I am not a literary giant

Chapter 189 No right to speak without investigation

The scent of An Younan was still wafting into my nose. Unfortunately, Wang Zixu wasn't some arrogant and uncouth young master, otherwise he could have easily said that it was Atelier Cologne's Citrus Essence Cologne. I like this base note; it perfectly matches the atmosphere at the moment.

An Younan remained enthusiastic: "The teacher said he was initially annoyed that your work had stolen the headlines, but after reading it, he felt it was justified. You know, the teacher is usually very arrogant and not the type to admit defeat verbally. I was curious at the time, so I took a look at your work. Hehe, how did you write 'Fire in the Stone'?"

An Younan wasn't a girl with strong boundaries. She hopped around with light, uneven steps, her hand almost touching his chest as she gripped his.

Wang Zixu calmly pulled his hand away from hers: "May I ask who your teacher is?"

For some reason, as soon as he said this, Zhou Qingqing and the others' expressions changed, as if he had said something very strange.

"No way, you don't even know who Miss An's teacher is? Don't you ever keep up with the latest information?" Jiang Mengyao seized the opportunity to interject.

Wang Zixu would disagree with this assessment. In fact, Wang Zixu cares more about the latest information than anyone else; he even regularly checks the Nobel Prize odds list for new names. However, if he were to retort at this moment, "Why do I need to know who Miss An's teacher is?", it would be a sign of extremely low emotional intelligence.

An Younan was also a little surprised that he didn't know the relationships between the characters, but her expression only wavered for a moment before she recovered, biting her lip and saying seriously:

"Excuse me for being so bold, but let me introduce myself. My name is An Younan, and my teacher is Gu Zao, the Gu Zao who is on the front page of this issue of 'Get' but not in the headline."

Wang Zixu was finally surprised. He had heard Gu Zao's name repeatedly recently and it had become familiar to him. As a competitor who was very likely to become a Nobel Prize candidate, he had secretly worked hard and had also read Gu Zao's works. He had to admit that in terms of output and spirituality, although this person did not make him feel hopeless, he did not dare to underestimate him.

What shocked him was that this guy could actually take on such beautiful female apprentices. And he still couldn't understand: even if Gu Zao was already famous, did he really need to know every single one of his beautiful female apprentices?

Ning Chunyan cleared her throat, secretly poked Wang Zixu's lower back, and said:

"Ms. An, you're the face of Xunyi Company now, aren't you? Your apprenticeship under Teacher Gu, isn't that paving the way for Xunyi's recent cultural strategy?"

An Younan smiled brightly: "Only Miss Ning would be so perceptive. We did indeed have that thought."

After saying that, she quickly added, "But this isn't just for show; I genuinely want to learn something!"

Of course, this is really just a facade. If literature could be taught and learned, then all the great writers throughout history would be like royalty, with their skills passed down through generations. But that's not the case.

Literature still requires some talent and inspiration.

Zhou Qingqing's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she smiled at Wang Zixu: "The news about Miss An taking on a disciple recently has been trending on social media, it's been all over the place. Everyone was just talking about it, and you didn't even know? That's why everyone's so surprised. Doesn't Teacher Wang Zixu usually read the news?"

Prince Xu nodded: "I haven't seen much."

Jiang Mengyao said, "Zhang Qian also told me that you're a bit withdrawn. Aren't writers supposed to draw inspiration from reality? If you don't even read trending news, how can you write works that resonate with people?"

Wang Zixu said, "I watch the news, but I don't pay much attention to the hot topics; there's just too much complicated information."

Jiang Mengyao curled her lip: "Miss An becoming a disciple is a major event in the literary world, isn't it? If you hadn't read it, you wouldn't even know about it, right? It's such a huge amount of information!"

She thought she was helping An Younan, but An Younan didn't see it that way. She smoothed her long hair and said, "I read Professor Wang Zixu's 'Fire in the Stone,' and I feel that in the long river of history, what is my little news? Just a tiny planktonic organism."

Prince waved his hand dismissively: "No, no, as she said, I have indeed closed myself off."

Jiang Mengyao pouted, looking somewhat unconvinced.

So the gathering resumed, everyone sat down, and started chatting about everyday things.

After chatting for a while, Wang Zixu learned that the so-called "An Younan is the face of Xunyi" meant that An Younan not only served as a senior executive at Xunyi, but also as its brand ambassador. Moreover, it wasn't just the news of her becoming an apprentice that made her famous; her popularity was already overwhelming. This sweet and lovely girl already had the foundation for being a trendsetter based on her looks alone, so it's no wonder that Jiang Mengyao thought he was a complete idiot for never having heard of her.

However, the only social media on Wang Zixu's phone was the Wen'ai app (if you can call it social media). He skillfully avoided all the communication arrows shot at him by modern media, resulting in him knowing nothing about An Younan and never even hearing her name. In fact, if he went out more, he would definitely see An Younan's huge face on the GG signs all over shopping malls.

