I am not a literary giant

Chapter 152 Standing Like a Minion

Ning Chunyan spoke in a soft, low voice that seemed to drill straight into one's ears, causing Wang Zixu to shiver involuntarily.

He wanted to ask more, but Ning Chunyan didn't give him a chance to refuse. She smiled and went to sit down by the Shitong River.

Wang Zixu felt a lump in his throat, pondering how to explain things to Ning Chunyan after the event:

Perhaps he could take off his coat and throw it in front of her, pat his thigh, and say in Zhang Mazi's tone, "I was forced to become an outlaw on this mountain because my legs were weak and I couldn't kneel down..." No, he could resign.

Or he could look at her humbly and gently for a long time, and then ask her in a tender tone, "Why do you think I resigned so decisively? Why did the boss let me go without any hesitation?"

Or he could honestly tell her that drinking and socializing to build relationships is a skill, and refusing drinks is an even more profound art. If you want to refuse a drink, you can't just talk about alcohol; you have to use all sorts of stories and classical allusions to coax the person into drinking it. He said he was too dull to learn it.

He didn't know this back then, which led him to single-mindedly embark on the irreversible path of literature. Because back then, he thought that you didn't need connections to pursue literature.

Of course, these are all just excuses.

Ning Chunyan had spoken with him about this topic a long time ago, and at the time she said, "Knowing that there are all sorts of filth in the literary circle, would you still be willing to join?"

His answer was "I do".

Wang Zixu sighed. Even if he were to refuse Ning Chunyan, he couldn't. He was the only man in the small *New Appreciation* magazine, while Ning Chunyan had connections everywhere and, seeing through her outward appearance, was nothing more than a girl much younger than him. Could he possibly back out at the last minute?

This is similar to the Shu Han dynasty during its forty years of existence, where only Liao Hua was truly outstanding, and he was the only one capable of leading the vanguard. Who else but him could take on such a crucial role?

He was able to take a good look at Shi Tonghe: Shi Tonghe was short and stocky, with a square face and sparse hair, but the little hair he had was neatly combed. His eyes were almond-shaped, somewhat flamboyant, just like Shi Shuqiu's. His lips were slightly charred and wrinkled, the marks left by years of smoking.

He was making a hand gesture and whispering something to the person next to him. Ning Chunyan sat a seat away from him, blinking her eyes and listening attentively, nodding occasionally with an innocent look on her face.

Judging from their lip movements, Prince Xu could roughly tell what they were talking about: economics, academia, and Nanjing University—grand topics suitable for this occasion—but ultimately unrelated to the Little Prince.

"Thank you, teachers. That concludes my remarks."

Shi Shuqiu bowed deeply on the stage, and enthusiastic applause erupted from below. A smile graced her face as she walked off the stage. Passing Wang Zixu, she bit her lip and whispered:

"Dude, your PowerPoint presentation is so sloppy, it misses a lot of the rhythm."

After saying that, he left. As if waking from a dream, Wang Zixu removed the USB drive, stood up, and his eyes met those of Professor Huang Xinghuo, who was drinking water.

Professor Huang put down his water glass, smiled, and nodded at him. He nodded back and was about to step forward to discuss "The Lost City" with him when Diao Yiwen quickly approached and whispered to him:

"Hurry to the Shitong River."

"What?"

"Go quickly!"

Wang Zixu was practically pushed along to Shi Tonghe's side. However, Shi Tonghe and his entourage had already stood up and, surrounded by the crowd, quickly walked out of the auditorium, seemingly to avoid the enthusiastic fans rushing to sign autographs. He didn't even glance at his son.

"Old Shi!"

A student in the back row stood up, looking eagerly at the student and calling out, holding a book high in his hand: "Please sign this for me!"

His voice silenced the auditorium for a moment, then an even louder roar surged forth:

"Please sign your autograph for us!"

"Old Master Shi, please wait!"

Shi Tonghe had already left the auditorium when a man in a suit raised his hands above his head, clasped them together in the air, and said loudly, "Students, Teacher Shi has important arrangements to make and cannot stay any longer. I hope you will understand!"

With that, he turned and walked out the door with a flourish.

Zhao Peilin put down the book he was holding high and turned to look at Xu Rongrong:

"How could he not even glance at his own son?"

Xu Rongrong said, "He definitely doesn't want to reveal this relationship yet."

Zhao Peilin then turned his head and saw Wang Zixu hurriedly following behind.

He wanted to follow, but was suddenly stopped by a woman next to him:

"Are you Zhao Peilin, a student of Professor Zhong Junmin?"

Zhao Peilin was taken aback. He looked down and saw her outstretched hand, so he quickly reached out and shook her hand.

