I am not a literary giant

Chapter 132 The Little Prince Asks for a Song of Autumn

As soon as Wang Zixu got through to Ning Chunyan on the phone, he sensed that she was in a bad mood. Her "feed" sounded like lemonade mixed with oolong tea, its sour undertones revealing a carefully concealed absent-mindedness.

The prince asked tentatively, "You were looking for me?"

Ning Chunyan said, "Hmm, it seems like I did look for it."

The prince asked humbly, "Is there something you need?"

Ning Chunyan said, "Let me think about it."

Wang Zixu waited, listening to her even breathing on the other end of the phone. After a long while, she finally spoke:

"You said, if I were a book..."

Ning Chunyan's drawn-out tone sounded somewhat languid, but Wang Zixu's words struck him like lightning through his spinal cord, causing a tingling, excruciating pain in his scalp.

These words were a metaphor that Prince Xu had used when he was flirting with the little prince and Qiu Ge. He was quite confident in this metaphor at the time, after all, he had written it off the cuff without any revisions, capturing the style of Liu Yong and Zhou Bangyan without being lewd. However, the fact that Ning Chunyan said it to him personally made it quite shocking.

His first thought was: Oh no, I've been exposed.

However, he was also extremely stubborn, so stubborn that even after his death, while his entire body could be cremated, only his mouth was worth making into a specimen. Even if he was exposed, he would resolutely refuse to admit it, continuing to play dumb to the very end.

"Huh? What kind of book are you?"

Ning Chunyan's tone made Wang Zixu feel as if he could see her suspicious almond-shaped eyes even through the phone: "Don't interrupt. I'm asking you a question, answer me seriously: if I were a book, how would you plan to read me?"

Wang Zixu wore a bitter expression. What kind of people did he know? First thing in the morning, they were either asking him about his ego, id, and superego, or talking about how they were a book.

"That depends on what kind of book you are."

"What kind of book do you think I am?"

"I'm not quite sure, since I haven't known you for very long."

"Your words hurt me."

Wang Zixu said, "I just think that comparing people to inorganic matter so casually is a bit objectifying. Only a very frivolous person would make such a comparison. I don't want to compare you to a book, not at all."

Ning Chunyan snapped, "How can you be so completely devoid of romance? It's just a metaphor, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

Wang Zixu said, "Okay, I won't judge others casually. I take back what I said earlier and correct it: 'I don't want to compare you to a book, because that would make me feel frivolous.'"

Ning Chunyan said impatiently, "Forget it, let's put this topic aside for now. Now repeat what I said next: 'I am deeply afraid that I am not a beautiful jade, so I dare not work hard to polish myself, yet I am half convinced that I am a beautiful jade, so I am unwilling to be mediocre and associate with rubble.' Repeat this sentence."

Upon hearing this, Wang Zixu understood everything. He understood how Ning Chunyan had come to suspect him and how he had leaked the information, and he felt a pang of regret.

"What's wrong with that sentence? Isn't it from a short story? I think it was written by... Atsushi Nakajima?" Prince Xu said.

"Ignore that," Ning Chunyan said domineeringly, "repeat it."

"I'm afraid I'm not a perfect gem... Sigh, how can I remember after only hearing it once? Say it again."

"Never mind," Ning Chunyan said, her interest vanishing and her tone becoming somewhat displeased. "Just consider it me overthinking it."

Prince Xu feigned innocence: "What happened?"

"It's nothing."

Ning Chunyan's tone was unfriendly. Women's words can't be trusted, especially "it's nothing." If you actually believe "it's nothing," then things could get very serious. Wang Zixu, after all, wasn't very experienced, and he was easily fooled. Mistakenly thinking he was safe, he cautiously asked, "Should I hang up?"

This sentence finally ignited Ning Chunyan's emotions, and her complaints poured out like a flood:

"I feel like I've been fooled, and I'm starting to doubt whether you even consider me a friend. I stupidly told you everything, like turning a sock inside out and showing you the dirt on the soles of my feet, but you didn't tell me anything. Was I too proactive and cheap, making you think I'm not important? If so, then let's not contact each other anymore. I'm sorry, but I have my pride too."

Wang Zixu broke out in a cold sweat: "Hey, hey, what are you saying?"