However, the focus of the meeting shifted to Wang Zixu. An Younan pulled Wang Zixu aside and asked him many questions, such as: Where did the inspiration for "Fire in the Stone" come from? What difficulties did he encounter during the writing process? How did he hone his writing skills to such a high level? How long did he plan to write it? ...

Adhering to the principle of "less talk makes one appear profound," Wang Zixu answered as briefly as possible, naturally omitting any mention of his disagreements with Shi Tonghe. He spoke succinctly, but Ning Chunyan filled in the gaps on more crucial points, such as the difficulties of novel writing.

Although he didn't say much, An Younan listened as if he had heard a vivid and interesting story. He sighed with satisfaction and placed his hands on his knees: "I never imagined that 'Fire in the Stone' was written with such effort. If my teacher knew, he would definitely not be so regretful anymore."

After saying that, she turned to ask, "Miss Ning, speaking of which, Professor Wang Zixu must be a very sought-after person now that he has become famous, right? How did you come up with the idea of ​​recruiting him as an editor?"

Ning Chunyan smiled and said, "Digging? Miss An, I don't need to dig. He's my editor. I even gave him a two-month break so he could focus on writing 'Fire in the Stone'."

Zhou Qingqing gently reminded him, "Professor Wang Zixu won first place in the Xihe Literary Competition before, and Miss Ning was one of the judges at the time. She probably noticed him back then, right?"

This topic involved the discussion before An Younan's arrival. Jiang Mengyao raised an eyebrow, straightened up, hesitated, and then laid her body back on the sofa, a cold smile playing on her lips, as if waiting to see how she would explain.

Ning Chunyan, however, did not seem guilty as she expected. Instead, she smiled and said, "I've known him for much longer."

An Younan blinked: "You knew him before the literary gathering?"

"When I met him, he hadn't published a single article yet," Ning Chunyan said. "Back then, he was so timid. He didn't know how to submit his novels. I suggested that he submit his debut work to 'Yangtze River,' and he dared to try. As a result, it made it onto the front page of 'Yangtze River,' which was his first step."

"Heh." After Ning Chunyan finished speaking, Jiang Mengyao sneered. Ning Chunyan glanced at her but ignored her.

An Younan took out a small notebook from her breast pocket, then a very fine pen. Her hands, adorned with cherry blossom pink nail polish, held the pen carefully as she asked, "Which issue of 'Yangtze River' featured Wang Zixu? I need to write it down and check it when I get back."

"I remember it was the August issue, which was printed by Xihe Literature Association in the same month."

"Heh." Jiang Mengyao sneered again, this time even louder, so that the people around her couldn't help but notice.

As An Younan took notes in her notebook, she asked, "I need to take a good look. Was it published in *Yangtze River* on the very first submission?"

Wang Zixu took a sip of tea: "Actually, the first time I submitted my work, I was not very familiar with the situation and submitted to a magazine that was completely out of reach at the time."

Which one?

""get"."

"Haha..." An Younan covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes crinkling, "But you still made it onto the cover of 'Get' magazine."

Prince Xu put down his cup and nodded: "Yes, we still went up."

"You must believe that the beauty in life is never lost because you miss it; it is just quietly lying dormant somewhere, waiting for you to visit it again."

Prince Xu smiled and said, "A fine line indeed."

An Younan stuck out her tongue: "I wrote it myself, teacher, please be gentle with your criticism."

Admittedly, although the label of "talented woman" is a minus for Wang Zixu, it must be admitted that An Younan is a very likable girl.

An Younan turned her head again: "Sister Ning has a keen eye; she managed to recruit such a talented person before they even showed their potential. I admire her greatly!"

Ning Chunyan finally covered her mouth and laughed heartily: "Hehehe, other people only buy blue-chip stocks, but I always buy stocks with potential. Maybe I'm pretty good at stock trading?"

Zhou Qingqing also laughed and said, "It's a pity that our country doesn't give awards to editors. If it did, I believe Editor-in-Chief Ning would definitely win the top prize."

"Sister Ning must have faced a lot of criticism before, right? Now that Teacher Wang Zixu has successfully made the headline of 'Get,' all those criticisms have vanished overnight. That must feel amazing."

"Needless to say? It's a real triumph!"

Wang Zixu stared, somewhat dumbfounded, at the group of women flattering each other. He finally understood why Ning Chunyan had brought him here—she also had a need to show off.

Moreover, he felt that Ning Chunyan had rehearsed those lines in her mind countless times, and perhaps she had wanted to say them to his face for a long time, but was just waiting for the right opportunity.

However, he didn't mind letting her take the opportunity to put on a show. After all, they were a perfect match.

Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, a discordant voice suddenly broke in:

"I just want to ask Ms. Ning, in literary circles, are there any cases of nepotism where relatives or friends are promoted to become talented or famous figures?"

When Jiang Mengyao spoke, everyone fell silent for a moment, and their gazes shifted to her.

"Yes, there are," Ning Chunyan answered frankly. "Not only are there, but there are quite a lot."

