I am not a literary giant

Chapter 149 I am your father

"Could you please get this guy out of here? I'm busy right now, and he's driving me crazy!"

Wang Zixu looked up and saw the boy. He was tall and thin, dressed in black casual clothes, with his bangs neatly styled and an earring in his left earlobe. He recognized him.

That day at the lecture at Yanzishan, he sat next to Wang Zixu and his name was Shi Shuqiu.

Shi Shuqiu raised his hands and walked sincerely to Lu Qingxuan's side, saying, "Qingxuan, listen to me, listen to me, listen to me."

He said "Listen to me" three times in a row before Lu Qingxuan finally looked up at him, but her eyes held a hint of anger: "Listening to you is useless!"

"Listen to me first. This is an opportunity for Nanjing University students to share their knowledge and insights with the world. Your decision could affect the growth of a new generation of literary talents."

Lu Qingxuan pointed at Wang Zixu with a bitter face: "Go find Wang Zixu. He's the official editor here. I'm just a part-timer. I told you it's no use looking for me."

Shi Shuqiu turned her head and asked in surprise, "You're Wang Zixu? I've heard of you. You're the one who beat Lu Qingxuan in the word game last time? You've become Lu Qingxuan's colleague?"

Lu Qingxuan said, "Can we please not bring that up again?"

Shi Shuqiu pointed at him and said, "Does his word carry any weight? Can I get my demands met by talking to him?"

Wang Zixu pulled up a chair for himself: "Whether my words carry weight depends on whether your demands are reasonable. What exactly is going on? Lu Qingxuan, explain to me what all these people in the magazine are doing?"

He drew a circle in the air, encompassing many people, including Shi Shuqiu. Shi Shuqiu stood there like a Casanova, with two followers playing rock-paper-scissors behind him. A familiar-looking girl clutched her bag and bit her lip. Two young men with dry lips squatted under the air conditioner, staring at them. Outside the door, a lean young man covered in sweat smoked one cigarette after another.

Lu Qingxuan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said in a low voice, "Tomorrow, Professor Huang Xinghuo is going to hold a live-streamed open class in the auditorium, a special discussion on 'The Lost City and the Empty City.' We are currently helping with the preparations, but this guy says he wants to make the post-class discussion more grand and wants to stand up and speak himself."

Shi Shuqiu added from the side, "I've already finished the PowerPoint presentation."

Wang Zixu was shocked: Professor? Live broadcast? Special seminar?

What happened during the time he was engrossed in writing? Why did Ning Chunyan make such a big move without making a sound?

Lu Qingxuan added, "Originally, the event was relatively simple, with only Professor Huang participating. However, the number of people who registered for the live stream exceeded 10, and it was even reported by CNR.cn. So the school suddenly became very concerned about it and expanded the scale. Even some school leaders wanted to participate, and we had to reconnect with the venue and the live stream."

Wang Zixu was shocked again: 10? (Source: CNR.cn)

This is no longer something that can be summarized as a trivial, major operation.

He asked, "How's our magazine's print run?"

He fears that the current hype is just a facade. If it's generating a huge buzz online but not a single copy is actually sold, it means the audience doesn't care at all and is just watching for the spectacle.

Lu Qingxuan's answer made him sweat: "Our magazine was published a bit conservatively. We only printed 10,000 copies at the beginning, and it sold out immediately. We printed another 10,000 copies, and it sold out again. We've already printed five rounds, and many places are still urging us to place orders. I've been busy since the last two days and haven't had much of a break."

She looked at Wang Zixu with a resentful gaze, as if to say, "It's all your fault for not showing up to do your job, you're a full-time employee."

The prince, feeling ashamed, coughed lightly, clapped his hands, and said to the crowd outside, "If you have any problems, come to me. I'm the editor, and I'll give you an answer."

He dragged a table over, dusted it off, and the group of idlers quickly gathered around.

Ye Lan moved a chair over and sat behind Lu Qingxuan to watch, saying, "These are all straightforward jobs, so they're easy to do."

Lu Qingxuan glanced back at the beautiful woman, somewhat curious about her identity, but didn't ask.

Shi Shuqiu walked over: "If your words have any effect, please call Editor-in-Chief Ning. If you can't explain the importance of this, you can let me speak for you..."

Wang Zixu looked up at him and interrupted, "The auditorium rental has a time limit, and the event arrangement also has a time limit. If it exceeds the time limit, the budget will be deducted. You said you wanted to add a segment, it's not that you can't add it, but I'll review your speech later and decide based on the length, okay? Let me hear what others have to say first."

Once Wang Zixu got into work mode, his entire aura changed. He had been working for many years, which was incomparable to these college students who were still in school. Although Shi Shuqiu was used to being domineering, he was actually overshadowed by Wang Zixu and couldn't say a word.

The girl who looked familiar walked over, patted Wang Zixu on the shoulder, and said, "Do you remember me?"

