I am not a literary giant

Chapter 196 Room

"This is the place you brought me to."

"Yes."

"A store that wanted to imitate punk style but ended up as a hybrid due to the 'Regulations on the Management of Storefront Signs', and is also suspected of smuggling overseas audio-visual products."

"Yes."

Chen Qingluo turned her head and looked at Wang Zixu expressionlessly, questioning his aesthetic sense with her eyes.

Prince Xu said, "Don't judge a shop by its appearance; it's not what you think."

Miss Chen Qingluo was determined to judge a store by its appearance. She crossed her arms and began to carefully examine the store's signboard, finally spotting the GG standee.

"Couples who check in for two days can purchase a collector's edition CD at half price..." Chen Qingluo read the words on the screen without any inflection, and then concluded, "Hmm, it really is a consumerism trap."

"It's not a trap."

"Its gentleness lies in not hurting single people."

"Aren't you saying it backwards?"

"Being single is so lucky."

"On behalf of all single people, I thank you for your positive way of thinking."

Chen Qingluo calls all forms of consumer inducement a consumerism trap. However, Wang Zixu has no right to criticize her; he shared the same opinion yesterday.

Later, he discovered that the director-signed edition of *Fight Club*, originally priced at 1,600 yuan, was only 80 yuan after the discount. What kind of trap was this? This guy is clearly a great philanthropist! We can't generalize about consumerism; this is a good cat that can catch mice!

"Wait a minute," Miss Chen Qingluo said sarcastically, then suddenly realized what she meant, "You don't mean you want me to go with you to check in, do you?"

"Ah... I think so."

Chen Qingluo's face slowly turned red from bottom to top, like a thermometer, and then she stared intently at him, making Wang Zixu suddenly panic.

"How could you do this?"

He now wanted to ask Ning Chunyan, "Yeah, Ning Chunyan, how could you be so shameless?" He hadn't even thought about that question yesterday.

It's a pity Ning Chunyan isn't here. If she were, she would definitely burst out laughing, pointing her finger at him and saying, "You're a bit too self-conscious! You married prince!"

The "couple" thing is just a gimmick. Even if you brought an armed helicopter, the owner would still take a picture of it. Remember, we're just friends! Don't overthink it!

She could say that mainly because she genuinely hadn't considered it that way. But Wang Zixu couldn't say it to Chen Qingluo with a straight face, much like Zhou Zhiruo said to Zhang Wuji, "What if I feel guilty?"

The prince, sweating profusely, explained, "This so-called 'couple' thing is actually just a gimmick used by this store. Let's ignore it and just walk in confidently..."

"Won't people assume we're a couple?"

"Yes, uh, no. That's not the point. We shouldn't take its requirements seriously, even if it required two Tyrannosaurus Rex for a discount. It's just a consumerist gimmick."

Chen Qingluo hesitated for a moment, then said to him, "You may have forgotten, but I remember making a promise with you the day before I transferred schools many years ago..."

"First, we should be kind," the prince blurted out, "and second, we should be honest."

Chen Qingluo remained expressionless. But Wang Zixu sensed a joyful and delightful emotion in that expressionless face. This emotion was subtle yet elusive; if one looked closely, it would vanish without a trace.

"Do you think you're honest?" Chen Qingluo asked.

"...and then never forget each other." Prince Xu added the last half of the sentence.

I didn't say that.

"It's from The Brothers Karamazov, which I read later."

"I didn't say that, I didn't say that, I didn't say that."

"I will always remember. Dostoevsky wrote so well."

"Never mind, let's go in and take a look."

Chen Qingluo turned and went into the store, with Wang Zixu following behind, even more unable to fathom her thoughts.

Upon entering the store, Chen Qingluo was immediately drawn to the shelves.

"Wow, it's a signed copy of Christopher Nolan's 'Memento'! It's unbelievable that a low-end overseas online store would have something like this; it's like a miniature version of myself has emerged from Xihe."

Wang Zixu picked up a DVD from the shelf: "Look, there's even a director-signed copy of 'Room' here. It's like a miniature Xihe has produced another version of me."

Chen Qingluo turned to look at him, but didn't say anything.

"Uh, isn't it funny? The joke here is that 'Room' is such a terrible movie that it has become a cult classic because it is so terrible."

Chen Qinglu shook her head heavily.

Prince Xu was deeply shocked and put back the most famously bad movie in history.

After a long while, Chen Qingluo finally spoke:

"It's not funny. It might be slightly better if you didn't add that explanation of the joke."

After saying that, she added, "Besides, you're not bad at all."

Wang Zixu's feelings at that moment were like being thrown into a volcano on a hot summer day and being roasted from both sides, when suddenly Chen Qingluo appeared in front of him and handed him a bottle of ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Chen Qingluo continued searching for discs, muttering to herself:

"Once art loses its value for worship, the internet has infinitely elevated its value for display. Art from the age of mechanical reproduction, which had long since fallen from its pedestal, has once again taken center stage in niche spheres. It's such a pity. If Benjamin were alive today, I wonder what kind of works he would have created..."

Wang Zixu was somewhat excited. When he first came to this store, he also thought of Benjamin. He gestured wildly, but he didn't know how to express this to Chen Qingluo, which made her feel strange.

