I am not a literary giant

Chapter 171 I'm a Coward (Thanks to Alliance Leader Doclamur)

Upon hearing this question, Prince Xu thought to himself, "Here it comes."

He had pondered this question in his mind many times and rehearsed many respectable ways of answering it, but in the end, he still couldn't convince himself.

In short, it's not a good answer, but it's also something I can't leave unanswered.

Pu Yuyang fiddled with the stirring stick in the paper cup, staring at him with amusement.

"Others submit their work from high-quality to low-quality, but you submit from low-quality to high-quality. I think our magazine isn't much better than 'Ancient City,' but in terms of reputation and circulation, it's slightly better." Pu Yuyang said, gesturing to himself, "Why are you doing the opposite?"

Wang Zixu said, "I know it's a bit strange to do this."

"No, I don't mean you're weird," Pu Yuyang said. "I just don't quite understand, I'm just curious, let's just chat. Could you... explain it to me?"

Pu Yuyang is an interesting person. She said she didn't find Wang Zixu strange. But if Wang Zixu isn't strange, then there's only one explanation for his behavior: he looks down on "The Gain".

Wang Zixu waved his hands repeatedly: "You've misunderstood. Actually, it's my dream to have my manuscript accepted by 'Get'."

"Then why didn't you give wings to your dreams from the very beginning?"

"Because I... have broken my wings."

"puff."

Pu Yuyang laughed out loud, then sat up straight, placing his hands flat on the table like a primary school student:

"Be serious. This is a very serious question. Based on your answer, we might even have to withdraw yesterday's terms."

"No," Wang Zixu said, "I thought 'Get' only looked at the quality of the manuscripts."

"The quality of the manuscript is paramount, but we also value the author's perspective." Having said that, perhaps realizing her statement sounded a bit bureaucratic, she cut to the chase:

"To tell you the truth, I only heard late last night that you had submitted your manuscript to 'Ancient City,' but no one else wanted it, so you submitted it to us. Let me describe how I felt at the time: my heart and lungs stopped."

Prince Xu pursed his lips and asked, "Who told you about this?"

Pu Yuyang hesitated slightly before saying, "Don't worry about that. We editors have our own communication channels. We usually don't communicate with the author in this kind of situation, but because I know you and understand you a little, I specifically wanted to bring this up and have an open and honest discussion."

"Do you remember? Back then, when we talked about life and ideals, you said you wanted to be a pure writer. I still remember your words and admire you greatly. But do you still have that same sincerity now?"

Prince Xu pursed his lips.

Talking about the past is a privilege reserved for middle-aged and elderly people, while discussing the future is the domain of young people. Ten years ago, after Chen Qingluo left, he and several classmates gathered during a study session and talked about the future.

All the other classmates talked about their favorite majors, universities, jobs, and even what kind of partners they would marry and how many children they would have, but Wang Zixu remained remarkably detached.

He said, "Living in a humble alley, with only a bowl of rice and a gourd of water, unknown to others, I will not change my joy. Writing novels for a lifetime is my wish."

To some, these words sounded incredibly pretentious, and Xie Cong was so infuriated that it sparked a decade-long feud. Pu Yuyang was also present at the time and said, "Wang Zixu, you're amazing! It's great to have your own dreams. I don't know what I want to do."

Now, someone who doesn't know what they want to do sits in the editorial department of "Get," wielding the power of life and death over "unwavering joy." It's somewhat ironic.

Pu Yuyang tilted his head and asked, "Is there a reason you can't say?"

Prince Xu shook his head.

"Whatever the reason, at least give me an explanation," Pu Yuyang said in a low voice. "I've come all this way here, you should believe that we value you very much and don't want any conflicts to arise because of this."

Wang Zixu knew that Pu Yuyang had traveled a long way by train south and had spent a long time building up the atmosphere here, so it must not be just to talk to him about life and ideals.

Their editorial department must have misunderstood something about him.

He didn't know what she thought of him, nor did he want to know. There were always all sorts of unspoken rules and subtle red lines surrounding submissions, and he was fed up with them.