"Yes, may I ask who you are...?"

"My name is Duan Xiaosang."

"Duan Xiaosang?!" Zhao Peilin exclaimed in surprise. "Are you that legendary new-style martial arts novelist?"

Duan Xiaosang smiled and said, "You flatter me. I'm just an ordinary book editor now."

Xu Rongrong peeked out from behind Zhao Peilin, staring at her with a suspicious look.

She added, "I heard that you have a wide circle of friends in the Chinese department and know a lot of people."

"No problem. I can get the contact information of almost any student, from undergraduate to graduate students."

"I'd like to ask you about someone, is that alright?"

"If it won't disturb the person's life, I can help you make the connection."

Duan Xiaosang blinked and looked at him, saying, "What I want to inquire about is a first-year student named Du Kezhu..."

"According to my investigation, she has several pen names, including Fei Tianzi, Murong Ying, and another one, Wuzui Shiren (Innocent Poet)."

……

Prince Xu followed behind the crowd like a lackey. The people formed a wall, surrounding the Shitong River as they advanced, impenetrable to the water, reminiscent of red imported fire ants huddled together in a ball and drifting.

Now is a good opportunity to build a good relationship with Shi Tonghe. Diao Yiwen pushed him over, clearly wanting him to seize this opportunity. If he could have a chance to say a few words to Shi Tonghe, or even help Ning Chunyan out, that would be excellent.

Unfortunately, he now doubted whether his behavior was a bit too clumsy. He followed behind the crowd, no one chased him away, no one allowed him to talk to Shi Tonghe, and Shi Tonghe didn't even notice that there was someone like him following behind.

Shi Tonghe talked to the school leaders the whole way, his mouth never stopped, and no one else had a chance to interrupt. Not to mention Wang Zixu, even Ning Chunyan could only follow by like a vase, not too close and not too far away, with a polite smile.

Just as Wang Zixu was feeling utterly foolish, Ning Chunyan turned around, saw him, smiled sweetly, and without saying a word, quickly turned back, revealing an expression of intently listening to Shi Tonghe speak. Wang Zixu felt slightly relieved.

The group walked for a while until they reached a limousine, where Shi Tonghe stopped, took the hands of the school leaders, and said:

"Let's leave it here. We can discuss this further tonight."

"Okay, okay," the leader said with a broad smile.

Shi Tonghe then pointed to Ning Chunyan: "You must come to the evening's activities too!"

Ning Chunyan smiled warmly, "Of course. By the way, Professor Shi, could I bring one of our magazine's members along?"

Shi Tonghe said, "Sure! Why not? Bring your entire magazine team, and that little prince too, I want to meet him."

Ning Chunyan said in a low, urgent voice, "Teacher Shi, The Little Prince is a freelance writer. His identity has not been revealed yet. I only have his contact information, but I have never met him in person."

Shi Tonghe didn't seem to understand her meaning for a moment. He didn't understand how Ning Chunyan's words were related to what he was saying, and just said expressionlessly, "Oh."

The school leader next to him said, "Teacher Shi, please go ahead with your work. We are very sorry that we were unable to listen to your lecture this time."

Shi Tonghe laughed and got into the back seat of the car: "Nanjing University's level is very high, what can an old man like me teach?"

"Could you come to our school and give a class sometime?"

"I definitely will if I have the chance."

The car doors closed, and the crowd stood at the back of the car, reluctantly raising their hands to wave goodbye as the car sped away.

Ning Chunyan stayed and chatted with the school leaders for a while longer. The school leaders highly affirmed the great success of Ning Chunyan's magazine. Ning Chunyan humbly said a few words, but highly praised the support of the school leaders and the help of the excellent atmosphere at Nanjing University.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the two groups finally said their goodbyes. Wang Zixu walked behind Ning Chunyan and waved to the school officials. Only then did the group of school leaders realize that he was from the magazine's side.

Of course, no one asked Wang Zixu what his name was, and they awkwardly waved goodbye again.

Ning Chunyan remained silent, walking along the path in front of the library for a long time. After confirming that no one was around, she tossed her bag to Wang Zixu and began to vent her anger:

"He might as well not have come at all!"

Wang Zixu knew what she meant and comforted her, "Even if he only comes for a minute, that's already giving him face, it's very kind of him."

Ning Chunyan said angrily, "This is a very cunning approach. Has he arrived? Yes, he has, but only for a short while. Tathagata, he doesn't want to offend anyone."

Prince Xu gave a wry smile.

When Shi Tonghe said he was coming, Ning Chunyan was definitely hoping that he could follow him from beginning to end, and ideally even say a few words on stage to support the Little Prince, or even just offer a few casual comments.