"I want this 'Love Letter' and this 'Love at Sunset'."

Seeing Chen Qingluo holding both discs in her arms, Wang Zixu raised an eyebrow:

Do you have a CD player at home?

"It will grow after you bring it home."

Wang Zixu smiled, picked up his beloved "Fight Club", then picked up "Memento" that Chen Qingluo had put down, and then chose "Dead Poets Society".

He wanted to ask Chen Qingluo why she chose only romance films. But he didn't ask.

"Oh, right," before going to pay, Chen Qingluo turned around again and took "The Room" off the shelf. "I'll take this one."

When they went to the counter to pay, the shopkeeper took the slip of paper from Wang Zixu, glanced at the two men each carrying a bag of clearly separated DVDs, and asked:

"Should we pay separately?"

"Let's pay separately," Chen Qingluo answered first.

The boss glanced at the computer, then at Chen Qingluo, then at the computer again, then at Chen Qingluo again:

"But when I came yesterday..."

Wang Zixu was shocked and stopped the boss from saying the next potentially fatal thing: "Of course we'll pay together, I'll pay."

"I don't want to," Chen Qingluo said.

Wang Zixu pulled her aside and whispered, "You need to check in for two consecutive days to get a discount. I'll pay for it together."

"Does it need to be a full two days?"

"right."

"Who did you come with yesterday?"

Miss Chen Qingluo is always very perceptive in places where she shouldn't be, which makes Prince Xu feel quite troubled.

In fact, the questioner already has the answer in their heart when they ask some questions. The astute Miss Chen Qingluo's eyes clearly saw the three characters "Ning Chun Banquet," and the characters grew increasingly bold.

Before she could react, Prince Xu quickly interrupted the spell:

"Zhao Peilin! I came with Zhao Peilin."

Who is Zhao Peilin?

"He's a guy from Nanjing University, a senior. He likes to wear baggy shorts, has never been in a relationship, and asks me to introduce him to someone every day."

Chen Qingluo narrowed her eyes: "You and a man..."

"Yes, this is the East China Sea."

Only after stating this reason did Wang Zixu feel that he had integrated into the city a little bit.

This is the East Blue, so it wouldn't be strange if two Tyrannosaurus Rex were strolling hand-in-hand. Because this is the East Blue. This reason has saved the world a lot of trouble.

Chen Qingluo tilted her head and thought for a while before accepting Wang Zixu's suggestion. However, she absolutely refused to let Wang Zixu pay for her and insisted on transferring the money to him herself.

Before leaving the store, the owner gave Wang Zixu a thumbs-up. Wang Zixu, sweating profusely, quickly followed Chen Qingluo.

"This one's for you." Chen Qingluo took out "The Room" from her bag and handed it to her. "I hope you'll become as famous as this cult classic... no, even more famous than it."

"Thank you." Wang Zixu was touched. He finally understood why Chen Qingluo insisted on paying for it himself.

He picked up the bag, took out "Fragments of Memory" from it, and handed it to Chen Qingluo: "I also wish you can never forget your original aspirations."

"Thanks."

The two exchanged heartfelt wishes, but then fell silent. They realized that, considering the content of the movies they'd chosen, the wishes were less of a blessing and more of a sarcastic remark.

The two walked side by side in silence for a while.

"How did Ning Chunyan teach you next?" Chen Qingluo asked.

The original text can be found at 6#9@book/bar!

"Buy milk tea, eat cake, watch a movie."

"Okay, go ahead then."

"Now that we know she arranged it, is that apology package even worthwhile?"

"It's still early today, and I have nothing else to do," Chen Qingluo said. "Although I'm not angry anymore, I still want to experience what it's like to be carefully served by you."

"Haven't you ever been pampered?"

"How could a genius girl like me, who earned two houses through her own efforts at the age of 17, not have been carefully served?" Chen Qingluo said softly, "The point I'm making is that I was served by you, you idiot."

Wang Zixu felt as if he were being roasted on two sides in the Flaming Mountain when Chen Qingluo suddenly appeared in front of him and spat in his face. Fortunately, the saliva was icy cold.

……

Ning Chunyan's recommended online celebrity cake shop has some serious skills; the fermented bread is fluffy and sweet, and even the simple whole wheat bread can be made in a unique way.

This shows that there must be a reason for someone becoming famous, just like Chen Qingluo, the genius girl who earned two apartments in Donghai at the age of 17 through her own talent. Many commentators are envious behind her back, believing that Chen Qingluo's popularity is largely due to her looks.

What's frightening is that her good looks are just one of the reasons Chen Qingluo became famous.

So many bad movies are made every year, but only "Room" became so popular that it's worthy of worship, shining like holy light on a pedestal despite its awful appearance. Because being different is a necessity for fame, even bad movies have to be shockingly bad to generate buzz.

Prince Xu reflected on himself and realized that his problem lay in the fact that he possessed neither extraordinary innate qualities nor the shamelessness to risk everything; he was powerless to strive for good and lacked the courage to turn bad. In the end, he could only remain stuck in the middle, becoming just another ordinary person.

