I am not a literary giant

Chapter 127 Round Alien Egg

Zuo Ziliang saw a lonely house. The dining room outside the porch was desolate, with nothing but a dining table (not even a chair), on which sat a dark, murky object. The air was filled with the smell of dusty leaves and orange peels; it wasn't foul, but the combination made the smell strange, and he didn't want to stay any longer.

The entire porch was a mess, like a crime scene. Several shoes were scattered about, and the floor was covered with a complex web of black footprints that stretched all the way into the dark living room. The walls, on the other hand, were spotless, but the cleanliness was unsettling. It took Zuo Ziliang a while to figure out the source of his unease: there was no decoration on the walls, not even a single decent painting.

He found it hard to imagine that Prince Xu lived in this room.

"Was your house burgled?"

Wang Zixu said, "Last time I asked Lalamove to come to my house to move books, they stepped on the floor and got it dirty, and I haven't had time to mop it up yet."

He was a little embarrassed and went into the bathroom to get a mop.

Zuo Ziliang opened the shoe cabinet next to the door, and a musty smell of shoe polish hit him. There were only two worn-out slippers in the cabinet, which were obviously not suitable for this season. After hesitating for a long time, he finally did not change his shoes.

He walked into the house and looked around. The living room followed the same minimalist style as the dining room. Apart from a worn-out sofa and a pile of dusty bags in the corner, there was nothing else, not even a television.

Zuo Ziliang never imagined he would use the word "spacious" to describe someone else's house, but Wang Zixu's house was indeed very spacious. He estimated that his own voice would echo.

"Your house was really burgled, wasn't it? Even the furniture was taken away."

There really was an echo. A resonant sound, cold and hard like metal, lingered in my ears.

Wang Zixu emerged, leaning on a mop, and gave an awkward smile: "We didn't have much furniture to begin with. We were poor before, so we saved money on furniture wherever we could. We've just been living like this ever since, and it doesn't seem to affect our lives, so it's always been like this."

The house hadn't had any guests in a long time, and neither Wang Zixu nor the house itself was prepared. He wanted to pour Zuo Ziliang a glass of water, but he couldn't even find a disposable teacup.

Zuo Ziliang said, "You used to be a government employee, your salary wasn't high, but it was still considered middle income among wage earners, right? Don't you have any savings? Look at your house, it looks like it's been bombed."

"I spent half my money on books," Wang Zixu said, pointing to the living room. "What you see now isn't what this house used to look like. It wasn't empty before; books were piled up everywhere. Didn't they all go to the base?"

"Then you're willing to sacrifice for the company."

"I've already earned back the money I spent on the books, and I even have some left over."

"What about your other half?"

Wang Zixu said, "The other half was used to treat my father's illness."

"What illness?"

Wang Zixu did not answer, and continued mopping the floor diligently.

Zuo Ziliang said, "Can I go to your bedroom and take a look?"

Prince Xu said, "Please do as you wish."

Zuo Ziliang went away for a while, then came back and said, "There are only your own clothes in your wardrobe."

"She took all her clothes with her. I checked, and she took all her belongings," Wang Zixu said.

"Not a single item left?"

Not a single piece left.

After saying that, Wang Zixu sighed, turned around and went to the bathroom. He picked up a hair clip from the sink and handed it to Zuo Ziliang: "Perhaps this is the only one left."

Zuo Ziliang took the hair clip. It was a sparkly and exquisite hair clip, but that was all; it wasn't anything valuable.

Zuo Ziliang returned to the restaurant, and Wang Zixu returned the mop to the restroom: "The floor was just mopped, it's wet, be careful it's slippery."

"I roughly understand the situation now. I don't have any questions for you, except for one: what exactly is this thing?"

Wang Zixu saw Zuo Ziliang covering his nose and pointing to an oval-shaped black substance on the dining table.

"What?"

"This." Zuo Ziliang stretched out his finger forcefully, as if emphasizing his words.

The thing he was pointing to on the dining table was grayish-brown, pitted, and oval-shaped; it looked quite sinister. A faint odor emanated from it.

Prince Xu frowned immediately, lost in thought, and after a long while, he said:

"It looks like an alien egg."

Zuo Ziliang said, "An alien came to your house and laid an egg on your dining table, and you didn't even notice?"

"If that were the case, I would definitely notice. I was just saying it looked like an alien egg. It definitely isn't an alien egg."

Zuo Ziliang stared at the object for a long time and said, "If you say this is indeed an egg laid by an alien, I will believe you."

Wang Zixu said, "Oh, I remember now, this should be a pomelo."

"Grapefruit?"

Zuo Ziliang stared at the thing on the table, remaining silent for a long time.

If this really is a pomelo, then it will be the most pathetic pomelo Zuo Ziliang has ever seen in his life.

Why did you decide to use a rare, antique pomelo as a table decoration?

Zuo Ziliang can be a bit harsh in his speech at times.

