chapter 115 The Wolf of Zhongshan (8063)

Wang Zixu couldn't explain his feelings upon seeing Chen Qingluo again, just as Li Bai couldn't explain why looking up at the bright moon made him think of his hometown.

Fortunately, no one in the world needed his answer about the reunion. Everyone's attention was focused on the bright moon, and no one noticed the bitter person sitting in the shadows.

Fortunately, no one noticed. Prince Xu wasn't like Florentino Ariza, who liked to create drama for himself. He wouldn't still believe he was waiting for Fermina Daza after having 622 lovers.

Over the years, he lived his life methodically, getting married when he was supposed to and working when he was supposed to. None of this concerned Chen Qingluo. They lived separate lives, far apart. They were just passersby, and they should only ever be passersby. He strictly adhered to his status as a passerby, suppressing the intense turmoil in his heart.

But he still couldn't help but sigh: Chen Qingluo has grown up. Her height remained the same as in high school, but her appearance had undergone subtle changes. There's an old saying in Xihe to describe this: "she's grown up."

Her facial features hadn't changed much, but the childishness on her face had disappeared, and her overall charm had become more mature and elegant, making her even more captivating. The fuller parts of her body had become more shapely, and the curves of her curves had become more pronounced.

Even in her glances, one could still find traces of the past. She lazily squinted, as if she hadn't fully woken up, and looked at someone sideways. This often made her seem aloof, but not unpleasant. She used to stare at Wang Zixu with this gaze, making him feel guilty and wonder if he had done something wrong.

She was wearing the same style of Hanfu as Ning Chunyan, but in a different color, and the outfit suited her better in terms of her temperament. This was also the reason for the cheers from the audience earlier. When she first appeared, it was easy for people who didn't know her to mistake her for a celebrity.

"Wow." Zhao Peilin, sitting next to Wang Zixu, shook his head and exclaimed in admiration, "She looks so good in this outfit, it's completely unrecognizable from her previous aggressive self."

"Aggressive?" Prince Xu turned his head and asked in confusion.

"Yes, when I slapped the manuscript in front of Professor Zhong, she was like a lioness," Zhao Peilin said, turning around with a smile. "You two are quite familiar, aren't you?"

Upon hearing this question, Wang Zixu felt a mix of emotions and replied with a wry smile, "I don't know her."

Zhao Peilin was taken aback by this answer and widened his eyes, saying, "You're still pretending? How could you not know her?"

Why do you think I know her?

"Who do you think she's acting like a lioness for? Isn't it all for you?"

Prince Xu felt the space around him distorting, and the glamorous backdrop of the stage was rapidly receding from him.

"For me?"

"Yes, your manuscript was rejected before. She and Ning Chunyan traveled a long way to find Professor Zhong and tried to force your manuscript into the selection. If it weren't for her insistence, you might not be sitting here."

Zhao Peilin began to ramble on about what had happened that day. He said that he was showing Professor Zhong his paper when Ning Chunyan and Chen Qingluo suddenly appeared, like Zhang Yide and Zhao Zilong at Changban Slope, one holding the bridge and the other charging in and out seven times, fighting with excellent teamwork. He was like Xiahou En, who came and delivered the Qinggang Sword, making his hard-earned manuscript a wedding dress for Wang Zixu.

Halfway through the conversation, Wang Zixu began to drift off into his own thoughts, or rather, language ceased to hold any real meaning for him. It was as if someone had cracked an egg deep within his heart, the cool, icy liquid flowing from his heart to his limbs, a refreshing sensation even on this sweltering summer night. His mind was completely filled with ambiguous and inexplicable emotions.

Ning Chunyan didn't tell Wang Zixu that Chen Qingluo was also involved in their operation. She had originally intended to, but Chen Qingluo said she didn't know Wang Zixu, and Wang Zixu also said he didn't know Chen Qingluo. So Ning Chunyan thought it best not to tell him. The two would meet eventually, and she could introduce them then. Thus, Wang Zixu learned the news without any warning.

A summer night breeze caressed his cheeks, stirring a deep, almost uncontrollable tremor within him. The wind that had swept across the playground twelve years ago finally returned to his face.

He looked at the stage, at Chen Qingluo, who was sitting lazily in a chair with her legs stretched out, doing nothing. Staff members walked around her, preparing for an interview.

