I am not a literary giant

Chapter 134 Song of October (End of Volume One)

He who will one day shake the world must first remain silent for a long time; he who will one day ignite lightning must first wander like a cloud for a long time.

Although Comrade Wang Jianguo has never read Nietzsche, he has learned the lesson of forbearance in his life today.

Now it's Old Zhang's turn to shine: luxury cars, a new house, and a son and a daughter. He can only retreat in the face of adversity.

However, as long as Lao Zhang can't go to Donghai in the future, his son Wang Zixu will always be in Xihe, so the opportunity for revenge will always be there.

As people get older, they inevitably experience minor ailments like headaches and fevers. Old Zhang always comes to understand: it's a blessing that his children aren't successful. What use are high-flying, far-reaching birds like the Kunpeng to an old man? A bird in the hand is worse than two in the forest.

Wang Jianguo's face was ashen; he planned to proceed slowly and methodically.

Seeing the serious expression on Comrade Wang Jianguo's face, Wang Zixu was extremely anxious.

Zhang Wei didn't notice the expressions on the father and son's faces at all. He said to his sister, "I heard that the top student has a very good relationship with Professor Zhong from Nanjing University. You have connections at Nanjing University, so could you make a call and ask him about it?"

Zhang Xixi, cracking sunflower seeds, pouted and said, "Do you think a professor is like a homeroom teacher? You think I can ask him for help just by saying hello? Why don't you just tell me to go find a higher-up?"

"You can find a high-ranking leader if you want."

"Stop fooling around!"

Just moments ago, Wang Zixu was worried that he was being presumptuous, but now he was certain that they were referring to the top scholar of the Xihe Literary Society. They were looking for him.

He couldn't help but blush.

Prince Xu frowned and pondered: How could he reveal his identity to them in a dignified manner without appearing arrogant, in a way that would make them take him seriously without seeming too aggressive? ... In layman's terms, "how to show off in a dignified way."

He lacked experience in this area.

"Ahem, well..." Wang Zixu rubbed his hands on his pants, "The Xihe Literary Society..."

The Zhang siblings weren't paying any attention to him at all. Zhang Xixi turned to her brother and said, "Since we can't interview the first place winner, why don't you just interview the second place winner instead?"

Zhang Wei chuckled: "You know what? What a coincidence, the first and second place winners are from the same unit."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and how do you know I didn't interview the second-place winner?" Zhang Wei shook his head. "I sent her interview back to the company to have it edited, but I felt the results weren't very good. I still want to interview the first-place winner."

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they drowned out Wang Zixu's voice. His voice grew softer and softer until he finally rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

Pretending to be cool is so hard.

When will I be able to laugh heartily and go out the door naturally? Why is it that Li Bai's pretentiousness can be so effortless, like a gazelle hanging its horns?

Zhang Xixi asked, "How do you know that getting the top interviewee guarantees a published article?"

Zhang Wei said, "Of course I know that. Do you remember that wonderful interview on stage that day? I was very impressed after listening to it, but unfortunately I didn't record it, and the TV station didn't replay it."

Zhang Xixi asked, "What are you saying?"

Zhang Wei frowned in thought, rubbing his forehead with his fingers and hissing. After a while, he finally said:

"The general idea is that literature is something only losers read."

Zhang Xixi chuckled mischievously: "No wonder I can't get into literary works, it's because I'm too successful."

“That’s not what I meant,” Wang Zixu said. “Literature is not just for losers; rather, it’s literature that stands with failure in its back and moves towards victory. Failure and victory are not two completely different things, but two aspects of the same thing.”

"My words were not entirely my own thoughts. As Mr. Lu Xun once said in a speech, 'Literature is the most useless thing. It is spoken by people without power. People with power kill without saying a word. The oppressed are killed for speaking a few words or writing a few words. Even if they are lucky enough not to be killed, they cry out, complain, and complain every day, but the people with power still oppress, abuse, and kill them. There is no way to deal with them.'"

"This refers to literature during the revolutionary period. But what about literature after the revolution's victory? People don't care whether your ideas are right or wrong, they don't consider the value of your works, they only care about how much money you made. If you made a lot of money, you were right, and if others made more money, then they were even more right."

"If you speak your thoughts aloud, people will suspect you have ulterior motives, that you want to become famous and make more money. So I can only tell stories and let the readers figure it out for themselves. I just hope that some of them can glean something from them and be able to turn the tide in critical moments, turning defeat into victory."

Strangely enough, Wang Zixu would perk up whenever literature was mentioned, completely forgetting all about showing off. Literature was the only thing that could give him lasting pleasure.

