I am not a literary giant

Chapter 154 Form is Emptiness

"You have to remember, I can only drink three cups. After three cups, I will definitely get so drunk that I will laugh and cry, roll on the ground, and then pass out unconscious. Don't let me drink more than three cups."

"I've heard that pretty girls usually have a high alcohol tolerance, right?"

Do you think I'm pretty?

"No, that's not important. You really can only handle three drinks? I have very little drinking experience, you know. I'm not doing very well at work, so I don't have many opportunities to practice."

Ning Chunyan then seemed quite unhappy: "I can only drink three cups anyway. If you make me drink more than three cups, then it's your responsibility."

Wang Zixu said, "That's simple. When you sit down at the table, just say, 'Gentlemen, I just took some cephalosporin and am drinking tea instead of alcohol. I hope you will forgive me. The laws are so strict now that no one dares to force me to drink, otherwise they will be held responsible.'"

Ning Chunyan rolled her eyes: "You think I don't know? But think about it, why would they send me?"

The prince asked tentatively, "Why? To watch you drink?"

"In a sense, you could say that," Ning Chunyan said. "Do you know what they did this afternoon? Shi Tonghe went to play mahjong with our Dean Li and a few others. They won or lost tens of thousands of yuan in one night."

The prince was taken aback: "Such a large-scale attack? Is it a bribery scheme?"

"No, it's just small change for them, a social activity, like playing cards. They're not happy unless they make money."

After Ning Chunyan finished speaking, she blinked at him and said:

"Shi Tonghe's son has been studying at Nanjing University for so long, but their father-son relationship is only being made public by the university today. Why? Because one of them is a proud intellectual and couldn't bring himself to find an opportunity to connect with our school before..."

Wang Zixu interrupted, "Why are you acting all high and mighty again now?"

"Wait until I finish. There must be a reason why he's not aloof now. Shi Shuqiu is a junior in college. Whether he wants to go abroad, get a master's degree, or something else, his father definitely wants to pave the way for him in advance. Giving speeches on stage or competing for the Fei Shi Literary Award are all ways to build up his resume."

"Oh……"

A familiar melody drifted through Wang Zixu's mind: I have a—good dad! Good dad!

Ning Chunyan continued, "What's the point of this gathering today? We're just a prelude; we're not actually important. Shi Tonghe is just using this opportunity to build relationships with the school leaders. It's only natural that we attend to liven things up; the main character is Shi Tonghe."

Wang Zixu seemed to realize something: "We're the lubricant?"

"Yes, you're the lubricant, and I'm the vase. Do you understand what a vase is?" Ning Chunyan said calmly, almost like an artificial intelligence. "If I don't drink, will they be happy?"

Wang Zixu felt a little sorry for her: "Your self-perception is too realistic."

Ning Chunyan said, "Of course."

"But that's not right," Prince Xu said again, "You haven't asked him to do anything, so why are you going to such lengths? If you want him to support the Little Prince, it's definitely not something that can be done with just one drink. There's no need to go to this much trouble, is there?"

Ning Chunyan said, "Of course I'm not doing this for the Little Prince, I'm doing it for you."

"what?"

"Weren't you just having trouble finding a place to publish your new work?" Ning Chunyan said. "If you make a good impression on Shi Tonghe at the dinner table this time, getting his help is just a matter of a word from him, isn't it?"

Wang Zixu was deeply moved: "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ning Chunyan said with a sly smile. "As the official editor of this magazine, one top spot in the Xihe Literary Society competition isn't enough. You need to build up your reputation so that our magazine's name can rise in rank!"

Ning Chunyan grinned slyly, her little schemes churning out, but Wang Zixu was still deeply moved and decided to go through fire and water for her. A man would die for a friend he knew, and even if he was tricked, he would accept it.

After mentally preparing themselves, the two bravely headed towards the hotel.

Stepping into the private hotel, Prince Xu, despite his efforts to remain calm, was still taken aback by the extravagance: from the floor to the ceiling, the walls were covered with mysterious and profound lines and patterns, resembling both the intricate paintings of a master Arabian craftsman and the work of a postmodern structuralist master. Gold lettering floated on the wallpaper, and the air was filled with the fragrance of tulips. It was clear that the owner had spent a fortune to make this place look very expensive, and then spent even more money to make it impossible to tell exactly how much the furnishings cost.

Wang Zixu leaned close to Ning Chunyan and whispered, "Who's paying for this meal?"