He suddenly wondered if she might discover him.

Wang Zixu is 1.8 meters tall and sits in the first three rows. If she looks in this direction, she will definitely notice Wang Zixu.

He wasn't confident that Chen Qingluo would recognize him at a glance, after all, he had "grown up." But he prayed in his heart that Chen Qingluo would at least glance in his direction, even just once, so that their eyes would meet.

But Chen Qingluo sat on the brightly lit stage, the only source of light in the vast night sky, like the bright moon hanging high. Wang Zixu mingled among the crowd below. From beginning to end, she never looked in their direction.

……

"We are now beginning the third and final round of judging for this year's Xihe Literary Competition. The results of this round will determine the rankings of the competition. We hope that all judges will give their scores with a fair, impartial, sincere, and inclusive attitude."

The scoring method uses a 100-point scale from 0 to 100. There are 7 judges in total. The highest and lowest scores will be removed, and the average score will be calculated as the total score. The ranking will be based on the total score.

The first-place winner received the first prize in the literary competition. The other winners received one second prize, one third prize, and two honorable mentions.

The scoring order will be drawn by lot, and the teachers present will read the scores and give their scores. Before all scores are finalized, each judge must not reveal their score to avoid influencing the judgments of other teachers. After all scores are generated, the scores will be calculated together. Once the scores are finalized, they cannot be changed.

"The scoring will be conducted under the joint supervision of the judging panel and the observation team to ensure a fair and impartial scoring process."

After the staff finished reading the scoring rules, Li Tingfang waved her hand and said to the judges at the long table, "To ensure the fairness of the literary competition, we have invited Teacher Yanzishan to join the judging committee. However, Teacher Yanzishan's scoring weight is the same as everyone else's, so please be careful and take your scores seriously."

All eyes turned to Yanzishan, who stood to Li Tingfang's side. Yanzishan extended his hand in a simple greeting. Shen Qingfeng flashed him a bright smile, but Yanzishan ignored him.

Li Tingfang added, "These 10 manuscripts will take a long time to complete, so be prepared for a long haul. Let's get started as soon as possible. Finally, I want to emphasize again that when you're grading, you must be objective and fair, and especially exclude factors other than literary merit."

Upon hearing this, judge Liu narrowed his eyes, teacher Fan remained expressionless, Yan Zishan crossed his arms and said nothing, Ning Chunyan glanced at Shen Qingfeng, and Shen Qingfeng yawned.

The staff member picked up the divination stick container on the table and shook it in full view of everyone.

Finally, the bamboo sticks fell out of the container, and a staff member picked them up and read in a broadcasting voice:

"A Special Article from Nanjing University, 'The Road Ahead Is Bright,' by Wang Zixu."

Upon hearing the name, Shen Qingfeng's expression changed slightly, while Ning Chunyan's heart pounded. The staff quickly distributed the manuscript to everyone.

Shen Qingfeng held the manuscript, a hint of doubt in his voice: "Is this a specially invited article from Nanjing University?"

He felt that the author's name was very familiar, or rather, extremely familiar. If it were the Prince Xu he knew, he shouldn't be here at all.

He looked at Ning Chunyan with suspicion, but only saw her lowering her head and fiddling with her hair, her expression unchanged.

Li Tingfang said, "This is also the longest manuscript in the third round, and even the longest manuscript in all the submissions received by the literary society."

Teacher Liu smiled wryly and held up the manuscript: "It's 30,000 words long, and it's this thick even on A4 paper. It's a tough battle from the very beginning."

"But it's always better to tackle the challenge from the start than to start when you're already dizzy and lightheaded. I can hardly imagine how tiring it will be if this is the last paper to be reviewed."

"Let's get started as soon as possible."

Ning Chunyan inwardly groaned.

Prince Xu always seems to have a bit of bad luck. He managed to draw the first one out of a ten chance; his luck is truly terrible.

Generally speaking, being the first to draw a manuscript in such a competition is at a disadvantage. When the judges see the first manuscript, they haven't yet formed a basic understanding of the overall quality of the submissions for this literary event, so their scoring can be quite unpredictable. Therefore, they often subconsciously lower the score slightly.

Ning Chunyan believed that Wang Zixu's manuscript was of extremely high quality, and that it would be published even if submitted to the Yangtze River Journal. However, the literary competition was open to the general public, and the quality varied greatly; only a few established veterans could match its standards.

