I am not a literary giant

Chapter 146 Half of Man is Woman

The prince asked tentatively, "How are you feeling?"

Ye Lan said, "Hmm..."

The prince asked humbly, "Wasn't that satisfying enough?"

Ye Lan said, "Hmm... let me take a moment."

Wang Zixu said, "It's alright, don't hold back. Feel free to speak your mind, I can handle it."

Ye Lan threw the manuscript paper on the table: "This is the first time I've ever read such a long piece of literature. How am I supposed to critique it? I don't understand it!"

Wang Zixu patiently said, "What I'm looking for is an ordinary person like you. You just need to tell me instinctively whether it's good or bad, and whether you want to keep watching."

Ye Lan looked confused: "I don't know if it's good or not. This is my first time reading this kind of literature. Actually, I couldn't understand it for a long time at first, but for some reason, I persisted and read so much. So, you asked me if it's good or not... I think it should be good, right?"

That day, Prince Xu asked to meet Ye Lan, and she came excitedly. She specially wore a white short-sleeved knit sweater that she had never worn before, with a black polka dot dress, gray stockings on her legs, and a pair of wedge heels on her feet.

When they met at the agreed-upon coffee shop, Wang Zixu turned around and pulled out a stack of manuscripts so large they made Ye Lan faint, saying he wanted her to appreciate them. Upon seeing the densely packed words on the manuscripts, Ye Lan's anxiety, a vestige of years of compulsory education, kicked in. It took Wang Zixu a long time of persuasion and reassurance before she finally read through tens of thousands of words in one go.

Ye Lan complained, "I really don't understand. Why do you need me to take a look? Don't you have many friends who are involved in literature? Why don't you ask them to take a look?"

Wang Zixu said, "My book is not lacking in professional opinions, but I hope that it can be enjoyed by the general public and even people who do not read. Just like Bai Juyi would show his poems to old women after he finished writing them, and his requirement for himself was that 'the old woman could understand them'."

Ye Lan asked curiously, "What's an old woman?"

"It's an old lady."

Ye Lan snapped: "You're calling me an old lady?"

"It's a metaphor, a metaphor," Prince Xu quickly explained, "and I already showed it to them."

Ye Lan asked, "Have you all seen them? Ning Cai Nu, Lin Feng, have they all seen them?"

"right."

Ye Lan raised her voice: "So you're saying you'll give it to me last?"

"I don't rule out the possibility of meeting new suitable candidates later, and I will show them to them as well."

Ye Lan took a big gulp of coffee and slammed the cup down: "I'm so annoyed!"

Wang Zixu was completely baffled as to what was wrong with her and was somewhat confused.

Wang Zixu prepared a revision notebook for his "Chinese version of One Hundred Years of Solitude". Every time he showed it to a friend, he would write down the omissions, errors and things that needed to be revised. Now, he has filled more than a hundred pages.

When I showed it to Lin Feng earlier, he held the manuscript, his brows furrowed for a long time before finally saying:

"The previous revisions looked perfect, but when it came to the espionage part, it just felt a bit off."

Prince Xu's heart tightened: "What's strange about it?"

Lin Feng said, "What is Shen Ci's motive? Why does he keep hindering the protagonist? Although it's exciting, upon closer inspection, it doesn't hold up to scrutiny, and the whole story feels superficial and not as exciting as the beginning."

Wang Zixu was silent for a moment before saying, "I wrote about Shen Ci's personal storyline before, but I deleted it because it was too long."

Raymond Lam said, "I think we should add it, otherwise it feels like the character isn't well-developed. It's better not to write it at all."

Wang Zixu said, "There is a very important turning point after this that is related to this person, and I really can't leave it out."

Raymond Lam said, "Then let's add it."

Wang Zixu wrote it down in his notebook, saying, "Well, the more I revise, the more words there are."

Lin Feng said, "Don't worry about the word count. I read your book in one go and found it very good and inspiring. I think this is China's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude.' Saying it's strange is nitpicking, because this part of the plot is very tight, but it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. If you think about it carefully, it will feel fake. I think it's better to have more words and polish it better."

Wang Zixu said seriously, "I aspire for this book to be one that can be read more than once, so this problem definitely needs to be solved. But the key is, even if this plot is added, I'm not sure if it will achieve the effect I want."

Lin Feng said, "Don't rush, there's still time. You can revise it first, and I'll take a look as soon as I have time."

Prince asked humbly, "Aren't you planning to try your luck with the Jade Literature Prize?"

Lin Feng smiled wryly: "I tried writing a novel before, and it was a complete mess. I'm too embarrassed to even show it. I'm much more suited to reportage. The Reportage Society's Literature Award will be announced soon, and I'm planning to give it a shot."