"I don't know, but it's not me. If I were A, I'd die on the spot." Ning Chunyan's words were pathetic, but they made Wang Zixu feel very uncomfortable.

Shi Shuqiu stood at the top of the stairs, saw the two of them, and greeted them with a broad smile:

"Talented Ms. Ning, you've arrived?"

Ning Chunyan looked at him with a polite smile: "Oh, Young Master Shi is personally greeting guests here?"

Shi Shuqiu smiled sheepishly and said, "To say 'personally' is too kind of me. All of you here are my teachers and seniors. It is only right for me, a junior, to be here. My father also told me to learn more from you all."

Ning Chunyan asked, "Studying? But I heard Xiao Mengyin say that you praised my looks behind my back. Is that true or false?"

Shi Shuqiu was even more embarrassed: "This...anyone with eyes can see that!"

Ning Chunyan said, "Is that what you're asking? Oh, did you say that?"

Shi Shuqiu tilted her head and pretended to be stupid: "Sister Mengyin is making a mountain out of a molehill. This is not worth mentioning to Ning Cai Nu."

Ning Chunyan snorted and laughed, letting him go: "Alright, I'm going upstairs now."

"Okay. There's no one else behind us, I'll go with you guys."

Ning Chunyan was in a good mood and walked ahead upstairs. Upon entering the private room, Wang Zixu saw a group of people in suits sitting at a tea table instead of a dining table, the atmosphere solemn as if it were some kind of ceremony.

Shi Tonghe sat in the head chair at the very front, with a cup of tea beside him. A young woman in a cheongsam gently warmed the tea beside him. Dean Li, Huang Xinghuo, and other bigwigs were arranged in two rows.

Ning Chunyan crouched down and carefully sat on the lowest sofa, leaving Prince Xu standing alone with no seat.

"...Just now Xiao Ning arrived. We were just talking about which young writers in China are quite good. Well, Xiao Ning is one of them."

Ning Chunyan quickly waved his hand: "How could I be considered one? My writings are not substantial enough to represent the younger generation of writers."

Shi Tonghe shook his head and said, "I generally don't praise young writers. If a young writer receives a compliment from me, he'll probably talk about it every day, and his status will instantly rise several notches. But I think you deserve praise."

Ning Chunyan replied apprehensively, "I dare not accept such praise."

"Xiao Ning, I've read your work. My assessment is that it doesn't speak like a human being, doesn't act like a human being, doesn't delve into things that are difficult to understand, and doesn't demonstrate profound knowledge that is hard to appreciate."

Ning Chunyan's expression fell slightly. She had been preparing herself for the compliment for a while, but was this really a compliment? It sounded sarcastic to me.

She looked at Shi Tonghe with a puzzled expression, but found that the old man was smiling and showed no sign of anything amiss. For a moment, she didn't know what he meant.

If you call it praise, his words don't sound nice; if you call it criticism, his smile is very gentle; if you call it a joke, his tone is too serious.

Ning Chunyan didn't know how to react.

Wang Zixu said, "In other words, the articles compiled by Ning Zhu are highly academic."

Shi Tonghe nodded: "Yes."

Ning Chunyan breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced gratefully at the prince who had successfully saved the day.

Shi Tonghe asked, "And who is this?"

Ning Chunyan eagerly introduced, "This is Wang Zixu, our magazine's editor."

After saying that, she added, "He is also a new generation writer; his works have won awards from Xihe..."

She was speaking when the young woman in the cheongsam said something to Dean Li, who then said, "Everyone is here, and the food is ready. Shall we all take our seats and chat?"

Shi Tonghe chuckled and put his glasses, which were hanging on his chest, on his face: "I wasn't planning on staying for dinner anyway. At my age, I'm not used to big meals anymore. I just want some simple food to fill my stomach."

Someone came over, lifted his arm, and helped him slowly stand up.

"Mr. Shi, you must take care of your health. You are like the pillar of the literary world. Seeing that you are healthy gives me peace of mind. So many people are concerned about your health."

Shi Tonghe smiled again: "I'm an old man, and problems are bound to arise eventually. But recently I've been practicing the Diamond Sutra and have had some insights. I've also tried a vegetarian diet and feel much lighter, and my eyesight has improved. I recommend it to you."

Everyone took their seats. Wang Zixu sat in a lower position, with Huang Xinghuo to his right and Ning Chunyan to his left. Huang Xinghuo remained silent, but compared to the others, Wang Zixu had a much better impression of him, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief at the seating arrangement.

Dean Li asked, "Is Elder Shi studying Buddhism?"

