I am not a literary giant

Chapter 164 An Ordinary World

"Because it was me who said it," Chen Qingluo said.

If arrogance were ranked, Prince Xu could only barely match General Pan Feng; Chen Qingluo, however, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her thin lips curving slightly and her eyes flashing, exuding the domineering aura of "the only heroes in the world are Prince Xu and Chen Qingluo," making her an unparalleled arrogant figure.

Back when Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Liu Biao, and Liu Zhang were still alive, Cao Cao had already psychologically sentenced them to death; Chen Qingluo, sitting on this small card table at Nanjing University, was able to remotely control the nationally renowned and influential magazine "Get," demonstrating a spirit that rivaled Cao Cao's.

Why can I? Because I said so.

Who "I" am seems self-evident. I've already said it. Since it's "my" word, there's no need to doubt it; just believe it.

Wang Zixu recalled that she had done the same thing many years ago—back then, during her self-introduction in class, she said in front of the whole class: "I am the best high school student in Xihe in terms of writing essays. Not because my grades are high, but because, in my opinion, no one writes essays better than me."

After speaking, she gracefully stepped down from the podium and walked towards Wang Zixu without even glancing at him. There are many memorable things in life, but this scene was one that Wang Zixu could never forget.

At this moment, Chen Qingluo's figure was projected into his eyes, awakening memories lurking deep within him. The distant figure and the figure before him stirred together. Wang Zixu's emotions also surged intensely.

Back then, Wang Zixu was a naive newcomer who had submitted his work to every Nobel Prize-winning journal—his most arrogant period. Even then, he didn't dare submit to *The Winner*. But today, he suddenly believed he could get it accepted. For no other reason than that she had said so.

Everyone was stunned.

The reason people were stunned was not because Chen Qingluo exuded an aura of dominance, but because even Shi Shuqiu, who was sitting at the table, dared not say that he could get the article published in "Get". They saw that Chen Qingluo had a dignified appearance and an extraordinary temperament, and they all began to speculate about her identity, whether she was from the Donghai conglomerate or a little princess of the Beijing circle.

Xiao Mengyin was more rational; she dared to speak up and asked, "Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that if there is only one place in the literary world that is not the kind of filthy place of inbreeding that Shi Shuqiu described, that place should be the editorial department of 'Get' magazine. I am not certain that 'Get' magazine will publish his manuscript because of who I am. I am certain that no matter who I am, whether 'Get' magazine accepts his manuscript or not will not be affected by me. That is why I say that 'Get' magazine will definitely accept his manuscript, understand?"

"Xiao Mengyin, you just said that talented writers rarely get rejected, which is wrong. Many talented writers get rejected, and those who have never been rejected either have a professor as a father or a literary editor as a mother. Everyone has their likes and dislikes when it comes to literature, and editors are no exception. If you submit a manuscript to an editor who doesn't click with you, it's easy to get it rejected, and this applies to even the greatest writers."

"Submitting a manuscript is a process of trial and error. How can you know your own worth if you are not rejected once or twice? Unless you are extremely talented and have a thorough understanding of the preferences of editors of major journals and magazines, like me, you will not be rejected. But how many people like me are there in the world?"

"Being rejected isn't scary at all; what's scary is encountering those distorted and deformed systems that breed inbreeding. Yes, I'm talking about you, Shi Shuqiu. Because 'Ancient City' rejected your work, 'Yangtze River' also rejected it. This might not seem strange to you, but have you ever thought about it? Not every author has a writer as a father. If domestic magazines are all run like conjoined twins, how can ordinary authors protect their work? How many detours must they take to earn the respect they deserve?"

"Twenty years ago, literary magazines enjoyed their glory, with circulation exceeding one million copies at one point. But what about now? Aren't all magazine publishers barely surviving on subscriptions from government agencies and universities? A circulation of thirty or forty thousand is considered enough to make a living. A while ago, a magazine had an issue promoted by an internet celebrity and the circulation exceeded one hundred thousand copies. The entire magazine publisher was overjoyed."

"Yes, you people say it's because of the impact of the Internet and new media, but since they are all facing the same impact, why are the print publishing industries in neighboring Japan and South Korea so successful? Literature has become something for a small group of people to entertain themselves, and they even engage in inbreeding. It would be strange if the market didn't shrink."

"Let me put it this way: it's not shameful for his manuscript to be rejected; in fact, he should be grateful for the rejection. Its quality is good enough to be published in 'Get It On,' and he should thank you for polishing and pushing him. Not only should it be published in 'Get It On,' but it should also win the first prize. Then, whoever rejected the manuscript will be embarrassed. That's all I'm saying."

