I am not a literary giant

Chapter 188 The Living Room of the Madam's House

Years later, as he faced the firing squad, Wang Zixu would recall that distant afternoon when Ning Chunyan took him to meet the talented woman…

—If described in the style of *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, this event would be the opening of that style. Unfortunately, Prince Xu was not executed many years later, which greatly diminished the literary quality of this opening.

Prince Xu's understanding of "talented women" was no deeper than Colonel Aureliano Buendía's understanding of ice. In other words, he knew nothing about them. To him, they were entirely new concepts.

He followed Ning Chunyan in the sightseeing elevator to the top floor of Silver Star City. Above, a hemispherical glass curtain wall offered a panoramic view of the East China Sea. Passing through the spacious reception hall and walking deeper into the secluded area, they arrived at the residence of the talented women.

Layers of soft, turquoise gauze curtains veiled the interior, revealing a hidden paradise. Two oxygen generators, disguised as artificial mountains, flanked the entrance, their wisps of steam creating a fairyland-like atmosphere. Parting the mist, one found several plush velvet sofas lining the walls, and a screen adorned with delicate, slightly yellowed calligraphy. On a sandalwood table sat numerous transparent glasses of various sizes, filled with amber liquid. A withered lotus flower, its petals slender and delicate, swayed gracefully, while nearby, incense smoke curled from a golden beast-shaped incense burner, the smoke swirling around the lotus stem, reaching towards the heavens.

Several talented young women sat idly on the sofa, having been chatting quietly before the two women arrived. Some wore elegant Song Dynasty Hanfu, their hair styled in a bun; others wore black short skirts, their long legs crossed, leaning back with an air of arrogance. They didn't quite possess the spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties, nor did they resemble graceful female poets, but each of them had skin as white as jade, fair wrists, bright eyes, and was decked out in designer brands; just looking at the logos, you could tell they were very expensive.

Wang Zixu had initially envisioned a blend of Dream of the Red Chamber and Lin Huiyin's literary salon, with Li Qingzhao and Xie Daoyun enjoying a leisurely gathering on the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, pushing romance and romanticism to their peak. However, upon seeing it in person, he found it remarkably bourgeois. Their makeup was as exquisite as masks, lacking any scholarly air, and they seemed more like they were attending a serious social event.

Upon seeing Ning Chunyan, apart from one familiar woman with an arrogant expression, the other "talented women" all stood up reservedly, one of them even coming over to greet her with a very respectful tone:

"Sister Ning, you've arrived?"

Ning Chunyan looked around: "An Younan isn't here?"

"She brought a new friend to visit our little choir today."

"Is that the one from Mingde Academy we talked about last time?"

"Yes, yes, Sister Ning has a great memory."

"Okay, I'll wait for her."

"Sister Ning, please sit here. You never come, and everyone misses you. Without you, our circle feels less authoritative, and we don't have the confidence to organize poetry gatherings."

In a few exchanges, the two sides clarified many things. Wang Zixu felt there was a lot of information, but there were too many barriers, and he couldn't glean any details. He obediently sat down next to Ning Chunyan.

As a grown man sitting among a group of beautiful women, he immediately stood out. The girls were all relaxed, and his presence was like a small ink dot in a pool of clear water, creating an odd impression. Many eyes turned to him, focusing on his face. The woman directly opposite him, who looked somewhat familiar, stared at him unabashedly, as if scrutinizing him.

Ning Chunyan sat down and continued the previous topic: "Your poetry gathering is too elegant. My knowledge of traditional Chinese culture is not deep enough to write poetry, and my appreciation of poetry is even more chaotic. I have also disturbed your train of thought. I am quite good at just coming over to join in the fun and get some snacks."

The girl bowed slightly: "Sister Ning, you're too modest. My father has never liked me reading too many miscellaneous books, but he agrees to let me read your 'New Appreciation' magazine. He says that the domestic literary scene is a mess right now, and he only has great faith in your level. So I read every issue of 'New Appreciation' magazine, which is one of the few cultural enjoyments I have in my life."

"I'm satisfied as long as you like it."

Wang Zixu felt that the young lady's tone of voice was somewhat peculiar. It was a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese, but it sounded strange, like lyrics written in an ancient style without any real knowledge of classical Chinese.

The girl's eyes flickered as she glanced at Wang Zixu several times, her gaze full of curiosity. Finally, she couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Sister Ning, I've never seen you bring a male companion before. Could this be...?"

Ning Chunyan wasn't shy at all, nodding and saying, "Oh, I forgot to introduce you, this is Wang Zixu, our magazine's editor."

"So, you and him..."

"Don't get me wrong, we're just ordinary work colleagues. An Younan said she wanted to meet him, so I brought him along."

"Oh, I see..."

