I am not a literary giant

Chapter 191 Choice

The sound of back patting from inside the room turned into the scraping of fingernails on skin. Ning Chunyan rested her forehead on her arm, lying face down on the massage bed, her facial expression unreadable.

An Younan turned to stare at her, seemingly waiting for the echo of her rather offensive remark to subside. After a long while, Ning Chunyan did not react, so she picked up the wine glass placed to the side and took a sip of the scarlet liquid inside.

The room was filled with the fragrance of incense, and the mist from the humidifier made it feel like the Jiangnan region in March, with a very warm and calming climate.

Ning Chunyan asked, "What makes you think that way?"

An Younan put down her wine glass and smiled faintly: "I'm a girl too, and I understand this subtle possessiveness. I offered such good terms, good for both of you. But you wouldn't agree. I can't think of any other reason besides liking him."

The curtain moved, and the aunt came in, unscrewed the cap of the essential oil bottle, wet her hands, and then applied it to Ning Chunyan's smooth back. It felt cool and refreshing, and Ning Chunyan let out a soft groan.

She said, "I admit I like him. I like someone I've never seen, don't know his identity, and know nothing about except his writing. It's funny, isn't it?"

"I don't think so. To be honest, what is the relationship between people? Some people just glanced at my heavily edited photo on the GG card and casually said 'forever'; others just heard the voice of a virtual YouTuber and went crazy for them; can you believe that there are people in the world who treat fictional characters as their wives?"

"So what if you've only read his writings, Ning Cai Nu? At least you've touched his soul through his words. Although feelings have no inherent hierarchy, your feelings are far purer than a superficial infatuation."

Ning Chunyan was still facing the massage bed, so her face couldn't be seen, but her ears were red.

An Younan added, "Also, don't call me Miss An, just call me Xiao Nan."

"But Xiao Nan, I'm not lying to you. Based on what I know about him, if I showed even the slightest tendency to make him reveal his identity, he would immediately delete me and never contact me again. He's that cautious."

An Younan widened her eyes dramatically: "But that's a senior consultant at Xunyi! Do you know how tempting that contract is? Do you know how many people dream of selling their souls for such a job? It's just about revealing your identity. I don't believe the Little Prince wouldn't be tempted."

Ning Chunyan turned to look at her, frowning. "Why are you so insistent on poaching the little prince?"

An Younan lay down: "Didn't we say before that Xunyi's new strategy needs a literary flagship?"

"Don't you already have Gu Zao? Isn't that why you became his apprentice? In terms of literary standing, Gu Zao far surpasses the Little Prince."

An Younan forced a mocking smile: "Sister Ning, you underestimate Xunyi. Do you think I just poach people randomly because of my own preferences? Xunyi has a dedicated marketing and public opinion analysis department."

"I have great respect for Professor Gu Zao, but to be honest, comparing Professor Gu Zao to The Little Prince in terms of IP value is like comparing a match to a towering tree."

Ning Chunyan asked with her eyes, "Is the difference really that big?"

"The difference is that big. We didn't believe it before, until The Little Prince's 'The Lost City' became a hit again," An Younan said. "Our department later calculated and produced a report. The specific analysis process is very complicated. I will only tell you the result - if we, the marketing teacher Gu Zao, want to achieve the appeal effect of The Little Prince's first two hits, we would have to invest at least 1260 million RMB."

silence.

An Younan took another sip of red wine and began to summarize her statement: "The difference between Gu Zao and the Little Prince is a difference of 1260 million RMB."

After a long silence, Ning Chunyan said in a voice barely audible, "But the Xunyi family is so powerful..."

"Yes, Xunyi is a large and powerful company. Last year, they spent 15 billion on marketing. But our money doesn't just come out of thin air. By spending a few million to sign Little Prince, we can save ourselves 50 million. What a worthwhile deal!"

Ning Chunyan said, "As expected, my thinking can't keep up with your capitalist thinking."

"The calculation is the same, it's just that the numbers are frightening."

"Is the Little Prince really that important?" Ning Chunyan finally turned to look at her. "If Qingyan fails, it won't matter to Xunyi. But if Wen'ai loses the Little Prince, she'll have nothing left."

"Do you have feelings for Wen Ai?"

"No. But I feel the Little Prince likes it there."

After saying that, she noticed the expression on An Younan's face and added, "He didn't tell me that. But I feel like he likes it there. Just a feeling."

An Younan swirled the red wine in her glass, the crimson liquid swirling at the bottom. She pondered. After a long while, she finally spoke:

"You still don't understand. Not speaking lightly is nothing to Xunyi; but not speaking ill of someone is extremely important to Xunyi."