Unfortunately, his manuscript was the first one drawn. Even if the judges gave him a lower score, they couldn't change it afterward, which made it easy for him to be eliminated.

The long table was quiet; everyone was engrossed in their manuscripts, and the only sound in the room was the turning of pages.

Ning Chunyan had already read it before, so there was no need to look at it again. She was just turning the pages symbolically, her mind not on the manuscript. She was pondering whether she should give the prince a slightly inflated score.

Just then, she glanced sideways and saw that Shen Qingfeng, who was sitting next to her, had already started writing down his score on the sticky note next to him.

60.

Shen Qingfeng gave "The Road Ahead Is Safe" a score of 60.

Ning Chunyan was furious.

The average score of the first-place winners in previous literary competitions was above 90 points, with 60 points being almost the lowest possible score. No matter how bad Wang Zixu's manuscript was, it was impossible for him to get a score of 60.

Ning Chunyan panicked and almost wrote "100" on the sticky note. But after calming down, she realized it was too fake. This rating wasn't anonymous; if she gave it 100 points later, she would definitely have to explain why. How would she explain that?

Is she going to say that this is to counter Shen Qingfeng's unfairness and to artificially inflate the average score for the prince?

That can't be done. She can't even give Prince Xu a very high score.

She had already gone too far in order to get his manuscript into the final selection. If she continued to praise him blindly, it would not only be very detrimental to her, but also a big problem for Wang Zixu. A good thing might turn into a bad thing.

Wang Zixu doesn't need to be number one; just making it into the top five will prove him. On the contrary, he can't stand out too much, because standing out makes him an easy target and a target for criticism.

She took a deep breath, but ultimately did not write down 100. After much hesitation, she wrote "91" on the paper.

This number is good; it has both zeros and whole numbers. Even if someone asks about it later, she can confidently say that this is the score she should have received, and that it's not particularly high.

Everyone present was a seasoned writer and read very quickly. Within twenty minutes, everyone had finished scoring, and staff came to collect all the sticky notes.

Then, one person read out the votes and another person tallied the scores. On the whiteboard in front of everyone, the highest and lowest scores were removed (Shen Qingfeng's 60 points were indeed removed).

The final score was 88.6.

The score was slightly lower than Ning Chunyan had expected. She felt a little uneasy.

Based on past scores from the literary competition, the first-place score is generally around 95, with the lowest being 91. The fifth-place score is mostly around 85.

Based on experience, Wang Zixu has a high chance of making it into the top five. However, there's always the possibility of an unexpected turn of events.

After the scores were announced, the tense atmosphere eased, and people started whispering among themselves, with some even standing up to stretch.

Li Tingfang said, "This manuscript only got 88 points? Isn't your score a bit too low?"

Everyone was stunned, and no one responded.

Li Tingfang said, "I expected this article to get over 95 points, but my score was probably taken as the highest score and removed. Oh, right, it's the first article after all."

Yanzishan said, "I gave it 89 points. The quality is indeed quite good. But I'm not sure what the overall level of this literary competition is, so my scoring is a bit conservative."

Li Tingfang nodded: "Yes, none of you participated in the second round, so you haven't been exposed to the overall level of the literary competition."

The staff member, a young woman, hesitated before asking, "Ms. Li, should we re-evaluate?"

Li Tingfang shook her head: "Didn't the previous regulations say that once the score is given, it cannot be changed?"

Yanzishan said, "I have a suggestion."

"Please speak."

"Let's use this article as the benchmark for the following scoring. Give higher scores to those that are better than this one, and lower scores to those that are worse."

Someone nearby nodded: "Yes, once we finish reading the second and third articles and form a range, we can roughly arrive at a more accurate score."

Ning Chunyan silently hoped that the next manuscript she would draw would be one with a significant difference in quality, which would be more advantageous for Wang Zixu and might even lower the overall score of all the manuscripts.

The scoring continued, and the staff then drew lots. The second lot fell out, and the staff read it out:

"The Showdown in the Hut," by Lin Luo.

……

Excuse me.

Lin Luo walked past Lin Feng's seat with a cold expression and sat down a few meters away from him.

Lin Feng tried hard to control his expression and appear indifferent, but some ripples still stirred within him.

