I am not a literary giant

Chapter 120 Spring Banquet Amidst Flowers, Green Vines Encircle Branches

"When I heard the name 'Prince Xu,' I remembered hearing about you before. I asked Mei Rucheng, and sure enough, you're the one from 'Snow Fills the Village at Dusk'!"

All eyes turned to Prince Xu. Bringing up the matter again made him somewhat embarrassed, because it stemmed from a misunderstanding that shouldn't have been. If he hadn't been so clever, there wouldn't have been the "snow-covered village at dusk." He rubbed his hands together on his knees, ultimately unable to utter a word.

Mei Rucheng stubbed out his cigarette and walked in: "After that incident, I often talked about 'Prince Xu of Muxueqian Village.' I thought he was going to be forgotten, but I didn't expect that this kid would seize the opportunity and shine again. Maybe this is what they mean by 'the tip of an awl is always visible when it's in a bag.'"

Chung Chun-min asked, "What's this 'Village Before the Snow'?"

The high-ranking leader, caught up in the conversation, crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa:

"It's funny how things turned out. I was in a meeting when, due to an unexpected situation, I had to revise my prepared speech, and there was only a little over an hour left before the meeting started."

"To be honest, I didn't expect the draft to be revised on time. When Mei Rucheng rushed over, I was already prepared to speak without a script. Of course, you have to be prepared for both possibilities, so I still asked him to write it down immediately."

"After a quick review of the requirements, he produced a scrambled script that no one but himself could understand. Just then, an unexpected situation arose on set, and I had to take him to deal with it. In the middle of it, I told him, 'Forget it, just get the basic idea out of the script; there's no need to publish it.'"

"Because I know that they have less than ten minutes to revise, proofread, and format this manuscript, and then drive it over. Ten minutes to revise a manuscript can't guarantee quality, so it's better for me to just speak without notes. If I force myself to produce a manuscript, it will only disrupt my own train of thought."

As expected of a high-ranking leader, his memory is amazing; he told this story in a logical and coherent manner.

Among those present were people who liked Wang Zixu and people who disliked him, but because the speaker was a high-ranking leader, no one dared to show any lack of interest in the story. Everyone listened with bated breath, especially Diao Yiwen.

Diao Yiwen had never known how Wang Zixu had gotten involved with Mei Rucheng. This story about the high-ranking leader provided her with an important piece of information. Zhang Qian was even more serious than her, though her expression wasn't very pleasant.

The Prince Xu in the story is quite different from what they remembered. The two have different thoughts, but what they have in common is that they suddenly realize that they may have never really understood Prince Xu.

Prince Xu listened very attentively. Or at least he appeared to be listening attentively.

This is a story he personally experienced, but from Shen Jianqiu's perspective, the story is told in this way.

The plots are largely similar, but the different perspectives of the two characters subtly alter the meaning of the story.

This is a very novel experience.

This reminded him of "polyphonic novels," and also of writers such as William Faulkner and Haruki Murakami.

Different characters, different perspectives, and different viewpoints intertwine, connect, and collide with each other.

Prince wondered if he should adopt this structure if he were to write a novel. He found it very challenging.

It's worth noting that even world-renowned novelists would find this kind of writing very difficult.

But having difficulties is not a bad thing.

If his wife knew that Wang Zixu was daydreaming about writing his novel while the high-ranking leader was speaking, she would definitely be furious and call him stupid. Wang Zixu himself didn't think he was stupid; the leader hadn't given him any room to interrupt.

He has evolved to the point where he can enter a state of mental contemplation at any time to think about novel-writing techniques.

He felt a gaze fixed on him, and he immediately looked up, instinctively searching for Chen Qingluo, only to find her staring intently at Shen Jianqiu, showing no sign of looking at him. This made him feel a bit self-deprecating.

Shen Jianqiu continued, "...Half an hour later, the manuscript was delivered to me on time. As soon as I saw it, I told Mei Rucheng that this was not up to your research lab's standards. He agreed, because the manuscript was written by someone who happened to be passing by the lab."

Li Tingfang pointed curiously at Wang Zixu: "Was that the person who passed by?"

"Yes. It's this kid."

All eyes turned to Prince Xu.

Shen Jianqiu took a sip of water: "What surprised me most was that this manuscript even changed my poem, and the change was quite original. I calculated that, considering he also had to revise, proofread, and format, the time spent revising the poem was probably less than a minute. I wondered where this poetic talent came from; how come I've never heard of this person in all these years in Xihe?"

Zhong Junmin nodded and said, "This is 'Snowflakes Fill the Village at Dusk'."

"Yes," Mei Rucheng added. "I asked them, and although Wang Zixu's alteration of this poem was a clever move on his own, it can be said that he was quick-witted, having written it in just over ten seconds."

Shen Jianqiu looked at him with a smile: "Everyone says you are a dark horse because no one in the Xihe literary world knows your name, but when I hear your name, I know that you won this first prize with your own strength."

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Shen Jianqiu spoke calmly, but Zhang Qian, standing to the side, felt a chill run down her spine.

The high-ranking leader may have been telling a story, but his last sentence made his meaning crystal clear. He was clearly responding to the farce that had just occurred.