He decided to tell the truth.

"Actually," he said after carefully considering his words, "the version I sent to 'Ancient City' is different from the current version; it has undergone significant revisions."

Pu Yuyang sipped his coffee: "Hmm, a responsible author should indeed act this way. Your explanation is just..."

"I revised it a total of 23 times."

"23 times?!" Pu Yuyang almost choked on his coffee and coughed violently.

It took her a long time to calm down, and she patted her chest, exclaiming, "60 words, and you revised it 23 times? Not the kind of revisions that involve the entire text, right?"

"The entire text was revised 23 times, and countless minor revisions were made."

Pu Yuyang stared in disbelief: "Was it the revision suggestion from 'Ancient City' that they gave you?"

Wang Zixu continued, "They didn't offer me any suggestions for revision. I had already revised it 14 times. After being rejected by 'Ancient City,' I revised it 6 more times, and it was rejected by 'Yangtze River.' Then, I revised it 3 more times before submitting it to you. I have saved all the versions of the manuscript, and I can show you the differences."

"No need, no need, I trust you," Pu Yuyang quickly said, then asked, "Why did you revise it so many times?"

"Because... I'm a coward."

"what?"

"Pu Yuyang, I have to admit to you that I did not live a simple life in a humble alley, focusing solely on writing. In reality, I am just like any other person. I found a stable job, fell in love, got married, and took on social responsibilities."

"I dare not live a life different from most people. The great uncertainty of survival shrouds me. I only dare to live in the same path as my parents and those around me because I am cowardly."

"But why am I so timid? Because my efforts have not paid off. Do you remember the essay contest held in our school in the second year of high school? I stayed up for three nights in a row, but my essay did not win any awards. In the end, the first prize went to the son of the grade director."

"I've submitted articles to 'Get' magazine before, and I've submitted articles to many well-known magazines, but I haven't received a response. I can only attribute it to my lack of effort, so I read more books, stayed up more all night, and revised it 3 times if it wasn't enough, then 5 times, and if 5 times wasn't enough, then 10 times. I'm as timid as a mouse, but I'm also as stubborn as a donkey."

Pu Yuyang remained silent for a long time before saying, "Wang Zixu, believe me, I completely, utterly, and thoroughly understand your feelings. Every writer has similar thoughts to some extent. Persistence is key to literary success. And in the future…"

Wang Zixu said, "So Shi Tonghe recommended that I submit my work to 'Ancient City,' and I did."

"Huh?" Pu Yuyang was stunned again. "Shi Tonghe recommended you to go?"

Wang Zixu blurted out, "I confess, I may have offended Shi Tonghe. He used some underhanded tactics, which caused my manuscript to be rejected by 'Ancient City' and 'Yangtze River' as well. I was worried that you wouldn't accept my manuscript because of Shi Tonghe's influence, so I didn't want to say it before. That's the situation. I've told you the truth, and you can reconsider my manuscript now."

"You underestimate our 'Get' journal. One Shi Tonghe won't affect our manuscript collection." A voice came from behind.

……

When Lu Qingxuan saw Duan Xiaosang the next day, the other woman's face seemed to have an exquisite despair that even the most miraculous water and concealer could not conceal.

"So, it was a failure?"

"Um."

"After waiting for two or three days, it failed so decisively?"

"What else can we do?" Lu Qingxuan spread her hands like a teddy bear.

Duan Xiaosang rubbed her forehead: "You're classmates, you still have a chance to meet, don't give up so easily, okay?"

"I've already confronted her, and she's become wary. It'll be much harder for her to get anything out of me now," Lu Qingxuan lied.

Last night, she tentatively sent Du Kezhu a message, expecting no reply. To her surprise, Du not only replied but also wrote a rather long message. It seems their friendship hasn't been affected; in fact, their relationship may have even grown closer.