Wang Zixu felt sorry for him, but he understood his choice and patted him on the shoulder: "The path you've been studying is also very meaningful."

Lin Feng said, "No, my work is not as meaningful as yours. Your work is broader and can touch on deeper social issues more profoundly."

After saying that, he sighed and said, "You must complete this work well. I have a feeling that this work will not only have a huge impact on you personally, but also on the whole society."

Prince Xu smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words. I hope it will have a positive impact."

Lin Feng said, "By the way, you can also send it to Ning Cai Nu for her help."

Mentioning Ning Chunyan gave Wang Zixu a headache. Seeing that he wasn't speaking, Lin Feng asked, "What's wrong? Did you two have a fight?"

Prince Xu asked in surprise, "Arguing?"

Are he and Ning Chunyan so close that they can "bicker"? In Raymond Lam's eyes, was their relationship really that intimate?

This shocked him greatly.

Lin Feng smiled mysteriously: "It's nothing. Just show it to her; her opinion will definitely be more professional than mine."

Wang Zixu said, "I showed it to her. Her evaluation was acceptable..."

He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself. His headache wasn't about this manuscript; it was about the Little Prince article he was supposed to submit to the magazine "New Appreciation."

The manuscript was almost finished, but he didn't know who to give his feedback to.

Ning Chunyan definitely wouldn't offer any opinions. She has a bias; she'll approve of any manuscript submitted by the Little Prince. She even said at the magazine that she could publish it as prose even if it was a collection of witty remarks.

Besides her, he could also give the manuscript to Cheng Xing or the poet, but they also have their own biases. Besides, he didn't want to talk to them about things outside of work, as that would increase the risk of exposure.

Therefore, the remaining candidates are very limited.

So he placed a new stack of manuscript paper in front of Ye Lan.

Ye Lan stared wide-eyed: "What is this?"

"Take a look at this other novel for me," Wang Zixu said. "This one isn't long, only ten or twenty thousand words, and it's quite lighthearted. Give me your feedback after you've read it."

Ye Lan roared in fury: "Ten or twenty thousand words isn't long? I think even 500-word reading comprehension passages are long!"

Prince Xu comforted him, saying, "You don't need to do reading comprehension; just feel it and then tell me your thoughts."

Ye Lan turned her head away.

Wang Zixu leaned closer and said in a humble voice, "I'll treat you to milk tea."

"I don't drink; I've already gained weight from drinking too much."

"Then name whatever you want. As long as I can afford it, I'll give it to you as a reward."

Ye Lan became happy: "You said it! I've wanted a Yves Saint Laurent lipstick for a long time, you're going to buy it for me."

Wang Zixu nodded hurriedly, "Okay, okay." Only then did Ye Lan pick up his manuscript.

This article has a completely different tone from the previous one.

The story is set on a university campus. The male protagonist is a confused, lying, awkward, narcissistic, and insecure young man.

He is intelligent, with unconventional thinking, and exceptional talent. He has read many books, understands many principles, and is quite conceited and arrogant. However, he is timid and lazy, never sticking to any idea, and therefore often remains silent when asked about his achievements, just like many young college students.

One day, he met a girl.

This girl is strong, sincere, and completely unpretentious and unvulgar. She understands all his humor, as well as his inner pride and cowardice. If he has read a thousand books, then she has read two thousand; if he has watched a thousand movies, then she has watched two thousand; if he puts on an act that is difficult for ordinary people to understand, she will put on an act that is even more difficult to understand.

About thirty people have pursued her, and she has dated two of them, but neither relationship lasted more than a week. Her greatest hobby is reading poetry, but she doesn't presume to write it herself; her biggest worry is that she only has a B-cup; and her greatest hope is for someone extraordinary to appear who can understand her world.

Ye Lan turned the page.

Seeing this, she could roughly guess what was going to happen next: this was probably a campus romance story, and the boy would definitely pursue the girl, only to end up getting hurt.

Even though she guessed what would happen next, she was still propelled by a mysterious force to continue reading. The male and female leads were both well-developed characters, and she felt a strong sense of identification with them.

However, this story is not an ordinary romantic comedy; what follows is an astonishing twist that leaves Ye Lan speechless:

After completely messing up an event and on the verge of losing the female lead, the male protagonist activates his superpowers and travels back in time.

The protagonist possesses the ability to travel back in time. He once tried to use this ability to live a perfect life, but he soon discovered that the world is too complex, and sometimes what appears perfect is often a beautifully disguised trap. To achieve this, he must constantly rewind time until his memories become disordered. Then one day, he suddenly realizes that he is aging.

So he settled down. Rather than wasting his limited life in a complicated world, he figured he might as well stay in school forever. So he kept going back in time, changing schools every four years, until he met the female protagonist.