If you had asked him two years ago who his best friend was, he would have said it was Lin Luo.

The two men happened to share the same surname, Lin, and were like brothers. Back then, they were always seen together, and some people even genuinely believed they were brothers.

Lin Feng met Lin Luo at a lecture. He had been invited to give a lecture at a university on the creation of reportage. After the lecture, a student came up to him and asked him a few questions, showing a great interest in learning.

At the time, Lin Feng was a newcomer, and although he was already considered a well-known young author by many, he was sometimes quite apprehensive about his own abilities, even afraid of revealing his ignorance. The lectures weren't very well-attended, and the students weren't very enthusiastic; most were just going through the motions. Lin Luo's eagerness to learn, on the contrary, sparked his interest. He talked with Lin Luo very enthusiastically for a long time, and later even exchanged contact information.

Later, Lin Luo wrote several novels for him to study, and the two became quite familiar with each other. When Lin Luo graduated, Lin Feng helped him with his career choices.

Later, Lin Luo came to Xihe and started working in a government agency. During that time, Lin Feng often spent time with him, discussing literature and going out for late-night snacks. Lin Feng's wife complained to him several times about this, saying that he was a know-it-all and somewhat immature. He hadn't even figured out his own affairs yet, but he was already helping others.

Lin Feng, however, disagreed. He felt that his rise to prominence was due to the support of his teacher, Li Tingfang; without Li Tingfang, he wouldn't be where he is today. Now, times have changed, and he had finally encountered a promising young man who shared his passion for literature. This time, it was Lin Feng's turn to be the benefactor.

Back then, Lin Luo always called him "Brother Feng, Brother Feng." At the time, he had no doubt about Lin Luo's character, only to later realize that many things were just wishful thinking on his part. He was willing to be someone's benefactor, but Lin Luo might not have truly regarded him as one.

With his patronage, Lin Luo settled down in Xihe and joined the Literary Association. Naturally, he wanted to take it a step further. But at this point, Lin Feng couldn't offer much help.

Lin Feng was not yet in a top position, whether in administration or literature, so there were some things he dared not agree to and had no say in. Lin Luo also noticed his outward strength but inner weakness, and after failing to help him on a few matters, he noticeably began to interact with him less.

At the time, Lin Feng's wife told him, "Look, this guy is actually a sycophant," but Lin Feng didn't believe her. It wasn't until later, when Lin Luo somehow got involved with Shen Qingfeng, and the two became increasingly close, with Lin Luo fawning over him just like she had with Lin Feng, calling him "Brother Feng, Brother Feng," and then, without hesitation, betraying him, that Lin Feng realized his wife was right.

Lin Feng was in considerable pain during that period, not because he hated Lin Luo, but because he regretted his own gullibility. A wolf in sheep's clothing, a wolf in sheep's clothing, becomes arrogant when it gains power, and what's worse, this wolf was one he had raised himself. He didn't blame the wolf for being bad, only for his own stupidity, unable to distinguish between a person and a wolf.

Just then, Lin Luo, who was a few seats away, suddenly turned his head with a mocking smile on his face: "The score for the first manuscript is out, 88 points."

Lin Feng's face twitched slightly, and after a moment he turned to say, "How did you know? The final result isn't out yet, isn't this against regulations?"

Lin Luo laughed and said, "Come on, Mr. Lin, if you want to know, I definitely have ways to find out."

Lin Feng shook his head: "I don't want to know, and I have no way of knowing."

Lin Luo shook his head with a joking smile: "Then I have nothing to say. If you ask me, Mr. Lin, why do you still insist on participating this year? With your qualifications, you should be a judge."

Lin Feng remained silent, and Lin Luo continued, "Although you didn't achieve any great results in the previous literary competition, which is a bit of a pity, with your seniority, you should give way a little, otherwise it will be easier for us younger generation to stand out."

Lin Feng pursed his lips, then said, "Haven't I already given way to you? Why don't you go ask Shen Qingfeng to give way to you?"

Lin Luo raised her head: "Talking about Teacher Shen is pointless. Oh, right, the next one is about me, they should be grading it right now."

Lin Feng said with a hint of sarcasm, "Then I wish you good luck in achieving satisfactory results."

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Lin. My score just needs to be slightly higher than yours, not by much."