Lu Qingxuan said this only because she didn't want Duan Xiaosang to try to get through to Du Kezhu again, making things difficult for her. Duan Xiaosang sighed: "Then it seems we can only try another approach. A while ago, 'Book Talk' published an interview with The Little Prince. The account owner is Zhang Wei, who is quite famous in the publishing industry. Maybe we can find some clues by starting with him."

Upon hearing the word "interview," Lu Qingxuan seemed to be triggered by some memories, but she couldn't quite recall them.

She asked, "Sister Sang, why are you so determined to find the Little Prince? There are so many excellent authors in the world; with your discerning eye, you could surely discover many more. Why do you insist on finding the ethereal Little Prince?"

Duan Xiaosang sighed: "You're still asking me? In the end, it's all because of your cousin."

"My cousin? Xiao Mengyin? Don't she and the Little Prince not get along?"

Lu Qingxuan tilted her head, looking puzzled. After Xiao Mengyin's viral article comparing her to The Little Prince went viral, her response was lukewarm, implying she didn't want to be compared to anyone, and that the literary community's evaluation was actually quite favorable to her.

In people's eyes, no matter how popular The Little Prince becomes, it will always be considered vulgar and cannot compare to the pure literature written by Xiao Mengyin. Therefore, although The Little Prince has many fans, it is far less popular than Xiao Mengyin in terms of public opinion.

This situation is quite sensitive, and the Little Prince's fans are definitely holding a grudge. If the two fan groups start arguing, who knows what kind of trouble it could cause. Xiao Mengyin should avoid the Little Prince, maintain her aloof persona, and try to stay away from him to avoid touching the powder keg.

Duan Xiaosang said, "On the surface, we do not get along, but in reality, it is precisely because we do not get along that we need to build a personal relationship to avoid... never mind, these are adult matters, you are just a child and do not need to worry about them."

Lu Qingxuan pouted.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she said, "I remember now, why don't you go find Wang Zixu?"

"Who?"

"Wang Zixu, Wang Zixu from our magazine," Lu Qingxuan said. "I remember now, someone asked him for the Little Prince's contact information to arrange an interview, and he readily agreed. Although I don't know if he actually did, he probably does have the Little Prince's contact information."

Duan Xiaosang frowned and asked, "Is the Prince Xu you're talking about the recently famous 'Intestine Brother'?"

Lu Qingxuan glared: "Isn't this a joke from our Nanjing University Literature Department? How come you even know about it?"

Duan Xiaosang chuckled: "I browse forums all the time. Don't underestimate the influence of your spam posts."

Lu Qingxuan thought about it and realized it was true. The two lists from Nanjing University Library were quite famous, and Duan Xiaosang, who worked in this field, would definitely keep an eye on them.

Duan Xiaosang said, "Thank you for reminding me. I'll go find Zhang Wei first. If I still can't find any clues, I'll try to find Chang... Wang Zixu."

Lu Qingxuan nodded: "But don't look for him recently. He's been busy polishing his manuscript and trying to get into the Jade Scholar competition; he's working on it day and night."

"Him? Chasing after Fei Shi?" Duan Xiaosang exclaimed in surprise. "Hasn't he already been rejected twice? He hasn't given up yet?"

How do you know him so well?

"It's a famous meme. No explanation needed."

……

When Lu Qingxuan returned to the club, she found the atmosphere somewhat heated. Ning Chunyan and Diao Yiwen were having a lively discussion. After greeting them, she was told that the pre-event activities for the Fei Shi Literary Award had begun, and the first flag author had been announced.

It turned out to be Shi Shuqiu.

Lu Qingxuan quickly sat down and checked the Weibo account of the organizer of the Fei Shi event. It read:

Shi Shuqiu's *Yesterday's Stars* takes us on a captivating journey through life. Reality and illusion, the material world and the poetic world—reading this work is like watching a magnificent scroll slowly unfold before our eyes, offering a dreamlike and waking experience…

After reading it, Lu Qingxuan looked up and said, "The evaluation is quite high."

"It's more than just 'quite high'," Diao Yiwen said. "Shi Shuqiu must be overjoyed!"