"Hmph, some people know exactly what I'm saying."

Prince Xu quickly racked his brains.

According to his experience, if his wife was throwing a tantrum, he only needed to send her a sum of money at the right time. However, this trick would not work on Ning Chunyan at all, and might even provoke her more and make her furious: "It has always been me, Xiao Ning, the Porsche owner, who sends money to others. When did it become the turn of a mere Prince Xu to bribe me with money?"

Aside from this one trick, he really didn't have any other special skills for coaxing girls. Even if he did, it wouldn't be appropriate to use them on Ning Chunyan. If he really used presumptuous methods to coax her, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that he was the little prince?

Just when he was at his wit's end, Wang Zixu had a sudden inspiration. While on the phone, he opened the Wen'ai APP, and sure enough, among the many invitations, he immediately saw the solemn new message that Ning Chunyan had sent the night before:

[This is a serious and important matter to discuss. This is truly the last time I'll be talking to you. Please agree.]

The Little Prince, dressed in a black trench coat, walked out of the kitchen, strode over, took the phone from his hand, and said:

"There's no time to hesitate. You take charge of talking to her, and I'll take charge of chatting with her."

This sounded incredibly surreal, but it made perfect sense in this context. Prince Xu nodded with a wry smile, while the little prince stretched out his hands, making a picture frame in the air:

"Yes, just stay in this state, feeling both amused and helpless, and continue talking to her in this state."

Prince Xu saw the little prince open Ning Chunyan's chat window and type swiftly:

[Didn't I tell you not to say "the last time" anymore? I really dislike it. As long as you're alive and I'm alive, never say "the last time." But tell me first what serious thing you have to say. If it's the end of the world, I might forgive you.]

As Wang Zixu watched the little prince type the message, goosebumps instantly covered his arms. Sometimes he admired this man; extreme frivolity could be a form of genuine affection. He opened his mouth and said to Ning Chunyan:

"Where are you cheap? I'm so lucky to have a friend like you. I wouldn't dare hide anything from you. It's just that you suddenly said all this to me today, which confuses me. What are you talking about?... "

Ning Chunyan sneered on the other end of the phone: "Hmph, keep pretending. I'm not stupid, I won't let this go on and on... Wait a minute."

The Little Prince had already clicked send. The Wen'ai app would send a vibration notification after the invitation was accepted, and Ning Chunyan finally noticed the Little Prince's reply. At that moment, there was a flurry of activity on the other end of the phone; she must have been checking the message.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wang Zixu continued to feign ignorance: "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?"

Ning Chunyan's tone became weak and urgent, with a hint of shyness:

"Wait a minute..."

A short while later, the Little Prince received a new message:

[You haven't talked to me for so long, and you even said "don't say it's the last time."]

This message appears to be without punctuation, yet one can almost see Ning Chunyan's face, which can be both joyful and angry, reflected in the sentence.

The Little Prince quickly typed: "It's truly my fault for not contacting you for so long. But allow me to explain: I have a heavy creative schedule, and besides work, I simply don't have the spare time to serve you. If possible, I hope to be in the best possible condition for each user. Of course, so far, you are the only user I've worked with."

The little prince typed out such a long message quickly and sent it over the phone. Ning Chunyan must have read it, because her breathing on the other end of the line became rapid.

Wang Zixu said into the phone, "Hello, are you still there?"

"Uh..." Ning Chunyan's absent-minded voice came from the other end of the phone, "Sorry, where were we?"

"Speaking of me fooling you, thinking you're stupid, thinking you're cheap... such unheard-of atrocities are truly baffling."

Ning Chunyan said, "Uh... think about it first."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Think about whether you made a mistake. Tell me first, and then I'll tell you."

Her tone was noticeably more distant and perfunctory than before. A short while later, Qiu Ge replied with a long message:

[You don't need to treat this like work. Saying that makes me feel so guilty. I don't want to waste your time, and I don't want to be seen as someone who's affecting you. Promise me you won't be so formal when you talk to me anymore. Just treat it like a normal chat, don't waste your energy. If you don't want to talk anymore, just leave anytime. I absolutely won't blame you.]

Wang Zixu rolled his eyes so hard they almost reached the sky. Woman, your name is double standards. She says she wants Wang Zixu to explain himself, yet she's carefully typing all this out, but she clearly doesn't care what he's saying at all.