He felt that the only things that set him apart from others were his long-held desire for the Nobel Prize in Literature and his long-held desire for Chen Qingluo.

However, his constant thoughts remained just that—thoughts—and he was at a loss when it came to taking any action.

For example, even now, he can't bring himself to sincerely apologize to Chen Qingluo.

To explain why he kept his appearance on the "Get" magazine a secret from Chen Qingluo, we first need to explain why he was always hesitant and timid when facing Chen Qingluo.

If it were a friend, he could simply explain it as "I just wanted to surprise you." But he couldn't. Precisely because the other person was Chen Qingluo. This is similar to what Zhou Zhiruo said, "What if I feel guilty?"

While he was queuing in front of the trendy store, Chen Qingluo went to browse elsewhere. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he thought of countless opening lines for his apology, and only when Chen Qingluo returned did he finally polish his lines.

"Chen Qingluo".

He suddenly spoke as she sat down opposite him. She stared at him in surprise, wondering why he was suddenly so serious.

"We talked about this today, about what we agreed on before," Wang Zixu said, "First, we should be kind, and then we should be sincere."

Chen Qingluo turned her face away: "When I said that, I was just quoting 'The Brothers Karamazov,' and I really didn't say a third sentence."

"What I want to say is that I have always tried my best to be a sincere person. Although within my family and extended family for three generations, there is not a single sincere person," Wang Zixu said earnestly. "I shouldn't be such a sincere person, but your words have changed me."

"what?"

Just as Chen Qingluo was caught off guard, two male college students and three female college students, a group of young people, walked over, patted Wang Zixu on the back, and placed a note in front of him.

Wang Zixu's train of thought was abruptly interrupted. He picked up the note and read:

[The promised in-person event is finally here! (laughs)]

What follows is an endless stream of offline arrests! (Little devil)

The contract has already been established; to prevent you from forgetting, let me repeat it here:

Just shout "May all those privileged dogs die!" three times.

[(Different handwriting) Big Brother is watching you!]

[(In a different handwriting) You should repent!]

Wang Zixu put down the note and looked towards the group of young men and women. They laughed and scattered.

"What is it?"

Chen Qingluo took the note, read it, and placed it on the table.

"What do you mean?"

After a moment's thought, Prince Xu knew the origin of this strange note.

Those young men were either from Nanjing University or nearby universities. They recognized him the moment he sat down. While Wang Zixu was waiting for Chen Qingluo, they sat at the tables opposite him, diligently writing down this little note.

The reason for writing this strange note is simple: it's because of the trouble I caused on the forum.

After Shi Shuqiu's last seminar, overnight, all of Black Prince Xu's posts on the forum were suddenly blocked.

The forum already blocks posts that are maliciously insulting, but this time the crackdown is unprecedented, and many posts that were just making jokes have also been affected.

This sparked public outrage. Some disgruntled individuals fabricated claims that Prince Xu had powerful connections and that the ban was due to him using his authority.

Wang Zixu had gone offline after his reputation on the forum was ruined. Later, when "Stone Fire" was published in "Get", he went online again to see what netizens thought of him.

Seeing that people on the forum were denouncing his privileges, he made a brief response.

As a result, thanks to the poor public image he had cultivated on the forum, this response drew widespread ridicule. Netizens already thought he was a power-hungry individual, but now he's even more of a power-hungry individual who doesn't dare admit it.

As the saying goes, when others think you're a privileged user, you'd better actually be one. Unfortunately, Prince Xu wasn't, so he had to shut down the internet again.

This was just a minor incident for him; he was used to being offline and hadn't even felt any emotional reaction. It wasn't until he received the note that he realized the seriousness of the situation.

After hearing what he said, Chen Qingluo's expression became extremely serious.

"Have you been experiencing this frequently these past few days?"

"No, this is the first time," Wang Zixu said. "I've received a lot of private messages online, but this is truly the first time I've done it offline."

"Let's call the police," Chen Qingluo said.

"Isn't that unnecessary?" Prince Xu smiled wryly. "It's not just one or two people saying this; everyone's criticizing it. Are we going to arrest everyone?"

"So you're just going to lie down and let others throw dirty water on you?" Chen Qingluo was even more indignant than Wang Zixu himself. "This is affecting your real life!"

Prince Xu shook his head.

"If calling the police is useless, then it's better not to call them at all. If calling the police is useful, then I'm just an all-powerful, high-ranking official."

Chen Qingluo bit her lip and thought for a moment: "Who do you think started this trend of criticizing you?"

Wang Zixu remained silent. Both he and Chen Qingluo had someone in mind, but they tacitly refrained from speaking aloud.

"It might be him, or it might not," Wang Zixu said. "If it is him, what can we do? He's the real high-ranking official with connections to the highest levels."

"There's a way," Chen Qingluo said. "Go and show him the truth in real life."

"Huh?" Wang Zixu sat up. "I'll go find Shi Shuqiu. What if he denies it? Wouldn't that just make me look foolish in front of the students?"

"I'm not looking for him, I'm looking for his father," Chen Qingluo said. "He's failed in his parenting; shouldn't he be responsible?"

(End of this chapter)