Chung Chun-min said, "This line of poetry itself is not particularly outstanding, but considering the time it was written, it can indeed be said to be poetic."

Mei Rucheng said, "However, it cannot be ruled out that this kid polished the sentences in advance and just put them in."

The top leader laughed: "Then how about we make things difficult for him again?"

Zhong Junmin said, "Let's make things difficult for him a bit more. I can't comment on his contemporary literature, but I can still critique his poetic talent."

Shen Jianqiu said, "Since everyone has said so, then Mei Rucheng, you give him a question to test him."

Finding something amusing, Ning Chunyan immediately perked up. She looked at the bewildered Wang Zixu and, for some reason, felt like laughing. She twisted her lips and turned her head away, only to find Chen Qingluo staring intently at Wang Zixu.

The others had varying expressions. Lin Feng had sweat on his forehead, partly because his clothes were too thick and he was hot, and partly because he was nervous. He seemed even more nervous than Wang Zixu. Cui Xian, on the other hand, was eager to try, seemingly wanting to be tested on his poetic talent as well.

Mei Rucheng pondered for a moment and said, "I won't make things difficult for you today. Write a poem on the theme of this literary gathering. The big leader has limited time, so I'll give you a maximum of 3 minutes."

Cui Xian, who had been eager to try, immediately lost his competitive spirit upon hearing the time limit. Lin Luo's expression was ambiguous, as if she was waiting to see the prince make a fool of himself.

Ning Chunyan wasn't worried about Wang Zixu making a fool of himself. He deservedly won first place at the literary gathering, and even if he couldn't write anything, no one would question him; it would just be that he himself would lose face.

Prince Xu asked, "Could I have paper and a pen?"

Immediately, someone brought him paper and pen and placed them on the coffee table in front of Prince Xu.

The prince stared blankly ahead. He hadn't expected anyone to test his poetry skills today, and he wasn't mentally prepared at all. However, the ancients had already exhausted all the imagery in poetry; it was simply a matter of piecing together existing sentences to create something new.

It wasn't difficult for him.

Mei Rucheng stopped himself on the clock and said, "The rest of you can give it a try if you want to showcase your talents."

The secretary handed out blank sheets of paper to the others, and most politely declined. Composing a poem in seven steps is not something everyone can do; to receive a blank sheet of paper and not even be able to write the last line is simply self-humiliation.

"Give me one." Lin Feng raised his hand.

Lin Feng is quite loyal. Although he can't write poetry, he figured since Wang Zixu has, he might as well join in. Even if he can't write anything, it won't look bad.

Ning Chunyan bit her lip and said to Wang Zixu with a hint of reproach, "Why are you staring at me? Hurry up and write!"

Wang Zixu snapped out of his reverie and realized that he had been staring straight ahead, while Ning Chunyan was sitting right in front of him. In reality, he hadn't been looking at her; he had simply been lost in thought, his eyes unfocused, and he hadn't actually been looking at anything.

Ning Chunyan's scolding gave him a bit of inspiration, and he picked up his pen and began to write on the paper.

Mei Rucheng glanced at his watch; only 20 seconds had passed. He said, "You've made up your mind so quickly? You still have two and a half minutes."

Prince Xu did not answer, but kept writing with his head down, and everyone crowded around to watch.

He wrote without pausing, and in no time a five-character poem was completed.

"Alright." Prince Xu slammed the pen on the coffee table.

"One minute," Mei Rucheng sighed. "Although I haven't seen how your poem turned out yet, I now truly believe that the line you wrote earlier was improvised."

Lin Feng had just written two words on the paper when he crossed them all out with a slash, threw down his pen with a wry smile, and looked towards Wang Zixu.

He always manages to surpass people's imagination in the realm of literature.

Shen Jianqiu remained silent, took Wang Zixu's manuscript from the coffee table, and read aloud:

"Spring banquets are held among the flowers, and the city is adorned with new greenery."

White clouds drift with my steps, and green vines entwine around the branches, filling them with fragrance.

The ink and brush are rich and short, but the poetic heart is fragrant and long.

No need to worry about the setting sun, for the bright moon shines eternally.

After reading it, Shen Jianqiu smiled broadly and said, "It's quite interesting." He then handed the manuscript to Zhong Junmin.

After reading it, Zhong Junmin smiled slightly and said, "You kid, you're making things difficult for yourself. If you hadn't put so much effort into embedding those two names in the poem, wouldn't it have been even better? Some of the words are too common."

Mei Rucheng said, "It's a bit too rigid in its format, but it's still a masterpiece. Of course, it's easier said than done. No one has the right to criticize the poem written in such a short time."

"Yes." Zhong Junmin took off his glasses and sighed deeply. "When I was young, I also tried to compose a poem in seven steps, but I couldn't do it as smoothly as you, nor could I compose a regulated poem like this. I am not as good as you."

It's quite astonishing that Professor Chung could be so frank about being inferior to others. This is extremely high praise.

Zhong Junmin handed the manuscript to Ning Chunyan and said, "The two talented ladies should give their critique."

