I am not a literary giant

Chapter 187 Artworks in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

"Stop talking nonsense and just come with me," Ning Chunyan said.

Okay, now I'm the older sister again.

Following behind Ning Chunyan, Wang Zixu thought to himself, "She's not like an older sister; sometimes she really has a 'motherly' quality—of course, I'm referring to the literary 'mother'—attentive, caring, and when it comes to taking sides, she makes you feel safe and secure on your side." It's a pity Wang Zixu didn't spend much time with his mother in his life; otherwise, he could have analyzed this character more deeply in his literature. And he couldn't let the young and energetic Miss Ning know that Wang Zixu was harboring such thoughts; she would definitely be furious and say, "You're the married Wang Zixu, and you're the one with the 'motherly' quality!"

Come to think of it, it seems like it's been a long time since he's heard Ning Chunyan say "You married prince Xu," as if she hasn't mentioned that famous phrase since his wife went missing.

She was probably trying to avoid bringing up painful memories. This Ning Chunyan, seemingly careless and uninhibited, might actually be a sensitive girl inside. Wang Zixu thought this. Like Xiao Mengyin, even if that woman didn't look like a writer, at least she would carry a pen with her.

"I have a question," Wang Zixu said as he walked, "Chen Qingluo is not the kind of person who can be manipulated by others."

"Who would dare to manipulate her?" Ning Chunyan thought he had said something pointless.

"So, how do I get her to go to Qingshan Square tomorrow? Without a strong and compelling reason, she definitely won't go."

"You don't even have these basic tricks for coaxing a girl?"

"Even if I can fool others, I can't fool Chen Qingluo."

Ning Chunyan thought about it and agreed: "That's true. You can't coax her."

"What should we do then?"

"Cold salad."

When you're frantically searching for answers like a headless fly, you'll often get this brilliant reply from an uninvolved bystander: "Let it be." That's wonderful. "I wish I could just give you a piece of my mind—" is what a typically exasperated person would say, but given that Prince Xu generally respected Ning Chunyan, he didn't say that.

Ning Chunyan seemed to be in a good mood, her steps were bouncy, her skirt fluttered, and she even hummed a song. After humming for a while, she said to Wang Zixu, "Come with me to a place first, and I'll teach you how to say it tomorrow."

The place Ning Chunyan mentioned was on the second floor of a shopping mall next to Qingshan Square, tucked away in a dark corner. It was a record store with a suffocatingly trendy storefront, its sign bearing a string of English words: Random something. If Ning Chunyan hadn't brought him there, Wang Zixu felt he would never have visited this place in his life.

Ning Chunyan pointed to the "GG" sign by the door, her slender fingers tracing the Chinese characters on the sign. Wang Zixu followed her hand, reading each character aloud:

"...Couples who check in for two full days can purchase a collector's edition CD at half price. Offer valid for a limited time..."

After reading it, Wang Zixu said, "I understand, the consumerism trap."

Ning Chunyan patted him on the shoulder: "Go in and take a look first."

The two went inside and came to the shelf of so-called "collector's edition CDs". Wang Zixu picked one up at random and took it out. He was immediately stunned. The cover was completely black and had a silhouette of a bright red Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton printed on it. It was actually the original first edition CD of "Jurassic Park".

He flipped through it a few times and found all sorts of movies, including "Paprika," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Star Wars," "Tom and Jerry," and even signed English versions. After watching them, he felt dizzy. What kind of game is this?

"Interested?" Ning Chunyan turned to look at him. "My dad's a big fan of old movies and he often buys DVDs from this store. Do you have a CD player at home?"

"Have you read 'The Works of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'?" Prince Xu answered the question with a question.

"I haven't read it, but I've studied it; it's a work by Walter Benjamin."

"Traditional art possesses authenticity; besides its artistic value, it also possesses a value of worship. However, the mass production and endless replication of artworks in the age of mechanical reproduction have brought artworks closer to the public, causing the 'aura' to dissipate. An art revolution has quietly begun, an era of artistic fission has started, and artworks have become props for entertaining the masses..."

Wang Zixu held the disc and looked at Ning Chunyan: "Is this a step backward, giving mechanically copied works a renewed value of worship?"

Ning Chunyan shrugged: "It's nothing more than a process of demystifying and then re-mystifying; it's an inevitable historical process, not a step backward. So, the question is, do you like it or not?"

"I want this signed David Fincher edition of Fight Club."

Ning Chunyan laughed sarcastically: "I knew you'd like it."