After he finished speaking at length, he realized that everyone was staring at him. He then realized that his previous statement was missing some essential information, so he added:

"The person you want to interview is me. I am the top scholar in the Xihe Literary Society."

"Huh?" Zhang Xixi asked in confusion.

Wang Zixu simply said, "My name is Wang Zixu."

Comrade Wang Jianguo rolled his eyes dramatically: "Tsk, they're talking about serious business, what nonsense are you spouting? What's your title of number one?"

Hearing Wang Jianguo say this, everyone realized that Wang Zixu had been joking, and they all breathed a sigh of relief, their tense nerves relaxing. If he were really the top scholar in the Xihe Literary Competition, his father wouldn't be unaware of it. But then, the breath they had just released became tense again.

"But I'm the top scholar in the Xihe Literary Society!"

He reached into his waistband, intending to casually flaunt the evidence, but found nothing and froze on the spot.

Where's my newspaper?

Seeing his son's expression, Wang Jianguo felt even more that he was being foolish, and his face was full of impatience: "What exactly do you want to do?"

"Where's my newspaper?"

Wang Zixu suddenly remembered that he had thrown the newspaper on the coffee table. He hurriedly ran to the living room, only to find the coffee table completely bare. Fortunately, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. He looked down and found the rolled-up newspaper in the trash can next to him.

Prince Xu returned to the crowd with the newspaper, showed them the front page, and pointed to the seat in the middle.

"Here I am. There's no need for me, a mere prince, to impersonate anyone, is there?"

In the newspaper, the figure standing in the middle was undoubtedly Wang Zixu, towering over the people on either side.

It's a pity that Chen Qingluo wasn't in the photo, otherwise Wang Zixu would definitely have cut it out and kept it.

Comrade Wang Jianguo quickly took the newspaper to read. Zhang Xixi looked down at the newspaper, then looked up at him, then looked down at the newspaper again, then looked up at him again, pointing her finger in the air, but couldn't speak. Finally, she covered her mouth and gasped.

So all that discussion and brainstorming they've been doing here, while the person in question is just sitting at home?

What a coincidence!

Zhang Wei was stunned for a long time before suddenly standing up: "You're the first prize winner of this Xihe Literary Gathering, the one who was collectively nominated?"

Wang Zixu waved his hand: "Yes, but I believe that a writer's reputation should lie in his works, not in the awards he receives."

Zhang Wei quickly ran over and grabbed his hand:

"You're the number one! You should have said so earlier! I was just here... I'm so sorry about all this mess!"

Zhang Wei's face turned red at a visible speed, making Wang Zixu feel embarrassed on his behalf.

He secretly wiped away his sweat.

What a pretentious guy, yet he managed to put on such a disjointed act. No one else could do it but him.

If he could do it all over again, he would definitely learn from Li Bai and be more bold and unrestrained.

"You piece of trash, you're only telling me about something this big today?" Wang Jianguo yelled, his eyes bulging like a toad. "You won this award, and you're not even telling your dad anymore? You brat, if it weren't for your pride, I'd take off my shoe and beat you up with the sole!"

Prince Xu said, "Didn't I just come to report this?"

Wang Jianguo said, "It happened the day before yesterday, and I only found out today! The whole Xihe area knows about it, and you're only telling me now!"

The prince thought to himself, "Isn't it always you who looks down on my writing?" Now the old man was acting all wronged.

He said, "It's such a small matter, not worth making a fuss about."

Wang Jianguo was the first to get agitated: "What do you mean by 'making a fuss'? Winning first place in the Xihe Literary Competition means being the first person in the entire Xihe region to write articles! Such a glorious achievement would make other families set off firecrackers at their ancestral graves! How can you call it 'making a fuss'?!"

He glanced down at the newspaper again, his eyes gleaming with eagerness, and asked, "It says there's another 100,000 yuan bonus, is that true?"

Wang Zixu drank some water: "It's true. I used this money to buy you a house. It's not big, but it'll do."

Wang Jianguo's eyes immediately lit up, his chest puffed out, his back straightened, and he looked radiant, as if he had instantly become ten years younger.

He looked at Old Zhang triumphantly: "Did you hear that? This kid's got some sense after all; he used his bonus to buy me a house!"

Old Zhang nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice, and said weakly, "Good, good, so filial."

Having won back a round, Old Wang was elated and became much more cheerful, or perhaps too cheerful, as he started pontificating and talking nonsense again.

Prince Xu shook his head. Then he smiled softly.

They reached a settlement.

Wang Zixu had an urgent inspiration to write down, so he declined Lao Zhang's invitation to stay. He exchanged contact information with Zhang Wei and agreed to schedule an interview another day.