Wang Zixu said, "Hey, I'm done talking, did you hear me?"

Ning Chunyan said, "Yes, yes, I heard you. I understand."

Prince Xu asked, "What did you hear? And then?"

Ning Chunyan said, "Hmm, it seems there's been a little misunderstanding between us. How about this, let's have dinner together tonight to make peace and remain good friends."

The Little Prince was still diligently producing his work.

Are you saying I shouldn't treat you with a professional attitude? You're playing with fire. Turning a working relationship into a personal one is a major taboo.

[We say it's a working relationship, but you're only taking orders from me. How can I treat this relationship as just a working relationship? Hmm, I understand. It's my fault for being too idealistic.]

What I mean is, I'm fine with playing with fire with you. It's just a little unfair to me.

Qiu Ge fell for it as expected: [Where is the unfairness?]

The Little Prince: "I only have you as a customer, but you have many friends. Of course, that's not fair."

Qiu Ge: [I haven't requested anything from anyone in ages!]

The Little Prince: [But the initiative is in your hands, isn't it?]

Even over the phone, Wang Zixu could hear Ning Chunyan's disordered breathing. He said, "Waiwai, you haven't spoken in a long time. I feel like you're a little distracted when you're talking to your friends. You've hurt yourself."

Ning Chunyan said angrily, "What are you saying? I was just thinking about something."

"Isn't that just being absent-minded?"

On the other end of the phone, Ning Chunyan made an aggressive, feline-like sound.

Wang Zixu suddenly felt that it was a bit too mean for him and the little prince, two grown men, to team up and tease her.

……

In the afternoon, Wang Zixu rode his bicycle to his father's place in the north of the city.

Ever since the Red Armband volunteers notified them of a change of residence, Wang Zixu had been helping his father look for a new place to rent. However, things hadn't gone very smoothly.

My father is a man who seems careless, but can be very meticulous about things that are inexplicable.

For example, when it comes to renting, he doesn't think living in a basement is that bad, but he thinks anyone charging over 500 yuan for rent is crazy. It's not that he's upset about spending more money; he simply thinks, "Why does that lousy landlord get to sit around and collect so much money without doing anything?"

He was indifferent to his own failures in life, but he was furious at his landlord's unearned wealth. He was conflicted in every aspect of his life, and this was not an isolated case.

The main reason he refused to move was because he harbored a sliver of hope. He felt that the enforcement wouldn't be that harsh, and that as long as he kept quiet, he could weather the storm. If they insisted on moving, he could then raise the banner of righteousness, and surely others with the same demands would follow him.

That's just his personality. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up such a failure.

Fortunately, Wang Zixu had already found a way out. If his father's matter were to cause a stir, it would surely be seen as a means for Gou Yingbiao to manipulate him.

When Wang Zixu arrived, his father was lying in bed. He saw Wang Zixu try to get up, but failed.

"You're here?"

The father came out, supporting his back. Wang Zixu stopped the car and said, "I've come to talk to you about something."

"What's up?"

"Didn't my unit send me out for training for half a month last time?" Wang Zixu said. "I was selected by the government office and transferred there to work on some kind of discipline and conduct team. I'll be working in another location for half a year."

The father shouted, "Long-distance relationship? You'll have to complain to your superiors about how inconvenient it is to be away from home for so long! If you come back, won't you get promoted on the spot?"

Wang Zixu said, "There is a travel allowance for business trips to other places."

"That's more like it."

Wang Zixu said, "Well, our house has been sitting empty for half a year. It's not good for a house to be deserted for too long. Why don't you go back and live there?"

Upon hearing this, Comrade Wang Jianguo's expression changed instantly.

"Go back for what the hell? What the hell would I do back there? No way, I feel disgusted just looking at that place."

Comrade Wang Jianguo immediately burst into a tirade of curses, his face turning bright red. Wang Zixu gave a wry smile.

This was within his expectations.

That place holds painful memories for Comrade Wang Jianguo; mentioning it is like touching a raw sore, causing him to grimace in pain. Such conversations have occurred more than once, and Wang Zixu never intended to persuade him to listen.

"I knew you'd say that. Here, take a look." Prince Xu tossed a newspaper over to him.

(End of this chapter)