Wang Zixu carefully held the disc and returned to the original question—he didn't have a CD player at home, but he estimated that after buying this disc, one would be added to his household.

The shopkeeper asked him to leave his name and contact information on the counter. After he finished, he looked at the two of them and asked, "Could you two stand here and make a heart shape with your hands?"

Ning Chunyan stepped forward decisively, while Wang Zixu hesitated.

"Come here quickly, don't leave me standing here alone." Ning Chunyan forced out the words, "It's embarrassing for you to leave me like this."

Wang Zixu had no choice but to sidle over, and Ning Chunyan casually made half a heart shape with her left hand and handed it over.

Wang Zixu hesitated even more. The consumerism trap was indeed a trap. Before entering, he hadn't been told that he had to make a heart shape with his hands. Seeing Ning Chunyan standing straight with his legs together and his hands outstretched in the air, he felt that this was somewhat outrageous.

"Hurry up, I don't mind at all," Ning Chunyan urged.

Wang Zixu could only force a smile, make a heart shape with his hands with Ning Chunyan's fingers, and swipe his card at the counter.

...After a while, Wang Zixu left with a note from the boss. Ning Chunyan told him, "Don't worry, no photos were taken. Even if your wife goes into this store while shopping one day, it won't cause any unpleasant misunderstandings."

She added, "Tomorrow, use this as an excuse to bring Qingluo over—don't worry, she won't need to make a heart shape with her hands the second time—then use the excuse of returning a favor to buy her milk tea. Once she drinks your milk tea, she won't hold a grudge anymore, and then you can apologize to her."

Chen Qingluo's personality was described by her as being like a dog. However, overall, Wang Zixu was more inclined to believe her point of view. Chen Qingluo did indeed have a tendency to live by the principle of "he who eats another's food is bound to him," something he noticed shortly after meeting her.

That happened during high school. Ever since Xie Dongyu came to the school for a book signing, at Chen Qingluo's suggestion (or rather, instigation), Wang Zixu and she both lied that they didn't have any money, becoming accomplices in not buying the book. As a result, Wang Zixu was later severely criticized by the teacher. After that, the two of them knew each other. Sometimes they would make eye contact for a couple of seconds when they met in the corridor, but they weren't exactly nodding acquaintances, nor could they be said to know each other. It's just that Wang Zixu had a deep impression of this pretty girl and would pay more attention to her in his spare time.

However, during our school days, especially back then, everyone was quite shy. Actively striking up a conversation with someone of the opposite sex always seemed suspicious, especially if it was such a pretty girl. Pretty girls always attract attention, and talking to her would make you seem overly forward and ostentatious. Besides, their seats were so far apart that approaching her would seem very deliberate.

So, although the prince always had an urge to get closer to her (this urge became especially noticeable whenever they met in the corridor), he didn't dare to actually do anything out of line. Of course, he later learned that he wasn't the only boy eyeing Chen Qingluo at that time; some even secretly went to give her small gifts.

In short, after that brief exchange under the scorching sun on the playground that day, he and she had no further interaction for two whole months. So when they rearranged their seats later, he was surprised to find Chen Qingluo sitting next to him, which gave him a sense of delight, like a dream suddenly becoming reality.

He had been itching to speak for a long time that day, and hadn't paid attention in either of the two classes. Finally, he seized an opportunity during the break and spoke to Chen Qingluo:

"Freddy, I saw it."

Chen Qingluo turned her face, her fair complexion seemingly glowing with a spiritual aura: "What, Freddy?"

"Freddy the Golden Hamster," Wang Zixu said. "I've seen it."

Judging from Chen Qingluo's expression, she clearly didn't remember what he was saying.

Wang Zixu pointed with his fingers to explain, "That day on the playground, didn't you say that Xie Dongyu copied this book, and I said I would read it? Do you remember?"

Chen Qingluo slowly raised her face, a thoughtful expression on her face, and drawled out her words:

"oh--"

"Do you remember now?"

"I remember now."

"Judging from your expression, it's as if you haven't remembered."

Chen Qingluo didn't speak. It seemed she really hadn't remembered.

Prince Xu was immediately very annoyed.

He knew this was normal, of course. It happened two months ago; even reading a book two months ago, you might forget the plot two months later. Especially with so much happening in those two months. Chen Qingluo was very busy every day; it was perfectly normal for her to forget what this stranger, whom she had only met once, had said.