Wang Zixu looked up at her: "What's your name...?"

"He Yangyuxiao. We met briefly when you came to register before," the girl said. "To make a long story short, I'm from the Nanjing University Student Union. Regarding tomorrow's open class, our official Weibo account is preparing to post a promotional message. Does your magazine have any internal promotional text for 'The Lost City'? I hope to give readers who haven't read it before a more comprehensive understanding of the work."

Lu Qingxuan replied, "No. If we're going to get a recommendation, I think it would be best to have Chief Ning write one. She's the most authoritative, but unfortunately she's too busy right now."

Wang Zixu looked up: "Why don't you wait a bit?"

He Yangyuxiao said, "Any later and we'll miss the optimal time for promotion. People aren't in a rush, but things are."

Wang Zixu said, "Then I'll write one."

After saying that, he grabbed a notebook from the side and started scribbling on the paper. Lu Qingxuan, who was working nearby, immediately stood up and stopped him.

"Can you write it yourself? Have you read 'The Empty City Stratagem'?"

Wang Zixu seemed a little bewildered: "I've seen it."

"You haven't been to the office these past few days, you weren't there when we were reviewing manuscripts, and you haven't received the magazine. Where have you looked for it?"

This stumped Wang Zixu, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. Ye Lan covered her mouth and chuckled. Lu Qingxuan stared at him suspiciously.

Actually, she hadn't thought about it that way. She was just worried that Wang Zixu would pretend to know what he was talking about, and submit a hastily written recommendation, which would damage the reputation of the school's official WeChat account.

Wang Zixu said, "I've seen it online."

"Online."

Thanks to the all-powerful Internet, this statement dispelled Lu Qingxuan's slight doubts.

Lu Qingxuan said, "Then write it with more momentum and make it more shareable."

Wang Zixu had finished writing, tore the paper out of his notebook with a "whoosh," and handed it to He Yangyuxiao.

He Yangyuxiao took it and read it aloud:

"The Little Prince's debut novel. Written in a free and captivating style, it tells an unconventional coming-of-age story. To love, to save, or to forget each other in the vast world?...

After finishing reading, He Yangyuxiao raised her head and made a long, thin sound: "Hiss..."

Wang Zixu blushed slightly: "What's wrong? Isn't that a bit too much?"

"No, that's not exaggerated enough."

"what?"

"To be honest, you're being way too subtle. Have you even read it?" He Yangyuxiao complained. "Isn't this just like a typical romance novel?"

"what?"

Ye Lan was overjoyed, but Wang Zixu had warned her not to reveal her identity, so she could only laugh secretly.

Several other bystanders also joined the conversation, chattering amongst themselves:

"Yeah, it's too ordinary. It feels just like those romance novels, completely failing to showcase the artistry of 'The Lost City, the Empty City, and the Slash'!"

"To emphasize that this is the first book in The Little Prince series, let's add a phrase: 'A major release'."

"And then you have to write in front of it, 'Break through your understanding of youth, the best campus science fiction novel of this century.'"

Prince Xu quickly reached out to stop them: "Hey, wait a minute, isn't this going too far? Only a quarter of the century has passed, how can it be the best already?"

The boy raised his face arrogantly and said, "This is the best so far. What's wrong with that? This is nothing. The covers of those novels outside are all frightening, as if they are all masterpieces. If this Little Prince is not a masterpiece, who would I be humble to?"

"And it's campus science fiction. What is campus science fiction? This is a genre created by The Little Prince himself. It's perfectly reasonable for The Little Prince to receive the title of best in his own original genre, isn't it?"

Prince Xu was stunned.

When did I create a new theme?

Another girl next to me said, "And another thing, we should add 'masterpiece-like writing, even Nanjing University professors praised it highly,' 'an immersive 3-hour reading experience,' and 'it feels like experiencing a lifetime after reading it.' Adding things like that will make it truly memorable!"

He Yangyuxiao carefully wrote down all their opinions: "Hmm, this is a good way to do it."

The prince, barely able to contain himself, said, "Isn't this really going a bit too far? Is it really okay to boast like this?"

He Yangyuxiao rolled her eyes at him: "Why are you bragging? The little prince deserves it. The response to 'The Lost City' is very good right now. Go and see the reviews online yourself."

Shi Shuqiu shook his head: "Editor Wang, forgive my bluntness, but your pretentious attitude has a scholarly air about you, but you can't run a magazine well in this day and age. No matter how much you look down on The Little Prince, he is still a popular writer among young people, and your prejudice cannot change that."

Prince Xu pointed to himself: "Huh? My prejudice?"

He looked at the other students and found that most of them had a dismissive look on their faces, and seemed to agree with Shi Shuqiu.

Clearly, at Nanjing University, the Little Prince is a spiritual icon that cannot be slandered or denigrated at will, not even if he himself came, let alone the fact that no one knows that the Little Prince is the real person.