Wang Zixu pulled out a trash bag and said, "I bought it to admire it, but after a while, I forgot it existed."

"What does 'observation' mean? Observation?"

The expression on Zuo Ziliang's face was as if he were seeing a mad scientist using familiar vocabulary to explain concepts he didn't understand at all.

The prince waved his hand dismissively: "Come and hold the bag for me."

Zuo Ziliang helped him open the trash bag, watching him pick up the limp, black pomelo and throw it in. A pool of disgusting liquid was left on the table. He turned his face away and held his breath.

Wang Zixu said, "There's a passage in my novel where the wife questions her husband about why he left a rotten pomelo on the table instead of throwing it away. I wanted to see how long a pomelo would rot, so I bought one and brought it home to observe."

Zuo Ziliang asked, "Does writing a novel require considering so many things?"

"Yes, there are far more issues to consider than you think."

Wang Zixu took the garbage bag and carefully tied it tightly to prevent the stench of decay from escaping. When talking about novels, Wang Zixu seemed to have forgotten about his wife's disappearance.

"For example, the sentence I initially wrote was about apples, because apples are the most common fruit in life. But after I finished writing it and looked back, I felt that it lacked literary authenticity and looked like it was made up."

"Literary authenticity?" Zuo Ziliang repeated the phrase.

Wang Zixu asked, "If I said there's a piece of fruit on the table, what fruit would you think of first?"

"apple."

“That’s right,” Wang Zixu said, “so it’s obviously made up.”

Zuo Ziliang felt he roughly understood: "So you want to observe the pomelo and build an emotional connection with it?"

Wang Zixu said, "It's not about emotional connection. I specifically want to see how long the pomelo will rot, and whether it will smell too bad during the rotting process. If the smell of a rotting pomelo is as bad as the smell of a sperm whale exploding, then it won't work. If the male protagonist still doesn't throw it away after that, then he's going a bit too far."

Zuo Ziliang nodded slowly: "I think I understand the effort you put into the novel. But even if it's Yuzu, your male lead is going too far."

Prince Xu held out his hand: "I'm going to wash my hands."

While waiting for him to wash his hands, Zuo Ziliang sat in a chair, deep in thought. He was thinking very seriously, his forehead beneath his bald head furrowed, like a wrinkled braised egg.

Prince Xu washed his hands very carefully. The grapefruit juice had a faint gasoline smell, and left a lingering, acid-corroded texture on his hands. It took him a long time to scrub this texture off. After washing his hands, he became gloomy again because he remembered his wife was gone.

He came out, and Zuo Ziliang said to him, "There are some things I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

"Please tell me first."

Zuo Ziliang said, "I won't talk about it yet. Let me ask you first, what exactly did your wife say on the note she left you?"

Wang Zixu handed him the note, and after Zuo Ziliang read it, he said, "Since she said that, then I won't tell you anymore. Just listen to her."

"What are you listening to?"

"Don't look for her, and don't contact her," Zuo Ziliang said. "She's right."

Wang Zixu was completely bewildered: "And then?"

"That's all," Zuo Ziliang said. "So what if we found it?"

"Found it, then..."

Wang Zixu was also confused. He had never thought about this question before. After his wife left, he felt empty inside, as if he had lost a part of his soul.

He felt he should go find it, and what to do after finding it was something he could think about later. But after Zuo Ziliang asked him, he suddenly realized that even if he found it, he might not be able to figure it out.

Was he supposed to salute, shake hands, and then ask her, "Hello, why are you leaving? Did I do something to displease you?"

After receiving the answer, he saluted again, waved, and said, "Thank you for your feedback. See you next time."

It does seem inappropriate.

Zuo Ziliang said, "The most foolish thing in this world is trying to win back a woman who has changed her heart. The harder you try, the more you expose your weakness and cheapness. A woman will not give herself to a weak and cheap man. Remember what I said? Don't try to grasp the flowing water; you must become the flowing water."

Sartre stood behind Zuo Ziliang: "He's right. Freedom is paradise."

Prince Xu ignored Sartre: "I don't want to win her back, I just don't want to do nothing."

"Doing nothing is also a choice. Sometimes it's even the right choice," Zuo Ziliang said.

Prince Xu fell silent.

Zuo Ziliang then asked, "Could you show me your marriage certificate?"

Wang Zixu said, "We did not register our marriage."

Wang Zixu seemed to see a "just as I expected" expression on Zuo Ziliang's face.

"Isn't that even simpler?" Zuo Ziliang said. "Legally, you're not even married. You just need to change the locks, and everything will be OK."

Wang Zixu was still worried, so Zuo Ziliang placed his hand on his shoulder:

"Take it easy. She can live just as well without you, and you should live just as well without her. Neither of you is dependent on the other, and neither of you owes the other anything. You came into this world alone, and now you're alone again. What's there to be sad about?"

The little prince said, "He's right."

Even the Little Prince said so.

Wang Zixu said, "Then today I..."