Lin Feng clenched his fists secretly. He muttered to himself, "Zhongshan wolf, Zhongshan wolf, once you gain power, you become arrogant."

Even the fiercest wolf can be killed by a hunter, but he truly lacked the confidence to kill this particular wolf. It was a wolf he had raised himself, plump and strong, one that even he found difficult to handle.

Lin Luo clapped his hands and sighed, "This is unbearable! I wish the rating would come out soon. If we want to see the Twin Beauties of Xihe, we can only watch one of them."

Lin Feng's gaze shifted to the stage, where Chen Qingluo sat quietly with her hands on her lap, looking very well-behaved.

He suddenly wondered when he would be able to sit on that stage, shining brightly.

……

"Forget it, Wang Zixu can sit wherever he wants. Maybe he only became acquainted with him because he appeared on the Yangtze River TV show?" Song Yinglian said.

"It's also possible that he got published in Yangtze River Journal because he had a personal relationship with someone," Guo Ranran said cryptically.

Diao Yiwen tossed her hair, neither speculating about others nor having any interest in doing so. She was there to receive an award, nothing more, and had no energy to waste on other people.

The commotion caused by Prince Xu running to the first three rows only lasted a short while and quickly subsided. Their unit was originally a peripheral unit; although they could sit in the inner area, they could only sit in positions relatively far from the stage.

As the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind; since they couldn't see Wang Zixu's movements, there was naturally nothing to discuss. However, their back-and-forth allowed Zhang Cangnian, who was standing nearby, to catch a glimpse of something different.

"When you went to the newsstand earlier, did you see 'The Yangtze River' magazine? Did it really get published there?"

Not wanting to ignore the older comrade's question, Guo Ranran said reservedly, "I saw it."

"It's really on the Yangtze River?"

"Um……"

Gou Yingbiao turned to look at them, frowning, somewhat annoyed. Wang Zixu's failure to make the cut was already a certainty of his elimination, but because of "The Yangtze River," things might have taken a turn for the worse. He was incredibly annoyed and didn't want to hear about it.

Zhang Cangnian asked, "Which section of 'Yangtze River' did Wang Zixu's article appear in? Was it a short piece or a long one? A relative of mine said that when newcomers publish their articles, they usually only get a short piece published."

Guo Ranran said, "I didn't look closely at the time. There was only one copy of 'Yangtze River' left on the shelf, which Wang Zixu bought. Xiao Diao found another copy later and bought it."

Diao Yiwen opened her handbag, tactfully pulled out a magazine, and handed it to Zhang Cangnian. Zhang Cangnian flipped through it, chuckled, and said, "This is still the front page headline!"

Xu Shichao leaned closer to him and reminded him, "This is a literary magazine; there's no such thing as a front page headline."

"But his article is placed first, which gives him a lot of prestige!"

Zhang Cangnian flipped through the novel, reaching the end, and said, "Look, there's an editor's note here, saying that this novel is the best new work we've received recently."

"Let me see."

Xu Shichao took the magazine, studied it carefully, and said, "It seems to be true. The magazine editor even gave a special comment. None of the other novels received a comment, but his did."

While eating sunflower seeds, Sister Hu said, "Xiao Wang has been writing for so many years. He writes whenever he has a spare moment at work. I think he's quite hardworking. It's normal that he's been able to get published after persisting for so long."

Zhang Cangnian exclaimed, "I never expected that a writer would emerge from our neighborhood. This is amazing!"

Xu Shichao smiled and handed the magazine back to Diao Yiwen, saying, "Yes, let's ask him for his autograph soon. Keeping it might be very valuable in the future."

Gou Yingbiao finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Enough, enough! Is writing novels during work hours something to be proud of?"

When Director Gou spoke, no one dared to utter a word.

Gou Yingbiao continued, "Besides, you all said that after writing for so many years, you only get one published article and a consolation prize. What's there to brag about? You could write your own articles and get published too. Little Diao is so young, and he made it to the third round right away. What about Wang Zixu? He didn't even make it to the finals."

After saying that, he muttered, "Watch the show quietly and stop discussing it."

After Director Gou finished speaking, the atmosphere became somewhat somber. Song Yinglian then joked, "Then I need to hurry up and get Xiao Diao's signature; the return on investment will definitely be even greater in the future!"