Ning Chunyan blushed as she took the manuscript. She had noticed it when Shen Jianqiu read it aloud; Wang Zixu had cleverly incorporated his own name into the poem. After reading it, her eyes lit up, and she said:

"This is well written!"

Shen Jianqiu pursed his lips: "Not bad? It's more like 'fuck it'."

Li Tingfang held out her hand: "Let me take a look."

After she finished reading, her eyes lit up, and she looked up at Wang Zixu: "Wang Zixu, when I first heard the topic, I thought it was meant to make things difficult for you, but you deliberately chose the most challenging way and used this unique method to show us that your poetic talent is amazing, right?"

Prince Xu licked his lips: "I didn't mean it that way, it just came out naturally."

Li Tingfang smiled and said, "I admit I was surprised by you. It's just a pity that time was too short and this poem still needs polishing. After we revise it, we will publish a collection after the literary gathering, and your poem can be put on the title page."

Shen Jianqiu smiled and nodded: "I agree."

After Li Tingfang finished speaking, she glanced at him with a smile in her eyes, then turned to look at Ning Chunyan, whose face was flushed pink. She thought to herself, "This guy is probably very good at teasing young girls. I'll have to remind Ning Bingru later."

Ning Chunyan leaned down and whispered something in Chen Qingluo's ear. Chen Qingluo's face was expressionless, but it made Wang Zixu a little nervous.

In a moment of madness, he simply incorporated their names into the text. At the time, he didn't think much of it; he just felt that the writing lacked a clear angle, and including their names would make it seem more characteristic of Xihe.

Looking back now, I feel rather guilty. Why only include their two names? Why not include "Tingfang" or "Qingfeng"?

It was simply to slip Chen Qingluo's name in. Slipping in Ning Chunyan's name was to avoid making the motive too obvious.

To put it bluntly, I just wanted to show off my skills in front of the person I liked when I was young.

Prince Xu felt ashamed of his appearance and planned to go home that night, wrap himself in his blanket, and beat his bed.

Li Tingfang cleared her throat and said, "May I say a few words?"

Shen Jianqiu said, "Teacher Li, please go ahead."

"The final scoring stage of this literary competition was indeed very competitive, with two works even receiving the same score."

Diao Yiwen suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing.

Li Tingfang said, "Wang Zixu's manuscript and Diao Yiwen's manuscript were tied. In the end, a vote was held to choose one of them. The one with more votes won the first prize, and the one with fewer votes won the second prize."

"The final vote was six to one. Wang Zixu's work received six votes. Diao Yiwen's vote was cast by Shen Qingfeng, who is not here right now. Apart from him, everyone else voted for Wang Zixu."

Diao Yiwen looked at Yanzishan in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Her manuscript was edited by Yanzishan, but this person didn't even vote for his own work? What was he thinking?

Yan Zishan sat to the side, his face ashen, neither responding to Diao Yiwen's gaze nor showing any intention to explain anything, leaving his thoughts completely unreadable.

Li Tingfang then said:

"In the past, every literary conference has seen some controversy surrounding the final judging results. Some said the awards were predetermined, while others said the judges were unfair. But never has it escalated to the point of almost coming to blows!"

"This year's literary competition not only had the largest and most authoritative number of judges, but the decision on the first place also went through repeated back-and-forth negotiations. I dare say that in previous literary competitions, no first place winner has ever been as prestigious as this year's! Why then did the organizing committee members and contestants have a falling out? Some of our comrades need to reflect on this."

Shen Jianqiu said, "Teacher Li's opinion is also my opinion."

Shen Jianqiu added, "I met many new faces this time, and I feel like I'm seeing the future of Xihe's literary scene. I hope everyone will continue their efforts and achieve even greater success."

After saying that, he stood up and pointed to his watch: "I had reserved 20 minutes for the meeting, but we have already exceeded that time. I originally wanted to have more time to communicate with everyone, but time is limited. I hope you can use this fertile land of Xihe as a base to create more excellent works, and it would be best if you could publish more in newspapers and magazines. In my spare time, I also read some literary works, and through your works, I will understand you better."

After he finished speaking, Prince Xu finally snapped out of his dazed state, and his sense of shame lessened considerably.

Shen Jianqiu and Li Tingfang worked together to help him refute Zhang Qian's unfounded slander. However, judging from the situation, the higher-ups didn't seem to care about it. Leaders are busy with countless affairs of state and certainly wouldn't waste their energy on such a trivial matter. But if they didn't take action now, who knew if Zhang Qian would retaliate later?

"Big Boss," Wang Zixu stood up, "I'd like to discuss something with you."

Shen Jianqiu subconsciously turned around and asked, "What is it?"

"It's about Zhang Qian," Wang Zixu said.

Shen Jianqiu chuckled and turned to say, "She eliminated your manuscript during the shortlisting stage, right? I know about that. But it's a matter of improper appointment. I can tell you, she won't be in charge of this work at the next literary conference."

Zhang Qian's face turned deathly pale, but Wang Zixu didn't look in her direction. He turned firmly to Shen Jianqiu: "It's not about the manuscript, it's about her improper promotion."

(End of this chapter)