I am not a literary giant

Chapter 151 Over-interpretation

Upon hearing this, Lu Qingxuan immediately frowned and straightened up, gesturing wildly at Wang Zixu, but Wang Zixu ignored her.

Zhang Xixi was overjoyed and said, "Hey, it's a deal! You can't go back on your word. If you deny it later, I'll post the evidence of your broken promise on the school's confession wall!"

The prince asked humbly, "What is a confession wall?"

"It's a place where you can say anything except confess your feelings."

Wang Zixu was still confused. He went to a science and engineering university for his undergraduate studies, where there were very few girls, which was pitiful, and he had never seen that thing. Maybe his school had them, but he hadn't paid attention.

"I want to make it clear beforehand that this is not a face-to-face interview, nor do I accept video interviews, so this is a written interview only."

After Wang Zixu finished speaking, Zhang Xixi's enthusiasm waned considerably, and she said dejectedly, "If we can't even meet the person, the interview will lose a lot of its appeal!"

Wang Zixu said, "The Little Prince has no intention of revealing his identity. If you were to meet him, it would be more than just an interview."

Zhang Xixi wasn't discouraged for long. She had come to make her request with the intention of squeezing as much money as possible, and now she had succeeded. So she patted Wang Zixu's arm:

"It's settled then. Please pass on the message as soon as possible!"

As soon as Zhang Xixi left, Lu Qingxuan came over again, looking indignant: "You knew the Little Prince would never agree to an interview, how could you agree to that?"

How do you know he can't?

Lu Qingxuan was momentarily speechless, then said, "Okay, you don't really understand the Little Prince."

"Pfft."

She turned and looked at Ye Lan, who had made the sound, with a puzzled expression, then said to Wang Zixu:

"Then we can only ask Editor-in-Chief Ning to have a good talk with the Little Prince. He might not agree, so you should be prepared to be hung on the wall."

Wang Zixu suppressed a laugh and said, "It's alright, I'll plead with the little prince properly, he's not that unreasonable."

Lu Qingxuan was quite puzzled by his confidence. Wang Zixu seemed so relaxed, as if he were playing around. This attitude took her somewhat by surprise. She stared intently at his face, her eyes darting around, before she leaned back strategically.

"You're not planning to pretend to be the Little Prince and interview her, are you? You can't do something like that!"

"Hahaha..." Ye Lan finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. "How did you know? That's definitely what he was planning."

Wang Zixu rubbed his forehead and said, "Your idea is good, but don't think about it again next time."

……

Wang Zixu helped out until 7 p.m., but thankfully Ye Lan had already gotten bored and left. He was experienced and highly efficient, which softened Lu Qingxuan's attitude towards him, but she still wasn't convinced he would easily agree to let the little prince do the interview.

It was Ning Chunyan who called to let me know when I was about to leave work; apparently, she had to attend a social event. I didn't see her all day. Wang Zixu promised her on the phone that he would help with the PPT presentation at the auditorium the next day, then he walked out of the magazine office.

In the night, bathed in the glow of golden spotlights, the majestic Lijia Mountain and the towering skyscrapers of the CBD across the street came into view.

Diao Yiwen walked up to him, stood beside him, exhaled a breath, and said, "It's getting windy."

Wang Zixu said, "Yes, the weather is going to get completely cold."

Diao Yiwen said, "Last time I was talking to Ning Chunyan, oh right, it was also about Shi Shuqiu."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Shi Shuqiu is also going to participate in this year's Fei Shi Literary Award, and it's said he's determined to win."

Prince Xu was caught off guard when this woman revealed the news he had a premonition about but had been unwilling to confront. Upon hearing it, he trembled, but still resignedly said, "Alright."

Diao Yiwen said, "So I told her, if I were you, I would hold back the manuscript and submit it for next year's competition."

Wang Zixu didn't speak. She turned to look at him and asked, "What are your plans? Do you absolutely have to make it this year?"

He pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Why insist on releasing it this year? I heard from Ning Chunyan that your book is quite good and has a chance to win the top prize. Knowing that you're going to have a clash with the winner this year, why are you still aiming for it?"

Prince Xu gave a wry smile: "The arrow is already on the bowstring."

Diao Yiwen sighed and said, "That's a bit of a pity. You have to know that there are two different treatments for authors who have won the first prize and those who haven't."

"For authors who win the first prize, their next book is guaranteed a minimum print run of at least 50,000 copies. When they go out for book signings, they will always be listed as the winner of the Fei Shi First Prize."

"But if you only get a nomination, no matter how close you are to the first prize, you won't get fair treatment. When you publish a new book, you won't get much preferential treatment compared to ordinary writers. In terms of publicity, you'll only get a shabby label like 'young writer'."

Prince Xu asked in surprise, "How do you know so much about this?"