After Chen Qingluo finished speaking, the scene fell silent. After a while, Zhao Peilin wiped his sweat and whispered, "Damn, that was really satisfying!"

Shi Shuqiu was utterly humiliated. For the first time in his life, he experienced what it meant to be thoroughly humiliated. The woman in front of him was cursing the literary world and magazines, but he felt that every word was a knife, stabbing him in the heart, as if he were responsible for the current state of the literary world.

Xiao Mengyin spoke with great difficulty, "I find it hard to understand what you're saying. I'm just an ordinary writer from an ordinary family, and I haven't grasped what you're talking about. Oh, by the way, you might not know, but I was the winner of the first prize in the last Fei Shi Literary Award. I'm telling you, you can't win the first prize."

A mocking smile appeared on Chen Qingluo's face: "I'm not some bullshit first prize winner. I'm Chen Qingluo, the winner of the 7th New Talent Literature Award, the National Excellent Short Story Award, the Lu Xun Literature Prize, and the Outstanding Youth Award. I said I could take it."

After saying that, she tossed her hair and said, "Who can't recite the menu?"

"Chen Qingluo?"

Amidst slightly shocked and questioning voices, the second guy next to me suddenly fell off his chair and onto the floor.

He lay face down on the table, his clothes flipped up to expose his belly, looking like a terrified old turtle.

"Chen Qingluo?" Xiao Mengyin stood up, her tone gradually becoming excited. "You're Chen Qingluo?"

The loud yell startled many people in the restaurant. Chen Qingluo threw down her cards, grabbed Wang Zixu, and whispered, "Let's go."

So the two left in a hurry, without having time to look at the mess they left behind.

Prince Xu asked in a low voice, "Is it appropriate to just leave like this?"

"If you've shown off and then don't leave, are you just waiting to be exposed?"

Wang Zixu looked at her suspiciously: "What you said is all true. You really have won so many awards."

Chen Qingluo bit her lip lightly: "I'm talking about you! Do you really think you can get published in 'Get' magazine?"

"Can't it?" Prince Xu was immediately disappointed.

"Of course not. If it were possible, why wouldn't I have you submit your work directly to 'Get'?"

Wang Zixu looked like a dehydrated cucumber, completely wilted. He had just thought Chen Qingluo was serious and had been overjoyed for a long time.

Chen Qingluo cleared her throat: "Not now, but if you start now and finish revising the novel from beginning to end within a month, maybe it's possible."

"Is that so?"

Prince Xu's expression suddenly turned serious.

It sounds impossible to finish revising it within a month. But from a certain perspective, it suits his taste perfectly. Wang Zixu has a self-destructive side to his personality, and perhaps Chen Qingluo's request caters to that side.

But he had long wanted to revise that piece to be better. In fact, even if it passed the manuscript, it would be a pity if it wasn't revised; if it was revised well, he would be satisfied even if it didn't pass. It was that simple and naive thought.

Wang Zixu suddenly asked, "By the way, did you know beforehand that I would be rejected by *Yangtze River* magazine? Is the kind of unspoken rule that Shi Shuqiu mentioned really true?"

He recalled that when Chen Qingluo had encouraged him to submit his paper to "Yangtze River," she and Ning Chunyan had been acting suspiciously, urging him to submit quickly but remaining evasive when asked why. He also recalled Shi Shuqiu's mention of "customary practices," and Wang Zixu guessed that these two veterans were probably very familiar with these industry rules and had already anticipated the current situation.

Chen Qingluo's face fell: "I wasn't sure before. If I knew you couldn't get the vote, why would I let you vote?"

"Such unspoken rules exist in the industry, but now an even more unspoken rule is to never reveal whose submissions you have rejected, especially those from famous people."

She paused, then added, "You know about Lu Yao and 'Ordinary World,' right?"

"I know, it was rejected." Wang Zixu nodded.

"Do you know who rejected your paper?"

Wang Zixu shook his head. He only knew that the path to becoming a literary masterpiece in "Ordinary World" was extremely difficult, but he didn't know exactly how many times it was rejected or by whom.

Chen Qingluo said, "Many people think that 'Ordinary World' is Lu Yao's debut work and his breakthrough work, but that's not true. Lu Yao had already written 'Life' before that, and he was already a literary master. At that time, he was the vice chairman of the local writers' association, and he and Jia Pingwa each held up half the sky. He was not the poor and destitute writer in the public's impression; he was a highly sought-after writer."