The image of a certain person flashed through her and Wang Zixu's minds at the same time.

Jiang Mengyao then sneered, "A talented woman like yourself, who is also a judge at the Xihe Literary Gathering, shouldn't you be even more careful to avoid suspicion? You just said that the selection process at that literary gathering was fair and just, but now you're admitting that you and the winner have known each other for a long time. I really... I really don't understand your thinking."

Ning Chunyan said, "As I just said, Yanzishan gave us a high score that time. Are you implying that you've even started to suspect Yanzishan?"

Jiang Mengyao asked, "Were there any low scores?"

"Everyone has different aesthetic preferences, so the judges' scores will naturally vary."

"That settles it then." Jiang Mengyao spread her hands. "Those who know, know."

"Sorry? I don't understand what you're trying to say."

"Do you really not understand? Heh, I think I've explained it very clearly."

This person's logic was getting stranger and stranger, and Ning Chunyan found it extremely difficult to talk to her.

"To be honest, the runner-up at that Xihe Literary Competition was also one of my editors. If anyone's going to question the competition's results, it's not your place to do so. How about I give you her contact information, and you two can talk it over?"

Seeing the tension rising, Zhou Qingqing stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "How about we stop talking about this?"

Ning Chunyan said, "No, I want to talk. She's implying that I acted favoritism as a judge, which is a very serious accusation. I want to clarify things. What evidence does she have to make this claim?"

Jiang Mengyao pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and adopted a defensive posture. After a pause, she said, "I don't want to ask about the second-place winner of that literary competition. I just want to ask the first-place winner: do you think you deserved your first-place finish?"

In an instant, all eyes were focused on Prince Xu's face.

Did you truly deserve your first place?

Strangely enough, when asked this question, his first reaction was not anger, nor doubt, nor sorrow.

He felt very bitter.

He never ranked first in his life. Even in that public institution, he was promoted to the second-place candidate because the first-place candidate thought the place was too poor and later went to Donghai.

He didn't work tirelessly for anything else, but he was serious about writing, as evidenced by the numerous Nobel Prize-winning books in his house. Those words and the authors' names swirled in his mind with every breath.

Even today, he still feels like he's dreaming when he won first place at the literary competition. He's forgotten most of what happened that day, except for the vivid memory of Chen Qingluo personally pinning the medal on his finger. He's also had moments of disbelief, feeling that winning first place wasn't real.

But why ask me this question? Why not ask Shi Shuqiu, ask those people, if they feel they truly deserve their success? Have they worked hard enough to justify their achievements?

"I think every reader has their own number one, just like every year when the Nobel Prize list is announced, I also have a better candidate in mind," said Wang Zixu.

Jiang Mengyao raised the corners of her mouth slightly and tilted her head back.

"But the premise is that the person has to be a reader," Wang Zixu said. "If someone has never even read my work, what right do they have to question me?"

"If you've read it, even if you call what I wrote a pile of crap, I'll seriously consider it. But you haven't even read it, so what right do you have to criticize? You have no right to speak without investigation, and you shouldn't make opinions without having read the book."

"You haven't read my work, so you're not questioning the work itself, but rather your own prejudice. You're fighting your own prejudice, then using that prejudice to kill your imagined version of me, and you're smug about it. How can I prove myself? Let you win. Because you live in your own world, and in your own world, you're invincible."

After saying all this in one breath, Wang Zixu realized that his previous plan with Ning Chunyan to "pretend to be an expert without saying a word" had completely failed, because he had said too much.

But Jiang Mengyao stopped talking and stared at him, and the other girls also stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

"Ahem." An Younan's face turned ashen. "Let's not discuss this anymore. I'm going to change my clothes."

"I'll go too."

……

"Changing clothes" is an elegant way of saying "going to the toilet," which is what the ancients called "changing clothes." Even this action was described in a subtle way by talented women.

The talented women all left at once. While they were in the restroom, Prince Xu was still reflecting on whether he had acted up again. When the women returned, everyone realized that one person was missing.

"Miss Jiang is gone," Zhou Qingqing told An Younan. "She left secretly, the receptionist told me."

"Good that she left. If she hadn't left on her own, I would have asked her to leave." An Younan's expression was still unpleasant. "Who brought her in? We shouldn't keep members like that here. Tell the front desk not to let her in again."

Zhou Qingqing said, "I also think she's a bit strange. We can't seem to connect on the same wavelength. Her logic is very strange. I used to think it was just that we couldn't see eye to eye."

The others around her nodded in agreement, indicating that she wasn't the only one who thought this way.

After she finished speaking, she leaned close to An Younan's ear and whispered something. Upon hearing this, An Younan's brows relaxed, and she said, "I see. That makes sense then. It was the right thing to do not let her come in the future."

Wang Zixu was stunned for a long time, then breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. He thought he had messed up again. Unexpectedly, An Younan's ashen face wasn't directed at him, but rather at Jiang Mengyao.

(End of this chapter)