But a sense of melancholy still welled up in Wang Zixu's heart: it felt like a Korean drama where one of a pair of lovers who had gone through thick and thin together lost their memory, while the other remembered the other (even though they weren't lovers); or like an elderly father raising his daughter and talking about how he cared for her when she was little, while she had no memory of it (even though they weren't father and daughter). This was the kind of melancholy that Wang Zixu felt.

Undeterred, he continued to try and get closer to Chen Qingluo: "Do you really like the book 'The Golden Hamster'? I found it to be quite good after reading it. Which character do you like the most? The mouse, the cat, the hamster brothers, Sophie, or Master John?"

"Those are books I read when I was a kid. Let's skip discussing the plot; I have no interest in discussing children's books."

Chen Qingluo coldly kept people at arm's length.

Prince Xu felt deeply hurt.

Before the morning self-study session the next day, he left a handful of White Rabbit milk candies on the table.

At that time, Wang Zixu was growing rapidly, reaching 1.6 meters in his first year of high school and 1.8 meters in his third year, creating a miracle. As a result, he sometimes suffered from hypoglycemia. He developed the habit of carrying a handful of candy with him, eating one whenever he felt dizzy.

At that time, Chen Qingluo was sitting in front of her seat, clutching her stomach, secretly observing his candy for a long time. When the class bell rang, she ambushed him with a question: "Can you finish this?"

"Huh?" The bell was too loud for Prince Xu to hear clearly.

"I'm asking you, can you finish this?"

"What did you say?"

"Give me one," Chen Qingluo said.

"Oh," said Prince Xu, "take it yourself."

Chen Qingluo quickly grabbed one and put it in her mouth. Before the teacher arrived, she quickly grabbed another one.

Wang Zixu stared at her, dumbfounded: she was so fast at taking out the candy, it was like a golden hamster seeing a yellow powder beetle larva. She also hid the candy in her cheeks like a hamster. The homeroom teacher walked past in the aisle with his hands behind his back, looking stern. He secretly glanced at Chen Qingluo and saw her fair cheeks puff out.

"Didn't you eat breakfast?"

Chen Qingluo didn't answer; her cheeks twitched, and her teeth seemed stuck together with sugar.

Kind of cute.

After a long while, she finally opened her mouth, and the first words she uttered were:

"Master John."

"What?" Prince Xu was puzzled by this seemingly random question.

"My favorite character is Master John," Chen Qingluo said. "I have a great liking for writers."

Prince Xu remembered. "Master John" is a character from "Freddy the Golden Hamster".

She was answering his question from yesterday.

It's a good thing she remembered.

From then on, Prince Xu would bring extra food every day, and Chen Qingluo developed the habit of eating his food. From being cold and aloof at the beginning to having a better relationship later, all thanks to the ice-breaking White Rabbit candy.

Prince Xu and Ning Chunyan walked out of the mall. Ning Chunyan stood with her hands behind her back, hesitated for a while, and then said to him, "Alright, I've helped you with your matter. Now come with me to another place."

"Where do you want to go?" Prince Xu said readily.

"Go see a group of... uh..." Ning Chunyan tilted his head and thought for a long time, "Caiyuan."

"Talented woman? What talented woman?" Prince Xu's expression was a little strange. He felt that this word was particularly feudal.

Ning Chunyan, a very modern person, understood his meaning and, a little embarrassed, breathed slightly faster and said in a deliberately fierce tone, "Layoffs, you'll be laid off!"

"Don't fire me. I guarantee that our magazine will have a steady stream of revenue from now on, a steady stream of revenue."

After they finished speaking, they were both amused by their own puns and laughed for a long time.

After laughing, Ning Chunyan said, "To explain in detail, the so-called 'talented women' are a group of girls from very wealthy families who share a common interest in literature. They gradually form a circle and often get together to discuss literature. However, since none of them have formal training, their level is limited to parroting what others say. But because their families are indeed very well-off, they have gained a certain influence."

Wang Zixu listened, his face blank with surprise, while Ning Chunyan leaned closer:

"Did you understand?"

"I have a vague understanding of it."

"What don't you understand?"

"The dialectical relationship between literary ability and family background."

Ning Chunyan chuckled and said, "Forget it, you don't need to worry about that. Anyway, I'm just bringing you there to be a mascot. You just sit there, answer people's questions, talk little and act very profound, and they'll think you're very capable."

"I still don't quite understand," Prince Xu pointed to himself, "why did you take me with you?"

"Because you were featured in 'Get' magazine," Ning Chunyan said. "You're a rather avant-garde topic in the industry right now."

(End of this chapter)