Diao Yiwen said earnestly, "A friend of mine who works in publishing told me this. Also, you can find out by just tracking down the information on past awards. Besides, I genuinely want to pursue a career in writing, so I've put a lot of effort into researching these things."

Wang Zixu turned to look at her: "You've done a good job. I could never find out so much information, but I'm asking you."

"Um?"

"What if next year there's another Shi Shuchun, Shi Shuxia, or Shi Shudong, also from a family of intellectuals, who want to participate in the Fei Shi competition? What then?"

Diao Yiwen was momentarily speechless. Wang Zixu stared into her eyes and asked again, "Are you going to let it continue? Save the work for the year after next?"

After a long silence, Diao Yiwen finally said, "Okay, I understand. You've always acted this way. Last time you had a conflict with Gou Yingbiao, you also chose to fight it out. But this time, the opponent is different from that little pond in Xihe. You might not be able to win this time."

Wang Zi shrugged and said, "You know what? I used to be unable to get even one article published. I almost thought I wasn't cut out for writing. Not only did people at work laugh at me for being rejected, but my family also complained that I wasn't ambitious enough. They thought ambition meant using connections, pulling strings, and currying favor to get promoted."

Diao Yiwen didn't understand why he said that.

Wang Zixu laughed and said, "So, back then, I dreamed of having the title 'Young Writer' printed on my business card. For me, just being recognized as a writer would be enough."

He added, "I think that when it comes to writing, sometimes too many distractions can make it difficult to do well; you still need a bit of purity."

He told Sartre that there are no pure writers, yet he told Diao Yiwen that writers still need a certain purity. He laughed at himself after saying this, feeling incredibly contradictory. Fortunately, Diao Yiwen had never met Sartre and didn't know what he was laughing at. She looked at him blankly, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes. She thought he was mocking her for not being a true writer.

……

The next day, Wang Zixu drove to Nanjing University early in the morning and met Ning Chunyan at the entrance of the auditorium. She was dressed up beautifully, her cheeks flushed, her nose delicate and straight, and her full, small lips glossy with an unknown brand of lipstick. Her eyebrows and eyes were carefully drawn, and her eyelashes were long, thin, and curved like jet-black fans.

She wore a strapless dress that revealed her entire chest from her neck down, making her appear even more dazzlingly white against her jet-black hair, like moonlight shining on a snow-covered ground.

"Hey, stop staring, your eyes are glued to the screen," Ning Chunyan said with a laugh. "Quick, help me lift my computer up."

Wang Zixu asked, "Who read it?"

After saying that, he reached out to take the laptop bag from her hand. It was quite heavy.

Ning Chunyan lifted her skirt with both hands and whispered, "It's strange, when I ordered it I didn't think the skirt was this long, now it's almost dragging on the ground."

Wang Zixu asked, "Is it because of your shoes?"

Ning Chunyan was taken aback: "Oh right! What should we do? It's about to start, and there's no time to change my shoes. Am I supposed to walk around holding up my skirt all day?"

"That would be wonderful, like a medieval noblewoman."

"Lady, lady!" Ning Chunyan said a couple of times, then poked him twice with her finger. "I'm a young girl."

She glared at him sharply, then turned her back and walked away.

Prince Xu followed behind, staring at the bright red hem of her skirt, but he could still feel that gaze shining in his eyes.

Upon entering the auditorium, Ning Chunyan explained the tasks he needed to assist with. Fortunately, he didn't need to deal with anyone; it was mainly backstage work.

People continued to arrive at the auditorium. He saw Huang Xinghuo, followed by people from the school's live broadcast channel carrying cameras. He didn't see any other school leaders. Students then began to enter.

Wang Zixu sat in front of the projector, fiddling with the machine from time to time, blending perfectly into the background. No one noticed him; it was as if he didn't exist.

Only Zhao Peilin, after arriving at the auditorium, glanced around the venue and, upon seeing Wang Zixu, walked over with a grin and punched him.

"Oh, you're here after all. So pathetic, are you going to turn on the lights and sound?"

Wang Zixu said, "I'm not that professional; I can only help by showing the PowerPoint presentation."

Zhao Peilin said, "Then you'd better hide it well, don't let Professor Zhong know you did this."

Wang Zixu asked nervously, "Will Professor Zhong come?"

"You're overthinking it. Why would he possibly come to the Little Prince's victory celebration?"

Wang Zixu asked with some curiosity, "Professor Zhong, have you read 'The Lost City, the Empty City, and the Slash'? What was your opinion?"

"He glanced at it and then threw it away, saying he couldn't understand things written by young people."

Xu Rongrong walked over and slapped him on the back: "Aren't you going to hurry up and grab a good spot?"

Zhao Peilin said, "It's still early."

After saying that, she turned back to Wang Zixu and said, "It seems that our juniors at school are still inexperienced. They didn't even come early to reserve seats for such an obviously popular class."

Prince Xu asked in bewilderment, "Are there really that many people here to listen?"