Ning Chunyan said, "Usually, the works that Fei Shi uses to open the show are heavyweight works. Shi Shuqiu's work is less than 100,000 words, it seems to be only 80,000 words. You can tell that it's giving Shi Tonghe face."

Lu Qingxuan remained silent.

This isn't a formal nomination. The Fei Shi Literary Award, according to its procedure, goes through three stages: shortlisting, nomination, and awarding the first prize. It's currently in the shortlisting stage. Posting promotional messages for Shi Shuqiu's work serves two purposes: to generate buzz and to give outstanding works more exposure.

Of course, not all entries receive this treatment. Basically, any work that is showcased during the shortlisting stage is already considered a nominee, with very few exceptions.

Last year, Xiao Mengyin's work was also the first to be released for preview and promotion.

Ning Chunyan clenched her fists. She could already imagine what Xiao Mengyin would say—"See? I told you the first prize would only go to Shi Shuqiu"—she would definitely say that, then raise her eyes, look at people with the lower half of her eyes, and show a smug expression.

Lu Qingxuan opened her phone to browse the forum, gasped, and then showed the screen to everyone:

"The Literary Association and the school decided to hold a seminar on Shi Shuqiu's 'Yesterday's Star'."

"Let me see." Ning Chunyan snatched the phone, glanced at it, and handed it back to her.

"What does 'seminar' mean?" Lu Qingxuan asked.

Ning Chunyan said, "It's just gathering a bunch of literary critics together for a meeting to praise the works."

After saying that, she added, "Of course, it's not all praise; there will definitely be dissenting opinions. But since we've decided to hold it, it will mainly be praise."

Lu Qingxuan asked cautiously, "Are seminars usually only held by well-known authors?"

Ning Chunyan smiled wryly: "More than that."

Works that are good enough to warrant a seminar must be at least at the level of the chairman or vice chairman of the provincial literary association. They need an official endorsement from an organization to support the new work and hold such a seminar.

Or perhaps the work has caused a huge social response and generated a great deal of discussion, to the point that the literary circle has to respond to this wave of popularity and give a professional opinion, so a seminar is held.

Or perhaps the work itself is of extremely high quality, but the channels for reading and learning are relatively narrow. In order to expand the circle, authors and literary critics are called upon to read and appreciate it, and seminars are held for this purpose.

Shi Shuqiu didn't fit into any of these three scenarios, so it was easy to imagine who was behind it all. Ning Chunyan thought to herself that the dinner invitation hadn't been wasted after all; it had played a role.

Of course, Shi Shuqiu's ability to receive such treatment was partly due to his own hard work. His work was not of poor quality; it passed the tests of several teachers and secured the first public promotion, indicating that its quality was certainly not bad.

The children of celebrities and the wealthy can reap double the rewards for every bit of effort they put in, which is why they always manage to go further and further in their areas of expertise.

"Why hasn't Wang Zixu replied yet?" Ning Chunyan looked down at her phone. "I told him I'd reply once he accepted my request, but he hasn't said a word."

"It's not like it fell through and they're too afraid to tell you, is it?" Diao Yiwen immediately used her worst-case scenario thinking to make the worst possible deduction.

"Sister Xiaochun, you said before, what will he do if he can't pass 'Get'?" Lu Qingxuan asked.

Ning Chunyan shook her head: "I don't know."

……

"You underestimate our journal, 'Get.' One Shi Tonghe is not enough to affect our ability to collect articles."

The voice came from behind, not from Pu Yuyang in front of him. Pu Yuyang held his coffee cup, his expression towards Wang Zixu was very complicated, but he remained silent.

Prince Xu turned around and saw an elegantly dressed old man stand up, pressing his hand on the table, and extend his hand to him.

"Let me introduce you," Pu Yuyang said, stepping down from his seat. "This is our editor-in-chief, Li Minyang."

Prince Xu stood up, stammering and unable to speak, awkwardly extending his hand to shake hands with him.

Li Minyang stepped down from his seat and sat down opposite Wang Zixu at the table. He placed his hands on the table and said with a smile:

"Sorry, I gave you a little test."

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