Before leaving, the Zhang siblings still felt it wasn't thoughtful enough and insisted on driving him back. Seeing Zhang Wei's firm attitude, Wang Zixu agreed and sat in the passenger seat of the Mercedes.

I still feel that Porsche seats are more comfortable.

Zhang Wei asked, "Are you studying humanities or sciences?"

"science."

"You don't seem like it at all, haha. Don't mind me. I've read your novels and found them to be incredibly detailed, especially the characters, which seem so real. That's not like the thinking of a science student."

Wang Zixu said, "In fact, there is no essential difference in thinking between liberal arts students and science students. Science students need the imagination of liberal arts students, and liberal arts students need the logic and rigor of science students. We cannot define ourselves by knowledge."

Zhang Wei took a deep breath and said, "You're right, brilliant, truly brilliant. Your award this time was a huge surprise, beating many veteran writers who have published numerous articles. Besides this award-winning piece, have you written any other works?"

Wang Zixu said, "I have written about it. I recently published an article in the journal Yangtze River."

"Really? Yangtze River is the leading literary magazine in this province!"

"Yes, it's the very latest issue, the very first article in 'Yangtze River'." Wang Zixu smiled. "I waited a long time for the news that it had been accepted."

Zhang Wei exclaimed in surprise, "The first one? It seems they value you a lot. Usually, the first article in 'Yangtze River' is given to a more substantial long-running series, or to a heavyweight newcomer."

"Is that even a saying?"

"Yes," Zhang Wei nodded. "You're very talented. Have you considered participating in the Emerging Writers' Competition?"

"Feishi?"

For some reason, Wang Zixu felt like he had heard the name somewhere before.

"Isn't Fei Shi a jewelry brand?" Zhang Xixi, who was in the back seat of the car, asked.

Zhang Wei said, "Yes, it's a jewelry brand. To highlight its brand value, the brand funded a literary competition with a top prize of 100 million yuan."

Upon hearing the number, Wang Zixu was stunned. Zhang Xixi, sitting in the back row, was more composed and asked, "Isn't this kind of literary award a bit too commercialized?"

Zhang Wei, gripping the steering wheel, pondered, "Well, the brand's starting point is definitely to make money, but without their funding, such an attractive competition couldn't have been organized. The judges they invited are all big names in the industry, like Sophie and Yanzishan, who are all contenders for the Nobel Prize in Literature."

Zhang Xixi said, "That sounds pretty good. Have they held this event before?"

"It has been held before, and the winner of the last competition was Xiao Mengyin."

Upon hearing this name, Wang Zixu immediately remembered it.

Isn't this the award that woman who staged an accident to extort money won?

Zhang Xixi, sitting in the back row, exclaimed instantly, "Wow! Xiao Mengyin, her book is really good!"

Zhang Wei turned his head with a smile: "Don't you dislike reading literature?"

"Her writing really hits home! It completely resonated with me! And she's very outspoken; I really like her personality. By the way, is she quite popular lately?"

"Yes, it's very popular," Zhang Wei said. "Because of that... Little Prince, right?"

"Yes, The Little Prince is popular too. Why is he so popular? It's so strange."

Prince Xu listened quietly.

This is the second time today.

This is the second time that these two siblings have talked about him in front of him.

"Teacher Wang," Zhang Wei turned to look at him, "you really should participate in this essay contest. How should I put it, this essay contest is very suitable for you... Do you have any long works?"

Prince Xu shook his head: "I plan to write it, but I haven't yet."

"That's for the best. Their submission deadline is still six months away," Zhang Wei explained to him. "Actually, it's very difficult for a newly emerging author like you to get publishing opportunities, but it's also too hard to make a living by writing full-time through submissions. After all, the royalties are too low. So you can only endure it. But this literary award will create a series of published works around the winning authors. As long as you can make it to the finals, you won't have to worry about publishing opportunities in the future."

Wang Zixu asked, "Can everyone submit articles? Are there any other requirements? For example, are there any word count requirements?"

"No, the word count for winning awards is usually around 100,000 to 200,000 words, which is about the size of a book. Since it can definitely be published after being shortlisted, the more words the better."

The prince understood this perfectly.

Along the way, he consulted Zhang Wei on many things. Zhang Wei was involved in book promotion and was very knowledgeable about the literary world. Wang Zixu learned a great deal from his conversation with him. The two arranged to meet again.

After getting out of the car, Zhang Xixi specially opened the car door, ran over with her long legs, and said breathlessly, "Teacher Wang, you only added my brother on WeChat, and forgot to add me on WeChat."

Wang Zixu was a little flattered and said, "I'm sorry, I was actually planning to ask your brother for your contact information later."