"Just you wait and see."

After saying that, he and Xu Rongrong went to reserve seats early. Sure enough, at nine o'clock, as if the starting gun had been fired, groups of students walked in, more and more than he had expected, until the auditorium was packed to the brim, making the whole auditorium steamy.

Shi Tonghe's seat, along with several other school leaders, was arranged in the first row. Since they hadn't arrived yet, later students saw the empty seats and rushed to claim them. A counselor had to stand in front of the seats, telling students not to take the first-row seats. The students surged into the aisle, blocking the camera's view.

In short, it was completely blocked.

Ning Chunyan chatted with the professor for a long time, then took a break and went to Wang Zixu's side, clasped his hands tightly, and whispered:

"That old fellow Shi Tonghe hasn't arrived yet. If he doesn't come soon, it'll start."

Wang Zixu said, "After all, he's a big shot; he's busy."

Ning Chunyan said, "I've already said what I wanted to say, but I'm afraid he'll stand me up."

Wang Zixu didn't speak. He thought it couldn't be that bad, but then he thought that if they really stood them up, there was nothing he could do.

Ning Chunyan clasped hands and walked away gracefully. Zhang Xixi ran after her immediately:

"You seem to have a special relationship with Ning Chunyan. Are you very close?"

"What else?"

Zhang Xixi whispered again, "Remember the interview we agreed on, arrange it early!"

Wang Zixu gave her an OK sign. Zhang Xixi left, and from then on, no one spoke to her again.

Time's up, let's begin.

The center seat in the first row, which belonged to Shi Tonghe and several school leaders, remained empty.

Huang Xinghuo's lecture was excellent. When Wang Zixu received his PowerPoint presentation yesterday, he found the outline to be very clear. Today, his lecture was passionate and engaging, full of witty remarks. Even Wang Zixu, the original author, was impressed, feeling that he had struck a chord with Huang.

There are often jokes about original authors getting stumped by reading comprehension exercises on their own articles, using this to criticize over-interpretation. Over-interpretation does exist; while high-quality interpretations may sometimes exceed the author's expectations, if the author themselves find it satisfactory, then it's not over-interpretation but rather moderate interpretation. Huang Xinghuo's interpretation falls into the category of moderate interpretation.

Especially towards the end, the male and female protagonists finally reconcile with their obsessions and have a child. It turns out that this child also has superpowers. His superpower is the ability to sense the distortion of spacetime and to see what has happened in the distorted spacetime.

Therefore, this child combines the abilities of the male and female protagonists, ensuring that as long as the family stays together, they will not lose each other.

When Prince Xu first conceived of this ending, he wondered if such a happy ending might be nauseating. But when he wrote the ending himself, tears streamed down his face. He wasn't the kind of person with a dark and cold personality; he liked happy and fulfilling endings, and even bringing happiness to others made him genuinely happy.

Huang Xinghuo interprets this ending as the Little Prince finally embracing his regrets, reluctance, and dreams, and bravely stepping into a new chapter in his life.

This interpretation exceeded Wang Zixu's expectations, but it brought him genuine pleasure. Perhaps deep within his own subconscious, the kind of courage he spoke of also existed.

When Huang Xinghuo's class was almost over, Shi Tonghe and several school leaders finally arrived late. The live broadcast camera immediately focused on Shi Tonghe's face and took a few shots. Wang Zixu saw that a bunch of "666" comments floated across the live broadcast platform's bullet screen.

Unfortunately, Shi Tonghe, who had missed most of his brilliant speech and interrupted Huang Xinghuo's train of thought at the last minute, had already lost the respect of Prince Xu.

He only felt the noise and even resentment towards the comments: Huang Xinghuo gave such a great lecture just now, and you didn't use the "6" option. Shi Tonghe came over and showed his face, and you started using the "6" option. Is it possible that you only respect clothes and not people?

However, Huang Xinghuo was very cultured and ended his speech in a very proper manner. During the interactive session, Shi Shuqiu, with a big smile on his face, went on stage as he wished and made his great statement: The Little Prince is a woman.

A bunch of "666" comments flooded the screen.

The film crew, carrying cameras, went around to the front row and filmed Shi Tonghe and several school leaders repeatedly. Wang Zixu stared at the live stream on his phone and suddenly realized something:

Shi Tonghe's late arrival wasn't solely due to being busy; it was also because he didn't want to give Huang Xinghuo face. By social standing, he didn't need Huang Xinghuo to give him a lecture. If he didn't put on airs and arrived earlier, people would later say that Huang Xinghuo had also taught Shi Tonghe, which would confuse the hierarchy.

While Prince Xu was lost in thought, Ning Chunyan crept up to him and whispered:

"Are you free tonight? I have dinner with Shi Tonghe and the others, would you like to come with me?"

He paused, then said, "Help me fend off the drinks."

(End of this chapter)