This was something Wang Zixu was unaware of. He widened his eyes: "So he'll get his manuscript rejected too?"

"Yes," Chen Qingluo nodded seriously, "At that time, Modern Magazine sent a young intern editor to them to solicit manuscripts. In theory, he shouldn't have been able to contact an author of Lu Yao's caliber."

"Well-known authors never submit their manuscripts to magazines easily. They call the magazines directly to ask if they are interested, and only submit their manuscripts after confirming their interest."

"The intern editor was the son of a miner. Lu Yao probably valued the intern editor's background and thought he would appreciate his work, so he submitted the manuscript to him. In the end, the intern editor rejected the manuscript without even finishing reading it."

"Logically speaking, an intern shouldn't be allowed to reject a manuscript from an author of Lu Yao's caliber, but he did, and Lu Yao accepted it, as did the magazine. This incident was a huge blow to Lu Yao. Later, at a literary criticism conference, critics made many harsh and sarcastic remarks about the book. As a result, Lu Yao's reputation plummeted."

"Later on, none of his three volumes of 'Ordinary World' were published in their entirety. It was only after China National Radio discovered the book and broadcast it that it became a hit and later won the Mao Dun Literature Prize."

"In terms of sales, 'Ordinary World' is on par with 'To Live.' It's conceivable that if it weren't for the chance discovery and broadcast by the radio station, this book would most likely never have seen the light of day."

"Ordinary World has returned to its rightful place, but Lu Yao himself has not. He was always poor and struggling financially during his lifetime, and he also had to spend money on medical treatment. After winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize, he could hardly afford to go to the ceremony to receive the award and had to borrow money from others."

Chen Qingluo looked at Wang Zixu: "His rejection of the manuscript caused quite a stir, and people still talk about it today. Before Lu Yao won the award, people praised that intern editor for his keen insight and courage to challenge authority; after Lu Yao won the award, everyone laughed at the magazine for being blind."

Prince Xu remained silent for a long time.

Chen Qingluo seemed to be trying to subtly hint at something to him, but she didn't say the crucial words aloud. Wang Zixu, at this moment, had no time to think about it either.

"So, if they publicly reject manuscripts, it's like putting the magazine and the writer on opposite sides; one side's success represents the other's failure, and vice versa," Wang Zixu said. "So that's why they don't publicly reject manuscripts?"

"Yes. That's one reason." Chen Qingluo nodded, then suddenly smiled, "You're quite smart."

"Haven't I always been smart?"

"I didn't notice."

After walking for a while, Chen Qingluo's smile faded: "It's difficult to revise a book to the point where it's 100% accepted by 'Get' in a month, isn't it? You also have to prepare for graduate school entrance exams."

"Then I'll sleep a little less." After saying that, Wang Zixu suddenly became eager to try it out. He liked challenges.

"Keep it up." She turned her face away, so her expression couldn't be seen.

Prince Xu suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What if I finish revising it but fail to publish it in 'The Winner' magazine, or miss out on the Fei Shi Literary Prize?"

"What should we do?"

Chen Qingluo turned and stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled brightly: "Then I guess I failed at showing off! What else can I do?"

"Ha ha."

Prince Xu was relieved.

If one has the strength to reach the destination but fails to do so, it is reprehensible to others and regrettable to oneself; but if one has done one's best and still cannot reach the destination, one can have no regrets, and who can criticize one for it?

If it doesn't work out in the end, it's certain that someone will laugh at him, and they'll laugh at Chen Qingluo too. But in the year he turned thirty, which year was he not laughed at enough? He still moved forward clumsily and laboriously, so what could he do?

"Hey," Chen Qingluo suddenly called out to him, "Don't let me fail at showing off."

She used a commanding tone.

Prince Xu nodded.

……

Two days later, Yang and Wang Zi made a promise to meet, and Yang took a taxi from afar to come and even invited him to dinner.

This flattered him greatly: he had previously treated the editor to dinner, but he never expected to be the one to turn the tables and have the editor treat him to dinner. Only after the editor explained that the money had been used for commissioning articles did he feel comfortable accepting the invitation.

The place was chosen by Yang Yin; it was far less upscale than the luxury restaurants on Binhai Road, but the food was quite good, light and palatable, and the waiters were friendly. Upon meeting, however, Yang Yin seemed somewhat sullen. He ordered two bottles of beer, didn't say a word, and downed two glasses himself first.

(End of this chapter)