However, Shi Tonghe only stood there for less than half an hour and didn't say a word. The only time he mentioned the Little Prince's name was when he invited him to come over for dinner, which revealed that he knew nothing about the Little Prince.

Wang Zixu said, "Actually, you said something wrong just now. When Shi Tonghe invited the Little Prince to dinner, your response made it seem like you were putting on airs for the Little Prince. He doesn't understand the Little Prince, and he'll feel uncomfortable about it later."

Ning Chunyan rolled her eyes at him: "He's not feeling well? I'm the one who's not feeling well! He didn't put any effort into understanding the Little Prince, nor was he interested in his works. He just wanted to see him in person before talking to him. Isn't that just playing favorites?"

Wang Zixu said, "In this era, even winning the Nobel Prize in Literature is a possibility. His actions are understandable."

Ning Chunyan said arrogantly, "I don't care. Even if he doesn't admit it, plenty of readers will. The Little Prince will be loved by more and more readers in the future, but what about him? Will he still be able to write anything? Hmph, arrogant fellow, he'll regret it one day."

Prince Xu felt a jolt of pleasure from his very bones, his body half-numb, but his expression remained serious: "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Of course I know! This is just him complaining to his own people in private."

After saying that, Ning Chunyan analyzed, "He deliberately arrived late today and didn't give any real evaluation. He didn't say a word. He just showed up. For us, well, he gave us face and didn't offend anyone."

"But if the Little Prince is attacked in the future, he can use this incident to distance himself from it. He can say, 'Although I went, I'm not interested and I don't know much about it, so I won't comment.' This way, he gets the benefits without giving anyone grounds for criticism. It's such a cunning method that I don't want to comment on it."

Wang Zixu nodded: "Indeed. He's mainly here for publicity, to support his son and bring him popularity."

"He's even covering up his son's relationship with him," Ning Chunyan said disapprovingly. "What else is that but being cunning?"

"A cunning and treacherous old man," Prince Xu sighed.

However, such methods are all too common in administration; he's seen quite a few, and this isn't even the worst of it. Some of the practices he's witnessed could disgust someone for half a year.

Ning Chunyan asked, "By the way, do you have formal attire?"

Wang Zixu was taken aback for a moment, then said, "I have a very old suit, the one I wore for my civil service interview before. Do I need to wear formal attire tonight?"

"Of course we have to wear it. Even though they are cunning and shrewd, we must show them the utmost respect, get things done well, and not overlook any details."

"You're quite experienced."

"Hey, my dad taught me that."

Wang Zixu said, "Anyway, I do have formal attire, but it might be a bit inappropriate to wear it to a banquet."

Ning Chunyan's expression changed: "Looks like an insurance salesman?"

"My demeanor isn't that bad..." Prince Xu's expression changed. To be honest, he was a little taken aback.

He imagined himself wearing that suit he hadn't worn in years, cutting out images in his mind, but couldn't piece together a coherent picture.

Ning Chunyan said nervously, "Let's go to your house and take a look. If it doesn't work out, we'll buy one this afternoon."

The prince, feigning alarm, said, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

"As for it, let's get it done this afternoon," Ning Chunyan said. "We were stood up during the day, so we'll at least get our revenge tonight."

Prince Xu hesitated, as if he wanted to speak.

He wanted to say, everyone knows that the other party is cunning and shrewd. With their meager skills, do they really think they can find a venue?

As long as you don't get beaten to a pulp and make a fool of yourself, that's a victory.

Thinking of this, he became nervous again: What did Shi Tonghe mean by insisting on taking Ning Chunyan to the banquet? For some greasy old men, a beautiful, literary young woman like her would be the best appetizer to accompany their drinks, and who knows what they might be up to.

Wang Zixu's heart began to pound. He didn't know whether to back down or go for it. In any case, he was determined to be the protector of the flower today. It all depended on how well he performed.

He helped Ning Chunyan into his car, and only then did Ning Chunyan remember to ask, "Where do you live?"

"Not far."

Prince pointed to the location, and Ning Chunyan exclaimed in surprise, "You've only been in Donghai for a short time, and you can already buy a house there?!"

Wang Zixu was startled, as he had almost revealed his secret. He quickly said, "I was doing business with a friend before, and we made some money. We bought a house together with Ye Lan, and we're paying the mortgage together."

"There's such a thing??" Ning Chunyan was shocked again.

"Yes, I was surprised at first when I found out it could be done like this. But after trying it, I found it smells quite nice."

Ning Chunyan's expression suddenly turned serious: "So you're basically living with Ye Lan now?"

Wang Zixu's hand on the steering wheel stiffened. He turned to see her serious expression and immediately realized that he might have said something wrong.

(End of this chapter)