Ye Lan continued reading.

As expected, the male protagonist's plan backfired. He thought he had the authority of God and could easily win a girl's heart, but he ended up messing things up time and time again.

Finally, he discovered a huge secret: coincidentally, this girl also possessed superpowers.

The female protagonist was actually born more than 100 years ago. Her ability is to erase the past like a snake swallowing its own tail, and the time squeezed out can keep her body forever young.

However, if she deletes her past, she will not remember what happened in the past.

Therefore, the male protagonist, who only has a past and no future, falls in love with the female protagonist, who has no past and only a future.

The story reaches a stalemate here: if the female protagonist chooses to live with the male protagonist, she will use up her time, grow old, and die.

In order to prevent her from dying, the male protagonist has no choice but to keep going back to the past, getting to know the female protagonist again, and reliving the many times they were separated by life and death.

If the female protagonist chooses to live, the best way is to permanently erase all memories of the male protagonist. She will continue to travel into the future like a train, while the male protagonist will remain in the past and never meet again.

Ye Lan turned the page again.

"The End"

The story ends here.

Ye Lan threw the manuscript paper down.

The prince, startled, asked, "What are you doing?"

Ye Lan screamed, "What happens next? What happened to the rest? What happened to the male lead? Is the female lead dead or alive? Finish writing it!"

Prince Xu said dejectedly, "It's already finished."

"No way!" Ye Lan grabbed his collar, gritting her teeth. "I don't want the Saint Laurent lipstick anymore. You finish writing this, right now!"

Wang Zixu pried her hands away and said, "It's like this, the story I wanted to express has been completely written, so it should end here. What follows is just for your amusement, and actually detracts from my expression..."

Ye Lan shook his shoulders: "I don't care! I just want to have some fun! You better finish writing it, ahhhhh..."

It took Ye Lan about half an hour to calm down. Wang Zixu ordered her a milk tea, and Ye Lan decided to have a good talk with him.

"Did you really write this?" Ye Lan asked. "It feels different from the first one you gave me. I'm more engrossed in this one. Of course, it's not that the first one was bad, but I was really absorbed in the second one. I feel like the plot can surpass those melodramatic TV dramas."

Prince Xu said, "Yes, you're right. I wrote the first one, and the Little Prince wrote the second one."

Ye Lan thought for a moment and said, "Oh, I see. You wrote and published the second one under the name of The Little Prince, right? That's great, that's great. This one will definitely be a big seller, and it might even be adapted into a movie."

Prince Xu said, "I hadn't thought of that."

His only thought was to be able to give Ning Chunyan a satisfactory answer.

Ye Lan slammed the milk tea onto the table with the force of a pile driver, frowning as she said, "You have to think about it. Let me tell you, the more engrossed I was in the beginning of this story, the more I was devastated when I saw 'The End.' If you don't want to be bombarded with criticism from the readers, you'd better finish it!"

Wang Zixu had a headache: "Is it that serious? But I still can't figure out how to write the rest."

"Then think about it! Think about it quickly, and tell me as soon as you've figured it out, preferably before tonight. I want to get a good night's sleep tonight."

After finishing that topic, Ye Lan abruptly steered the conversation back to reality: "I saw an apartment in Donghai, 80 square meters, close to the company, move-in ready, 170 million yuan. It's a bit too much for me to afford on my own. I was thinking, since you're moving there anyway, let's buy it together, pay the mortgage together, and each own half the property."

Wang Zixu was a little stunned after hearing this: "Is this even possible? We're not related at all, can we buy a house together?"

Ye Lan rolled her eyes: "I don't like hearing that. Aren't we partners? Do you think I'm afraid you'll run away? Think about it, you pay five or six thousand a month in rent and five or six thousand a month in mortgage. You're giving all your rent money to the landlord, but after paying off the mortgage, you still get a house in your own hands. Where else can you find such a good deal?"

Wang Zixu said, "I'm just worried about the inconvenience of living together."

Ye Lan exclaimed urgently, "I didn't even look down on you!"

Wang Zixu said he would think about it, and the two agreed to go see a house together when they had time. Before leaving, Ye Lan repeatedly emphasized that he must finish writing the story "A Man with No Future and a Woman with No Past," and write a happy ending that would satisfy her, otherwise she would bother him if she couldn't sleep that night. Wang Zixu agreed blankly.

On his way home, he suddenly remembered that he had only just started preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam, and there was still more than half of the "Chinese version of One Hundred Years of Solitude" to revise. He had originally planned to hand it over to Ning Chunyan as a short story to get by, but now he had added a lot of extra work for no reason.

What should we do next?

(End of this chapter)