"You're participating in a live broadcast today," Zuo Ziliang said in an unyielding tone. "Come with me. Can you drive?"

"I'm afraid it can't be opened."

"Then get in my car."

Before getting into the car, Zuo Ziliang suddenly asked, "Based on your observations, how long does it take for a pomelo to completely rot?"

"It will take a long time," Prince Xu said, "and it will rot quietly. You'll hardly notice."

……

Wang Zixu stood downstairs at Wen'ai Company, feeling as if he were breathing fresh air for the first time, his mind still slightly dizzy.

He shook his head to banish the extraneous thoughts.

"Cheer up," Zuo Ziliang said. "Today is an important day; it's all up to you."

"rest assured."

As soon as Wang Zixu arrived at the company, Ye Lan skipped and hopped up in front of him and slapped him on the chest.

"What a great honor to have you here, esteemed writer! But why are you so late? How can you be late on such an important day?"

Ye Lan was wearing clothes that Wang Zixu had never seen before. She wore a pink long-sleeved sheer jacket over a thin-strapped short dress, and her calves were covered with very elegant white ankle socks.

It might be considered non-working time now, and her attire wasn't her usual business attire. She wasn't aiming to maximize her figure, but rather to showcase her best features, appearing healthy and energetic.

Wang Zixu smiled at her, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't. Huang Da walked over with an admiring look on his face, holding a folder in his arms.

"Little Prince, this is our data report for the past few days. Also, the editor from the publishing house would like to contact you."

Wang Zixu roused himself: "What's going on with the publishing house?"

Wang Zixu followed Huang Da away. Ye Lan looked at his retreating figure with suspicion, then turned to ask Zuo Ziliang:

"What's wrong with him?"

"What? What happened?"

"Why does he seem a bit off?"

"You could even tell that?"

"Anyone with eyes can see that, right?"

Zuo Ziliang's usually imposing face, hidden beneath his bald head, surprisingly showed a hint of hesitation. He looked like a manager who wanted to give up completely, about to reveal a shocking secret about a celebrity to the media, but ultimately chose to remain noncommittal.

His wife left.

"What? His wife left? Where did she go?" Ye Lan stared wide-eyed.

Zuo Ziliang said, "Keep your voice down. His wife either went somewhere, or she left; her whereabouts are unknown, she said goodbye."

Ye Lan stared in disbelief, then asked, "Did they have a fight?"

"I don't know," Zuo Ziliang said. "He said he didn't argue. And it seems it wasn't just a simple argument."

Ye Lan pulled him into the office, patted the sofa, and said, "Sit down, sit down, tell me in detail what happened?"

Zuo Ziliang said, "The live broadcast has already started. To then have to revise the contract at the last minute—it's such a major matter, how can we worry about that?"

Ye Lan said, "That's none of your business. It's all pre-arranged. Just follow the plan."

Zuo Ziliang said, "I have to keep an eye on the feedback."

That's what he said, but he still briefly explained the matter to Ye Lan. He concluded by telling her not to reveal it to anyone.

Ye Lan sighed deeply after hearing this. Then she said, "How could I have revealed this? I definitely can't tell anyone about something like this." With that, she ran off to find Wang Zixu.

Wen Ai is currently busy with a big project.

Since the establishment of Wen'ai Club, the revenue of Wen'ai app has been soaring. This is thanks to the scripts trained by Wang Zixu. However, the scripts have also flowed to rival companies, and Qingyan has also begun to imitate this model.

In response to Qingyan's despicable tactics, Prince Xu devised an even more despicable countermeasure. After preparing for half a month, today was the day to close the net.

If the measures are successful, all the current obstacles to communication and communication will be cleared, and the problem of insufficient speech therapists will also be completely solved.

Wang Zixu was sitting in his office looking at reports when Ye Lan ran over and said, "Wang Zixu, what happened? I heard from Zuo Ziliang that your wife ran away?"

The phrase "his wife ran away" stung him. Wang Zixu looked up, hesitated, and said, "I'm very busy right now."

Ye Lan said, "I'm not bothering you. I just have one question: So now you don't have a wife, right? What are you going to do in the future?"

She was concerned for him, but to Wang Zixu, it sounded like schadenfreude. Wang Zixu ignored her and turned his chair around to continue looking at the data.

Ye Lan sighed and marveled loudly behind him, marveling at it for a while. Then she ran out again, took out her phone, and sent a WeChat message to Ning Chunyan:

[Ning, talented lady, have you seen Prince Xu recently?]

Not long after, Ning Chunyan replied: 【Yes, I've met you. I just met you today.】

Have you noticed that he's acting strangely?

Hasn't he always been strange?

Ye Lan thought for a moment, then laughed. After laughing, she realized she shouldn't have laughed; her good friend Wang Zixu was suffering terribly, and she shouldn't have laughed.

She typed on her phone: "It's been really strange. But it seems you don't know, do you know what just happened to him?"

(End of this chapter)