Shi Tonghe said, "Buddhism is profound and extensive, and it is the root of Chinese culture. It is essential to study it."

Dean Li nodded: "Indeed."

Shi Tonghe said, "Buddhism speaks of three great sutras. Professor Huang, do you know which three sutras they are?"

Huang Xinghuo was looking down and waiting for his meal when he was suddenly called upon. A little flustered, he looked up and said, "Uh, I don't know much about Buddhism."

His main focus is modern literature. If it were Professor Zhong Junmin, he could definitely give a detailed explanation, but he can't.

Seeing that he had stumped the Nanjing University professor, Shi Tonghe couldn't help but feel a little smug. He then turned to Dean Li and asked, "Does Dean Li know about this?"

Dean Li also looked troubled and said, "The Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra..."

"No, no." Shi Tonghe shook his head vigorously, "Completely wrong."

Dean Li chuckled dryly twice: "If Professor Zhong were here, he would definitely know."

"Who is Professor Chung?"

"Professor Zhong Junmin is a researcher of ancient literature in our institute," Shi Shuqiu introduced from the side.

"Oh!" Shi Tonghe looked up high. "Just as I said, Buddhism is also a root of Chinese culture. When studying literature, one must also study Buddhist classics."

Wang Zixu glanced at Wang Xinghuo's expression and figured he probably didn't think much of it, but in this situation, he couldn't refuse Shi Tonghe's request, so they all nodded in agreement.

Shi Tonghe said, "Alas, this room is full of learned scholars, yet none of them know what the three great sutras of Buddhism are?"

Ning Chunyan glanced at Wang Zixu, exchanging a knowing look: "Do you know?"

Wang Zixu also glanced at her furtively: "Of course I know."

"You know what to say!"

Ning Chunyan's eyes were incredibly alluring. Prince Xu wasn't sure if she meant it the way he thought, but he certainly did.

"The three great sutras are the Avatamsaka Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Surangama Sutra."

The round table seemed to be divided into two parts: the upper part was occupied by the bigwigs led by Shi Tonghe, and the lower part by the taciturn group led by Ning Chunyan. The upper part was clearly much more lively. Wang Zixu's words gave the long-silent lower part of the table a surprising and exciting turn of events.

Shi Tonghe looked at him: "You know?"

Prince Xu nodded: "I know a little."

"Are you familiar with Buddhism?"

"I only know a little bit."

Ning Chunyan suddenly patted Wang Zixu's arm and said, "He's preparing to take the entrance exam for our Nanjing University's graduate program this year."

Dean Li's eyes lit up: "Really? You want to apply to our Chinese Literature Department?"

"right."

Dean Li looked at Wang Zixu: "I didn't expect you to be a test taker. Are you from this school?"

"No, I graduated from Beijing Institute of Technology many years ago."

Wang Zixu's actions helped Nanjing University regain some ground, and Dean Li was quite pleased: "Do you know any of our professors at Nanjing University? Which research area do you prefer? Would you like me to introduce you?"

Wang Zixu said, "Thank you, Dean Li. I am ready to apply for Professor Zhong's research fellowship."

Shi Tonghe silently put down his chopsticks and bowl. He had originally planned to continue his discussion on Buddhism, but Wang Zixu's words had interrupted him. Wang Zixu became a little uneasy.

This was originally supposed to be Shi Tonghe's turn to put on the act; all the prelude had been laid out. But Wang Zixu snatched it away. Although it did make Dean Li look good, it didn't align with their purpose for this trip.

Dean Li said to Shi Tonghe, "You see, our Chinese Department at Nanjing University is inclusive and has no shortage of learned scholars. We have students in all fields. If your son wants to pursue further studies, don't worry, he can just stay at our university."

Wang Zixu secretly applauded Dean Li. As expected of the dean, his ability to smoothly steer the conversation back on track was truly admirable.

Shi Tonghe sighed and said, "I have been focusing on my spiritual practice lately, but I have not yet reached the point where emptiness is form and form is emptiness. My only concern is this child I have had in my old age."

Dean Li said solemnly, "I have been following up on your son's grades and performance at school. He is outstanding, so you don't need to worry."

"The Yangtze River's waves push the previous waves forward."

"No, it's the front waves cutting through the waves, and the back waves surging forward—both are truly magnificent!"

Shi Tonghe raised his head: "Where's the wine? Bring the wine!"

As the waitress placed four or five bottles of high-proof liquor on the table, Wang Zixu felt a sudden chill, as if he had stepped into thin air.

(End of this chapter)