Ning Chunyan was quite frank, but when the girl heard that Wang Zixu's identity was just an editor, her eyes flickered slightly, and the curiosity on her face immediately diminished by more than half, replaced by a hint of disappointment.

It seems that the title of editor of "New Appreciation" doesn't hold much weight in this young lady's mind.

After their identities were revealed, the gazes fixed on Prince Xu's face lessened considerably. It turned out the women hadn't been looking at his face, but rather assessing his status. However, he felt much more relaxed.

He still doesn't like being surrounded by scrutinizing eyes.

Only a rather familiar-looking woman directly opposite him kept her gaze fixed on his face. He looked over, but she turned her head away again.

Ning Chunyan then introduced Wang Zixu: "Wang Zixu, this is Zhou Qingqing. Her father is the vice president of Hengxing Bank."

Wang Zixu nodded hurriedly, and then, as if possessed, glanced out of the huge glass curtain wall. The Hengxing Bank sign was on the horizon, and the towering obelisk-like building gleamed in the sun.

Zhou Qingqing pouted, "Sister Ning, next time you introduce me, please don't mention my dad's name. I don't want to be constantly overshadowed by his fame; I'm almost losing myself in it. Besides, this is a poetry club; we should only talk about poetry, not those materialistic things, okay?"

Ning Chunyan smiled and said, "Okay, okay."

She introduced Wang Zixu to several other women, all of whom, like the angelic young lady whose father was a vice president, came from prominent families. Some had a father who was a financial expert, while others had a mother who was a department head.

Like Zhou Qingqing, these women were reluctant to let their parents' identities replace their own personalities, but when Ning Chunyan introduced their family backgrounds, the sense of superiority on their faces was undeniable.

Prince Xu then realized that this was Cai Yuan.

First and foremost, they are all socialites. Socialites who love literature become talented women. The prerequisite for becoming a talented woman is not talent, but wealth.

No wonder Ning Chunyan was so serious before bringing him here, as if she were introducing him to some important occasion.

When introducing the last person, Ning Chunyan suddenly paused, smiled, and said, "This is the first time I've met this person. I don't know how to address her?"

This was the woman who had been staring at Prince Xu ever since he entered. Her gaze was unabashed, as if he owed her money, and at least ten thousand.

Wang Zixu felt that she looked familiar, but how could he possibly know Cai Yuan? He had mild face blindness, so she probably just resembled someone he knew.

Unexpectedly, the woman spoke up: "What, is this the first time you've met me, Miss Ning? It's not the first time I've met you, Miss Ning."

Ning Chunyan immediately put on an awkward yet polite smile: "Really? Excuse me, where have I seen you before?"

She then said to Wang Zixu, "This isn't the first time I've seen you, Wang Zixu."

Prince Xu was startled and frowned.

The woman leaned forward, shook hands with Ning Chunyan, and said, "My name is Jiang Mengyao."

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned her name; once she did, Ning Chunyan and Wang Zixu were even more puzzled.

Who is Jiang Mengyao?

Zhou Qingqing introduced, "Sister Mengyao just joined our circle recently; her brother is a high-ranking executive at Xunyi Galaxy!"

Wang Zixu raised an eyebrow. He had been hearing the name "Xunyi Galaxy" frequently lately.

Xunyi Galaxy started as a social media company and has now become a new internet giant with a very diverse range of businesses.

Wang Zixu had been hearing this name frequently lately because Ye Lan was complaining at home: Qingyan, as Wen'ai's biggest rival in the speech therapy field, had been completely defeated, but recently, Xunyi Galaxy made a strong entry and acquired Qingyan. Now Qingyan's funds are even more abundant than Wen'ai's.

Xunyi Galaxy also leveraged its own social media and media platforms to aggressively promote the Qingyan app. This is why Qingyan has seen such rapid growth recently.

Jiang Mengyao's lips were rather thin, giving her a somewhat harsh look, and she said:

"Don't you remember me? Then you must still remember Zhang Qian, right?"

"Zhang Qian?"

Prince Xu unexpectedly heard that name again in the East Sea. The one who had been pursuing him in the past. He was momentarily dazed.

Ning Chunyan frowned slightly: "That day, at the Xihe Literary Gathering..."

"I went with Zhang Qian," Jiang Mengyao continued, "Do you remember?"

"You're Zhang Qian's best friend," Wang Zixu remembered.

Zhou Qingqing clasped her hands together and smiled, "So you all know each other. It seems we are all destined to meet."

Unaware of the dangers involved, she spoke in a light and innocent tone.

Jiang Mengyao said, "Zhang Qian often mentioned you to me recently. She couldn't understand how Wang Zixu, who never seemed to have much talent, could suddenly win first place in the literary competition. It turns out you had such a good relationship with our judge, Ning Cai Nu, and now you're even working as an editor for her magazine. I think I understand now."