Zhang Xixi laughed and said, "I'm the one who should feel embarrassed. We're the ones who should feel embarrassed today."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

After a pause, Wang Zixu added, "Do you work at Nanjing University? Actually, I'm planning to take the entrance exam for Nanjing University's graduate program next year. Maybe we'll run into each other there."

"Really? You also got into Nanjing University's graduate program through sheer hard work. Leave your address, and I'll send you my old notebooks."

Prince Xu quickly expressed his gratitude.

It was this immediate self-proclaimed senior status that reminded him of a certain senior.

After saying goodbye to the Zhang siblings, Wang Zixu went to Ning Chunyan's dinner party. When he arrived, Ning Chunyan and Ye Lan were waiting for him at the barbecue stall.

The two women were slender and had captivating eyes. Ye Lan had bright red lips and full stockings; Ning Chunyan had a waist so thin it could be encircled, and long hair that reached her waist. When they saw him arrive, they both raised their beer glasses high.

He looked around for a while, searching for someone, but was ultimately disappointed.

Ning Chunyan asked mischievously, "Who are you looking for? Aren't the two of us enough to keep you company while you drown your sorrows in alcohol? Who else are you expecting to come over?"

Ye Lan lazily peeled a peanut and put it in her mouth: "If you're looking for Zuo Ziliang, he's celebrating his wife's birthday and can't come."

For a moment, Prince Xu was somewhat dazed. That person actually had a wife?

But then I thought, Zuo Ziliang is that age too, it's normal for him to have a wife.

Ning Chunyan said, "Chen Qingluo has gone back."

Prince Xu looked up: "Where did you go back to?"

"She went back to the East China Sea," Ning Chunyan said. "I originally planned to go back with her, but she left in such a hurry that I wanted to stay for a couple more days."

The prince asked tentatively, "Why did she leave in such a hurry?"

"Go back and get busy with her novel's publication," Ning Chunyan said.

She paused, then added, "If nothing unexpected happens, you will see her on the list of winners for the Mao Dun Literature Prize this year."

Ye Lan said, "That's amazing?"

"Hmm. Very strong."

Prince Xu lowered his head.

After so many years of busy work, he has finally made some progress recently, but why does it feel like the distance between him and Chen Qingluo has not shortened at all?

Ning Chunyan looked down at his face: "You were really hoping Chen Qingluo would come too? What, are you interested in her?"

"No, I was just looking for Zuo Ziliang."

Ye Lan, standing to the side, asked curiously, "Who are you interested in?"

Ning Chunyan raised her glass: "Alright, alright, let's not tease him anymore. Let's all raise a glass today to toast our friend Wang Zixu's wife who has passed away! Cheers!"

Ye Lan said, "Isn't that a bit strange?"

Ning Chunyan thought for a moment and said, "It seems so."

"No need to pretend. You really hurt me," Wang Zixu said.

Ning Chunyan chuckled. She had a more private conversation with the little prince today, and was currently in a daze, unable to be serious no matter what. This state of hers would last at least three more days.

Of course, she had no idea that she had been tricked by Prince Xu and the Little Prince working together.

Ning Chunyan said, "Alright, alright, then I'll correct it. And also, to celebrate Prince Xu's first place in the Xihe Literary Gathering; and to the successful publication of my magazine, let's raise a glass!"

Ye Lan also raised her glass, glanced sideways at Wang Zixu, and shouted, "For the continued prosperity of our company!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone said in unison.

At this point, Wang Zixu recalled a line of poetry that Wang Xiaobo particularly admired: "The morning mist rises, the fallen leaves drift / Let us fill our cups with fine wine!"

Prince Xu specifically read this poem called "Song of October," and it was indeed excellent.

October, the golden autumn month. For him, October holds a different meaning. October is generally the month when the Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded.

As the morning mist rises, fallen leaves drift down.

Let's fill our glasses with fine wine!

We must change these gray days

Let's gild it, let's gild it!

Autumn has indeed arrived, but please wait a little longer.

As long as you wait less time

Spring is coming, and the heavens will smile.

The world should be filled with the fragrance of violets!

Blue days followed one after another.

While it's still around

My brave friend, we must

Enjoy yourself! Enjoy yourself!

……

Autumn has arrived in the blink of an eye.

Wang Zixu has been very busy lately. He's been busy studying and writing.

He was so busy that he rarely had time to go out and take a look around. So when he finally went out one day and suddenly saw the yellow leaves on the trees, he was stunned.

He held the steaming teacup, stomped his numb right foot, opened his phone, and saw the words "Haruki Murakami once again lost the race." He immediately knew that it was October again.

He has 49 chances left.

(End of Volume One)

(End of this chapter)