But heavens behold, even if Prince Xu was unwilling to reveal his identity, he still thought highly of himself. To be fair, he also thought "The Lost City" was awesome, but he was too embarrassed to overpraise himself.

However, his incomplete boasting was a complete lack of boasting, which caused the students to have a problem with him, thinking that he looked down on the Little Prince.

So the situation has become a bit funny. Ye Lan is watching it like a comedy sketch, her humor coming from within. If it weren't for the prince's prohibition against revealing his identity, she would be so happy she'd be crowing.

Prince Xu shook his head helplessly: "Then it's up to you."

"Then it's my turn." Shi Shuqiu walked up, plugged a USB drive into his laptop, and started speaking as he opened it. "My speaking time is not fixed and depends on my performance and Q&A session. Let me show you my PPT first."

Wang Zixu had a bit of a headache: "You'd better fix the duration. If it's not fixed, I can't agree to it."

"Don't rush me. Listen to my conclusion first, and you'll understand why it's necessary for me to come up here and speak. According to my research, the Little Prince is very likely a woman."

"ah??"

Wang Zixu said "Huh?" more times today than he has all year.

Shi Shuqiu said, "Judging from the writing logic of the novel 'The Lost City, Empty City and the Slash,' the author himself prefers the female protagonist. The portrayal of the female protagonist is very impressive, and the writing is also very delicate. In addition, Little Prince is very good at capturing women's sensitive emotions, so I think he is very likely to be a woman."

At this point, Lu Qingxuan couldn't help but look up: "Isn't that unlikely? How could the Little Prince, a girl, possibly do literature and romance?"

Shi Shuqiu argued vehemently: "Who says women can't be literary figures?"

"We can't rule out that possibility," He Yangyuxiao nodded, resting her chin on her hand. "Because his writing is too good. People with good writing skills are usually women."

Wang Zixu couldn't hold back any longer and said, "That's prejudice. Good writing doesn't necessarily mean someone is a woman. Proust and Cao Xueqin both had exceptionally delicate writing styles, and Kafka was extremely sensitive, but they were both men. This has nothing to do with gender. Besides, is it even meaningful to study this? Does it matter whether someone is male or female?"

Shi Shuqiu said, "How can it not be important? The Little Prince's identity has always been a hot topic on the trending searches. If I reveal his gender, the live stream's popularity could skyrocket. What a great publicity opportunity!"

Wang Zixu's expression was like that of someone constipated. Just now, Shi Shuqiu's confident request to speak had made him think that he must have some profound insights, but he never expected that Shi Shuqiu would utter such vulgar words. If he were to state this conclusion in front of the professor and the live broadcast audience, and if even one of them nodded in agreement, wouldn't he be considered gender confused?

Diao Yiwen stood up silently and waved to him, "Come here for a moment, I have something to say to you."

"What did you say?"

"Let's talk about this side."

Diao Yiwen led Wang Zixu outside the door, and after making sure no one could hear, she whispered:

"I suggest you agree to his request and give him the opportunity to speak on stage."

Prince asked tentatively, "Why? Do you also think this is a great opportunity for hype?"

"No. Because his father is Shi Tonghe."

After Diao Yiwen finished speaking, Wang Zixu took a moment to process what she had said before he finally came to his senses: "Shi Tonghe?"

"Yes." Diao Yiwen nodded seriously. "If he goes on stage to speak, it's not only a chance for him to get exposure, but it also represents the approval of the traditional literary giants, which is good for our magazine's reputation."

"this……"

This was no small matter. It was the first time Wang Zixu had learned that the boy's father was Shi Tonghe. Rationally, he knew that Diao Yiwen was right, but instinctively he resisted the idea.

After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke: "So you think that letting him go on stage and talk about the Little Prince's gender will be enough to gain the recognition of the traditional literary world for our magazine?"

Diao Yiwen frowned slightly: "Why are you being so sarcastic? It's not what he says that matters, it's how he says it."

The emphasis in the first half of her sentence is on "said," while the emphasis in the second half is on "he." What matters is not what he said, but Shi Shuqiu himself.

Or rather, the important one is Shi Tonghe's son.

The prince asked tentatively, "What do you mean?"

Diao Yiwen said, "Think about it, why did he suddenly request to speak publicly about the Little Prince?"

Why?

"This is a public gesture of goodwill towards emerging literary forces," Diao Yiwen said, frowning, her expression suggesting he was too naive. "If the school goes to such lengths to organize such an event, and the person they're promoting is just some vague, unrealistic Little Prince, wouldn't that be a waste of all that attention? This show is definitely going to focus on a specific person from our school, but who is that person?"

The prince pondered for a moment: "Shi Tonghe's son?"

Diao Yiwen countered, "Is there anyone better than him?"

(End of this chapter)