Guo Ranran laughed and said, "If Xiao Diao really becomes a big writer in the future, will she stop signing autographs for you? She'll definitely still remember us old friends, right, Xiao Diao?"

Diao Yiwen said shyly, "Of course."

Song Yinglian felt a warmth in his heart and smiled as he looked at Diao Yiwen.

After a short popping sound came from the speakers, it quickly returned to normal. The stage, which had been tested for a long time, finally began to function. On stage, the host finally began to interview Chen Qingluo, who had been sitting there bored for ten minutes. The sound from the speakers came out intermittently.

"...Today...we are honored to have...our guest...Ms. Chen Qingluo."

All eyes were on the stage. Chen Qingluo held a microphone, and the stage lights above her head shone down, making her look like an exquisite porcelain doll.

After the sound system was restored to normal, Chen Qingluo raised the microphone:

"I'll give you a chance to ask your question again. Perhaps everyone didn't hear it just now. But don't bother with the opening remarks; they're quite a strain on the ears."

The heavily made-up host on stage gave an awkward smile and said, "Ms. Chen Qingluo is always so straightforward and sharp, just like her writing style."

Chen Qingluo said, "Sharp? You're just faking it."

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

The host was sweating profusely, but fortunately Chen Qingluo didn't give her many opportunities to salvage the situation, and continued:

"Many people say that a writer's style reflects his personality, but that's not true. Most writers I've met are not as good as they are, and some are not as good as they are. At least for myself, my writing style is very different from who I am. But when I'm on stage or in front of the camera, I have to give everyone an explanation, otherwise readers might be disappointed."

The host said, "Teacher Chen Qingluo is very honest."

Another burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

Chen Qingluo said, "Honesty is essential. Honesty is one of the most valuable qualities a writer can possess."

The host asked, "So, Professor Chen, what do you think is the most important ability for a writer?"

Chen Qingluo said, "You're lying."

Those in the audience who reacted quickly burst into laughter.

The host turned pale: "But didn't you just say that the most valuable quality is honesty?"

Chen Qingluo said expressionlessly, "That's why I say the most important skill a writer can have is to lie."

The audience burst into laughter.

The tall and slender Ye Lan had just stepped onto the plaza steps, her steps still steady even in Valentino high heels. Hearing the interview coming from the speakers in the distance, Ye Lan couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh my god, I like her! She talks a lot of nonsense. Are all writers this interesting?"

Zuo Ziliang, who was standing next to her, said, "Who gave you the misconception that writers aren't interesting?"

"Prince Xu," Ye Lan replied instantly.

Zuo Ziliang said, "Wang Zixu would be saddened to hear you say that."

Ye Lan said, "However, the fact that he is also the Little Prince is actually quite interesting to think about."

Zuo Ziliang glanced around warily: "Don't talk about this outside."

Ye Lan covered her mouth. She realized that she shouldn't have said those words so casually.

As the Little Prince’s fame grows (and will become even more remarkable in the foreseeable future), the true identity of Prince Xu must be kept increasingly secret.

On stage, the host said, "Actually, I'd like to ask you, Professor Chen, as a native of Xihe, what are your impressions of Xihe?"

Chen Qingluo said, "The duck blood noodles from Xihe are tastier than those from Donghai."

The audience was almost exhausted from laughing, and someone shouted, "I agree!" The host smiled and said, "That's a matter of opinion. We also have quite a few tourists from Donghai at this literary gathering. But Professor Chen, is your impression of Xihe limited to duck blood soup?"

She secretly gave Chen Qingluo a wink, trying to steer the conversation back on track. Actually, this interview did have a script, the ultimate goal being to highlight the theme of Xihe cultural tourism, and the question she had just asked was crucial, requiring Chen Qingluo to respond correctly. However, after sitting on stage for ten minutes, Chen Qingluo had been lost in thought, completely forgetting about the script. She only felt a little hungry.

Chen Qingluo raised her face, slightly opened her mouth, and revealed a thoughtful expression. She looked somewhat adorably dazed at that moment, but after a while, she gave an answer that the host found completely unappealing:

"Only duck blood and vermicelli soup."

Amidst the laughter from the audience and the host's shifty gaze, Chen Qingluo's eyes became unfocused. She quickly changed her words and spoke into the microphone again:

"Actually, it's not just duck blood vermicelli. There's another person."

(End of this chapter)