"Does business always have to be about ruthless elimination?"

"To utterly annihilate your opponent is the greatest mercy you can show them. Whose famous quote is that again?"

"The Three-Body Problem".

"Yes, Professor Three-Body is right."

An Younan had not read "The Three-Body Problem," but Ning Chunyan did not want to correct her.

"Sister Ning," An Younan said again, "I don't deny your feelings for the Little Prince, but since just now, all I've heard is 'I think' and 'I feel,' and I haven't heard the Little Prince's thoughts."

"Shouldn't you leave the decision to the little prince himself? What a pity it would be if he didn't know he had such a wonderful opportunity?"

If this is a negotiation between the two women, then the scales of victory have completely tipped in their favor.

The truth is, humans only feel regret when they realize what they've missed. The Little Prince could have lived his whole life as a free cloud, shining and fading in the blue sky, without feeling any sadness about having the potential to become a senior advisor at Xunyi.

But Ning Chun's banquet. She didn't want to spend years later constantly asking herself, "What did I do back then?" What she agreed with An Younan was that she also felt the decision should be left to the little prince himself.

With choices come responsibilities. With final choices come final responsibilities. Ning Chunyan cannot bear the Little Prince's responsibilities in life.

"I will help you convey your message to the little prince. As for whether he wants to have further contact with you, I will leave that entirely to his decision."

An Younan looked up at her and said, "When you speak, please make me sound, uh, more polite and humble. I have the utmost respect for him."

Ning Chunyan stared at her for a while, then smiled and shook her head. If An Younan respected the Little Prince, then the Big Bad Wolf could also be said to respect the Little Sheep.

This woman clearly sees the Little Prince as a rare and precious prey.

"I'm going out."

"Sister Ning, please take care. I'm a little sleepy and would like to lie down here for a while. Auntie, please put the eye mask on for me and turn the air conditioner down a notch."

Ning Chunyan lifted the curtain, opened the wardrobe, put on her clothes, picked up her royal blue high heels from the floor, put them on, and then went out. The two aunts followed her out and closed the door tightly.

...Prince Xu hid in another dark wardrobe under the screen wall, his upper and lower teeth involuntarily clattering together, making a sound similar to the wing of an airplane taking off.

He was terrified.

If he had chosen the cabinet next door when he was hiding, if An Younan had come out first instead of Ning Chunyan, if Ning Chunyan had opened the cabinet door and pulled his side open as well... so many "ifs," if even one of them happened, he would face his social death.

A deluge of information churned in his mind, one wave after another, leaving him bewildered and beginning to regret eavesdropping on this secret conversation.

If he had simply listened to the news from Qiu Ge, he could have made a decision calmly. But since he knew so much inside information beforehand, he faced a choice: Should he tell Zuo Ziliang? Should he tell Ye Lan? Should he choose Wen Ai, or should he choose to make up the difference of 1260 million?

Numerous choices. Just as Ning Chunyan had thought, these choices placed an ultimate responsibility on him. If he hadn't known, he wouldn't have been responsible. But now he knew.

His legs were still weak. He carefully left the closet, and the sheer stockings were pulled out of the closet, lying on the carpet like a snake's molt; a very large bra was also hanging on his shoulder.

He stuffed An Younan's clothes back in and gently closed the cabinet. Then, he tiptoed to the door and gently pressed the doorknob down without making a sound.

Just then, a voice startled him again.

"Aunt."

An Younan heard the door lock rattle, and she assumed that her aunt had returned.

"Auntie, come here for a second." An Younan thought the other person hadn't heard her, so she called out again, "Could you turn the air conditioner fan speed down one level for me?"

Only a fool wouldn't leave. Prince Xu quickly pressed the doorknob down, but the door didn't budge.

It's locked inside.

The spa on the top floor of Galaxy City may not be the most upscale, but it is still a private, high-end bespoke establishment—and that bespoke includes even the doors.

This is a security wooden door. Lifting the doorknob upwards from the outside will lock the door, preventing it from being opened with a key. To open it from the inside, simply lift the doorknob upwards as well.

An Younan usually gets a spa treatment that includes an AMSR package. After the treatment, she needs to have a full sleep cycle before being woken up by the therapist. She relaxes completely and isn't dressed during the spa treatment, and for privacy, she requests a door that can be locked from the outside.

This wasn't exactly a high-end design, but Prince Xu was so panicked that he didn't even think to lift the doorknob. He pushed the door a few times, his face turning red, but it was all in vain.

"Auntie?" An Younan's voice, already tinged with doubt, came from inside the curtain. "Didn't you hear me?"

(End of this chapter)