Her words were sarcastic and made Ning Chunyan somewhat displeased.

"You mean, Wang Zixu won first place in the literary competition only because of my connections?"

Jiang Mengyao shrugged: "I wouldn't dare say that. But Zhang Qian talked to Wang Zixu before, and she said he didn't have much talent. I'm just very curious how he made such a rapid progress and won first place in the Xihe Literary Competition."

Jiang Mengyao's expression was somewhat smug. Wang Zixu had been wondering why this expression looked so familiar, but now he realized that it was exactly the same as Zhang Qian's usual face—both of them were staring at you with an appraising gaze, always ready to haggle.

Ning Chunyan was somewhat angry, but she was surrounded by young ladies from various families. In their eyes, Ning Chunyan was always well-educated and reasonable, so she naturally couldn't be as free as she was in front of Wang Zixu. She just glared at Jiang Mengyao, forcing a miserable smile on her face.

"Wang Zixu winning first place in the literary competition was a unanimous decision by the judges. I think I explained this to Zhang Qian in person after the competition."

"You're the referees, so whatever you say goes." Jiang Mengyao lay on the sofa, her toes dangling, looking very lazy.

Zhou Qingqing asked in a low voice, "So this Editor Wang is the top scholar in the Xihe Literary Society?"

Someone immediately chimed in, "Yes, the winner of the last Xihe Literary Gathering."

"Was the top prize winner at the last literary conference this editor, Wang Zixu? No wonder the name sounded so familiar."

Jiang Mengyao's words were packed with information. The young women, who had initially shown little interest, involuntarily sat up straight upon hearing their conversation. Listening to gossip is human nature, and they were no exception.

Someone nearby whispered, "Wasn't Yan Zishan one of the judges at the last Xihe Literary Festival?"

"Yes. Not long after the last Xihe Literary Gathering, we held a literary appreciation session. It turns out that we had already read the articles edited by Wang Zixu back then."

The gazes that had already dissipated now refocused on Prince Xu's face, accompanied by many whispers. Their gazes and words mingled and swirled like insects.

Encouraged, Ning Chunyan straightened up and said, "Among the judges of the last Xihe Literary Gathering, not only was Teacher Li Tingfang there, but also Yan Zishan. Yan Zishan publicly stated afterward that he gave Wang Zixu the highest score. Are you implying that Wang Zixu even bribed him?"

The talented young women were thrilled to hear this. Yanzishan's name carried considerable weight among them, placing him in a tier of dream lover—second only to literature and above any other ideal man. They only knew that Wang Zixu had won first place, unaware that Yanzishan had also given the highest score.

Jiang Mengyao hadn't expected her attack to backfire, and looked away: "I never said that. Who can really understand things in literary circles?"

Once conspiracy theories start, they never stop. Jiang Mengyao was determined to be suspicious of everything. Just then, the curtain outside the door moved, and two girls entered.

The girl walking in front wore a brown, preppy-style blazer over a white shirt and a blue-purple plaid skirt. Her overall attire was understated and simple; she might be the most plain among these talented young women, but she was the most beautiful, with exceptionally lively and expressive eyes.

But the first time Prince Xu looked at her, his gaze was shamefully drawn to the girl's chest, which seemed like a black hole. A girl who appeared so petite had such a magnificent chest; it was truly a sight to behold, impossible to look away from.

Upon seeing Ning Chunyan, the girl ran over and exclaimed, "Sister Ning Chunyan, you're finally here!"

The girl's voice was soft and gentle. Ning Chunyan smiled and said, "Xiao An, the person you asked me to introduce to you has been brought here."

Prince Xu guessed that this must be An Younan, whom Ning Chunyan was going to meet.

The girl's gaze shifted to Wang Zixu, scrutinizing him curiously. Her eyes were bright and lively, and her slightly chubby face wore an innocent expression: "You are Wang Zixu?"

Prince Xu glanced at Ning Chunyan, who gave him a wink, reminding him of the image they had agreed on earlier—

He speaks little and is very deep.

Prince Xu replied, "Yes."

"Are you the Prince Xu who made the front page of 'Get' magazine?"

"Yes. Uh, no," Wang Zixu broke down before he could finish his sentence, "I'm the headline, but not the front page."

"Great, I've finally met you!" The girl rushed over and grabbed his hand. "My teacher said that your writing is the best in these recent issues of 'Get' magazine. Your 'Spark in Stone' is still being serialized. How many more issues will be published?"

A delicate fragrance wafted into his nose. Wang Zixu felt that the girl was being a little too enthusiastic, so he tilted his head back, took two steps back, and looked at Ning Chunyan for help.

I underestimated this talented young lady. She really does seem to be reading a book.

(End of this chapter)